Jingming

Chapter 438 My Ming Dynasty is far ahead!
In the Ming Dynasty, the one who can definitely call the shots is the "True Dragon Emperor".

Zhu Houcong's excuse made Yan Song tremble, and he only felt at ease after being given a meal alone by the emperor.

How will the people below suffer from this storm?
But Zhu Houcong was not very concerned about this.

All he wants is this process.

This process must be carried out so that the powerful officials and businessmen of the Ming Dynasty can remember that the emperor has set rules and know that the emperor values ​​those rules.

Now Zhu Houcong pays more attention to his thoughts.

Whether it's internal or external.

By establishing the new school as an official school, Zhu Houcong could pay more attention to the development of science covered by physics, but even if he was originally from a liberal arts background, it would be difficult for him to make any achievements in the understanding of "human theory".

Military, civilian, merchant, and craftsman...many nationalities have been changed from the system.The national flag is established and the country is emphasized, but the emperor of the family and the world is still there, which is a big problem that will never be bypassed for the small family.

The years of the Ming Dynasty were stitched together by the emperor with constant new interests.

The benefits of expansion and improved benefits after the implementation of the new law; the benefits of relaxing business restrictions after requiring officials and gentry to pay taxes; the benefits of new solid land and border trade after the opening of border areas with arms.

Internal problems have always existed, they have just been delayed.

Ordinary people think about surviving and having future generations who can succeed; wealthy families think about how to seize opportunities and continue to be prosperous; important ministers think about how to get promoted, receive divine grace, and bless their descendants.

The emperor was thinking about the entire Ming Dynasty a hundred years from now.

No one can really understand his thoughts.

Because Ming Dynasty is good enough now.The emperor was diligent, disciplined and methodical in doing things, and he also paid attention to people's livelihood.

The Ming Dynasty had no external worries, so besides internal troubles, what other motivation did it have?
In internal affairs, there is no need to consider the needs of the country. Isn’t that just considering the needs of the small family?

Family must be put before country, and Zhu Houcong also understands this.

But Zhu Houcong still understands the fragility of this "prosperous age".

Of course we can believe in the wisdom of future generations, but they are more likely to be stupid and short-sighted.

The thoughts and lofty goals that truly unite the officials and people of the Ming Dynasty have not yet appeared. Without values ​​and goals that are recognized from the heart, it is difficult for the Ming Dynasty, which is already in the leading position, to truly break through. It will only continue to sink in the cyclical laws of the dynasty.

The current world situation and the situation inside and outside the Ming Dynasty did not make other Ming Dynasty people except Zhu Houcong feel that it was necessary to continue struggling and reforming.

Outside Fengtian Gate, officials working in Wenhua Hall, Wuying Hall, Wenlou, and Wulou noticed that the emperor had arrived at the Meridian Gate.

The emperor ascended the Hall of Heroes.

The chief inspector is in front. Now that the emperor has arrived at the Hall of Heroes, what will he think about when looking at the portraits of those famous ministers?
Do you want to lament that this session is the worst one?

In the Hall of Heroes, in front of Zhu Houcong, everyone from the important civil and military ministers who founded the Ming Dynasty to Zhang Fuking, who was recently enshrined here, looked at him calmly in the portrait.

Their gazes did not fall on Zhu Houcong, but were either gentle or serious, staring at something without focus.

At that time, Xu Da, Chang Yuchun and the others were either following Zhu Yuanzhang to save the Han people from disaster, Yu Qian was perhaps trying to save the building from collapse, and Zhang Fujing was perhaps trying to revive the Ming Dynasty.

Generations of famous ministers are surrounded by generations of emperors.

The ultimate goal is nothing more than what it is now: national peace and security, and all nations coming to Korea.

Going deeper, what standard of life should people live?Is it true that the surrendered foreigners will not cause any trouble?

Families, that's so hard.

Just like there are thousands of ministers in a dynasty, only a handful can get here.

If we have made further progress, why should the emperor take the lead in unwinding the book?
Zhu Houcong, who leads the team, has been thinking about it on and off for more than 20 years, but he has never been able to make a breakthrough on these issues.

Otherwise, why is it said that it is easy to conquer a country but difficult to defend it?

Zhu Houcong stayed in the Hall of Heroes for nearly an hour, not only walking around to relax, but also continuing to think about Yan Song's reaction until now.

The existence of the emperor greatly affected the upper and lower limits of the country.

In the second half of his life, Zhu Houcong must solve this problem: let everyone in the Ming Dynasty believe in some concepts, and let the monarchs and ministers of the Ming Dynasty always have a clear goal.

It is not easy to propose these and convince them.

"Xuan Louis."

Zhu Houcong walked slowly to the afternoon gate and opened his mouth to give instructions.

Try chatting with Westerners who have completely different ideas. If you have exchanges and comparisons, you may be able to get some inspiration.

……

Louis has been in Beijing for nearly half a month, and it is already midsummer. He is wearing the kind of flowing robes that the gentry of the Ming Dynasty also loved.

It's just a style, just a feeling.

During these ten days, Louis often observed the decent people in the capital of the Eastern Empire.

Wearing such elegant clothes, they naturally have a sense of confidence and calmness in their body, and at the same time they also show a sense of detachment from some worldly desires.

Aren't the so-called immortals the kind of beings whose immortal power can bring everything to an end, and whose immortal body will last forever and never cause any serious trouble?
Lewis couldn't feel the pressure brought by Dacha.

Due to the important task entrusted to him by his brother, Louis has been deeply familiar with Dongfang for a long time.

In Portugal, he was already Alfonso's best friend.Over the years, he collected European books and presented them to the Eastern emperor, and also read history books and classics bought back from the East.

Louis believes that no one in Europe knows the East better than him at this moment.

Neither can Alfonso.He is a little clever, but during the long period of Ming Dynasty, survival dominated him at first, and later the desire for power blinded him, so that he could never truly understand the Orientals.

Now, the Eastern Emperor summoned him.

Louis put on the python robe given by the emperor and entered the Eastern Palace again.

This time, at first glance, there is no difference from before, but if you look closely, you can find some renovations.

The most eye-catching thing is naturally the towering iron pillar inside Fengtian Gate, with the Ming Dynasty's Three-Chen Flag flying at the top.

Even if Louis was just passing by from the side, he could see it over the towering palace eaves.

As for the three main halls of State Council, State Affairs, and National Policy, Wenhua Hall, Wuying Hall, Wenlou and Wulou, including the Qianqing Palace and Kunning Palace that you see after walking to the entrance of Yangxin Palace, the cornices are also decorated with some flags.

Louis didn't know why there were these changes. He didn't dare to ask. Naturally, no one told him that those were the lightning rods that His Majesty had ordered to prevent lightning strikes and fires.Hanging up the flag is just to make it less obtrusive.

When they arrived at the Yangxin Hall, what surprised Louis was that the emperor was not meeting him in the imperial study room today.

Huang Jin led him to the atrium between the imperial study room and the backyard of Yangxin Hall, where the emperor was sitting in a small pavilion.

"The special envoy of João Manuel, King of Portugal and the Kingdom of the Algarve, Duke Luis Beja, pays homage to His Majesty the Great Emperor of the East. Long live His Majesty! Long live! Long live! Meet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

Although he didn't know who the young man sitting next to the emperor was, Louis was able to identify him from the pattern of his robe.

The prince's clothes are different from those of other princes.

As soon as Louis came up, he made Zhu Houcong smile and raised his hand: "Get up. You are so proactive this time. As the saying goes, you must ask for something when you are polite to others. Sit down and speak slowly."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After Louis got up, he sat in front of Zhu Houcong and saw tea and cakes on the table in front of him.

Zhu Zaiyi sat and looked at Louis curiously, while Zhang Juzheng stood.

This reminded Zhu Zaiyi of the time when his father met with the second son of the North Korean leader and asked him to listen. Later, he had a long-term mission to pay attention to the dispute between North Korean crown princes.

What about this time?
"As soon as the foreign minister arrived in Guangzhou, he heard the news of the Queen's death, and he also mourned for the 27th in formal attire. Please express your condolences, Your Majesty, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"You are interested." Zhu Houcong was stunned for a moment after hearing his opening remarks, and then said calmly.

This made him look forward to today's exchange. Louis seemed to be a wise man and should have some thoughts and experiences of his own.

"I have read João's credentials. I am bringing the prince to chat with you today because I want to hear what you have to say first." Zhu Houcong went directly to the topic, "The trade between Ming Dynasty and Portugal has been very smooth. João wants to You are stationed in Beijing not just for trade cooperation, right?"

"Your Majesty," this common phrase has already been spoken by Louis. "After signing the peace treaty with Ming Dynasty, the foreign minister's brother also learned more and more about Ming Dynasty. With the beginning of friendship, we should continue to become a true A good friend of you. He admires your great achievements in governing the huge empire. There are many things in Ming Dynasty that he wants to learn from, so he appointed a foreign minister here, hoping to get your majesty's permission and let the foreign minister serve as a trustworthy messenger. Zhu Houcong listened to what he said and then asked: "There are so many differences between Europe and the Ming Dynasty. In your opinion, what are the Ming Dynasty's things worth learning from? And what do you think you can apply in Portugal after learning them?" .”

Louis said honestly: "Portugal has a small territory. In the past few hundred years, it has become a powerful force in Europe by focusing on commerce and trade. But since Duke Alfonso arrived in Portugal, it has brought many European merchants." The extremely amazing, standardized and advanced joint-stock company system. From the organizational form to the financial management, it is eye-opening. The foreign minister heard from someone that the Ming Dynasty accounting method that Alfonso knew was the one pioneered and adopted by your Majesty. It was taught. The foreign minister brought a book this time, your majesty, please read it."

He also imitated the Ming Dynasty and took out a book from the sleeve pocket of his robe.

Zhu Zaicheng and Zhang Juzheng both looked over curiously, but they didn't recognize the words on the cover.

But the emperor read out slowly: "The Practicality of Arithmetic, Geometry, Proportion, and Proportion to Merchants and Bankers"?

Louis was full of praise: "Your Majesty has completely mastered Latin. Yes, this book was written by the Italian businessman and mathematician Luca Pacioli. I heard it appeared more than 40 years ago. The accounting methods and What His Majesty pioneered is somewhat similar, but His Majesty’s method is obviously more advanced.”

Zhu Houcong was able to read it out loud not only because he had learned it from European books over the years, but also because he was an accountant himself.

This is a work known as one of the milestones in accounting. Zhu Houcong did not expect to see the version circulated in this era.

Double-entry accounting...

Zhu Houcong put the book aside and looked at him with a smile: "Of course Alfonso only knows the basics, and the people he brought back are not experts in this field. Could it be that you just want to stay in the Ming Dynasty to learn this?"

"There are so many things that the foreign minister wants to learn." Louis lowered his head, "I hope that your majesty will let your great wisdom benefit more people."

"...You wanted to go to the library as soon as you arrived in Beijing. It seems that this time you expressed Joao's purpose very honestly." Zhu Houcong paused and asked, "It seems that Joao is a person who upholds practical and rational purposes. , in your opinion, what is the most worthy thing for you to learn from Ming Dynasty?"

"The land system and the bureaucracy, Your Majesty," Louis said sincerely.

Zhu Houcong was surprised: "Land system?"

"As you know, in Portugal, and even in the whole of Europe, land belongs to lords big and small. The kings of various kingdoms grant land to them. Except for marriage and inheritance, it cannot actually be traded. Before learning about the Ming Dynasty, we never thought about it The fact that land can be traded freely and managed well allows the monarch to gain greater power from it. In Europe, the monarch is useless without the military and financial support of small and medium-sized lords."

Zhu Houcong was a little surprised. After he cleared his mind, he said meaningfully: "Joao's ambition is not small."

"There is no need to hide this from you, His Majesty the Great Emperor." Louis said honestly, "If it were not for this common ambition, the foreign minister's brother and Duke Alfonso would not be able to cooperate closely."

"You can actually see through this." Zhu Houcong felt that this was probably not Joao's idea. The only person who could understand the East so deeply was Louis, who had already been to the Ming Dynasty and had changed his words and deeds to what he is now.

"The foreign minister is deeply admired." Louis said, "Because of the reforms promoted by His Majesty, the foreign minister spent a long time studying the history of the Eastern Empire, especially the reforms. As you know, Europe is also in the process of change. era. Henry VIII, Charles V... they were all thinking and trying. Now, Henry VIII of England has promulgated the Usufructuary Act, and they are already ahead of the curve."

"...Please tell me in detail."

Zhu Houcong became interested, and Louis entered a state of real communication.

For two young men, Zhu Zaiyi and Zhang Juzheng, they could understand what this Westerner said, but the content was beyond the scope.

Whether in the East or the West, land has always been the most valuable property for a long time.

Through the feudal system in Europe, lords were allowed to hold land. While defending and supporting the monarch with financial resources and force, they also gained the power to hold these lands for generations.

At present, apart from the two maritime trade wonders of Portugal and Spain in Europe, the most prosperous economy in Europe is still the manor economy of feudal lords.

However, the power to reward and dispose of land has always been in the hands of the monarch, and the people's desire for land will not diminish.War is a means of distribution, but there are more compromises among the people.

Just like the emergence of contributions in the Ming Dynasty, in order to avoid the assistance and inheritance payments that monarchs and some great lords received, and the rights of guardianship, marriage, restoration, confiscation, etc., Europe has not only developed In the embryonic form of the trust system, there was also the phenomenon of "donating" land to the church with a transcendent status to exempt the secular feudal monarch from taxes and corvee.

To put it bluntly, England is now beginning to reform these situations, both the religious reform and the reform of the land system are underway.

"England has established a special Privy Council, and the king has appointed justices, finance ministers, etc. to assist in governance. As you may not know, Europe today still mainly uses backward palace officials to assist the monarch in governing. As for the lords, as long as they It is not a violation of obligations. The king's authority is limited to the kingdom. The foreign minister's brother was deeply shocked by the huge bureaucracy of the Ming Dynasty. The newspaper that Duke Alfonso gave to the king was unimaginable to Joao, so Think he’s bragging.”

After Lewis said a lot, he sighed and said: "The foreign minister saw from the history books of the Ming Dynasty that nearly 2000 years ago, the wise king of Qin appointed Shang Yang to carry out reforms, and since then he has abolished the enfeoffed well field system. , allowing land to be traded. The East has accumulated nearly 2000 years of experience in how to gather the power of the people of the kingdom."

Zhu Houcong was already a little numb when he heard this.

From Louis' perspective, is that so?

Although he was also aware of the view that "feudalism in Chinese history was not real feudalism and was incorrectly expressed," he had not really thought about it before.

Is this the biggest problem in Europe today?The kings of various kingdoms themselves need the support of the big nobles such as lords and large lords in the country, and cannot allocate enough strength to do things?

Spain and Portugal were two small places. Relying on maritime trade, the royal family suddenly became powerful and became the earliest great powers?
Then later, the Netherlands, which had a prosperous financial industry, and the United Kingdom, which was the first to carry out religious and land reforms, then jumped up?

To put it bluntly, as long as the feudal system is still implemented and there is also a transcendent church power, so many countries in Europe are always sinking into conquests supported by lords and churches. For many years, apart from the opportunity to fight and win rewards, there is nothing else. The means by which land is acquired legally.

In comparison, being able to buy and sell freely seems to be more advanced, although it will also bring about merger problems.

But Europe is even less dynamic now.

Serfs are serfs, and they will never have a chance to stand up.A lord is a lord. As long as he doesn't seek death, he can be a mere helper while he has land, people and money.

This kind of true generational aristocracy is the root of why the West has always paid attention to bloodline, right?Even if the new industrial and commercial bourgeoisie later eliminated the traditional feudal nobles.

There's no way, it's already engraved into the DNA.

On the other hand, in the East, many years ago, "the kings, princes, generals, and ministers had the right to be in love with each other."

and many more……

Zhu Houcong fell silent and frowned.

If from Lewis's perspective, the East is no longer feudal after Shang Yang's reform, then what has it been like in the past nearly 2000 years?
According to Lao Ma, they are primitive society, slave society, feudal society, capitalist society and communist society.

So if Louis thinks, "Your Majesty, your side has long ceased to be feudal," then could it be that our Ming Dynasty has already entered the capitalist era?

Where is the bourgeoisie?
No, in these nearly 2000 long years, hasn’t land been the most important asset?And could the so-called cyclical law of capitalism be the basis of the dynastic cyclical law?
Land annexation, monopoly exploitation, and the rise of the proletariat...

Zhu Houcong suddenly felt excited: Could it be that China has already been in another form, such as the stage of agricultural capitalism?
Just because we have not yet entered the stage of industrial and commercial capitalism, so we are not so anxious about raw materials and markets, so we are always involved in the same land?
Because there is not enough theoretical guidance, each dynasty is going to perish in advance before it can really make changes.

In 2000, the monarch became more and more centralized because agricultural capital was too powerful and was always suppressing industrial and commercial capital.

Isn’t it that the new problems arising in the New Ming Dynasty today are also because Zhu Houcong, the largest agricultural capitalist, is somewhat undecided about the barbaric growth of industrial and commercial capital?

Louis only felt that the Eastern Emperor's eyes gradually brightened and his brows relaxed.

He even smiled.

Zhu Houcong said sincerely: "You are right. From a system point of view, from a cultural point of view, the Ming Dynasty is really far ahead. Since you two brothers can see through this, I will agree to João's request. From now on, You are the ambassador of Portugal to the Ming Dynasty. Whatever you want to learn, I will allow you."

Louis was overjoyed and left his seat to thank him.

Zhu Houcong felt relaxed and couldn't help laughing.

It's like the spring breeze blowing on your face.

Although the Queen's funeral has just passed, it seems that the Emperor, who has been smiling less and less sincerely in the past few years, and who has been in a bad mood for more than a year, is now so happy with the sound of laughter, The prince, Zhang Juzheng, and Huang Jin all felt very relaxed.

Is the emperor happy because the Ming Dynasty is so much more advanced than that remote barbarian land?

Zhang Juzheng instinctively felt that this was not the case, because just now, His Majesty's feeling of being worried about major events was not fake.

Zhu Houcong happily let Louis drink tea and eat cakes, and then they just chatted about everything.

One is a European who knows the Ming Dynasty best, and the other is an Eastern emperor who knows the West best. The conversation between the two opened the eyes of both young men Zhu Zaiyi and Zhang Juzheng.

The Emperor even left Louis for lunch.

After Louis resigned and left the palace, Zhu Houcong was still in a good mood.

Zhang Juzheng felt that the emperor now had a stronger aura of disdain for the world.

"Let's go and take a look at Long Live Mountain."

The emperor was very interested and took his son and Zhang Juzheng to the Long Live Mountain north of the Forbidden City.

The imperial palace and the capital of the Ming Dynasty spread out in front of him, and Zhu Houcong suddenly spoke: "Uncle, do you know why it has been difficult for Wang Hua to declare it to other vassals throughout the ages?"

Zhang Juzheng was stunned for a moment and hurriedly replied: "You are ignorant, please give me some advice from your majesty."

"Too high, too weak, too advanced." Zhu Houcong's eyes flickered, "Be more realistic. If you want to lead the people of the land, you must first regard the subjects of the foreign vassal as your own subjects. If you want the foreign vassal to be able to wholeheartedly bathe in the Wang Hua, we must let them have a standard that can lead to a better life. If we want the Ming Dynasty not to be dragged down by foreign vassals, this must be a standard that has long-term fundamental benefits for the Ming Dynasty. If you are impatient, you can't eat hot tofu, so do everything step by step. "

Looking back at the two boys, Zhu Houcong said firmly: "From me to you, Zai Ji, Uncle, do you know that maybe the history books in the future will say that the true foundation of the great unity of the world started with me and has been realized for a long time?" Was it made possible by you?"

Zhang Juzheng felt numb all over: "The world is unified?"

How could he, a 16-year-old serious Confucian scholar, stand this?
(End of this chapter)