Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 888 0883 [Merger Issues]

Hearing that Governor Wei wanted to answer questions, the surrounding scholars gathered around him.

Moreover, by inviting friends and companions, the news spreads further and further.

When the news reached Leitang Academy, it was already the governor of Wei who wanted to give lectures here!
Wei Liangchen chose a small mound, and the scholars sat on the ground with him as the center. Row after row, circle after circle, people are crowded and seated one after another, forming many irregular concentric circles.

Not long after, the Hong family's children also came after hearing the news and continued to sit on the outermost edge to listen to the lecture.

Even the chiefs and elders of the Hong clan came.

Wei Liangchen stood on the mound, waited quietly for a long time, and finally asked: "Has anyone read "On Feudalism" by Liu Hedong? Those who have read it, please raise your right hand."

This is a relatively unknown article, but dozens of people raised their hands.

Wei Liangchen asked again: "Who can recite "On Feudalism"?"

With all arms down, no one can recite.

Are there initial stages in nature? I have no idea. Does humanity have an initial stage? I don't know either. I think there should be.

If you don't take the imperial examination, why do you carry this thing? Spending time reading it several times is the limit.

The next content is to elaborate on the feudal system. He also discussed why the feudal system was replaced by the system of prefectures and counties, and believed that the feudal system was based on the private interests of the country, while the Qin Dynasty created the system of prefectures and counties where the world was public.

"The great leaders fought against each other and merged with foreign tribes, and then there was China. Then there were Xia, Shang and Zhou!"

Humans do not have the sharp teeth and claws like wild beasts, nor do they have feathers to withstand the severe cold. Humans can only rely on foreign objects to survive. But resources are limited, which creates struggles. If you want to mediate disputes and calm down fights, you must be led by wise men who can distinguish right from wrong.

Wei Liangchen was already prepared. He took out a piece of paper and said to Zhang Liangyou who was sitting in front of him: "You come and recite."

The emperor is born!

After Zhang Liangyou finished reciting the article, Wei Liangchen said: "Your Majesty generally agrees with Liu Zongyuan's views, and has also made modifications and additions."

The main idea of ​​the article is as follows:

Zhang Liangyou stood up, took the article, and read aloud: "Is there no beginning for heaven and earth? I don't know it. Is there a beginning for human beings? I don't know it. But which one is close? He said: There is a beginning for closeness. Who knows it? It came from feudalism..."

At this time, a more prestigious sage must lead, and the leaders of each ethnic group will listen to him.

"Yes!"

But the princes made the scale of the war larger, and more prestigious sages were needed to lead it.

Gradually, there were rulers, criminal laws, and government decrees.

In ancient times, humans coexisted with all things. There are thick thorns and swarms of wild beasts, drinking blood from their hair.

"There are many barbarian tribes in the southwest and northeast. They eat raw materials, drink blood, and cultivate by slashing and burning because they have not been educated. Their lives are much the same as in ancient China."

The more people gather together, the more they form ethnic groups, and there are ethnic groups outside of ethnic groups. The fights against each other became larger, and armies and wars arose.

Such wise men are the princes, and their territory is the country of Fang.

"Man fought with wild beasts and learned to make bows, arrows and spears. Man fought with nature and learned to make fire to keep warm, to wear clothes to keep out the cold, to build water conservancy, and to farm and breed."

Liu Zongyuan also said that these changes are not the intentions of saints, but the natural evolution of the general trend.

"When there are more people, there must be leaders. Otherwise, it will be difficult to calm down internal disputes, otherwise it will be difficult to resist foreign invasion. So there are tribal leaders, and many tribes have big leaders. The two emperors of Yan and Huang, as well as Chi You, were the leaders at that time Big boss!"

"The Zhou Dynasty split the land and divided the territories, and the feudal princes ruled the country. Many princes were located in barbarian lands, and they conquered and civilized the barbarians. Then the Eastern Yi, Xirong, Southern Barbarians and Beidi were all assimilated into the Xia."

"The princes gradually became more powerful and prosperous, and the power of the Emperor of Zhou fell, and the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods emerged..."

This kind of basic knowledge hundreds of years later was still very new and unique at this time, and most people present listened attentively.

Wei Liangchen raised his hands to the north and said: "The Holy Emperor today is well versed in the creation of heaven and earth. These were all spoken by the Emperor at the Sutra Banquet Conference. In all dynasties, it was the Confucians who lectured to the Emperor. But in our Ming Dynasty, it was the Emperor who gave lectures to the Confucians. ”

Suddenly, Wei Liangchen pointed to a scholar next to him: "If Emperors Yan and Huang annexed the Chiyou tribe, will Chiyou be honest and obedient?"

"No." Na Shizi replied.

Wei Liangchen asked again: "How was the Chiyou tribe annexed?"

The scholar said: "Conquest."

"Yes, conquest," Wei Liangchen said, "Whether it is the Yanhuang annexation of Chiyou, or the princes assimilating the barbarians, they must first rely on force to conquer. Defeat the foreigners and subdue the foreigners. Then educate them and turn the barbarians into Zhu Xia. So at first there was only one corner of China, but now it is spread all over the world.”

Wei Liangchen pointed to another scholar: "How do you win a war?" The scholar replied: "There are wise ministers who plan strategies, and there are fierce generals who charge into battle."

Wei Liangchen shook his head: "All of these are necessary, but the more important thing is money and food. Only with money and food can we support the soldiers of the three armies and build sophisticated soldiers and armor. In the former Song Dynasty, why did Tong Guan's expedition to Liao fail? Because he lacked money and food. . The soldiers are not paid enough, so how can they have any morale? Even the troops are dispatched in a hurry, and the soldiers are not fully equipped."

"So where does the money and food come from?" Wei Liangchen asked another scholar.

The scholar said: "It comes from taxes."

"Yes, taxes," Wei Liangchen said, "His Majesty once told the ministers. During the Yan and Huang Dynasties, hundreds of industries were first established, and even wooden farm tools were used. Copper was scarce and could only be used to make ritual utensils, and farming was not allowed. The harvest was very small. At that time, they could not collect much taxes and could not support many troops. They were all out-of-work tribal nobles who led a group of people who still needed to farm. "

"Later, bronze became more popular and could be used to make farm tools, and farming methods became more mature. More and more food was harvested, and more and more armies could be supported. As a result, more and more Fangbo princes emerged, The emperor of Zhou was able to rule the world."

"Later, iron tools came into existence. With farm tools made of iron, harder soil could be cultivated."

"Ten, twenty, or thirty people use copper farm tools to cultivate a fertile field. This is the well field system."

"If a family of three or five can cultivate a fertile field using iron farm tools, then there is no need for the existence of the well-field system. The same population can cultivate more land. If the princes have enough money and food, then the extra population can be recruited Fighting. This is the Warring States period!"

The scholars were stunned.

The previous historical knowledge only made their eyes shine. After all, Liu Zongyuan had similar views.

But now it is unheard of since ancient times to explain the evolution of Xia, Shang and Zhou in terms of copper, iron, farming, and taxation.

While the three views are strongly impacted, it seems to make some sense if you think about it carefully.

Wei Liangchen continued: "Qin destroyed six kingdoms with the cruelty of Qin Shihuang, why did Liu Zongyuan say that he created the world as a public institution? Because the Zhou Dynasty was feudal at all levels, from princes to officials, everyone was private, and the emperor of Zhou could not collect money, food, or taxes. Once there is a natural disaster, other princes will not help, and the Emperor of Zhou will not be able to provide money or food for relief. "

"The Qin Dynasty implemented a system of prefectures and counties, and Qin Shihuang could uniformly levy money and food. The Han Dynasty inherited the Qin system, and although it was divided into prefectures and states at first, how could the general trend last long? In the end, the princes and kings were exterminated. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty unified the levy, and then the war was launched Dahan Tianwei."

"The princes are gone, but there are powerful families. Therefore, in the Han Dynasty, large families migrated and settled in their mausoleums."

"The aristocratic families became increasingly uncontrollable. They annexed land, hid the population, and evaded taxes and servitude. The country had no money and food to collect, and the people had no place to stand. This led to the chaos in the late Han Dynasty."

"In the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, aristocratic families became powerful families. They built forts, controlled the population, and connected the fields. They had ministers for many generations and controlled the government, just like a country within a country."

"In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the country was founded on the system of equalizing land. The five surnames and Qiwang took the lead in annexing land. The system of equalizing land was destroyed, and the system of renting and yongtiao collapsed. The imperial court could not support the army, so Jiedushi was appointed, which triggered the Anshi Rebellion. This disaster continued into the Five Dynasties and the former Song Dynasty. Although they were unified, they could never regain Yanyun."

“Where did the redundant officials, redundant soldiers, and redundant expenses of the Song Dynasty come from?”

"Redundant officials are a sign of overflowing favor. A prime minister can favor a few descendants, and a magistrate can favor a few descendants. A duke can favor a few descendants, and a county prince can favor a few descendants. Even On the emperor’s birthday, the governor sent his son to the capital to celebrate his birthday. This son can also serve as an official! "

"Are the redundant troops because of the need to fight? The imperial court has increasingly imposed heavy taxes, numerous annexations by large families, and more and more refugees. They can only continue to recruit refugees as Xiang troops. In the end, there are millions of troops in the country!"

"From Duke Fan Wenzheng, to Duke Wang Jing, and even the treacherous minister Cai Jing. Why do you always have to change the law?"

"Just two words: money and food!"

"Some scholars asked me why the Ming Dynasty suppressed Yimen? Let's take the Chen family of Yimen in Jiangzhou as an example."

"They built academies and medical halls so that everyone in the tribe can afford to study and get medical treatment. In years of natural disasters, they also provide relief to the village, so that even people with foreign surnames can survive. This is indeed commendable and worthy of the name of Yimen. . But where do they get the money? Where do they get the food?”

"They used their wealth to annex land and turn fellow villagers and foreigners into customers. They themselves were exempted from corvee. They even hid the population of the land, making it difficult for the government to collect taxes."

"In order to pay taxes, local officials could only levy additional taxes on other local people. This caused more farmers to go bankrupt and sell their land, and the Chen family in Jiangzhou took the opportunity to annex. This made it more difficult for the government to collect taxes, and local people with foreign surnames were taxed more heavily!"

"The Chen family was split up in the former Song Dynasty, and they only had 47 properties in five counties. But just a hundred years later, their properties returned to more than 200. How did these properties come from? They relied on harming the public and enriching private interests, and relying on oppression to force foreign surnames."

"If all the big families in the world practice Yimen, how can the imperial court collect taxes? How heavy will the taxes be for the remaining small households and people?"

"When the time comes, if there is another Fang La and another Zhong Xiang, how can the court still have the money and food to send troops to suppress it? I'm afraid that the troubled times of the Five Dynasties will return!"

"Now, do you understand why the imperial court wants to suppress Yimen?"

This question was raised by Zhang Liangyou. He stood up and bowed straightly: "Thank you sir for your teaching. I already know the truth."

One after another, hundreds of students stood up and bowed to Wei Liangchen.

Some of the remaining people do not agree with this. Especially in their explanation of history, they believed that the troubled times of the Han and Tang Dynasties were not caused by the annexation of land, but because of the troubles of foolish emperors and treacherous ministers.

There were also some who didn't respond simply because they were sitting too far away and couldn't hear clearly what Wei Liangchen was talking about...

Wei Liangchen said: "Your Majesty has written this theory into the "On History" and is giving it to the Hanlin Academy scholars for polishing. It is very likely that the policy topics will be tested in the imperial examination in the future!"

(End of this chapter)