I'm really not doing business

Chapter 597 The Iron Law of Public Opinion: Speculation is Fact

There are many ways to give advice.

There were people carrying coffins to make remonstrances, Hai Rui cursed the Taoist priest, Jiajing Jiajing, every family is clean;

There were those who directly contradicted him, for example, in the second year of Longqing, the late emperor asked for 300,000 taels of silver, but Zhang Juzheng refused to give it;

There are roundabout ways to make the emperor happy, and then show the real purpose, such as Master Lin's model of three mountains;

They show off their acting skills to each other, and it seems like they are quarreling, but they are actually talking about reason.

In fact, the purpose of these methods is the same, which is to criticize Chen Shan and advise the emperor.

It was not the first time that Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu had acted in front of the emperor. The reason they were competing with each other in acting was to make the emperor listen to them. Neither raising taxes nor reducing taxes was appropriate.

If the tax rate was set at 10% and the tax was raised to the maximum at the beginning of the country, it would indeed prevent annexation. But now there is nothing left to annex and there is nothing to be annexed. Raising taxes is deliberately creating civil unrest. Reducing taxes, or simply not collecting taxes, is abandoning the majority of the people in the Ming Dynasty.

The two Song dynasties did not establish a land system and allowed the people to annex land, which meant abandoning the people and choosing to share the world with the literati, who came from the local gentry and the powerful and wealthy class.

This is where the fun part lies. Whether it is raising taxes or reducing taxes, the final results are highly similar. They all lead to the same end: making the people homeless and unable to sleep peacefully.

The only middle way is for someone to bear the blame and be the bad guy.

"When I read the Imperial Instructions of the Ming Dynasty, I was wondering why Emperor Taizu Gao advocated harsh laws and severe punishments. Today, I know that sometimes, you have to do something." Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu and said, "If you want to do it, do it thoroughly. If you have made a promise, you must fulfill it."

"Songjiang Prefecture is trying out the One Whip Law. Taking the population census in the 11th year of the Wanli reign as an example, as more people are added, no additional taxes will be imposed. The land and labor service will be evenly distributed, and silver will be collected based on the acreage. No additional taxes may be imposed. If anyone violates this rule, there will be no leniency and the crime will be punished by the third level of punishment."

Zhu Yijun made a promise, which was divided into three parts.

The land tax will no longer be increased. According to the population in the 11th year of the Wanli reign, the head tax will be distributed among the land. This is to encourage people to have children. The Ming Dynasty has already implemented this in Gansu, and now there is another pilot project in Songjiang Prefecture.
The second part is the land-equalization service. This part of labor service actually includes the lords who were previously exempt from tax, and various lords with honors, who also have to pay taxes, but the land tax is increased;

The third part is that no additional taxes shall be imposed. Violators will be punished three levels higher, which is already a very severe punishment. Originally, it was just a dismissal, but if they made a mistake in this matter, they would be exiled to Java; originally, it was just exile to a remote area, but if they made a mistake three levels higher, they would be beheaded. If they committed a crime punishable by beheading, their entire clan would be exterminated.

Severe punishments and three levels of punishment were the promises made by Zhu Yijun. Now Zhu Yijun's credibility is as solid as a rock.

"Your Majesty is wise." Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu stopped arguing and blushing. They bowed their heads and sang praises together.

It is not Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu who want Your Majesty to bear the blame, but this is something that only Your Majesty can do. Neither of them can do it because they are part of the bureaucracy.

The crime is threefold. If we allow them to do it, they will become tools of party struggles and will be regarded as tools of party struggles.

They are both party leaders, leaders of the Zhang Party and the Labor Party.

Zhang Juzheng's system of performing performance evaluation was also a tool for factional suppression when it was first implemented. It was not until the names on the draft list were covered, the names on the official register were filled in, and the official register of all officials was placed in a small box in the Wenhua Hall where officials were listed, that the system of performing performance evaluation was completed.

The key to the small box is in Your Majesty's hands, which achieves relative fairness.

The performance evaluation system was widely supported because the names on the draft list were kept anonymous. After the results were made public, candidates could fill in their names in full view of the public.

"When a country loses its credibility, people's hearts will become suspicious. This is a sentence that the teacher often mentioned during his lectures. Lord Wan wrote a memorial specifically discussing how to prevent people's suspicion." Zhu Yijun flipped through a thick notebook in his hand. It was more like a professional book like "The Four Secrets of Wang Qian's Rise" than a memorial.

There is a lot of content in Wan Shihe's book. If we really have to summarize it in one sentence, it is that when facing doubts, we must deal with them head-on. Covering your mouth is the stupidest way, because by the time things have developed to the point where you have to cover your mouth, it has already been widely known.

The act of covering the mouth confirms the authenticity of the incident, and covering the mouth will allow people who are paying attention to this matter to easily infer various possibilities through the process of covering the mouth. At this point, things will be impossible to control.

Because the audience who are paying attention to this matter may have various answers in their minds, which may be inferred from clues, or may be groundless conjectures, or most likely they are accusations made based on their stance and inclinations, and the last possibility is the most likely.

The truth of the incident and the incident itself became insignificant at the moment he covered his mouth.

Covering your mouth will definitely become a seed of doubt, which will then quickly take root, sprout, blossom and bear fruit, bringing more and greater controversies and leading to worse consequences.

This is the iron law of public opinion: speculation is fact.

As long as the act of covering the mouth occurs, the possibility is established, and in people's minds, the unfounded conjecture becomes the fact.

A positive response is the only way to deal with it.

"You two, since you are here, don't go back empty-handed. Give each of you a book. Lord Wan has put a lot of effort into it." Zhu Yijun asked someone to bring two books written by Wan Shihe and asked Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu to take them back and read.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace." Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu took the book back. Wang Ci Fu never went to Wenyuan Pavilion to work except to report for duty. He didn't have much to do today, so he took the book to Wenyuan Pavilion and worked for half a day.

"Lord Wan, when did you become so powerful?" Wang Chonggu read a part of it and said to Wan Shihe in surprise.

"All of them rely on the Holy Teachings." Wan Shihe answered this question very clearly. He has never been powerful. It is His Majesty who is powerful.

Wang Chonggu held his forehead and said helplessly: "What's the difference between you and those believers in Taixi who always claim to be blessed by God? I don't know what to say to you."

"Maybe it's because I read too much. If you read a book a hundred times, its meaning will become clear." Wan Shihe gave another answer, and added: "Your Majesty also asked me to read it."

As a member of the imperial party, Wan Shihe attributed his personal struggle to the teachings of His Majesty.

"Lord Wan, please shut up. Since there are so many dangers, and such things have happened again and again in all dynasties, why do people choose this method again and again? " Wang Chonggu asked curiously.

"Because of arrogance."

Wan Shihe took a sip of tea and said calmly: "Anyone who chooses this method to make people shut up is actually a kind of arrogance that doesn't care."

"I don't care what the tongue-tied person says, I don't care what the people whose interests are damaged think, I don't care about the Spring and Autumn Annals' judgment, even if it leads to worse consequences, what does it matter? Even if a huge wave is set off, it can't hurt him in the slightest."

"Because I don't have to take responsibility, I become arrogant."

Since Wan Shihe wanted to give advice to the emperor, he naturally perfected his theory. Wang Chonggu had not read the rest of the book, so he was confused. He wrote it very clearly in the book.

Not having to take responsibility, therefore not caring, therefore being arrogant.

"That's a bit too dry." Wan Shihe said with a smile: "Let's take the previous mule ban case in Emei County as an example."

"Zhao Wenchang, the magistrate of Emei County, did not care about the life and death of the stick workers, nor did he have to worry about their lives, because no matter how much the stick workers complained, they could only complain, because they still had to make a living, so they could only choose to kill the mule and pick up the shoulder pole to continue carrying loads on the mountain. Therefore, Zhao Wenchang was very arrogant, because the stick workers could not hurt him at all."

"But it's different for those living devils. They have nothing to do and like to point fingers everywhere. They can really hurt Zhao Wenchang. Because the demands of these living devils cannot be met, Zhao Wenchang will not be able to get tributes from the powerful and wealthy. This is a real concern about how much he can get."

"Later, His Majesty learned about this matter and immediately issued an order to severely punish the matter and resume raising mules. This is because His Majesty cares about it and is responsible for the people. Otherwise, if the people really make their choice with their feet, our Ming Dynasty will be doomed."

"In the future, all officials will know who is the King of Hell in the Ming Dynasty."

Wang Chonggu was stunned for a moment and said, "King of Hell? Those scholars are the King of Hell?"

"If not the King of Hell, then what is he? They went on a tour of Mount Emei, and all the donkeys and mules in the entire Mount Emei are useless. It's a waste to keep them, so we can only kill them and eat their meat." Wan Shihe said with emotion: "If not the living King of Hell, then what is he?"

"That makes sense." Wang Chonggu agreed with the title. This group of scholars who did not work and did not know the difference between grains were living hells, but the Ming Dynasty still had a King of Hell.

The small peasant economy is extremely closed and self-sufficient. The donkeys and mules that specialize in climbing Mount Emei can only end up in hot pot with chili peppers.

"But the criticisms of the Jieshiyuan by these court officials do not fit the situation you mentioned. You should know that the chief doctors in the Jieshiyuan hold scalpels in their hands, and there is nothing they need to do. If we don't treat them, they will just wait to die." Wang Chonggu pointed out another phenomenon.

In the mule ban case in Emei County, the poor coolies and stick workers really had no way to deal with Zhao Wenchang, so Zhao Wenchang was so unscrupulous and did not have to take any responsibility, so his arrogance was established.

But it was different in the Jieku Hospital, where they really held the knife, and the chief doctors wanted to make things difficult for people, and they didn't even have to use any tricks, they could just say "close the door and refuse visitors" and let people wait for death.

"That's another reason. Alas, they keep talking and being sarcastic. When they see patients, the doctors never refuse to treat them. In the eyes of the court officials, they are easy to bully. If they are easy to bully, then they can bully them as much as they can." Wan Shihe sighed and said, "A gentleman can be bullied with a method."

"These court officials are also stupid. They put their lives on the morality of the chief doctors."

Wan Shihe also explained that it is not that the theory has loopholes, but that the theory is not applicable at times. This kind of behavior of putting down the bowl and cursing is a problem of human nature.

Wang Chonggu nodded in agreement. The lowly scholars of the Ming Dynasty were afraid of the sharp blades in the hands of strong soldiers, but they were not afraid of the sharp scalpels in the hands of the great medical officers. Because in their eyes, they could scold them, but how dare these medical officers not treat their superiors?
In his view, this is not entirely a personal issue, but also a class issue.

Wang Chonggu saw that it was getting late, so he staggered home with his book.

"Fu Yuan, it's not even time yet, and Wang Ci Fu is leaving just like that? He finally came here, but he didn't even finish his shift? Doesn't Fu Yuan care? He left early!" Wan Shihe said in surprise, looking at Wang Chonggu who left early.

No matter how indifferent you are, you are still in your position. You should drink tea and leave work at a certain time, right? ! How will your colleagues view leaving so early?
"Why doesn't Lord Wan take care of it?" Zhang Juzheng asked with a smile.

Wan Shihe spread his hands and said, "I can't control him." "I can't control him either. I asked him to come to the cabinet to work many times, but do you think he paid attention to me? He just wanted to find a place to read today, otherwise he would have left long ago." Zhang Juzheng shook his head happily and continued to deal with various official documents.

It was a blessing that Wang Chonggu could cooperate with Zhang Juzheng in this play. The two of them were indeed mortal political enemies, but they were not completely separated. They also cooperated in many cases, which was not a party feud.

Zhang Juzheng was an authoritarian prime minister, the kind of person who had the final say. He hated factional struggles because they were a waste of time. Zhang Juzheng also had a clear definition of factional struggles: fighting for the sake of fighting, without any boundaries of right or wrong, was called party struggles.

After Ju Zheng's death, party struggles arose.

In the eyes of most people, Zhang Juzheng was the last authoritarian figure of the Ming Dynasty. During Zhang Juzheng's time, a struggle broke out over whether to continue the New Deal. After Zhang Juzheng was completely defeated, party struggles were inevitable, with one party taking over and the other taking the stage.

But in Zhu Yijun's view, the factional strife that led to the Party-Principal Disaster was essentially a problem of rites and laws that Wan Shihe had studied, that is, the country had lost its credibility and people's hearts were suspicious.

Most people, everyone from inside to outside, including ministers, court officials, court officials, foreign officials, powerful gentry, and the people, no longer trust any decrees of the court. The court's credibility has completely collapsed, and its credibility is almost equal to zero. Without credibility, it is inevitable that people's hearts will be disturbed and suspicious.

In a society where there is a widespread lack of public credibility, there is only one fate left: Coal Hill.

Without Lin Fucheng and Li Zhi in the capital, there was less fun. The gatherings in the capital did not attract the emperor, in his disguise as Master Huang, to go and watch. The ice and snow on the grassland would not completely melt until March, so the original six-month study tour plan had to be extended to one year.

At the end of January, the sea breeze in the Bohai Bay was still biting, but the ice on the sea surface had begun to melt, ships began to pass through, and cargo transportation became busy.

The imperial edict of the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty was sent to Songjiang Prefecture. His Majesty's credibility was very strong. Since he had made a promise, he would never scratch the surface or punish the offender with three cups of wine, but would instead impose a three-fold punishment.

"There is no choice to increase taxes, nor to reduce taxes. This is the best news for Songjiang Prefecture." After receiving the order, Shen Shixing said sincerely to Zhang Cheng, the eunuch and commander-in-chief of the Songjiang Navy.

The emperor had to bear the blame, and if he didn't do this job well, Shen Shixing would have to be labeled as incompetent and go home.

The two core issues of the Single Whip System are the two issues raised by Sun Kehong, namely, the administration of officials and the communication of public opinion from the bottom. Strict laws and severe punishments can indeed alleviate these problems.

"We have been in Songjiang Prefecture for a long time. Recently, we heard that Felipe from the West is not going to send large sailing ships for ocean trade? This is perfect. Our Ming Dynasty's global trade caravan will set off in March, so we should prepare more goods. He doesn't make money, so we do." Zhang Cheng didn't care whether Shen Shixing could implement the Single Whip Law.

In Zhang Cheng's eyes, there are three things: not a penny of silver from the palace can be missing; the navy of Songjiang Town must be loyal to His Majesty, this is Zhang Cheng's responsibility; Songjiang Prefecture cannot be in chaos, this is His Majesty's purse.

Zhang Cheng saw the silver. Recently, there have been all kinds of rumors in Songjiang Prefecture that the red-haired foreigners' big sailing ships will not come. It is just right that he is not coming. Daming can just go by himself.

"It just so happens that the Songjiang Navy plans to send the Youlong along, which is just right for verifying the ocean voyage." Zhang Cheng said with a little excitement.

If the Youlong is to be dispatched and conduct a global ocean survey, Zhang Cheng will be the most suitable eunuch to supervise the army. Leaving a name in history is already beckoning to Zhang Cheng.

Regarding the matter of Songjiang Prefecture, the palace can send another eunuch. Your Majesty has a total of ten sparring partners. If Your Majesty is not confident about Songjiang Prefecture, you can send Li Yougong. If you are confident, you can send a trusted sparring partner.

"It's just a rhetoric used by merchants to take advantage of the opportunity to lower prices." Shen Shixing shook his head and said, "All signs show that Philip II does not intend to break with the Ming Dynasty. This is not a question of courage. If he doesn't come, the Ming Dynasty will naturally go."

"The Ming Dynasty was able to sail around the world, not by relying on the licenses granted by Philip II, but by relying on its powerful ships and cannons."

The censors in the capital who are not in charge of specific mundane affairs and are not responsible for giving orders can certainly attribute the Ming Dynasty's access to the world to the fact that the Ming Dynasty won over the people with virtue and obtained licenses through exchanges of states. However, the people who actually do the work must have a clear understanding of what exactly allowed the Ming Dynasty to gain access to the world.

The longer Shen Shixing stayed in Songjiang Prefecture, a land polluted by silver, the less he believed in morality.

The license of Philip II is very similar to the trade license of the Ming Dynasty. In theory, without a license, there is no right to enter the colonies or the ports of the Governor's Office, but in fact it is just a blank piece of paper. At sea, all you can rely on are strong ships and powerful guns.

The news exchanges between the Ming Dynasty and the West were not only the accurate news brought back by the arrival of large sailing ships or global trade. There were countless ships passing on the sea, and all kinds of seemingly true news were also being exchanged.

There is no doubt that the news that Felipe did not plan to send a large sailing ship to Ming Dynasty was false, and it was just an excuse for merchants to lower prices.

Felipe II had no intention of continuing to attack Portugal, which is why Shen Shixing made such a judgment.

After launching a tentative attack, Antonio blocked the attack of Philip II at the cost of a free fleet consisting of ten five-masted transatlantic ships.

Portugal's escape from the fate of being annexed was of course the result of the efforts of the Portuguese represented by Antonio, but it was also influenced by the great Eastern power, the Ming Dynasty.

The Free Fleet of Cape Liberty, a fleet of ten five-masted ocean-going ships, launched a surprise attack on the Mediterranean with the intention of destroying everything together, but was sunk.

Antonio has used up all his resources. He has no money, no prospects, no future. His future is dim and bleak, and his regime is extremely unstable. Antonio, who is desperate, has obtained a war loan worth 2.5 million silver from His Majesty just by using his connections, and redeemed it with ten five-masted ocean-going ships.

After that, Philip II sent the Spanish God of War to Lisbon for peace talks, and as a result, he recognized the status of King Antonio by leasing a port.

Whether Felipe continues to attack is a very clear barometer.

Because Felipe discovered that Daming really treated Antonio as a friend, or as one of his own, rather than as a disposable toilet paper.

Only if we treat the enemy as our own people will we try every possible means through diplomatic means to avoid being in a state of war, because during the war, production and life will be disrupted, most people will be displaced, and hundreds of thousands or even millions of civilians will die in the war.

The Ming Dynasty did not threaten Felipe, but actively provided help and support. And when things were in chaos and under inappropriate circumstances, it still chose to make Lisbon, Portugal, the distribution center for the Ming Dynasty's global trade caravans.

This is what it means to treat someone as your own family, rather than as a toilet paper.

So Felipe stopped attacking Portugal.

The reason why the Ming Dynasty treated Antonio as a human being and one of its own was not only because of the fiefdom he granted, but also because the seeds Antonio brought injected new vitality into Ming Dynasty's farming. This was one of the reasons why the Ming Emperor favored Antonio.

Of course, the relations between countries are still mainly driven by interests. Supporting Antonio at this time will help expand the Ming Dynasty's influence in the West, the maritime trade of the Ming Dynasty's ocean-going merchant caravans, the plan of opening up the sea, and the influx of silver, so this choice was made.

Shen Shixing knew very well that behind these outrageous news, there was a lack of sufficient support, that is, the cornerstone of Felipe's attack on Portugal. If Felipe launched an attack on Portugal again, that would be the time when the relationship would be completely broken.

"Maybe." Zhang Cheng thought for a while and shook his head and said, "The implementation of the One Whip Law is a sacred order. If there is a need to use the navy, you must tell us in advance, don't force it."

"Okay." Shen Shixing would not suffer for the sake of face. When it comes to asking for support from the Ming army, he will definitely not hesitate.

Since severe punishments are required, rivers of blood are inevitable.

As the governor of Songjiang, Shen Shixing posted the imperial edict on a bulletin board. At the same time, he ordered all the yamen runners in Huating County, where the capital of Songjiang Prefecture was located, to be mobilized in full force, causing a physical bloodbath.

Show power and exert military force to promote the thorough implementation of government orders.

Only those who are kind and virtuous, powerful and wealthy will not have any fear. Only by showing off their power and military might can these people clearly understand that the imperial decree cannot be violated.

Your Majesty has always done things consistently and without hesitation. If you have reasonable demands, just raise them. The two issues raised by Sun Kehong are real problems that need to be clearly resolved.

This time, Shen Shixing planned to knock off one of the powerful and influential people.

There are four gangs entrenched in the three docks of Songjiang Prefecture, among which the Hailong Gang is the most ferocious. Shen Shixing has been planning this special crackdown for a long time.

The leader of the Hailong Gang is named Hai Mingyuan. His original name was Hai Laosi. His father was a refugee. When Hai Laosi was twelve years old, his father died at the dock. Hai Laosi was an apprentice under a paperhanger on Chenghuangmiao Street in Shanghai County. By chance, he became a yamen runner in Shanghai County.

Because of his quick mind and decisiveness, Hai Laosi was promoted from the head of the prosecution team to a well-known boss in Shanghai County. Later, he directly defected to Xu Jie's Xu family and became a minion of the Xu family.

The wind of opening up the sea in the Ming Dynasty blew to Songjiang Prefecture. Countless poor coolies went to the docks to make a living. When Hai Laosi heard that Xu Jie died in Beijing, he immediately left the government office and changed his name to Hai Mingyuan. He organized a large number of poor coolies to make a living together at the dock.

Before the Hailong Gang came into Shen Shixing's sight, not many people knew that Hai Mingyuan was Hai Lao Si.

These gangs were very honest before. Although they occasionally had territorial conflicts with other gangs, they were all very restrained. After all, no matter how strong they were, they could not be stronger than the Ming Navy. With the Ming Navy to suppress them, the conflicts at the docks all maintained a very tacit bottom line, that is, no murders could occur, otherwise the court's attention would be turned to the docks.

Wang Daokun was promoted to the position of Grand Marshal in Beijing, and Shen Shixing was suddenly appointed as the Governor of Songjiang. At this time, Shen Shixing's attention was mainly focused on completing the Youlong and the influx of silver. The gangs on the docks also followed suit, and gradually became bolder.

Bloody incidents continued to occur, and the bribed inspection teams, Shanghai County government, and others chose to keep the facts secret and cover them up.

A firefight that could not be concealed broke out at the dock, delaying the shipment of goods for three hours. Sun Kehong, the boss of Songjiang Ocean Trading Company, finally couldn't stand this gang anymore and went directly to Shen Shixing to complain.

When Shen Shixing finished his work on Youlong, he was surprised to find that some people actually thought he had a good temper! Indeed, he did have a good temper, but deceiving his superiors and hiding the truth from his subordinates was equivalent to stealing power from him. It would be strange if he could tolerate this!
Shen Shixing felt that he was at risk of being sidelined. Under his nose, the four major gangs had grown to such a scale. He felt that he was deceived by local officials, so he immediately found Luo Bingliang, the commander of the Nan Ya Zhenfu Division, and asked Luo Bingliang to help investigate.

This is also the reason why Zhang Cheng came to Songjiang Prefecture Yamen from Jinzeyuan Naval Office. If he is unable to do something, he can ask for help. Asking for help is never a shameful thing, nor will it affect promotion. It would be stupid to insist on saving face and mess up the task if he is the emperor's envoy.

It was only after Shen Shixing got the promise from the navy that he summoned all the yamen runners to wipe out the gangs at the four major docks.

Hai Mingyuan understood the operating logic of the Ming Dynasty officialdom very well, so he had always been careful to avoid risks and maintained close contacts with the yamen runners and squad leaders of various county governments. Even the county magistrates, county assistants, county clerks, county lieutenants and other officials were good friends of Hai Mingyuan.

Shen Shixing wanted to see what choices these yamen runners and local officials would make under the sudden eradication order.

(End of this chapter)