Early Ming Dynasty: Turning Clouds and Rains into New Learning Saints

Chapter 257 Zhu Yuanzhang's Black Spot
After Zhang Yifan's family returned to Nanjing, before they even visited Liujiacun, the palace came to give their grandson something in the name of his grandparents.Later, a family banquet was held in the palace, and the son, daughter, etc. were invited to eat together.

But it's obvious that the drunkard's intention is not the wine.The family dinner was just a reason to get closer. Soon, Zhu Yuanzhang called Prince Zhu Biao and Prince Consort Zhang Yifan to go to the side hall to drink tea together.

Of course, drinking tea is just a start, the focus is on chatting.

At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang actually had several sons-in-law.Including the Mei Yin whom Zhang Yifan had met, and Ouyang Lun, whom he had never seen but left a record in history.

However, neither of them was invited, nor were other underage princes.

It can be seen that this conversation is obviously more important.

No, in the side hall, after steaming good tea was served in front of him, Zhu Yuanzhang pretended to be chatting and said to Zhang Yifan: "Yifan, I received memorials from Lao Si and Xu Da, saying that your lecture in Beiping is very important." , and even affect the long-term peace and order of the Ming Dynasty, do you think the two of them are exaggerating?"

Zhu Biao certainly knew what the conversation between his father and his eldest brother-in-law was about. Therefore, as soon as he heard his father speak, he put down his tea cup and listened carefully.

Zhang Yifan had long expected that Zhu Yuanzhang would talk to him about this, so not surprisingly, he told Zhu Yuanzhang what he told Zhu Di and Xu Da about the new learning.

Of course, Zhu Di and Xu Da quoted these in their memorials, and Zhu Yuanzhang already knew them.Therefore, after listening to these explanations, he just thought about it for a while, and then raised his question: "You said, if our Ming Dynasty does not pay attention to these, then other countries will pay attention to these and surpass our Ming Dynasty." Isn’t it a bit exaggerated to say that the Ming Dynasty will endanger our Ming Dynasty?”

Speaking of this, he thought for a while and added an explanation: "At least in my opinion, other countries should never have the manpower and material resources that my Ming Dynasty has. So, isn't your statement a bit alarmist?"

Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to know how much impact Zhang Yifan's new learning had on the long-term stability of the Zhu Ming Dynasty, so that he could decide how to implement some of the most basic national policies?
Originally, it was impossible for him to bring anyone else with him for such a thing.But Zhu Biao is different. This is the heir he trained and will also be the emperor of the Ming Dynasty in the future, so he must be present.

Zhu Biao listened on the side and said to Zhang Yifan: "And we can also take a step back and keep your new knowledge from being disclosed to the public. In this case, even if other countries want to learn it, they won't be able to learn it, don't you think?"

What he asked was one of the measures he came up with after discussing with Zhu Yuanzhang first.However, this measure obviously goes against Zhang Yifan's ideals, so good communication is needed.

At this time, after listening to Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao's questions, Zhang Yifan did not look unhappy at all. Instead, he smiled slightly and asked Zhu Yuanzhang first: "If we don't do it and others do it, so what if we have the manpower and material resources? Once The gap between new learning has been widened, and if the Ming Dynasty continues to catch up, the price paid will inevitably be huge. Because some things need to be accumulated."

At this point, he turned to look at Zhu Biao, then looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and asked: "Father, I dare to ask, is it normal to open the lid of a pot by boiling water?"

"Ordinary!" Zhu Yuanzhang has rich experience, so of course he can answer without hesitation.

Therefore, Zhang Yifan asked: "Then such a common thing exists in any family and any country. Can you guarantee that people from other countries will not have such a genius like Erchen, and it is not necessary to realize the truth?" Take advantage of it?"

When he talked about this talented person, he was not embarrassed at all, as if it was a matter of course.

Neither Zhu Yuanzhang nor Zhu Biao expressed anything strange when they heard Zhang Yifan's boast.Their attention was focused on Zhang Yifan's words.

Just listen to Zhang Yifan continue to say: "Father, big brother, if it were the past, can you imagine that a Mongolian was born from the depths of the grassland, rose up, and finally led the Mongols to sweep the world, and the Han and Tang Dynasties were prouder than us Han people? It’s far away, all the way to the seaside in the west. Have you ever thought about it?”

Although Zhu Yuanzhang himself was also very powerful, when he heard Zhang Yifan mention the deeds of Genghis Khan, he finally shook his head and said: "I must not have thought of it!"

Zhang Yifan felt pleased when he listened to his honest answer without any personal emotions and discussed the matter as it happened. Such an emperor could listen to advice.

So, he continued: "Temujin used the strengths of his cavalry to the extreme. When he swept across the farthest west of Europe, he broke the religious power there!"

"What do you mean?" When Zhu Biao heard this, he was a little confused.

After hearing this, Zhang Yifan turned to look at him and said, "In the far west, people with high nose bridges, blue eyes, blond hair, and ghosts live there. There are many countries formed by these people. In the past, their A king must be recognized as a king by the religious leaders over there."

"But because the Mongols swept through their country before, they killed pigs and sheep if they couldn't defeat them. A plague broke out in their country and many people died, but religion could not save them. Therefore, now they have begun to get rid of religion. , looking for other truths, like me, who summarize the rules from ordinary things and use them for others."

"So, if our Ming Dynasty is complacent and does not study things, or learn these new things from me, we will definitely be ahead of those devils, and they will be the ones who invent more useful things."

Speaking of this, Zhang Yifan asked Zhu Yuanzhang sincerely: "If we say that the Ming Dynasty did not invent new firearms first, but those devils first invented them, once their army comes over, will our Ming Dynasty's army lose? Serious? And if the Ming Dynasty at that time was not as wise as the father and elder brother, and the army would not be as powerful as it is now, then what would it be like?"

After hearing these words, whether it was Zhu Yuanzhang or Zhu Biao, they all unconsciously remained motionless with stern expressions on their faces. It was obvious at a glance that both of them were thinking.

At this moment, Zhang Yifan had some free time. He used the lid of the pot to float the tea leaves and took a sip. It was still a bit hot and felt sweet and fragrant. It was a good tea.

After a while, Zhu Biao spoke first, and he said with a somewhat disbelieving expression: "Yifan, are you a bit alarmist? How can those ghost-like people be so smart?"

Hearing the voice, Zhu Yuanzhang also raised his head and looked at Zhang Yifan.From the look on his face, it seemed like he thought so too.

After hearing this, Zhang Yifan looked at Zhu Biao and asked: "Why can't they? Then let me ask you, the grassland tribes are all barbarians. Have you ever thought that there would be a Temujin? The relationship between the Central Plains dynasty and the barbarians everywhere, history is also It has been witnessed that the strong and the weak do not become less strong just because they are barbarians!"

Just one Temujin was enough for Zhu Biao to put aside his contempt for the barbarians.

No, Zhu Biao didn't say anything after hearing this.Zhang Yifan, on his side, continued to pursue the victory and said: "Also, I heard that a country founded by those devil-like people was once very powerful and even existed for thousands of years. Even if it is not an exaggeration, it is probably about the same. Is there a country in our Central Plains that is more than 300 years old?"

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, his eyes lit up immediately.What he wants is that the dynasty he established can last forever!
So, he quickly asked: "Yifan, what kind of country is this? How did they do it? Their emperors are so wise and powerful that they can last for such a long time?"

After Zhu Biao listened, he was also very interested in this topic, so he listened equally carefully.

After hearing this, Zhang Yifan seemed to have a look of reminiscence, and then replied: "In a place that is too far away, the information may be limited. I seem to remember that it was called the Roman Empire, but they are not emperors, it is like a system where a group of people make decisions together. .I don’t know the specific details.”

At this time, it is obviously unrealistic to talk about republic with the founding emperor Zhu Yuanzhang.In fact, the Roman Empire eventually had Caesar.

In Zhang Yifan's view, it is not very important what the system is. Centralism has the benefits of centralism, and democracy also has the benefits of democracy.As far as the Ming Dynasty is concerned, the cabinet system has not yet evolved.

Only a system that conforms to national conditions and brings the greatest benefits to the country can be considered a good system.

No, Zhu Yuanzhang was very surprised when he heard that there was no emperor in that country.

When Zhang Yifan saw it, he said to his father-in-law: "Father, whether a dynasty can last for a long time, history has actually given the answer. It is not destined by God, nor is the power of kings granted by God, but the one who wins the hearts of the people wins the world and gives it to the people. If you live a good life, who would rebel?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's expression suddenly became serious.

His efforts in the past few years have actually been in the direction of the divine right of kings.

He considered Taoist and Buddhist theories as weapons of ideological domination, all because he wanted the people of the world to think that he was the emperor chosen by the gods and Buddhas in the sky.

In the end, he chose Confucianism, respecting Confucius and suppressing Mencius. He also fell in love with the theory of the divine right of kings.To this end, he even deleted the classics.

But all these efforts were suddenly rejected by Zhang Yifan, and he was also told that history had already proven that his approach was wrong.

To be honest, Zhu Yuanzhang was very unhappy at this time.

However, as a person who rose from the poorest people to become an emperor, he actually felt that what Zhang Yifan said was not unreasonable.

If he could have had a full stomach as a child, he would not have embarked on the path of rebellion.

But there was one thing he believed in.In his life, he had met countless people, many of whom were stronger or smarter than him, but in the end it was he who had the last laugh.If there was no divine will or divine blessing, he wouldn't believe it.

Therefore, he frowned and said: "If he is not the chosen one, why does this world belong to me? Also, didn't you give Temujin as an example? If he is not the chosen one, then why is he? Sweeping the world?"

Zhu Biao listened and nodded.If he himself is not yet confident that he is the chosen one, then his father certainly is!
However, after Zhang Yifan heard this, he asked: "Father, think about it for yourself, isn't it you who really makes you stand out?"

Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help being stunned.

Zhang Yifan, on the other hand, continued: "You actually have to win the hearts and minds of the military, the hearts of the people, the support of the army, and the support of the people, so that you can stand out. As for the specifics, you should know it yourself. The same is true for Temujin .You can think about it!”

"The people's heart, in the past, was actually the heart of the gentry, or the heart of the aristocratic families. But starting from the Sui and Tang Dynasties, after the imperial examination broke the monopoly of the aristocratic families, this people's heart became the real heart of the gentry. And further down, It will change again, but no matter how it changes, the truth remains the same..."

His analysis actually belongs to the theory of class.In the gentry stage, it was not until Zhu Yuanzhang implemented the imperial examination that he truly broke through the family clan.Later, with the development of history, the workers and peasants were reached. Of course, this is a story for another day.

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned after hearing this, obviously deep in thought and did not speak.

So Zhang Yifan continued to say to him: "The longevity of our Ming Dynasty depends on grasping the hearts and minds of the people instead of relying on the illusory heaven. If the king is wise and the ministers are wise, the dynasty will last. As long as the emperor of our Ming Dynasty always keeps the hearts of the people in his heart , the Ming Dynasty was as stable as Mount Tai. Natural disasters are not terrible, man-made disasters are the most important. In the past dynasties, land was merged and the people could not survive, so the dynasty was naturally unstable. The power of the Meng Yuan Dynasty swept across the world to the extreme west, but why not In just a hundred years, he was overthrown by the Emperor Father. The reason why he was overthrown by the Emperor Father should be very clear!"

"The cruelty of the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty not only classified us Han people as the lowest class of people and oppressed them, but also used people to bury people in the powerful Mongolian Yuan clan. This is even more selfish. They don't want people to die in a cup of loess, but they still trample on others. . In this world, who is willing to die, but is unable to resist? If given the opportunity, who would not resist?"

Zhu Yuanzhang has a very big black spot, that is, he inherited Meng Yuan's system of burial by employing people. When he died, all his concubines had to be buried.

This system was not abolished until the later Ming Emperor.It is also funny to say that the person who abolished this burial system happened to be the only emperor among all the emperors of the Ming Dynasty who was captured by the enemy.

Of course, although the emperor of the Ming Dynasty abolished the burial system, until the end of the Ming Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty, the burial system was still practiced when the wild boar skin died.

At this time, since Zhang Yifan had discussed related topics with Zhu Yuanzhang, he certainly wanted to persuade Zhu Yuanzhang not to inherit Meng Yuan's dregs.

　Ask for support!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)