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Chapter 37 talk on paper
"Old sir, don't be too pessimistic. I think we will be able to see you soon. Not only can we see you, but we must also be a participant or a builder. Do you think that if I come to court soon, the first priorities that need to be dealt with are: How many?”

When chatting with Li Zhi, Hong Tao was able to partially tear off the disguise and reveal more of his true colors.It's not that he has found a close friend, but that this old man is basically no threat to him. Even if he goes to complain to the emperor face to face, it will be in vain without witnesses and physical evidence, and he will most likely be sent to prison.

"Your Majesty is now in his prime. What the Prince said is too illusory. It's okay to say nothing." Li Zhi frowned slightly, feeling that this topic was very boring.The premise is not established, and the analysis for a long time is of no use. It is better to continue talking about printing presses and newspapers.

A few days ago, the prince accidentally mentioned a printing press that can quickly type types and then print quickly.Hundreds and thousands of books can be printed every day using this kind of machine. The cost except paper labor is negligible, and the quality is comparable to the copper movable type produced by Sili Jingjing Factory.

With a cheap printing press and a post road running from north to south, the prince envisioned a newspaper that could be circulated to most state capitals within a few days.This kind of newspaper is somewhat similar to the Chaobao and Dibao published by the General Affairs Department and the Sixth Section, but it is not published by any department of the imperial court, but is published by the people themselves.

The content is not limited to imperial policies and personnel changes, but also includes discussion and evaluation of policies, as well as the dissemination and exchange of some ideological and academic information.As an advocate of the folk school, Li Zhi really could not ignore the temptation of dissemination and exchange.

If there had been such a newspaper, he would not have to travel far and wide to give lectures. Instead, he would sit at home and write, and print out everything he thinks in his mind. This would save him more time for thinking.

"The moon waxes and wanes, and people have joys and sorrows. Birth, old age, sickness, and death are the rules of eating whole grains, and the emperor is not exempt from this."

"...Your Highness, be careful what you say!" But the prince's answer sounded like an eerie cold wind. When he looked up again, he almost scared the chess piece out of his hand.Why is the young face opposite him, who usually looks kind and kind, suddenly filled with a weird smile?

"I just want to ask the old gentleman to tell me who is available, who is indispensable, who cannot be retained, and who is dispensable, so that we can be prepared and avoid any trouble. There are only two of us here, so there is no harm in talking." Hong Tao threw away his hand. The chess piece inside admitted defeat in the middle of the game and at the same time suppressed his smile.

He dislikes playing Go very much, mainly because he doesn't find any inspiration or fun in it.Regardless of the big or small situation, once you have it in your mind, you can reflect it in the chess game. If you don't have it in your mind, no matter how good you are at chess, you are just a chess player.

Li Zhi likes to play chess very much, and Wang An also knows a little bit about it. They both praise themselves for having an overall view of the situation, and their movements are far more courageous than ordinary people.In fact, it has nothing to do with playing chess. It is a manifestation of the natural overflow of too many things in the mind. The reverse is not true.

"Shen Jianwu is talented and powerful, but has many party members and is too selfish. He will do more harm than good in the cabinet and cannot be retained; Shen Zhonghua is talented, straightforward and public-spirited, not keen on party disputes, but has close ties with Donglin Academy, so he may or may not be retained; Zhu Shaoqin has no talent, but is steady and cautious, so he can be retained."

Whether it was just a casual comment or not, Li Zhi definitely didn't believe the prince's statement, but he didn't continue to ask about the original intention.It would be easier to get along with him if he didn't explain this kind of thing clearly. Although he is a folk scholar, he also served as an official in his early years, so he can still weigh the severity.

"What do you think of Tian Zhangyin and Chen Bingbi?" Good guy, the three cabinet bachelors almost left nothing in Li Zhi's mouth, which aroused Hong Tao's interest.

Being able to partially break away from contemporary habits and use another standard of evaluation to measure people is the saving grace of this old man, and it also caused him to be disliked by many courtiers and great Confucians.

In the words of later generations, you are too unsociable. When everyone is pretending to be stupid, you have to be the sober one, and you still preach everywhere, risking your life to highlight the ugliness of others. It is not easy to survive until now.

"There are not many knowledgeable people among the middle officials. The imperial court can live without a cabinet for a year. Tian Weichuan and Chen Wanhua are indispensable for a day." Compared with his evaluation of the cabinet bachelors, Li Zhi was more optimistic about the two eunuchs.

"In the opinion of the old man, who should join the cabinet?" In fact, this evaluation is very consistent with the actual situation. The eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty were not all as harmful to the country and the people as shown in later movies and TV dramas. On the whole, they were concerned about the country and the people and were conscientious. More.

As far as Tian Yi and Chen Ju were concerned, although they were in great power, they did not amass money for their own selfish desires, nor did they flatter the emperor.It’s time to exhort and advise, and it’s also time to cooperate with the cabinet.There is only one purpose, to try to maintain the normal operation of the court.

On the issue of opposing mining taxes, Tian Yi, who was born into a poor man, was even more active than some court officials. He once complained to his face that the chief minister of the cabinet, Shen Yiguan, did not insist on issuing the imperial edict, which directly stopped the emperor's desire to take back his life.Regarding the issue of national disputes, although the two of them were the emperor's right-hand men, they did not blindly act like dogs for the emperor and Concubine Zheng. Not only did they not harm Concubine Wang Gong and the emperor's eldest son Zhu Changluo, they should be regarded as indirect protection in a sense.If someone else were sitting in their place, Hong Tao doubted whether he could live past the age of three.

But it is not enough to know who is not suitable to enter the cabinet. Such a large country must rely on civil and military officials to manage it no matter who becomes the emperor.And they are a huge system. Some things can only be changed slowly, at least in the early stages, and they have to rely on officials within the system.

"...There are so many parties in the DPRK and China that it would be in vain for anyone to join the cabinet." Even though Li Zhi was very happy to comment on others and started to criticize others, he found it difficult to select a few officials who were qualified to join the cabinet.After thinking about it, I still shook my head, thinking that even if I replaced all the current cabinet bachelors, nothing would change.

"If the imperial court wants to cut down the vassals, where do you think the old man should start?" Hong Tao understood why he was so pessimistic and partly agreed.

Most of the officials in the DPRK already belong to the Zhejiang Party, the Donglin Party, the Chu Party, the Qi Party, the Xuan Party, the Kun Party and other large and small factions. Even those who have just passed the imperial examination often tend to be inclined to a certain faction. No matter who is brought in, it will be nothing more than adjustments between the various parties, changing the soup without changing the medicine.

Hong Tao has not yet figured out how to break the intensifying partisanship. It is better not to talk about this topic until he finds a specific method.Folk studies like Li Zhi's are actually indirectly sectarian, and it would be very bad for them to spread.

"Cutting down the vassal... why did you say that!" Li Zhi suddenly became nervous when he heard this topic. He was even more nervous than when he heard that the emperor was going to die just now. His hand was trembling slightly when he pressed it on the chessboard.

"There are too many clans, and the imperial government's finances are on the verge of collapse. As of last year, there were more than 13 people with Yudian membership. In Jiajing 42, there were only 3 people. In just 30 years, the number quadrupled, almost eating up the entire imperial family. . If it takes another 30 years, wouldn’t it mean that I will be eaten too!”

Hong Tao pondered for 20 years on how to change the direction of the Ming Dynasty. After countless calculations and deductions, he successively overturned plans that focused on the official system, military power, land, taxation, etc. In the end, only the reduction of vassal status was barely feasible.

First of all, how to deal with the clan is a family matter of the emperor and does not have much to do with the country. There will definitely be opposition from courtiers but it will not be too fierce. As long as it is handled properly, there is still a chance to reach a consensus.

Secondly, the clan had too many interests, not only fixed annual salaries but also acres and real estate, and even the officials in the palace were paid by the court.

The cost of spending so much money and food just to coax a group of relatives not to rebel is a bit too high.Hong Tao has a lot of ways to reduce the cost several times and achieve the same effect.

Being able to save a lot of salary from the clan and recover a lot of acres and mansions are benefits that can be redistributed.Use them to make deals with courtiers, and obviously the possibility of reaching consensus will be greater.

Finally, after abolishing the feudal lords at all levels, some of the benefits can be distributed to the military nobles, so that they can also become a community of interests.From the emperor going his own way to the emperor taking the lead and caring about the country and the people, with the civil servants and generals loyally assisting him, let alone the vassals without soldiers, even if they were all Zhu Di, they would still have to play the game.

"Emperor Chengzu..." Li Zhi calmed down a little after hearing the reasons for cutting the vassal vassal, but he still wanted to talk about the harm, hoping to remind the young prince not to be too impatient and arrogant.

"At this time and that time, I hope that the kings will take up arms to resist, so that they can be killed in a logical manner without having to spend a tael of silver in salary.

It's a pity that my uncles, uncles, cousins, and cousins ​​may no longer have the ability and courage to become ancestors. When the time comes, they will have to be raised by the court and become pawns in the hands of those who have evil intentions. "

Hong Tao didn't need to listen to what Li Zhi wanted to say. He knew that Emperor Jianwen just wanted to cut down the vassal, but was cut off by the vassal king instead.I would definitely not make a stupid mistake like him, let alone give the feudal kings a chance to rebel.Compared with the anxious Hong Bapi, any vassal king is as pure as an angel and as kind as a Bodhisattva.

(End of this chapter)