The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 270 This is Zhu Xiongying
Three days have passed since the triumphal ceremony, and the impact of this incident continues to be discussed in the court.

In other words, the court has been revolving around this matter in recent days.

The rewards for meritorious officials, the approval of meritorious deeds, the resettlement work of the captured Beiyuan nobles, and how to resettle the captured common people.

These all take time to process.

But for the people, it was over.

After participating in the triumphal ceremony and watching the excitement, everyone went back to their homes and lived their own lives.

There were not many people discussing this matter on the street, and the people were more concerned about their own livelihoods.

Walking on the street, Chen Jingke said: "You have participated in several triumphal ceremonies. Have you noticed the difference in attitudes between the people of Luoyang and the people of Yingtian towards this matter?"

Zhu Xiongying said thoughtfully: "The enthusiasm of the people in Yingtian is more lasting and can be discussed for more than half a month."

"The people in Luoyang don't seem to pay much attention to this matter. It has only been three days and not many people are talking about it."

"Luoyang has just become a new capital, and most of the people have just moved here. Life has not gotten better yet."

"So they focus more on their own lives and less on things other than their livelihood."

Zhu Xiongying thought for a while and said: "Yingtian has been the capital of the Ming Dynasty for twenty years. The people have become richer and have the ability and mood to pay attention to things other than life."

"Because of contrast, differences will be revealed only when there is contrast."

Chen Jingke asked: "Do you know why there is such a difference?"

“Isn’t this enough to give them a sense of belonging?”

After speaking, there was a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone.

"Everyone can barely fill their stomachs, but one person can eat meat every day."

Zhu Xiongying murmured to himself: Contrast... Don't worry about scarcity, but worry about inequality...

Chen Jingke said: "Think about it carefully."

"Most of the people in Luoyang migrated from other places. Because they are far away from the emperor, they have no sense of belonging."

"I tell you this just to let you know that this is human nature and part of human nature."

I thought about it for a long time, but still couldn't figure it out.

"Without a sense of identity and belonging, the joy of victory will naturally be dull."

"To put it aside, it can be said that it is a benevolent government that far exceeds that of previous dynasties."

At this point, he suddenly realized and said: "I understand, contrast, happiness comes from contrast, and a sense of belonging can also be generated through comparison."

"Everyone's life is obviously better than before, but instead they feel dissatisfied."

Have you said this many times?

Zhu Xiongying didn't think there was anything wrong at all, it was just as normal as discussing what to eat later.

"The imperial court has adopted various policies to reduce the burden on the people."

"Let's think about it the other way round. If everyone around you is hungry and you can eat two pieces of whole grain pancakes every meal, will you feel very happy?"

Chen Jingke shook his head and said: "It's not wrong, but this is only a small aspect. The answer is actually something I have said many times before."

"Why can he eat meat every day while I can only live hand to mouth?"

Zhu Xiongying fell into deep thought and asked tentatively after a long time: "A sense of identity and belonging?"

Zhu Xiongying said disdainfully: "This kind of thinking is really..."

"That's why when the Ming Dynasty won the war, they would be happy together and discuss it over and over again."

Zhu Xiongying affirmed: "Of course..."

"Including the period of King Wu, your Majesty has been operating in Yingtian for thirty years, and the people there have been deeply favored by your Majesty."

This is the case for Zhu Xiongying right now.

Chen Jingke sighed: "There is a saying that we should not worry about the scarcity but the inequality. Why does this happen?"

"Everyone is poor, but no one says anything."

Chen Jingke shook his head secretly. The smarter a person is, the easier it is for him to fall into his own thinking, or to complicate simple problems.

"It doesn't matter to them who the emperor is. It makes no difference to them whether the world is called Ming or Dayuan."

Chen Jingke praised: "Smartness means a sense of identity and belonging."

Chen Jingke waved his hand to stop him from continuing: "We do not discuss the right or wrong of this kind of thinking, and there is no need to criticize it."

Zhu Xiongying frowned and said: "Use? How to use this kind of thinking?"

"Moralists can criticize this kind of thinking. As a monarch, what you have to do is not criticize."

Such words can be described as treasonous, but Chen Jingke said it naturally.

"Naturally, my heart goes to His Majesty, and I have a greater sense of belonging to the Ming Dynasty."

"It's about acknowledging his existence and learning to take advantage of it."

The answer to this question actually lies on the title page.

"People don't know what the previous dynasties were like."

"No matter how relaxed the court's policies are, they will not feel special, and they will even think it is natural."

"We can tell them what the previous dynasties were like, and with comparison, they will know how good the Ming Dynasty was."

"In this way, their sense of belonging and identification with Ming Dynasty will also increase."

Chen Jingke said approvingly: "Smartness is not only about the situation of past dynasties, but also about the situation in other countries."

"In short, you need to let them know that Ming Dynasty is the best, so that they can have a sense of identity and belonging."

Zhu Xiongying nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay, I will tell Grandpa Huang about this when I get back..."

"Hey, you said such a simple method, why hasn't it been used in all dynasties?"

Chen Jingke shook his head and said, "It's not that they don't want to use it, but they don't dare to use it."

Zhu Xiongying said proudly: "That's true. Who in the past dynasties could be as kind to the people as Ming Dynasty."

There should not be too many policies to benefit the people, such as the abolition of slave registration, the cancellation of exclusive household registration such as craftsman registration, etc.

Chen Jingke did not dampen his enthusiasm, but continued:

"Just doing this is not enough... Do you still remember what I told you about why Mongolia is different from the past grassland overlords?"

Zhu Xiongying said: "Because they have completed their identity recognition, Mongolia is the only family in the grassland. This is something that the past grassland overlords have not achieved."

Chen Jingke nodded and said: "At this point, Mongolia is even better than us Han people."

"Besides scholars, how many ordinary people have a sense of identity and belonging to the Han people?"

Ordinary people don't care about their status the least. They only care about whether they can survive and whether they can have enough to eat.

Therefore, every time there is a war, countless Han people will take the initiative to seek refuge in the country established by the foreign race.

As long as that country can give them a bite to eat.

This kind of thing has happened countless times in history.

But can you blame the people?

In the eyes of the aloof and powerful scholar-bureaucrats, it is natural that the common people should be blamed for forgetting their ancestors.

But what is the actual situation?

It is the ruling class's policy of obscuring the people, which prevents the people from knowing the past of their own ethnic group and their own national history. Isn’t it nonsense to want them to have a sense of identity with their ethnic group and country without letting them know these things?
During the century-old period of humiliation in the previous life, countless people rose up to resist foreign aggression.

why?
Because people with lofty ideals studied together with the people, the people's wisdom awakened.

Forty-five million people united and defeated all powerful enemies despite the generation gap in weapons, winning independence and dignity for the country.

So the problem is not with the people, but with the ruling class.

It's just that the ruling class has the right to speak and passes the responsibility to the people.

Zhu Xiongying was trained by him, so he naturally agrees with his point of view:
"That's why you proposed to write "A Brief History of China" to let the world know the history of China, so as to create a sense of ethnic identity."

Chen Jingke sighed: "But we have not done enough. How many people can actually read this book?"

Zhu Xiongying opened his mouth, but in the end he didn't say a word.

This is actually a lack of culture and education in the imperial court.

Why does this happen?

It was not just the lack of productivity, but also the hesitation of Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao.

They are used to the policy of obscuring the people.

This trick works really well and simplifies all problems.

The common people knew nothing and could only stay in that one-third of an acre of land and accept the exploitation of the ruling class.

Once people's wisdom is opened, once people learn to ask why, things will become complicated.

The ruling class is unwilling to face these problems.

Including Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao are no exception.

Even Zhu Xiongying may have the same doubts in his heart.

The policy of obscuring the people is so effective, why take the risk to enlighten the people’s wisdom?
Isn't it unnecessary?

Chen Jingke continued: "If Ming Dynasty continues to follow the old path, its purpose will only be to dominate this corner of the country. The policy of obscuring the people is indeed very effective."

"If we want to go global and compete with other countries in the world, we must complete the construction of our identity."

"Otherwise, what else would the people of Ming Dynasty remember about?"

"If they master a certain skill, they may have the opportunity to become guests of the monarch of other countries."

"Under such circumstances, why did they return to Ming Dynasty?"

"At that time, the talents of Ming Dynasty will be used by other countries to compete with Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Xiongying raised his eyebrows, and his eyes immediately changed.

This is also the difference between him and Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao. Having been taught by Chen Jingke since he was a child, his goals are more ambitious.

Especially the proposal of the imperial plan gave his ideals a practical goal.

As long as it is beneficial to the empire's plan, he will do it.

Chen Jingke paused for a moment. Seeing that he had listened, he felt happy and continued:
"The empire plan is not something that happens overnight, and a solid foundation must be laid."

"When His Majesty is in power, he focuses on solving border problems."

"When the prince ascends the throne, he will focus on recuperating and accumulating strength."

“Identity is a long-term process, and it’s best to start now.”

"Twenty years later, the Ming Dynasty will clear the sea and the river, and the wealth in the treasury will pile up like a mountain."

"Everyone in the world is proud of the descendants of China and the people of Ming Dynasty."

"By then it's almost time for you to take charge, and you'll be able to show off your talents."

Zhu Xiongying's blood boiled with excitement, but he was no longer a child after all, and he still remained awake.

"This matter needs to be discussed in the long term... Let's do this. I will talk to Grandpa Huang about this matter later."

"At least let the people know how good Ming Dynasty is to them, so that they can have a sense of belonging to Ming Dynasty."

"I believe Grandpa Huang will not object to this."

Chen Jingke said: "That's all we can do. Anyway, we are still young and have plenty of time. There is no need to rush."

Zhu Xiongying nodded and said with admiration: "I only knew you were very smart before, and nothing could trouble you."

"But your proposal to recuperate at this time still makes me look at you with admiration."

"To tell you the truth, I myself have been thinking about how Ming Dynasty should go."

"What I want is to completely defeat Bei Yuan in one fell swoop."

"Then start two fronts in the Western Region and Japan, and strive to win the two places as soon as possible..."

"It wasn't until Grandpa Huang told me that you proposed that the Ming Dynasty rest for five years that I realized that the people were already overwhelmed."

Speaking of this, he smiled bitterly and said: "I always thought that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was aggressive and the country was in dilapidated state. Couldn't he see that?"

"In comparison, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was much more sober. He launched a war every five years on average, which did not affect the people's livelihood and contentment, nor did it delay him from becoming the Khan of Heaven."

"Later, policy mistakes led to a rebellion in Shu, and he was able to recognize the mistakes and change the government orders in time."

"...When you compare the two monarchs, the difference is too obvious."

"So I have always been curious, why couldn't Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty be the same as Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty?"

"At the time, I thought the difference between the two was due to personality."

"After this incident, I realized that it was not all due to personality, but also to the confusion of the authorities."

"When we look at the deeds of the ancients, we can naturally make a clear and logical conclusion. We always think that things are not difficult."

“When it’s really your turn, you will fall into your own cognition and be unable to extricate yourself.”

"I think Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was like this. He always felt that the country could still persist, and it didn't matter no matter how hard the people suffered."

"As everyone knows, the people are already in mourning."

"I fell into the same mindset as Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty before. I only saw foreign aggression and the expansion of territory and achievements."

"But it ignores the difficulties faced by the country and its people."

"Even Grandpa Huang himself said that if you hadn't reminded him, he would have prepared to send a large army to the northern grasslands next year."

"You are the most sober among all the civil and military officials in the dynasty. You have seen the crisis under the flowers."

Chen Jingke was extremely pleased with these words.

At this moment, he completely believed that even without himself, Zhu Xiongying could build a better world than before.

"Haha... for you to have this understanding, you are no weaker than any wise king or hero in the past dynasties."

Zhu Xiongying shook his head and said modestly but confidently: "Now I naturally dare not compare with the predecessors, but in the future I will definitely create an unprecedented prosperous age."

"Jing Ke, you will always help me, right."

Chen Jingke solemnly said: "As long as I can still move, as long as you still need me, I will stand by your side."

Zhu Xiongying laughed and said: "Haha... OK, I will remember this."

Chen Jingke nodded, changed the subject and said, "What we have said will appear on His Majesty's desk in a while. I guess he wants to curse again."

Zhu Xiongying couldn't help but laugh: "Don't worry, when he scolds you, I will intercede for you."

(End of this chapter)