The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 409: Respect the King and Fight the Barbarians
A restaurant beside the Luo River was filled with scholars who came to take the imperial examination.

Generally speaking, people would set out to take the imperial examinations several months in advance and arrive in Luoyang one or two months in advance or even longer.

One reason is to deal with unexpected situations, such as being delayed on the road or getting sick due to acclimatization.

Secondly, I also wanted to communicate with other scholars, which would not only increase my knowledge but also allow me to make more connections.

As scholars, they love to express their opinions, especially to gather together to discuss national affairs.

Therefore, restaurants became places where they frequented.

There are two hot topics recently, one is the concept of Greater China, and the other is the division of Nanyang.

"I think this year's policy essay questions are most likely related to China..."

"Great minds think alike. I also think that at least one or two questions are related to China."

"I think we can be bolder. The title should include the debate between Chinese and barbarians."

"I also thought that when there was such a question, the direction to solve it was already thought out."

"If there is no better way to solve the problem, just stick to the idea of ​​'outward, barbarian, inward, Chinese', and at least you won't deviate from the topic."

“I think it’s easier to get a high score if I answer the questions in cooperation with Nanyang.”

As soon as this was said, everyone agreed.

Answering questions by referring to hot topics has been an examination custom since ancient times.

Moreover, anyone with a little political acumen would realize that the division of Nanyang was not just a simple division of fiefdoms.

It is likely to be a major policy adjustment or even a turning point for some major historical event.

If you don't take advantage of this popularity, you can't blame others for not getting high scores.

More and more people are participating, and everyone is speaking freely and expressing their views on politics.

At this moment, a familiar voice came from outside the door:

"Selling newspapers, selling newspapers... The Nanyang feudal system is stirring again..."

"Selling newspapers, selling newspapers... Fang Weiwu's latest article on the division of Nanyang and the revival of Zhou rituals..."

Fang Weiwu is the nickname of Fang Xiaoru, which he got because of his materialism.

After such a long debate, more and more people have come to understand materialism.

Both supporters and opponents recognized his ability and materialism.

This is indeed just one person's opinion and has some merits.

The great Neo-Confucian scholars considered him as their great enemy, but placed both of them on an equal footing in terms of status.

To put it bluntly, they have recognized Fang Xiaoru's identity as a great scholar.

Ordinary scholars were not so hostile to him.

After all, if you don't have a certain level of knowledge, you can't understand the deep-seated differences between the two.

As for the dispute over the orthodox doctrine, it has little to do with them.

It doesn’t matter whose tradition you learn from, the important thing is to learn it.

At present, the only obstacle for ordinary scholars to study materialism is the imperial examination.

After all, the imperial examination is still in the hands of the Neo-Confucian school.

Materialism also lacks representatives in the court.

Using materialism to answer questions is simply courting death.

If the imperial examination allowed answers to questions based on materialistic thinking, scholars would immediately start studying and researching.

Precisely because everyone no longer hated him, when I heard that he had written another article, still about the enfeoffment of Nanyang and Zhou rituals, I couldn't help but want to buy it and read it.

What if it provides new ideas for answering the questions?

What's more, there was a problem with the division of Nanyang, and everyone was very curious about what had happened.

So, when they heard the newsboy's cries, several scholars immediately went out and bought a few copies.

Then everyone sat together and looked through the articles above.

There is nothing interesting in the beginning, just some policy explanations.

The only thing that made everyone feel uncomfortable was that the emperor killed a lot of people in Shu again.

More than 600 people were killed and more than 10,000 were exiled.

Moreover, the title was printed in large red font, which was particularly eye-catching.

Although we don't feel the same way, it still makes us feel heavy in our hearts.

If someone else did the same thing, they would definitely be criticized as cruel or something like that.

Even if those killed are all corrupt officials, it won’t work.

But the person who did this was Zhu Yuanzhang, so everyone chose to remain silent and keep these things firmly in their hearts.

When you become an official in the future, you must control your hands.

Even if you are greedy, some money cannot be touched, and it is best to achieve some political achievements.

With political achievements to protect him, there is a high probability that he can get a reduced sentence as long as the crime is not a serious one that will anger God and the people.

This is the rule that everyone has summarized based on actual cases of Zhu Yuanzhang dealing with corrupt officials.

All I can say is that when interests are involved, we should never underestimate people's subjective initiative.

Figuring out the preferences of superiors and inferring the patterns of their actions based on actual events can be said to be the most basic abilities in officialdom.

It is difficult for those who do not have this ability to be promoted to high positions.

Soon everyone found the article they wanted to read.

This is written by a very unfamiliar author. I will skip the previous analysis and praise. At the end of the article, the author raised a question:
Today's Nanyang is no longer the desolate land it once was. From the perspective of opening up the sea, this is the gateway to the Ming Dynasty.

If a powerful country emerges here, it will block the Ming Dynasty's sea outlet.

Therefore, from a strategic perspective, it is not appropriate for a particularly strong feudal state to emerge in Southeast Asia.

This means that at least ten princes must be enfeoffed.

However, there are not enough adult princes in the Ming Dynasty. How to solve this problem?

After reading this article, the scholars couldn't help but admire the author's courage.

This analysis directly questioned the prince's loyalty.

In order to implement the feudal system, Zhu Yuanzhang killed many people.

The lesson is not far away.

Therefore, even if they supported the enfeoffment, people would not question the prince's loyalty in public.

Instead, they advocated that the prince had outstanding abilities and could be sent to other places to expand the territory and serve as a barrier for the Ming Dynasty.

Now not only are some people questioning it, they even dare to publish it in newspapers.

It's really audacious.

However, everyone immediately thought of another problem. Being able to be published in the Ming Weekly meant that it had permission from above.

That is to say...

Everyone showed a look of understanding.

The retired emperor would not doubt his son, but the current emperor would doubt his brother.

This was most likely a rumor that the emperor had deliberately spread.

Is this right? There is no father and son in front of imperial power, let alone brothers.

The more people thought about it, the more they felt that this guess was correct.

Then there is no more.

Just because the emperor can use the power to criticize his own brothers does not mean that others can take advantage of it to cause trouble.

The emperor is still alive, but the front page is reporting on his murder.

He would not do anything to the emperor, but he could vent his anger on the people below.

No one wants to touch Lao Zhu's reverse scale.

So, after reading this article, everyone discussed it vaguely for a few sentences and then quickly turned to the next article.

That is Fang Xiaoru's enfeoffment and Zhou rituals.

The content of the article is just as the title suggests, it is about Zhou rituals and feudal fiefdoms.

The other contents can be omitted, the core argument is:

He believed that although the Ming Dynasty only enfeoffed princes, while the Zhou Li enfeoffed dukes, the Ming Dynasty's enfeoffment was still in line with the Zhou Li.

Then he further explained why it was in line with Zhou rites.

The final destination is the four words "respect the king and expel the barbarians".

He believed that the core idea of ​​the feudal system during the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties was "respecting the king and expelling the barbarians."

By enfeoffing princes in the four border areas, the royal family was protected from foreign enemies.

Moreover, these vassal states penetrated deep into the land of the barbarians and were able to manage and educate the barbarians nearby. After hundreds of years of education, the original four barbarian lands had all become Chinese territory.

The barbarians from all directions were assimilated into China.

Only in this way can China have such a vast territory and such a large population.

After the Qin Dynasty, although some dynasties adopted the system of enfeoffment, those systems had already deteriorated in nature.

It is no longer about 'respecting the king and expelling the barbarians', but about dividing the pie, or to put it bluntly, it is about interest groups dividing the spoils.

The key point is that the pie they divided was left by their ancestors, not created by themselves.

What they do is snatch the pie from others and divide it up as their own.

The final result was that, either due to uneven distribution of the spoils or because of someone's greed, disaster ultimately occurred.

Among them, the Eight Kings Rebellion in the Jin Dynasty was the worst.

The reason is that they forgot the core of "respecting the king and expelling the barbarians".

And it is precisely because of their misinterpretation that "feudalism" has become stigmatized.

Letting people mistakenly believe that feudal fiefdoms will hinder the central court is a way to bring disaster.

The Ming Dynasty enfeoffed princes in the four barbarian lands to defend the Ming Dynasty against the barbarians.

It is a return to the origin, it is the orthodox enfeoffment, it is the standard of "respecting the king and expelling the barbarians".

That is why it is said that the Ming Dynasty’s enfeoffment was in line with Zhou rites.

It is foreseeable that China's territory will usher in a new round of major expansion in a hundred years.

Chinese culture will surely become more brilliant because of this.

The ideal of our ancestors to educate the world will also be taken to a higher level in the hands of the Ming Dynasty.

Seeing this, all the scholars were enlightened.

"Respecting the king and expelling the barbarians, it turns out that the feudal system of Xia, Shang and Zhou had such a profound purpose."

“No wonder the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties were able to maintain long-lasting feudal rule, but later dynasties that adopted feudal rule instead led to great chaos.”

"The feudal fiefdoms of later generations only captured the form but not the meaning, which is really like an ugly imitation of a beautiful woman."

"Fang Weiwu is indeed worthy of being a master of his generation. No wonder he advocated the revival of Zhou rituals."

"Yes, listening to your words is worth ten years of reading. Mr. Fang's knowledge is so profound that I can hardly compare with him."

The more people discussed, the more they felt that Fang Xiaoru's views were very brilliant.

The excited crowd overlooked one problem.

That is, the idea of ​​respecting the king and expelling the barbarians was first proposed by Duke Huan of Qi.

Its purpose is to provide ideological basis for its own hegemony.

The original intention of this sentence was to call on the vassal states to respect the Zhou royal family, not to engage in civil war, and to jointly resist the invasion of barbarians.

Relying on this banner, he placed himself on the moral high ground and became the first overlord of the Spring and Autumn Period.

Now Fang Xiaoru combined respecting the king and expelling the barbarians with enfeoffment, which can be regarded as a stroke of genius.

It brings the connotations of both to a new level.

It also provided an ideological basis that was more in line with "ritual" for the Ming Dynasty's enfeoffment.

After all, the reason for enfeoffment was too utilitarian and not convenient to bring to the table to resolve internal strife within the royal family.

'Respect the king and expel the barbarians' is very lofty.

At least scholars prefer this reason.

So, they accepted the theory immediately.

It was natural that Fang Xiaoru's flattery was inevitable.

Even the most devout Neo-Confucianist would have to praise Fang Xiaoru's great talent after reading this article.

Seeing that the discussion was about to turn into a flattery of Fang Xiaoru, someone couldn't help but urge:

"What's next? Please read the rest of the content."

Everyone then quieted down and listened to them read the subsequent content.

The following content is mostly imagination, what specific benefits will be brought if the Ming Dynasty's feudal policy can be implemented.

To put it bluntly, it's just painting a rosy picture for everyone.

However, with the idea of ​​respecting the king and expelling the barbarians, everyone enjoyed this big pie.

At the end of the article, Fang Xiaoru said with regret:

The feudal system of Xia, Shang and Zhou not only respected the king and expelled the barbarians, but also solved the hidden danger of powerful nobles hindering the royal power.

It can be said that it accomplishes multiple things with one stone.

But times have changed, and the Ming Dynasty could no longer enfeoff nobles, so it could only enfeoff royal relatives.

I heard that the overseas territory is vast and boundless, and it would be no problem to enfeoff thousands of vassal states.

It’s a pity that there are too few adult males in the royal family, and it’s impossible to confer titles on them all.

He also boldly predicted that if there were any imperfections in the Ming Dynasty's future enfeoffment, it would definitely be due to the lack of male members of the royal family.

As for the solution, it is actually very simple.

but……

The article ends here.

However, anyone who is not stupid knows what he means.

According to Zhou rituals, meritorious officials were enfeoffed as princes.

But... this proposal is so bold that it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a rebellion.

But when they thought about the fact that it was Fang Xiaoru who said this, everyone felt it was normal.

After all, he advocated the full restoration of Zhou rituals back then.

The proposal to enfeoff princes now is also in line with his personality.

Moreover, given his current status in the academic world, the emperor would not say anything even if he did not like this argument.

Besides, he didn't say it directly, he just hinted at it.

After hearing the final hint, everyone subconsciously thought about the feasibility of enfeoffment of nobles.

In the end, a surprising conclusion was reached: if the princes were divided according to the Zhou rituals, many problems could indeed be solved.

With the princes managing the barbarian lands, they will not pose a threat to the Ming Dynasty, and the hidden danger of the noble group becoming too powerful to be eliminated will also be solved.

As for whether these princes will become powerful and then learn from the Qin Dynasty and annex the Ming Dynasty...

All rational people know that the fall of a dynasty is inevitable.

But if the vassal states wanted to rebel, they had to first annex other vassal states to strengthen themselves.

This process takes hundreds of years.

A dynasty has enjoyed hundreds of years of rule. What else could there be to be dissatisfied about?

Someone suddenly thought of something and reminded:

"Everyone, think about the previous article, which said that there were not enough adult princes..."

After being reminded, everyone couldn't help but gasp.

The previous article said that there were not enough adult princes and asked everyone what to do. The next article proposed a solution.

No one would believe if you said there is no connection between the two.

The first article was most likely written by Fang Xiaoru under a pen name.

Could it be that he really supports the great division of feudal territories?

He is so brave and has no fear of death at all.

But...it is consistent with Fang Xiaoru's behavior.

Then, another person reminded: "Da Ming Weekly is the mouthpiece of the imperial court. How can these two articles appear here..."

Everyone was shocked again.

Could it be that the imperial court really intends to divide the country into large fiefdoms?

Or is this article a test by some ambitious person?
At this time, a Confucian scholar in his thirties swallowed his saliva and said in a low voice:

"I'm from Luoyang, and I heard a rumor several years ago."

Everyone looked at him. What was this rumor? What did it have to do with this matter?
The scholar seemed a little nervous, and took a deep breath before saying:

"Some nobles got drunk and said that the emperor promised them... to grant them fiefdoms..."

"Hiss..." Everyone couldn't help but gasp.

Is there such a thing?

Some impatient people began to urge: "What happened next? What happened next?"

(End of this chapter)