The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 411 Don’t call it unforeseen
Because of Fang Xiaoru's article, a topic suddenly became hot.

That is, what is the difference between the feudal system in Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties and that in later generations?

Some people think that there is a difference, but it is not that big.

The essence of it is that the noble group is dividing the pie, and respecting the king and expelling the barbarians is just a coincidence.

Moreover, the concept of respecting the king and expelling the barbarians was originally proposed by Duke Huan of Qi, and has nothing to do with the feudal system of Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties.

In addition, they also brought out "A Brief History of China".

Here is a map of the distribution of vassal states during the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties. Some of the vassal states did border the Four Barbarians, and later grew stronger through the annexation of the Four Barbarians.

But more feudal states were located in the Central Plains.

We cannot ignore the facts.

Some people also believe that the three-generation feudal system was proposed based on the idea of ​​respecting the king and expelling the barbarians.

They didn't say much and took out "Zuo Zhuan".

"Divide the country into fiefs and establish states, and use Pan to protect Zhou."

This sentence actually means the same thing as "respecting the king and expelling the barbarians."

Based on this, they concluded that Duke Huan of Qi's idea of ​​"respecting the king and expelling the barbarians" did not come out of thin air, but was borrowed from the ancients.

Why did other vassal states not dare to oppose his proposal of "respecting the king and expelling the barbarians"?

Because this is the legal and ritual basis for the existence of these vassal states.

To oppose "respecting the king and expelling the barbarians" is to oppose the feudal system of Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties.

As a vassal state, opposing feudal division would be slapping itself in the face.

The status of Zuo Zhuan is unquestionable, and it immediately silenced its opponents.

Moreover, there are many relevant records in Zuo Zhuan, which shows that this statement was not made casually, but was a universal idea.

However, the opposition was still unwilling to admit defeat completely. They admitted that the feudal system of Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties was meant to "respect the king and expel the barbarians."

But we cannot deny the fact that they share the pie.

Otherwise, how do you explain that they established so many vassal states in the Central Plains?

Supporters cannot refute this because it is the fact.

It is clearly written in "A Brief History of China". Now, if you are a educated person, you will be familiar with these things.

But at this moment, someone came up with a theory, a double line of defense.

The most capable princes were enfeoffed at the borders of the four barbarians as the outermost line of defense for the Zhou royal family.

They were responsible for resisting the invasion of barbarians.

The vassal states such as Qi and Yan were all granted titles for this purpose.

Then the Zhou royal family enfeoffed many princes behind the border states, forming a second line of defense.

The vassal states in the second circle of defense are relatively weak.

But with the border states to resist foreign enemies, they can develop with peace of mind and produce more materials.

The materials they produce can better support the border vassal states.

Allow the border vassal states to focus on fighting the four barbarians.

At special moments, for example, once the border states are lost, the second circle of states can take over.

Even if they cannot win, it can buy time for the Zhou royal family to mobilize troops.

The Zhou royal family lived in the center of the world, holding the fertile land of the Central Plains. There were no security risks, so they could enjoy the world in peace.

Even when the Quanrong Rebellion occurred, the vassal states came to the rescue, allowing the Zhou royal family to survive for hundreds of years.

As soon as this theory came out, the supporters, who were originally at a disadvantage, suddenly became excited.

Look, look, this is the truth.

Our ancestors thought of everything, but it was the later generations who misinterpreted the scriptures.

The opposing party sneered, how could the ancients think of so much?
However, once these words were spoken, it was like stirring up a hornet's nest.

What does it mean? Insulting the ancients and humiliating the sages, right?
Our ancestors must have been really powerful, otherwise how could the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties have lasted so long?
Otherwise, are people still using Zhou rituals?

Without Zhou Gong, how could there be today's Chinese culture?

Once the big hat was put on, the opposition immediately collapsed.

The supporters pressed forward to seize the opportunity.

The wisdom of the ancients is beyond your imagination. They thought of many things, but too many have been forgotten.

Some are deliberately misinterpreted.

The feudal system of Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties was a perfect system. The facts are in front of you. What can you argue about?
As the argument went on, the topic deviated to the question of whether or not to revive the Zhou rituals.

How should we implement the revival of Zhou rituals?

In short, everyone is engaged in endless wars of words over trivial matters.

Ordinary readers just participate out of habit and do not realize that they have become tools in the hands of others.

When a topic becomes hyped up in Beijing, there is usually a driving force behind it.

Those who promote these topics naturally have political purposes.

But it doesn’t matter if they don’t know, some people do.

There were so many ministers in the court, and those with high political acumen had noticed that something was wrong.

They began to wonder who was behind this and what was the purpose?
The topic originated from an article by Fang Xiaoru, who was a close friend of Chen Jingke.

So, could it be that this article of his was written at the instruction of Chen Jingke?

If this speculation is true, what is Chen Jingke's purpose?

If we think about it more deeply, given Chen Jingke's relationship with the royal family, this matter was most likely authorized by the emperor.

So what is the emperor's purpose?

Reviving Zhou rituals? Stop kidding, everyone knows this is impossible.

The core of the problem is still feudalism.

What does the emperor want to do with the fiefdom?
At this point, the answer to the question is obvious.

There were two articles in the weekly. The first one pointed out that there were not enough princes at present, and in the second one Fang Xiaoru advocated a wave of enfeoffment in the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties.

He also implicitly suggested that this problem could be solved by enfeoffment of princes of different surnames.

Enfeoffment of princes of different surnames!!!

The answer was right before their eyes, but no one dared to believe it.

What era is this? Is there really still a dynasty willing to enfeoff princes of different surnames?
But if it is fake, how do we explain these two articles and the hot topic now?

The key point is that in the past, the Jinyiwei would have gone out to arrest people long ago.

There is a huge uproar outside now, but the court has no reaction at all.

Is it possible that the emperor is like a blind and deaf person?

Everyone couldn't help but think of the previous rumors that the emperor had promised to grant fiefdoms to the nobles.

No one believed it at that time, but now when I think about it, could it be true?
And the more we think about it, the more doubts we find.

The noble group always supported the court's drastic reforms.

Many reforms were aimed directly at the nobles, and they accepted them all without any resistance.

At that time, everyone was very curious. Did the nobles of the Ming Dynasty take the wrong medicine? Why didn't they resist?
Or are you really so loyal to the emperor?
If the rumors were true and the emperor promised great fiefdoms, then everything would be explained.

Before the cover is divided, what does the interests damaged by innovation matter?
What's more, even if they don't give up those interests now, they will still have to give them all up when they are transferred to their own fiefdoms after the enfeoffment.

No wonder, no wonder, no wonder.

After figuring all this out, the ministers suddenly became enlightened.

All the questions that had been hidden in my heart for many years were answered at this moment.

It turns out that all this was planned.

The emperor is really cunning... bah, so shrewd and calculating.

Some people think further and believe that this is not the work of the retired emperor, but most likely the plan of Chen Jingke.

He is the only one in the world who can make such a plan.

Of course, all of this is just speculation, and whether it is true or false needs to be verified urgently.

Naturally, they did not dare to ask the emperor directly, so they could only ask the high-ranking officials and nobles.

The nobles were more obedient than each other at this moment, and they all closed their doors to the visitors. Those who really couldn't avoid it pretended to be stupid and didn't say a word.

If you ask too much, people will immediately make you faint on the spot.

When faced with this issue, the top leaders neither opposed nor acknowledged it, but only said that everything would be concluded after the emperor returned.

The unusual reaction of the noble group and the attitude of the top leaders clearly indicate the answer to this question.

This is true.

Then, no one knew who spread the news, and for a while, the discussion about the great enfeoffment overshadowed everything else.

Then everyone is faced with a choice: should they support it or not?

As expected, they split into two factions.

One group believes that it can be blocked, but requires that it must be blocked overseas.

'Respect the king and expel the barbarians'? Let them go overseas to conquer... and educate the barbarians.

In the future, places like Southeast Asia will become part of China.

This is the common achievement of people living in this era.

What's more, in this way, all the nobles can be driven out of the Ming Dynasty, and the court will be much quieter in the future.

Moreover, the noble groups often degenerate into schistosomiasis, sucking blood from the country.

By driving them all away now, a huge hidden danger has been solved.

One group naturally opposed it, believing that it would lead to disaster.

Since the White Horse Alliance of the Western Han Dynasty, which stipulated "whoever becomes king except for the Liu family will be attacked by the whole world", the practice of enfeoffment of princes of different surnames has rarely occurred.

Any country that has adopted this system has experienced unrest, and none of it has lasted long.

A lesson from the past, a teacher of the future.

How could the Ming Dynasty not learn from its lessons?
Everyone holds a different opinion and no one can convince anyone else.

But no matter how everyone argued, the Forbidden City remained indifferent, as if nothing had happened.

The ministers reacted violently at first, but then they seemed to have thought of something and quieted down.

No one discussed the matter in court except in private.

The person who tied the bell must be found to untie it. The root of this matter lies with the emperor. No matter how much he says, it will be useless if he doesn't come back.

The key point is, given the character of the emperor, if he is determined to fulfill his promise, who can stop him and who dares to stop him?

So let’s stop arguing and wait for the emperor to come back and see what he means.

At the end of December, Zhu Yuanzhang finally returned to Beijing as everyone expected.

The number of people who came to welcome him this time was several times more than when he returned to Beijing last year. It can be said that everyone who could come came.

The noble group, which had been keeping a low profile before, also broke with their usual attitude and came out in a very high-profile manner to welcome the guests.

If you don’t know, you might think they are very loyal to the emperor.

Those who know understand that they did it on purpose.

Zhu Xiongying was a little unhappy: "Do these people think that they can do whatever they want after the enfeoffment?"

"What's more, the enfeoffment has not even started yet, yet you dare to disobey orders and act so high-profile."

Chen Jingke exaggerated and said, "They are forcing the emperor to abdicate. They really deserve to be killed."

Xu Yungong: "..."

"Everyone is indeed a little anxious, but Jing Ke, you don't have to put the blame on them."

Zhu Xiongying said: "I think they just want to force the emperor to abdicate. Boss Xu, you are wrong."

Xu Yungong simply shut his mouth and said, "Okay, okay, whatever you say is what I'll do."

Chen Jingke agreed and said, "The Great Enfeoffment is coming soon. They are indeed a little too proud. We need to give them a warning."

Zhu Xiongying said, "How do you think it's better to knock?"

Chen Jingke thought for a moment and said, "Don't be anxious yet. Wait until the first batch of enfeoffment is completed."

Zhu Xiongying asked: "What are you going to do?"

Xu Yungong sighed endlessly, knowing that this matter probably would not end well.

If Chen Jingke had lost his temper on the spot, the matter would not have been too serious and the punishment would not have been too severe.

Once he decides to settle the score, someone will often die.

I wonder what the nobles would think if they knew that their actions would have such serious consequences.

But he didn't persuade her any further.

It was obvious that Chen Jingke had already made up his mind and could not be persuaded.

Chen Jingke glanced at the arrogant nobles, and a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes:
"The reason why the nobles of the Ming Dynasty are relatively honest is that they are intimidated by the emperor."

"The great feudal system has exposed the true colors of many people. In a feudal state, there will inevitably be people who abuse their power and oppress the people."

“This goes against our original intention of conducting the Great Separation.”

"So, we need to find two typical examples of killing a chicken to scare the monkeys."

"Tell them that even if they are given fiefs, they are still subjects of the Ming Dynasty."

"They can't do whatever they want in a closed country. There are certain rules and regulations that must be followed."

Zhu Xiongying touched his chin and said uncertainly: "You mean, destroy two of the Feng Kingdoms?"

Chen Jingke nodded solemnly and said, "Yes, we must tell the princes that if the Ming Dynasty has the ability to confer titles on them, it also has the ability to take them back."

"Only in this way will they behave themselves and carry out the duties entrusted to them by the court."

Xu Yungong finally couldn't help but said, "Isn't this... too harsh?"

Zhu Xiongying clapped his hands and said, "Why be strict? This is how it should be... It's settled."

His voice was a little loud, and Zhu Yuanzhang, who was greeting his ministers, was startled.

He looked at Zhu Xiongying, then at Chen Jingke, and asked with a smile:

"What do you mean it's settled? What new ideas do you two have?"

Zhu Xiongying said calmly: "It's okay, we..."

Chen Jingke interrupted, "Your Highness and I are discussing the issue of the Great Enfeoffment."

Everyone was stunned for a moment. They didn't expect that he would bring the matter to the table so quickly?
Aren’t you willing to let the emperor take a rest first?
The noble group was very happy. Chen Bandu was worthy of being a member of our noble group. He was on our side.

Xu Yungong, who knew the truth, could only smile bitterly.

You are still grateful to him, but you don't know that he is already thinking about taking your lives.

But he was also wondering, shouldn't this matter be discussed privately? Why did Chen Jingke say it publicly?
Zhu Yuanzhang didn't know what they were discussing just now, but he knew that Chen Jingke would not help the nobles to force him to abdicate.

What's more, he also got the recognition from Zhu Xiongying.

So, what is he planning?
But no matter what his plan is, we have to help him continue this show.

So I asked, "Oh, tell us in detail what you discussed."

Chen Jingke replied: "The nobles seem to be a little overwhelmed and have forgotten who they are."

"It's like this now, even before the division. You can imagine what will happen if the division is done in the future."

"I have a suggestion. In the future, we should find a few vassal states that have gone too far and destroy them directly."

"This is to warn the princes that the Ming Dynasty is the master of the world."

"Those who disobey the orders of the Ming Dynasty will be executed."

As soon as he said this, the scene fell silent and everyone looked at him in disbelief.

The expressions of the nobles were particularly interesting.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't know how to answer for a moment.

This kind of thing is usually discussed privately, and he didn't expect Chen Jingke to say it publicly.

Without waiting for them to ask, Chen Jingke took the initiative to say, "Are you all wondering why I would publicly reveal this?"

"The Ming Dynasty is the suzerain state. The Celestial Empire acts uprightly and does not engage in the practice of punishing without teaching."

"Now the rules are here, it's up to you whether you want to abide by them or not."

"You will bear all the consequences of not complying."

"This is what we call not saying that I didn't warn you."

(End of this chapter)