Zhu Yuanzhang can see my dreams

Chapter 347 I am a tyrant! (347 words updated)
"Old Four, what's wrong with what you said?"

Wang Buli pointed at the people on the giant screen and said:

“As for this group of scholars, after you conquer Nanjing, there will naturally be great scholars from Jiangnan who will argue for you and say that what you did to clear the court of corrupt officials was correct.

They are so shameless, they will follow whoever wins, I always look down on them."

Zhu Di looked at Wang Buli in shock.

He really didn't expect that this kid would dare to speak ill of scholars in front of his father.

After all, in Zhu Di's view, the Ming Dynasty still needs to be governed by scholars.

Otherwise, if we rely solely on rough people, it will never work.

On the contrary, Zhu Yuanzhang quite agreed with Wang Buli's words.

When Kublai Khan of the Yuan Dynasty occupied the Central Plains, the direct descendants of the Confucius family immediately presented a letter of surrender and sang praises of how great the Yuan Dynasty was, how correct its legal legitimacy was in conquering the world, and so on.

"The backbone of these scholars was long ago buried in Yashan."

Zhu Yuanzhang followed up on Wang Buli's words with a comment.

In the past, out of respect for "knowledge", he hired many scholars to assist him, hoping that he could have a group of ministers like Zhuge Liang.

Unfortunately, as time went by, Zhu Yuanzhang discovered that these people were good at studying. That makes sense.

But when they were asked to actually govern the local area, Zhu Yuanzhang was greatly disappointed!
Even if you don't have Zhuge Liang's ability, or even one tenth of his, Zhu Yuanzhang felt that it was not in vain that he had spent so much effort to invite them out of retirement.

But the problem was that it did not achieve what he expected, so he suspended the imperial examination for a long time.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Zhu Di snorted and laughed a few times. Fortunately, he didn’t like reading those big books. It gave him a headache just listening to them.

"But Buli, why are you so malicious towards scholars?"

Zhu Yuanzhang thought that Wang Buli had never been bullied by scholars.

"what?"

Wang Buli was stunned for a moment, then whispered:
"Your Majesty, do you think it is possible that they did just that, and I just mentioned some of their actions?"

"hiss."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said nothing more.

"In terms of finance, Emperor Jianwen also enacted some new measures to reduce some of the excessive taxes of the previous dynasty.

The most important of these was to reduce excessive taxation in Jiangnan, especially the heavy land tax in the wealthy Suzhou and Songjiang prefectures.

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned again.

He remembered that one-fifth of the taxes for these two places had been reduced this year, and the main source of revenue for the Ming Dynasty was taxes from the Jiangnan region.

"Emperor Jianwen took action in response to complaints about unfair taxation in areas such as Southern Zhili and Zhejiang.

He ordered that taxes be collected in these prefectures at a uniform rate of one stone of grain per acre of land.

Emperor Hongwu once prohibited people from Suzhou or Songjiang from being appointed as the Minister of Revenue, in order to prevent people from these wealthy prefectures from controlling the finances and favoring their hometowns, thus sacrificing the interests of the national treasury.

Now Emperor Jianwen has also lifted this ban.

Another fiscal reform is to limit the amount of tax-free land that Buddhist and Taoist temples can own.

This policy was specifically aimed at the situation of Buddhist and Taoist monks in the wealthy prefectures of Jiangnan.

Because under the protection of Emperor Hongwu, monks and Taoists seized a large amount of fertile land and became powerful landlords.

Their wealth aroused resentment among the people, because the monastic clergy enjoyed exemptions from land taxes and corvée labor.

They even disregarded the laws of the Ming Dynasty and imposed their own burdens on the local residents, that is, occupying the people's land and forcing them to perform labor for them.

Officials in the court submitted two memorials requesting restrictions on the amount of land owned by Buddhism and Taoism, and Emperor Jianwen approved their suggestions in an imperial edict.

The new order only allowed each monk to own no more than five acres of tax-free land; the remaining land was to be distributed to the people who needed it.

"I finally understand why it's not painful for a son to sell his father's land."

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but complain.

Every time someone submitted a memorial, he agreed to it.

He might as well just be an emperor who stamps documents from now on, and there is no need for him to have his own thinking ability.

"They don't know the hardships of starting a business. They have been accustomed to a life of luxury since childhood." Zhu Yuanzhang said rather dejectedly:

"This is still a grandson, not to mention how jerkish those grandsons' grandsons are."

"Dad, this grandson is really useless." Zhu Di added another insult.

"Hey, we can't just deny it." Wang Buli pointed to the place where the taxes were collected and said, "Your Majesty, the taxes in the Jiangnan area are indeed heavier now."

Zhu Yuanzhang certainly knew how important it was.

This policy was formulated to punish them for supporting Zhang Shicheng.

"With such heavy taxes, local people often cannot pay the required amount of taxes, especially in times of famine.
They abandoned their land and became vagrants, thus further increasing the burden on the people who paid taxes diligently.

There were more vagrants in the Ming Dynasty, and the government also reduced annual tax revenue.

After all, the rich are always a minority, and most people are willing to pay taxes to Your Majesty."

Wang Buli's words were so tactful and flattering that Zhu Yuanzhang nodded subconsciously.

If many people fled and became vagrants, according to his experience, the government would continue to exploit those who farmed peacefully in order to pay full taxes.

If this continues, it will be extremely disadvantageous to the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang had experienced those officials.

They don't care whether you ordinary people live or die, they just forcibly collect grain.

They are only responsible for the source of their power. How many of them truly care about the people?

"so what should I do now?"

Zhu Di also frowned because he put himself in the situation.

After all, I want to be the emperor in the future, so I can't help but consider this kind of thing.

"In fact, we also have examples for reference, such as the progressive business tax system established by Your Majesty a few years ago. The bigger your business, the more tax you pay.

They can be forced to split up and not monopolize one side.

On the other hand, the more land you own, the more land tax you will have to pay.

Otherwise, all the taxes will be borne by the people who can only make a living.

Once they encounter some corrupt officials, they are easily coerced and brainwashed by people like the White Lotus Sect, turning from good citizens into refugees, or even rebelling against the people. Your Majesty, have you ever had such an experience, right?"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, Wang Buli was right.

His original intention was to rob the rich and help the poor, so that most people could survive.

He never thought that his original intention of punishment would affect many ordinary people in Jiangnan, which was something he did not want to see.

"After I leave, I will call all the staff of the Ministry of Revenue to discuss and make an accurate estimate of the land tax across the country. The more you plant, the more land tax you will pay."

This is a good idea as it can effectively strike at the rich and stabilize a large group of people occupying small plots of land.

Zhu Yuanzhang had previously only implemented this method on commercial taxes and had no intention of extending it to land taxes because he felt that taxes could be collected at the moment.

In this case, we have to make some changes and prepare for the future when we cannot collect taxes.

In this case, we'd like to see how much land they have.

"And I also wonder what the monk needs so much land for. Is he going to use it all for loan sharking?
When the time comes and the people cannot pay back the money, all the land will become theirs. They own so much fertile land and don’t have to pay taxes, and they even ask people to donate money for incense!

Your Majesty was once a monk, and you know how evil they are. There is no need to be too nice to them.

Only when the world is in turmoil or prosperity do many people want to become monks. One reason is to get protection, and the other is to get rich.

Money doesn't appear for no reason. They can only put the money that belongs to the court into their own pockets, and then they become fatter and fatter. "

Zhu Yuanzhang recalled the grievances he suffered in the temple when he was young. Although he ordered monks not to marry, he still assigned a monk to each prince.

The status of monks also rose significantly.

"That makes sense." Zhu Di agreed with Wang Buli's words.

The world does not need so many monks and Taoists, even though Daoyan gave him a very good feeling, as if he knew everything.

Wang Buli agreed with Emperor Jianwen's approach: "These monks and Taoists do not work, and they pretend to be gods and ghosts every day. They are just bored."

Now it was the turn of Zhu Yuanzhang and his son to look at Wang Buli.

How dare he say that others are playing tricks?
"Yeah, too."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly. Those of them who have been practicing Taoism and Buddhism since ancient times would never have such a wonderful experience as Wang Buli, so it is normal for them to despise them.

"I will ask the Zhang family to contribute their land and distribute it to the landless people around them.

As for the temples in other places, I will also send people to reduce the land area and set taxes. Since you have become a monk, it is best not to get involved in the trivial matters of the world. Don't be stupid."

Longhu Mountain Tianshi Mansion.

Wang Buli thought about it and realized that it was passed down from generation to generation, as if the land belonged to them.

"Your Majesty is holy."

Wang Buli echoed.

Zhu Yuanzhang just felt that Emperor Jianwen was being exploited too obviously by scholars.

Why didn't they dare to submit memorials to me in the past, asking for tax reductions or exemptions, when I was in power?

Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, they dare to do it, right?

Who gave them the courage!
Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but hold his forehead with his hand. Maybe it was because his good grandson compared Cao Cao with Liu Bei!
I use strict laws, but he uses leniency, and whenever he goes against me, I think it is a benevolent policy.

Damn you.

Zhu Yuanzhang really wanted to beat Zhu Yunwen up. You bastard, you think I'm a tyrant, right?
It can be seen that Zhu Yunwen did not agree with his own governing philosophy.

It seems that this grandson hid his identity very well when he was the crown prince!
Zhu Yuanzhang immediately understood the reason behind this.

It was not that he did not try his best to train Zhu Yunwen as the crown prince, but that this grandson did not agree with his governing philosophy from the bottom of his heart. He said that he would learn the governing experience that was instilled in him, but in his heart he wanted to throw it aside.

So much so that after he ascended the throne, he was just one step away from a comprehensive refutation.

Many changes were made secretly, with the intention of not violating ancestral rules on the surface.

"Emperor Jianwen also made some reforms to the administration of the vassal states: he set up guest assistants and companions, and asked Hanlin scholars to educate and tutor the young princes in the Confucian tradition of government.

The princes are further forbidden to participate in civil and military affairs!"

This order is obviously very different from the provisions in the "Record of Ancestors' Instructions".

"it is as expected."

Zhu Yuanzhang further intensified his inner speculation.

"This is really unreasonable!"

As the beneficiary, Zhu Di almost cursed in public, because his elder brother Zhu Biao was not there.

"Can you do whatever you want and do whatever you want just because you are an emperor?"

Wang Buli glanced at Zhu Di and said, "You can't say such things even though you're not sitting on the dragon throne."

"This move strengthened the emperor's control over the vassal states, and the new decree was part of a general strategy to abolish the semi-autonomous nature of the feudal states."

"Well, the emperor hasn't even secured his throne yet, but he's already started to reduce the power of the vassal states. This is a big move. It's only right that he's undefeated!"

Zhu Yuanzhang never expected that after Zhu Yunwen came to power, he completely negated his governing philosophy and policies of so many years.

He established many rules and regulations in the Ancestral Instructions to regulate the behavior of many vassal kings.

"For three years after the new emperor ascends the throne, the princes are not allowed to come to the court and can only stay in their fiefdoms.

However, if there are "treacherous ministers" in power at court, the kings must prepare their troops and wait for the new emperor to summon them to "restore order."

After completing their tasks and expelling the treacherous, they should return to their fiefdoms. "

Wang Buli felt that Zhu Yuanzhang himself did not pay much attention to the family relationship with his other sons, but he tried to use ancestral teachings to command his children and grandchildren to listen to him, which was really a bit unrealistic.

If a treacherous minister really came to power, he would summon everyone to serve the king.

The final result may be to change the emperor.

Since ancient times, the one with the strongest army and the most powerful force has become the emperor!

"Emperor Hongwu established an important rule for the principle of legitimate succession: it applies to both the succession of princes of feudal fiefdoms and the succession to the throne.

One of the main principles is that the heir should be the eldest son, born to the legitimate wife.

If this is no longer possible, the second son born to the legitimate wife will become the legal heir.

In order to ensure that these family rules would last for a long time, Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty issued a stern warning to his descendants, forbidding them to make any changes to his instructions.

He also warned the kings that they could gang up on any violators, even the emperor himself.

At this point, Zhu Yuanzhang felt that the fourth brother's problem of clearing out the emperor's side was no longer a big problem.

But after thinking it over carefully, he realized that he was still lacking an opportunity.

That was to force Zhu Di to fight against the central court with only 800 people.

An opportunity to rebel!
"The new emperor now attempted to strip the princes of their power, bringing him into open conflict with his uncles, especially Prince of Yan, Zhu Di.

Understandably, in the eyes of these princes, his attempt to deprive the feudal princes of their traditional rights and privileges was a serious violation of the Ancestor's Instructions.

Seeing this, Zhu Di curled his lips and said:

"In fact, I don't understand why the new emperor always feels bad for me when I'm not the strongest among the kings. Could it be that I, the King of Yan, guard the northern border and fight the Mongols too hard, and that makes our nephew feel scared?"

"It's very simple." Wang Buli glanced at Zhu Di:
"The two kings of Qin and Jin both died before you. If the new emperor wants to kill a chicken, he will also kill you, the fourth uncle."

Zhu Di suddenly realized that he had never expected that his eldest brother, second brother and third brother would die so early.

"That's right, otherwise it would have to be my second brother who led the troops to purge the emperor."

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't want to pay any attention to these two people. As the two who had the last laugh, they did live longer than his sons.

When Zhu Yuanzhang thought of this, he felt uncomfortable.

But he had no choice.

The last time Wang Buli tried to force Emperor Ma to renew his life, he ended up in such a miserable state. This time he was finally able to enter the fairyland again.

If we go against the will of heaven again, it may take even longer years before we can enter again.

Zhu Yuanzhang felt that he did not have that many three years to waste.

“The people have always believed that the policy of reducing the power of the feudal lords was the idea of ​​Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai, but it can also be said to be the result of the wise decree of Emperor Jianwen.

Huang Zicheng is the most active supporter of this policy.

He is said to have impressed upon the Emperor the importance of adopting this policy.

Because he told the emperor the story of the Seven Kingdoms Rebellion in the Han Dynasty that opposed Emperor Jing of Han, and also pointed out the potential dangers unique to these powerful and semi-autonomous vassal states.

They considered two courses of action: abolishing the feudal kingdoms entirely; or reducing their political and military power.

The main target was King Yan.

By this time, the second and third sons of Emperor Hongwu had passed away, leaving only the Prince of Yan, who was the oldest and most powerful vassal prince still alive. He was also the elder in royal etiquette.

After careful consideration, Emperor Jianwen decided to completely abolish the feudal system. "

"really."

Zhu Di snorted and laughed: "I have lived longer, so they want to attack me first. The new emperor is very calculating!"

"Your eldest nephew doesn't trust you as much as your father does and doesn't think you will seize power."

Wang Buli also smiled and said, "Your Majesty, we are a generation apart and we haven't seen each other for many years. How can we have much affection for each other?"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded. He always felt that blood was thicker than water, but his sons and grandsons would have their own ideas when they grew up and would no longer continue the stubborn ideas of an old man like you.

"Emperor Hongwu named him the Prince of Yan, set his fief in Beijing, and let him stay in the northern border to ensure domestic security and resist the invasion of the Mongols."

Zhu Di suddenly became excited and started to record his great achievements!
"The Prince of Yan was only ten years old at that time, and it was not until he reached adulthood that he went to Beijing to be enfeoffed in the 13th year of Hongwu.

By this time, he had received the best liberal arts education from outstanding Confucian teachers and Buddhist monks in the palace.

Under the guidance of the top generals of the Ming Dynasty, he has begun to show military leadership skills.

In particular, Xu Da's teaching to him was more effective.

In the following decades, when the Prince of Yan was guarding his fiefdom, he often led battles against the Mongols. With the assistance of veteran generals, he became very skilled in fighting and was fully capable of fulfilling his duty of guarding the north.

His achievements won praise from his father, but also caused trouble to Emperor Jianwen, as he became more and more ambitious.

Zhu Di took a breath of cold air.

I really didn't expect that history books would polish it so well.

He did receive education from outstanding teachers and monks, but whether he learned anything is a question that needs to be verified.

Zhu Di himself was semi-illiterate and was more interested in fighting wars.

Zhu Di glanced at his father secretly and straightened his back unconsciously.

(End of this chapter)