Dawn of the Empire

Chapter 1

In the meeting hall, after Zhao Xingde sat down, he felt as if his whole body was exhausted, his hands and feet were trembling slightly.Even the most casual lieutenant paid attention to him, and Yu Zangyun raised his hand to beckon the clerk to ask, "Which army does this face belong to?"

"That's Captain Zhao De from the Eighth Battalion of the Chengying Army." The clerk Luo Zhi replied respectfully, carefully concealing his respect for the new captain.

"Oh?" Yu Zangyun said with a gloomy face, "It really is a cannon." He turned his head and said meaningfully to the captain next to him, "This cannon will leave after a few blasts." Cheng Yingjun The school lieutenant has been fighting outside the territory all year round, and there are very few opportunities to participate in the consultation of the Huguo Mansion.No matter how talented Zhao De is, he can only fight the enemy on the border of the Absolute Territory, and won't make trouble in the Huguo Mansion in a short time.

Before Yu Zangyun thought of how to refute Zhao Xingde, Kang Deming stood up again, bowed his hands to the superior, and said in a deep voice: "Just now what Captain Zhao De said, although it may happen in decades, is not unfounded. As the saying goes, disease resides in the interstitial muscles, where it can be touched by ironing soup; in the blood vessels, it can be reached by needles and stones; This matter of apprentices is like a disease in the skin, and the court can deal with it slowly without harming the foundation of the country. If we ignore Captain Zhao De’s warning words, I’m afraid that in the future, it will cause great harm to the country!”

After he finished speaking, he sat down and waved his hands to Zhao Xingde with a smile.Zhao De hurriedly cupped his hands to thank him for agreeing with him.

But Yu Zangyun said in a deep voice: "Lieutenant Kang said lightly that self-defense is the foundation of the imperial court's policy of encouraging industry and commerce. If the imperial court intervenes recklessly, it may be like the Kanto's implementation of new laws such as young crops, exemption from labor, and equal taxation on square land. Similarly, although the original intention was good, in the end it was the blame.”

Kang Deming's face changed slightly, and he was about to stand up to refute him, but he heard Yang Ren said: "Yu Xiaowei's words are reasonable. Since the founding of this dynasty for a hundred years, only by adhering to the way of self-defense can we rule the world." Kang Deming's face "Color" has changed drastically, Yang Renneng is capable of writing and martial arts, he is very influential in the Huguo Mansion, and he was born in Kanto, he has always been at odds with Yu Zangyun, why did he suddenly turn against each other today?

Even Yu Zangyun showed a look of astonishment on his face, and then a sneer appeared on his face.The prime minister Liu Yi and the emperor Chen Xuan, who were sitting in the top position, looked at each other and saw a trace of excitement in each other's eyes.

"The way of self-defense is to earnestly believe in righteousness, honor morality and repay merits, and then the world will be governed." Yang Ren said slowly and deeply, "Enabling the people to guard themselves will lead to the defense of the world. If the people lose their self-defense, then the world will be governed." Rituals collapse and music is destroyed, morality and righteousness do not exist, and the world does not exist either. Therefore, in my dynasty, to create peace for all generations, the most important thing is this way of self-defense."

Listening to Yang Ren repeating the legacy of the sages, Yu Zangyun and many school captains with both civil and military resources all nodded in agreement.This way of self-preservation was proposed by Mr. Lu Er after studying the principles of the philosophers. Mr. Lu Er spent his whole life studying and lecturing, and he was in charge of the scholar's office for more than [-] years. , Whether it is a sergeant, a businessman or a shady household, they all firmly believe in this way of self-defense.It was after this understanding of righteousness and reason that Mr. Lu Si later presided over the Prime Minister's Mansion was able to promote the Zhuguo Mansion to promulgate the "Self-Defense City Yi Law", which established the principle that neither the imperial court nor the chamber of commerce should interfere with the merchant's self-observance contract.

"I am able to guard my own position, do not have different opinions, and work hard for the country. If scholars do not understand the canonical punishment, even though they are respected by the emperor, they cannot be imposed with one finger. Therefore, civil and military scholars defend themselves with their own morality. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the self-government policy of the merchant association was promulgated 30 years ago, so that the merchants can protect themselves with their faith. Farmers and herdsmen are protected by scholars next to them, and officials in states and counties protect the people. The imperial court is protected by the laws of Zhu Guofu. Because all the scholars and people of our court can guard themselves, the customs are good, and there are few "treacherous" sycophants, so the imperial court can prosper and eliminate disadvantages."

Zhao Xingde also nodded, and suddenly saw that Yang Ren's face darkened, and he changed the subject: "However, in the current situation of workers and apprentices, the road to self-defense is far away. Today's workers and apprentices are isolated in the village, with no left or right. Relatives help each other, there are no scholars to protect them, food and clothing are dependent on others, their wives are not protected, they are humiliated, and they cannot guard themselves. Workers are not protected by the court's laws, and they are not taught by the sages in the village. The so-called food and clothing know Honor and disgrace, on the contrary, it will wear away his sense of shame, far away from the way of propriety and righteousness, and return to the beast." He paused, and said with emphasis, "As Captain Zhao said, those who lose their self-defense will be uneasy. Breeding dissent. Ladies and gentlemen, there are hundreds of thousands of workers who have lost their self-defense and are far away from the way of our court. This source of disaster and chaos is like a disease that is still in the skin at this moment. The Huguo government can sit idly by and ignore it. Do we still have to wait until the disease has reached the bone marrow and is terminally ill?"

After Yang Ren finished speaking, he did not sit down, but exchanged a look with Prime Minister Liu Yi, waiting for doubts from other school lieutenants.

"Then, based on what Lieutenant Yang said, how can we make the workers self-defense?" Yu Zangyun sneered. To the court to intervene.

"This matter is related to the country's major plans. I have thought about it for a long time, and I have come up with a few methods, dubbed it 'the self-observance of workers and apprentices', and only waiting for the insightful people in the mansion to sign it and submit it to Zhu Guofu." Yang Ren Shen Sheng said, "The first thing is that the workers and apprentices are not imprisoned personally. When the workers want to leave the workshop, the owner of the workshop must not stop them. As for the fee for breach of contract, it can be considered again, but the first thing is to protect the workers and apprentices." Being able to protect oneself, not being reduced to a slave because of a contract, and extending it out, not to be forced to work, not to be lynched, is also a due meaning.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Kang Deming said in a deep voice: "Okay!" If the Guanzhong workers can be freed from imprisonment, the shortage of workers in the Hezhong Workshop will be greatly improved. As for the breach of contract fees for the workers, it is not Hezhong What the workshop cares about is that these workers are eager to pay off their debts.

Seeing Kang Deming's happy face, Chen Xuan couldn't help frowning, and secretly thought, no wonder he has been suppressed by Yu Zangyun in the Huguo Mansion, no wonder the King of Kang would rather ask Chen Kang to inherit the throne than his own nephew .

Yang Ren's face sank like water, and he continued: "Second, the farming and herding people are protected by soldiers, so they can defend themselves. There are few soldiers in the autonomous area of ​​merchants, so the workers and apprentices should elect the tribunes by themselves. Relieve Cao together, and shade the workers according to the court's laws." He paused and said, "As Lieutenant Zhao said just now, among the industrial and commercial taxes, there are also the blood and sweat of the workers. righteousness."

Most of the captains nodded in agreement, and Yu Zangyun said in a low voice with a cold face: "The protection of the tribunes and the relief agency should be as Captain Yang said, strictly follow the laws of the court, and not wantonly interfere with the freedom of merchants. Keep the covenant." Yang Ren's proposal has been carried out step by step, and has already convinced most of the school lieutenants in the meeting hall, and obviously has the support of His Majesty and the Prime Minister, so Yu Zangyun can only retreat to the next best thing, for this "workers and apprentices to guard themselves" "Law" plus constraints.

Seeing that Yu Zangyun did not completely object, Yang Ren smiled and said, "Lieutenant Yu is right, that's natural." He continued, "The third point, if people are not grouped together, they are no different from animals. These workers Far away from the village, lost their family, lonely and homeless, they should form associations, sign treaties, go in and out of friends, watch and help each other, and support each other when sick. If necessary, the Huguo Mansion can allocate a small amount of money every year to help them Things. People are better than beasts, and people can group together. In this way, there will be hundreds of thousands of workers and apprentices, and they will be able to defend themselves."

The system of associations of workers and apprentices is the most important thing, and its importance is far greater than the first two, but Yang Ren put it last, because it does not conflict with the "law of self-discipline and change of the market".All the school captains didn't understand its deep meaning for a while, and they didn't intend to object. Instead, Yu Zangyun reminded: "This association of workers and apprentices, we must guard against its backlash, and use other methods to restrain it."

Yang Ren pointed out that he accepted Yu Zangyun's suggestion, and Prime Minister Liu Yi took advantage of the situation to propose that the Relief Department should restrain the labor and apprentice associations.So most of the people, together with Yang Ren, jointly submitted the "self-observation law of workers and apprentices" to Zhu Guofu.Yu Zangyun and others neither co-signed nor objected.

This debate came and went, and at noon, all the school captains had dinner in the Huguo Mansion.Zhao Xingde and Chen Zhong sat together, and said with a smile: "Brother Chen, what Lieutenant Yang said to make the people defend themselves and guard the world, I only heard his name before, but I didn't know the details. Today I really benefited a lot." Chen Zhong was surprised. Glancing at him, Gein, as early as decades ago, the scholar's office incorporated the "way of self-defense" described by Mr. Lu Er into the textbooks of the schoolchildren Kaimeng.According to the regulations of the Bachelor's Office, after the children have finished learning the "Three Character Classics", the master will talk about self-cultivation next, and from then on, from self-cultivation to family affairs, from family affairs to governance of the country and the world, the "way of self-defense" must be interspersed in the middle commentary.Zhao Xingde said he didn't know, there was only one possibility, Chen Zhong glanced left and right, and asked in a low voice: "Is Captain Zhao from the Kanto region?"

"Exactly." Zhao Xingde nodded, not understanding why Chen Zhong asked this question.

"That's it." Chen Chong said with a smile, "This way is only practiced in our dynasty. The Kanto denounced it as a 'false learning'. Teachers who teach leisurely don't know the way, and Confucian scholars don't want to mention it. But in the Kansai The land is the same as the round sky and the earth, and it is a principle known to all women and children." Zhao Xingde laughed when he heard it: "So that's the case." He pondered for a moment, then smiled and said: "The king of Zhou divided the feudal lords with a smile. Keeping the world is the originator of the way of self-defense.

"That's right," Chen Chong said in a deep voice, "From princes who can defend themselves, to scholar-bureaucrats who can guard themselves, and to when the people of the world can guard themselves, this is the way of evolution. If you follow this straight path, eternal peace can be expected. "

Zhao Xingde doubted: "In the Zhou Dynasty, the feudal lords were enfeoffed, and the feudal lords enfeoffed the great officials. Later, the strong branches were weak, the power bullied the lord, the royal family declined, and the accompanying ministers took charge of the state. Isn't the court worried about repeating the same mistakes?"

Chen Chong's eyes froze slightly, and he asked back: "If there is no enfeoffment, the world may fall when King You plays with the princes, right? How come the Spring and Autumn and Warring States 500 years later. The benefits of one family and one family name are related to the fate of the world. Power, which is more important?"