Hidden Dragon in Qing Dynasty

Zai Chun's talent was clearly better than Shang Tai's. To be able to ask such a question meant that had a very deep understanding of the knowledge he had imparted and was extremely diligent. Xiao Letian was deeply gratified.

"I have never systematically studied Buddhism, but I really admire the causality of Buddhism. Every representation has its causes and effects. Some are simple, some are profound …"

"To repay debts with one's life, this is a relatively simple causal link. Growing wheat while you are trying to harvest rice is obviously impossible. Being a cow-shedding rascal in your dreams just because you are sick of learning from a young age doesn't show it …"

"Actually, there are reasons to analyze social issues. However, it's much more complicated. It's often the countless fruits of the past that cause the present. Karma is entangled together and it's impossible to analyze everything else …"

"I say today that bureaucracy has hurt the birth of Chinese capitalism and the process of industrialization, and that this is only one of many historical causes. There are many more that have led to the consequences today..."

"Land annexation is a big problem. The amount of land that can be cultivated in the Central Plains is limited, and the plains have basically all been annexed by the landowner class. Extreme poverty of farmers has always been a destabilizing factor for society.

"Speaking of natural disasters and man-made disasters, I've read the notes of the Southern literati. I can't remember who wrote them, but he once said that the West Lake was frozen almost every year in the late Ming Dynasty, and they could drive horses …"

"Take a look, by then the weather has already become extremely harsh, the north has continued to dry up, and the temperature in the south is also decreasing. I call this climate the Little Ice Age, and since nature is so cruel, it made it even more impossible for the extremely poor farmers to survive. A rebellion is unavoidable …"

"We can't decide on the weather with our bare hands, so let's see if we have entered a cycle of death."

Although King Shang Tai was the sovereign of the island countries, he still had a deep understanding of the Central Plains civilization. He let out a long sigh and said, "That's right, when the Central Plains Empire was first established, it had already experienced a drastic decrease in the war and its population had dwindled. Its land, population and natural economy all entered a period of recovery."

"However, when the empire experienced several generations of population expansion, land conflicts began to rise. Gradually, land annexation reached its peak, and the poor citizens who were unable to survive in extreme poverty had no other choice but to rebel. Another great war broke out, and another new dynasty was born on the bones …"

"War is the final solution to the problem of land annexation, sigh …"

Xiao Letian laughed. His two disciples had gained enlightenment and he had not taught them for nothing … "Alright, that is the death cycle of Middle Age. But now that we have met a major change that has not been seen in three thousand years, this cycle of death is about to be broken …"

"The core of the problem is industrial upgrading! As the saying goes, change rules, general rules do not hurt, obviously the land already can not support more people, why not consider industrial upgrading? Why are people locked in the ground? "

"If you don't have land, why don't you develop your business? The output of an acre of vegetable garden was far above the grain, so why not let the people circulate for a long distance trade? For a commoner to go out and open a path for another commoner, what kind of evil law is that? "

"During the Ming Dynasty, there were skilled weavers in Jiangnan. The money earned from one year of weaving brocade was enough for a family of three to live a life of plentiful food and clothing. Didn't they live well without land? Is no land really the end of the world? "

Xiao Letian took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, "I wonder if you guys still remember the matter of food in East Asia last year?" The two disciples nodded furiously.

"Actually, the food in this world is more than enough for us to enjoy. The rice in South Asia is ripe every year, and deep sea granary is everywhere along the long coastline. Earth's resources are extremely abundant, and that depends on whether we have a way to move them …"

"Rice from Southeast Asia, Korea, Japan, the Ryukyu and Jiangnan is being delivered to the capital through the hands of merchants. Within half a month, I can return the price of the rice back to Kanggan and Golden Age. What am I relying on?" "Isn't this the power of a merchant …"

"It's a natural choice for people to live under the heavens whether or not they sell goods. Even for those poor mountain folk, if the trading road is opened up, the herbs, wild game, exotic flowers, plants, and wood in the mountains …" Can't countless specialties be exchanged for money? "If the money can't be exchanged for food, then so be it …"

"Look, the development of industry and commerce is a very effective way to solve this cycle of land annexation. But unfortunately, the civil officials have completely suppressed the merchants, so the power of industry and commerce cannot be unleashed at all …"

"Without the development of industry and commerce, why should we negotiate industrialization? The essence of industrialization is to increase productivity and efficiency, to make goods cheaper and more productive, and then to exchange them for the resources the country needs … "

"That's what Britain did. Back then, when Napoleon swept across Europe, Britain and France were clearly at war, but why did the French army provide Mao Mao, who was taken by the French army? "It's because Britain was the first to industrialize, and their woolens kept prices down to the lowest in the world..."

"Is that funny? "You can't laugh, they are clearly enemies, but they still need to use their goods, and they still need to earn money. This is the market's invisible hand adjusting itself …"

Saying that, Xiao Letian stood up and paced around the room: "Is this not right? Was that wrong? to develop business and industry, to increase productivity, to improve the technological level of goods, and to use these goods to trade around the world for the resources we Chinese need... "

"Food is resources, gold, silver, copper, iron are also resources. Even the ratio between males and females is out of balance. The wives of foreign races are resources. Isn't this just as it should be? "How can it be so outrageous in the eyes of those bureaucrats …"

"If the merchants were to oppress them to death and enforce the ban at sea, they would have to face death." If the merchants were to oppress them to death and enforce the ban at sea, they would have to watch the poorest citizens at home starve to death.

"If you have enough to eat, you will not rebel. This is the truth of everything! Didn't those civil servants understand? "Wrong, they understand. They understand very well. It's just that for their own benefit, they pretend that they don't understand …"

Xiao Letian roared angrily, he pushed open the window and startled a large group of students who were listening to his lecture, and the one leading them was actually Xiang Ying. These university students had not even made a sound of coughing during the four hours they had spent secretly learning.

Xiao Letian laughed bitterly and shook his head. He did not expel the students.

"It's these bureaucrats. What they want in their hearts is for the civil officials to control the government forever. If we open up the business world, the social status of those merchants will improve. If we open up the Forbidden Martial Generals, there will be countless more opportunities to lead the army and build their career. We will take away their rights …"

"They were too smart. They understood the importance of industry and commerce even earlier than Europeans. Guan Zhong had already made all the points clear during the Warring States era... China's affairs are not lost in ignorance, but in selfishness. "

"Civil politics originated from the landowner class. That is to say, land was the base for them to settle down. In order to maintain their unshakeable position in the, they didn't hesitate to kill the merchants and the industrialists. "Because they know that when business develops, it will create a new gathering place of wealth …"

"When the wealth of society is poured into industry and commerce, will the land in their hands be devalued? If a large number of farmers become workers, will the number of tenants they can control be reduced? "

"The rise of grassroots intellectuals is bound to result from the development of industry and commerce, and their monopoly on knowledge is bound to be shaken. How can they let this happen?"

"Hahaha …" Xiao Letian began to laugh bitterly, his eyes were already moist. Looking at the students who were sitting cross-legged on the ground, he spoke with incomparable sorrow.

"As such, these officials would rather watch the million strong army of the King Chuang sweep through the Central Plains. They could remain indifferent while watching the Emperor entrapping the treasury with over a hundred thousand taels of silver. In any case, there's still a new dynasty after the death of the Ming Dynasty. There will still be a new dynasty after the death of the Qing Dynasty … "

"They just looked on coldly, just like that. They knew that as long as they opened the customs and sent the porcelain, silk, and tea leaves that were produced in Jiangnan overseas, they would be able to exchange for a ship's worth of food and silver taels … They know it's okay! "

"But …" But they would not do that until Chong Zhen was hanged on the coal mountain! "For the sake of their own rights, they can just watch as millions of citizens starved to death and were killed. They don't care about the life and death of an emperor …"

"F * ck, what the hell is this thing!?" As long as they opened up their country's gate, they would be able to exchange for food and silver. As long as they opened up their country's gate and activated the power of merchants, Da Ming would not lose his country. But no one will do it, and if you do it, they will do everything they can to get rid of you. This is a bureaucrat, an uncontrollable nightmare in China for thousands of years! "

The tragedy that happened right before the end of the Ming Dynasty caused the entire study room to become deathly silent. Finally, Xiang Ying gritted his teeth and said, "Kill! It was time to kill! "A sinner of all ages!"

Everyone present, including the little emperor, clenched their fists and roared, "Kill! It was time to kill! "An ancient sinner …"

Xiao Letian sighed as tears rolled down his cheeks, "Did you know, when a kind-hearted person accepts the values of the bureaucrats, he won't be considered as a single person … "I once had a dream. In that horrible dream, a group of bureaucrats, in order to snatch a tile house, could even set fire to innocent people and burn them to death. They surrounded the area to celebrate, drink wine, and embrace beautiful women as they rampaged, watching the living turn into ashes in front of their eyes while remaining indifferent …"

"Once the bureaucrats see money, they will become madmen and wild beasts. They will lose the last trace of conscience in their hearts. Not only will they kill the people, they will also kill the country …"

"The scariest thing is that they won't plead guilty even if they die, and they will control public opinion to stand on the moral high ground and criticize others …"

"How can a culture that has existed for thousands of years give birth to such a monster?!"