"Boy, wait a minute!"
"Say this clearly first!"
"How could those gentry and gentry scream and start a war?"
Zhu Di was a little confused and full of confusion.
After all, those Gong Gong princes in the temple are all opposed to the war!
Especially Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Household Affairs. When Zhu Di wanted to send troops to the Northern Expedition, he didn't know how many times he quarreled with this guy!
The civil servants and gentry headed by Xia Yuanji and others also made repeated remonstrances and resolutely opposed Zhu Di's personal expedition to the Northern Expedition to the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty.
After experiencing so many times, Zhu Di didn't know that these people were just opposing the war. They were a group of fools without vision, even Xia Yuanji was the same.
After all, war will not only kill people, but also consume massive amounts of food and supplies, and affect the livelihood of farmers and people. This is the reason for their opposition.
Furthermore, military attaches took the lead in the war, while civil servants opposed the war. This was a common occurrence in all dynasties.
So when Zhu Gaoxu suddenly said something like this, Emperor Yongle was really confused.
Is it possible that one day the civil servants and gentry will cry out for war?
"Warriors fight because they can gain military merit through war and gain benefits from war."
"The civil servants opposed the war because not only did the war not bring them any benefits, but because the war affected their farming in the fields and reduced their personal interests. Furthermore, they did not want to see the military leaders do anything if the civil servants did not get along. That’s why civil servants resolutely oppose war!”
Zhu Gaoxu explained calmly: "To put it bluntly, the root cause of all this is profit!"
"Those civil servants and gentry talk a lot about morality and benevolence, but shut up about morality. They are selfless and dedicated to serving the country and the people. In fact, it is just because the war affects their personal interests. The prosperity of the world is for profit, and the turmoil of the world is for profit! "
Zhu Di nodded. He had heard these remarks from the second child before.
"Then the problem is simple."
"What if the civil servants and gentry discover that war can bring them benefits?"
Zhu Gaoxu looked at Zhu Di with a smile, and the latter also fell into deep thought because of these words.
Can war bring benefits to civil servants and gentry?
How is this...impossible?
Potato!
That’s right, potatoes!
Zhu Di looked at Zhu Gaoxu with a horrified expression.
"Dad, you guessed it right, it's potatoes!"
"The latest news is that potato cultivation in Lingbei has been successful, which also proves the feasibility of potatoes taking root in the grassland!"
"Just imagine, when this news gets out, will those civil servants and gentry still be able to sit still?"
"Don't forget, the essence of civil servants and gentry is that they are scholars! Scholars all pay attention to a family of farming and reading, and they all hope to seize more fields and pass them on to future generations!"
"And the entire grassland and desert is so vast, far exceeding the dozens of acres of fields under their names!"
Zhu Gaoxu's face was full of sarcasm.
"Once the news spreads, these court officials will probably change the direction of the situation immediately!"
"How loud were the voices that suggested the court abandon Lingbei before, and how loud are the voices now suggesting that the court vigorously develop Lingbei!"
"That vast expanse of grassland desert is still a no-owner's land! Now that it has been proven that potatoes can take root on the grassland, then this grassland desert is not a wasteland, but a piece of land where food can be grown. , fertile land that brings them benefits!”
"Dad, what do you think those civil servants and gentry will do?"
What will be done?
Howling to develop Lingbei!
Then let them get a share of the pie!
Who wouldn’t be moved by seeing such a vast and unclaimed land?
These gentry and scholars dared to do anything in the countryside to fight for a few pieces of land. There were endless tricks and insidious methods!
Now that the vast and vast unclaimed land of the grassland and desert is in front of them, it's strange that they are not tempted. They can't wait to rush to the grassland and desert to enclose the land!
"Then what are you going to do?"
"It's simple. If they want to go, just let them go!"
Zhu Gaoxu shrugged and showed a warm smile.
"Anyway, the grassland and desert are so big. If we want to rely solely on the imperial court for development, we don't know how long it will take to completely turn it into fertile farmland."
"So instead of the court eating alone, it is better for everyone to share it. Anyway, the more food produced, the faster the population of the Ming Dynasty will grow. This is actually a good thing for the court, but it is just dividing some fields for the gentry."
"Furthermore, in the spring of next year, allotment will be implemented. The resistance of the gentry will definitely be very strong. At this time, the news that potatoes can take root in the grassland will be released, and the court will issue corresponding policies to call on the gentry to go to the grassland and desert to open up wasteland and colonize on their own. , which can be regarded as a disguised form of compensation for their losses, so that the difficulty of implementing the New Deal will naturally be much easier."
"After the national policy of allocating land to acres is implemented for all domestic fields, the imperial court will then look at places such as grasslands, deserts and overseas feudal countries, and advance step by step. In this way, the gentry and the gentry will no longer be able to make any waves!"
After hearing this, Zhu Di's face was filled with relief and his eyes were filled with admiration.
This son is really a master born to be an emperor!
Make a decision and then act, one link within another, without giving anyone a chance to resist!
If he follows this plan, the ultimate beneficiary will definitely be the imperial court and the Ming Dynasty!
Although the gentry and gentry were deprived of their fame and privileges, they were compensated with land in the grasslands and deserts, which was not unacceptable.
However, after the system of "property-sharing" is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and is thoroughly implemented, the grassland fields used to compensate the gentry and the gentry will also be taken back by the court, and taxes will be collected according to how they are collected.
In other words, Zhu Gaoxu wanted to use the grasslands and deserts to compensate the gentry and reduce the resistance to the implementation of the New Deal.
And at the same time, he can borrow the power of the gentry to develop the grassland and desert. After the New Deal is fully implemented, he will come out to pick peaches and directly take back the grassland and desert fields to the state!
At that time, what ability do the gentry and the gentry have to fight against the imperial court?
This series of calculations can be said to have tricked the gentry to death!
"The grasslands and deserts are just a microcosm."
"But this operating mode can run forever!"
"Every time the imperial court takes a new piece of land, it can give up its early profits and leave it to the gentry to cultivate and open up wasteland on their own."
"When the time is almost up, we will implement the method of apportionment of land into acres, and return these fields to the state, while the gentry will continue to wait for the next piece of new land."
"With this cycle going on, the people who really want to start a war are no longer just the military attaches and ministers. Driven by interests, those gentry will probably be even crazier than the military attaches and ministers!"
"At that time, Daming will truly become a war machine!"
"Even if the emperor doesn't want to fight, the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty will not tolerate it!"
"After all, war means fields and profits!"
