Being petty?
Am I so petty?
Emperors of all dynasties have done this, are they just petty?
Why is it that you, Zhu Gaoxu, are the only ones who are grand? You, Zhu Gaoxu, are the only ones who are awesome, right?
Bah, a dog bites Lu Dongbin, it doesn’t recognize a good heart!
"Second uncle, it's very easy to kill one or two gentry, just like crushing a few bed bugs, it's as easy as a piece of cake!"
"But what this group of people is facing is not just one or two gentry, but dozens or millions of gentry and scholars!"
"Furthermore, the enlightenment of the people's wisdom will do far more harm than good to the court, and may even shake the foundation of the court's rule!"
"If this is not handled well, the Ming Dynasty may be in danger of overthrowing. It has been stable for so many years. Second uncle, please stop messing with it, okay?"
Oh, you kid, are you drifting?
Zhu Gaoxu looked at Zhu Zhanji slightly displeased, ready to teach him a lesson.
"Eldest nephew, do you know why I asked you to go to America?"
Zhu Zhanji: "???"
Why?
Isn't it because I failed in seizing the legitimate son?
You, a victor, naturally cannot tolerate me, so you kicked me to that barbaric overseas land!
Is it difficult for you to exile me to America, or is it better for me?
Bah, it’s really not a thing, just adding salt to people’s wounds!
"Ahem, what does the second uncle mean by this?"
"As a member of the Ming Dynasty clan, my nephew goes to America to open up territory for the Ming Dynasty, which is the right thing to do!"
"Okay." Zhu Gaoxu waved his hand impatiently, "It's just you and me here. You don't have to sit tight, just say whatever you want."
"Second Uncle, the reason I asked you to go to America is actually to lay the foundation for the Ming Dynasty!"
Zhu Gaoxu said sincerely: "You just said that after opening up people's wisdom, people's desires will also increase and they want to live a better life. This is human nature and understandable."
"As far as the court is concerned, the people have opened up their wisdom and are dissatisfied with the current poor life. Then the court should find ways to let the people in the world live a better life. As long as they can have enough food and drink and live a stable life, the people will not go crazy and rebel. , but will spontaneously support the imperial court."
Thinking along Zhu Gaoxu's train of thought, Zhu Zhanji's eyes suddenly lit up.
After seven or eight years of being an emperor, Zhu Zhanji was no longer the novice he once was, so he quickly discovered the problem.
"Second Uncle, having said that, there is only so much wealth in the world, and there is only so much land in the world, and the annual output is basically a fixed amount."
"As people's desires grow and they want to live a better life, they need more fields and more food. If some people have more, then others will have less. How can it be possible to achieve this goal?" Can everyone be satisfied and live a good life?"
"Taking a step back, when will the people feel satisfied? Initially, they can solve the problem of food and clothing, and then they will want to go one step further. Can they occupy more fields to get more harvests, and then save money? Save some money for your children to study."
"When there is a scholar in the family, they will try their best to support the scholar to take the imperial examination and gain fame, and then change the fate of the whole family and become a gentry. After becoming a gentry, they still will not feel satisfied and try every means to He wants to obtain more land as a capital property for his farming and studying family, so as to support each scholar and ensure that the family inheritance will continue..."
"Second Uncle, look at it, human nature is greedy and has endless desires. There will never be a day when it is satisfied. It will only keep grabbing more benefits forever. Therefore, if Second Uncle does not have this assumption, it is simply not true. They will never have it. That day of satisfaction!”
Hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu showed a smile on his face.
"Eldest nephew, it's really good for you to see this."
"In that case, have you ever thought about why you want the people to feel satisfied?"
As soon as these words came out, Zhu Zhanji was stunned.
hiss……
What do you mean?
If the people are not satisfied with their current life, they will fight for interests even more crazily, and will no longer even maintain awe of the court. If so, wouldn't the world be in chaos?
"Second uncle, what do you mean..."
"Do you still remember the cake theory I said back then?"
Zhu Gaoxu looked at Zhu Zhanji and chuckled: "The cake is so big, but there are many people sharing the cake. Most of the cakes fell into the hands of the royal family, dignitaries and gentry. In the end, the people at the bottom could not bear the hardship and revolted, and a huge dynasty It suddenly collapsed and was replaced by a brand new dynasty, which continued to divide the cake and continue to fall into the cycle..."
Zhu Zhanji had heard about this cake theory from Zhu Di. Now that he heard it with his own ears, he still felt chills in his heart and down his spine!
I can't help it, it's too shocking!
It is difficult to avoid this vicious cycle when dynasties of all dynasties collapse, or the whole army is annihilated, without any exception!
"Then have you ever thought about why you can't make this cake bigger?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhanji's eyes suddenly lit up.
He vaguely guessed where Zhu Gaoxu's confidence lies!
"What you said before is indeed true. There are only so many fields in the world, and there is only so much food produced. Sooner or later, there will be a day when we can no longer satisfy the people of the world!"
"But look at the Ming Dynasty today. Compared with the Ming Dynasty back then, how much has its territory expanded?"
“The seven countries in Nanyang and the six countries in Central and South China are fertile fields and can be cultivated all year round.
Two crops of rice can be grown a year, and one season of miscellaneous grains can be grown. As long as the people of the Ming Dynasty are moved there to open up wasteland and cultivate land, it won't be long before these places will become granaries one after another for the Ming Dynasty. Do you think you can satisfy the people of the world? "
"If you are still not satisfied, then there is no problem. The artifact potato has been confirmed to be able to take root in the grassland and desert, and it can completely grow food and obtain harvests. Then let this news out, and people all over the world will go to the grassland and desert to colonize the land. The grasslands and deserts are so vast, can they satisfy the people of the Ming Dynasty?"
"If you still can't be satisfied, that's no problem. When the Ming Dynasty completely conquers the grassland and turns it into our farmland, the Ming Dynasty can naturally use this as a springboard to continue to march into Central Asia, and start attacking every place it hits. How about plowing the land to grow food and letting the common people conquer foreign lands?"
Zhu Zhanji's eyes widened and he looked at Zhu Gaoxu in shock.
He had never thought that this second uncle's ambition was so great!
If what he said is true, the Ming Dynasty will become a war machine and will never stop wars and aggression.
The court is responsible for fighting, and the people are responsible for farming!
As long as the people are not satisfied, they will fight all the way!
Everything is just to meet the needs of the people of Ming Dynasty!
Such a Ming Dynasty is too scary!
"Second uncle, this is not in line with our country of benevolence and righteousness..."
"What are you pretending to be?" Zhu Gaoxu sneered.
“Can benevolence, righteousness and morality provide enough food?”
"……cannot!"
"That's okay!"
