Much credit?
That’s really a great contribution!
All the content of the vassal reduction policy came from the hands of these three people!
Zhu Di gritted his teeth bitterly, wishing he could chop Qi, Huang and Fang into pieces now!
Bao Zhao took a deep look at Su Yang. He had always known that Su Yang was quite hostile to the court.
At first, Bao Zhao mistakenly thought that Su Yang was like this because he was from a poor family, but now it seems that the truth seems not to be the case.
"Su Yang, if you have anything to say, just say it!"
"Yes, good son-in-law, just say whatever you want."
Bao Zhao and Zhu Di spoke one after another, both wanting to see Su Yang's understanding of the imperial court's reduction of vassals.
After all, the imperial court's reduction of vassals involved both of them. It was impossible to argue about right and wrong.
It's just because the two sides have different positions.
Su Yang looked at Bao Zhao and Zhu Di and murmured secretly in his heart.
These two are not good friends!
One is the Peking envoy and the Minister of Punishment, who was ordered to investigate the rebellion of King Yan Zhu Di!
Although the origin of one is unknown, it can be known from speculation that he must be a confidant of King Yan Zhu Di, and should be a family general or something.
The two of them didn't fight directly now, which was a sign of respect for themselves.
Su Yang thought for a moment, sorted out his words, and tried to dissect Zhu Yunwen's move to cut down the feudal vassal, so that the two of them could have their own thoughts.
After all, whether it is cutting down the vassal state or trying to achieve peace, in the final analysis this is a game between big shots.
And he, Su Yang, Bao Zhao, and Su Yang's bastard father-in-law were just chess pieces and tools who were forced to get involved.
"First of all, we need to figure out one thing. Why does Zhu Yunwen insist on cutting down the vassal vassal, and why is it so urgent that he doesn't even have time to wait until he changes his vassal status next year?"
Hearing Su Yang address His Majesty the Emperor by his first name, Bao Zhao and Ye Xixian both frowned. However, they had already understood that Su Yang was such a virtuous boy, so they had endured it without getting angry.
On the contrary, when Zhu Di heard Su Yang opening and closing his mouth, it was Zhu Yunzhen, and the more he looked at it, the more Su Yang liked him.
I, the son-in-law of King Zhu Di of Yan, should have the courage to call that dog emperor by his name!
"This is also the question raised by my father-in-law just now. The late emperor's body is still cold. If Zhu Yunwen implements the reduction of vassals now, it will only attract criticism. If this is the case, then why can't he, Zhu Yunwen, wait for these few months?"
Upon hearing Su Yang's question, Bao Zhao and Zhu Di fell into deep thought.
In fact, they have never been able to figure out why the new emperor Zhu Yunwen did this. It was just a matter of fact!
It is still the 31st year of Hongwu, and it is still the period of Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang. As soon as the new emperor came to power, he immediately cut off vassals, and those who were cut off were all Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang's own sons. What do you want the people of the world to think?
In just a few months, you can’t wait until your new emperor’s time comes?
"Boy Su, what do you mean..."
Zhu Di looked at Su Yang with encouragement and approval on his face.
Say it with confidence!
Speak boldly!
My father-in-law is here to support you!
I just want the world to know the true face of that little bastard Zhu Yunwen!
Bao Zhao also looked at Su Yang, with some doubts in his eyes.
Su Yang smiled slightly and lined up three tea bowls on the table.
"Before we can understand this problem, we must first know the various forces in the court after the new emperor ascends the throne!"
"The first is the power of the vassal kings, represented by King Zhu Di of Yan, King Zhu Di of Zhou, King Zhu Zhen of Chu and other Taizu disciples. Most of them are arrogant and lawless, and they have heavy troops, and their fiefdoms are also in key border areas. Therefore, the new emperor Zhu Yunwen has This force is extremely fearful!"
Zhu Di and Bao Zhao both nodded. There was nothing to say. If the new emperor Zhu Yunwen was not afraid of the vassal king, he would not be able to wait to implement the policy of reducing the vassal.
To put it bluntly, Zhu Yunwen was not afraid. His buttocks on the dragon chair were not even hot yet, and he was snatched away directly!
"The second is the power of distinguished military ministers, represented by Li Jinglong, Duke of Cao, Xu Huizu, Duke of Wei, Geng Bingwen, Marquis of Changxing, and the Mu family of Yunnan."
"Although they were bloody purged by Emperor Taizu Gao in the last years of Hongwu, the Centipede Insects are still alive and well. There are still a large number of noble military ministers sitting in various places and holding great power. This group of founding nobles should not be underestimated!"
Everyone nodded again. The founder of the country is still a behemoth. Even after suffering the bloody purge of Emperor Taizu Gao, he still controls the right to speak in the court.
After all, Emperor Taizu Gao had always promoted "emphasis on military affairs and light on literature", and the power of noble military officials completely overwhelmed the civil servants and gentry.
"The third is the civil service force, represented by Zhu Yunwen's Donggong team, Huang Zicheng, Qi Tai, and Fang Xiaoru, and the auxiliary veterans left by Emperor Taizu Gao to Zhu Yunwen, forming the third group above the court. There are three parties, and the problem lies precisely with these third parties!"
Does the problem lie with the power of civil servants?
Hearing Su Yang's words, Bao Zhao's face turned slightly solemn!
"During the Hongwu period, the imperial court was very busy with campaigns in the south and north. The entire court also focused on military affairs, and the status of civil servants was not high."
"After Zhu Yunwen was canonized as the grandson of the emperor, Emperor Taizu Gao consciously increased the voice of civil servants in the court, also to prepare for the smooth handover of the throne."
"After the emperor's grandson Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor, the balance between civil and military affairs in the court was completely imbalanced. The civil servant group completely controlled the right to speak in the court. In particular, the Jiangnan civil servant group represented by Qi and Huangfang quickly took control of the power of the court!"
"Out of their own class demands, they couldn't wait to reform the Taizu Law and abolish all systems that harmed their interests. For example, the heavy taxation issue in Jiangnan was reduced and exempted. No more than one dou per acre was allowed, and people from Su and Song Dynasty still got official positions. The Ministry of Husbandry has ignored Taizu’s ancestral teachings!”
"The Jiangnan area was the most prosperous and stable place in the entire Ming Dynasty, and it was also famous as a land of plenty. The heavy taxation in Jiangnan was not unique to the Ming Dynasty. It had been the case in all dynasties. But now the imperial court is aggressively reducing taxes in Jiangnan, so low that it is as low as Yunnan, Shaanxi and other sparsely populated areas. The provinces are the same, is this reasonable?”
"The densely populated Jiangnan area with rich fields is the same as the sparsely populated Shaanxi and Yunnan areas. Who does the court expect to pay taxes? If the court's tax revenue is insufficient, it will be shared equally among the major provinces. Anyway, the heavy taxes in Jiangnan have been solved , they don’t care about other issues.”
After a pause, Su Yang took a sip of tea.
"The same is true for the reduction of vassals. The strong reforms of civil servants will inevitably have an impact on the old order. Naturally, the first ones to bear the brunt are the vassal kings and noble forces who have enjoyed all the dividends in the Hongwu Dynasty. After all, the civil servant group has eaten up everything in the Hongwu Dynasty. The suffering of these two forces."
"But the founding nobles have shown a decline so far, and it is difficult to compete with the civil servant group. Then there is only one vassal force with heavy troops. Cutting off all these vassals will not only strengthen the centralization of power, but also make a fortune. With this achievement, Qi Huangfang and others can take a step further and truly take charge of the central power of the court!"
"The new emperor Zhu Yunwen originally intended to reduce the vassal state, and the civil servants were happy to go along with it, so they couldn't wait to make suggestions, and a vigorous campaign to reduce the vassal state began!"
"The real driving force behind the scenes is not the new emperor Zhu Yunwen, but his civil servant group!"
"Scholars govern the country, and scholars govern the court!"
