In fact, Shen Shixing did not completely agree with Yuan Zongdao's words.
If he really followed Yuan Zongdao's intention, he would be waiting for Gao Pragmatism to implement the New Deal. During the process of Gao Pragmatism's implementation of the New Deal, as long as there were no serious problems, he could only stand by and watch.
Not to mention how furious the sponsors behind the Heart School would be when faced with this situation, even Shen Yuanfu himself couldn't bear it. After all, there are not only differences in interests between the Heart School and the Practical School, but also competition in ethics.
Ren Gao will do it pragmatically? How can it be!
Shen Shixing knew in his heart that although many of the things Gao Pragmatic did seemed "excessive" at first glance, he had the ability to get things done properly every time. Many places that were originally thought to be troublesome became inexplicably honest in his hands. Even if there were some who refused to be honest, Gao Pragmatic could always suppress them with lightning speed and eliminate the crisis invisible.
Although Shen Shixing refused to admit that this was the right path for the pragmatic school of governance, he had to admit that his ability to do things with high pragmatism was indeed outstanding and extraordinary. Such a person can easily clean up the mess that has become a big trouble. How dare Shen Shixing let him "play freely"?
What if his new policy is successful like many other things before? Can this consequential school of thought afford it?
Although Shen Shixing doesn't even know what the "New Zheng New Deal" is, he knows that Gao Pragmatic will definitely not let go of such a good opportunity, but he does not dare to bet on the future of the entire Xin School like this.
In fact, the more high-ranking a person is, the less he dares to make a desperate move, because the responsibility he has to bear is by no means just his own success or failure, he is now shouldering the future of the entire Heart School.
In his opinion, the foundation of high pragmatism lies in the north. The north was originally unable to compete with the south in business. The reason why it seems to be evenly matched now is because of Beijing. Looking at this situation from another perspective, that is, northern business is led by Beijing Hua.
Shen Shixing is a typical old-school bureaucrat. His thinking on financial issues is just the same old way. He cannot "do addition". Therefore, in his opinion, the Ming Dynasty's commercial interests are so many. If the North gets more, naturally the South will Take less. It is obviously impossible for Shen Shixing to understand the idea of liberating and developing productivity, or opening up new business routes and creating new business districts.
Therefore, in his opinion, no matter what kind of New Deal Gao Pragmatic wants to implement, no matter what slogans he shouts, in the final analysis, he will exploit southern businessmen and enrich northern businessmen.
In a word: It’s never trustworthy, it’s never feasible!
However, Yuan Zongdao's words reminded Shen Shixing in another aspect, that is, Gao Pragmatism must not only introduce new policies, but also launch them as soon as possible.
Yuan Zongdao didn't mention this in his words just now. This was what Shen Shixing suddenly thought of when he heard him mention "Uncle Xinzheng".
Gao Wuchen is now the leader of the ministry. According to the consistent tradition of the past dynasties, he can be referred to as "Gaoxin Zheng". However, when people in the world mention the word "Gaoxin Zheng" at this time, they will definitely think of Gao Gong first, and then Only then did we discover that Gao Pragmatic was already "Gao Xinzheng" - of course, to distinguish him, we would probably call him "Little Gao Xinzheng".
Both uncle and nephew are "Gao Xinzheng", and Gao Gong has now been finalized and his posthumous title has been confirmed. So at this moment, how will the world view Gao Pragmatism? Naturally, it depends on whether he can inherit Gao Gong's legacy and continue the glory of the Gao family in Xinzheng.
If we narrow down the scope of "people in the world" and only include officials of the pragmatic school, what kind of mentality will they have when facing Gao Pragmatism, or what kind of expectations do they have for him?
The answer is obvious. Many years ago, Gao Pragmatic was regarded as Gao Gong's inevitable "first successor" within the Practical School. Although the official position of a civil servant in the Ming Dynasty could not be inherited, Gao Pragmatic's "academic qualifications" were sufficient. He was hard-pressed, and he was already the "preserver prime minister" (Hanlin) before he reached the weak crown. Naturally, the people within the Real School were waiting to see the day when he could completely "take over" Gao Gong.
But Gao Gong's "stick" is not only his position as chief assistant, but more importantly his reform spirit. It is precisely because of this spirit and ideals that Gao Gong's party emerged and the Practical School became a real political force. strength.
As the "successor" of the mantle, Gao Jingshi himself must be well aware of this, so Shen Shixing judged that after Gao Jingshi became the "master" in charge of one aspect of government affairs, he would - and must - show it as soon as possible. He inherited Gao Gong's legacy and carried out reforms with force and even iron fist.
This time, I am afraid that he will put away his gentle and elegant style in the past, and change his habit of being able to "struggle a thousand pounds" in various matters, and become more radical and more like Gao Gong!
This is like the posthumous edict of Emperor Daxing, which always says that the prince who is about to succeed him will "deeply bow to me."
It’s not just recognition, it’s also giving it “legitimacy.”
Of course, Gao Gong was not the emperor, and he left very suddenly. Obviously, he would not have any will. So as the "legitimacy" needed to inherit the power of the entire Practical School, Gao Pragmatic, apart from his blood, the rest must rely on Get it yourself.
This simplest and most effective means of obtaining is nothing more than another kind of "Deep Xiao Zhen Gong" - acting in the same style as Gao Gong.
Only in this way will he be regarded as the "highest number two" within the Practical School, and the officials of the Practical School who were unfamiliar with him will unconsciously become closer and respect him more - this is what is called "Remaining power".
With Gao Gong's power in the past, once his residual power is exerted on Gao Pragmatic, it may even have an influence on some neutral officials.
Gao Pragmatic's temper was a little too good at the beginning. Except for the incident when Princess Yongning was deceived into getting married, he never took the initiative to cause trouble for anyone in the past unless the matter directly touched him. Even if it happened to involve him, he would He will turn big things into small things and appear to be extremely generous.
Gao Gong is not the case. His style is: If you offend me directly, you will be finished, but even if you just block my way...I'm sorry, you will be finished.
The nickname "Gao Beard" is not only because Gao Gong has a big beard, but also because "Beard" is another name for a bandit. "Gao Beard" means that although he is the prime minister, he acts somewhat domineeringly. Banditry.
After his resurrection, he served as a cabinet minister and a heavenly official. In just the first year of taking office, he handled an average of nearly three major corruption cases every month, and brought 169 officials to justice within a year (historical facts).
We can tell by referring to the number of officials in the Ming Dynasty (the Ming Dynasty was a "small government" structure), which means that during the ten years he was in power (in this book), almost all the officials in the Ming Dynasty, from the center to the localities, were rectified by him. Pass.
Of course, as the top politician of the Ming dynasty, Gao Gong, who was determined to combat corruption, had a tough temper, but his methods were more than simple and crude. During this "savage beating", Gao Gong also used three "gentle" tricks, each of which was calm and composed, but corrupt officials throughout the country couldn't help but complain.
These three methods are: creating files for officials across the country, holding recommended officials accountable, and never letting go of the stolen goods. The establishment of official files has been discussed before, so I won’t go into it here. Let’s take an example of the last two to see where Gao Gong’s “remaining power” comes from.
In the middle and late Jiajing period when corruption was intensifying, the custom in the officialdom that could rival those of selling officials and conferring titles was a trend of abuse. It has basically become the norm for superiors to recommend subordinates and for officials to recommend each other.
Of course, this is not a free recommendation. Every time an official is recommended, there are countless transactions behind it. Who should be appointed to any official position? It’s all about interests, and who cares about serving the country and the people? Especially the position of censor, which was once known as the "anti-corruption artifact". These censors, who are known to impeach illegal officials, evaluate and recommend officials, often like playing house - a large number of mediocre and lazy officials have gradually ascended to key positions.
Why is there such a trend? Judging from Gao Gong's lament in "Zhang Quan's Inscription", the key is that the cost of crime is too low. Niuniu Chinese website
For example, the three-year assessment is basically a mess. Even if the elected officials make mistakes, repeated investigations will become nonsense, and in the end they will not take responsibility.
Although the losers were unlucky and were punished, the recommenders had already received the benefits and were not held accountable anyway, so they continued to recommend scam products.
Gao Gong, who was heartbroken and heartbroken, finally expressed his countermeasures through gritted teeth in the memorial in the fourth year of Longqing: If the person mentioned fails to do his job, the person who has been promoted will sit down together! (historical facts)
This means that in the future, whenever an official makes a mistake, the person who recommended him will be held accountable regardless of his position. As for the amount of responsibility, it depends on the size of the official's mistake and the extent of the impact. You said you can't check? I have one hundred and eighty volumes of "books" in hand, and I can check the officials' promotion resumes accurately! Your recommendation is wrong, do what needs to be done immediately, and what needs to be done should be arrested immediately.
Not long after these harsh words, Gao Gong proved with practical actions that there was no limit on this matter: Wu Shilai, the censor of Nanjing Youqiandu, became the unlucky guy. This person recommended more than fifty people every year, but several scammers appeared. As a result, Gao Gong immediately struck hard and demoted Wu Shilai and transferred him.
With such important figures coming forward to speak out, abuses and abuses were immediately put to rest. Historically, many of the famous ministers in the Wanli period came to prominence in the fourth to sixth years of Longqing. It was not without reason, and the reason came from this zero-tolerance system.
However, compared with "abuse", the cost of crime at that time was corruption.
Although it is said that at the beginning of the reign of Emperor Taizu, Taizu used severe punishments to punish corruption, by the Jiajing period, this matter had long become a thing of the past. On the contrary, "Those who are greedy for cruelty, follow routine to serve the people" has actually become a rule.
In other words, if ordinary officials make corruption mistakes, as long as the relationship is strong enough, the worst and worst they can do is cut their posts to serve the people, and even their family property will not be touched.
It's so magical! But in this way, even if an official is dismissed and goes home, at least he can live in peace and become a rich man. With such a "lenient" policy, why aren't the officials willing to take advantage of it?
This is something Gao Gong has always hated. Before he took office as the chief minister of the cabinet, he cursed him on various occasions. When he took office as the chief minister of the cabinet, he no longer scolded him, but quietly changed one rule: corrupt people still asked questions to recover stolen goods.
As soon as this order came out, the whole country was in an uproar. Even a fierce man like Gao Gong was once scolded by the officials. But Gao Gong, who was under heavy pressure, started from each case in front of him, and each case followed this hard rule.
The accounts don't match up? Don’t know where the money is going? Sent to the top? You can chase it wherever you send it. If you can't chase it out, it will be dug up from your home. No matter you are a small official in a state or county, a high official in a feudal state, or even a hereditary prince, as long as you break the law, you will do this!
Just looking at the first year after Gao Gong took office, senior officials such as Sichuan Inspector Wang Tingzhan, Baoding Governor Zhu Daqi and other high-ranking officials successively ran into Gao Gong's "muzzle". Each of them was dismissed from office and paid compensation. Quite a few.
Spend a lot of time and money, lose money in business, and finally be unable to pay it back? It doesn't matter, Gao Gong said, just keep making the compensation year after year. If I can't pay all the money, my son will pay, and if the son can't pay all the grandson will pay, anyway, until all the principal and interest are paid.
Do you want to be a rich man after being caught in corruption? Have your mother’s spring and autumn dream!
It is precisely because Gao Gong is so fierce, so "overbearing" and so "non-conformist" that he has such a strong style that his family has not gained an acre of land after being an official for decades, and all the officials in the court can only worry when they look at him.
This is how prestige comes about.
If many people are afraid of Gao Qingjing because he has a large background and is too prosperous, then more people are afraid of Gao Gong because Gao Gong's methods are too tough and his actions are too absolute.
But now Shen Shixing was reminded by Yuan Zongdao's words and found that Gao Wuzhen was very likely to change his style and become the second Gao Gong. He was surprised and then overjoyed.
What is surprising is that since Gao Pragmatic wants to learn from Gao Gong, and he is the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, his subsequent suppression of southern businessmen will definitely be extremely powerful; what is good is that Gao Gong used to only deal with officials, and the attack surface was relatively small. There is a limit, and if Gao Pragmatic suppresses all southern businessmen at this time, then the force against him will be even greater.
As a funder, it is of course a loss when the officials I previously invested in were taken down, but it is still bearable, because if I then choose another target to invest in, the lost money will be "the wool comes from the sheep." , just transfer and graft it.
But if Gao Pragmatic's blow directly affects the financial owners themselves, or even plunders their wool in turn, how can we bear it? Even if we spend a lot of money to build momentum, we must suppress this matter and restore the old system!
Shen Shixing suddenly felt secretly happy. Maybe under the pressure of Gao Pragmatic New Deal, the entire Nampang officials would become the Xin School and fight against the Gao Party and Pragmatism schools who wanted to take advantage of them.
Once the matter gets serious and causes chaos in the world, it will eventually affect the "great cause" in the emperor's mind. In this case, can the highly pragmatic Holy Family be maintained?
Shen Shixing even thought that Gao Gong had "offended" so many people when he was in power. Even if those people were defeated, his teachers, classmates, disciples, in-laws, etc. might not all be defeated. Could these people Don't you have any resentment towards Gao Gong? Won't these resentments be transferred to Gao Pragmatic, the "successor"?
In the past, these people who were highly pragmatic and holy were too long, and these people may not have dared to reveal anything, but as the saying goes, if a wall falls, everyone will push it, and if a drum is broken, thousands of people will beat it. Once his holy family is shaken, I am afraid that these people will not rush forward to repay the past. Hatred?
Shen Shixing predicts that Gao Pragmatic will definitely show off the three things he will do when he takes office in the near future, and this fire will definitely be very strong. Judging from the emperor's holy love for him, he would probably not be able to gain the emperor's support in the dispute, and the fire would eventually burn out.
But it doesn't matter, now Shen Yuanfu has figured it out. When the fire burns down, let it burn down. You don't have to be too entangled, as long as you always express your opposition.
As long as he clearly expresses his opposition as the chief minister in the court, the officials who have been burned by Gao Pangshi and the big businessmen behind him will continue to gather under his banner and become his subordinates, Shen Yuanfu. With strong backing, we will fight against the Shi school and Gao pragmatism until death!
The current situation is that Yuan Zongdao advises Shen Shixing to wait for Gao Pragmatic to make mistakes and reveal his flaws, but Shen Shixing does not agree. He believes that Gao Pragmatic can take action, but he cannot do nothing, but should show his flag and make himself Become the only savior in the eyes of the entire southern businessmen and even the officials in Nampang!
Shen Shixing narrowed his eyes slightly and murmured to himself in a low voice: "Xin Nai asked ten thousand people to go ahead and go out with their backs clear. Zhao Jun laughed when he saw it."
Yuan Zongdao heard what he heard and asked, "What did Yuan Fu say?"
Shen Shixing glanced at him, suddenly smiled, and said: "The cabinet department said that Bo Xiu is really a talented prime minister. He is easy to do and easy to do."
Yuan Zongdao felt warm in his heart, became unusually humble, and bowed his hands: "Yuan Fu loves wrongly, and the student is ashamed to deserve it."
Shen Shixing smiled slightly and said nothing, but secretly thought in his heart: Wrong love? hehe……
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