The return of official documents was slower than usual in the cold winter months. By the time the dispute in Liaodong reached the capital, it had already been closed for nearly a year.
On the morning of this day, the emperor gave some new year gifts to the cabinet ministers, officials of the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the Six Departments, as well as individual officials who lectured on the feast day. The things are not expensive to say the least, just winter bamboo shoots, bacon, dried goods and the like, but this is a kind of "kind care" that distinguishes between relatives and titles. People who can be included in this category will naturally be regarded as the emperor by the outside world. The "minister of the thigh".
As a confidant among his confidants, Gao Pragmatic received twelve kilograms of winter bamboo shoots, twelve kilograms of bacon, and twelve kinds of dry goods, twelve kilograms each. As for why they were all twelve, in fact, even Gao Pragmatic didn't know very well, and he never asked. I guess it should be the practice of the imperial court, which means "the moon is red".
In the morning, these dry goods had just been delivered to the house. Gao Pragmatic, who was in the Hubu Yamen, had to get a list. He should have written a thank you note immediately, but he was summoned to the palace before he could finish writing.
The cabinet is in the palace, close to the Wenhua Palace, while the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War are outside the palace, much further away. Therefore, when Gao Pangshi and Liang Menglong arrived together, the cabinet ministers had been waiting for a while. Even the emperor was there.
Gao Jingshi and Liang Menglong quickly apologized. Zhu Yijun waved his hand: "You are far away. I can't let you fly over. I can't let you fly over. Chen Ju, please give me a seat for the two Qings."
Upon hearing the tone of Zhu Yijun's words, Gao Pragmatic knew that he was in a good mood today - at least not bad so far, so he was not too polite and sat down with Liang Menglong.
Zhu Yijun picked up a memorial from the imperial case and said: "This is a memorial from Cao Yan, the deputy commander-in-chief of Liaoyang. It talks about the recent incident of Nurhaci, the leader of the Jianzhou captives, who invaded and occupied a city in Dong'e tribe. Have any of you read it? "
In fact, only Gao Pragmatic had not read this memorial, because this memorial was written by the deputy general of the Liaodong Army, and it talked about military affairs, and he was in charge of the Ministry of War. So the process was that the Ministry of War read it first, and then submitted it to the cabinet. After the cabinet reviewed it, they wrote a draft and then submitted it to the Supervisor of Ceremonies for review by the emperor.
There is simply nothing pragmatic about it here.
But in fact, Gao Pragmatic knew the content of this memorial. Cao Yu not only sent him the news in advance, but also clearly stated the cause and effect. Moreover, on the way into the palace just now, Liang Menglong also guessed that the emperor Zhao Dui must be talking about this, so he also had some communication with Gao Pangshi.
To be honest, Gao Pragmatic also felt a little overwhelmed.
The trouble now is that things are getting together, and there is a "financial power war" going on in Beijing. Although Gao Pragmatic first gave a sweet date and basically cleared the salary calculations for officials of all sizes across the country, leaving only grain and cloth calculations that were acceptable to everyone, because he wanted to fully consolidate financial power next, he still It will affect the interests of many people, so public opinion is fiercely contested.
Public opinion is sometimes useless, but sometimes it is very useful. For example, if the emperor insists on doing something, then no matter how public opinion opposes it, it must be done. But generally speaking, this kind of situation is still relatively rare. If it does happen, it is a dispute of the level of the Great Ceremony Discussion and the National-Based Dispute. It is almost a direct conflict between the imperial power and the civil servant group.
The matter of gathering financial power will not be like this, because this matter is ultimately a dispute within the civil servant group, a dispute between "big government" and "small government" between the practical school and the heart school. The emperor plays the role of a mediator from above. Sit tight on the Diaoyutai.
Gao Pragmatic is obviously a supporter of the "big government" system. Having experienced the rise of the red dynasty in later generations, he knows the importance of a strong "big government" in many cases.
In the past, when he was studying at the party school, he had been slightly involved in this issue. For example, he knew that after the spread of Chinese culture to Europe, the most confusing issue for European scholars was the inability to understand the true meaning of "benevolence and righteousness" because benevolence and righteousness are based on the social level. , and society is something that the Western hunting religious culture does not have.
The hunting economy only requires spontaneous organization at the individual level, which is active and free for individuals. The agricultural economy requires social organizations to respond to natural disasters, which are passive and mandatory.
On the other hand, for religious culture, it is even less likely that there is an intermediate link between man and God (or the natural level). Even if it is based on the personal level, the bridge between the individual and God, the church organization, is also considered It is redundant and was abolished by Martin Luther's Reformation 500 years ago. Therefore, Westerners cannot understand and cannot tolerate the existence of an intermediate link (society) between individuals and nature (God), let alone the importance of this intermediate link.
As for the spiritual level of man, it does not exist even more, because there, only devout belief in God is allowed to exist. If there are exceptions, only one is allowed, which is atonement. Therefore, when Christians face the complex world, they will only consider two factors: God and the contract.
The West also has the consciousness of crowds, because crowds exist objectively, but they are called groups, not societies.
The difference between society and groups is similar to the difference between brothers and friends. In society, the relationship between brothers is objective, passive, non-choiceable, and independent of human will. Even if they are beaten to a bloody head or become enemies, they have to be eaten together. Sleeping on the same bed requires tolerance and no freedom.
In a group, the relationship between friends is subjective, active, and optional. If they are in harmony, they will get together, and if they are not in harmony, they will separate. It is full of freedom.
Without social consciousness, human existence and organizational forms will inevitably be distorted. This is why France's Rousseau's "Social Contract" is the cornerstone of the so-called "modern democratic system." In fact, this thing is not complicated, nor can it be considered high-end. Its essence is that an individual transfers part of his power and freedom to the state in exchange for the state's (limited) protection of the individual.
One more thing to say here is that the word "society" in "The Social Contract" is Social in English, which originally means living in groups or groups of people. The Japanese cleverly mistranslated it as "society" at that time, and the result is that the legacy remains to this day - its original meaning is different from that of the Chinese The meaning of understanding is essentially different.
In other words, under the "modern democratic system", the government is based on individual authorization, the "legitimacy" of the government depends on the individual (vote) authorization, and the government's responsibility to individuals is limited (within the scope of the individual-level contract) , individuals (voters) are concerned about whether the government harms individual rights (according to the contract), rather than whether the government can provide adequate protection for themselves.
Since the power transferred by individuals is inherently limited, the government's responsibilities are naturally limited.
For example, in the past, European duels must be held under the supervision and impartiality of judges and police on site. Why? Because the responsibility of judges and police is to ensure that the duel process complies with the contract, and the outcome of the life or death of the parties is not within the scope of their responsibilities.
This is a government based on personal contracts and limited responsibilities, that is, small government.
But China is different. Historically, China's government has not been based on personal contracts or personal authorization, and its legitimacy does not depend on individuals. From ancient times to the present, China's government has been based on social requirements, social authorization, and was selected and established by social elites (or won wars). It bears unlimited responsibility for everyone in the society, and its legitimacy depends on the results of all members of the society's due diligence. Identification, rather than the process of its creation.
In other words, in Chinese culture, society is the way of existence of individuals, so as the management institution of society, whether it is the court or the government, it must be "people-oriented" and bear overall responsibility for the survival and development of all people. .
This is society-based, unlimited-responsibility government, that is, big government.
To make a comparison, the American police rescuing people is just a "work service", and the premise of this "service" is not enough for him to abandon his life and health to be satisfied. The primary responsibility of the Chinese police is to protect the personal safety of every member of society. For this reason, they even sacrifice their own lives in exchange for rescuers.
So in later generations, you may often hear that assaulting police officers in the United States is so serious that the police often draw their guns and kill them. However, unless the Chinese police are arresting suspects with dangerous weapons, they will never draw their guns and shoot at ordinary people. ——Even those who fire warning shots are sometimes punished internally afterwards because they are suspected of excessive enforcement and posing a threat to the people.
That's the difference. (Note: This is like why we respond to the epidemic by "doing it early and early", while the West can only "herd immunity" and can't even copy homework. It's not a question of whether it can be done, it's a question of what they can't do.)
So how does this difference come about? Why does Gao Pragmatic insist that Ming Dynasty can only engage in "big government"?
Of course there is a reason, and this reason has already been formed and it is difficult to change. We can only adapt to it.
Three thousand years ago, Zhou Gong Ji Dan expelled the gods, ending China's religious and cultural period. However, the dual power structure based on religious culture could not automatically disappear.
What people fear most is uncertainty. Who knows what will happen tomorrow? What will happen in the next life? What will happen to the descendants? Therefore, the most basic function of culture is to provide certainty.
The existence of uncertainty cannot provide certainty. Therefore, neither political power nor kingship or imperial power, which are themselves uncertain, can provide certainty. Only stable and certain divine power can shoulder the heavy responsibility of providing certainty and become the power above power. Thus forming a dual power structure with the regime.
Providing certainty, endorsing the legitimacy of the regime, and making decisions on major matters are the three major responsibilities of theocracy. This forms a stable cooperation between the backstage divine power and the frontstage political power (imperial power). The ownership of management rights belongs to the divine power, and the right to use management rights belongs to the political power.
This is like the "modern" corporate system born in religious culture. The board of directors, which is equivalent to the theocratic power, owns the ownership of the enterprise, and the company (CEO, general manager and various departments), which is equivalent to the political power, has the right to use it. Each has its own place and divides labor and cooperates.
When the Zhou Dynasty abandoned gods, then if there were difficulties, they could only turn to society. Of course, society should provide certainty. But the question is, society is an abstract concept. Who represents society?
Duke Zhou came up with a genius idea, which was to use a clear social "system" to ensure certainty. This system is the ritual and music system, and our Han culture is also called the ritual and music culture.
In later generations of China, although the content of ritual and music culture has long been lost in history, its ideas have always dominated the development of China and the Chinese people.
In today's terms, "rituals and music" are the constitution.
Who said there was no constitutional thought in ancient China? The ritual and music system is the earliest constitutional system in China.
"Li" is a set of written institutional arrangements that allow those in power to understand what they should and cannot do, and also allow the people to know what they will face so that they can make their own arrangements.
This is what modern constitutional theory says, using systems to constrain state power, stipulate citizens' rights, and establish a system of constitutional foundations, political power structures, and guarantee mechanisms that are consistent with the basic requirements of constitutional government.
For a long time, the fundamental purpose of the annual family ancestor worship is to let the tribesmen who rarely see each other or even have some disagreements understand that they belong to the same family, so as to enhance cohesion. This is like the annual Spring Festival Gala in later generations. It is actually a national-level institutional sacrificial event to strengthen the sense of belonging of the Chinese people. This is the original meaning of "乐".
We cannot restrain God, but we need to restrain people, so we use systems instead of God to restrain people.
What is constitutionalism? Regardless of academic major, to put it simply and popularly, it is actually replacing theocratic authority with a system to provide certainty to the whole people.
When Confucius once again elevated the ethical code with benevolence and righteousness and the way of a gentleman, and when Dong Zhongshu bound divine power with imperial power with the idea of "unity of man and nature," China's orthodox dynasties became governments with unlimited responsibilities, needing to be responsible for the whole world without any responsibility. Can be dismissed.
Therefore, if it does not rain, the emperor will be immoral; if there is a major earthquake, the emperor will be immoral; if there are tsunamis, hurricanes, locust plagues, snow disasters, etc., any ominous occurrence, either the emperor will be immoral or the state will be traitorous - in the final analysis: someone must be responsible!
However, what Gao Wuchen is most worried about now is the current situation of the Ming Dynasty: it is a government with unlimited responsibilities, but it cannot bear unlimited responsibilities at all. Its imperial power can only go down to the county level at most, and beyond that it can only rely on gentry autonomy.
Do you want to "build the party branch on the company"? In my dreams, Ming Dynasty did not have such a strong dominance, it did not have such strong organizational capabilities and economic strength!
Gao Pragmatic can completely control Jinghua by relying on economic means as the backing and servants as the backbone of the organization. Therefore, even if Jinghua has hundreds of thousands of troops in southern Xinjiang, he can still control it from thousands of miles away.
In contrast, the Ming Dynasty was a majestic dynasty with the absolute righteousness of "driving out the Tartars and restoring China", but it could only rely on the generals' retainers as the core of its military force. How sick is this!
If it does not build a truly big government and does not effectively shoulder its social responsibilities, the Ming Dynasty will always be a hypocritical power that is strong on the outside and acts on the inside, and can be overthrown at the first push.
Why in the original history, once the Qing army entered the pass, the Ming Dynasty actually fell into pieces and was easily defeated one by one by the Qing army? At that time, how many people were left who said they were willing to "die to thank the king"?
If you fail to shoulder your "unlimited responsibility," your courtiers and gentry will naturally feel that they are not responsible for your fate.
However, in order to shoulder all these responsibilities, without the "party" as the backbone of social organizations, they can only rely on financial power. Therefore, Gao Pragmatic can only find ways to gather financial power without compromise.
But the tree wants to be quiet but the wind is not stopping. He wants to gather financial power and do other things. Tumen, Nurhachi and others continue to create external troubles for him, so that he has to spend money to fight again and again; the Xin School also refuses to give up power. You have to find ways to match their wits and courage.
It’s really troublesome internally and externally.
Zhu Yijun's question seemed to be directed at "all the ministers' families", but in fact it was only aimed at Gao Pragmatic, because he also knew that everyone else had already seen it.
Gao pragmatic sighed quietly, but said calmly: "I just heard Da Sima talk about it."
Zhu Yijun heard what he said and asked happily: "Okay. In that case, what do you gentlemen and the two ministers think?" He said, paused, and added: "Nurhaci colluded with Tumen and marched without authorization last time. Hada’s debt has not yet been settled with him.”
The meaning of the emperor's words was actually very clear. He obviously wanted to be tough.
Shen Shi walked with his eyes, nose and heart, as if he didn't hear anything. Wang Xijue glanced at Gao Pragmatic, who was also silent, and smiled slightly: "Your Majesty, Nurhachi's accounts are easy to settle, but the difficulty is that our own accounts are not easy to settle... I would like to ask the chief minister, if the cancellation of salary commutation is going to be done this year, Does the Ministry of Revenue have enough resources to support a new war in Liaodong?"
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