Chapter 169: Big trouble is going to happen
How did Confucianism solve this problem.
That is giving officials greater discretion. That is the Spring and Autumn Judgment.
This is the etiquette system.
Etiquette is above the law, and morality and ethics are above the legal provisions. As long as officials feel that certain things are in line with certain moral principles, they can ignore the Ming Law. Therefore, China has always had laws since ancient times. But the law is never the most important thing.
Why did the imperial examination rely on the Four Books and Five Classics instead of the law?
That's why.
Using modern analysis, it is a matter of cost. The unified Central Plains dynasty was too vast. A strict and fair legal system will increase costs and put great financial pressure on the court, and it will also be difficult for local governments to implement it.
This becomes clear when compared with the modern legal system. Who can truly master all laws except the professionals. No, they are professionals. They are proficient in part of the legal system, not all of it. It is even estimated that no one dares to say that he is proficient in all Chinese laws.
At the implementation level, we will also encounter big problems. Overly cumbersome laws give local officials, and even subordinate officials, room to do whatever they want. They can confuse right and wrong and quote laws at will. How to play dance.
Therefore, in the system of etiquette and law, virtue dominates and punishment assists, and the Spring and Autumn period determines the prison. The connection between heaven and man, even the title of emperor, and so on. Every punctuation mark is not redundant.
The Confucian system of governing the country has been pointed out by many people in later generations as the reason why China fell behind the times. But one thing cannot be denied. This is not because the Confucian system is bad. But it's too good, too subtle. Melting the wisdom of generations.
Form a low-cost system to maintain a huge empire. In this matter, if there is no technological breakthrough, it is difficult to have a more perfect system than this one. Even compared to the ancient Chinese governance system, looking at the current internal system of the United States, the American system seems too crude.
The only problem is that Confucianism wants maintenance, not development. After all, Confucianism is a static worldview. There is no theoretical basis for evolutionary development.
And precisely because it is good, path dependence is formed. There has always been a suppression of possibilities in other directions.
Even now, the prince's inner resistance to the new law comes from this point.
The prince does not know enough about the new law and many concepts about the future. At least Zhu Yuanzhang didn't understand it. But he knows the Confucian system best. It was precisely because of his understanding that he felt that there was a great empire that was stable and backward, and a great empire that was turbulent and advanced. That's what he wants.
This question made him very confused.
The prince said: "Mr. Liu, there are some things I am here to tell you. I will not recognize them outside this door."
When Liu Sanwu heard what the prince said, he had an ominous premonition in his heart and said, "Your Highness, please speak."
The prince said: "Since you know that this is His Majesty's intention, you should not come, and you should not come to me. You can go back. You can take half a year's leave and go home to visit your relatives."
Liu Sanwu was silent for a long time and said: "Your Highness, the implementation of this new law will definitely cause an uproar. Your Majesty is the founding king of the country. No matter what kind of chaos, it will be at your Majesty's fingertips. For example, last year's Qingzhang, Jiangnan was in trouble. , His Majesty put it out with his backhand. But this matter is not over. There are quite a lot of complaints among the soldiers and the people. The old minister knows that your Majesty is doing it for the good of the court. But again and again, when the time comes, the soldiers and the people are resentful and dare not retaliate. Your Majesty, how should you deal with it after Your Majesty ascends the throne?"
The prince said: "I am not a vegetarian either."
Liu Sanwu said: "You can conquer the world immediately, but you cannot rule the world immediately. Everything under the emperor is equal. What about the titles of your lords? What about the gold medal for immunity from death? What about the descendants of the clan? Have you ever thought about it, Your Highness?"
The prince frowned slightly after hearing this.
He hadn't thought about this.
His prevention for the future is more based on force. This is why he learned the lessons of Jingnan. Promoting his cronies, wooing veteran generals, touring the north, and familiarizing himself with military affairs, he did not dare to dream of replacing Zhu Yuanzhang's influence in the army. But the determination is based on a deep foundation in the military.
In this way, he can firmly grasp the position of crown prince.
Until now, the prince has done relatively well.
However, the prince never expected it. The new law not only affected scholar-bureaucrats, but also nobles. This was something he hadn't thought about before. But if you think about it carefully, it actually makes sense. Today, the most privileged group in the Ming Dynasty is the royal family and nobles.
Scholar-officials are all second class.
Although it is said that the scholar-official class has unlimited potential. But potential is just potential.
The most unfair place in the world is none other than the military. Who in the military knows how to be fair? During a war, if you are asked to perform a mission that requires death, go ahead. Who will tell you fairness?
Because of this, the influence and control the nobles had over the soldiers below was far from the ordinary relationship between landlords and tenants. It was not without reason that all the later guardsmen became serfs. Of course. Now at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Ming Guard system was not that dark.
But that doesn't mean that the nobles didn't suck blood from the entire guard system.
The Ming Dynasty had more than three million troops. Each has its origin.
When Zhu Yuanzhang defeated Chen Youliang, victory in Jiangnan was already established. At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang's army did not exceed one million people. But now, there are more than three million troops, most of which are surrendered by various warlords and gathered together with the army, which means civilians are included in the military register.
It can be said that in the entire guard system, the most capable military predecessors are usually Zhu Yuanzhang's old brothers who joined Zhu Yuanzhang's group before he defeated Chen Youliang.
This is certainly because these armies have fought many battles, but it is also because these armies have a special status in the garrison system.
Why? Because these people are the rulers of the guard system and are considered their own people.
The surrendering troops and the Duoji troops behind them are all those from the lower strata who are being exploited.
In fact, during the Hongwu period, many military households deserted. The reason is this: military law is strict and military justice is independent. It can be said that the lives of the soldiers below are in the hands of the officers above. If they want you to live, you can live. If they want you to die, there are ways to torture you to death.
The civil service system cannot supervise or supervise.
In this closed space with severe class suppression, power will bring out the evil of human nature. Officers seize soldiers' property, wives and daughters, and find ways to kill disobedient subordinates. etc. These things actually already happened during the Hongwu period.
It's just that the army these days is capable of fighting, covering up some problems.
After all, for the military, breaking laws and disciplines is certainly a sin. But not the most important thing. Food is the biggest original sin. It's just that all of these have greatly affected the army's combat effectiveness, but only when the army can't fight can these problems be discovered.
It is precisely because the military system is independent and the judiciary is also independent. The prince didn't feel the impact of the new army, nor did he think much about it. But when he thought about this at this moment, the prince broke out in a cold sweat.
Because the prince understands one thing very well. That is, the so-called scholar-bureaucrats nowadays are all scared. I dare not speak out and have no power. Therefore, although the prince felt that this new law was inappropriate. But I don’t think it can’t be implemented.
The prince even had another plan. If reality doesn't work. Maybe give in a little bit.
Then He Xi was pushed out to sacrifice the flag, so that he could benefit from the reform and appease the people of the world.
But when it comes to the military, many things become complicated.
Not to mention, Jing Nan's lesson learned from this incident made the prince's sensitive nerves suddenly tense.
When Liu Sanwu saw this, he was not happy, but sighed and said: "The way of the great road is that the world is for the public, select the talented and capable, be trustworthy and cultivate harmony. Therefore, we do not only kiss our relatives, and do not only give birth to our children, so that we can make the elderly have something." In the end, the strong will be useful, the young will be prosperous, the humble, the widowed, the lonely, the disabled, and the disabled will all be supported, the men will have their share, and the women will have their homes. Goods will be discarded on the ground, so there is no need to hide them; strength will be bad. It does not come from the body, and it does not have to be for oneself. This is why people seek to be closed but do not prosper; they do not commit theft and chaos; therefore they do not close their doors to others. This is called great harmony."
"How can I not think about this matter, veteran? It's just that this is not how things are done. Doing this will cause big trouble."
