Chapter 17: Changing Times
Zhu Xiongying and He Xi sat opposite each other.
Only the steam from the tea echoed, leaving the two of them relatively speechless.
He Xi was waiting for Zhu Xiongying to speak first. But Zhu Xiongying didn't know how to express it.
He had countless things to say. But at this moment, nothing could be said.
He was shocked.
Although he also knows about capitalism and the future in books. But this understanding is limited to literal understanding. Only now does he truly understand capitalism, or what it means to have money and make money.
Almost all the channels that he can come into contact with are telling Zhu Xiongying that it is a great good thing for banks to relax the ban.
The ministers around Zhu Xiongying, his relatives, and the eunuchs he trained all said that this incident was a good thing.
If Zhu Xiongying didn't know the future, what trend would it evolve into. He believed it.
Because he knew the general trend behind this, Zhu Xiongying felt chilled deep in his heart.
Zhu Xiongying understood deeply from this moment what it meant that the economic base affected the superstructure. Yes, these people seemed loyal to him. But loyalty to Him was more important than the large sum of money in their hands.
The ancients said: The handle of reward and punishment is the reason why it is used.
In other words, rewards and punishments are the most important power of the emperor. It can make people go straight to the ninth level, and it can also make people fall into the eighteenth level of hell. This is the authority of the emperor. Although the emperor's power has not changed much now. But facing the industrialized production organization, he felt like he didn't know how to start.
Yes. For any family, the emperor has an absolute advantage. If you want to kill the whole family, kill the whole family.
But when these people unite, Zhu Xiongying seems to have no choice.
This was the first time Zhu Xiongying felt a strong threat. This threat is even greater than that of He Xi. ap.
After all, He Xi is just a person. Even Zhu Xiongying didn't do anything during this period of time. After all, he had many contacts with the Liaodong faction. Therefore, he was able to bury many chess pieces among He Xi's subordinates.
Even bluntly, if you are in a hurry. Zhu Xiongying launched a palace coup and was able to get rid of He Xi.
But when facing these people, he is no longer alone. He simply didn't know how to respond.
Now these people have no self-consciousness. I didn't feel how powerful I was. Based on the previous inertia, this is where we are today. But Zhu Xiongying does not think that these people will never have this kind of consciousness. Moreover, many ministers will appreciate the limelight. It is no big deal that a minister of the imperial court suddenly becomes a big businessman or a big capitalist.
But these people are old players in the court.
They don't know how to play the political game.
At this moment, Zhu Xiongying felt a murderous intention deep in his heart. Or an urge to destroy. Destroy everything in sight. Get rid of all those things that threaten his status.
From the emperor's point of view, what is technological progress and what is the industrial revolution. Actually it's not too important. Even now, since the 14th year of Hongwu's reign, the Ming Dynasty's science and technology has made great progress, and it has also benefited the people at the bottom, especially the people in Liaodong.
The life of the people in Liaodong is always hard. After all, being a worker is not an easy task. But I can eat enough and have a surplus at home. It was something they couldn't even imagine before.
But for Zhu Xiongying.
For the royal family, life has not changed much.
What should be there has always been there. What can be achieved with technology can also be achieved with manpower. As for waste or not, the royal family actually doesn't care too much about this.
The harm is visible to the naked eye.
The emperor's position was in jeopardy.
However, he also knew what he wanted to do. It was impossible for He Xi to agree. It was even impossible for him to fall out with He Xi. Because if He Xi merges with the power of capital, it may not be impossible to change the emperor.
You know, support
The core strength of the emperor is actually the Confucian ministers.
Although the emperor and the scholar-bureaucrats loved and killed each other, they also needed each other. Without an emperor, who would these scholar-bureaucrats serve?
When the court's taxation was based on land tax, it needed the support of scholar-bureaucrats to stabilize the country. Scholar-officials also wanted the emperor to ensure their privileges in the countryside. As for other games that are fought but not broken, they are fundamentally the same.
The number of Jintian Fu is already very small. Although food is important, it still takes a back seat.
The imperial court could no longer continue to operate without relying on scholar-bureaucrats.
These capitalists support the imperial court in order to make money. But if the court stops them from making money. You can also oppose the imperial court.
Zhu Xiongying's head was in chaos.
Zhu Xiongying was silent for a while and then said, "Uncle, what do you think I should do?"
He Xi said: "After Qin Shihuang proclaimed himself emperor, the world actually didn't know what kind of emperor was a good emperor. Until Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty appeared, the world turned its heart to the Han. Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty became a model for the wise kings of the ages. From then on, the emperors of subsequent generations Only then do you know how to be an emperor."
"Your Majesty, you can forget all the so-called political reforms that you have seen in the West before. Because China is so big that it cannot be compared to a mere Western province. There is a conclusion in later generations' history that China was the first empire of the Qin and Han Dynasties, the Sui and Tang Dynasties The second empire, the third empire of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. However, it seems now that in current history, the Ming Dynasty was the reopening of the prosperous age, no less than the Qin and Han Dynasties, and Taizu was the leader of the development. Your Majesty's current position is that of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty. Location."
"No one knows how to be a good emperor. Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty set an example for all the wise kings in the world. Now in the new era, no one knows how to be a good emperor. This is a question for your majesty in history."
He Xi's words relieved Zhu Xiongying's pressure.
Some of the practices of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty can be said to be the standard for all wise emperors in later generations. They were diligent and thrifty, and loved the people like a son. Light corvee and small fortune. Rest with the people. In ancient China, those who could do these things were all wise kings.
If Zhu Xiongying can be like Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, he can establish a model of a wise emperor for the future Chinese empire, and even establish some norms for a series of capitalist imperial emperors. He Xi was also happy for Zhu Xiongying.
Zhu Xiongying said with a bit of a wry smile: "Uncle, your words are too big. I can't afford it. Do you have any specific suggestions?"
He Xi said: "I don't know that my Highness Taizu and I have been working together for more than ten years to finally create the current trend. The tide of reform has changed from a trickle to a raging trend. All I can do is follow the trend. .”
What He Xi said is true.
Today's situation shocked Zhu Xiongying, and He Xi also felt the difference.
If we say that the previous reformists were just political factions that took refuge under He Xi and were protected by He Xi. Soon after, the faction fell apart almost immediately, but now it's completely different.
Countless people have made countless money around the industrial system in Liaodong, Beijing. These people naturally have their own ideas. In order to protect their own interests, they also derived their own political opinions.
This is both good and bad for He Xi.
The good thing is that He Xi has united the power of these people, and the growth of these people means that He Xi's power has become stronger. The bad thing is that He Xi is also likely to be hijacked by the people below. The people below have strong wings, and they may not fully agree to some of He Xi's instructions.
Just like when How Xi was anxious about money, the people below were not so active. Now when we talk about open banking, there are immediately different manifestations. This is evident.
Moreover, He Xi had no ideas on how to manage a large capitalist empire, and he had nothing to learn from.
Who can we learn from?
Spain and Portugal did not do well in the Industrial Revolution. Britain and France looked very powerful, but their base was too small. Moreover, when an empire is judged on its governance capabilities, it should not only be judged when they are strong but also when they are in decline.
The UK has not even managed the British Isles. After working on it for a long time, I found that the British mainland is only England, and the area managed by the Beijing court now surpasses the United Kingdom.
As for France, it is a little stronger than Britain, but not by much. North Africa, which is so close to France, has not been done. Make such a big mess. Let the whole world see the joke.
