Chapter 37 Decision-making process
He Xi said: "Major matters are decided by public consultation. If the expedition to the south is postponed, it is natural that we should gather everyone and decide based on public discussion."
Xue Zhen said: "We discussed it like this yesterday, how can we convince others?"
Yes. Public opinion is also a standard.
Especially on the matter of Zhengnan, there is obvious polarization. Different people have different ideas.
Old nobles like Muchun wanted to use the war to transform themselves into nobles who had made contributions to the Longwu Dynasty, instead of being remnants of the Hongwu Dynasty. But for nobles, how to perform meritorious service is naturally to fight. How to perform meritorious service without fighting.
As far as the nobles of the Longwu Dynasty are concerned, they have just tasted the sweetness from their military exploits. Although the court has granted several princes and already has hundreds of nobles under their command, it is not enough for these generals. . And it's far from enough.
Only war and new achievements can satisfy them. No matter what. Just hit and that's it.
As for the emerging industrial and commercial owners, they had enough to eat during the Civil War.
Apart from anything else, where did the more than 2 billion national debts owed by the Ming Dynasty go? Most of them are military expenditures, of which raising soldiers, officials, and pensions are naturally the bulk. But purchasing supplies, whether it is ordnance or other supplies. They were all purchased from them through the imperial court.
Many of these people bought government bonds. But this business is simply too profitable for them.
National debt is not profitable. For ordinary people, buying treasury bonds may be able to protect their capital, but for those with access, treasury bonds occupy a large amount of funds and are not cost-effective. But if these national debts come to purchase their products. Then make a lot of money.
These people may not have summarized a set of paradigms from a theoretical level. But that doesn't stop them from missing the business they had during the war.
It was because of the strength of the nobles that Mu Chun and others made a strong statement at the Dingguo Conference.
But at the same time, Xue Zhen does not represent themselves.
No matter how it is whitewashed, the Civil War brought great harm to the world. Millions of people fought on the battlefield, died in battle, died of fatigue, etc. The number of people who died because of the Civil War was more than a million. In addition, the consumption of manpower and material resources and the damage to the local area are simply immeasurable.
If we really want to say it, the damage to the main battle areas, such as the Hejian area, cannot be measured in more than 2 billion.
Therefore, many people opposed the war. Whether it is due to Confucianism's own anti-war thinking or the stubborn resistance of the conservative forces. In short, there are many people who oppose the continuation of the war, the need to recuperate and stabilize the world.
Only then did the two countries become tit-for-tat, incompatible with each other, and even fight with each other and use fists and kicks.
When both parties communicate so fully, not only verbally, but also physically. Many people wanted to ask the court, that is, the emperor, or He Xi to come out and make a conclusion on this matter.
But He Xi now says, let's stop following the crowd. This right of adjudication appears to have been waived. This made Xue Zhen feel surprised.
He Xi said: "One person, one vote, vote in public. The one with the most wins. Of course, if it is not in line with His Majesty's wishes, Your Majesty can veto it with one vote."
"This-----?" Xue Zhen didn't know how to react for a moment.
This principle is very simple, almost childish. But Xue Zhen felt great power from it.
Because of its simplicity, the impact is huge.
Xue Zhen thought of many things in an instant.
From then on, the emperor was free from daily affairs. Real national affairs are decided by the Dingguo Council. It is then implemented by the cabinet. The emperor is in what Taoism calls the position of doing nothing but doing everything.
Inaction means that the emperor seems to do nothing and the entire system can function normally. But is it really so?
Ming Dynasty is so big and there are so many situations in various places, and there are many overseas representatives at this conference. In the future, these people will also exist. It is strange that there is no contradiction between them.
unless
, the entire Ming Dynasty is united, otherwise, the emperor will always have room to intervene.
If the Ming Dynasty were to unite and fight against the emperor himself, Louis XVI would know how much the emperor would fail.
As for the situation He Xi designed for the emperor, there was another option, and that was to not interfere.
That is inaction.
If it really makes people angry, that is a matter for the cabinet, not the emperor. I really feel that something is not good, and the emperor can do nothing.
The Confucian idea of respecting the king has been in China for so many years. As long as the emperor stays calm and is willing to be a coward and a mascot, there shouldn't be much of a problem.
With this kind of design, he could advance like the Hongwu Emperor and become a powerful emperor, or he could retire and spend the rest of his life as a wealthy and idle person.
The only problem is that I'm afraid of people who are naive, fun-loving, and have no self-awareness. It made people angry and resentful. If you gather all the grievances of the world into one person, and don't kill him to express gratitude to the world, you will not be able to pass the test of the people of the world.
Is that a great revolution?
Anyway, He Xi felt that his system design was worthy of Zhu Yuanzhang's kindness. At the same time, it is also the best arrangement in this era.
Without him, Ming Dynasty is currently between the old and the new. If you move too fast, you will get hurt.
Xue Zhen didn't think so much. But he clearly felt a change. Starting from today, the Ming Dynasty and China's political power system have reached a new turning point. I don’t know if I will turn back or not.
But the new gameplay under this new rule is different from before.
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He Xi is making rapid progress.
A ballot selection was quickly organized.
He Xi didn't hold any secret ballot, it was in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, right in front of the emperor. Everyone sent a memorial in person. That's right, no bill has been drawn up, but now I am writing a memorial to express my support or opposition.
Of course, if you like, you can write more reasons why you support, oppose, or even give up. If you don't want to, just write support or objection directly.
The results came soon.
Supporters outnumbered opponents by more than thirty votes.
He Xi said: "This chief minister will promote the conquest of the south within the next term of office."
As soon as this statement came out, everyone was shocked.
There are many places where they vibrate.
That is to say, the decision-making power of the imperial court is truly in their hands.
This is an unprecedented feeling.
Although in He Xi's view, launching a war in the southeast was inevitable. Moreover, He Xi also made an estimate on this matter. In fact, the number of soldiers to be used does not need to be many, at most two armies.
The biggest problem is logistical support.
After all, the roads in the southwest are notoriously difficult. But He Xi is also interested in repairing the roads in the southwest. Nowadays, so much of the steel and cement output of the Ming Dynasty was used for military purposes before, but now it is no longer fighting. It always has to be useful.
National infrastructure is originally a direction for the future.
And the more He Xi studies this era, the more he understands one thing. The Ming Dynasty, or China, is the eternal light of this era and the largest market.
The dumping of industrial products in Ming Dynasty is a good place to go. But determination is not all there is to go. All areas except the Ming-controlled areas combined cannot bear the industrial products of the Ming Dynasty.
Many economic historians of later generations hold the view that the so-called Great Navigation was actually an exploration of countries on the periphery of trade to become countries in the center of trade.
The so-called trade center countries are naturally countries that are in deficit with the world.
Who is this country?
China.
After the Japanese War, this situation was reversed.
There are only two paths for the Ming Dynasty in the future, one is large-scale infrastructure construction, and the other is endless external expansion wars. These two roads can take Ming Dynasty for one or two hundred years.
As for what to do about the crisis of capitalism in one or two hundred years?
At once
He Xi can no longer be seen.
There will be a foreign war sooner or later, and Myanmar is also relatively powerful. Even in the Anglo-Burmese War, the British did not use many troops. Not to mention, today’s Myanmar cannot be compared to Myanmar during the Anglo-Burmese War.
Generally speaking, in He Xi's opinion, the consequences of such things are controllable. About 10 million yuan was invested, and the two armies, plus auxiliary troops, numbered about hundreds of thousands.
This is not an unbearable pressure for Ming Dynasty.
But for these people. Not so.
The most important thing in the country is to sacrifice to the army. Nothing is more important than fighting a war. This decision-making power is in their hands.
At this moment, many people have a feeling that the Emperor of Ming Dynasty ruled the world together with the State Council. The important thing from now on is not the scholar-bureaucrats. Rather, Dingguo is the identity of the participants.
For the first time, they attached great importance to the survival of the country.
After all, He Xi convened this meeting and did not say whether it was a special case or whether it would continue in the future. But at this time, almost all participants had the same idea, that is, they must keep Dingguo's membership.
At the same time, we must also maintain the qualifications of Dingguo.
Because it represents power. In other words, since ancient times, there has been only one way to get close to power in China, and that is to become an official. Now it seems that there is another one, that is, becoming a participant of the Dingguo Conference and being able to have direct contact with the upper levels. They can also participate in national decision-making, which also represents invisible power.
It is different from an examination, whether it is an imperial examination or a civil service examination.
This is another way to become a better person.
The question is, how did the list of Dingguo members come out this time? Naturally, it was drawn up by the cabinet.
It seems that the noble clan members will definitely be on the list, but it is hard to say about the others. Many people are in a state of uncertainty between coming or not. Therefore, many people have a hunch that Dingguo will choose someone, which will also be a focus of debate in the future.
Many of them are competitors to each other.
