"But why? Why is this happening?"
Zhu Biao's eyes were dull and he asked feebly.
He has faced war directly, knows the harm it causes to the people, and understands the cruelty involved.
It is precisely because he has seen it that Zhu Biao is more sympathetic to the suffering of the people.
Now, Su Jing's words show that tragedy will only be repeated again and again.
His worldview was impacted, and everything seemed to have become an illusion.
"Niu Yi!"
Su Jing scolded Zhu Biao and woke him up.
He looked at Zhu Biao and said: "The general trend of the world is that if we divide for a long time, we will unite, and if we unite for a long time, we will divide. You have also read a lot of books. This has not changed. This is history and this is reality."
A reality that is independent of human will.
"Master Su, it's the student who lost his temper."
Zhu Biao lowered his head and said.
In fact, history has repeated itself over and over again without any hiding or covering.
It's there.
"Master Su, please continue. Is there any solution to this conflict between man and land?"
Zhu Biao continued to ask.
Su Jing said calmly: "Don't worry, eat first, and then continue when you are full."
Su Jing was talking about the effort while eating just now, but Zhu Biao didn't move his chopsticks at all.
Firstly, the teacher is here and he pays attention to dignity. Secondly, he is afraid that he will miss something while eating.
"Yes, Master Su."
Zhu Biao nodded and immediately started to pull.
In order to hear the follow-up as soon as possible, he ate very quickly.
But the study of royal etiquette made him quick and well-educated.
"Master Su, I'm full."
In just a short while, Zhu Biao finished eating.
Su Jing nodded and said, "That's right. People are like iron, and food is like steel. If you don't eat one meal, you'll be hungry."
Hearing this, Zhu Biao touched it and said:
"Master Su is right, people are like iron, and food is like steel. If you don't eat one meal, you will be hungry!"
This sentence well explains the reason for the peasant uprising. If you don’t have enough to eat, why don’t you get up and resist?
Su Jing smiled, called the waiter over, removed the food on the table, and then served some refreshments.
"Now let's continue."
Su Jing poured all the refreshments onto a plate, leaving a pile of empty plates spread out on the table:
"We assume that the refreshment is the food that the land can produce, and the plate is the population."
"Under normal circumstances, these resources are sufficient."
With that said, Su Jing distributed the refreshments on the plate evenly onto the plate.
"But now because of population growth, there are more plates."
"Then, if you want to feed everyone, there are only two ways."
"First, reduce some of the existing population. This is what we do most of the time and it is also the fastest way."
"But the second type is to find new land, or sources of food. For example, the Silk Road in the Western Han Dynasty opened up border trade, or opened up the sea, which is also rich in resources."
"Don't be obsessed with the existing stock, but find ways to create incremental articles."
With that said, Su Jing took out a few snacks from her arms as if by magic:
"What already exists is called stock, and what is newly added is called increment."
Zhu Biao looked at the plates and refreshments and said thoughtfully: "So what Master Su means is that as long as we can continue to find increments, the contradiction between man and earth can be resolved?"
For teenagers, understanding is still quite straightforward.
Su Jing didn't say anything, just asked: "Then do you think the increase can be increased without limit?"
"cannot."
Zhu Biao shook his head. He knew this simple truth without thinking.
So, still can't solve it.
Su Jing directly picked up some refreshments and put them on several plates again:
"In fact, there is a bigger problem that needs to be solved before looking for increments."
"With the annexation of land, landowners, gentry, and government nobles will continue to annex surrounding land to make themselves stronger and stronger, because land is privately owned and land is property."
“At the end of most dynasties, the official, gentry and landlord class all annexed a large amount of land, and the rich were connected to each other, while the annexed peasant class had no land to stand on.”
"The annexation of land will greatly accelerate the accumulation of conflicts between man and land until it can no longer be suppressed."
"Then the peasant uprising broke out, and a new dynasty began."
Zhu Biao looked at it blankly, hesitated for a while and said:
“What about laws that limit population growth and govern land annexation?”
"In this case, can it be solved?"
He was still trying hard to think of a solution.
Su Jing shook her head and said: "Niu Yi, have you forgotten that although the productivity level has been greatly improved after iron farming, and the main means of production became land, this does not mean that people are no longer the means of production! "
"Whether it is a country, a clan, or a specific household, population is the most practical resource."
"In wars, it is easier for a larger army to win. When reclaiming wasteland, a family with a larger population can reclaim more."
"When conflicts arise between aristocratic families and clans, those with more people have an advantage."
"People are always the most important. How do you limit population growth?"
"In terms of population restrictions, farmers will only take the initiative to carry out this operation when they feel that they cannot feed more people, and by then it will be too late."
“As for managing land annexation, it’s not something no one has done before.”
"Wang Anshi's reform in the Song Dynasty was aimed at controlling land annexation."
"The final result is clearly written in the history books."
Zhu Biao was completely dumbfounded.
Yes, there were so many dynasties before the Ming Dynasty, and there were many capable people with lofty ideals.
There are more people who find problems and try to solve them.
Did they succeed?
No!
Otherwise it won’t be Ming Dynasty’s turn.
"But, Master Su, why is this?"
Zhu Biao was like a soldier who had failed to charge several times, making a last stand.
Su Jing said calmly: "Didn't I tell you at the beginning?"
"The emperor is the biggest obstacle in all this."
After talking about it in a circle, I returned to the starting point.
emperor!
"Um?"
Zhu Biao was confused and still couldn't understand the relationship. The look on his face was so blank.
Su Jing had no choice but to explain: "The contradiction between man and land is an inevitable problem that will arise with population growth, and land annexation is an inevitable product of private ownership of land in feudal society."
"Landlords occupy a favorable political and economic position. In the process of development, they must rely on plunder, natural and man-made disasters and other means to continuously concentrate large amounts of land in their hands, forming the landlord class."
"The land of the peasant class continues to decrease. In the end, in order to survive, they can only overturn the inherent land distribution and start a new land distribution."
"This is a contradiction between two classes. The landlord class and the peasant class cannot tolerate each other. The contradictions will continue to accumulate as the dynasty develops."
"The more serious the phenomenon of land annexation is, the more serious the exploitation of the peasant class by the landlord class will be, and the shorter the life span of the dynasty will be."
"If some measures can be taken during the period, the dynasty can be extended its life, but in the end it can only extend its life and cannot reconcile the contradiction between the two classes."
“It’s only a matter of time before the peasant class overturns the chessboard and redistribution.”
"And the emperor is the biggest landowner!"
