bookrandom Chapter 1312 Is it feasible?
Chapter 1312 Is it feasible?
Chapter 1312 Is it feasible?
Zhang Yue is a very utilitarian person at heart.
He came to Wang Anshi specifically to reminisce about the past. Even if he had this emotional need, Zhang Yue would not be so low-key.
If possible, he would rather let Wang Anshi see how the boy whom you looked down upon in the past has become. But people always have to move forward to the future.
He had tried countless times to persuade Wang Anshi to support his ideas, but Wang Anshi was dismissive at first, and even now at this age, he was still difficult to convince.
After the scholars dispersed, Zhang Yue and Wang Anshi returned to his villa halfway up the mountain.
At this moment, the sun was setting, and the backs of Zhang Yue, who was walking with his hands behind his back, and Wang Anshi, who was riding a donkey, were cut into long pieces.
The spring fields with lush grass and flying birds seem like autumn colors under the sunset glow.
Wang Anshi said to Zhang Yue: "Mr. Jiang's principles of governing a country are similar to what Mr. Zun said, which is gradual cultivation and sudden enlightenment."
"But during the Xining period, the three redundant things had already become the root cause, just like a doctor treating a serious illness, he must first change the original energy, so it is necessary to make a big change rather than a small supplement."
"When doing things, we should first establish the major issues. If we don't cut the Gordian knot quickly, it will become a chronic disease in the long run. What Mr. Jiang has done is just to patch up the cracks and leaks, but he can't get to the root of the problem!"
Zhang Yue listened to Wang Anshi's words and translated this passage: The problem is that the crisis of the Northern Song Dynasty is structural and systemic. Repairing it in this way will not help at all.
Wang Anshi said: "For example, if we do not implement the equal taxation law for equal fields with equal land, it will be easy for the powerful to evade it."
"It is passed on to the common people. The great benefit to the world is also the great harm. With such a barrier, how long will it take to break it down with our limited efforts?"
Zhang Yue thought that Sima Guang was not unwilling to change his ways, but he was a cautious person and would only do so gradually.
Zhang Yue said: "Mr. Jing's advice is correct. But Yuanfeng is different now. The Tanguts are no longer able to attack us. As long as the Liao withdraws its troops, we can do whatever we want."
Wang Anshi said: "Please forgive my frankness, although the Tanguts have withdrawn their troops, your gradual move will not succeed!"
Incremental reform is difficult in itself. For example, the Westernization Movement was a great success, but it did not touch the root of the problem.
The Qing Dynasty was ultimately defeated.
The failure of Wang Anshi's reform made the people from top to bottom shudder at the mention of reform after the Southern Song Dynasty. During the Westernization Movement, the imperial examination questions still took Wang Anshi's reform as a reference, which led the Qing Dynasty to take another path of reform.
However, after Keynes appeared, everyone discovered that Wang Anshi's reforms were almost exactly the same.
Zhang Yue said, "Mr. Jing, I agree with what you said. Just as the Buddha saves those who are destined to be saved, Buddhism emphasizes enlightenment. In your opinion, gradual enlightenment is not as good as sudden enlightenment. But for the people and the world, this is a journey that must be taken."
"As you and I have said before, the most urgent task is to ease the party disputes!"
Wang Anshi remained silent.
Zhang Yue said: "Mr. Jing, don't forget that in the game we talked about before, what everyone thinks is right or wrong is right or wrong, but what one person thinks is right or wrong is not right or wrong."
What Zhang Yue said is that, like Wang Anshi, under the absolute truth, there can be a dynamic and phased truth.
Zhang Yue also compromised and made concessions to Wang Anshi in exchange for your compromise and concessions to me.
Wang Anshi still shook his head and said, "But the opinions of the public are ultimately wrong. For example, even if you really destroyed the Tanguts in the past few years, do you think the court has overcome this crisis?"
"Not enough. Far from enough! Although reforms and changes seem effortless, they still end up falling into the old ways."
Wang Anshi's words showed his worry.
Wang Anshi's implication is that your Yuanfeng Reform, Zhang Yue, will eventually become a situation of following the old ways. It can only delay the demise of the Northern Song Dynasty, but cannot solve the structural collapse. Even if you destroy the Dangxiang now, the result will be the same.
Of course Zhang Yue didn't believe what Wang Anshi said.
But he also admitted from the bottom of his heart that Wang Anshi was the best top-level designer since Shang Yang throughout the ages, but he was obviously lacking in low-level design.
In Zhang Yue's opinion, the failure of Wang Anshi's reform was not due to the wrong way of state intervention as later generations criticized, but due to the indifference to feedback from the lower levels.
The political differences between the two men resurfaced.
Zhang Yue said: "If it's not enough for now, I will reach it step by step through the right and wrong of everyone."
Wang Anshi sneered and said, "I guess you are already in the martial arts world, why are you still worrying about this?"
Zhang Yue bowed his hands towards the north and said, "If you are in a high position in the government, you will worry about the people. If you are far away in the world, you will worry about your ruler!"
Wang Anshi said: "Duzhi, I knew you would never let go."
"But Prime Minister, after so many years, have you ever let it go?" Zhang Yue replied.
Wang Anshi on the green donkey glanced at Zhang Yue.
Zhang Yue also looked at Wang Anshi.
The two men's followers watched their backs gradually fade into the afterglow of the setting sun.
……
The two returned to Wang Anshi's Banshan Garden.
Wang Anshi's Banshan Garden was originally named Xiegongdun, where Xie An once climbed the mountain.
Wang Anshi wrote a poem to mock himself.
My name is Gong, and the characters are the same as mine. Gong's mound is in my eyes. When Gong leaves and I come back, the mound belongs to me, and it is not right that the mound should still follow Gong's surname.
When Zhang Yue arrived at the residence, he saw white walls and black tiles, and could see Zhongshan Mountain in the distance.
Zhang Yue praised: "It's really a good place to retire to the countryside."
Wang Anshi prepared a guest room for Zhang Yue. According to Wang Anshi, there were almost no guests in Banshan Garden, and Zhang Yue was just an occasional visitor.
Zhang Yue knew clearly that Wang Anshi was not aloof, but at his level, he had few friends.
Maybe you can find a few like-minded people in the temple, but now there is almost no one.
Because he was too lazy to pretend.
Many people would never see Wang Anshi again after meeting him once.
As Nietzsche said, a more advanced philosopher is alone not because he wants to be alone, but because he cannot find people like him.
This sentence applies to Wang Anshi. In the past, when Zhang Yue had poor interpersonal relationships, he often used this sentence to comfort himself.
Zhang Yue sat down in the yard, drank a sip of tea, and took out something to show Wang Anshi.
"What is this?"
Wang Anshi asked.
Zhang Yue smiled. Su Song and Shen Kuo would have recognized him at a glance.
Zhang Yue said: "This is the monk Mi Tuo!"
Wang Anshi said, "I have heard that Su Zirong wrote in his book that this Mi Tuo Seng Pill can be used to treat epilepsy."
"What is the use of this?"
Zhang Yue smiled and said, "Mr. Jing, you don't know that this Mi Tuo monk is the product of smelting silver."
Since the Tang Dynasty, the ash-blowing method has been mastered in silver refining. First, it is refined into lead blocks with silver content, also known as myrrh, and then the ash-blowing method is used to obtain high-purity silver.
Wang Anshi asked, "Duizhi said that this monk Mi Tuo may be related to the pit treatment?"
Zhang Yue nodded slowly and said, "Mr. Jing, our dynasty has always been short of money. Since Emperor Renzong, there has been an order to ban copper and gold (prohibiting the use of copper to make utensils and the use of gold on clothing). This is because the copper production of our dynasty is no more than two million strings of cash a year. Therefore, there has always been a law to make copper coins out of the limit."
"After that, Lord Jing used the Qingmiao Law and the Exemption from Labor Service Law. The court collected thousands of strings of money from the people each year, which further increased the money shortage!"
The money shortage in the Song Dynasty was indeed directly related to Wang Anshi's reforms. The court levied a large amount of taxes from the people, which inevitably led to money flowing into the court.
This caused liquidity problems.
Zhang Yue said slowly: "Although we have used Jiaozi and Yanchao to make up for the shortage of money in recent years, it is still not enough to save the situation!"
Wang Anshi said: "So Lord Jian wants to use silver to replace copper? But there are fewer silver mines in this dynasty."
Zhang Yue smiled and said, "I know there is a country overseas that has a lot of silver mines."
"where?"
Zhang Yue asked: "Japan?"
Wang Anshi said: "I have heard that there are sea merchants in Quanzhou who exchange ceramics and silk for sulfur, wood, and swords from Japan, but I have never heard of exchanging them for gold and silver."
Zhang Yue laughed and said, "This is because the Japanese don't know the method, just like using the Mi Tuo monk's technique of refining silver!"
Japan is still in the Heian period.
By the late Warring States period and early Edo period, that is, the Ming Dynasty, Japan's silver mine production accounted for one-third of the world's total.
Why was it unknown before and then suddenly became popular?
In fact, Japan had already developed Iwami Ginzan and other mines in the late Kamakura period, but the output was always extremely low. It was not until 1533 that the ash blowing method was introduced from China or Korea.
This caused a surge in silver production in Japan, and silver became the currency of Japan during the Warring States Period. In the Edo period, a system of three coins, gold, silver and copper, was established.
Before that, Japan had been importing copper coins from China or using inferior quality coins.
Therefore, for Zhang Yue, this small piece of Mi Tuo Seng was a major event that concerned the fate of the country after the Song Dynasty.
Wang Anshi picked up the honey monk on the table. Of course, he didn’t know about quantitative easing, but he felt that Zhang Yue’s method seemed feasible!