Prime Minister

Chapter 1059: Fighting against the government

Chapter 1059: Fighting against the government

There was a strong smell of gunpowder inside the side hall.

There was no longer the atmosphere of sitting and discussing philosophy between the emperor and his subjects as in the past.

But started arguing.

Shi Deyi, who was standing by, didn't even dare to breathe.

The official said angrily, "You said before that cotton cloth can enrich the national treasury, so you vigorously promote it in Qinzhou and Hangzhou."

"But the local officials submitted a memorial saying that Suzhou and Lake Tai are the granaries of the country, so if Suzhou and Lake Tai are prosperous, the whole country will be prosperous. But you have converted the fields into cotton and forced the people to grow cotton and spin yarn. If Suzhou and Lake Tai have a poor harvest in the future, it will be the fault of the cotton yarn."

"Also, you have changed the labor service law and relieved the five-class households of the burden of labor service, but local officials have reported that the people are scrambling to bribe the officials to change the household status. Some people want to be exempted from labor service by paying a small amount of money, while others want to be exempted from paying a large amount of money by doing a little work."

The two points mentioned by the government were both criticized for Zhang Yue's implementation of the two laws after he came to power.

Qinzhou was still okay, but Hangzhou was implementing policies similar to "converting fields into mulberry trees" and "sheep eating people". Zhang Yue had heard about this and it was not surprising. There was a conflict between agrarianism and mercantilism.

As for bribing government officials to change their household rank, it is better than having to pay both money and labor to become a fifth-class household. Even if there is no exemption law, will the rich not cheat to change their household rank?

Zhang Yue did not say a word to explain, and the emperor said: "Is this what you mean by benefiting the people? You are very considerate."

The emperor also expressed all his dissatisfaction with Zhang Yue's administration.

Zhang Yue could argue if he wanted to, but he was different from Wang Anshi. Wang Anshi was an eloquent man with a stubborn temper. If you look at the historical records, you will find that he never lost an argument, even against the government.

It is extremely difficult to get him to admit his mistakes.

Zhang Yue said: "Your Majesty, my plan is indeed not perfect. But this is not what I am discussing with Your Majesty today."

When the official saw that Zhang Yue admitted his mistake, his anger eased a little.

The emperor said, "I know what you want to say."

"What did Su Shizhan say in his memorial? The people are foolish but cannot be deceived. Heaven regards their praise and criticism as wisdom, let alone the ruler. Violating the Way is enough to bring criticism from the people, how can one seek praise?"

"Su Shizhan is a man from the countryside trying to understand the opinions of the government. I love the people and I don't benefit the people, but there is a priority in loving and benefiting the people. You said that benefiting the people will benefit the country, so why can't I benefit the people by benefiting the country?"

"It was only after Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty destroyed the Turks and got rid of the threat that threatened his bed that he was able to rule the country with peace of mind, and finally achieved the Zhenguan Reign. I have been preparing for war for many years, so why can't I destroy the Western Xia and then rule the country to achieve the achievements of the Xining and Yuanfeng Reigns?"

"This is just like a leaf blocking your view of the mountain!"

Zhang Yue thought to himself, "Your Majesty, you are bent on emulating Emperor Taizong of Tang. In that case... in that case, Prince Chang Zhao Hao's life is in danger."

Zhang Yue said: "Your Majesty's intention to destroy Xia, I will fully support it. However..."

"But what?" asked the official.

Upon seeing this, Shi Deyi desperately winked at Zhang Yue.

Zhang Yue said: "However, Your Majesty always fails to keep pace with the times. Although the previous reforms did not harm the poor, why is the whole country in turmoil and people crying one after another? Because those who were hurt were all the poor."

The reform did indeed combat annexation, but it did not alleviate the suffering of the people, and the middle class suffered the most.

Zhang Yue said: "Mr. Han and I will continue to make progress, but Your Majesty does not allow it. I have said that the world does not belong to Your Majesty alone."

At this point, Zhang Yue paused and said, "Your Majesty, do you know why the governance of the Three Dynasties is a model for all dynasties?"

The emperor laughed when he heard this. After years of "teaching" by Wang Anshi, he no longer believed in the nonsense of the Three Dynasties. Even Zhang Yue said that the Three Dynasties mentioned by the ancient Confucian scholars were not credible and were just used to fool people.

Zhang Yue said: "Your Majesty, the three dynasties I am talking about are the reigns of the three emperors Yao, Shun and Yu."

"The people cannot resist the barbarians if they control the flood by themselves, so they are willing to pay money or contribute their efforts to let Yao, Shun and Yu control it. What is a country? This is a country."

What Zhang Yue talked about was the origin of the country. During the Three Dynasties, the country was a tribal alliance. For example, if one tribe was unable to control a flood, everyone would unite with the upstream and downstream tribes to control the flood together.

The Diyi attacked, and one tribe could not defeat them, so several tribes united.

Yao, Shun and Yu were all leaders elected by the tribes. If you don’t understand, just look at the Khitan and Jurchen in their primitive state.

The official was a little shocked by Zhang Yue's words.

Because the emperor is the one who is destined by heaven. The court and the people need to explain why it is you, Zhao Xu, who is the emperor? Not Zhang San or Li Si? Because I, Zhao Xu, am the one who is destined by heaven!

But everyone knows this. It's okay to deceive ordinary people, but it's not good to deceive yourself.

How did you become the emperor? The emperor was originally the leader of the tribe, but later on the public world became a family world. The three generations advocated by Confucianism were actually tribal consultations.

When a tribe encounters a danger that cannot be resolved, several tribal elders sit together to discuss and then jointly elect a tribal leader to lead everyone to get things done.

In Rousseau's social contract theory, the people transfer part of their power to the state, and then let the state solve problems that individuals cannot solve. This is called a contract. The so-called contract is the equivalence of rights and obligations. If I have the obligation to pay taxes, then I also have corresponding rights.

For example, Marxism believes that the feudal state is a violent organization. Like the underworld, it uses force to collect protection fees from the people in exchange for the right to survive. It is the exploitation of the people by the vested interest groups.

A humanitarian state belongs to the former, but the latter is the essence of a feudal state.

Zhang Yue said: "Your Majesty, Taizu used a whistle stick to make all the 400 military states in the world have the surname Zhao. Later, Emperor Taizong pacified the world and gathered all the elite troops from all over the world, and then he firmly established his rule over the world."

"So the emperor is actually the head of an army."

"But why did Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong talk about the rule of three generations? This is what people want!"

The official nodded. Zhang Yue's speech was full of practical information, unlike other officials who only used Confucian principles to play tricks.

You, the emperor of the Zhao family, are essentially a military leader. People let you become emperor because they are afraid of you, but you cannot say that when you rule the world. You must say that I am the emperor by destiny.

Because I got ashore.

Officials often hate military leaders, but forget that they themselves were once great military leaders.

The officials below flattered him all day long, as if the throne was really given to him by God. They said that they would benefit the people by benefiting the country, which was simply putting the cart before the horse.

For example, we all know that understanding the world purely from a subjective or objective perspective is very one-sided. But it is impossible for people to understand problems from both a subjective and objective perspective at the same time. There must be a priority.

Just like the perspectives from which men and women look at issues are naturally different.

Although the truth is the same, one’s own position and interests determine the priority.

The emperor's position is to benefit the country, that is, I am the world, and benefiting the people is only a means, not an end. You said that attacking Xia was to benefit the people, what nonsense are you talking about?

You really want me to explain it to you. Don't you have any idea in your heart? Do you want me to make it clearer?

The official's face turned pale and blue after being scolded by Zhang Yue.

Ps: The update time is a bit unstable during the New Year period, please forgive me.

(End of this chapter)