Ming Dynasty: Traveling through the harem, Zhu Yuanzhang was dumbfounded

Chapter 132: Promoting productivity means destroying the imperial system

The first time since Lao Zhu was born that he listened to someone speak so devoutly was at Huangjue Temple.

At first he was just a kid wandering the streets.

As long as you become a monk, you can have something to eat and you don’t have to worry about living in the wilderness, with only one meal to eat and no next one to worry about.

Because of the war, Huangjue Temple was destroyed and Zhu Yuanzhang had to embark on his path to becoming an emperor.

After spending several years, the dream of the people in the world was finally fulfilled.

After becoming emperor, everything went smoothly for Zhu Yuanzhang. Almost no one dared to disobey him. Even with Empress Ma, he negotiated with her in a friendly manner most of the time.

Feeling that good days had lasted for a long time, Lao Zhu felt a little relaxed. The moment Yang Chen appeared, he was like a firework, with absolutely no big noise before the explosion.

But once something shocking is said, it will make him feel incredible, but everything has a traceable path.

At this moment, Tu Longshu told him that the unified thought of China seemed to be a disaster, which made him feel incredible no matter what.

You know, since Qin Shihuang, the necessary requirement for the Han Chinese to manipulate the disputes among the people of the world on the chessboard is to complete the great cause of unification, otherwise they will not be recognized.

The rats in Jiangdong during the Three Kingdoms period are still ridiculed today. The Sima family usurped the Wei Dynasty and established the Jin Dynasty, which led to the Rebellion of the Eight Kings and then the Five Barbarians Invasion, which almost destroyed the Chinese nation.

Even the powerful Song Dynasty had negative records in history books due to the loss of territory. Otherwise, Zhu Yuanzhang would not have sent troops to the north continuously for the sake of unification.

Isn't it just to accomplish what the Emperor of China must accomplish?

In the past, everyone told him that unification was a great cause, but now Yang Chen said that China’s success or failure depends on unification.

Not to mention him, even Zhu Di and Zhu Biao felt very confused and asked questions one after another.

"No, Brother Yang, since great unification is a good thing, why do you think that unification is a bad thing? Do you want to make China stronger by turning the Central Plains into a situation where various princes rule over the country?"

"Yes, Brother Yang, besides, isn't it the production relations you said that led to the final unification of China? You also said that this is in line with the development of the times. How come in the end, this is a bad thing?"

Yang Chen didn't say much, but just gave a similar example on the paper on the blackboard.

"Great unification is of course a good thing, but the great unification was completed ahead of schedule in China, resulting in everyone's thoughts being imprisoned by an invisible force from now on.

You should all know that in the Western world, the region of Europa, Portugal, Spain, etc. is called Europe.

People living in Europe also hope to have a country with a unified currency, language, and politics.

They had heroes like Charlemagne, Alexander the Great, Napoleon, etc. who were strong in both politics and military skills, but they were all defeated by reality in the end.

He left this world with the regret of the great cause of unification.

In the world I live in, in order to achieve great unification, they turned to learning how to build alliances.

In the end, they did complete the move of unifying the currency, but their internal staff were divided and everyone had their own suspicions.

No one knows who they are working for, and some people even quit the alliance.

The reason why this situation occurred in Europe is that the development of productivity will continue to advance as there are too many kingdoms. Even if it is slow, it is actually advancing.

This resulted in kingdoms with fast productivity constantly encroaching on expanding countries, while other kingdoms had to constantly develop productivity in order to avoid being invaded.

For example, Charlemagne, whom I just mentioned, was the king of the Frankish Kingdom and later became the Holy Roman Emperor, creating the heyday of the Carolingian dynasty. Unfortunately, his activities were limited to Western Europe. In order to develop the great cause of unification, he also promoted reforms and the Renaissance, trying to further improve productivity and strengthen national strength in order to fulfill his dream.

Unfortunately, he passed away before his great cause was halfway completed. His descendants were not supportive, and his enemies also joined in the revival of reforms.

As a result of the competition, a hundred schools of thought eventually flourished in European countries, similar to the Hundred Schools of Thought in the pre-Qin period. Various ideas and inventions emerged at that time.

In short, the birth of every dynasty civilization is the result of the development of productivity and production relations to a certain level.

I just said that China's success and failure are both due to its unification because, from the Qin Dynasty to now, for more than 1,500 years, China has not had any other powerful enemies except for its unification, which has led to the fact that productivity has not changed much. "

Zhu Di, however, had a different view and interrupted, saying, "No, there are enemies in the Central Plains and in the north, including the Mongols and the Xiongnu."

Yang Chen shook his head and said:
"They are not enemies, they are just barbarians. In a sense, enemies should have wisdom and strong bodies, but the Mongols and the Huns only have one of these. Fighting them will not make any progress.

Let me tell you the truth, a hundred years later, there was a group of Mongols who, even though they enjoyed the convenience brought by modern times, still dreamed of returning to the ancient dynasty without hot weapons.

Because only the dynasty with hot weapons can be invincible. "

"So, the enemies of us in the Central Plains have always been a group of 'barbarians'?"

Zhu Biao said this with a deliberately emphasized tone.

Yang Chen nodded without hesitation, acknowledging this statement.

As he explained why this happened, Zhu Biao understood everything when he combined it with what he had just said.

Gradually, Zhu Biao said thoughtfully:
“So it seems that with the development of productivity, the current production relations of the Ming Dynasty will also change?
At present, the Northern Yuan Dynasty no longer poses a threat, and the Ming Dynasty is becoming increasingly powerful. Even if productivity continues to develop, the contradictions among various classes will become increasingly serious. If we, as the rulers of this dynasty, do not stand up to eliminate these contradictions.

Then the contradictions will break through the shackles of this dynasty, redistribute everything, and form completely new production relations. "

While Zhu Biao was speaking, Yang Chen touched his chin and admired him in his heart.

"As expected of a prince who is praised by history, I have just said so much, and he can understand and form his own opinions. If he continues to develop, won't he be able to have the thinking of a high school student hundreds of years later?"

Thinking of this possibility, Yang Chen felt excited!

Don't underestimate high school students. Most Chinese students reach their peak IQ during high school.

Only when you choose different majors in college will you delve deeper into their respective fields.

The all-round period lasts only a few years in high school. No matter whether you are studying liberal arts or science, people whose grades are not too bad can actually make a living in the original field.

Zhu Biao gave a more detailed explanation of what Yang Chen wrote on the rice paper, based on the context of how productivity, production relations, and economic base determine the superstructure.

Not to mention Zhu Yuanzhang, even Zhu Di could understand the reason.

"Looking at the history of thousands of years, the development of productivity is like big fish eating small fish, with tribes with high productivity eating tribes with low productivity. The slave dynasty finally expanded too much and formed a new unified dynasty."

Zhu Biao's eyes were solemn. He had never felt such trouble before.

On the other hand, Yang Chen seemed much more relaxed and not as nervous as everyone else.

The reason why China has not made progress is that it does not have a suitable opponent. Although the northern barbarians have always been hostile to the Central Plains, they have actually relied on our productivity to strengthen themselves.

For example, learning how to farm, how to raise horses, how to forge various weapons, etc.

On the other hand, apart from not agreeing to the marriage to maintain peace, they just waited for fate to play tricks on them the rest of the time.

Once the weather gets cold, their cattle, sheep and horses will die in large numbers, and they will take the initiative to cause trouble for us."

Old Zhu rubbed his hands, feeling sad about the environment he was in.

Unexpectedly, the lack of equally powerful enemies after the great unification became an obstacle to China's development.

"Father, it is just as Yang Chen said. As productivity continues to develop, the production relations of the Ming Dynasty will definitely affect the overall changes.

If we don't do something, someone else will do it. Once they become strong, they will point their fangs at us.

The economic foundation is the overall strength of the entire Ming Dynasty. The strength of other people's productivity is to strengthen oneself by devouring their weak countries.

If we fall behind, the Central Plains will probably suffer unspeakable hardships!" Zhu Biao said with some fear, swallowing his saliva.

Compared to his previous excitement and impatience, Lao Zhu now has complicated feelings.

It's like the seasoning in the kitchen was spilled, the taste is indescribable.

Initially, he planned to learn the art of slaying dragons, put it into practice, and use it to prevent others from occupying his Ming Dynasty.

But now, I didn’t expect that the dragon-slaying technique is actually similar to the way of heaven. It can only move forward and cannot go backward.

If he forces himself to move forward, the Ming Dynasty will perish. Is this the result he wants?
The answer is obviously no.

Old Zhu embarked on the path of becoming an emperor all for the sake of his own "family".

Xiaojia is the offspring born to him and Queen Ma, and everyone is the whole world. In his eyes, only Xiaojia is important.

If he couldn't even protect his wife, son and descendants, how could he be willing to help others?

While thinking, both Zhu's father and son were deeply shocked by what Yang Chen said today.

"According to what you said, Brother Yang, how long will it take for the current productivity level of the Ming Dynasty to break the production relations again? How long will it take for the superstructure of the Ming Dynasty to collapse?"

As the crown prince, Zhu Biao had the obligation to take the initiative to learn about these things.

Otherwise, if he doesn't know how to deal with danger, then wouldn't it be a waste for him to be the crown prince?
Yang Chen was silent for a while, then said without thinking:
"There are two possibilities. Either the external forces overthrow the Ming Dynasty, or the external factors use the powerful productivity to expand their own power, and then set their sights on the fat meat of the Ming Dynasty. There are so many acres of land waiting for them to occupy.

In fact, according to later historical records, under the maritime ban policy of Your Majesty during the Ming Dynasty, many islands in the Southeast Sea were occupied by the red-haired barbarians.

They used weapons that were products of their high level of productivity to defeat the Ming army stationed there at the time.

Fortunately, their productivity level was not high at that time, and they did not have as many weapons as the Ming Dynasty. In addition, they were fighting across the ocean and had no subsequent supplies. After a long time, they were defeated and left.

This incident is enough to show that Daming does not want to be hurt, and the premise is to hurt others. "

Yang Chen directly told the history of the Dutch invasion of Taiwan.

This immediately made Old Zhu furious. He clenched his fist and pounded the table fiercely, shouting:
"Assholes! They are so bold! The Jurchens invaded the Ming Dynasty, Japan also invaded the Ming Dynasty, and now these red-haired barbarians dare to invade the Ming Dynasty!

Do they think that our Ming Dynasty is made of mud? Anyone can come and take a bite! "

"Hey! Your Majesty, you should say that at that time, the Ming Dynasty was indeed as weak as clay. Under your maritime ban policy and various regulations of the Ming Dynasty's ancestral teachings that countries should not be conquered, the emperor and powerful officials of the Ming Dynasty did not dare to say anything.

In addition to the red-haired barbarians, there are many other countries that are timid in their behavior, such as "

Yang Chen was just about to continue speaking when Zhu Biao quickly raised his hand to stop him.

"Ahem. Well, Brother Yang, please don't talk about it for now. These things are still far away. Besides, my father has decided not to do it according to the imperial precepts of the Ming Dynasty. Since he won't do it, it won't happen. Why mention it again now?"

After taking a look at the embarrassed Zhu Biao and slapping the black-faced Old Zhu, Yang Chen broke free from his restraints.

"What's important is not whether it exists now or not. What I want to tell you is that as the power of production continues to develop, no matter how far it will go in the future, the feudal monarchy will surely perish!

This is an objective necessity. As productivity moves forward, some things that cannot keep up must be eliminated. This is the case with the imperial system.

Think about it, during the slave dynasty, productivity was insufficient to feed so many people, so slave owners often needed to use sacrifice as an excuse to eliminate some people who could not increase productivity in order to maintain the rule of slavery.

With the improvement of productivity, more people could be fed and even the lowest slaves no longer had to worry about not having enough food, so sacrifice was naturally overthrown.

The same is true for the feudal monarchy.”

In an instant, everyone felt a burst of thunder exploding in their minds, and everyone had their own thoughts in their minds.

"What will happen if we don't allow productivity to improve and forcefully control the Ming Dynasty?"

Old Zhu was unwilling to see his foundation disappear like this, so he tried to make a final struggle.

Before Yang Chen could speak, Zhu Biao was the first to stand up and refute.

"Father, that's impossible. Once productivity improves, if Ming doesn't lead the world, we will repeat the same mistakes. The future that Brother Yang is talking about will happen in Ming. Even without the Jurchen invasion, countries like Europe will still come to Ming across the ocean.

If they find that the Ming Dynasty is weak, they will definitely launch a war of aggression. By then, our Ming Dynasty will still not be able to escape the fate of three hundred years!
According to the temperament of those civil servants, they only care about themselves and monopolize the means of production of the Ming Dynasty, causing people to suffer resentment. Without knowing the truth, the common people will only vent their anger on my Zhu family.

By then, the Ming Dynasty will be faced with internal and external troubles, and the Ming Dynasty cannot afford it!"

Old Zhu's eyes were dazed. He seemed to see the civil officials annexing land, the military generals weakening, the Ming Dynasty in complete chaos, and heroes among the people standing up, raising their arms and shouting for an uprising.

The Han Dynasty had Liu Bang, the Ming Dynasty had Zhu Yuanzhang, who would be the next dynasty?
He knew very well that once chaos broke out, a county could gather a dynasty's capable ministers and generals. What the Central Plains lacked the least was talent, and as long as given a chance, talent would demonstrate his ability.

"Kyushu has fallen, China is in danger, and we will become sinners of the Han people!"

Old Zhu's deep eyes couldn't help but show sorrow. His arms were shaking, and so was his body. He was plunged into endless negative emotions.

"Father, if you fall behind, you will be beaten. For the sake of the people of China, the productivity of the Ming Dynasty must be improved! We must surpass the other kingdoms and make sure they can't see us anymore. Only in this way can the people live a good life and the Ming Dynasty have the hope of being passed down for thousands of years!"

Zhu Biao said with a frown.

But Old Zhu was reluctant to do so.

"Biao'er, these things are easier said than done. If we really follow the development of the times, do you think the Ming Dynasty will still be the Ming Dynasty of the Zhu family in the future?

What if someone takes over your place?"

Yang Chen saw that something was wrong with Lao Zhu, so he quickly stepped forward and said:
"Wait a minute! Your Majesty, you seem to have misunderstood. The improvement of productivity will indeed bring about great changes in the Ming Dynasty, but these changes do not mean that there will be any bad changes in the Zhu family!

Besides, it will take at least a hundred years for productivity to be raised to the point where the feudal monarchy can be eliminated. Do you think we will still be alive by then?

One hundred years, how many people in this world can live to be one hundred years, when the feudal monarchy completely disappears, the Ming Dynasty is still the Ming Dynasty, no matter how it changes, it is still the Ming Dynasty, and the people in control are still the Han people.

If that is the case, then why should Your Majesty worry too much? Who knows, in the future, future generations will be able to come up with a policy that conforms to the times?
I wonder if Your Majesty remembers what I said about the timeliness of policies?
Any policy has its time limit. Perhaps the feudal monarchy is not suitable at this time, but it was very suitable in the past. For example, the current Ming Dynasty is still suitable for the position of the emperor.

As for what happens many years later, that is not our business, we can just leave it to future generations to deal with.”

Yang Chen discovered that Old Zhu would lose track of priorities when he was anxious, just like the last time Zhu Xiongying died of smallpox.

He always thought about how to protect his grandson in a foolproof way, but he didn't know that his grandson was already receiving the best protection.

Unless someone falls from the sky, there will be absolutely no accidents happening to his son Zhu Xiongying.

Not to mention that cowpox vaccination is already undergoing final safety testing. Once the experimental data from the maternal and child health hospital is obtained, smallpox will disappear from the Ming Dynasty at the fastest speed.

"Yes, father! What Brother Yang said makes sense." Zhu Biao thought about it and felt that what the other party said was true.

It seems that my father is worrying too much.

"Tell me the truth, kid. If productivity improves, will we, the emperor, really be safe?"

Still feeling something was wrong, Lao Zhu stared at him.

Old Zhu suspected that Yang Chen had not explained himself clearly and was definitely hiding something.

Seeing this, Yang Chen was about to say it was okay, but suddenly he thought of someone.

Qianlong!

(End of this chapter)