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

Chapter 133 Biao'er is right! Reform is necessary!

During the period when the Qing Dynasty ruled the Central Plains, Emperor Qianlong was in power. He actually already knew that the overseas world had developed into a modern society with scientific construction.

As an emperor, it is no exaggeration to say that his vision is the highest in the whole of China.

Not only that, Qianlong was also a pen pal with Louis XVI of France, and the two communicated through missionaries who were constantly adventuring on the sea.

After many "spiritual communications", Qianlong saw the advantages and disadvantages of the revolution.

The advantage is that we got to see the steam engine. European countries in the Louis XVI era had officially entered the steam age and were heading towards the next era.

In Qianlong's view, Watt's improved steam engine, as well as Western desserts such as chocolate and coffee, were all spice of life.

However, as the times progressed, people's minds gradually became more open, the French Revolution followed, and Louis XVI died on the guillotine he himself had reformed.

This was the first time that Emperor Qianlong saw firsthand the harm brought about by the Great Revolution.

So, based on the work of his ancestors, he tried his best to suppress the ideological enlightenment of the Han people in the Central Plains and created large-scale literary inquisitions in order to prevent the Manchu government from being overthrown.

Seeing Yang Chen hesitating and not saying anything, Lao Zhu suddenly stood up from his seat.

"Tell me the truth! Will the increase in productivity, which has led to the progress of the Ming Dynasty, be harmful to us emperors?"

After repeated questioning, Yang Chen could only sigh.

"Hey! Since your majesty has asked this, I will just say it straight out, yes!

According to later historical records, with the advancement of productivity, the emperor's team would definitely not be suitable for today's society. Not to mention the common people, even the nobles would stand on the side of the people to overthrow the emperor.

Countless emperors in the West died because of this."

In an instant, Yang Chen felt as if he was being stared at by a bloodthirsty beast, and Lao Zhu's eyes, which were full of crow's feet, were staring at him.

This is murderous aura. What Zhu relied on in the battlefield for so many years was not only his strategy and forbearance, but also his courage to not fear death.

After killing so many people, how could he not have some real skills in using a white knife to attack and a red knife to attack?

However, this feeling of oppression came quickly and disappeared just as quickly, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Yang Chen looked at Lao Zhu with an incredible look in his eyes, wondering if the sun rose from the west today?
Old Zhu didn't even threaten him.

After a while, Lao Zhu said calmly:
"The disappearance of the imperial system is just as you, a bastard, said, and as Biaoer said, it seems that the disappearance of our emperor is an inevitable result and is destiny.

The improvement of productivity is unstoppable, and the imperial system will disappear. We would rather eliminate the imperial system ourselves than be passively destroyed by others.

Just now you said that if the Central Plains dynasty does not improve productivity and strengthen the court in the future, then foreign countries will use tough measures to open our country's doors.

This should be the Qing Dynasty you mentioned earlier, right? "

Old Zhu looked at Yang Chen with a smile on his face and mentioned the actions of the Qing Dynasty. The other party nodded in agreement, acknowledging that what Old Zhu said was right.

Seeing this, Lao Zhu laughed even more happily.

"Hahaha! The Jurchens are barbarians after all. How could they possibly understand the overall situation? If there is an opportunity to become stronger, we will definitely use all means to make the Ming Dynasty stronger.

As expected, the reason why the Qing emperor did not dare to introduce European productivity was definitely because he was worried that the improvement of productivity would lead to the re-emergence of the Han people, and at that time, the Han people would overthrow their rule.

But I am different. I am a genuine Han emperor. If I don’t seek benefits for the Han people, I would be derelict in my duty!

Productivity improvement works in Ming Dynasty!"

Yang Chen was stunned by Lao Zhu's speech of relief.

He had already made up his mind that he would make great strides in Ningming County and let Old Zhu see how far ahead the rest of Ming Dynasty would be after the productivity improvement.

Unexpectedly, Lao Zhu figured it out on his own.

Zhu Biao was extremely happy to see that his father could form a united front with him.

“Father, I feel that as long as the Ming Dynasty is in place, as the Ming Dynasty becomes stronger, the princes who are away from home will gain a lot of wealth and materials.

In the future, our Celestial Empire will surely become the most fertile and abundant place in the world. The people will live in peace, have meat to eat, and cotton-padded clothes to wear, and will not worry about not being able to survive the winter.

What other reasons do they have to rebel?

Productivity determines production relations. No matter what, if the Ming Dynasty can grasp these key points first, it will be safe.

In the great struggle of the world, if you don’t fight, you will perish.

Our Ming Dynasty cannot become a weak country!"

"Good! Biao'er said it well! Our Biao'er has the appearance of an emperor, so he dares to think about things that ordinary people dare not think about, and do things that ordinary people dare not do!"

As his thoughts opened up, Lao Zhu's eyes suddenly radiated a bright light, and the haze that had originally shrouded his head disappeared in an instant.

Praise your son without hesitation.

The imperial system has existed for thousands of years, and the perception that the emperor rules the world is deeply rooted. Zhu Yuanzhang could not accept the disappearance of the imperial system for the time being. He was different from Zhu Biao.

He is no longer at the age where he acts impulsively, unlike his son who dares to think and act.

More importantly, he was not able to talk with Zhu Biao on an equal footing.

In any case, in Lao Zhu's opinion, Yang Chen is a capable person who works under him.

However, human power cannot stop the wheels of history from moving forward.

While he was still able to do things, Lao Zhu believed that he should use his power as a ruler to adjust production relations to adapt to productivity as quickly as possible.

No matter how huge the productivity is in the future, it will not affect one’s own power and interests.

In this way, a superstructure suitable for the Ming Dynasty can be assembled based on production relations.

Everything is done to prevent the people from rebelling.

Facing the praise from Zhu, Zhu Biao did not become arrogant, but instead said modestly:

"Father, I am so happy. I have such thoughts because Father taught me when I was a child that those who want to achieve great things must consider the world. Otherwise, they are unworthy of their position.

If an emperor does not work for the people of the world, but for his own selfish interests, and if it is detrimental to the country and the nation, then the greater good is lost, and the destruction of the country is an inevitable result.

I do not want the Ming Dynasty to end up starving to death under the rule of the Zhu family. If the country is destroyed, the descendants of the Zhu family will not live on with a thick face, let alone live with no dignity!"

This time, Zhu Biao stood for justice. Not to mention Old Zhu, even if anyone came, no one could oppose him.

Hearing that his son had such awareness, Old Zhu suddenly felt that his family’s future was bright and his prospects were excellent.

The situation in the Ming Dynasty seemed to be improving.

I felt as happy as if I had drunk nectar and laughed heartily from the bottom of my heart.

"Good! Biao'er said it very well! Those who achieve great things must first consider the greater good! Although I came from a humble background, my son is amazing! We have already seen how future generations will describe our ancestors."

The father and son praised each other, which surprised Yang Chen who was watching from the side.

He had already made plans, thinking that Zhu Yuanzhang would definitely give him a good beating after he knew that productivity would destroy the imperial system.

While the emperor hadn't reacted yet, he ran to Empress Ma and let her give Zhuge Liang a good beating. He didn't expect that the Hongwu Emperor had a bigger mind than he had expected.

"It seems that my stereotype of Lao Zhu needs to be changed."

He felt unhappy in his heart.

Yang Chen had read too much information before, and he believed that once the ancient feudal emperors foresaw the demise of the imperial system in later generations, they would do their best to stop this process no matter what.

After all, there was already a precedent among the Qing Dynasty emperors.

However, most people seem to ignore the different identities of each emperor.

Qianlong and others were not Han emperors. Although they invaded Peking, they performed Taimiao rituals in accordance with historical emperors, kneeling to welcome emperors of all dynasties to show that they were orthodox.

But the poisonous ideas of feudalism still linger in their minds.

As emperors of minority groups, they always had to think of ways to be on guard against anyone other than their own people.

In addition to the Han people, they were also afraid of the Mongols and the peoples of the Western Regions.

Isn’t it because our ancestors were bullied by these groups in turn?

Yang Chen interrupted everyone.

"Your Majesty, I have now told you about the Dragon Slaying Technique. If you still have any questions, you can come to me.

In fact, the reason why this dragon-slaying technique was spread is that a great man wanted to tell the people that the dragon-slaying technique is not harmful, but a secret method that can promote the progress of the court and the people."

Old Zhu chuckled and glanced at him, as if he had already guessed it.

"You bastard, you don't really think I don't know, do you? Although this dragon-slaying technique is disadvantageous to us, generally speaking, we just need to follow the development of things and obey them.

Sooner or later, an inexplicable contradiction will erupt. We don’t know what it is, but we trust our intuition!"

Yang Chen was silenced by this blunt remark.

Indeed, even if everyone knew how to slay dragons a hundred years later, nothing could be done about it. Some problems would still exist, and the huge gap in people's lives could sometimes be a source of worry.

Once the problem is solved, the questions of "is it good or not" will follow.
"Your Majesty, what you said makes sense, but given the current situation, by the time your Majesty's speculation comes to pass, it will probably be hundreds of years later. Where will we be by then?"

“What has happened will happen again. We just need to do our own thing now. As for future generations, they will have their own blessings.”

Zhu Biao was more open-minded.

As soon as he said this, the atmosphere in the hall instantly became cheerful.

Old Zhu was not as anxious as before.

"Your Majesty, now that you have finished talking about your affairs, it is time for me to talk about my affairs.

Yesterday, the prince asked me to come over and talk to me in detail. The general idea was that the policy could not be implemented. I have a way to bring the imperial power to the countryside, but I don’t know if Your Majesty is willing to try it. "

The discussion about the dragon-slaying technique has come to an end for now, and the next one is Hu Weiyong.

The problem with Hu Weiyong was nothing more than the inability to implement two policies, which was an unsolvable problem in Zhu Yuanzhang's view. Zhu Biao had given him feedback on this, but Zhu Yuanzhang did not understand how to deal with such a difficult problem.

Now that Yang Chen has come forward and said that he can handle it, Lao Zhu is naturally curious.

"Oh? I really want to know what you can do about what Hu Weiyong said.

Since ancient times, scholars and officials have wanted to rule the world together with the emperor. If you can solve this problem, it means making enemies with countless people. Are you sure you want to say it?"

Although he didn't want to admit it, Zhu Yuanzhang also understood that the literati and officials occupied too much of the world's territory. They did whatever they wanted in their own small piece of land. If he hadn't founded the Embroidered Uniform Guard,

I'm afraid he won't know these things until he dies.

This is why the surviving scholars and officials feel both pain and hatred towards Emperor Hongwu, but dare not take any action.

Once any clues of their actions are found, what awaits them is the massacre of the entire clan, and the process will be carried out according to the family tree, so that no one will be missed.

"Your Majesty, look at what you said. At this point, do I still have any choice?"

Yang Chen said this for everyone to hear. Now he has firmly stood on the side of the royal family, but everyone is tacitly using each other, especially the cooperative relationship between him and Zhu Biao.

Old Zhu didn't know what Yang Chen wanted to do specifically, but as long as it didn't affect his own rule of the world and could bring overall enhancement to the Ming Dynasty, he wouldn't care about Yang Chen's inner thoughts.

"Stop talking nonsense. You just said there is a way to bring imperial power to the countryside. Do you know what this means? Throughout the dynasties, including me, we have thought of countless ways, but almost no one can really do it.

If you can come up with a one-in-a-million solution, we'll give you credit for it."

Old Zhu's expression was stern, almost as majestic as previous emperors.

Zhu Biao was also looking forward to Yang Chen coming up with some foolproof plan, after all, he had promised it yesterday.

Standing in front of the blackboard, Yang Chen tore apart the rice paper that had been almost painted, and put on a new roll of rice paper.

He didn't rush to write anything on it.

Instead, he said bluntly:

"Let's talk about the results first. The problem Hu Weiyong mentioned is simply that there is a lack of knowledgeable people.

I know that there are tens of thousands of talented people in the Ming Dynasty, but this number is still too small. Your Majesty has opened many schools among the people in the hope of spreading knowledge, but I sent people to investigate and found that

Many private schools have been abandoned for too long. Do you know why? "

In a certain sense, the Ming Dynasty ruled by Zhu Yuanzhang was very similar to later generations. To be more precise, later generations were very similar to him. After all, Zhu Yuanzhang came first and the Republic came later.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who had suffered a hard life since childhood, not only ordered people to build schools in counties, towns and villages to provide free education, but also established many nursing homes.

It’s just that nursing homes in the Ming Dynasty were called Yangjiyuan.

His pension policy was also very modern, which required paying grain. If enough grain was paid, the local county government would send good rice and cloth every month to ensure that the person would not starve to death or freeze to death.

In addition, Yuanzhang also implemented a free hospital policy, mainly targeting the elderly, widows, widowers, and lonely people and those extremely poor patients who could not afford medical treatment.

Originally, Yang Chen thought that Zhu Yuanzhang was really as inhumane as later generations had recorded and slandered him, but in fact, Zhu Yuanzhang still had some commendable qualities among emperors.

It’s just a pity that every policy from the top has its own countermeasures, and his imperial power could never reach the countryside.

All the money was eaten up by corrupt officials, which caused the people to complain a lot about him.

(End of this chapter)