Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 415 The Method of Reform! The Art of Using People! Book Editing and Questioning!
This answer was truly beyond Zhu Yunwen's expectations.

He frowned slightly, glared at Xie Jin with annoyance, and questioned, "Since you knew this plan wouldn't work, why did you still present me with such a memorial?"

Xie Jin responded neither humbly nor arrogantly: "The reason why I am submitting this memorial is to facilitate Your Majesty's governance."

“If what I propose is a moderate measure, those officials and gentry will certainly still vehemently oppose it.”

"Since they're opposed either way, I might as well take a radical approach and use this to create a huge momentum, making them feel fearful."

"When the time is right, Your Majesty will step in to mediate and force us commoners to make concessions, thus showing favor to those officials and gentry."

"In this way, the new policy can be implemented smoothly."

Zhu Yunwen was taken aback upon hearing this.

Isn't this just a strategy of threatening to tear off the roof to get someone to agree to open the window?
It must be said that this makes a lot of sense.

Xie Jin's ability to see through such subtleties so clearly truly impressed Zhu Yunwen.

At this moment, Yang Shiqi spoke up: "That is true, but such a grand display could very well cause panic among the people and even endanger the stability of the country. If it leads to unrest, then it would truly be counterproductive."

Xie Jin retorted, "Lord Yang, the Ming Dynasty is certainly not so fragile."

"Since you hold a high position, the people you associate with on a daily basis are all high-ranking officials, nobles, and sons of wealthy gentry. Naturally, all you hear are voices of opposition."

"But Lord Yang witnessed the change in everyone's attitude in the teahouse just now."

"In fact, there are many people who support the new policies and new learning."

"However, most of them are poor people who are powerless to make their voices heard."

"But as long as the imperial court gives an order, they will surely respond in droves."

"With His Majesty's will above and the support of the people below, how can those officials and gentry who oppose the new policies shake the foundation of the Ming Dynasty?"

"Moreover, as long as the court does not actually issue an order, but only creates a lot of public opinion, they will always hold on to a glimmer of hope and will not resort to desperate measures."

"When His Majesty decides to act, they will be overjoyed."

Yang Shiqi was speechless for a moment and fell silent, no longer speaking.

Zhu Yunwen's eyes held a hint of inquiry as he smiled and asked again, "You said that confiscating the land of landlords and gentry and distributing it equally to everyone is just a pretext. Then tell me in detail what the real new policy to be implemented will look like?"

Xie Jin hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty is a man of extraordinary talent and great ambition, with a grand vision that encompasses the universe. How could I, a humble subject, presume to presume to teach you a lesson before Your Majesty?"

After a brief pause, he solemnly said, "This humble subject has traveled a long way to the capital, solely to help Your Majesty strengthen your resolve. I am willing to serve Your Majesty with utmost loyalty and assistance."

"I command you to speak." Zhu Yunwen's face was calm, his voice light yet exuding an unquestionable authority.

Sensing a hint of displeasure in the emperor's tone, Xie Jin's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty has decreed that this humble subject dares not disobey."

"Your Majesty previously adopted measures to restrict land rents and strongly encouraged nobles and gentry to sell their land to the court. These measures are far-sighted and, in my humble opinion, extremely appropriate."

"The court only needs to follow this method, proceed steadily and gradually, and buy back the land from the landlords one by one."

"When all the land in the land is in the hands of the imperial court, then it will be distributed fairly and justly to all the people, and everything will naturally fall into place."

Zhu Yunwen smiled faintly, shook his head slightly, and said, "The purpose of purchasing land from nobles and gentry was mainly to provide them with the funds needed to build a mercenary army to go to sea."

"Using this to reclaim some land is just a side effect."

"But if all the landlords and gentry in the country rushed to sell their land to the imperial court, how could the court possibly come up with such a huge sum of money?"

Seven or eight out of ten fields in the country were controlled by landlords and gentry.

The amount of money required to buy back all the land is so enormous that it is difficult to quantify.

Furthermore, if all of such a massive amount of fixed assets were converted into current assets, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The prices of goods in the Ming Dynasty will inevitably fall into chaos and become extremely volatile.

The difference between current assets and fixed assets is like an insurmountable chasm.

Once fixed assets are no longer available as a reservoir for currency, the economic situation of the Ming Dynasty will undergo a dramatic change in an instant.

This method definitely won't work.

After hearing this, Xie Jin cupped his hands and said, "I have been creating a great deal of momentum to implement the new policies just to frighten those people."

"At this point, if the imperial court intervenes to purchase the land, the price can be driven down to the lowest possible level. In this way, the amount of money needed will be greatly reduced."

Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly; this was indeed beyond doubt.

The imperial court released information and created a great deal of public pressure.

Land prices are bound to plummet.

However, there is a bottom line.

"Even so, the amount of money required is still far too large, far exceeding the limits that the Ministry of Revenue can afford."

He frowned slightly, his mind drifting to the Ministry of Revenue's meager accounts.

"This approach may lower land prices, but once they fall to a certain level, the landowners will be unwilling to sell."

“There is another way,” Xie Jin quickly offered a new suggestion: “I know a little about banking matters.”

"Your Majesty may order the Great Ming Bank to issue acceptance checks for the funds needed to purchase the land. The Great Ming Bank will accept the checks, but the payment period can be set three, five, or even ten years later, during which time the bank will pay interest."

"After the due date, landlords can be encouraged to continue depositing their money in banks, and the court will continue to pay interest. In this way, the amount that the court needs to pay can be paid off gradually over several decades."

The bank had been established for several years, and during this time, the literati gradually gained a deeper understanding of its operating model.

Xie Jin usually paid close attention to these new things and naturally did some research on them.

Installment payment?

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen's heart stirred.

Admittedly, at first glance, this does seem like a feasible solution.

But he only pondered it for a moment before quickly rejecting it in his mind.

The reason is actually quite simple; ultimately, it boils down to a liquidity issue.

Even if acceptance is made in installments, acceptance will still be required in the end.

Even if the Ming Bank is financially strong and can barely afford it, the consequences of releasing such a huge amount of currency into the market would still be unimaginable.

At the very least, doing so means that for the next decade or so, the Ming Dynasty's printing presses will be running non-stop at high speed.

More than a decade of massive monetary easing!
During this period, the imperial court was unable to effectively tighten control.

The resulting economic risks are simply too great. A slight misstep could drag the entire Ming Dynasty's economy into an abyss of no return.

However, it is quite remarkable that Xie Jin could come up with such an idea.

The complexity of the modern financial system is not easy to understand.

This is especially true for people who have never had any contact with this before.

Zhu nodded and said, "Jie Jin, it is truly remarkable that you could think of this. I am very pleased."

"However, I have already made plans for this matter."

"What you just said is absolutely right. Your mission is to stir up a storm in the public opinion field, establish the authority of the new school of thought, and lay a solid foundation for the implementation of subsequent new policies."

"I remember that you once wrote to your grandfather, the Emperor, requesting the compilation of a comprehensive encyclopedia. You wanted to compile all the traditional classics such as the classics, histories, philosophical works, and literary collections, as well as various fields of knowledge such as astronomy, geography, yin and yang, medicine, divination, Buddhism, Taoism, and arts and crafts into a magnificent work, so as to demonstrate the power of our Great Ming Dynasty and bring blessings to future generations."

"Your grandfather greatly appreciated your suggestion, but due to various reasons, he ultimately failed to issue an edict to begin the book compilation."

Changing the subject, Zhu Yunwen's eyes instantly sharpened: "I am determined to compile this book today."

"Firstly, it brings together books from all over the world to preserve the wisdom and splendid civilization accumulated over thousands of years in China, and prevents the treasures of knowledge from being lost."

"Secondly, the opportunity of compiling the book allows scientific knowledge to be disseminated to a wider audience."

"Thirdly, by compiling books, we can set things right, give new learning its proper name, and clear away obstacles to the smooth implementation of new policies."

He paused slightly, then emphasized, "This matter is of great importance, concerning the inheritance of civilization and, even more so, the rise and fall of the nation."

Zhu Yunwen looked Xie Jin up and down, his eyes filled with expectation, and said, "It is said that you, Xie Jin, have been well-versed in poetry and literature since childhood, possessing a wealth of knowledge and profound learning. I intend to appoint you to oversee the compilation of this great work. Are you willing to take on this important task and live up to my expectations?"

After observing Xie Jin closely, Zhu Yunwen was absolutely certain that Xie Jin was not a suitable candidate for officialdom.

Politics is, in essence, an art of compromise.

While struggle is certainly crucial, the ultimate goal of struggle is not to completely defeat the enemy, but more importantly, to gather allies and unite more forces in the process of struggle.

However, Xie Jin was upright and straightforward, lacking any tact or flexibility, and had an inherent arrogance that bordered on disdain for others.

If he were entrusted with the important task of actually handling political affairs, the result would inevitably be a complete mess.

However, if he were to offer advice and suggestions, and adopt the reasonable ones, then his intelligence would certainly have a place to shine.

To put it bluntly, people like Xie Jin are giants in the theoretical field, but they have great shortcomings in practical work.

However, the art of employing people is like playing chess.

A skilled chess player can make each piece play its unique role precisely, without expecting any piece to have omnipotent abilities.

Having Xie Jin dedicate himself to compiling books, allowing him to acquire broader knowledge for future reference, was undoubtedly the most appropriate arrangement.

In the future, if you need to look up various kinds of knowledge, Jie Jin will be like a "walking library" or a "knowledge search engine" that is always ready to be used.

Zhu Yunwen could use this to search for the knowledge he needed.

Furthermore, the job of editing books requires writing comments on the content, which provides an excellent opportunity to establish "new learning".

Engaging in theoretical debates was another of Xie Jin's forte.

Therefore, although Xie Jin was not suited for an official career, he was highly compatible with the position of "book editor" and could also engage in verbal battles with the old forces.

Compiling such a monumental work had always been Xie Jin's dream.

Upon hearing Zhu Yunwen's arrangement, he was overjoyed and immediately knelt down, saying loudly, "This humble subject kowtows to Your Majesty for your boundless grace. This humble subject will obey Your Majesty's command."

Yang Shiqi whispered a reminder from the side: "Now that you have accepted the order, you can no longer refer to yourself as a commoner; you should refer to yourself as 'your subject'."

Xie Jin hurriedly kowtowed again, earnestly saying, "Your subject is truly trembling with fear and gratitude, and will certainly do everything in my power to successfully compile this book."

"Good!" Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly, then instructed, "The compilation of the book will be led by Yao Guangxiao, who will coordinate relationships with all parties. You will be in charge of the actual compilation. You can raise any needs you may have with Yao Guangxiao."

The primary task of compiling books is to collect books from all over the world, which undoubtedly requires the concerted efforts of many government departments in the Ming Dynasty.

In Zhu Yunwen's eyes, although Xie Jin was exceptionally talented, he was by no means a suitable candidate to coordinate relationships between various parties.

This talented but arrogant man has an overly rigid style of doing things, and he might offend all the officials in the government offices if he is not careful.

At that time, various government departments will likely pass the buck, "pass the buck," or even secretly sabotage and deliberately obstruct the process.

In contrast, Yao Guangxiao was completely different.

First of all, Yao Guangxiao, as a minister of state affairs, had extremely high prestige in the court and was respectfully called "the black-robed prime minister" by the common people.

Furthermore, he also heads the Intelligence Bureau and the Ming Dynasty Intelligence Agency, and his mysterious aura inspires even greater awe and respect from everyone.

How could any government office dare not give him some face?
Furthermore, Yao Guangxiao's methods of handling affairs were far superior to Xie Jin's!

Therefore, it is most appropriate to let Yao Guangxiao be in charge of collecting books and coordinating relationships with various parties, while Xie Jin only needs to focus on the book editing work. Each of them should perform their respective duties.

Zhu Yunwen pondered for a moment, then added, "In addition, you should humbly seek advice from Lai Wen'an, the president of the Academy of Sciences of the Great Ming Dynasty, and Wen Yuanliu, the vice president of the Imperial University of Peking."

"All knowledge related to the scientific field was compiled and reviewed by personnel from the Ming Academy of Sciences and the Imperial University of Peking."

In terms of traditional cultural knowledge, Xie Jin's scholarship is undoubtedly impeccable.

However, when it came to new knowledge, Zhu Yunwen still trusted the Ming Academy of Sciences and the Imperial University of Peking more.

There are the most professional scientific researchers in the Ming Dynasty.

"The relevant content of the new learning will be discussed with Fang Xiaoru after he arrives in Beijing."

As the founder of modern learning, Fang Xiaoru naturally had to learn a lot from him when compiling his book.

We must first reach a consensus to avoid creating contradictory content that could give our opponents ammunition for a massive attack.

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Xie Jin said respectfully.

Zhu Yunwen gently raised his hand, indicating, "You may rise. Report to the government office immediately."

"Let my guards accompany you to convey my decree: today, you will officially assume the position of compiler."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jin respectfully kowtowed three times before leaving the room and gently closing the door behind him.

After Xie Jin left, Zhu Yunwen's gaze shifted to Yang Shiqi, staring intently at him. His tone was calm yet carried an air of authority: "What is the reason why the Imperial Uncle opposes the new learning and new policies? Does the Empress know about it? Tell me the truth in detail."

Yang Shiqi knelt down with a thud.

……

(End of this chapter)