Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 660 Applying it to the people

By the time Sunjiazhuang was captured, Kong Shu had already figured out everything.

Kong Shu wanted to incite powerful families to make underhanded moves, so Luo Huaiyan used the pretext of granting land to mobilize ordinary people to deal with the powerful families.

This is exactly what is meant by "pulling one faction against the other."

If Bi Zaiyu were to lead only a hundred Flying Tiger Armored Cavalrymen, along with a few dozen officials and clerks, even with the pretext of righteousness, it would be difficult to quickly quell the situation in Qufu.

But now the people have been mobilized. The villagers are watching the landlords, and the tenants are watching the landowners. It's like the powerful and wealthy are fighting against the entire Qufu. It would be a miracle if they could hold out.

After Kong Shu entered the main tent, he knelt down before Gao Chang, who was sitting in the main seat, without saying a word.

"This old man is ignorant of the Emperor's authority and thought that his little tricks could fool the discerning eyes of the magistrate. He is truly ignorant and hopes that Magistrate Gao will forgive him this time."

Gao Chang initially tried to get up to help him, but after hearing half of what he said, he sat back down steadily and asked, "Magistrate Kong, are you admitting defeat?"

Seeing that the matter had been laid bare, Gao Chang no longer held back his politeness.

Kong Shu nodded and said, "This old man admits defeat. I will soon divide the family and move my clansmen out of Qufu."

Luo Huaiyan said with a smile, "Magistrate Kong, you mustn't speak so ambiguously. What do you mean by 'not soon'? How many days is it exactly?"

Kong Shu remained silent for a moment before saying, "There are so many things to deal with, it should take at least half a month."

Luo Huaiyan's smile faded: "Five days."

Kong was taken aback.

Luo Huaiyan continued talking, taking a document from the table: "Magistrate Kong, don't even think about moving a few collateral branches out. I have detailed documents here, and these people must be moved out."

At this point, Luo Huaiyan leaned down and stared into Kong Shu's eyes: "Thirteen households occupy one-third of the arable land in the entire Qufu account book. This doesn't even include the hidden land and households. If we don't punish you, where will the people of Qufu have land to cultivate? Are we going to send them all to Shimen Mountain?"

Kong Shu looked at the book, but after only flipping through a few pages, he began to tremble violently.

He finally couldn't hold back any longer and stood up, saying to Luo Huaiyan, "Tenants working for us can still survive. You brat, do you really know what kind of people the government is?"

"I'll tell you now!"

"The Jin government levied exorbitant taxes, demanding 60% tax on every acre of land, needless to say."

"Were the Song Dynasty officials any better before?"

Have you ever heard of the "Flower and Stone Tribute"?

Have you heard of Xicheng?

"If it weren't for my grandfather's great wisdom and courage in bringing these fields under his control and protecting the people by turning them into tenants in the name of the Confucius family, Qufu would have long been filled with displaced people."

Kong Shu glared fiercely at Luo Huaiyan, then turned to look at Gao Chang.

“Prefect Gao, this fellow is just a child, it’s understandable that he doesn’t know such things, but how come you have such thoughts? Aren’t the local tyrants and bullies you talk about the people’s only support to resist the government?! Now you’ve wiped out all the good families in the area, who will stand up to the government when it comes down again?”

"What about those commoners who have never left their homes? Or those so-called village and neighborhood chiefs? In the end, all of them will be at the mercy of the officials!"

“Prefect Gao, you are not only a prefect, but also a fellow Shandong native. Speak the truth: is it really a matter of benefiting the common people by eliminating all the wealthy families in the country?”

This is where the complexity lies in actually doing things.

To give a simple example, at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Hebei suffered severe natural disasters, especially after the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, and people fled with their families.

Some people fled to the Taihang Mountains, while others fled to Youzhou and became dependents of powerful local tyrants.

At the time, officials in Youzhou not only did not stop them, but even assisted powerful families in absorbing the refugees. The fundamental reason was that the government had no way to provide relief to these people. If the powerful families were not allowed to absorb them, these refugees would either become a refugee army or starve to death.

Under the protection of powerful families, ordinary people working as tenant farmers at least have something to eat, but when faced with the iron fist of the government, they truly have nowhere to be buried.

Luo Huaiyan was unable to answer Kong Shu's question.

But this did not stump Gao Chang. The official, who came from a low-ranking position in Haizhou, simply smiled and said, "Has Magistrate Kong read the Doctrine of the Mean?"

"Of course I've read it."

"My knowledge is shallow, so I would like to ask Magistrate Kong to explain this saying: Shun was fond of asking questions and observing what others said, he concealed evil and promoted good, held to both ends and applied the middle way to benefit the people, is this what Shun was? What exactly does 'held to both ends and applied the middle way to benefit the people' mean?"

Kong Shu's family had a good education: "Measure to find the middle ground, and then use it."

This means that when doing things, one should consider different opposing perspectives, avoid excess or deficiency, choose the good and follow it, and do just the right thing.

This is the core idea of ​​the Doctrine of the Mean: too much is as bad as too little.

However, Gao Chang shook his head slightly: "I have heard a new interpretation, which is called: 'Holding to the middle while adapting to change'."

Kong Shu's expression changed slightly.

But Gao Chang continued, “Magistrate Kong, nothing in this world is static. If you trace back five generations of landlords and wealthy families, they might have been hardworking farmers; if you trace back five generations of poor tenant farmers, they might have been local tyrants and bullies.”

The same applies to government officials. Today's government may be clean and honest, but tomorrow it may be levying exorbitant taxes. Today's powerful and influential people may be obstructing the common people, but tomorrow's gentry may become their saviors.

"Since I'm in office, whether I suppress or support the powerful should be determined by the circumstances. But the current situation is that the people could be living better lives, yet your selfishness is disrupting their lives. How can I not use force?"

Kong Shu had nothing to say to this pragmatist, and could only stare at Gao Chang for a long time: "Do you really think... do you think that after we Kong family are moved away, Qufu will no longer produce powerful families, and no one will annex any more land?"

Gao Chang still had that same smiling face: "Of course there will be more, but I am just a local official. How can I manage the affairs of the ages? Just like the Si River and Xiao Yi River that flow through Qufu, aren't the waterways repaired every year? Even if one day there is a flood, are you going to blame me for being diligent in repairing the rivers now?"

"We are all just ordinary people, only able to care about what's in front of us."

At this point, Gao Chang finally frowned and said, "But Magistrate Kong, if anyone still wants to obstruct this matter, then I will use some ruthless methods. Magistrate Kong, please do not blame me."

Completely helpless, Kong Shu held the book in his hand, bowed to Gao Chang, and staggered away.

Looking at Kong Su's disheveled appearance, Luo Huaiyan said to Gao Chang, "Gao Zhizhou, were those words you just said the truth or just to appease this fellow?"

Gao Chang did not answer, but instead brought up another matter: "Nephew, I have known your father for a long time, and I have a few words from the heart that I would like to say to you."

Gao Chang was originally a minor official in Haizhou. He was already acquainted with Luo Guzi, the former magistrate of Qushan County in Haizhou. Later, when Luo Guzi served as the prefect of Haizhou, Gao Chang became the magistrate of Qushan County. The two had worked together for a long time and were already friends in a certain sense, so it was only natural for him to address Luo Guzi as his nephew.

Seeing that Gao Chang was about to get down to business, Luo Huaiyan didn't dare to be negligent and immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "Uncle, please speak."

Gao Chang stroked his beard and said, "After you've done this good deed and shown the Commander-in-Chief your abilities, you should get out of this mess and never get involved again."

Seeing that Luo Huaiyan was somewhat puzzled, Gao Chang explained things more clearly: "The eldest son is a man who wants to unify the four seas, but since the country has accepted all the territories of the Song, Liao, Jin and Western bandits, it will naturally also accept the troubles of these countries."

If these states do not curb annexation, there will inevitably be many powerful and entrenched families. At that point, they will have to be broken up one by one and distributed to various parts of the north.

“This will offend people. I can do this for the Commander-in-Chief, but I don’t want you to get involved too. You and that Bi Dalang are both good men, and you shouldn’t waste your time on this matter.”

After Gao Chang finished speaking, ignoring Luo Huaiyan's astonished look up, he immediately gave the order: "After Bi Dalang has cleaned up the area around Qufu, you will set off immediately to Jinan Prefecture to personally hand over the prisoners and case files to the Commander-in-Chief. You may still be able to make it in time for the spring sacrifice."

Before Luo Huaiyan could say anything, Gao Chang patted Luo Huaiyan on the shoulder and said, "You know what? I envy you all the most, even a little jealous, because you will inevitably grow up when the country is thriving, while I can only live in a chaotic world in the first half of my life."

"Hoo..." After a long silence, Gao Chang let out a long sigh: "But I am already much better off than our ancestors. At least, I can finally see a corner of the prosperous age."

(End of this chapter)