Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

"Chinese people always like to reconcile and compromise. For example, if you say that this room is too dark and open a skylight here, people will definitely not allow it. But if you advocate removing the roof, they will come to make adjustments. , willing to open the skylight."

Zhuo Jing relayed this sentence to Dao Yan when Dao Yan came to visit. He heard Jiang Xinghuo talk about it one day and found it interesting, so he wrote it down.

In "Jiang Sheng's Quotations", Dao Yan obviously applied what he learned.

At this high-level meeting to set the tone for the future reforms of the Ming Dynasty, Dao Yan's initial plan was not to fully implement the reforms within a short time of the Ming Dynasty.

Daoyan knew very well that this was unrealistic.

Comprehensive implementation of the reform in a short period of time will not only lead to the suppression of targets just mentioned by Jian Yi, leading to loss of control at the grassroots level, but there is also an important problem, which is another factor in the failure of Wang Anshi's reform mentioned before.

There is not enough bureaucracy to promote reforms.

Dao Yan believes that if the Ming Dynasty's reforms want to continue as long as Shang Yang's reforms and Yu Wentai's reforms, the bureaucratic team used to promote the reforms must not be completely transformed from the old bureaucracy!

The new bureaucratic team must meet several conditions.

First, they themselves are the beneficiaries of the reform!

Second, firmly believe in Jiang Sheng’s new theory!

Third, the subjects should be students trained by new education schools!

Only by cultivating a team of bureaucracy large enough to promote the reform can the reform truly avoid being deformed, distorted and exploited, and not waste people or money.

Dao Yan sighed quietly in his heart: "In my lifetime, I only need to sow the seeds of reform, control the direction of reform, and follow Jiang Sheng to overthrow Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism. Whether it is to cultivate a generation of people through teaching and educating people as a reform team, or to Or to really allow the Ming Dynasty to sprout and grow a new class, I am afraid that I will not be able to live to witness it."

But Dao Yan's expression became excited. One generation can do what the other generation does. Although he is old, this also means that he has unparalleled qualifications and the ability to deploy the rich resources accumulated in his hands over the years.

Now, it's time for Daoyan to show his abilities.

From "If we cannot solve the problem of cultivating a new class, we cannot change the reform" to "If we cannot fully implement the reform, we must establish experimental fields." Regardless of whether Jian Yi took the initiative or was forced, he was forced to use the word "experimental field" at this time.

This also means that the civil servants of the gentry class represented by Jian Yi were gradually pushed into a corner by Zhu Di and Dao Yan.

But it is also worth noting that the ministers like Jian Yi dared to bargain with the emperor, not because of their personal qualities, but because they represented the entire Jiangnan gentry class behind them.

If Zhu Di and Dao Yan insist on forcibly implementing the Gengcheng Reform, even if Jian Yi and other ministers agree, I am afraid that by the time the entire bureaucracy inherited from the Jianwen court implements it, the Gengge Reform will still make the same mistakes as Wang Anshi's Reform .

Therefore, how many “experimental fields” should be established, what the individual scale of the “experimental fields” should be, where the “experimental fields” should be established, and to what extent the changes should be made in the “experimental fields” have become the focus of the next temple game.

Game, test, negotiation, exchange, compromise.

Just like the tacit rules of the game between the two parties, as Jian Yi retreated again and again, Dao Yan also slowed down his aggressive attitude in a timely manner.

"Your Majesty, I think what Jian Shangshu said is absolutely correct."

Dao Yan's triangular eyes also softened, he narrowed slightly and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Just like what Jian Shangshu said, when we use chemical fertilizers to farm, we need to set up a few experimental fields. How many can be used for comparison, to see the effect, and to check for deficiencies. Of course, even if we change the method, we will not be able to make a fat man in one go. .”

Zhu Di also felt that the time was almost up, so he said: "Then you might as well discuss it. We, the Ming Dynasty, are changing the law. If we use the 'experimental field' to try it first, which places should be used as the experimental field?"

Huang Fu was the first to answer expressionlessly: "I believe that the experimental field should be selected in a place that the imperial court can abandon at any time, so that if there is unrest, the imperial court can send troops to quell the chaos without causing too much loss."

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere in the cabinet duty room suddenly became a little cold.

Seeing the embarrassment on the emperor's face, Zheng Ci couldn't sit still anymore and said to Huang Fu angrily: "Does Shangshu Huang think that the reform that your majesty wants to implement is doomed to fail?"

"I have absolutely no intention of doing so."

Huang Fu ignored Zheng Ci's provocation and shook his head.

"Then what does Huang Shangshu mean?" Zheng Ci chased after him.

Huang Fu glanced at Zheng Ci and said calmly: "Just to be safe."

Xia Yuanji and Dao Yan looked at each other, and immediately stood up to smooth things over: "Of course Huang Shangshu has a mature view of planning for the country, but I think that since we want to implement changes, we should not conduct experiments in places that can be abandoned at any time, otherwise it will conflict with the situation. What’s wrong with abandoning a son?”

"Your Majesty." Xia Yuanji said to Zhu Di: "Since Master Jiang has an 'experimental group' and a 'control group' when making chemical fertilizers, I believe that there must be at least two groups when making changes. Of course, It’s not necessarily two regions with the same basic conditions, but two regions with different basic conditions, which is more meaningful for comparison.”

Hearing this, everyone nodded.

That is to say, the reason why chemical fertilizers require an ‘experimental group’ and a ‘control group’ is because it is through comparison that we can see the difference in growth between crops promoted by chemical fertilizers and crops grown without chemical fertilizers.

The experimental field for reform can naturally contrast with the nearby areas where no reform has been carried out.

That's why Xia Yuanji said that the two areas serving as experimental fields for reform do not need to be the same.

Rather, it is a test field with different basic conditions in all aspects, which has more reference value for double comparison.

In other words, if the experimental field itself can compare the effect of the reform with that of its neighbors, then two experimental fields with good basic conditions and poor basic conditions can also undergo the same changes and compare the effects of each other, and more can be compared. something to come.

This is more useful information for reform.

"From the perspective of the economic methods I have learned, the experimental field for implementing reform reforms must, first of all, not be areas beyond the actual control of the imperial court, that is, Yunnan-Guizhou and other chieftain-controlled areas, and areas affiliated with ethnic groups outside the Great Wall, cannot be The place of choice for the experimental field.”

Xia Yuanji said eloquently: "Second, in places where the material foundation and population conditions are too poor, there is no reference for reform, such as Gansu, Henan, Shandong and other regions."

Needless to say, Gansu has a very small population. Let’s just talk about Henan and Shandong. Logically speaking, they are both populous provinces and have farming conditions. However, the current situation in the early years of Yongle is that the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River have experienced repeated changes in the Yuan Dynasty for nearly a hundred years. The torment caused by the flood of breaches severely damaged the vitality. However, the subsequent nationwide wars in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, Henan and Shandong were the hardest hit areas.

What is even more unfortunate is that during the Battle of Jingnan, during the strategic stalemate between the Northern and Southern armies, the main battle line was drawn on a winding line that started from Zhending in Hebei in the west, to Zhufu in Henan in the middle, and to Dezhou in Shandong in the east.

Endless wars, grain requisitions, soldier recruitment, and corvee labor have completely collapsed the social and economic order in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. There is no good farming year, let alone any harvest.

So now the two chief ministers of Henan and Shandong have extremely serious population dispersion, and there is no time for post-war reconstruction. How can they still have the ability to carry out more reforms?

Several ministers agreed in principle with Xia Yuanji's point of view.

However, in specific areas, the quarrels continued.

No one dares to bring up the outrageous topic of "using the Susong, Jiahu and other prefectures as experimental fields". The main discussion points are concentrated in Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Hubei, which have good population and economic conditions, and relatively convenient transportation. A place not too far away from the center of Ming Dynasty's rule.

Seeing that the ministers could not reach an agreement, Zhu Di, who had listened for a long time, understood at this time that it was time for him, the arbiter, to step in.

Zhu Di clapped his hands gently, and the ministers immediately stopped arguing.

"Just as the ministers said."

Zhu Di glanced at the ministers in the cabinet room. This meeting had reached the final stage of finalizing the decision.

"The Ming Dynasty needs to change its laws."

"Reform changes require experimental fields."

Zhu Di simply stood up and stood with his hands behind his hands indoors, and the ministers also stood up one after another.

"One of the areas in the south that has not been affected by war must be selected as a test field."

Zhu Di's next words were very calm, but they seemed to have thrown a thunderbolt at the scene.

"Zhili is good, what do you think?"

"Your Majesty, no!"

What I want to say here is that the Ming Dynasty Zhili at this time, centered on Nanjing Yingtian Prefecture, included 14 prefecture-level administrative units, including the richest Suzhou Prefecture and Songjiang Prefecture.

In addition, famous areas such as Fengyang Prefecture, Huai'an Prefecture, Yangzhou Prefecture, Zhenjiang Prefecture, Luzhou Prefecture, and Xuzhou (Zhili Prefecture) are all included.

"Listen to me."

Looking at the angry ministers, Zhu Di waved his hands and said: "I intend to establish Northern Zhili, and at the same time reduce the scope of Southern Zhili, and forcibly divide some areas that should be returned to the local chief envoys due to customs, geography and other reasons. , hand them all back.”

The emperor's calm words represented the re-division of the Ming Dynasty temple territory.

The interests involved will undoubtedly make these high-level decision-makers of the Ming Empire jealous.

Not to mention anything else, just in Beizhili alone, how many chickens and dogs from the prefecture can be raised to heaven?

As for Southern Zhili, how many official positions will suffer a sudden drop in status? How many official positions will become extremely in demand?

Once this news comes out, how many people should be allowed to break their heads and try to enter the North-South Zhili that will be re-divided?

At this time, Zhu Gaojiu promptly brought out a map of the Ming Dynasty that had been prepared in advance, and his eyes signaled Zhu Gaojiu to open the scroll with him.

The map of Ming Dynasty slowly unfolded.

Zhu Di raised his strong hand and outlined on the map the shapes of the two future experimental fields in North and South Zhili.