Emperor Zhu stopped tapping his fingers on the table and said sternly: "The Ming Dynasty must not lose its desire to enter. It can never have the idea of ​​​​keeping swords and guns in storage or letting horses go to Nanshan."

Today's Ming Dynasty is not without any problems, but all the problems are covered up under the rapid development of Ming Dynasty.

Let’s take land resources as an example.

Are the land resources in Ming Dynasty really not tight?

On the surface, the current Ming Dynasty is in a state of vast territory and sparsely populated areas, whether it is the original eighteen provinces of the Han Dynasty or the later Jiaozhi, Bangzi, Old Port, or even Alaska and Louisiana that were divided into Qin and Jin.

Large tracts of land are idle and uncultivated, which indeed has nothing to do with the shortage of land resources.

But once you look at it from another angle, it is completely different - what Ming Dynasty needs now is not just land for farming, but also a large amount of land for industry, and the demand for mineral resources is a bottomless pit.

More importantly, the Ming Dynasty is still in an explosive period of population growth. In just a dozen years, the number of Dingkou has increased sharply from more than 300 million in the 48th year of Qianlong's reign to more than 500 million now. If it continues

What about more than ten years or even decades?

Land resources are just like Han Xin's troops. The more the better. No emperor would dislike having more land.

In addition to land resources, Ming Dynasty also had a lot of problems in other aspects.

As Mr. Lu Shuren, a degenerate scholar, said: The forest is big, and there are all kinds of birds.

The more people there are, the more different ideas there are. Who knows one day a How dare you thing will pop up.

Just like some people asked for reflection before, thinking that Ming Dynasty's current territory is large enough and it should stop expanding outwards, this kind of bullshit idea existed before, exists now, and is unlikely to be less in the future.

Now Ming Dynasty can still rely on the dividends brought by rapid development to suppress those messy problems, but who can guarantee that Ming Dynasty can always maintain rapid development?

Not to mention anything else, just the random things that happen every three days on the small broken ball will definitely affect the development of Ming Dynasty.

Once the development speed of Ming Dynasty slows down...

A certain uncorrupted scholar Zhou Xun once said: The universe is not a dark forest, but the small broken ball between countries.

Sand Goose, England, Silly Thieving Eagle...even Japan, France, each country on the small broken ball, the distance between them and the Ming Dynasty is not as far as the distance between the small broken ball and the Trisolarans

!

Once the Ming Dynasty stagnates, other small countries that have sucked countless blood from the Ming Dynasty will have the opportunity to catch up. Will those countries let the Ming Dynasty go?

Some people may say that the reason those countries hate Ming is because Ming sucked the blood of their countries and caused serious harm to other countries. If Ming had treated those countries well, the situation that Emperor Zhu was worried about would not have happened.

In fact, this kind of argument is completely bullshit. People who can say such things are either really stupid or simply bad - the Tang Dynasty did not treat the Japanese country well? The Ming Dynasty did not treat the Japanese country kindly? Even if they did not treat the Japanese country kindly, at the beginning

There is no bullying, right?

You must know that the attitude of the Central Plains Tangkou towards the Japanese and other barbarians was that they would not reject those who came, and would not pursue those who left. They were willing to pay tribute, and those who were willing to learn were allowed to come. Those who were unwilling to pay tribute were allowed to go. Those who were willing to learn were allowed to go.

The difference between the words is a thousand miles.

However, the Japanese country initially followed Siya of the Tang Dynasty until Baijiangkou was beaten. Later, it followed Siya of the Ming Dynasty. It was not until a certain hen-pecked soldier who did not want to be named severely punished them that they became honest.

In fact, almost all countries are afraid of power but not moral. Even the people in the Central Plains are also afraid of power but not moral.

It is precisely because he knew this that Emperor Zhu planned to completely capture New South Wales now, and he planned to let the businessmen led by Wang Zixuan charge forward, and wait until they had seized a piece of territory before letting the Ming army take action. .

Because Zizixuan and the others take the initiative, they will be able to get the honor of expanding their territory and eat a big piece of fat. To put it bluntly, Emperor Zhu intends to set up Zizixuan and the others as a model and inspire other businessmen to follow suit. At the same time, Zizixuan and the others They will also think about issues from the standpoint of opening up new territories and expanding their territory, and will not have thoughts similar to those of Ma Fang Nanshan.

After briefly explaining the reasoning behind this to classmate Zhu Jianyong, Emperor Zhu asked inexplicably: "Let me ask you, do you think our Ming Dynasty and even all dynasties rely on the rule of law? Or the rule of men?"

Classmate Zhu Jianying was stunned for a moment and replied hesitantly: "Since my father founded the country, he has always been promoting the rule of law. Of course our Ming Dynasty should be ruled by law, but no matter how perfect the law is, it still has to be implemented by people. Therefore, , Our Ming Dynasty is actually similar to previous dynasties, relying on human rule?"

But after answering Emperor Zhu's question, classmate Zhu Jianyong felt a little awkward again.

Because Emperor Zhu’s question is so deceptive, no matter how you answer it, you can’t circumvent the relationship between people and the law - the law must rely on people to implement it, and people must also use the law as a criterion. No one can live without the other, so how can we simply say that it is the rule of law or the rule of man?

However, what Zhu Jianyong didn't expect was that Emperor Zhu just smiled and shook his head, and then asked inexplicably: "Then let me ask you again, what is the purpose of setting up a Ministry of Etiquette in all dynasties? Why did our Ming Dynasty also set up a Ministry of Etiquette? From the Ministry of Rites?"

When Emperor Zhu asked this question, classmate Zhu Jianyong suddenly became even more confused.

Since the Ministry of Rites was established in the Northern Wei Dynasty and then became one of the six departments in the Sui Dynasty, the Ministry of Rites has always been in charge of the ritual system of the Five Rites and the law of school tribute. It has jurisdiction over the Rites Department, the Ancestral Hall Department, the Food Department, the Host and Guest Department, and is divided into four departments: Rites and Music. , schools, religion, ethnicity and foreign policy, which have remained unchanged throughout the generations.

So here comes the question: What does the matter of the Ministry of Rites have to do with whether the Ming Dynasty relied on people to rule or rule by law?

Just when classmate Zhu Jianyong looked confused, Emperor Zhu said with a smile: "Throughout the past dynasties, even our Ming Dynasty, in fact, it was not a simple rule of man, nor a simple rule of law, but a rule of etiquette."

Classmate Zhu Jianyong was a little dissatisfied and said: "In the past, Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty once said: The Han family has its own system, which is based on the overlord's way. But how can you use the Zhou Dynasty to teach purely moral principles?"

Hearing what classmate Zhu Jianyong said, Emperor Zhu glanced at classmate Zhu Jianyong unexpectedly, and then burst into laughter: "Those who mess up the Han family?"

"The prince is the one who messes with my family!" This is what Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty warned the prince in order to teach him the shortcomings of "being gentle and loving Confucianism". It means: Our old Liu family has its own system of governing the country, and we use hegemony and kingship at the same time. You Do you want to educate the world purely by relying on morality? Can't you see it? You are a very ugly little bastard and you are quite playful. You actually want to restore the Zhou Dynasty's method of using etiquette to rule the country?

When classmate Zhu Jianyong said this now, it was natural that he was implying that Emperor Zhu was reversing the course of history.

Classmate Zhu Jianyong also realized that he had made a mistake, and he quickly bowed and said, "Father, please calm down. It was the son who made a mistake."

However, Emperor Zhu smiled, waved his hand, and said: "There is no need to calm down your anger. If you dare to tell us what is wrong with you in person, this is a good thing. We are not so petty."

But after laughing, Emperor Zhu asked seriously: "Let me ask you again, whether it is domineering or kingly, will it ultimately be classified as a question of rule of man or rule of law?"

As Emperor Zhu said, whether it is hegemony or kingship, it must eventually return to the system. Naturally, there is also the issue of rule of man or rule of law.

Emperor Zhu then asked: "If it is said that people rule, then the rise and fall of the world should be attributed to one person, that is, all merits and demerits should be attributed to the emperor. However, in the history of our Central Plains, there are many people who did not leave the imperial city with their decrees.

Example, how should I say this?”

"Everyone said that Jie and Zhou were tyrannical, but merchants would rather die than eat Zhou millet. How should we say this? They all said that the Han Dynasty was under the rule of Wen and Jing, the Tang Dynasty was under the rule of Zhenguan, and the Ming Dynasty was under the rule of Yongle and Renxuan. However,

In the time of Wen and King, no one starved to death? In the time of Zhenguan, no one died of starvation? In Yongle, in the time of Ren and Xuan, no one died of hunger and no one rebelled?"

Classmate Zhu Jianyong was silent.

As the eldest son of the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, the knowledge he had been exposed to and learned since he was a child made Zhu Jianyong clearly understand that no matter how beautiful the rule of Wenjing, Zhenguan and Yongle, the rule of Renxuan was described in the history books, everything changed.

The productivity was low at that time.

In other words, if most people can survive from starvation, it can be regarded as a prosperous and prosperous age. It is still far from the world unity mentioned by Confucianism, and it is even less far from when everyone can have enough to eat, eat well, and be clothed warmly.

The difference is in heaven and on earth.

Emperor Zhu continued: "If we say it is the rule of law, then governing the country should rely on the laws of the past dynasties, such as the "Tang Lv Shu Yi" in the Tang Dynasty or the "Da Ming Lv" of our Ming Dynasty, or the "Laws of the Ming Dynasty" set by Emperor Taizu Gao.

"Da Gao", but!"

Emperor Zhu changed the subject: "Whether it is the imperial examination system, the nine-rank Zhongzheng system, or the imperial examination, when selecting officials, there is no subject that specifically assesses the laws of the dynasty, and those officials may not have learned the law before they take office.

Those who are proficient in the laws of the dynasty are very rare, so how can this be considered the rule of law?"

"What's even more strange is that these officials who are not proficient in the law and are selected by the Chaju or the Nine-Rank Zhongzheng system or the imperial examination can maintain the stability of the world and even win the trust of the people.

There are also many people who are called Lord Qingtian by the people."

Emperor Zhu asked with a smile: "Can you tell us why this is?"

When Emperor Zhu's words fell, classmate Zhu Jianying was already stunned on the spot, with cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

Classmate Zhu Jianyong looked at Emperor Zhu stupidly and asked, "Is this what father calls rule by etiquette?"

Emperor Zhu nodded with a smile and said: "Yes, this is the rule of etiquette. The rule of the world in Zhongyuan Tangkou has never relied on wise kings, saints, loyal ministers, and wise ministers. It is not law, but etiquette. A set of rules around

Rules arising from etiquette.”

[To be honest, I have been using Yeguo Reading recently to catch up on books, change sources, and read aloud with many sounds, and it can be used on both Android and Apple.]

"Because the emperor was worried that someone would seize the throne, he made rules for treason and killing the nine clans. Officials and gentry were worried about their own interests being harmed, so they wanted to restrict imperial power. People were worried about their own interests being harmed, so they hoped to have a law that could protect them.

."

"So, from the emperor to all the people in the world, they all need a set of rules to ensure their own interests, and at the same time, restrain the groups that can affect their interests and even everyone including themselves."

"And this set of rules is etiquette!"

"After the summary of Confucius and Mencius and the development of Confucianism, Legalism and other schools of thought, etiquette has become the bottom line in the hearts of everyone in the Central Plains. It is this bottom line that plays a role close to law."

"It is precisely because this bottom line has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people that many of the officials are not proficient in the law, but they can use the law to protect the people. It is also because this bottom line has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, so the people usually have their own

It is easy to find it difficult to touch the law based on the rules of conduct."

"So, since ancient times, Zhongyuan Tangkou has been governing the country according to etiquette instead of rule by people or law!"

Having said this, Emperor Zhu asked with a smile: "So, now you understand why the Ministry of Rites was established, and why the Ministry of Rites is collectively called the six departments of households, officials, punishments, workers, and soldiers?"

In fact, the Department of Rites is not collectively called the Six Departments along with Households, Officials, Punishments, Workers, and Soldiers, but it is implicitly superior to the other five departments. It can even be called the head of the Six Departments - because the Department of Rites controls etiquette!

Classmate Zhu Jianyong nodded as if he understood, but then asked with a confused face: "Then my father has been promoting the rule of law, so he wants to rely on the rule of law to replace the rule of etiquette?"

Emperor Zhu nodded slightly and muttered: "Whether it is the rule of etiquette, the rule of law, or the rule of man, the ultimate essence is to maintain the stability and balance of the rules, but times have changed, and any set of rules has its own limitations.

, cannot be applied to all eras, and the same applies to the rule of etiquette, the rule of law, or the rule of nature by man."

"When the old rules cannot match the new rules, there will be a violent conflict between the two, and naturally there will be what Confucius called the collapse of rituals and music."

“For example, if our Ming Dynasty is still the same as the previous Ming Dynasty, even if it is the same as the Qing Dynasty, then we don’t need to promote the rule of law, we can just use the system before the Ming Dynasty or even the system of the Qing Dynasty.

"

"But the Ming Dynasty is different from previous dynasties. Both its territory and the number of settlements far exceed those of previous dynasties. All kinds of problems, both apparent and hidden, also far exceed those of previous dynasties."

"If nothing else, Emperor Wen and Jing of the Han Dynasty would not have had the same headache as we do about the expenses of overseas military bases, and Emperor Yongle would not have the same headache as we have about where to sell the cattle and sheep on the grassland. Money-deaf old dogs

It is even less possible for you to worry about the education of children in the homes of ordinary people like us."

"So, the previous systems are no longer suitable for our Ming Dynasty, and what needs to be changed must be changed to make it suitable for our Ming Dynasty."
Chapter completed!