Chapter 2047: The theory of sipping incense and the principle of valuing agriculture
For some people in the Han Dynasty who did not understand economics at all, it was of little use and influence to talk about some great principles, because what these people did not lack was great principles. And the greater the truth, the more loopholes there are. Taking things out of context is an instinct of these people.
Therefore, when the so-called "theory of sipping incense" came out in the council hall of General Fei Qian, many people were immediately dumbfounded, because they were completely unable to explain this matter using the principles they had mastered.
Confucius "spared money" and "sufficient food", but in fact he could not achieve the moral standards he advocated. He would even quibble and say, "How can I eat melons without eating them?"
So Confucius is only a human being after all. When measuring everything based on Confucius’ theory, various problems will inevitably arise.
Just like the "Theory of Sipping Incense" proposed by Fei Qian this time, I am afraid that even if Confucius is reincarnated, he may not be able to describe and understand it.
However, this problem, in later generations, was actually just the triangular debt that was often encountered. The formation of triangular debt is, on the one hand, due to repeated investment in projects and long recovery times; on the other hand, the products cannot be sold and there is a large backlog. If triangular bonds are generally not broken by external forces, it will easily lead to mutual runs and collapse, and eventually they will end together.
?Fei Qian is talking about gold and silver coins on the surface, but the actual problem reflected is not just about gold and silver coins. If we raise the scope of triangular debt and look at the whole of Greater Asia, in fact, in many cases, China and its surrounding areas have similar patterns of "triangular debt."
Emperor, relative, eunuch.
Han, Xiongnu, Xiqiang.
?Fei Qian, Cao Cao, Sun Quan.
?But so far, the only one who has looked up and looked far away is Fei Qian.
The reason why China has been in a relatively leading position for thousands of years in ancient times, Fei Qian believes, is that its unique location and geographical environment are the most important factors.
Let’s not mention the continuous mountains and rivers in China, which are vast and fertile. Let’s just say that the land of China has been in a semi-closed geographical state for a long time. In short, there is the sea to the east, the grassland desert to the north, and the plateau mountains to the west and south... These geographical environments, in an era of underdeveloped transportation, were like a natural barrier, enclosing the largest territory that an ancient dynasty could theoretically control. Commercial and cultural exchanges might be insurmountable, but it would be a nightmare for large military expeditions.
Hence, for a long period of time, the local dynasties of China were less likely to be invaded by another powerful dynasty. However, once this external barrier was broken, the local dynasties of China often collapsed very quickly...
In fact, in the Han Dynasty, many scholars or court officials discovered that the so-called "big" is not necessarily beautiful, because China''s good geographical location and environment surrounded what an ancient dynasty could theoretically control. The "largest" territory, but this range is not the most reasonable territory that can be effectively controlled.
In the case of inconvenient transportation information, the people of the Han Dynasty, or the Eastern Han Dynasty, saw that large remote areas could only be controlled but could not be completely controlled. It was even possible that various problems would arise in these areas, leading to threats. To the central dynasty, many officials in the Eastern Han Dynasty began to learn to "give up".
Nothing is difficult in the world, as long as you are willing to give up.
However, these renunciation doctrines obviously cannot completely solve the border issue, and will even make the border issue more difficult, because once these surrounding areas are abandoned, these border areas will continue to form powerful forces to threaten the central government and retreat in exchange for If you don''t have peace, you can only get a beating. It''s like being a coward.
At present, Fei Qian, from Yinshan Mountain in the north to Nanzhong in the south, from Taihang in the east to Xiyu in the west, has a vast territory and complex geography. Normally, or according to the concept of Shandong nobles, such a large area In a large area, there will inevitably be communication problems, command problems, soldier problems, transportation problems, etc., so that these problems are like debts one after another. It may not have much impact at the time, but in the end Feiqian will be dragged down by these debts...
This is a very interesting thinking pattern of Dahan today, that is, if he can''t do something himself, he also thinks that others can''t do it either. This kind of thinking even influenced later dynasties.
When China was developing its business, it encountered many problems. However, when these problems were encountered, these great Confucian officials who usually talked eloquently could not come up with any solutions. Of course, among them, there were many Sometimes it is our own people who hold their own people back, trying to use their opponents'' flaws to prove their own intelligence.
Therefore, in the end, if we do not engage in business, agriculture is the simplest and most secure, which is conducive to the stability of the ruling class and the consolidation of the exploiting class. It is too troublesome to engage in business, so forget it. gave up.
The result of giving up and retreating is that the industrial revolution has begun outside, and China is still paying off its debts...
So when Zheng Xuan said that he was talking about the "loss of industry and commerce", Fei Qian wanted to take this opportunity to sort out the theoretical basis of the so-called "emphasis on agriculture and light on commerce", so he specifically asked Zhuge Liang to jump out and show his words... Well, don''t worry about it. Whatever it is, the effect is pretty good anyway.
Zheng Xuan was obviously mature, so the people he sent out were also disciples. If he did not move, the loss of face would naturally be within the range he could bear.
Does it mean that this debate can completely solve the problem of "valuing agriculture over business"?
?Fei Qian is not that naive.
At most, it''s like knocking a mole, temporarily knocking back this pop-up. Once there is a problem with Feiqian''s business model, these "agriculture over business" retreatism will come out again. No, "Look, someone said it a long time ago..."
?Hence, the most important issue for Fei Qian at the moment is still not to send troops to invade the Shandong region, but to solve and clean up "its own debt", that is, to develop productivity and production technology as soon as possible, so that it can meet the next challenges.
The Sanfu of Guanzhong and the Weishui River Valley are thousands of miles of fertile land. Although after thousands of years of development, the Guanzhong area has shown some signs of soil erosion, it will still be a fertile land for at least a few hundred years.
From a historical point of view, the productivity of the Guanzhong area was completely behind the productivity of the Central Plains and even Jiangnan until the end of the Tang Dynasty. It was also from that time that Chang''an was no longer a suitable capital.
What Fei Qian needs now is still people, more people and land, there is no shortage now.
Even in the wars of the hot weapon era in later generations, not too many people died directly on the battlefield. The sharp decline in population was mainly due to plague and famine caused by long-term wars, as well as the large-scale flight of homesteaders.
At present, the war in Guanzhong does not last too long, which is naturally attributed to Fei Qian. At the same time, there is now chaos in Jingzhou, and many farmers who were originally from Jingzhou have begun to flee. Wuguan has gradually begun to receive and arrange for these fleeing people, and these people are Fei Qian''s increasingly hard-working capital.
??Everyone has seen the shortcomings of the small-scale peasant economy, but they still don’t want to innovate and chew on the wisdom of the ancients all day long. Isn’t it interesting? Who knows, this was considered a good dental wisdom back then, but now it has turned into scum or dental calculus?
Just like after the turmoil of the Three Kingdoms, the world was gradually stabilizing. The Jin Dynasty had a great opportunity to create a new prosperous age similar to the Tang Dynasty in later generations, but it was screwed up by those people named Sima. There is a problem with the road, but it would be strange if you continue to move forward with your head sullenly without dying. Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty, Sima Yan, was nothing more than a middle-aged man. He was far from his father. Then he appointed a completely mediocre successor... If compared with the Tang Dynasty, even Sima Zhao may not be as good as Li Shimin, and Li Zhi''s talents are not as good as those of the Tang Dynasty. Surpassing Sima Yan, as for Wu Zhao, even if Jia Nanfeng whips his horse and whips, he will never be able to catch up...
Wait a minute, Jia Nanfeng seems to be Jia Qu’s granddaughter?
Um…
Is this a question? Fei Qian pinched the beard on his chin. Tutor, Jia Qu seems pretty good, why among the grandchildren...
?Of course this cannot be blamed on Jia Qu.
?However, this reflects the shortcomings of the hereditary imperial power system.
??The biggest weakness of hereditary imperial power is that it cannot guarantee the quality of the successor. Regardless of whether a person is wise or foolish, just by giving birth to a good child, he has the opportunity to become an emperor and the owner of the highest power in a country. Emperor Wu of Jin showed the absurdity of the imperial power system in an exaggerated way. He also made a huge and unlucky joke with the people of China.
But again, this kind of problem is not unique to the Jin Dynasty. It existed before and after. However, when facing the same problem, China fell into the same pit again and again.
You know what the problem is, but you think it is very difficult, so you put it off without solving it. Then if the time goes on for a long time, you can treat it as completely invisible, and then you also ask everyone not to see it?
?Isn’t this the national football team? The sun is shining brightly, it’s raining, the grass is too soft, the ground is too hard, carelessness, and being attacked can all be used as excuses and reasons...
There are thousands of excuses to make.
Do practical things and sit back and watch.
?Fei Qian hates such things, so naturally he cannot do such things.
Since the problem is there, even if it is difficult, you still need to do it. Even if you do it poorly, it is better than standing by and cynicizing!
From "emphasis on agriculture and suppression of business" to "emphasis on all industries", this is undoubtedly a huge change.
This is the first step to repair the small-scale peasant economy.
Repair, not overthrow.
?Fei Qian himself may not be that smarter than the current intellectuals of the Han Dynasty, but after all, he stands on the shoulders of giants and has accumulated nearly two thousand years of experience. As the saying goes, "Those who are in authority are confused, but those who are onlookers are clear." Later generations'' social analysis of the Three Kingdoms, and even the feudal dynasty, is the biggest magic weapon for Fei Qian''s rapid rise...
Because Fei Qian clearly knows which classes this society is composed of, what are the interests of each class, who are the enemies who must be attacked, and who are the friends who can be won over.
China must have friends and enemies.
??Once the Chinese dynasty looked around blankly and found that there were no enemies, and put down its swords and guns, it would not be far from collapse. For the Han Dynasty, Hu bandits are naturally the biggest foreign enemies.
Facing this powerful enemy, both the aristocratic Han people and the refugees, as well as the Southern Xiongnu, Di, Qiang and other nomadic peoples who are close to the Han people, can and must form a united front.
Internal enemies are the powerful local landlords formed during the 400 years of the Han Dynasty. The manor economy of these local powerful families infringed on the national interests, which would not only weaken the central power, but also easily lead to frequent internal fights and waste strength. Although in the face of the foreign enemy Hu Kou, even aristocratic families can work together as long as they are unwilling to help the tiger, but they must consider the long term and at least blackmail them and not allow them to continue to grow.
Fei Qian chose Bingzhou before and later advanced to Guanzhong. A big reason is that the power of the noble families in this area is relatively weak. On the one hand, it is easier for Fei Qian to win him over. On the other hand, in a short period of time, The strength of these guys is unlikely to backfire on the regime built by Fei Qian.
Simply put, the Han Shanxi gentry political group headed by Fei Qian is quite similar to the Guanlong Group in the Tang Dynasty. They are all centered on Guanzhong Longyou, and they are all based on military honors. There is no specific distinction between civil and military affairs...
?Of course, attaching importance to other industries does not mean despising agriculture.
Chinese people like to engage in some either/or theories. Feiqian attaches great importance to the development of industry and commerce, so some people lament that agriculture is the foundation of the country, as if Feiqian has completely given up on agriculture and does not care about agricultural production at all. In reality? The new technologies and production tools that Fei Qian had been developing in agriculture seemed to have disappeared in an instant, completely out of these people''s minds.
Fei Qian came from a later generation, so he naturally knew that if he wanted to achieve national stability and social progress, the most important thing was to develop productivity. However, in this era, the industrial revolution was certainly unrealistic, and he might not really be able to do it. Agriculture was still very important. National pillar.
?So after Feiqian launched the "sipping fragrance" statement, he immediately grabbed a handful of agriculture...
In Li Yuan''s village, Fei Qian looked at Li Yuan with a half-smile.
Li Yuan didn''t expect Fei Qian to come at all. When he rushed to Zhuangzi, he saw Fei Qian standing on some abandoned fields, pinching a lump of soil.
The dust was falling loudly, and Li Yuan''s heart couldn''t help but sink.
"Li Qing, this Zhuang He..." Fei Qian looked around slowly, "I''m afraid something is not good..."
Hearing Fei Qian use the word "Li Qing" to address him, Li Yuan felt a little chilled in his heart. Fei Qian is now in a high position, and sometimes some habits are naturally scrutinized by others. Although you may not be happy when you call someone by their "word", you are often unhappy when you call someone "someone"...
"Replying to my lord, I am at Zhuangzi Xiao, and I mobilized some manpower at that time... Later, when it was time to do some maintenance, there was a shortage of materials..." Li Yuan did not dare to raise his head, "I am also neglecting my management on weekdays, so I would like to ask your lord to punish me... 』
Fei Qian frowned and pulled Li Yuan up, "Since there is something lacking, why don''t you come and look for me?" 』
Li Yuan is a member of the Guanzhong gentry who is relatively close to Fei Qian, so naturally Fei Qian did not come here specifically to scold Li Yuan, but started from Li Yuan...
Whose Zhuangzi is in the distance? Why does it look so corrupt? Fei Qian pointed to a Zhuangzi in the distance and said.
Li Yuan took a closer look and said, "Reporting to my lord, it seems to be Zhuangzi of the Xue family..."
Xue family? Fei Qian was stunned for a moment, "Let''s go and have a look." 』
When the people at Xuejiazhuangzi heard that Fei Qian was coming, they were so frightened that they all knelt down by the roadside and trembled.
Who is in charge in the village? Fei Qian asked.
?One person shakily crawled forward two steps, "Xiao Ke, Xiao Ke..."
How much can be obtained in Qiu Zhuang this year? Fei Qian did not dismount, nor did he intend to go in to check. After all, just by looking at it from the outside, he could roughly tell that the situation inside the village was probably very bad.
‘This…’ Zhuangzi’s steward hesitated.
‘Reply quickly! ” Huang Xu shouted.
The steward of Xue Family Village was trembling with fright, "I''m afraid, I''m afraid, it''s not even a hundred stones..."
『Hundred stones? Fei Qian chuckled, "The word "insufficient" is used very well..."
Fei Qian raised his head slightly and looked at it for a moment, then turned his horse''s head and stopped arguing with the steward of Xue Family Village.
The steward of the Xue family buried his head and trembled. When he heard the sound of horse hooves disappearing in the distance, he slowly raised his head and took a look, made sure, exhaled a long breath, and then stood up again with great dignity and took the photo. He patted the dust on his robe and said, "They''ve already left. What are you doing kneeling down? Go back to work for me!" 』
On the other side, Fei Qian motioned to Huang Xu and said, "I thought that although the Xue family was in decline, it still had some support from the land. Now it seems... I will send two people to the Xue family tomorrow to help them get rid of their evil servants and cut off the bad things!" 』
?Huang Xu responded.
Fei Qian asked Li Yuan again, "Many of the people in charge of the Xue family''s village may be treacherous, so they should be replaced by good men. Which of the nearby villages has spare candidates for the job?" 』
??Li Yuan raised his hands and said, "If it''s a larger Zhuangzi nearby..." Li Yuan glanced at Fei Qian, "I''m afraid it''s Webster..."
When he arrived at Weishi Zhuangzi, Wei Duan also received the news and hurried from the city to meet him at the roadside.
Fei Qian dismounted, helped Wei Duan up, exchanged a few words, and then mentioned the issue of finding a suitable and responsible steward for Xue Family Village. Wei Duan immediately patted his chest and assured that it would be done well. After all, they were colleagues, and they should treat each other. Support will definitely make Qiusi feel at ease...
After settling the matter, Fei Qian and Wei Duan entered Zhuangzi together. However, when he looked up, he couldn''t help but smile and shake his head, saying: "I heard that Xiu Fu also often said "emphasis on agriculture", but now it seems..."
Fei Qian pointed with the riding crop in his hand, and his tone was a little heavy, "Is this the "agrarian" method? 』
If it''s farming that ordinary people don''t understand, there won''t be any problems. But Fei Qian also knows some farming and mulberry farming, so after a quick look on the spot, he knows that the situation of the crops in Wei Duan''s village is no better than that of Liyuan''s village. No matter how good it is, there are still large areas of desolation, and it is obvious that there is no time to replant.
?Wei Duan quickly dismounted his horse and apologized.
Fei Qian sighed, dismounted, helped Wei Duan up, and then said: "A few days ago, someone in the long street openly said, "Farming is the foundation, business is the end, and emphasis on agriculture is a century-old plan. Shang Ze is bound to be in chaos within ten years..."Does Xiu Fu know about this?" 』
"This..." Wei Duan quickly denied, "I really don''t know." 』
"Then it''s not too late to know now..." Fei Qian patted Wei Duan on the shoulder, "Now it seems that many people who are "worried about the country and compassionate towards others" are mostly just talking... Hugh, listen to your orders! 』
『My subordinates are here! ” Wei Duan quickly stood up straight.
“Starting from today to early July,” Fei Qian pointed to the barren fields aside, “We will conduct a thorough investigation of the three assistants in Guanzhong who talk a lot about “emphasis on agriculture” but do harm to farmers! 』
Wei Duan was startled, and then asked cautiously: "I don''t know how much my lord... is considered to be "harming the peasants"..."
?Fei Qian looked at Wei Duan, then at Li Yuan, "You two will discuss it..."
Wei Duan thought for a while and felt that he still didn''t have much knowledge. When he wanted to ask again, he suddenly heard the sound of rapid horse hooves in the distance and remembered that a messenger and cavalry rushed to Fei Qian:
‘Report to the General! Someone is coming from Jingzhou! 』
(End of this chapter)