At the beginning of May, Gao Junshan received a call from Bailisha, telling him that the queen mother was sick and asked him to return to Beijing as soon as possible.

Zhenggong Niangniang fell ill, how dare Gao Junshan slack off, it is necessary to return to Beijing, but the situation in Southeast Asia is not stable, who can take his place after he leaves?

Of course his son.

Gao Junshan also thought so in his heart.

His eldest son, Gao Hongbing, was in Singapore, and he could come to Yangon to inspect the governor's ability to handle state affairs.

So, he ordered his eldest son Gao Hongbing to be transferred from Singapore to Yangon. Gao Junshan hadn't seen this son for several years, and this time, the father and son had a lot to say, Gao Junshan led his son to the second floor so that outsiders wouldn't disturb him, and he wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with his son.

The second floor is Gao Junshan's dormitory, no one can come up without Gao Junshan's order, even his concubine Ruan Fangqing wants to come up, and he must get Gao Junshan's consent.

After a maid brought a pot of tea to the second floor, she respectfully placed it on the coffee table, and then retreated, and Gao Junshan, father and son, sat on the Taishi chairs on both sides of the coffee table.

"You'll be twenty-three next month." Gao Junshan looked at his son with loving eyes.

Gao Hongbing said: "On the thirteenth of next month." ”

Gao Junshan sighed: "I can't imagine that twenty-three years have passed so quickly, if only your mother were still here, she can't see the current glory and wealth." ”

Gao Hongbing silently shed tears.

Gao Junshan said: "So we should cherish this hard-won Chinese country." As my eldest son, you have a great responsibility! ”

"The child knows." Gao Hongbing knew his responsibility, and he already knew the reason why he came to Yangon, so he asked with concern, "I heard that the Queen Mother is sick?" ”

"Exactly." Gao Junshan said, "I'm going back to the capital to visit your queen mother." This transfer of you from Singapore is to put you in charge of Yangon and control the military and political power in Southeast Asia. ”

Gao Hongbing was sincerely grateful: "Thank you for your father's trust in the child. ”

Gao Junshan said: "You are not small now, it is time to share some burdens for me." Before I hand over this responsibility to you, I have some things to make clear to you. ”

"Please ask your father for advice, and the child must follow it carefully." Gao Hongbing said humbly.

Gao Junshan picked up the teacup and motioned for Gao Hongbing to drink tea, and then said: "I will ask you a question first, is it difficult to start a business or keep a business?" ”

Gao Hongbing replied: "When the world is in turmoil, the heroes are all around, the city is conquered, the war is fierce, and the difficulty of starting a business is obvious. ”

Gao Junshan said: "After gaining the world, it is easy to be proud and complacent, hedonistic and corrupt, and the decline of the country begins here." Therefore, the emperors since ancient times have been unable to be difficult and lose comfort! You have to remember that it's hard to start a business, and it's even harder to keep a business. ”

"The child remembers the teachings of his father."

Gao Junshan asked: "Father asks you again, why did the Ming Dynasty fall?" ”

Gao Hongbing said: "The military and political power of the previous dynasty was concentrated in the hands of the emperor, especially in the late Ming Dynasty, the imperial power was unprecedentedly strengthened, and the politics, economy, culture, and military of a country were concentrated in the hands of one person. They think that as long as the power is absolutely in their own hands, the country will be forever, but they do not know that unchecked power will inevitably become corrupt. In addition, the eunuchs are dictatorial, which brings disaster to the country and the people. That's what the child is thinking about right now. ”

Gao Junshan said: "Explain why the dynasty will perish, the reason can be said to be a day and a night, what died in the party struggle, died in the factory guard, died in the dictatorship of the eunuchs, died in land annexation, died in the ...... without silver, these are all, according to me, the Ming Dynasty is the end of the national fortune, it is time for him to finish, it is time for me to sit on the country." ”

"The fortunes of the country are over?"

Gao Junshan asked his son at a deeper level: "Tell me, why can the imperial court last only for two or three hundred years?" ”

"I—this kid never thought about it."

Gao Junshan said: "China is a big agricultural country, and the vast majority of people engaged in social production and labor are farmers. These yeoman economies are smallholder economies. The small-scale peasant economy is a natural economy, which is characterized by dispersion, and the products produced are used for their own consumption or most of them for their own consumption, rather than for commodity exchange, and it is a self-sufficient natural economy. ”

"Smallholder economy?" Gao Hongbing muttered to himself.

Gao Junshan continued: "The ideal life pursued by the common people is 'the old man wears clothes and eats meat, and the people are not hungry or cold.'" ’”

Gao Hongbing said: "'The old man eats meat in clothes, and the people of Li are not hungry or cold' This is what Mencius said, from "The Matter of Qi Huan and Jin Wen". ”

"It seems that you don't have a book of white capital, and you can remember the source of Mencius's words." Gao Junshan praised his son.

Gao Hongbing said modestly: "It's okay these days, the child happens to be reading Mencius's book." ”

Gao Junshan took a sip of tea and continued: "If the farmers can adjust the wind and rain smoothly, without disasters and difficulties, they can barely survive by relying on a few acres of thin fields, and if they encounter natural and man-made disasters, it will be difficult to make a living. Disease, natural disasters, wars, heavy taxes, etc., can lead to the bankruptcy of farmers. After bankruptcy, the peasants lost their land, went from homesteaders to tenant farmers, and over time the land was gradually concentrated in the hands of the big landlords. Land annexation: The peasants who lost their land could not guarantee their livelihood, and peasant uprisings would occur when social contradictions intensified. After the impact and baptism of the peasant uprising, the regime will inevitably change, the land will be redistributed, and the social contradictions will be alleviated, and then the next cycle will begin. This is one of the reasons why the country has changed hands. ”

"What else could have caused the imperial court to perish?"

Gao Junshan said: "Our country is a class society, and class contradictions are the main characteristics of society. Over time, land annexation will be fierce and the gap between the rich and the poor will be severe, which will lead to the emergence and growth of vested interests. These vested interests controlled the imperial court and the yamen at all levels. However, due to the fact that the interests of the state and the interests of the vested interests do not completely coincide, the formulation of policies mainly protects the interests of vested interests and ignores the needs of social development. This led to the abolition of the imperial system, the corruption of officials, and the practice of extravagance, which eventually led to a large-scale peasant uprising. ”

"How to avoid it?" Gao Hongbing asked.

Gao Junshan continued: "In response to these crises, some far-sighted dynasties will have some policy adjustments and reforms, and these reforms will often have an effect, such as the reforms of Wang Anshi and Zhang Juzheng. However, due to their own limitations, they were unable to completely correct their mistakes, nor did they have the desire to automatically withdraw from the stage of history, and in the end contradictions always broke out, and the dynasty perished in the great peasant uprising. ”

"Is there really no way to avoid it?"

Gao Junshan did not answer Gao Hongbing's question directly, but continued: "After the peasant uprising, a new regime was established, and the contradictions between land and society were alleviated. However, if there is a great deal of damage to the productive forces at this time, such as the abandonment of arable land, the displacement of farmers, the decline of the population, etc., a period of recuperation is needed to recover. At this time, if the rulers can adopt appropriate policies, such as lightly punishing the poor, rectifying the administration of officials, and practicing strict economy, they can restore production and the economy can prosper. Such examples include the rule of Wenjing in the Western Han Dynasty, the rule of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty and the prosperity of the Kaiyuan Dynasty. ”

Gao Hongbing seemed to have an understanding: "Father, the child understands, we are now in the stage of recovery. ”

Gao Junshan reminded: "However, if the new rulers do not adopt a policy of resting with the people, but instead extort tyranny, punish harsh laws, and fight everywhere, then the limited productive forces of society cannot meet these needs, and the dynasty will easily collapse." Qin and Sui are typical examples. ”

"No wonder they perished in the second generation."

Gao Junshan continued: "At the beginning of the establishment of the new regime, the people's hearts had not yet been completely subordinated, the legitimacy of the rule had not been completely resolved, and there were uncertain factors in the inheritance of rights, such as the existence of meritorious heroes and powerful ministers, and the establishment of heirs. These uncertain factors will not only trigger local forces to rebel against the imperial court, but there will also be various forces within the imperial court to confront each other. If these problems cannot be solved in time, the regime is in danger of being subverted, such as the killing of Fusu by Qin Zhi Huhai, the change of Xuanwumen in the Tang Dynasty, and the Battle of Ming Jing, and so on. ”

When Gao Hongbing heard this, he gasped and asked, "I won't have this kind of thing happening, right?" ”

Gao Junshan woke up Gao Hongbing: "There is also a competition of various forces within my court. ”