Liu Yong's question of whether to strengthen the country first or enrich the people first is a well-known paradox for thousands of years, the two factions have been arguing endlessly, each insisting on its own word, and neither one can convince the other, only listening to one side seems to be reasonable, but always feels that something is missing. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

Zhuge Liang couldn't help but smile bitterly, this question would not be resolved for a few days and nights, so he said: "Brother, this topic will not be so easy to come to conclusions. However, the current point of view is also very clear, people on our side believe that 'only by enriching the people can we strengthen the country', and you alone half agree with this view. Brother has a suggestion, our side of Brother Shiyuan to explain our arguments, and then listen to the elder brother's speech, and finally everyone will consider how about adoption? ”

Liu Yong nodded with a smile and bowed his hand to Pang Tong: "Brother Shiyuan, please." ”

Pang Tong smiled and replied, "Brother Chongru is polite." As soon as Kong Ming said, 'To govern the country, you must first enrich the people', and Pang Tong first quoted "The Analects? In one of Yan Yuan's "Yan Yuan", Mourning Gong asked Yu Youruo and said: 'Hungry in the year, not enough, what is it?' ’…… If you say: 'The people are enough, but who is the king and the inadequate?' The people are insufficient, who is the king? ’……”

If Liu Yong had not read other articles, he would have been very familiar with the Analects, the most important Confucian classic, which Liu Yong had asked Cai Wenji to explain very thoroughly. This incident is about the famine that the country of Lu suffered, and the country was in difficulty, so the mourning prince asked Youruo for a solution. If you say, why doesn't the king just collect one-tenth of the land tax? Wai Gong was very strange, so he said, I still collect two-tenths is still not enough, I think the collection is less, why do you still let me reduce taxes? You Ruo replied to this famous saying, which means, "If the people have enough, how can you not have enough?" If the people don't have enough, how can you have enough? The core of Confucianism's economic policy is to "enrich the people". His view was that when the people were rich, the country would be strong. When the people are impoverished, the country will naturally weaken. If the tax rate is raised, as Lu Aigong did, it will indeed increase the country's revenue in the short term, but the consequence will be to increase the burden on the people, make their lives more impoverished, and eventually provoke popular revolts and lead to the collapse of the country.

Pang Tong gave another argument: "The Analects? In Yao said, the master said to the son, 'Because of the interests of the people, it will be beneficial and not bothering?' The phrase "......" means that the king governs according to the policies that benefit the people, and does not it benefit and relax? This is the concept of governing the country put forward by Confucius, that is, the views of "sufficient food" and "education after getting rich". This is similar to Guan Zhong's view that "Cangqiao actually knows etiquette, and if you have enough food and clothing, you know honor and disgrace".

Then, Pang Tong successively cited the views and examples of Mencius, Xunzi, Dong Zhongshu and others to prove that only when the state implements loose policies such as light taxation and light taxation, and at the same time, the monarch should pay attention to thrift and not compete with the people for profit, so that the people can produce with peace of mind, the society will be stable, and the economy can develop. When the people are rich, the state will naturally receive more income. The conclusion is that the prosperity of the people is the basis and guarantee for the country to obtain sufficient financial resources, and only when the people are rich can the country be strong, and the country must be strong before the people are rich.

All of you here are Confucian disciples, so naturally you all know the deep meaning, and you can't help but be amazed when you listen to Pang Tong's quotation of scriptures and scriptures, and the arguments are clear.

Liu Yong couldn't help but applaud Pang Tong's erudition and brilliant argumentation. After Pang Tong finished speaking, Liu Yong first smiled and praised a few words: "To answer the question of 'the country is strong and rich' or 'the people are rich and the country is strong', you must know the relationship between 'country' and 'home' or 'people'." As I have said earlier, a "country" is made up of "families", so it can also be said that a "country" is a large "family" composed of many people, and the "country" is the head of the family and the "family" is the members; As the saying goes: a small river has no water, a big river is dry, and a small river has water and a big river is full. I also agree that the prosperity of the people is the foundation of a strong country, and a strong country does not necessarily mean that the people are rich, but a weak country will not necessarily make the people strong. There is no country in this world that can make its people poor and its country strong! (Liu Yong was asking in his heart, is North Korea counted?) ）”

Everyone couldn't help but be surprised, didn't this Liu Yong disapprove? How can I hear Pang Tongyi say that his position has changed, has he been persuaded by us?

Yu Pan asked: "Listening to Chongru's words, do you also agree that a strong country must first enrich the people?" ”

Liu Yong shook his head and said: "I just said that the people are poor and the country is weak, but I didn't say that the people are rich and the country is strong." ”

Yu couldn't help but be stunned, is there any difference between the two? Just as he was puzzled, he listened to Liu Yong continue: "You may sound a little confused. I'll be more detailed. In order for a 'country' to maintain all levels of government, to function normally, to manage its people, and to cope with foreign aggression, it must have revenue. Do you agree with that? No objections! Well, I'll continue. So what are the sources of income for the 'country'? The first one, of course, is taxation, which is also the main thing. You all know better than I do about taxes, including the poll tax according to the number of people, the land tax according to the land harvest, and all kinds of miscellaneous taxes; the second is the monopoly income of salt and iron operated by the government, which accounts for a large proportion; The third is fines and various fees, such as litigation fees, permit fees, entrance fees, and so on. Having said all this, you must be well aware that all the income of the state actually comes from one 'family'. But will the common people be willing to pay this money? I don't think so, unless he's a fool or has a lot of money. ”

Everyone couldn't help but smile, and listened to Liu Yong continue, "As an individual or 'family', I definitely like and agree with 'the people are rich first and the country is strong'." Why? Quite simply, because there is self-interest involved. Most people are selfish, so why should I share a part of my hard work? So shouldn't it be handed in? I don't think so. The power of a single 'family' is too weak, and he needs the 'country' to provide a strong guarantee. When there is an invasion by foreign enemies or thieves, the 'country' will stand up to protect the interests of the 'family'; when there is a conflict between the 'families', the 'country' needs to coordinate and reconcile and determine right and wrong; When the 'family' is in trouble, the 'country' needs relief...... Therefore, unless you are in the wilderness and have no contact with anyone, you must be connected to the 'country', and you cannot do without it. Of course, the 'country' needs money to do these things, and although these funds are borne by each 'family', although they are all reluctant, they must be paid. Of course, there are three major parts, one is the operating expenses of the yamen at all levels, including the salary, office expenses, execution fees, etc.; The second is the cost of infrastructure construction, that is, our investment in building roads, digging wells, digging canals, building parks, etc.; The third item is people's livelihood protection and relief expenses in the event of natural and man-made disasters. ”

Yu chuckled: "Taishou's words should be publicized more among the people, so that we will have much less resistance and much easier when collecting taxes." ”

"Yu Gong reminded me well. Next time, I will find an opportunity to explain this truth to officials at all levels, and then they will publicize it to the entire government of Urohara, so that the work will be much easier to carry out in the future. Liu Yong said with a smile, picked up the teacup, took a few sips, and said, "It can be said that although 'country' and 'family' are a whole and inseparable, there are contradictions. There is no doubt that the development of the country will inevitably encroach on the interests of the people, and the state will inevitably exploit the people. All of this can be understood, but why do some times when the people live and work in peace and contentment, and the society is stable, while others are full of wars and the people are struggling to make a living? The difference lies in the degree of exploitation. Our people are really simple and kind, as long as life is still passable, they will work with peace of mind and will not resist. For example, the tax rate of Fuyi used to be 15 taxes and 1, but later we reduced it to 30 taxes and 1, and now it has been reduced to 60 taxes and 1. Yu Gong, I remember that when you issued it, the people of Fuyi were all grateful and wept, kneeling on the ground and bowing in thanks. It's really embarrassing for Liu Yong to think about it. ”

Yu Fu nodded, with a look of excitement, thinking that he also recalled the moving scene at that time. After a pause, Liu Yong said again: "What I just talked about is the normal income and expenditure of a 'country', but there is a special case. It can be used for more than half of the total income or for all of the total income. Do you know what it is? ”

"Brother is talking about war, right?" Zhuge Liang, who has not spoken for a long time, has spoken.

"Exactly." Liu Yong nodded, "The so-called war is actually aggression and plunder. To use an analogy, war is like a robber snatching a 'home'. Through war, the victor gains untold wealth and land in a short period of time, while the loser is burdened with a heavy burden from which his subjects will fall. If the country is not a country, how can it be home? ”

Liu Yong sighed and said, "'Under the nest, there are no eggs? How can a 'country' that is not rich and strong protect its 'families' and care for its subjects? If your strength is weak, others will not listen to you at all, and they will not pay attention to you at all. 'There is no justice in a weak country, and there is no diplomacy in a weak country'! ”

Speaking of this, Liu Yong was even a little indignant when he recalled the "Paris Peace Treaty" after World War I. It was a humiliating year in 1919, and China took part in the Allied war against the Allies. Although China did not directly send troops, it supported large quantities of food, sent 175,000 laborers, and sacrificed more than 2,000 people. As the victorious power, China should claim back its sovereignty over the Shandong Peninsula, which was forcibly occupied by the defeated Germany. However, Anglo-American law ignored China's rights and interests and transferred it to Japan. This provoked strong protests from the Chinese people and broke out into the May Fourth Patriotic Movement.

Liu Yong's words suddenly silenced everyone, and for a while, Xu Shu frowned, and said a little unconvinced: "So, Chongru thinks that only when the country is strong can the people be rich?" ”

"Not really." Liu Yong shook his head. Everyone was even more surprised, neither to enrich the people first, nor to strengthen the country first, what are you Liu Yong thinking?

"The more you listen, the more confused you become, aren't you?" Liu Yong said with a smile, looking at the puzzled looks on everyone's faces, and said, "I think that the country must first strengthen the country in the development stage, and after a certain amount of accumulation, it is necessary to adjust the policy and focus on enriching the people." That is to say, in the initial stage, because there is still a lot to be done and there is still a lot to be used, the 'state' will inevitably implement many policies to compete with the people for profit, and the people will be more miserable, but it can be understood; when the 'country' has accumulated enough wealth, it must implement a relaxed policy, let the benefits to the people, recuperate, and promote production development and social stability. This sequence is necessary and inevitable. If you don't exploit your own people, you can plunder the people of other countries and transfer the suffering that should be borne by the people of your own country to other countries. ”

Liu Yong thinks of a similar debate in college, when someone gave the example of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Sweden and other countries that the people are extremely wealthy, and the country does not need to be strong. Liu Yong sneered and sneered, if it wasn't now, but a hundred years ago, how could these countries be so rich? It may have been plundered a long time ago. The same is true of Kuwait, whose per capita wealth ranks among the highest in the world, but it cannot withstand Iraq's invasion, and if it were not for the United States to come to the rescue, I am afraid that the country would have perished long ago. Some people also give examples of how good the welfare of the developed capitalist countries in the West is, and how the guarantees are in place, it is the people who are rich, and then the country is strong. What! These people either have no history or have a pair of tinted glasses. Where did the early wealth of these developed countries come from? All of them are plundering and plundering other weak and small countries. The history of their development is also the history of blood and tears and humiliation of those weak and small countries. How ironic it is that a person who has accumulated a lot of wealth by exploiting and squeezing others, and now spends a small part of it on charity, and ends up with a good reputation. Those who fail to see this clearly are either incompetent or have ulterior motives.

Everyone chewed on Liu Yong's statement carefully, and couldn't help but fall into deep thought. Yes, enriching the people is the way to strengthen the country, but without the protection of the state, enriching the people is just empty talk, especially in the troubled times of war, which is even more of a fool's dream. Zhuge Liang and others were surprised by Liu Yong's foresight, and couldn't help but admire it even more.

"Okay, let's not debate that for now. Let's think about it again, I personally think that Chongru's point of view does not contradict ours, but the entry point is different. Xu Shu sighed, "We just summarized the two major factors that promote the development and change of Fuyi, the first is to be people-oriented, and the second is how to apply it." The first question was discussed so late, I think we won't discuss the second question, Chongru will go home to accompany the new lady in a while! ”

Everyone smiled knowingly, and Liu Yong was also a little embarrassed. Xu Shu smiled: "Let's ask Chongru to tell us about his way of employing people, what do you think?" ”

"I think it's okay, everyone has been discussing it for so long, and I'm a little tired." "Brother Chongru is newly married, and the new lady is still looking forward to him going early and returning early." Everyone gossiped and laughed, but it was a lot easier.

"Okay." Liu Yong was also not polite, "Then I'll be simpler, just two points." First, people make the best use of their talents and materials; Second, regardless of nationality or region, we should treat everyone equally, as long as there are talents, they can be used by us. ”

"Chongru is too simplistic, isn't it? Can you be more detailed? ”

Liu Yong added: "To choose people for officials, only to be with, to be good or not, although they are not pro-use; If he is talented, he will not give up his hatred. ”

"That is, 'the external move does not avoid the enemy, and the internal move does not avoid the relatives'?"

Liu Yong nodded, "'Threesome, it must have my teacher', talents are everywhere, the key is how to discover and use." The most important thing is two points, one is that you can't be jealous and jealous, for fear that others will surpass you; The second is not to look at people by their background. This is the case in Fuyi, there is no status here, as long as you have the ability, as long as you have the talent, you will open up your own world and find your own suitable position. ”

Someone wanted to ask again, but Yu laughed and said: "Regarding the way of employing people, the old man knows that he is too careful. How about the old man explain to you in a while? Chongru's family has something important, let's let him go. Everyone laughed.

Liu Yong laughed for a while, hugged his fists and said goodbye to everyone, and said to Dong Xi: "Kong Ming and his wife will return to Xiangyang in two days, eldest brother, let's take this opportunity to go to Xiangyang to meet the emperor." I don't know if the saint is used to staying there? (To be continued.) )