Several little eunuchs came in with trays, and when they saw that several ministers in the upper study in the hall were all sitting speechless, each of them was distracted, and couldn't help but be slightly stunned, before he raised his voice and said: "The emperor gives you a honey cake, a hibiscus cake, a bird's nest cake, a yellow cake, and a milk cake." ”

As soon as he heard that the emperor had a gift, Zhang Pengxi, Ma Qi and other five people hurriedly got up to thank him, and when the eunuch retreated, Ma Qi glanced at the dumplings on the table, and knew that Zhenwu quit halfway, and he must have gone to eat.

After a slight sigh, he said: "Everyone, the emperor will come back soon after dinner, what do you think of the measures taken by the squires to supervise the magistrates and the gentry to pay grain and work as errands?" ”

Several people understand that Ma Qi wants to unify the caliber of the study, however, this matter is quite tricky, Zhenwu never mentioned the matter of Shaanxi and Gansu, no one knows what he means, it stands to reason that the dispute between the Manchus and Hans has just been quelled, Zhenwu should not punish the Shaanxi and Gansu officials with great fanfare, after all, most of the Shaanxi and Gansu officials are full, if they are vigorously punished, it is very likely to cause dissatisfaction with the full staff and provoke the incident again.

However, if Zhenwu really has the intention to try out the new policy in Shaanxi and Gansu, it is not certain, because since the new policy is to be tried out, all the corrupt officials in Shaanxi and Gansu will inevitably be replaced, so for the officials in Shaanxi and Gansu, it will be tantamount to a catastrophe, and the full staff of the Beijing division will also be panicked.

Only by preventing Zhenwu from trying out the new policy in Shaanxi and Gansu can he open up the net of the Shaanxi and Gansu corruption and disaster relief cases, or punish them in a small way, and try to avoid being too widely involved.

Thinking of this, Xiao Yongzao said: "If you want to hurry, you can't reach it, the southern provinces are now implementing the apportionment of Ding into the mu, and the spread of Ding Yin into the field has infringed on the interests of the squire. As soon as the news comes out. It may be counterproductive and not conducive to the implementation of apportionment. ”

Zhang Pengxi and Ma Qi naturally heard the overtones in these words, which is a common magic weapon in officialdom, procrastination! The new policy was put forward by Zhenwu, and it was very inappropriate to rashly oppose it, and it was very inappropriate to drag it out, not to mention that it would drag on for three or five years, but only need to drag it out in front of you. It is enough to affect Zhenwu's punishment of the Shaanxi and Gansu corruption and disaster relief cases.

Ma Qi immediately echoed: "The words of the collection are reasonable, the emperor often said that governing a big country is like cooking a small fresh, it is really not appropriate to be in a hurry, the gentry pay grain in one body, and act as an errand in one, and it is strictly forbidden for the squires to take money and grain, arrears of money and grain, and other measures." Not only can land annexation be suppressed. It can also effectively ensure the stability of the tax collection of the court and the local government, protect the people from being exploited by the squire, and resolve the people's antagonism and hatred towards the gentry, which is really a move for the benefit of the country and the people.

However, if it is tried in a hurry, it will inevitably arouse the strong opposition of the gentry of the world, and in this way, the gains will outweigh the losses. Gradual is the best policy. ”

Zhang Pengxi glanced at Wang Luo, and when he saw that he was silent, he muttered: "Spreading the land into the mu, the gentry paying grain in one body, and being on errands are all closely related." In the same vein, they are all based on the field to collect money and food, and when they serve, they are actually aimed at the squire, and there is no need to go step by step.

Whether it is a paving into the mu or the gentry to pay grain as an errand, the squires will vigorously resist, as the so-called long pain is not as good as short pain, one step in place, not only can show the determination of the imperial court to innovate, but also save a lot of manpower, material and financial resources. ”

"That's not true." Xiao Yongzao retorted mercilessly: "Innovation, it is better to walk on thin ice and be cautious, how can it be achieved overnight? If we are in a hurry, we will only repeat the mistake of the previous whip law innovation. ”

"At this moment and at that time, there is no comparison between the two at all." Wang Luo also joined the battle group at the right time, glanced at Xiao Yongzao, and then he said eloquently: "The reason why the whip law failed in the former Ming Dynasty was because of the civil power, and it should be appropriate to say that the power of the squire was too large, and it was not implemented effectively, and it lasted for hundreds of years.

Now it is not the case, the squire power has been vigorously suppressed and weakened at the beginning of the founding of the country, and now it is in the ascendant, the power is not huge, compared with the previous Ming, it can be said that it is the difference between cloud and mud, and besides, it is not the courtiers who advocate innovation, but the emperor, who is the beginning of the imperial pole, the lord of the Qing Dynasty in his prime, and does not worry about the failure of innovation halfway.

Furthermore, with the emperor's consistent style of acting, the implementation of the apportionment of the land into the mu and the integration of the gentry to pay grain and errands will be implemented throughout the country within five to ten years, and there will never be a situation in which the Ming Dynasty continued for hundreds of years. With these two points in mind, this revolution will not repeat the mistakes of the past. ”

Seeing Wang Tuo mention Zhenwu's style of acting, Zhang Pengxi then said: "The emperor has always acted vigorously and resolutely, and the gentry are in the same vein as one to pay grain and errands, and the emperor will never be divided into several steps, and besides, stealing this innovation, there is also a deep meaning, that is, to suppress the squire!"

The rapid expansion of the gentry's power not only seriously suppressed the clan power, but also seriously threatened the official power, which was not conducive to the imperial court's control of the county and township, which was not only to suppress the gentry, weaken the power of the gentry, but also to deprive the gentry of privileges can have an immediate effect.

It is only a matter of spreading the land into the mu, the effect is not obvious, and the gentry can touch their fundamental privileges by paying grain as a single errand, and only by taking a two-pronged approach can they receive the effect of suppressing and weakening the squire. ”

"It's hard to say." Song Zhu said sullenly: "The squire is powerful, it is not beneficial to the country, but the squire is weak, and it is also useless to the country, only by balancing the local official power, gentry power, and clan power, the court can control it freely, and furthermore, the reason why the court gives the squire all kinds of privileges is not only to win the squire, but also to win the world's scholars."

The gentry are on an errand and receive food, where will they put the world's soldiers? Ten years of hard study, the hope of entering the office is slim, if even the privilege of exempting from the errand and miscellaneous work is deprived, who in the world is willing to study hard in the cold window? In time, won't it be rude? ”

"That makes sense." Xiao Yongzao took it in one bite, "The squire is indispensable for a day, spreading moral culture, advocating etiquette, running schools, preparing local official affairs, educating the people, uploading and disseminating, etc., are inseparable from the squire. ”

Zhang Pengxi glanced at him before he said in a deep voice: "This is alarmist, why does the squire's privilege stop here?" The gentry paid the grain as an errand and the gentry only deprived the squire of the right to be exempt from miscellaneous errands, and for the squire, the status level and judicial privileges were very important. ”

Speaking of this, as soon as he raised his eyes and saw Zhenwu walking in, he hurriedly got up to salute, Zhenwu glanced at the five people, waved his hand, and said, "Excuse me, give a seat." Saying that, he sat down straight, before coming in, he stopped the eunuch from reporting, and had already heard the objections of Song Zhu and Xiao Yongzao outside, and after the five of them were seated, he asked with a smile: "What's the matter, there is still a stalemate?" ”

"The Emperor's Holy Testament." Zhang Pengxi bowed down and said: "The stakes are very high, and the pros and cons cannot be weighed clearly at one time. ”

Zhenwu nodded slightly, and said: "Etiquette is not clear, such a big matter, naturally we must debate clearly, first explain your respective views in detail, don't have any scruples, I have words first, everything has advantages and disadvantages, there is no perfect thing in this world, if you don't start from both sides, how can you weigh the pros and cons?" All boldly said, no matter what to say. ”

Seeing the sincerity of Zhenwu's words, the five of them were relieved and said their respective views one by one, and Song Zhu also put forward his objections without hesitation.

After listening to the opinions of the five people in detail, Zhenwu couldn't help but laugh secretly, and completely adjusted with what he expected in his heart, Zhang Pengxi and Wang Liang are Hanchen, and it stands to reason that they should resolutely oppose the suppression and weakening of the power of the squire, because the squire class is the cradle of the Han people, but I didn't expect it to be completely reversed now.

To say that they are all selfless, dedicated to the country, that is pure nonsense, the reason for this situation, needless to say, must be for the Shaanxi and Gansu corruption and disaster relief case, no wonder said that the friends of the party to the country, such a big affairs, they are still entangled in the dispute between the Manchus and the Han, it seems that we have to make great efforts to eliminate the dispute between the Manchus and the Han, this is the biggest party, the harm is far greater than the ordinary party.

Soon, he retracted his thoughts, nodded slightly, and said, "It's good." After a slight pause, he continued: "There are pros and cons in everything, you can discuss it again, is this matter a big benefit?" Or is it a big drawback? Analyze it from both short-term and long-term perspectives. After speaking, he poured himself a cup of tea, sipped slowly, and waited to watch the play.

Hearing Zhenwu's words, Zhang Pengxi couldn't help but be overjoyed, after fighting for a long time, he didn't start from both short-term and long-term aspects? This is really embarrassing to be thrown home, and he immediately bowed down and said: "The emperor's holy thoughts are far-reaching, and his vision is outstanding, which really makes his ministers and others ashamed. ”

After a slight sigh, he continued: "The death of the former Ming Dynasty can be said to be an indirect death of the squire, in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the power of the squires expanded rapidly, intensified the land annexation, created a large number of landless and displaced people, and intensified the confrontation between the government and the people, so that in the slightest natural disaster, civil strife broke out, and a large number of fields were concentrated in the hands of the squires and greatly weakened the imperial court revenue, so that the imperial court had no money for military preparation.

In the long run, the gentry not only curbed the rapid expansion of the gentry's power, but also effectively inhibited the annexation of land, and could ensure that the imperial court's income would not be lost, and effectively eliminate the antagonism and hatred between the government and the people.

In the short term, these measures may arouse the dissatisfaction of the squires and scholars, but if there is peace today, the people are safe, and the national power is prosperous, as long as they are well guided and properly appeased, it will be no big problem. Compared with the pros and cons, it is obvious that the pros outweigh the disadvantages, and the pros far outweigh the disadvantages. ”

Hearing this, Ma Qi couldn't help frowning, this old man's mind turned quickly, and in a hurry, he was able to say that nothing leaked, how to refute it now?