A few days later, a flat boat floated on the surface of Xuanwu Lake.

Chongzhen and Gao Hongtu rowed the boat to the center of the lake with one oar.

Gao Hongtu looked around, only to see that there was a white water, and there was no other boat within a radius of 100 steps, except for their Ye Bian boat.

A thought inexorably rose from Gao Hongtu's mind.

If this Ye Bian boat is overturned at this time, is it possible for the saint to drown?

Just as he was thinking about it, Chongzhen's voice suddenly sounded in his ears: "Gao Ge Lao, are you hesitating to overturn this Ye Bian Boat and sink to the bottom of Xuanwu Lake with me?" ”

Hearing this, Gao Hongtu decisively dispelled this idea.

Let's not talk about whether he is old and frail, and whether he has the ability to capsize the ship.

Even if you really overturn the boat, you will probably only be able to drown yourself.

If you really drown like this, I'm afraid it will be difficult to splash the stolen water on Chongzhen's head.

After all, if Chongzhen really wanted to kill him, he didn't have to get a small boat to send him to the center of Xuanwu Lake.

With a light snort, Gao Hongtu said: "The old minister has received the favor of the country, how can he do such a thing that is contrary to human ethics? Besides, the saint is in the prime of life, even if the boat really overturns, it is enough to swim to the shore easily. ”

Chongzhen said: "Speaking of being in the prime of life, Emperor Wuzong and my imperial brother were also in the prime of life, but why did they control Bintian once they fell into the water? ”

Gao Hongtu said: "How does the old minister know about this? ”

"No, you know." Chongzhen shook his head and said, "It's just that I don't admit it." ”

After saying this, Chongzhen said again: "Gao Ge Lao, at this time, the boat has reached the center of Xuanwu Lake, and there are only you and I within a radius of 100 steps, so you can talk openly if you have anything to say, and you don't need to have any scruples and cover-ups." ”

The expression on Gao Hongtu's face really relaxed, because what Chongzhen said was right, when he got here, he really didn't have to worry that the conversation between the two would reach the ears of the third person, so there was really no need to hide it.

What's more, some words have been held in Gao Hongtu's heart for a long time, and he is also uncomfortable.

At that moment, Gao Hongtu snorted lightly and said, "I don't know what the saint wants to talk about with the old minister?" ”

"What are you talking about?" Chongzhen said with a smile, "Naturally, it's about life, ideals, and ideas." ”

Gao Hongtu said: "Speaking of ideas, the saint seems to be prejudiced against eunuchs, and he kills at every turn, without any sympathy and trust, which is completely different from the previous emperors, but somewhat similar to Emperor Taizu Gao." ”

Chongzhen asked rhetorically: "Gao Ge Lao thinks I shouldn't kill Li Chengfang and Yuan Sheng?" ”

Gao Hongtu said: "Li Chengfang and Yuan Sheng instigated Yongwang to be a prostitute, so naturally they should be killed." ”

"That is, I no longer rely on eunuchs to compete with your civil officials, so it makes Gao Ge Lao feel a little uncomfortable?" Chongzhen smiled and asked, "Is it because of this?" ”

Gao Hongtu snorted lightly and asked rhetorically, "So the concept of the Holy Lord is to make a text with a text?" ”

"He deserves to be a high court elder." Chongzhen stroked his palm and smiled, "I can see through my intentions at a glance." ”

Gao Hongtu said suddenly: "Please forgive the old minister for saying bluntly, this move by the Holy Lord is tantamount to fighting fires with salary. ”

After a pause, he said: "The calamity of the Zhejiang Party, the Qi Party, and the Chu Party, isn't it enough to alert the Holy Lord?" ”

In the early years, Chongzhen supported the Zhejiang Party, the Qi Party and the Chu Party to compete with the Donglin Party, in fact, it was also a literary system.

However, the result was disastrous, not only did it fail to achieve the effect of checks and balances, but it led to chaos in the government because of party disputes.

Chongzhen said: "Aside from whether my 'writing in writing' is in charge of fighting fires, let's first discuss whether the use of literature and military is superior or inferior to the one that your Donglin Party strongly admires." ”

Gao Hongtu said without thinking: "Suppressing military practice with literature is the foundation of consolidating the country, and it is naturally a good policy. ”

"Because our ministers have read the books of sages since childhood, advocating righteousness and reason, and abiding by the way of kings and ministers."

"And the military ministers are mostly in the ranks, rude and arrogant, and most of them are ambitious, and they have always thought of splitting the land and separating the territory."

"The Han Dynasty implemented the policy of paying equal attention to civil and military, so that at the end of the Han Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty also implemented the policy of paying equal attention to civil and military, and at the end of the Tang Dynasty, there was also the disaster of separating the feudal towns, only the Great Song Dynasty implemented the national policy of using civil and military forces after the release of military power from the Taizu Cup, and there was no conjugation of the heroes and the disaster of the division of the feudal towns until the death of the Song Dynasty."

After a pause, Gao Hongtu said: "It can be seen that it is better to pay equal attention to civil and military affairs than to control military affairs. ”

"Really?" Chongzhen said, "Not really, right? The Great Song Dynasty implemented the use of literature to control the military, and in the end of the Song Dynasty, there was indeed no merger of heroes and the division of feudal towns, but the disaster of the Yi people was far better than that of the Han and Tang Dynasties! ”

"Until the time of the Great Han's destruction, he can crush the surrounding barbarians."

"The Tang Dynasty also maintained a certain military advantage over the surrounding barbarians until its demise."

"Only the Great Song Dynasty was pressed and beaten by the Liao State and the Western Xia from beginning to end, and was even destroyed by the Mongols in the end."

After a pause, Chongzhen said again: "Since the Xuanzong Dynasty, the national policy implemented by the Ming Dynasty is also to control the military with literature, but what is the final result? Warat and Tatar have always been a big trouble for my northern Ming Dynasty, and in Wanli, they were even pressed and beaten by hundreds of thousands of people in Jiannu District, and Gao Ge Lao didn't feel embarrassed? ”

Gao Hongtu frowned when he heard this, and he didn't know how to refute it for a while.

Chongzhen said quietly: "The equal emphasis on civil and military affairs cannot put an end to the internal feudal town separation, although the internal feudal town division can be eliminated by civil and military system, but the external barbarians have lost the suppression of the Central Plains military ministers, but they have taken advantage of the situation to rise, and the Central Plains Dynasty has formed a crushing trend, the destruction of the Great Song Dynasty by Mengyuan has been a bloody lesson, does Gao Ge Lao hope that the Ming Dynasty will repeat the mistakes of the past?" ”

"The saint's words are biased, the fall of the Great Song Dynasty and the decline of the Ming Dynasty are not caused by the use of literature and military force, but by the life cycle of a dynasty." Gao Hongtu said, "Just like a person, when there is youth, when there is prime of life, there must be old age, and then there will inevitably be death, and the same is true of dynasties." ”

Chongzhen said: "Does Gao Ge Lao mean that the Ming Dynasty has entered its twilight years? ”

Gao Hongtu nodded and said: "Since the collapse of the Zhou Dynasty, the lifespan of a dynasty is about two hundred to three hundred years, and the Ming Dynasty has enjoyed the country for two hundred and seventy years since the founding of Taizu, and it is true that it is in its twilight years. ”

Chongzhen said: "According to the meaning of Gao Ge Lao, the death of the Ming Dynasty is inevitable, so why is your Donglin Party still protecting the Ming Dynasty?" And for what? ”

Gao Hongtu said solemnly: "Naturally, it is for the Han family and the Confucian temple." ”

"Then I understand, what you are protecting is not the Ming Dynasty, but the Han family's clothes and temples." Chongzhen smiled and said, "That is to say, for your Donglin Party or civil official groups, changing the court is actually nothing, let alone changing the emperor, but the Han family's well-dressed temple cannot be abolished." ”

"That's what it means." Gao Hongtu sighed and said, "But the old minister actually doesn't want the Ming Dynasty to fall, because since ancient times, the country has not come from the right of my Ming Dynasty, including the old ministers, in fact, all the Donglin Party members and even all the Wenchen are doing their best to continue the national Zuo of my Ming Dynasty." ”

"I also want to continue the Ming Dynasty, why don't you allow it?"

Chongzhen's face sank, and he asked, "Are you really so sure that you can do better than me?" ”

Gao Hongtu snorted and said, "What's the use of a saint doing a good job? Can you guarantee that the prince is doing well too? Even if the prince can do a good job, can you guarantee that the grandson can also do a good job? ”

Chongzhen said: "This is naturally impossible, how can there be generations of heroes?" ”

Gao Hongtu: "Therefore, the emperor ruled by hanging the arch, and in fact, the scholars and doctors were in charge of the country, which is the only good strategy to ensure the longevity of the Han family and the Confucian temple!" Because the scope of the emperor's selection of materials is too small, it is impossible to guarantee that all generations will produce British masters, but the cabinet auxiliary ministers are selected from thousands of civil servants, and they can all be called talents! ”

At this point, Chongzhen actually admits that the cabinet system of the Ming Dynasty is indeed quite advanced.

Gao Hongtu's remarks are indeed to the point, it is too difficult for the emperor to be the master of the British dynasty from generation to generation, but the cabinet auxiliary ministers must be the elite among the civil officials, otherwise it is impossible to climb to a high position.

At this point, Gao Hongtu's political concept has been exhaled - that is, the emperor is hanging and the cabinet is in charge of the country.

To put it more bluntly, the emperor was offered as a mascot, and the governance of the country was handed over to the cabinet of scholars.

The so-called Han family clothes and the so-called Confucian temples are all disguises, and the cabinet of scholars is the essence of it.

If there is an emperor who threatens the cabinet to govern, kill the emperor, and if the court threatens the cabinet to govern, then it is not impossible to change the court.

This is the ultimate pragmatist.

"Haha, Gao Ge Lao finally said what was in his heart."

Chongzhen laughed and said, "So the old man of the high pavilion doesn't want to get rid of me quickly?" ”

"Yes." Gao Hongtu did not shy away from it at this time, nodded and said, "Because you want to learn from the Yongle Emperor, because you want to destroy the hard-won cabinet of the Ming Dynasty." ”

Chongzhen smiled away from his face, and said solemnly: "Then the problem comes." ”

"There is a Song Dynasty that is the power of Wenchen, the power of scholars is not small, and the emperor of the Song Dynasty can also be called a model of vertical rule, but why did he still perish in the end?"

"After the death of the Song Dynasty, have the Han family's clothes and Confucian temples been preserved?"

"And since the Xuanzong Dynasty, I have also been in charge of the cabinet, but why is the country also declining, and even the Jingshi is lost in the end? If it weren't for me, Xuzhou would have been lost long ago, and perhaps half of the south of the Yangtze River would have already fallen. ”

"If Jiannu goes south, Gao Ge thinks he can still keep the Han family's clothes and Confucian temples?"

"Elder Gao Ge shouldn't think that the Jiannu barbarians will also adopt the Scholar Cabinet that you admire as the country, right?"

Gao Hongtu's brows furrowed suddenly, because Chongzhen's continuous questions stopped him, making it difficult for him to answer for a while, and he might never be able to answer.

"Gao Hongtu, can't you answer? Because you don't see the essence of the problem at all. ”

Chongzhen smiled and said: "The death of the Han and Tang dynasties is not due to the equal emphasis on civil and military affairs, nor is the decline of the Song and Ming dynasties not due to the defeat of using literature to control military force, this is not a problem. ”

(End of chapter)