New Shun 1730

Ichijo Kenka smiled bitterly and said, "Tongjian and various histories are books written by Tang people after all. As for the study of emperors, Japan is just copying others' ideas."

"Therefore, there is no way out. We can only be content to be a vassal and pray day and night that the Central Plains will not be in chaos. If Shun dies, Japan will die; if Shun prospers, Japan will survive."

"Or... take a gamble. When Liu Yu dies, try to build ships to see if Dashun will respond. If not, we can hope that Dashun will produce a Sima Zhong."

Zhaoren was stunned and said, "What if there is? What if the man dies but the politics does not stop?"

"Gambling always costs a price."

…………

In the Forbidden City.

"A man from Chu crossed the river. His sword fell into the water from the boat. He immediately carved a mark on the boat and said..."

The same story was told by different people at almost the same time.

Crown Prince Li Qi sat beside the emperor. His back was already wet. Even the finest fabrics still stuck to his body and made him uncomfortable, but he dared not move at this time.

When the emperor finished the last word of the story, Li Qi felt that the sweat on his back had flowed down his spine to the groove of his buttocks. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the few drops of sweat were like a reptile stopping there.

Just now, the emperor took out the treaty with Japan that had been drafted before and asked the prince what he thought.

Li Qi didn't know the content of the treaty before. When he saw his father take it out to show him, he knew that it was really a test for him.

The education in the palace is still very strict. Not everything can be considered a good test.

Prince Li Qi couldn't see any other problems, or he didn't know the depth and didn't know how to say it.

He only stared at the line of warships and muskets that were going to be sold to Japan, and expressed his opinions on what he had learned over the years.

He thought it was not right to do so, just like the previous dynasty's trade with Mongolia, iron weapons were not allowed to be sold; and the previous overseas trade also strictly prohibited the shipment of medicinal materials, saltpeter, horses, military books, etc.

After citing classics for a long time, his father told him the story of "carving a boat to look for a sword".

Obviously, the moral of this story is not praise.

However, Li Gan only told this story. He was not very satisfied with the prince's answer, but he was not disappointed either.

Some things he had just come into contact with, and many of Liu Yu's ideas were not too radical, but had no historical basis.

Liu Yu was not a prophet, and Li Gan also felt that some things might not necessarily be so. Who knows what consequences will arise in the future?

Just like when Ming Taizu was enfeoffed, he did not think there would be a Jingnan Campaign; Song Taizu gave up military power with a cup of wine, but he did not think that Song would be defeated repeatedly; the Xuanwu Gate Incident in the Tang Dynasty did not expect that the coup in Daming Palace in the future would be a feature of the Tang Dynasty and must be there.

People are always afraid of unknown possibilities, especially when they are emperors.

But Li Gan thought he stood high and saw far, and could experience what others could not and see what others could not see. This kind of person never believed that the younger generation could surpass the older generation, at least he did not believe that his sons could surpass his own vision.

But there were some things that were indeed different from the past, and Li Gan felt that it was necessary to make it clear to the prince.

He believed that he could still live for another 20 or 30 years and do everything that should be done. The prince only needed to maintain the status quo, and did not have to be aggressive. If he took the wrong path, he might be doomed.

The reason for telling this story is to cultivate the prince's vision.

"Before the ban on religion, there were missionaries in the palace who taught you Aljebara... uh, algebra and other knowledge. You should also know that there are still great powers overseas in the West. I also asked you to read the "Kunyu World Map" and asked you to learn it after Yingsuo Bo made a new map."

"Now the world is vast and magnificent, and the inside and outside of the Celestial Empire are completely different."

"In the past, the barbarians could only buy various goods from the Celestial Empire in trade. Now, not to mention the Japanese who have always had exchanges with the Dutch, even the Junggar tribe has Swedish artillery and engineers."

" Past experience is important to learn from, but it is also important not to force yourself to fit in. If you don't sell, will the Japanese not be able to buy it? If the Japanese can't buy it from you, will they think about buying it from Westerners? He spent 1.2 million taels to buy an old ship, and you can use the 1.2 million taels to build a new ship twice as much. "

"But as the saying goes, one time is another. It can be sold today, but it may not be sold tomorrow. Tell me, when will it be unsold tomorrow?"

Li Qi held it in for a long time, but he couldn't come up with a solution. He became more anxious and nervous.

Being a crown prince is the hardest.

Once the crown prince loses power and favor, he will be worse than the other princes.

When a father asks questions, he must answer them, and he must not answer them wrongly.

Even if he doesn't know anything, he must speak up, as if he can't get anything out of him.

Even if he was so nervous that he was sweating all over and panicking, he had to remain calm, otherwise the emperor would inevitably think that his son was really useless. How could he be so cowardly?

But sometimes, even if he had a lot of new ideas in his mind, he didn't dare to speak out. If he spoke too much, he was afraid that the emperor would be upset.

Li Qi thought to himself, "I haven't learned these things. How can I answer? Besides, don't we have ministers? As long as we call the ministers to discuss the matter, the emperor only needs to know how to make choices. Why do we have to know everything? Who dares to say that he knows everything?"

While the emperor was still allowing him to think, he thought that the answer should be in the story and the things that happened after the story.

After pondering for a long time, although he still didn't understand what was going on, even though he felt guilty, he replied with full energy: "Back to my father, I think that whether to sell or not depends on whether the Japanese can buy it elsewhere. If If you can buy it from somewhere else, you can sell it; if you can’t buy it from somewhere else, you can’t sell it.”

This answer can be said to be ambiguous.

But it can also be said that it has a deeper meaning.

Li Gan didn't ask further questions and nodded: "Of course. If you can buy it from elsewhere, you will sell it; if you can't buy it from elsewhere, you won't sell it."

After explaining the basics clearly, there were some things that Li Gan didn't want to tell Li Wei first.

When can't I buy it?

Of course, the Dutch, Spanish, and Portuguese were unable to buy it after they were driven away from Southeast Asia.

Why can it be sold now?

On the one hand, the Japanese can buy it from Nanyang, and the Japanese coastline is long and uncontrollable. If you really want to be pushed to the edge, you will definitely do it at any cost. The Westerners, especially the Dutch, are already quite dissatisfied with Dashun due to the immigration of Chinese from Southeast Asia, and they are afraid that the Japanese will take risks and collude with the Westerners.

Secondly, it is sold now in order to use cash to build ships. In the future, they will conquer Nanyang and seal off Manlajia. The Chinese system will be self-contained, and the Japanese will not be able to buy it if they want to.

Li Gan thought that he should finish what he should do while he was alive. At this point, he would just need to be the Lord of Success later.

Therefore, Li Gan did not let Liu Yu have too much contact with the prince, because Liu Yu's set of things was not conservative at all.

He has been cultivating Li Wei in the direction of being the master of Shoucheng, but how to keep Cheng, things today are different from the past. It is not necessary to wait for the rabbit, but it is necessary to explain some things clearly that have not been in the history books in the past.

There are only three things that need to be made clear.

First, the new vassal system.

Secondly, the threat from the north brought by firearms disappeared, colonization and border expansion began, and the navy allowed for the survival of the Southeast Asia. Treating the symptoms but not the local area continued the life of the Li family dynasty.

The third is the problem of good family members. The things that Liangjiazi learned before were marginal and could not stand with the scholar-bureaucrats, and the number of them was also small. They were just a group of marginalized people like eunuchs with penises. Apart from relying on the imperial power, they could not do anything, and they could not stand with the scholar-bureaucrats. Almost all of them dislike each other, and each thinks that what the other learns is of little use.

Now we need to establish practical learning in some places. After the rise of practical learning and the expansion of the marginalized group, we can no longer use the balancing act between Liangjiazi and scholar-bureaucrats to play with the balance between the practical school and the imperial examination school.

In the past, the balance between good families and scholar-bureaucrats was not called party struggle, but a balance between imperial power and a few marginalized people and scholar-bureaucrats.

In the future, the practical school will definitely rise. It will no longer be a few marginal people with good families, but may be a large number of practical talents under the new imperial examination system. How to use it, how to balance it, how to play with party disputes, and how not to make one family bigger, these are all Need to consider.

These three things are unprecedented situations.

It is not impossible to learn from history. There are always solutions found in history books. However, the problem is that the prince is afraid that he will only learn a superficial lesson, copy the gourd, and make jokes about carving a boat to find a sword, and will not be able to understand the essence of the history books.

Li Gan was still thinking about this third point, and decided to study it carefully while he still had twenty or thirty years to live. If he really couldn't find a way to control it, he would put it out before he died.

He realized the horror of practical learning and was somewhat reluctant to give up. But if he really couldn't control the future, between the stability of the dynasty and the prosperity of the country, he could only choose the former.

The remaining two points are to teach the prince well.

Today's peace talks with the Japanese state are talking about the future vassal issues. In the past, we could not pay attention to it, but there is a big difference between Dashun and the previous dynasties, and that is the lesson of the late Ming Dynasty. The vassal belongs to the land of Jisi, and it is very likely to cause big troubles. Snakes can swallow elephants, so we must not ignore it.

Before Liu Yu advocated the war, Li Gan also felt that Japan was still quite powerful, at least it seemed to be stronger than the quasi-force which could only gather 30 to 50 thousand people.

Who would have thought that after the fight started, it would be much simpler than the accurate one. The money spent could not keep up with the grain and rice that the Zhengzhen Department spent in a month.

But after all, the population and foundation are there. Now it is different from the past. In the past, the most we could worry about was the threat from the north. Now that the navy has appeared, the Japanese country, which used to be regarded as non-existent, needs to be taken seriously.

"Each vassal is different. If there is Korea, it can be a mature vassal and have its own system; if there is Japan, it should be divided and ruled, neither to unify it nor to cause chaos."

The sweat behind Li Wei had gradually subsided. According to past experience, he knew that when his father spoke like this, he should ask a question, so he asked: "My son is stupid. The Japanese country is enfeoffed. Why not let the Japanese country repeat the disaster of enfeoffment and chaos?" ? Why not make it unified and not make it chaotic?"

Li Gan laughed and said: "In the past, Emperor Taizong once said that only great chaos can lead to great governance."

"After the Jiashen Year, those who saved China were the righteous soldiers who eradicated violence in the world. They could not be reformed and governed by Ming."

"The same is true for the Japanese country. If the Japanese country is not in chaos, it cannot be governed. In chaos, there may be chaos for a hundred years, or there may be great rule. But if chaos is followed by great rule, then this is the enemy of China."

"The Japanese country is not in chaos, and the vassals and warriors are just like the gentry and corrupt officials in the late Ming Dynasty."

"If it is chaotic, maybe it will be swept away. Liu Zongyuan's "On Feudalism" is a must-read."

"If the Japanese country is not in chaos and unified, everyone will settle down and do their old things. If he trains troops, where will the food come from? Where will the money come from? Why should the warriors protect him if he takes advantage of the warriors of each vassal?"

"The lessons of previous dynasties and the founding of this dynasty are all examples that can be used for reference. Emperor Taizu equalized the land and exempted grain. After entering the capital, he still tortured and corrupted, so he worshiped the marquis and shaved his hair, and the gentry knelt to welcome the Eastern captives."

"But in addition to this lesson, there is another thing, which is the chaos of the seven kingdoms of Wu and Chu during the Han Dynasty. When the seven kingdoms were in chaos, all the power of the world returned to the central government, so there was a way to extend favor, and the later Emperor Wu had great martial arts."

"That's why, to protect the shogunate, we must also protect the vassals."

"We can neither cause the vassals to collapse and cause chaos and chaos; nor can we allow the shogunate to cut down the vassals and centralize power."

"If one day the Japanese state abolishes enfeoffment, introduces imperial examinations, runs schools in accordance with the Three Dynasties, and recruits soldiers, then it can be seen that the samurai will rebel. If so, it is necessary to support the samurai."

"If one day, the Japanese people are miserable and rise up, causing chaos in the world. Then we know that the samurai will suppress them. If so, we must still support the samurai."

"Just remember one sentence: Anyone in Japan who stands with samurai feudalism will be supported; anyone in Japan who wants to abolish feudalism and open imperial examinations will be suppressed."

Li Wei seemed to have some understanding, nodded and said: "I have learned from you. When Zhao Baiquan, a doctor in the government, reported to Korea, should I do the same?"

"Whoever supports yangban and slavery will be supported; whoever rises up will be suppressed? If there is chaos, then there will be change?"

Li Gan laughed loudly and said, "Yes and no."

"Yes, then it will definitely become a vassal."

"If not, then it will be turned into a county."

"Between a choice and a trade-off, my son will decide for himself. Who can know what North Korea will look like decades from now if it is turned on and off?"

"Learn from history and remember to carve a boat to use a sword, let alone cut your feet to fit the shoes."

"The Han and Tang Dynasties conquered the Western Regions. This dynasty has learned from history and will also conquer the Western Regions. However, where is the Western Region of this dynasty? It is not in the northwest."

"There were many Liu clans in the Han Dynasty, and there were many vassal kings in the Ming Dynasty, and the sacrifices they performed were immortal. However, this dynasty did not have a real seal, and it could not be a real seal. However, we had to find another way to seal the clan instead of sealing it."

"Go back and think about it, what does it mean to seal without sealing? It can avoid the chaos of the Seven Kings and the Battle of Jingnan; it can also revive the King of Guangwu and continue the reign of King Kang."

With this question in mind, Li Wei, who couldn't figure it out for a while, bowed and left, knowing that this question was the real test today. I had been sweating profusely before, and the victory over Japan did not leave any bad impression, but this matter cannot be delayed, and I need to think clearly as soon as possible.

After Li Wei left, Li Gan asked his confidant eunuch to get an album with a row of small words written on it.

"The Navy cannot be abolished", "Immigration to cultivate the land", "Huanghuai Canal water and sea transportation", "Japanese feudal vassal", "Nanyang horizon", "Self-sufficiency in the Western Region", "Snowy mountains controllable", "Practical academic examination", "Practical frontier" "The sea of ​​whales is prepared for Rakshasa", "Abolition of men and tax reform"...

There was a lot of content, Li Gan took a pen, erased the small words "Japanese vassal", and added "Nanyang horizon", "Huanghuai canal water transportation and sea transportation", "Immigration to cultivate land", "Solid border whale sea preparation". "Rakshasa" were heavily circled on these four lines of small characters.

In his mind, together with the Japanese vassalage, these five items should be drawn together. If the Japanese country has no ministers and Nanyang is uncertain, we will not dare to abolish the canal system and change it to the sea. If we abolish the canal system and change it to the sea, we must think about where to build the canal system.

It is really difficult to pull one hair and move the whole body. But if you think about it carefully, it is still a matter of money after all. It's just that even if Liu Yu extorted tens of millions of taels of silver from the Japanese country, most of it would be invested in the navy. I silently recited a few words of warning to myself: don't be impatient and don't rush. But he was still thinking about it in his heart, and he didn't know how many things he could accomplish before he died.

After calculating the date, he estimated that Liu Yu would have almost finished negotiating the contract with the Japanese, so he put away the album and focused on the thick memorial.

Although the Japanese pilgrimage is glorious and enjoyable, it is nothing more than a trivial matter.

After the war, matters such as rewards based on merit, splitting up the navy, garrisoning new troops, and balancing land and sea are the real major events.