Chapter 872 Tao
Chapter 872 Tao
Twenty counties, one hundred and thirty-three counties, more than 570,000 households, and more than 2,273,000 people. This is the current assets of the State of Liang.
The average number of people per household is four, which is lower than the average number of people per household in a normal society of more than five. This shows that the population has been severely reduced due to factors such as wars, disasters, and epidemics. Especially during the great epidemic a few years ago, the number of people who died of the disease across the country should have been millions, enough to fight dozens of wars.
Disasters are the second largest means of population destruction, and Hebei has suffered heavy losses as a result.
Six or seven years have passed since the first rainstorm in the third year of Shengui (319), and the population in the north has decreased instead of increased, which makes people feel helpless.
What changes would you like to make in this society?
Faced with this broken world, from a materialistic point of view, Shao Xun felt that if he wanted to make a change, he had to create an interest group that supported him in changing the world, otherwise the leader and the government would perish.
This was the confidence he had in participating in the Jinyang Forum.
"What is Tao?" In the Chongming Temple of Ningshuo Palace, he looked at the household registration and land area cleared by the twenty counties of Liang State, as well as the data of local government soldiers, and said: "Tao is the general trend. Millions of people work together to seek their own welfare."
"So warriors are your way?" Wang Huifeng asked, stroking his hair.
"Whether it's a warrior or a scholar, it doesn't matter." Shao Xun said, "What's important is to change this world. Huifeng, do you think that if there were no warriors to support me, I could have won the debate against the scholars in Jinyang?"
"Even if you are a female...I'm afraid it's useless." Wang Huifeng covered his mouth and laughed.
"Yeah, how could a group of people who dream of returning to the prosperous Taikang era agree with me?" Shao Xun laughed and said, "Without warriors, I can't do many things."
He didn't know how to say that matter determines consciousness.
For him, creating a system and an interest group is "Tao".
Interest groups will speak out for their own interests, use various means to safeguard their own interests, and confront other power groups.
If it is a more advanced interest group, there will be court writers to advocate for them and carry out theoretical construction. New ideas and even ideological changes will also emerge in society, further clearing obstacles for the interest groups.
Everything will evolve naturally without your intervention, because once the direction of social operation is determined, it will have its own core.
Matter determines consciousness, and thought is rooted in matter. This is the cognition of materialists.
If one is an idealist, he would probably debate at the Jinyang Forum, win the debate, spread his ideas, and then change society, believing that this is the "Tao".
But changing people's minds is the most difficult because it touches on their interests. In other words, if you don't give them enough benefits, you can't afford to change their minds.
Debating, like a confession of love between a man and a woman, can only be the final word after a new interest group has grown stronger. It is a result, a clarion call for victory in clearing out the remnants of the old forces, not a starting point.
If verbal attacks were effective, all kinds of changes in the world would not be so difficult. But it still depends on physical persuasion, because no change is without bloodshed.
The current situation in the world is that there is a growing military group, a Hu group that has received benefits, a scholar group that occupies most of the social resources, and a local tyrant group in between.
The discussion in Jinyang could not be considered a debate; at best it was just the first time that a new group stepped onto the world stage and began to have their own voice.
This is the result of his twenty years of hard work.
"Your 'Tao' is still a little weak." Wang Huifeng looked at the saplings in the yard and said, "For example, if the saplings can grow steadily for a year, they can survive the cold winter. If something happens during this year and they don't grow well, they will wither when the severe winter comes."
"You are right." Shao Xun said, "If my foundation is solid, why would I need to do this? Jinyang's discussion of Taoism is nothing more than tolerating each other for the sake of the country."
"You have been shouting for tolerance for the sake of the country for twenty years." Wang Huifeng said with a smile.
"This slogan will be useful even after a thousand years." Shao Xun sat behind Wang Huifeng, put his arm around her waist, put his head on her shoulder, and said softly, "If people can recognize themselves and judge the situation, there won't be so many troubles."
"What if we can't judge the situation?" Wang Huifeng asked.
"Then use external force to wake them up. This is the way of talking." Shao Xun said.
"That's really the way a warrior behaves." Wang Huifeng felt his ears itching a little, rolled his eyes at him, and said, "You're old, your looks are gone, why are you still clinging to it?"
"The Crown Princess is still as beautiful as when I first met her. How can you say she's old?" Shao Xun said with a smile.
"It's useless for you to say these things." Wang Huifeng did not struggle, but just said: "I am not with you because of sweet words."
"Hanoi has just completed the land survey. Guo's Fort is the last one. You should already know that." Shao Xun said.
Wang Huifeng nodded.
"Guojiawu Fort has accumulated 800,000 bushels of millet and wheat over the years, which is quite astonishing." Shao Xun said, "The Guo brothers cannot use up all of this 800,000 bushels of grain, nor can the clan members and officers who follow them. But what if we divide it up so that more people can help them use it?"
"If there were dozens of people who originally possessed the grain, they would certainly not be able to eat it all, so they would take some of the grain to the market to sell, and exchange it for silk, satin, gold and silver utensils, carriages, horses, furniture, etc. But how many clothes can a person wear? How many utensils and furniture can he use? There is a limit to everything."
"But what if hundreds of people take possession of the grain and go to the market to buy things? The mat maker will find that his mats are in short supply, because before there was one person buying, but now there are ten people. The fur maker will find that the fur is not enough, also because the supply cannot meet the demand. If they do this, other people will also be affected. For example, more people will go to cut cattails during the slack season, or weave mats themselves, or sell them to mat weavers; hunters will go into the mountains more often, because the price of fur is now expensive and the demand is also increasing. In this way, everyone benefits." "Over time, some people simply make mat weaving and fur making a living. Before that, they may have only done it during the slack season. After specializing in weaving mats and fur making, their skills are getting more and more sophisticated and their speed is getting faster and faster. If more people come to buy, they will think about how to make more mats and furs."
"If the manor hadn't been demolished, this kind of thing would never have happened. The end of this world is clear to see at a glance."
Wang Huifeng was a little stunned after hearing this.
She knew that things might not be that simple, but the fact that King Liang roughly explained this truth in relatively simple words still made her feel enlightened even though she had lived in a manor for half her life.
Her best guess before was that scholars would cooperate with the court in surveying land and household registration, pay taxes and serve in the court according to regulations, and at the same time train more talents to serve the court, while the common people would be able to have enough food and clothing, work from sunrise to sunset.
In this way, both scholars and common people will benefit and the world will be united.
But King Liang had another solution. He wanted to split the large estates into more small and medium-sized plots. Training warriors was just a means for him. If someone else could help him achieve his goal, he would train them as well.
This is his most core goal hidden deep in his heart.
"I know your secret." Wang Huifeng said with a smile.
"Does the 'Crown Princess' regret feeding the tiger with her own body?" Shao Xun hugged her tightly and asked.
"I regret it. I shouldn't have been so obsessed with it in the first place." Wang Huifeng's eyes were full of smiles.
"It's no use regretting. I'm a rough man, and I'll take the Crown Princess home after hearing her reputation as a chaste woman."
"You like chaste women, but you also like to destroy their chastity. There is no one worse than you in the world." Wang Huifeng rolled his eyes at Shao Xun and said, "But now it's not so bad. If it weren't for you, Luoyang would have been destroyed by the Huns, and I might have died..."
Wang Huifeng hit upon the evil hidden in Shao Xun's heart, and his old face turned red. He said, "With me, the Xiongnu can be expected to be destroyed. As for this world, I will persevere no matter how far I go. As long as I am not dead, I will persevere."
Wang Huifeng was stunned when he heard this.
Is there anyone who hopes that King Liang will die suddenly? There should be some, and quite a few.
These people don’t think too much because they are angry and think that the world is crooked.
If Prince Liang had not had such a high reputation, the number of people who hoped for his sudden death would probably have increased several times.
Thinking of this, she sighed slightly.
If it is so difficult to be a founding ruler, wouldn't it be even more difficult to be a maintaining ruler?
"When are we going to Jinyang?" Wang Huifeng asked.
"Wait another ten days and leave when everyone is here." Shao Xun replied.
"Who are you waiting for?"
"More than two thousand flying cavalry officers. If they are not here, there will be no discussion."
"Don't kill them indiscriminately. The sapling is not strong enough yet."
"I know my limits." Shao Xun said, "With 20 counties to rule the world, I can't do whatever I want. You have to eat as much as you can. I proposed to tolerate each other for the sake of the country. If scholars can tolerate, I can tolerate too. Let's tolerate together and get things done and the world in order. What will happen in the future depends on ability. But if someone can't tolerate, I can't tolerate either. I hope it won't come to this."
"Sometimes I always feel that you are standing very high and seeing very far." Wang Huifeng added: "If I were in the situation, I would always feel that the fog blocked my eyes and I couldn't see clearly. Once I couldn't see clearly, I would doubt myself, my determination would be weak, and I would often give up halfway. How did you do it?"
Shao Xun couldn't answer.
Some people with outstanding talents can often find the key to the problem, but they cannot jump out of the limitations of history, and the final result is not satisfactory. But if you look at the present from a historical perspective, you will feel much better and your confidence will be much stronger.
"I am the incarnation of the star Taibai." Shao Xun said.
Wang Huifeng smiled and said, "That's a monster."
Shao Xun nodded and said, "This spirit was born in the clouds of the Western Heaven. When he heard about the extraordinary woman Wang Huifeng in the human world, he fell in love with her and wanted to marry her. However, he was still a step too late, but the ending was good. He and Wang Huifeng snuggled together in the courtyard, talking about the past and present, and no longer envied the heaven and the world."
Wang Huifeng chuckled, gently broke free, stood up and said: "After today's conversation, I already know how to write the policy copy. I will give it to you in two days, just memorize it."
Do I still need to memorize cheat sheets? Shao Xun was helpless.
At this time, the Palace Secretary Cai Cheng appeared from nowhere, panting, as if he had not been there just now and had arrived in a hurry.
He only said, "Your Majesty, there are still some scholars in various states who have not set out yet."
"Forget about the little people." Shao Xun said, "Urge the famous scholars and tell them that it will be too late to regret if they don't come."
(End of this chapter)