pdf-ebookys Chapter 632 You can't resign as an official, but you still have to keep working.
Chapter 632 You can't resign as an official, but you still have to keep working.
The longer Xu Da stayed in Ningyang County, the more lost he felt.
It wasn't because of the muskets and cannons I'd seen these past few days.
Because these things were already in their rudimentary form before.
As the saying goes, no matter how things change, the essence remains the same.
No matter how powerful firearms and artillery are, the principles they follow when used on the battlefield are always the same.
What Xu Da truly couldn't understand was the overall structure of Ningyang County.
From the perspective of the Right Chancellor of the Secretariat, Emperor Zhu's policy of "light taxes and levies, and vigorous land reclamation" was correct.
After all, the Central Plains had been ravaged for so many years, with many fertile fields either turned into horse ranches or abandoned altogether. Meanwhile, the Hu Yuan were eyeing the northern deserts, ready to march south at any moment.
Besides preparing for border defenses and being ready to fight the Hu Yuan at any time, "allowing the people to rest and recuperate" became the most important thing for the Ming Dynasty.
How can we reconcile with the people's livelihood?
Distribute good land to the people, let them cultivate it, and cooperate with policies of light taxes and levies so that the people can have enough to eat and store up grain, and the government can avoid unnecessary interference. This is the best way to allow the people to live in peace and harmony.
And what about Ningyang County?
The land was distributed to the people, and the encouragement of agriculture and sericulture was also done well. The policy of "light taxes and levies" was even extended to the point of exempting people from taxes and corvée labor.
According to Yang Dianfeng, the people had too much sorghum stored at home, so they secretly used it to brew wine.
The problem is that Yang the Madman is too much of a troublemaker.
You said you'd build a road, but the road was only one zhang wide, yet you insisted on occupying ten zhang wide of land beforehand.
There are also various workshops in Ningyang County that are busy from morning till night, if not around the clock.
As a result, many people in Ningyang County are now starting to complain that farming is not profitable.
My goodness!
From the creation of the world by Pangu to the rule of the Three Sovereigns and the establishment of order by the Five Emperors, from Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han to Emperor Taizong of Tang and Emperor Taizu of Song, which common people complained that farming was not profitable and instead longed to work in a workshop?
This strange sight happened in Ningyang County!
Xu Da's head ached more and more as he thought about it, while Emperor Zhu grinned and laughed.
There are more and more things I don't understand?
It's understandable if you don't understand.
We've been staying in Ningyang County for several months, and there are still many things we don't understand. You, Xu Da, have only been here for a few days, and you already want to understand all these things in Ningyang County?
Want to eat fart!
While inwardly complaining, Emperor Zhu said with a smile, "Let's go back to the county office first, get a couple of side dishes, and talk while we drink."
……
Upon returning to the backyard of the county government office, after having wine and food prepared, Emperor Zhu asked with a smile, "What aspects of Tiande do you not understand?"
Xu Da scratched the back of his head, looking distressed, and said, "I don't understand anything."
After a slight pause, Xu Da tentatively asked, "Or perhaps I should resign from my position as Right Chancellor of the Secretariat?"
WTF?
Resignation?
You're dreaming!
If you resign as prime minister, won't that old scoundrel Li Shanchang be so angry that he'll die?
Emperor Zhu said with a dark face, "Don't even think about resigning as prime minister."
"With the Northern Expedition against the Yuan Dynasty imminent, there are a ton of messy military and political affairs in the Yan-Yun and Liao-Dong areas. And the capital is in the south of the Yangtze River. A round trip would take anywhere from ten days to half a month, or even one or two months. How much of a delay would that cause?"
"But with you, the Right Chancellor of the Secretariat and Grand Commander Tang Fen, stationed in Beiping, many things can be decided on the spot, without being delayed by the journey."
Emperor Zhu knew that Xu Da had been seriously tricked these past few days.
After all, that bastard has always been a greedy, gluttonous creature.
He welcomed Xu Da and Chang Yuchun emptying the inventory of various workshops in Ningyang County and Dengzhou Prefecture because there was money to be made.
But if you, Xu Da, want to trick some people in Ningyang County into joining the army, it's like snatching food from the mouth of some scoundrel. How could he be happy about that?
Not to mention we also snatched 112 able-bodied young men in advance.
However, it's one thing for us to understand you, Xu Da, but it's another thing for you, Xu Da, to want to quit your job.
In short, you can't resign from your official post, and you still have to keep working.
At the very least, we have to wait until the Central Secretariat completes its reforms. Li Shanchang won't feign illness just because you resign. At that point, we won't care whether you resign or Li Shanchang resigns.
As Emperor Zhu pondered this, he smiled and said, "Well then, the reason you want to resign as prime minister is because you feel there are many things you don't understand, and you feel you can't keep up with the changes, isn't that right?"
Xu Da nodded, but Emperor Zhu slapped his thigh and pointed at Yang Shaofeng, saying, "Isn't this a coincidence?"
"Whether it's the changes in Ningyang County, the changes in Dengzhou Prefecture, or even many changes in the imperial court, the cause is all due to the messing around of our good-for-nothing son-in-law."
"If there's anything you don't understand, just ask him directly and let him clarify things for you. Isn't that better than trying to figure it out on your own after you resign as prime minister?"
Seeing the Emperor Zhu's appearance, Xu Da's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally sank to the bottom.
I was truly foolish, truly foolish. Knowing full well that neither of them, father-in-law nor son-in-law, was any good, I still deluded myself into thinking that Zhu Chongba would have a change of heart and agree to my resignation as prime minister.
Xu Da suppressed the urge to curse, and with a dark face, bowed to Emperor Zhu and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, I thank you for your position."
After thanking Emperor Zhu, Xu Da looked at Yang Shaofeng with a dark expression: "Your Highness, are you planning to try out a policy of giving equal importance to industry and agriculture in Ningyang and Dengzhou?"
As Xu Da finished speaking, Emperor Zhu's eyes lit up.
Xu Da, you still say you don't understand anything?
If you really don't understand, how could you possibly explain this bastard's long-standing tactics with just one sentence: "Equal emphasis on industry and agriculture"?
Yang Shaofeng nodded slightly and replied, "What Prime Minister Xu said is true. This official does indeed intend to take the path of giving equal importance to industry and agriculture."
"However, we also need to include soldiers, platoons, and merchants in this group."
"In other words, what I want to do is to promote a balanced approach that includes soldiers, artisans, farmers, and merchants."
Yang Shaofeng took a deep breath and solemnly said, "Guanzi said: 'If a country has fertile land but its people lack food, it is because it lacks weapons and tools. If a country has abundant resources from mountains and seas but its people lack wealth, it is because it lacks commerce and industry.'"
“When discussing the salt and iron issue, Sang Gong also said that if industry does not produce, agriculture will suffer from shortages; if commerce does not operate, precious goods will be scarce. If agriculture suffers from shortages, grain will not grow; if precious goods are scarce, wealth will be depleted.”
"The words 'industry' and 'commerce' are inherently complementary."
“With government officials and gentry willing to set up workshops, artisans responsible for manufacturing, and merchants responsible for selling, ordinary people do not have to worry about the seeds and farming tools they need for cultivation, nor do they have to worry about not having a way to make money.”
"People only dare to spend money when they believe they can make money."
"Only when ordinary people are willing to spend money can merchants make money."
"Only when merchants make money can the national treasury collect taxes."
"Only when the national treasury is full can more community schools, county schools, and prefectural schools be built, and more talents be cultivated."
"..."
"Of course, many workshops still need to be controlled by the government."