Prodigal Son of the Ming Dynasty

  Chapter 73 Family Affairs State Affairs World Affairs

  Emperor Hongzhi was surprised, and he should immediately start reforming the land and return it to the local people. Isn’t this your suggestion, Fang Jifan? How come it's not good now?

  Even Liu Jian and Li Dongyang were frowning, looking like they were willing to hear something.

Fang Jifan smiled: "If we rashly reform the land and return it to the natives, the native states of Yunnan and Guizhou will definitely rebel again, and the rebellion will be even bigger. Have you ever thought about it, for thousands of years, the natives have been attached to the chieftain, and These hereditary chieftains have the supreme authority in the village. Even if His Majesty reforms the land and grants favors to the natives, will the natives really believe in the imperial court? At that time, they only need to be incited by the chieftain, and they will still rebel. "

  Emperor Hongzhi frowned, nodded thoughtfully: "It makes sense."

"So..." Fang Jifan's eyes flashed cunning, and he said with a thief smile: "Before reforming the land and returning to the country, we must first suppress the news. At the same time, after the rebellion is put down, the first thing to do is to notify the local authorities The natives said that the officers and soldiers who countered the rebellion were preparing to set off, and it was inconvenient to transport a large amount of military rations. People receive twenty catties of grain and one catty of salt."

  Fang Jifan continued: "As long as the natives come, the troops stationed in various places must not do anything, how many people will come, how much food and salt will be distributed..."

   "After waiting for several months, His Majesty issued another decree, saying that he was very happy when he heard that the natives had received grain and salt. His Majesty was very happy, thinking of the hardships of life of the natives, and distributed grain again..."

"The chieftains only thought that the imperial army was about to withdraw, and this was His Majesty's will. They must not interfere. After all, the rebellion had just been put down, and many chieftains still had lingering fears. They only hoped that the imperial army would withdraw quickly. As for the next The natives have food and salt, so why not do it, and naturally they won't be a hindrance."

When Fang Jifan said this, he smiled: "And next, you can make an order to reform the land and return it to the natives. Your Majesty made an order, saying that he is sympathetic to the hardships of the natives. I also heard that the chieftains own a lot of land. I heard that the chieftains Like Your Majesty, we all love the people like sons. Your Majesty has already discussed with the chieftains to take the land of the chieftains and distribute them to the natives. Since your majesty praised the chieftains for their righteous deeds, he naturally wanted to give them more officials and ranks. However, this added The chieftain is a low-ranking official, and needs to be transferred out of Tuzhou and resettled in other places. In this way, those chieftains and native officials must be caught off guard, and they are bound to oppose it, but...is there any use for their opposition?"

"His Majesty has given the natives a shower of the emperor's grace through the release of grain time and time again, and most importantly, convinced the natives that His Majesty will follow his word. If he says to give grain, he will give grain. No discount at all, which is enough to convince the natives that His Majesty promised to give them land, and he must do what he says, and he will never give any discount."

"At that time, how can these chieftains fight against the government and the army, and resist the edict? Can they incite the natives and resist the emperor's allocation of land to the natives? Your Majesty, this is the way to long-term stability. If you change the soil and return to the people, you will be successful."

  This guy... is quite sinister.

  Especially when the food and salt are sent out first, it is really impressive to use such small favors as trustworthy.

  The three of Liu Jian were thoughtful, and seemed to be thinking about whether it was correct to reform the country and return to the people.

   After all, this is a major national policy of the imperial court towards the Southwest, any negligence may lead to great consequences.

  Emperor Hongzhi became even more anxious, with his hands behind his back, silent.

   After a long time, Emperor Hongzhi looked at Liu Jian: "Liu Qing's family, what do you think?"

  Liu Jian was preparing a draft in his heart, and was about to talk about it. At this time, someone said: "I think this is the best."

   Everyone looked towards the source of the sound, and it was Zhu Houzhao who spoke.

   "..." Emperor Hongzhi was a little annoyed.

  When the adults talk, what’s the matter with your little kid?

  Of course, the reason why Emperor Hongzhi was angry was because his son had no position. You are a prince, a dignified prince.

Seeing his father's face turned gloomy, Zhu Houzhao suddenly felt guilty. Recently, his father had never shown him a good face. He just expressed his feelings just now. Unexpectedly, his father was displeased, so Immediately, he acted as if he was aggrieved, and tried his best to appear harmless to humans and animals, with innocent eyes.

  Fang Jifan gritted his teeth in his heart, the actor's self-cultivation, it's a pity that His Royal Highness doesn't join the entertainment industry.

  Emperor Hongzhi said coldly: "Why, what else can my son think?"

   There was clearly a thorn in these words. Today, he was going to beat Fang Jifan, but Fang Jifan was far beyond his expectations, which made Emperor Hongzhi appreciate this kid even more.

  But the stick was held high, and it was a bit embarrassing not to beat it down. Well, now it's you. If you don't beat other people's children, you have to deal with your own son.

Zhu Houzhao already smelled something bad, and hurriedly said: "I... I think that reforming the land and returning to the local people is bound to succeed. Who can feed them enough to feed them, so that they can multiply, this is a big deal. The chieftains control the natives, relying on prestige alone, it seems to be airtight and united However, the common people and the natives only want food and clothing, and whoever feeds and clothes them is the greatest kindness. Therefore, I firmly believe that as long as the imperial court implements Fang Jifan's reform of the land, the hearts of the natives will definitely be Those who face the imperial court, a group of chieftains, just submit. If they don’t submit, they only need an order, an imperial envoy, and a few warriors to teach them to become prisoners. The emperor, the heart of the common people, is different from us. "

   "..."

   All of a sudden, the warm pavilion became quiet again.

  The faces of the worried Emperor Hongzhi and the three cabinet scholars were full of surprise.

   It might be very common for others to say these words, but it is really surprising that they are said from the mouth of the crown prince.

  Even Emperor Hongzhi couldn't imagine that his son, who is usually smart but accustomed to being pampered, would say such a thing.

   And this explanation is indeed enough to convince the public.

  However, there is no difference between the natives and ordinary people. At least the vast majority of people, as long as they are fed and clothed, they are enough to be grateful. The so-called peaceful and prosperous age means that everyone has food and clothing?

  Emperor Hongzhi understood these principles, and the cabinet ministers should also understand them.

  But...Prince...why do you understand?

   Zhu Houzhao's words made Emperor Hongzhi walk out of the haze in Guizhou, with a gratified smile on his face, and an indescribably comfortable feeling all over his body.

   What happened in Guizhou was serious, but it did not shake the foundation of the country after all. And the crown prince is the heir apparent of the country and the future of the Ming Dynasty. He has such insight and can still understand the sufferings of the people. This... is really a great relief.

  But immediately, Emperor Hongzhi's heart sank, something was wrong...

   Could it be that Fang Jifan taught Zhu Houzhao to say these words?

  He pretended to be careless: "Someone taught you to say this, right?"

  (end of this chapter)