Chapter 726: Plan Ahead and Plan for the Long Term

If the copper-silver bimetallic system mentioned by Shen Shixing is not remedied, the Great Ming will fall into another kind of "money famine"—the absurdity that there is money but money does not circulate, that is, a liquidity crisis. This crisis has already had signs in Songjiang Prefecture, but in the Great Ming capital, it has not. This is what the court ministers cannot see.

Only the capital has imperial silver coins, and there is no liquidity crisis in the circulation of silver coins in the capital.

And this crisis is not easy to resolve. The more you invest, the more dangerous it is, because money always flows to places where money is not lacking.

And the flexible ratio of copper and silver effectively avoids the appearance of this absurdity. This policy is very effective, and for the court, it adds a tool to regulate contradictions.

And Zhu Yijun completed the third volume, "Struggle," of "Class Theory" based on the idea that economic power determines political power proposed by Shen Shixing.

Zhu Yijun hadn't had time to explain the content of this volume when the Great Ming Imperial Teacher Zhang Juzheng blocked the gate of Tonghe Palace and walked into the Imperial Study in a hurry. The Great Ming Emperor had just finished his cultivation, let Zhang Juzheng wait and drink tea, and he went to change into casual clothes before returning to the Imperial Study.

It was just that the atmosphere was a bit oppressive. The Emperor didn't speak, and the Zhang Yuanfu didn't speak. The two sat quietly like this for half an hour. Feng Bao, Zhang Hong, and other eunuchs didn't even dare to breathe, and even the action of looking at tea was careful, not daring to make a sound.

Feng Bao swore that he had never seen such a terrible scene in his life. Even if there was no quarrel, the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was difficult to breathe.

The silence at this time was deafening.

"Teacher, Wang Qian, the son of the Wang Cifu, once told me that there is a power called the power of silence. Language is sometimes pale. In a conversation, appropriate silence makes the audience think about the mystery." Zhu Yijun sighed. Zhang Juzheng ran to Tonghe Palace but didn't say a word. It was silent resistance, a silent accusation.

Zhang Juzheng took a deep breath and said: "Mencius said: 'Blaming the monarch for his faults is called respect; stating goodness and blocking evil is called reverence; saying that our monarch cannot do it is called a thief.'"

Blaming the monarch for his faults is the greatest respect; stating good laws and blocking the monarch's evil thoughts is the greatest reverence; the former kings did it, but today's monarch cannot do it. The minister who says such things is a thief.

"Your Majesty, this is my great sin. I was addicted to fame and fortune, felt that this 'Class Theory' was novel, and in order to gain some false reputation, I was bewitching the public. The great mistake has not yet been cast. I ask for an edict to take back the first two volumes of 'Class Theory' and burn them." Zhang Juzheng took a deep breath. He sincerely believed that he was wrong.

At the beginning, the first volume of "Class Theory" was born on the basis of the theory of contradictions and the theory of public and private. It was mainly to explain some phenomena that past political and economic theories could not explain. The first volume was nothing, but by the second volume, Zhang Juzheng realized what kind of door he had opened. Now, not many scholars in the Great Ming would adopt the narrative of class theory, and they avoided talking about class. The great mistake had not yet been cast, and everything still had a chance to be saved.

"This is not a mistake."

"This is a mistake, and a big mistake."

Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng spoke very quickly. The Emperor said it was not a mistake, and Zhang Juzheng thought it was a big mistake.

"Teacher knows very well that this is not a mistake, this is inevitable." Zhu Yijun said with a smile: "Teacher, if these three volumes of 'Class Theory' were really wrong, then there is no need to care at all, because no one would take it seriously. In the process of dissemination, it would naturally disappear. Teacher now wants me to burn the books because you know that it is right and will spread wider and wider. Even after a hundred or even hundreds of years, it will still be a classic passed down."

"It is wrong now." Zhang Juzheng said immediately: "I don't know if it will be right in the future, but it is wrong now. This is very important."

Given the current state of the Great Ming's productive forces, the most important thing is to use the land, plant more grain, let the Great Ming transform from a small-scale peasant economy to a commodity economy, let the productive forces develop rapidly, and let the people have more children. 130 million people is still too few.

Cover up contradictions with development. Many contradictions that are almost unsolvable now will be naturally solved in the process of development.

Zhang Juzheng's meaning was very clear. The

"It is necessary now. Zhejiang is currently undergoing land restitution, and it requires 'struggle' as a guiding principle," Zhu Yijun said with a solemn expression.

Zhang Juzheng immediately replied, "The pragmatic officials of the Wanli Reform can solve some problems. Even for those that cannot be solved, one can use the Emperor's mandate to correct them. Rather than believing in the 'strength of the masses,' I believe more in the impartiality of Your Majesty alone. I have never seen the 'strength of the masses,' nor do I believe in it, but I have seen Your Majesty's impartiality, and I see it every single day."

"Your Majesty, the 'strength of the masses' is like the Great Zhixing Zhixing Heyi world spoken of by Confucian scholars, like the Kingdom of Heaven in the mouths of missionaries, or like the Rome shaped by Western scholars—all are illusory. In my nearly forty years as an official, everything I have seen, experienced, and handled tells me that it does not exist."

Such is the nature of imperial rule: if the Emperor is a muddled ruler, he will obstruct the path of reform; if the Emperor is an enlightened ruler, he will also obstruct the path of reform.

In Zhang Juzheng's view, there is no problem that Your Majesty cannot solve. If there were, one would simply dispatch the Capital Garrison. A legitimate regime combined with the legitimate use of force is the most realistic answer.

The 'strength of the masses' should certainly be mentioned, but it must not become the primary guiding principle for governing the world.

In Zhang Juzheng's eyes, a visible, wise monarch is more realistic than the empty-headed 'strength of the masses.' As the empire's Senior Grand Secretary, Zhang Juzheng chooses to believe in the Emperor.

Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "Teacher, the 'Theory of Contradiction' was written by you, but it seems you do not fully approve of it. How can contradictions be resolved solely from the top down?"

Zhang Juzheng immediately said, "But resolving problems from the bottom up often creates even more problems. The price is a chaotic world, where lives are like ants and people like blades of grass. The Great Ming is currently undergoing a rebirth, rising with vigor. Development can solve most problems; there is no need to resort to the means of 'struggle'."

"The massive influx of silver from overseas is solving the currency shortage, injecting new vitality into the Great Ming. Since the Zhenwu era, the monarch, ministers, and soldiers have been of one mind, repelling enemies beyond our borders. The 'Evaluation System' and the crackdown on corruption have made the administration clear. Although there is still the vice of indulgence, on the whole, the capable rise and the mediocre fall."

"I believe in Your Majesty because it is not just Your Majesty who wants a restoration, but also many, many comrades and fellow travelers. My belief in Your Majesty is, in fact, a belief in the aspiring talents of the Great Ming; this in itself is a form of bottom-up movement."

Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Juzheng, leaned back in his chair, and remained silent. The study in the Tonghe Palace fell quiet once more, and the atmosphere became even more oppressive.

Feng Bao felt his breathing grow shallow. His heart had jumped into his throat, and he could clearly hear its beating. He knew that the Emperor was thinking, weighing, and deciding. This might be the greatest rift, the greatest divergence between monarch and minister since the Wanli Reform.

"Your Majesty, the Great Ming is not yet strong enough to withstand these things. To be overly demanding and hasty will only give the 'base scholars' an opportunity," Zhang Juzheng took a deep breath and bowed his head. "In my opinion, it will be time only when everyone in the Great Ming can afford to go to school."

Zhang Juzheng felt that the Emperor was extremely conservative on some matters, yet exceptionally radical on others—so urgent, as if he had lost something before.

"Teacher, civilizations can perish," Zhu Yijun sat up straight and said. "The civilization of the Inca Empire vanished from the New World in a mere seventy years. The Holy Roman Empire is not Rome, the 'Green Radish' is not Rome, Tsarist Russia is not Rome, and the civilization of Rome itself has declined, or even disappeared."

"To take precautions before it rains, to plan for the long term while living in peace—this, too, is what you taught me, Teacher, to let me see further ahead."

Zhu Yijun threw a boomerang; the bullet fired by the Imperial Tutor in the first year of Wanli struck Zhang Juzheng right between the brows.

Zhang Juzheng had taken so many boomerangs that he had become immune to such damage. He understood the Emperor's sense of urgency, because China had indeed once perished at the hands of barbarians. The sun and moon had dimmed and then brightened again; could Heaven really favor the Central Plains a second time, producing a hero like Zhu Yuanzhang to restore the old mountains and rivers? That would require immense luck.

It is only natural that the Emperor, who likes to overestimate the enemy, fears that China will follow in the footsteps of Rome and the Inca, to be annihilated by barbarians.

"It is not appropriate now." Zhang Juzheng expressed his opposition again, very bluntly. This time it was his turn to be silent. For such a serious political theory to truly take root, sprout, bloom, and bear fruit, the time required is certainly not ten or twenty years, but centuries. Doing it now seems not too early at all; in fact, it looks a bit late.

"It seems I cannot convince you, Teacher, and you cannot convince me. That makes things difficult," Zhu Yijun said with a smile. "It is just a volume of books. I don't think it's anything significant, and most people probably won't even glance at it. Even if they buy it, it will just sit on the shelf gathering dust. Why not publish it for the world?"

"I don't think it's a big deal. You take it too seriously, Teacher. Although there are natural deductions, I don't believe a single volume of books could bring down the Great Ming."

The third volume of the 'Class Theory'—'Struggle'—actually provided a theoretical basis for the inevitable fall of the Great Ming. But theory is just theory; putting theory into practice is truly too difficult. The former Minister of Personnel, Yang Bo, was a master of the School of Mind and had a deep understanding of 'unity of knowledge and action,' yet even Yang Bo failed to achieve it.

Passing the imperial examination already makes one a dragon among men. To embark on an official career and climb to a high position like Minister of Personnel, floating in the sea of officialdom, requires top-tier strength and luck. Even so, knowing and doing are two different things.

When Great Ming bureaucrats discuss problems, they try their best to avoid the content of 'Class Theory' and instead cite the 'Theory of Contradiction' more often, because the content in 'Class Theory' is too rebellious. In fact, the audience for 'Class Theory' is very small. It could even be said that in the current era, only the Great Ming's high officials need this theoretical support when deciding directions and routes.

This was Zhu Yijun's thought: theory is just theory, but when it is needed in the future, it can be taken out and used.

"I obey the decree." Zhang Juzheng finally chose to compromise. In fact, the Emperor had also compromised; there was no need to let a book drive a wedge between monarch and minister.

The Emperor's compromise lay in not deliberately promoting it—placing it on shelves without vigorous publicity, let alone including it in the imperial examinations. Zhang Juzheng's compromise was to accept the Emperor's 'reckless decree.'

Zhang Juzheng had no choice but to compromise. The Emperor was no longer a ten-year-old child. Zhang Juzheng could no longer stop him; the Emperor had plenty of ways, such as promoting him, turning the Earl of Yicheng into the Marquis of Yicheng, and letting him retire in peace.

Zhang Juzheng chatted with the Emperor about state affairs—the Nanjing Mint, the Songjiang Iron and Horse Factory, the Lanzhou Woolen Mill, the progress of the Longbian post road, the scale of this year's maritime trade, and so on—before choosing to take his leave.

"Ah! I forgot, it wasn't written by me, how can it bear my name!" Zhang Juzheng finally remembered the second purpose of his visit to the palace. For this third volume of 'Class Theory,' the Emperor could put whoever's name he wanted on it, but he absolutely could not put his, Zhang Juzheng's!

If his name were on it, wouldn't he, Zhang Juzheng, become the number one traitor of the Great Ming in the historical judgments of the future?

Zhang Juzheng immediately rushed back, requested an audience again, and engaged in a fierce verbal battle with the Emperor, slamming the table. He would never accept the title of traitor! If the Emperor forced him to, he would resign and return home, not even remaining an Earl of Yicheng. If the Emperor pressured him further, he would follow Zhu Wan and commit suicide to prove his integrity.

As the number one meritorious official of the Great Ming's restoration, he would never allow his posthumous reputation to have any connection with being a traitor!

This matter was very important, at least to him.

Zhu Yijun could not hold out against him and finally agreed, compromising by publishing it under the pen name 'Zhu Zhongxing.' The public generally considered 'Zhu Zhongxing' to be Zhang Juzheng's pen name, but officials in the court knew very well that it was the Emperor's.

The drought in Suiyuan and Shaanxi was much better than Zhu Yijun had imagined. With the construction of water conservancy projects, the planting of more famine-relief crops, and the use of water and fertilizer, the drought was not so severe that the local authorities could not handle it.

The decrease in rainfall was not a lie, and Pan Jixun and Shen Yiguan's request for a 70% reduction in land tax to overcome the difficulty was not bragging. The total population of Shaanxi, Gansu, and Suiyuan combined was less than eight million, and they were mainly concentrated in the Guanzhong region, where the drought was not particularly severe. The actual impact of the drought was not as serious as imagined.

The land was vast and sparsely populated, and the output of the land could meet the demand. Even in a drought, as long as there were no large-scale man-made disasters, famine would not occur. The only fear was people hoarding grain and annexing land.

For the 6.5 million shi of grain support, Pan Jixun only asked for 200,000 shi, saying he would ask for more if there was a shortage. In his memorial, Pan Jixun solemnly thanked the Emperor for his holy grace. In the past, they would have waited until the famine spread and refugees caused civil unrest before the court symbolically handled it, mostly by suppression.

The court had responded just because of a decrease in rainfall; for the border regions, this was something they would never have dared to imagine.

It was not that the court's high officials did not know the dangers of reduced rainfall, nor that they did not know how to handle it; it was just that in the past, the court did not have the financial resources.

Economic power is equivalent to political power. Without an economic foundation, the implementation of many decrees is like flowers in a mirror or the moon in the water.

Just as the Great Ming Emperor had predicted, the 'Struggle' volume of 'Class Theory' was quietly placed on the shelves of the Imperial Estates without causing much of a stir. It was sold bundled with the first two volumes, and it seemed to attract no one's attention, nor did it stir up any wind.

"Sigh." Zhang Juzheng looked at the memorial in his hand. It was a criticism from a censor regarding the rent reduction law implemented in Shaanxi, Gansu, and Suiyuan. The reason Zhang Juzheng sighed was not the content of the memorial, but that it cited content from the 'Struggle' volume.

Although it did not mention it explicitly, the main point was too clear. Zhang Juzheng saw at a glance that this censor had read the 'Struggle' volume and knew it by heart.

The content of this memorial criticized the rent reduction law for having loopholes. In the eyes of this censor, the court's decrees should not be based on advocacy.

This censor believed: immediately stop the external sale of grain in Shaanxi, Gansu, and Suiyuan, and do not allow grain to leave the passes, to prevent the local gentry from fleeing; likewise, investigate the grain stored in the homes of the local gentry to keep track of it; when it is necessary to open porridge sheds, do not wait until the last minute to find the granaries empty, and if necessary, collect grain for disaster relief;

Most importantly, impose severe punishments on the local gentry who refuse to reduce rent or engage in fraud, starting with fines and going up to confiscation of property, totaling seven specific regulations.

The entire memorial had one core logic: those who have rebelled throughout history have always been the farmers; one has never heard of merchants being able to turn the world upside down.

"There is no problem with this 'Memorial on Collecting Grain for Disaster Relief'." Wang Chonggu finished reading the memorial and asked suspiciously, "What is the Senior Grand Secretary sighing about?"

"His meaning is to clarify who the enemy is, rely on the majority of the poor, mobilize and win over the property owners, restrict the privileges of the local gentry class, and eliminate the rebellious ministers who do not respect the King's mandate and discipline." Zhang Juzheng looked at Wang Chonggu and asked, "Do you still not know what I am worried about?"

Wang Chonggu laughed as soon as he heard it, saying, "Isn't it just that bit of stuff from the 'Struggle' volume? My son Wang Qian bought it the first moment it came out, and I snatched it away, so he had to buy another copy."

"I've read it. Your Majesty wrote this volume well. The 'Theory of Contradiction,' 'Public and Private Theory,' 'Class Volume,' and 'Distribution Volume' you wrote all discover phenomena, analyze problems, and find causes, but do not provide solutions. Solving problems, no matter what, cannot bypass the two words 'struggle'."

"I say, Senior Grand Secretary, you are only sixty-three, why are you more timid than an old wreck like me? His Majesty is in his prime, no need to worry about those groundless things."

As for the 'natural deductions,' in Wang Chonggu's view, whether the Great Ming falls or not is not up to them. If another Emperor Yingzong appears, the Great Ming will fall tomorrow. There is no need to worry about things that haven't happened; what the Great Ming needs right now is enough.

Zhang Juzheng thought for a moment, feeling that he might have been overthinking, and said with a smile, "The Junior Grand Secretary is right. Rather than worrying about those groundless things, solving the drought in Shaanxi is the urgent priority."

"That's right. We are not immortals. Being able to handle the things in front of us is already a great blessing. I think we should copy this memorial and send it to Shen Shixing. For the land restitution in Zhejiang, this line of thinking is correct." Wang Chonggu was now sitting in the Grand Secretariat, and he also had to attach notes to some memorials to give his opinions to the Emperor.

If Shen Shixing is to handle the land restitution in Zhejiang properly, this 'Grain Collection Memorial' is one of the ways to solve the problem.

Zhang Juzheng gradually let go of his worries about the 'Struggle' volume. There was no need to worry too much about such dry scriptures that required a lifetime of floating in officialdom to understand.

In the Wenyuan Pavilion, sounds of conversation were heard occasionally, and everything was orderly.

"Junior Grand Secretary, look at this memorial from the Governor's Office of Luzon. Guo Xing Zhengmao and Zhang Yuanxun jointly submitted it: tobacco is becoming the largest currency in the East," Zhang Juzheng handed a memorial to Wang Chonggu with a solemn expression.

The currency of Nanyang was physical currency—animal skins, shells, beads, fish, grain, etc., were all forms of currency. With the Great Ming's continuous investment in Nanyang, the trade of the entire Nanyang became more active. However, due to the Great Ming's ban on the export of gold, silver, and copper coins, currency in Nanyang had always been in short supply. Even with the massive issuance of overseas-circulating Hongwu Baochao, it still could not meet the Nanyang people's demand for currency.

Tobacco, in this process, gradually became a hard currency and a universal equivalent. Under normal circumstances, the price of one qian of tobacco was equivalent to one fen of silver. One must know that in the Great Ming, three fen of silver was a corvée laborer's daily wage; a Great Ming laborer working himself to death for a day could only buy three qian of tobacco.

Because of the widespread demand, tobacco stored in various warehouses actually became the collateral for transactions.

"Interesting." After reading it, Wang Guoguang said with a smile, "We should issue overseas Hongwu Baochao on a larger scale. Governor Shen was worried before that with 120 minting furnaces rising in Nanjing, there would be too many copper coins, making them worthless. Now it seems there is no such concern. We can use copper coins as the standard and issue a large amount of circulating Hongwu Baochao overseas."

Wang Guoguang was a very conservative Minister of Revenue. He had his own worries about casting a large number of copper coins before, but seeing the current situation in Nanyang, Wang Guoguang knew very well that no matter how many copper coins were cast, it was acceptable to the Great Ming, because they could be stored as the redemption currency for overseas circulating Hongwu Baochao.

The reason the 'Paper Money Law' was worse than toilet paper before was that two problems needed to be solved: redemption and over-issuance. Both problems had one cause: there was no anchor. Now, the anchor had appeared.

The Great Ming had accumulated a lot of experience in issuing paper money in Japan, and now it was time to verify it.

Wang Chonggu looked at the memorial and said with a smile, "Guo Xing Zhengmao said in the memorial that the tobacco monopoly has already started to make a profit. Tsk tsk, this thing has already made nearly 100,000 silver in profit this year. By the end of the year, it is expected to reach 200,000 silver, making it more profitable than the original woolen factory."

The woolen factory first achieved profitability in the fifth year of Wanli, exceeded 100,000 silver in profit for the first time in the sixth year of Wanli, and did not exceed one million in profit until the ninth year of Wanli, now maintaining around 1.2 million silver, increasing with the amount of wool from the grasslands. However, the tobacco monopoly had already seen 200,000 silver in its very first year.

The potential was infinite.

Wang Guoguang made a simple estimate, looked around, and whispered, "When Guo Xing Zhengmao said that if the tobacco monopoly was handled well, it could support the Great Ming army, it seems it is indeed possible. We should also speak up for the scholar-officials. In the past, we favored literature and suppressed the military because military affairs were truly expensive and we couldn't afford them. When there were no hard battles to fight, we had to favor literature and suppress the military."

Favoring literature and suppressing the military to reduce expenses was inevitable. In the past, disbanding guest troops was the number one difficulty for the Great Ming; for the court, military affairs were very expensive.

But now, just by handling the monopoly well, it seems they could earn enough for military expenses. This was the best news for the court.

"Governor Xu Wei of Nagasaki issued an order to stop the issuance of new Hongwu Baochao. In Xu Wei's view, the first batch of Japanese circulating Hongwu Baochao issued in June of the ninth year of Wanli has already depreciated by 20%, and it is time to exchange the notes. This year, no new Hongwu Baochao will be issued, only exchanges. This has made those daimyo anxious." Zhang Juzheng picked up another memorial from the Nagasaki Governor's Office.

Xu Wei had promised to exchange the notes in five years and make them redeemable.

Redemption was impossible, and the daimyo and the Nagasaki Governor knew it well. But Xu Wei intended to keep his promise regarding the exchange, exchanging the 4 million guan of Hongwu Baochao that had been in circulation for three years, and would not issue any more Japanese circulating Hongwu Baochao this year.

This was originally the Nagasaki Governor's Office keeping its promise, and the Great Ming Emperor had not issued any decree to interfere excessively in the Governor's decision. But the daimyo of Japan were not happy about this fulfillment of the promise. They agreed to the exchange but were very dissatisfied with the suspension of new issuance, demanding that it continue to be issued at last year's 1.5 million guan.

"These beasts! If they treated the Japanese civilians as human beings, they would support the exchange instead of demanding more Hongwu Baochao. Would they die if they earned a little less? A bunch of beasts!" Wang Guoguang cursed viciously.

The Hongwu Baochao was severely worn, and some notes were already damaged. The Nagasaki Governor's Office was willing to exchange them, which was keeping faith and honoring commitments, and it also required costs.

In fact, even two hundred years later, England had never exchanged notes for the civilians in its colonies once. At that time, England, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and France had all issued large amounts of paper money, but they never exchanged them, letting the paper money depreciate and issuing new currency. By comparison, the Great Ming had a conscience.

As long as these Japanese daimyo treated people as human beings, they wouldn't be demanding more issuance at this time. In fact, the daimyo could also profit from the exchange; after all, the currency had already depreciated, and the exchange was at face value. One way or another, they could still earn 10% to 20%, although not as much as the 30% from new issuance.

"These Japanese have been bullied to this extent, why haven't they rebelled yet?" Wan Shihe said with a strange expression. "If these daimyo and landlords, who are worse than insects, died, there wouldn't be so many Japanese pirates in Japan."

Zhang Juzheng shook his head and said, "They have, the 'Ikki' of the common people, hundreds of times a year. Because they lack weapons, they are all easily suppressed. I think we should stick to the Nagasaki Governor's order: exchange only, no new issuance. If you have no objections, I will attach the notes."

The Grand Secretaries were not particularly concerned about the tragedies happening in Japan; it was just a collective decision, believing that the exchange would help the credibility of the Great Ming's issuance of Hongwu Baochao overseas.

The Great Ming's financial industry was being established bit by bit: exchange houses for redemption and remittance, Hongwu Baochao bureaus for issuing currency, insurance business supervision offices, etc., were all being perfected bit by bit.