Who would have the guts to do such a thing?
That's right, who would have the guts to do such a thing that would result in nine generations of their family being executed?
No matter how you think about it, it's impossible, right?
But, it just happened.
Looking at Zhao Hu's stunned expression, Yuan Huang suddenly felt that this question was quite funny.
Yes, in the past thousand years, when had such a situation ever happened?
The imperial power was not taken over by the powerful officials, but by the gentry, who evolved from the literati. On the surface, the country was controlled by the civil officials, who carried out the correct civil government, but in reality, it was controlled by the local gentry and merchants who used the civil government as an umbrella.
Above them were the civil officials who used money and righteousness to bluff against the Emperor and the dissidents. Below them were the High Scholars who had transitioned to the ranks of the gentry. They held the real power in the local government and were the grassroots organizations of the government. This meant that the local government was under their control because they were part of the system.
The Ming government was a typical small government. The political power only reached the county level, and there was no government below the county level. This opened the door for the gentry.
Under the national policy of giving preferential treatment to the gentry, the gentry began to dominate the country, just like the political system of the Jin and Jin Dynasties, which was dominated by the aristocratic families. The Daming gentry became the new aristocratic families, and became stronger, more sustainable, and more accepting, attracting scholars to join them.
At the same time, the merchants who understood the rules of the country's political game also broke away from the image of being a weak group, and began to become unprecedentedly powerful, almost catching up to their ancestors, the group of merchants who were abolished by Shang Yang's reform.
The two merged into one, combining economic and political privileges, and walked a path of Daming's official mercantilism, and finally achieved an invincible golden body.
And Shang Yang of the Daming dynasty, Zhang Juzheng, did not succeed in Shang Yang's cause. Although he died, Zhang Juzheng was not as strong as Shang Yang. He could not support a powerful new interest group that could protect the fruits of the reform after his death, and so the government died.
Perhaps Zhang Juzheng had tried, for example, restoring the Qin Army's system of having the highest leader, trying to support the army's power. But times were different now. Zhang Juzheng knew Shang Yang's tricks, but did others not?
Zhang Juzheng's failure had been evident from the very beginning. Compared to Zhang Juzheng, who knew that he couldn't do it, Zhang Cong was clearly much smarter. He only targeted the nobles and the Imperial Plantation, avoiding the civil officials. Thus, his reputation wasn't as extreme as Zhang Juzheng's.
The Daming Dynasty had magnates comparable to the Great Reform Era, gentry and tyrants comparable to the aristocrats of that era, but they did not have ministers comparable to Shang Yang in the Reform Era, nor did they have a ruler comparable to Duke Xiaogong of Qin who was determined to reform. They also did not have the situation of the Great Wind and Clouds of that era. Failure was inevitable.
After that, there seemed to be no hope for the Daming Dynasty, and the officials, merchants, and gentry became more and more unscrupulous.
Thus, it didn't seem strange that something like this would happen today, right?
This was what Yuan Huang was thinking.
"Military advisor? Military advisor? "
Zhao Hu's voice pulled Yuan Huang's thoughts back to reality.
"Hmm? Oh! "
Yuan Huang's thoughts had drifted a little too far. He took a deep breath and said, "I've been thinking a little too far. Bo Wei, there is indeed someone behind the Northern Barbarians' invasion to the South, but the mastermind probably didn't expect such a terrible outcome. They underestimated the greed of the Northern Barbarians."
Zhao Hu asked incredulously, "Does the Imperial Court know about this?"
Yuan Huang nodded. "The Imperial Court knows, and they've already made some preparations. This matter must be investigated to the end, otherwise, we won't be able to answer to the people of the world, but …"
Zhao Hu asked, "But what?"
Yuan Huang frowned a little worriedly.
"Marquis Xiao shouldn't be involved in this matter. Although Marquis Xiao has been made Governor, he is still a general and a noble. The Daming Dynasty has never allowed generals and nobles to get involved. From Marquis Xiao's words, it seems like he wants to get involved. This is very dangerous."
Zhao Hu didn't Daming Bai's words.
"We are all officials of the same court, why not? Silang is the Governor, and the Governor is also an official of the literati. Can't he use this official title to do something? Chen Yuande was originally a general, and now he's the Commander of the Police. He's also in charge of civil affairs. Silang once said that in one's position, one should plan one's own affairs. Isn't this the same principle? "
Yuan Huang nodded. As a former member of the civil official group, he understood the key points in this matter very well.
"It's the same for all the other dynasties, and there isn't such a serious difference. But in the Daming Dynasty, the difference is so clear. The only people who can interfere with court affairs are the Jinshi and civil officials in the capital. They haven't commanded an army or fought in a war, and they must have a clean background without the slightest flaw. Otherwise, they will be ostracized."
Zhao Hu showed a puzzled expression.
"What kind of logic is this? When did the court have such a rule? "
Yuan Huang was stunned.
Yes, he was right. Since when did the imperial court have such a rule? Was it the founding of the country? Was it difficult for Cheng Zujing? Or was it … the Tumu Castle incident?
Well, now that he thought about it, a lot of things started with the Tumu Castle incident.
Too many things happened in the Daming Dynasty during that period of time.
"In short, it's not a good thing. I've already sent a letter to Silang, telling him not to get involved in this matter and to come back immediately after the war. The whirlpool in the capital is not something he can get involved in. If he's not careful, his life may be in danger!"
"Life in danger?!"
Zhao Hu's eyes widened. "Someone wants to harm Silang?"
Yuan Huang's expression was solemn.
"It's not that someone wants to harm Marquis Xiao. It's that if Marquis Xiao rashly gets involved in the handling of this matter, it's very likely that he'll become a laughing stock. He'll also be suppressed by the court. If it's light, he'll lose his position. If it's heavy, he'll lose his life. It's better to end up like Qi Shaobao."
Zhao Hu hurriedly said, "Silang is a marquis, a noble!"
"So what? Nobles are the main targets of the court's guard, not to mention a special noble like Marquis Xiao who guards the border and holds military power. It's only because of the special nature of Myanmar that Marquis Xiao is allowed to command troops. If it were any other place, it would be impossible.
The court's guard against Marquis Xiao is not low at all. It's just that Marquis Xiao has always been loyal to the country and played his part. The court officials can't find any reason or excuse, and they need Marquis Xiao and Myanmar to help them take in the Central Plains refugees. That's why we can live a seemingly peaceful life. "
"Counselor, do you mean that if the court finds an excuse and opportunity, they won't let it go easily?"
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