"I don't have any ill feelings towards scholars. We are all human beings. We have our strengths and weaknesses. Take Mr. Shen for example. You have shown me many strengths. I don't mean to be polite. Mr. Shen is better than many officials in our government in many areas. "Vézé looked at the gloomy Shen Baozhen and said. When discussing the treatment of scholars, Vézé explained his point of view and position. The new government would never allow traditional scholars to become officials. Nor would they allow scholars to be retainers or aides.
Shen Baozhen was actually very confident in himself, whether in terms of integrity or ability. He only hoped to find a way out for scholars who had been neglected by the new government. Shen Baozhen was extremely puzzled by Wei Ze's clear explanation of the new government's policies. Throughout the ages, it was very common for the officials of the previous dynasty to try to get an official position in the new dynasty. However, scholars were usually not so shameless. They would always stay at home. On the other hand, the new dynasty would do everything possible to encourage scholars to become officials.
However, Vézé's Min dynasty did not use this method at all. They only urged the common people to let their children study, and the schools they attended were even schools established by the new government. They would rather go through untold hardships to train the common people's children who were actually not interested in studying, and abandon ready-made scholars like old shoes. Shen Baozhen believed that if this policy was implemented for another ten years, the traditional scholars would have no way to advance and would be completely wasted.
"Then why does His Majesty make things difficult for the scholars in the world? Is it just because they didn't serve His Majesty when His Majesty rose up? "Shen Baozhen asked in a heavy tone.
Vézé answered calmly, "A just cause enjoys abundant support and an unjust cause finds little support. Compared to these scholars, the common people in the world are much more numerous. The scholars used to stand with Manchu Qing. Even if they didn't stand with Manchu Qing, they still stood with the gentry and clans. Manchu Qing has fallen, but the gentry and clans haven't completely fallen. Although I don't want to completely destroy the gentry and clans in such a bloody way, they must be completely destroyed. In such a long struggle, to give the old scholars a chance was to dig at my own foundation. As I said before, the old scholars only wanted to be masters. The new government doesn't need masters. "
Shen Baozhen really wanted to blame Vézé. Wasn't Vézé the most powerful man in China? However, Shen Baozhen was still a person who wanted to save face. Under the new system of government, the authority of the government could not be compared to that of the Manchu Qing. As for Vézé's prestige, it was a world of difference compared to that of the Manchu Qing Emperor. Moreover, the new government's actions in the countryside were all about promoting agricultural technology and helping the people "develop their productivity." Although the landlords and gentry suffered great losses, the common people benefited a lot. Manchu Qing, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. Any action they took would only bring disaster to the common people, and the imperial court might not necessarily benefit from it. On the other hand, the landlords and gentry took it by force and obtained great benefits. Even if the old scholars spoke loftily and tried to use their status to gain local leadership, their attitude towards the common people was actually in cahoots with the landlords and gentry.
After listening to Vézé's words, even if Shen Baozhen was very dissatisfied with Vézé, he also understood many things that he had only seen before. Therefore, Shen Baozhen did not say anything more. He chose to stand up and bid farewell.
Shen Baozhen was brought by Zuo Zongtang, but Zuo Zongtang could only send Shen Baozhen to the door. He still had things to discuss with Vézé.
When Zuo Zongtang returned to the study, Vézé smiled and said: "I didn't expect Shen Baozhen to be so knowledgeable."
Zuo Zongtang was also quite helpless: "He is too upright."
Vézé shook his head: "Upright? I don't think so. In my opinion, he is far from being upright and upright, hiding in the imperial court. In fact, there are many things in the politics of Manchu Qing that are more advanced than the previous dynasties. I originally thought that Shen Baozhen could talk about these things, but I didn't expect him to have some taste of Confucianism. "
"Oh? In your opinion, there are still aspects of Manchu Qing that are more advanced than the previous dynasties? "Zuo Zongtang was used to hearing angrily scolding Manchu Qing for decadence and degeneration. He felt that these words were actually quite pleasing to the ear.
However, Vézé did not want to talk about this issue. He waved his hand: "Forget it, let's not talk about this. Although Manchu Qing has perished, it is far from the time when the coffin can be sealed. The real evaluation of Manchu Qing requires a neutral and objective evaluation, and I think that era is still very far away. There is no need for us to steal the work of the future generations. "
This time, the purpose of asking Zuo Zongtang to come over was to listen to Zuo Zongtang's report on the Vegetable Basket Project. Guangdong was the first to develop in the country, and encountered the most problems in the process of urbanization. This Vegetable Basket Project should not be underestimated. This was a problem encountered in the real industrialization era. With the level of urbanization in Manchu Qing, there was no social and economic basis for such problems.
Of course, Zuo Zongtang wanted to talk about his contribution. The Vegetable Basket Project itself was a problem of rural management. It was very complicated to combine the market demand with the production and supply of vegetables in the rural areas.
"The vegetable markets established by Her Majesty, and the forced buying and selling system created by the gangs, I combined them …" Zuo Zongtang said confidently. This system was, to put it bluntly, a highly targeted supply plan. The purpose of the vegetable farmers in the rural areas was to sell them in the city. The government did not provide specific support. In the past, the officials either felt that this increased the difficulty of the city management, or they had ulterior motives and thought that this was a good way to make money or collect taxes. If there was anything that Zuo Zongtang had done, it was that he had positioned this as a necessary part of the city's supply. The city management had to take responsibility for this part and pay a certain price to support the vegetable farmers.
With such a clear position, the concept of the city had undoubtedly expanded. The city was not just about industry or commerce. The supply system of grain stores in the past was gradually expanded, and the details of management were required to be more precise. The city had to combine with the rural areas more efficiently.
These were common things for Vézé. He had seen the vegetable farmers protest that the taxes were too high, and the management fees were too high. He had also seen the citizens complain that the vegetables were too expensive and they could not afford it. He had seen the residents of the community complain to the city management for evicting the vendors. Therefore, the city management simply ignored them. The vegetable sellers and vegetable farmers set up stalls at the entrance of the community to sell vegetables. They blocked the traffic and created rubbish, which greatly reduced the quality of life of the residents. The residents of the community turned back to the city management to maintain order.
This was the spiral of history. Vézé could not let things go so easily. However, Zuo Zongtang could make such a tangible result. This was progress. After listening to Zuo Zongtang's report, Vézé smiled and said: "Good job. Deputy Governor Zuo, please organize these contents. I will send them to other cities so that they can learn from Guangdong's experience. "
"Oh!" When Zuo Zongtang heard that his things were being selectively learned, he was not in a good mood.
Vézé understood what he meant and smiled: "Deputy Governor Zuo, let me put it this way. There are not many vegetables suitable for growing in Guangdong. The vegetables that can be grown in Jiangnan are different from those in Guangdong. If we copy everything, there will be problems. The central government has to take responsibility for the documents. "
Zuo Zongtang thought about it and agreed, so he felt relieved. On the other hand, Vézé suggested that Zuo Zongtang cooperate with the technical department to try out the greenhouse technology in Guangdong's winter. Even if there was no plastic film, the price of glass had been falling, and the cost had reached the edge of an acceptable range. If they pushed for it, the cost could be lowered.
Vézé was a practical person, and so was Zuo Zongtang. The two of them had a good talk in this regard. The demand for vegetables was constantly increasing with the rise of the city. Zuo Zongtang was very confident in the value of his work.
After the discussion, Zuo Zongtang could not help but ask: "Your Majesty, did we get the Taiping Rebellion's Hong Tianfugui?"
Vézé did not hide it: "We are still confirming whether it is him or not. But the possibility of it being him is very high. "
Zuo Zongtang suddenly understood why Vézé would ask Shen Baozhen such a question. With Zuo Zongtang's intelligence, he also felt that Vézé was not joking with Shen Baozhen, but Vézé's true thoughts. "Your Majesty said to Shen Baozhen. The Han people's self-perception of the government has nothing to do with anything else. It doesn't matter what the ancestors did or where they came from. The important thing is whether they admit that they are a member of China, whether they are willing to accept the leadership of the government, and whether they can abide by the law. In a sense, this is the world of the Great Unity. Is this also your Majesty's view of the Taiping Rebellion? "
Vézé sneered a little helplessly: "Hmph! This is the basic theory of the modern industrialized nation-state. The two major forces of this society are the people and the government. When the socialist system is developed to the extreme, all the feudal remnants will be completely destroyed. Whether it is the old scholars represented by Shen Baozhen or the princes of the Taiping Rebellion, they all want to establish the feudal system. We, the Restoration Party, must not let them get what they want, and we must not start these things ourselves. "
"Understood!" Zuo Zongtang nodded repeatedly, then he thought of his own work and couldn't help but laugh: "According to what your Majesty said, the vegetable basket project is also considered to break the feudal guild."
Hearing Grandma Wang's words, Wei Ze sternly said, "You're absolutely right. If the analysis angle and concept is correct, you will see many deep-seated social contradictions. The transformation of a self-sufficient small-scale peasant economy into an industrial society will be vividly reflected in this. Therefore, Deputy Governor Zuo, although you can't force the market to operate according to your ideas, you have to let the market develop itself. But this matter can't be over in a flash. Follow-up observation and analysis is also very important. I personally suggest that you let the Social Science Research Institute of the Party School do the tracking. As long as they are willing to do a good job, this is a very good subject. "
Zuo Zongtang originally relied on the Party School to conduct the Cantonese food market and the triad investigation. After listening to Vézé's words, he quickly replied: "Understood!"
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