"You're very knowledgeable." Zhou Dahong laughed. Since Ruan Xihao had a certain understanding of that period of history, Zhou Dahong explained to Ruan Xihao the system of prefectures and counties.
Before the old man could finish his words, Ruan Xihao frowned and said, "Wait, I remember the system of prefectures and counties is a two-level government structure. Below the prefectures is the counties, which are in charge of the local villages and other grass-roots. Do you mean that the commander-in-chief wants to abolish the prefectural administrative unit? "
Zhou Dahong was stunned. He thought that Ruan Xihao, who didn't understand poetry and books, wouldn't know much about history. However, after listening to Ruan Xihao, Zhou Dahong found that Ruan Xihao had grasped the key point. But this point wasn't the most important part in Zhou Dahong's mind.
Zhou Dahong was jealous of Ruan Xihao, who was in a high position and had the ability to understand problems in his speech. Emperor Vézé never showed mercy in killing his enemies, but he didn't carry out the elimination of scholars either. Ceng Guofan wouldn't lay hands on scholars either. As the largest academic faction at the end of the Qing Dynasty, the Tongcheng School didn't lose so many people in the war. In the peaceful era, the Tongcheng School didn't recover quickly because of this, but declined at an alarming rate.
For example, in the eyes of scholars, Ruan Xihao, who couldn't read a few words in his teens, was a boorish man, a typical example of a boorish man trying to conquer the world. However, this was just a "view". In terms of poetry and books, Ruan Xihao certainly couldn't compete. In terms of historical knowledge, the scholars of the Tongcheng School might not be better than Ruan Xihao. After marrying the Ruan family, Zhou Dahong learned that the Restoration Party had forced compulsory education, and these old guys were the key targets. Ruan Xihao, who was almost 50 years old, finally got a bachelor's degree in military science. In the past, he was also a student of the Imperial College.
However, when the scholars of the olden era faced those with authority, they had to fawn over them. In other words, what they considered had to be what those in authority considered. Most of the literati did not have the ability to construct their own society. For example, Ruan Xihao pointed out the core of the county management system. Zhou Dahong thought that this was right, but he himself was not clear about the difference between two-level management and three-level management, and why they should be implemented.
After listening to Ruan Xihao's analysis, Zhou Dahong refused to admit defeat so easily. He paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Well said, in-law. However, this system of prefectures and counties was the system of the Qin Dynasty, and it did not last long … "
Ruan Xihao's face darkened when he heard the words "violent Qin". It was clearly stated in the education of the Fu Party that the collapse of the Qin Dynasty was due to the problems in the system. When the internal strife of the successors destroyed the order of the Qin Dynasty, it collapsed under external military pressure. The morale of Meng Tian's troops was very low, and the Qin troops heading south simply abandoned the central government. This had nothing to do with "brutality". If Xiang Yu had used all means of retreat against Meng Tian sent by the first emperor, the head of the traitor Xiang Yu would have been cut off and hung up in public. The fall of the Qin Dynasty was not because of brutality, but because of incompetence. For example, no matter how brutal Manchu Qing's loyal lackey Zeng Guofan was, he could not save Manchu Qing from destruction.
Ruan Xihao frowned at the nonsense of the literati. When Zhou Dahong put himself in the position of an advisor of the olden scholars, Ruan Xihao felt that this person was quite interesting. But when Zhou Dahong began to express himself, Ruan Xihao felt that the "lowly civil law" was very good, not just good, but very good.
So Ruan Xihao smiled and said, "From what you said, Empress Dowager Dou said that Sikong Cheng's denshu still wronged the Confucians."
Zhou Dahong could not laugh this time. The knowledge that Ruan Xihao displayed often made the literati speechless. As a member of the Tongcheng Faction, Zhou Dahong had read the historical records and knew that this was the language used by Empress Dowager Dou when the Han Dynasty worshiped the Emperor Huang. If it was not for his profound knowledge, ordinary scholars in the Manchu Qing era might not have understood it.
Although he was unhappy, Zhou Dahong had to force a smile and said, "Do you want me to fight with a pig?"
Ruan Xihao sneered and said, "Are you kidding me? I'm not Empress Dowager Dou. I don't have a Crown Prince to throw a sword into the house. "
Zhou Dahong also laughed along, but in his heart, he really didn't feel right. This kind of ridicule between literati was the reason why the Tongcheng Faction and even the Confucians were completely destroyed. Those old guys who claimed to be the descendants of the Tongcheng Faction had discussed in private that the current emperor, Vézé, did not have a poor background as the legend said. He must be a well-read person who had a profound understanding of the Confucians. Otherwise, Emperor Vézé would not have been able to destroy the Confucians as he had done now. Only someone who understood the Confucians very well could destroy them.
The "cheap civil law" of the Restoration Party was a fatal blow to the literati. Throughout the dynasties, it was warriors who conquered the world, and scholars who ruled the world. But the Min dynasty established by the Restoration Party was very different. They conquered the world by a group of self-educated party members and cadres who were "scientific and academic". The same was true for governing the world. They kicked away the old literati from the ruling class, and the Restoration Party opened their own schools and education. When the literati were still unclear about the direction of the world, a large number of poor people who graduated from modern education had quickly occupied the leadership positions.
The reason why the Confucians could become the most influential school in China for thousands of years was that the content of the scholar selection test was the Confucian classics. When the Confucian classics became a very small part of the test, the status of the Confucians was directly proportional to the content of the scholar selection test.
The group of people of the Tongcheng school also used to think that they were cultured people, at least they could be regarded as "hermits", continuing to live in this terrible society for the continuation of the Confucians. But the problem was that in less than 20 years, their knowledge and culture had fallen behind. The group of peasants followed the government, and their days became prosperous. Even the Tongcheng school itself had fallen apart, and there was no successor.
The Ruan Xihao opposite of them, who came from a peasant background, would never be regarded as a member of the Confucians. But when this person used cultural allusions to ridicule the Confucians, he must be regarded as a cultured person. Similarly, as a cultured person, the cultured people of the Confucians were now inferior. The world was bustling for profit, and the world was bustling for profit. Which young man would be willing to engage in a profession that was destined to be inferior? Even during the hundred years of the Five Barbarians Chaos, a large number of successors of the Confucian school still ran to the south, and even to the northwest to teach, in order to preserve the culture. In just 20 years, the Confucians had been uprooted from society. It was not an exaggeration to say that this method was deliberately planned.
But Ruan Xihao didn't intend to use his in-law's method. Zhou Dahong's "violent Qin" really made Ruan Xihao very unhappy. He also said with a smile, "My in-law's proposal of the county system this time is very insightful. I've learned a lot. "
Zhou Dahong smiled apologetically and said, "As long as I can help."
After chatting for a while, the two came out. But they found that Ruan Xihao's daughter, Ruan Xuan, had already left with her husband and daughter. Hearing her husband's question, Ruan Xihao's wife complained, "You were talking inside, and the child didn't dare to disturb you. She has an exam tomorrow, and she has to go back to make arrangements. He didn't even eat and left! "
Xi Hao seemed to be unable to cope with it, which made Zhou Dahong feel even more sad. He was not sad for Ruan Xihao, but for the world.
Ruan Xihao's wife was in her forties, but she was still elegant, which showed how beautiful she was when she was young. Ruan Xihao was not ugly, so his daughter, Ruan Xuan, was very beautiful. But she decided to buy a house with Zhou Dahong's son before they got married, so she never lived with her in-laws. Ruan Xuan and Zhou Dahong's son were university classmates, and they both majored in machinery. In today's rapid development of the machinery industry, she could completely support the family with her own salary. From many details of life, Xi Hao's daughter's request to Zhou Dahong's family was only to be able to show off and not embarrass the Ruan Family. Ruan Xuan only had one request to her husband, "Since we can both support the family, you must be good to me!"
According to the social concept of the Confucian school, the situation of "women crowing" was a complete mess, which was a sign of the demise of the country. But his son was a disappointing thing, and his wife's legs were weak. The couple quarreled occasionally, especially after Ruan Xuan gave birth, and the number of times she scolded her husband obviously increased. But Zhou Dahong's son had no manliness at all, and he treated his wife cautiously. These two people's lives could be said to be harmonious. But the foundation of this harmony was the collapse of etiquette, and the ways of the world were not as ancient.
No matter how unhappy he was, Zhou Dahong could not do anything. In the past, women were accessories to men. Now in the new era, Emperor Vézé said "women can hold up half the sky", and the world completely changed. In the past, only the husband married the wife, but now in the divorce law, the proportion of women divorcing their husbands was quite large.
Zhou Dahong was a Confucian believer, but he was still a human. He couldn't force his son to divorce just because he was unhappy. Moreover, the Zhou Family was supported by Zhou Dahong's youngest brother, not Zhou Dahong himself. If he dared to do this, Ruan Xihao didn't even need to do anything, his younger brother, who first joined the army and then became the Anqing Municipal Party Secretary, would not agree. The basic foundation of the Confucian school was to unswervingly serve for power, and now the people who represented power were people like Ruan Xihao. Not Zhou Dahong, who barely escaped the scope of the "cheap law" by relying on family relations.
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