All of the important officials couldn't help but frown, looking at Modun with dissatisfaction. Although the civil officials and military officials were at odds with each other, they all knew that the best way to manage the minorities in the southwest was through the use of carrots and carrots. The conflict between the two was merely a matter of which side was more important. Yet, the Mohist had actually opposed this policy. Wasn't that the same as rejecting their previous policy?
"Meton, do you know what you are talking about?" Li Shimin's face darkened.
Meton stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, the Minister knows."
Li Shimin was furious and said, "If that's the case, then tell me! If you can't tell me the truth, I won't forgive you! "
Meton nodded solemnly and cupped his hands, "Your Majesty, all the ministers, the southwest Liu people's rebellion has been going on for a long time. Your Majesty has been favoring them for many years. The Liu people are uncouth and fickle. They have little effect and have rebelled many times. If you continue to win them over, I'm afraid that after ten or a hundred years, they will still rebel. However, if you use force to suppress them, it will harm your Majesty's benevolence. It will also cause the Liu people to stick together and grieve for the death of the rabbit. I'm afraid that they will be disloyal to the court. "
Meton understood that even in the Ming and Qing dynasties, the southwest minority tribes were still rebelling. This showed how troublesome the southwest problem was.
Li Shimin nodded. This was what he was worried about.
"Then in your opinion, how should we solve the Liu people problem?" Wei Zheng frowned and asked.
Meton cupped his hands towards Kong Yingda and said, "Actually, what Lord Chancellor said just now has already cut to the point."
Kong Yingda couldn't help but be stunned. He didn't expect Meton to agree with his thoughts.
Meton nodded and said, "That's right. The Liu people's rebellion is the Chieftain and the Liu people are innocent. However, I don't know how the court will deal with the Liu people after General Niu Zhang destroys the Liu people."
Kong Yingda said without hesitation, "Of course, they will support a Liu leader who is loyal to the court to become the Chieftain."
Meton nodded. "This is the root of the rebellion."
Li Shimin's eyes flashed. He instantly understood what Meton meant.
"You're saying that the root cause of the repeated rebellions is the chieftain system," Wei Zheng said in realization.
The officials were shocked. They had always been thinking about where to put down the rebellions and where to put down the rebellions, but they had never changed the tribal chieftain system.
"That's right. Officials and Chieftains are all held by the leaders of the local tribes. The imperial court's decrees are difficult to enforce. The officials only know about the Chieftains and do not know about the imperial court. They are independent and are not under the control of the imperial court. Furthermore, they live in a remote area. They are arrogant and narrow-minded. If the imperial court reprimands them, they will rebel. Even if the imperial court chooses a Chieftain who is loyal to the imperial court, history will repeat itself in a few generations." Meton pointed the spearhead directly at the Chieftain system.
The officials couldn't help but nod their heads. Right now, it was true that they couldn't scold or hit the officials. The Imperial Court's control over them was extremely weak.
"Then what do you think?" Li Shimin's expression softened. He then realized that Meton wasn't speaking nonsense. He had thought it through carefully.
"Change the Chieftains to the Chieftains!" Meton said word by word.
"Change the Chieftains to the Chieftains!" The officials couldn't help but ponder over these four words. They couldn't help but feel enlightened.
Merton said, "Most of the Chieftains are from the local tribes. They are arrogant and extravagant. They rule brutally and treat the headquarters as their own territory. They are hereditary and are not appointed by the imperial court. Naturally, they are not loyal to the imperial court. If we change the Chieftains to Chieftains appointed by the imperial court, it will be the same as the other provinces and counties. They will be rotated every three years. Firstly, it will strengthen the imperial court's rule. Secondly, it will prevent the local tribes from becoming too big."
If the leader of the tribe became the chieftain, his tribe would definitely grow rapidly. When the Chieftains' tribe became powerful, they would have the capital to rebel.
Li Shimin's eyes narrowed. He couldn't help but look at Meton with admiration. This was indeed the best way to solve the increasingly frequent rebellions of the Chieftains. In his opinion, when the Tang Dynasty unified the world, they were too generous with the tribes in the southwest. Those who submitted to the Tang Dynasty were all given high positions and generous salaries, resulting in the current situation where there was no way to get rid of them.
"Any place that is not under the jurisdiction of the imperial court has the possibility of rebellion! Naturally, it is under the rule of the Tang Dynasty. Naturally, it should be under the rule of the imperial court. This is a great unification! "Meton said solemnly.
The theory of great unification came from the Spring and Autumn Annals. The king was ordered to unify the world in the first lunar month, so that all things would be treated as the beginning. Therefore, it was called great unification. The officials in the imperial court were all well-read people. Naturally, they knew about the theory of great unification and had been pursuing the policy of great unification. However, the imperial court's great unification was more used to rule the Han people.
However, Meton's great unification was more radical. He actually included the Chieftains of the southwest and even the entire Tang Dynasty.
"Your Majesty, you can't?" Feng Zhidai couldn't help but feel anxious. He repeatedly objected, "The Minister has lived in Lingnan for generations. Naturally, you know that the Chieftains of the southwest are extremely united. If you implement the reform, I'm afraid it will arouse the collective rebellion of the Chieftains of the southwest."
The expressions of the officials suddenly changed. Meton's suggestion seemed to solve the problem once and for all. If that was really the case, the imperial court would have to pay a heavy price. When the Chieftains of the southwest rebelled, the price that the Tang Dynasty had to pay would be too great. After all, no one was willing to lose the power in their hands.
"If the Chieftains of the southwest dare to rebel, they have to ask the Tang Dynasty's soldiers whether the swords in their hands are sharp or not." Cheng Yaojin raised his eyebrows and shouted.
Many generals immediately rubbed their hands and were filled with righteous indignation.
Li Shimin's face also darkened. He was constantly weighing the gains and losses in his heart.
Fang Xuanling took a deep breath and said, "All the land under the heavens belongs to the king. The imperial court should strengthen the rule of the southwest."
Many officials also nodded. The Chieftains of the Chieftains rebelled three times in a year. Many officials were also annoyed.
"When the border troubles arise, the people of the Tang Dynasty will certainly be plunged into misery and suffering. I want to report Meton's crime of provoking the border troubles without permission." Kong Yingda said with a cold face. He thought that Mo Jiazi had changed his mind. He did not expect that Mo Jiazi was still promoting his radical theory of Grand Unification. What frightened him was that Mo Jiazi's radical theory of Grand Unification was quite popular. Many officials even supported this theory of Grand Unification.
Kong Yingda could not help but lament in his heart. Grand Unification was the theory of Confucianism. Mo Jiazi actually used it in this aspect. What kind of students did the Imperial College teach?
Feng Zhidai was also worried. If there was a chieftain, it had to be the Feng Family. The Feng Family could be said to be the strongest force in Lingnan, and it was backed by the tribe of Madam Xian of the Baiyue Clan. The Feng Family was the first to reform the land and return to the stream.
Li Shimin was in a dilemma. He could not help but suddenly see Meton's calm face. He thought of something and said, "Meton, since it was you who proposed to reform the land and return to the stream, how do you think we should solve the rebellion of the chieftains in the southwest?"
Meton showed a simple and honest smile and said, "Your Majesty, the situation in the southwest reminded the Minister of an experiment in Mozi's Secret Works."
"Mozi's Secret Works!" All the officials in the court suddenly fell silent. They had long heard of Mozi's Secret Works, which had contributed greatly to the rise of the Mo Family. They did not expect Meton to mention it again in the court.
"Mozi once did an experiment of boiling frogs in warm water. Frogs have cold bodies. If you put a frog into a pot of warm water, the frog would not be able to withstand the high temperature and would jump out of the pot and successfully escape. But if you put the frog into a pot of cold water and then slowly heat it up, the result would be different. The frog would be at ease in the water because of the comfortable temperature at the beginning. When the frog realized that it could not withstand the high temperature, it was already powerless. Unknowingly, it was boiled to death in the hot water. "
After Meton finished speaking, the entire court fell silent. Those who could enter the court were all experienced people. Naturally, they knew that the frogs that Meton was talking about were the tribes in the southwest.
Meton said proudly, "First change the land prefecture, then change the land prefecture. The chieftains in each prefecture have too much power and the chances of rebellion are the highest. Moreover, the danger is very serious."
The officials could not help but nod. The three rebellions were led by the local chieftains.
"The second is to take advantage of any opportunity to reform the land and return to the stream. For example, if a local official has no descendants, or there is a conflict between clans, then a new official will take over."
"If the local officials kill each other, then a new official will take over."
"If a local official commits a crime or goes against the court, then after the rebellion is quelled, he will be removed from his position and replaced with a new official."
"If the local people are dissatisfied with the tyranny of the chieftains, they can apply to the court to 'reform the land and return to the stream'. The court will naturally comply with the wishes of the people."
…
With every sentence that Meton said, the officials in the court smiled a little more, especially the last one. The local people applying to the court to reform the land and return to the stream was very feasible.
"In this way, the chieftains in the southwest are like frogs in warm water. They have lost the chance to escape." Meton clenched his fist and said proudly.
The officials in the court sighed in their hearts. The problem that they thought was very difficult was actually solved by Mo Jiazi with just a few words. This time, even Kong Yingda could not refute. After all, this method could not only complete the court's policy of unification, but also prevent the chieftains from rebelling to the greatest extent. Even if there were rebellions, it would not cause much of a stir. The only thing that made him uncomfortable was that the theory of the Mohist was used this time.
"Mo Sheng is indeed a man of great wisdom." Li Shimin breathed a heavy sigh of relief. The problem of the Tang dynasty was actually solved so easily.
"In that case, we will begin with the three provinces of Ya, Jia, and Ling to reform the land and return to the stream. Any place that participated in the rebellion will be replaced with a new official." Li Shimin said decisively.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
The officials bowed and said. In this way, there would be another batch of vacancies in the court. For the court, this was a real benefit.
Feng Zhidai suddenly felt as if his parents had died. If the court completed the reform of the southwest tribes, the Feng family that started by restraining the southwest tribes would naturally lose its role. By then, the Feng family would no longer have the glory it had today.
Looking at Feng Zhidai's expression, Moton couldn't help but reveal a trace of a smile as he thought to himself, "I'm also wholeheartedly serving the country!"
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