First Minister of Ming Dynasty

Is this the way civil servants fight?When they go up, there is no other possibility except to send the head.

Even Zhu Yuanzhang had a big head. He listened to this for a while, and he listened to that for a while, and he felt reasonable, but there were also flaws.

Perhaps there is no such thing as the best of both worlds.

From the point of view of Lao Zhu's original intention, he tended to praise Shi Moyisun, give him a rich burial, and mocked Yuan Ting by the way.After all, the reasons Liu Bowen gave were not enough to fully convince him.

As for Zhang Ximeng, this kid has nothing else to say except for his credit for bringing the battle into his own soldiers. He has become a joke!

Old Zhu said again: "Stop arguing, this is the way it is, Mr. Li and Mr. Zhang, you are our right-hand man, you can talk about it!"

Lao Zhu's words are equivalent to asking both debaters to conclude their submissions.

Li Shanchang was about to speak just now, but his heart moved slightly because he found that Zhang Ximeng was calm and calm, and his smile was not a smile.This young man has made himself suffer several times, so he must not be careless.

Therefore, Li Shanchang smiled and said: "The superior, the meaning of the subordinates has already been said. In terms of thorough thinking, Zhang Xiang is even better. Let him talk about it!"

The ball hit Zhang Ximeng's feet, and everyone's eyes fell on Zhang Ximeng. Let's see what shocking remarks he can come up with!

"Master, this matter has implicated Hu Dahai again. When Hu Dahai was mentioned, Hu Sanshe came to mind. A few days ago, my lord said that the law is the most important thing, and other things are more important than the law... This is still true. Do you count?"

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly: "The law is greater than the sky, even if we die, we must write these words into the legacy!"

Zhang Ximeng said again: "My lord, since the law is so great, how can it be compared with morality?"

Old Zhu pondered slightly, "Mr. Zhang, don't go around and talk about it, just speak directly!"

Zhang Ximeng said: "Actually, this matter is very simple...why do you praise Shi Moyisun? Because their family's deeds, their actions of dying for the country are indeed in line with the rules and morals, and they are loyal ministers and filial sons...I don't deny this, but because This, can we praise him? Where is our position? Where is our testimonial?"

Zhang Ximeng raised his voice suddenly, like Huang Zhong Dalu, everyone present were all excited.

Among them, Jia Lu and Zhu Sheng were the ones who reacted the most, and then Liu Bowen couldn't help laughing and gave a thumbs up!

After that, it was Song Lian, Ye Chen and others. As for Li Shanchang, he was still hesitating.

Zhang Ximeng continued unhurriedly, "I don't think the specific incident this time... I would like to ask everyone, what is the standard of praise? Who should be praised and who should be cast aside? There must be a rule for this matter, right?"

Li Shanchang saw that the atmosphere was not right, and the rhythm fell into Zhang Ximeng's hands, so he couldn't wait to say: "Since ancient times, there have been no rules for rewarding loyal people, filial sons and daughters-in-law?"

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "Mr. Li is right, but this standard is based on morality and virtue, not the state... To be clear, this is Confucian ethics, not the state's laws and regulations."

Having said that, Zhang Ximeng stopped, looked at the other people, and suddenly smiled slightly, "If a person is a morally perfect person, but stands on the opposite side of our Huaxia Wu Kingdom, how should we evaluate him? Standing in Huaxi Wu Kingdom From the standpoint of Confucianism, should he be denounced as an enemy, or from the standpoint of Confucian morality, should he be regarded as a hero?"

When this question came to this point, even Li Shanchang knew that a huge pit was waiting for him, so he simply closed his mouth and didn't dare to say more, only his heart was beating wildly, and his color changed.

Right now, there are not many who can accept Zhang Ximeng's move.

Suddenly, Zhu Sheng stood up slowly, cupped his hands, and said: "Zhang Xianggao, the old man casts all his weight on the ground. It's just that the old man still wants to ask for advice, praise loyalty, and treat the opponent as a hero. It's not necessarily a bad thing! What's more, as you said just now, praise Shi Mo Yisun is to embarrass the Yuan court and embarrass the emperor of Dadu. Isn’t that good? Why do you separate Wu and Confucianism?

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "Mr. Fenglin is really powerful. I can't scare Mr. Fenglin with my ability to pull a big banner and make tiger skin. But I want to ask you something. Shi Moyi's grandson was originally from Liao, and he was attached to the university. After the Yuan Dynasty, he was the hereditary Deputy Wanhu...a high-ranking official belonging to the Yuan court, who had been prosperous and wealthy for generations. His family had enjoyed so much favor from the people, and they were unwilling to give up. They stubbornly resisted and died in the end."

"Mr. Fenglin, from our standpoint, is such a person a simple loyal minister and filial son?"

In a word, Zhu Sheng was also dumbfounded, even he couldn't bear it.

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!

Applause sounded from Zhu Yuanzhang's side, and Lao Zhu couldn't help laughing, admiring: "Mr. Zhang is not only our brain truster, but also our conscience! We started as poor people, divided the land and acres equally, and helped the people! Praise a great Yuan Dynasty The hereditary Deputy Wanhu, let us face the common people!"

Chapter 214 Far-reaching influence

Zhu Yuanzhang's final decision can be regarded as the end of this fierce debate... But the shock caused by it was far-reaching, with lingering aftermath, and even intensified.

First of all, Lao Zhu has gathered the civil and military parties, regardless of whether the generals will participate in the debate, but the big guy has ears and understands some things.

For example, Lee Sun Jang is like praising their enemies.Liu Bowen stood up, spoke out for the soldiers' brothers, and confronted Li Shanchang and others.

As for Mr. Zhang, he not only stood on the side of the generals, but also went a step further and stood on the side of the common people. He was praised by the superiors as the conscience of Zhu's army.

It's really inconceivable that a courtier can get such a high evaluation.

But on Zhang Ximeng, it was so appropriate.

The generals basically accepted Zhang Ximeng's affection, and now they know that Mr. Zhang is really speaking for them, plus the incorruptible evidence certified by the thieves a while ago. .

Zhang Ximeng is well educated, has a clean personality, and treats big guys with sincerity, standing on everyone's side... Just ask the army, who would dare not accept it!

Zhang Ximeng doesn't form a party, doesn't win over warriors, and won't gather a group of people out of self-interest, but there is no doubt that no one dares to ignore Zhang Ximeng's words, these generals.

And the big guy also vaguely noticed that as a rebel army mainly composed of poor people, they did have some differences, and they couldn't look at themselves with old eyes.

The reaction in the army was slow and silent.

But for the remaining two parties, the results were immediate and quite shocking.

The first is Liu Bowen, who is the most active and has always stood by Zhang Ximeng's side.But he also just felt that he had to take care of the feelings of his own people, and it was not appropriate to summon the souls of Da Yuan's loyal ministers at this time.

But following Zhang Ximeng's last paragraph, it was tantamount to telling everyone that even if the Great Yuan Dynasty was overthrown, they shouldn't summon the soul of people like Shi Mo Yisun.

Because in addition to loyalty, there is also a position!

Zhu Jiajun is a team composed of poor people. In the future, when the country is established, it must also stand on the side of the poor. Loyalty is that simple.

He was also a beneficiary of the Yuan Dynasty, the hereditary Vice-Wanhu, and his family owned land, needless to say.He fought Zhu Jiajun to the end, and he did not hesitate to kill his whole family, because Zhu Jiajun's proposition touched his roots!

"Brother Bowen, since this is the case, can you slow down a little bit and don't push too hard, if the Yuan court is full of people like Shi Mo Yisun, wouldn't it be difficult for us?" After Song Lian came back, he talked to Liu Bowen.

Liu Bowen chuckled, "Brother Jing Lian, why are you still confused?"

Song Lian was shocked, "What does this mean?"

"At the beginning, Zhang Xiangzong discussed the defeat of the Yuan court, dispelled our myths about changing the dynasty, and proposed to expel the Hulu, restore China, divide the land evenly, and relieve the people. At that time, I just thought that Zhang Xiang was To gather people's hearts, now I can see that he is trying to reshape morality and rebuild the principles!"

Song Lian frowned. At first hearing, he didn't believe it. After all, something that has been passed down for thousands of years is actually so easy to overthrow. Zhang Ximeng is a human being, not a god!

But thinking about it again, it doesn't seem unreasonable.

"Brother Bowen, the reason for praising Shi Moyisun lies in Confucianism and loyalty... Zhang Xiang's last words are about Shi Moyisun oppressing the people and enjoying the favor of the people..."

"Yes! Brother Jing Lian is really sharp!" Liu Bowen leaned forward and said, "I have seen at least three layers of meaning in Zhang Xiang's words, and each layer is deeper and deeper.

Song Lian was terrified, and hurriedly said: "I would like to hear the high theory!"

"This first layer is naturally to distinguish between the enemy and ourselves. We can't leave our heroes alone and flatter the enemy!"

Song Lian said: "That's right, Brother Bowen has also thought of this level."

Liu Bowen grinned wryly, he had thought of this layer, but he had never expected the next two layers.

"The second level of Zhang Xiang's meaning is that the country is powerful and Confucianism is the norm... It is beneficial to the country, and respecting the norms is not the same thing. There is a conflict between the state and Confucianism."

Song Lian thought for a moment, trying to recall, he also has a great photographic memory, and quickly said: "Mr. Fenglin took over this trick. He opposed the separation of Confucianism and the state."

Liu Bowen chuckled, "He is just arguing. If Zhang Xiang directly asks the superior whether he wants the officials to stand on the side of the country or the side of Confucianism, how do you think Zhu Sheng will answer?"

Song Lian couldn't help taking a breath, "It would be too cruel to do that."

Liu Bowen smiled, "That's right, this is where Zhang Xiang is kind. His third level falls on the common people. Shi Mo Yisun's loyalty is not because he is so great, but for his own self-interest! What is the self-interest? It is worth the lives of the whole family? This self-interest is to squeeze the people, it is to smash the bones, it is to oppose the equalization of the land, and it is not willing to let the people benefit! People make money and birds die for food. What kind of loyal man?"

Song Lian was quite shocked. He tidied up a bit and understood Liu Bowen's meaning...Although Confucianism also emphasizes the people first, followed by the community, it also emphasizes benevolent government and love for the people...but the core of Confucianism is still morality.

Especially after the rise of Neo-Confucianism, there is a tendency to just talk about rationality, qi, and mind. No matter how much they preach, they are still things for the scholar-bureaucrat circle to entertain themselves, completely divorced from the common people, and float in the sky.

The matter of Shi Mo Yisun clearly exposed the shortcomings of the Confucian evaluation system... Because according to the Confucian point of view, this person is a standard righteous man, even if he is an enemy, he should be respected and his loyalty should be praised.

But there is no doubt that if this is done, some people will not be able to figure it out, and it will even affect the morale of the army.

If there is no Zhang Ximeng, it must be arguing with each other, the public says the public is right and the woman says the woman is right, and the entanglement continues in a mess.

But Zhang Ximeng gave a more advanced answer.

Let's see if Shi Mo Yisun is really on the side of the common people?

Obviously not!

He is the hereditary deputy Wanhu of the Great Yuan Dynasty, for the sake of the Great Yuan Dynasty, he did not hesitate to sacrifice his whole family, and fought against the Zhu family's army to the end... How could he accept Juntian and Zhu's family's proposition.

From the standpoint of the common people, after being truly down-to-earth, looking at Shi Mo Yisun, he is a stubborn bastard!There is no sympathy for him at all, and the random arrows pierced his body, which made him cheap.

If the whole family dies, that's just getting rid of a group of scourges.

Whoever goes against the common people should end up like this!

Song Lian trembled all over, and woke up like a dream, "I understand, just like Brother Bowen said...Since these sixteen characters, Zhang Xiang is re-interpreting the rules and re-defining morality!"

Liu Bowen laughed loudly, "That's right! The superior has the mind of an emperor, covering the whole world; Zhang Xiang has the pattern of a sage, penetrating the past and the present! The sage king and virtuous minister, who can win one, will rule the world. Now there are two of them here, driving out the barbarians, Zhongxing Huaxia, great achievements can be expected!"

Song Lian was even more shocked. After a long silence, he said slowly: "Brother Bowen, it seems that you are going to follow Zhang Xiang to the death?"

"Well! In the past, we used to paint the ground as a prison and circled ourselves. Our vision was too low. Brother Jing Lian, this is a golden opportunity that has never been seen in a thousand years. Don't miss it!" Liu Bowen said eagerly.

Song Lian heheed twice, "Me? I'm just playing with the pen, but I may not have such a great ability. But I'm still willing to wave the flag for Zhang Xiang, and do my best."

Liu Bowen nodded happily. Although Zhang Ximeng didn't like forming a party, no matter what, such a large career structure would definitely not work without enough support.

This is about Li Shanchang and others.

In fact, the conflict between them and Zhang Ximeng still fell on the attitude towards the people. It is as difficult as heaven to make them truly accept whether the people are profitable or not as a measure!

There are too many people who treat the common people like fish and meat, and they are just fishing for sustainability.

Behind their defense of Confucianism, they are defending their own interests.

In other words, these people intend to replace the masters of the Yuan Dynasty.

Although there are only some symptoms, it can't be blamed. The current Lao Li is still Zhu Yuanzhang's most capable minister. His work ability is ridiculously strong. He is a genius among geniuses in mobilizing resources and maintaining logistics.

However, following this trend, the battle is yet to come.

Liu Bowen became a die-hard fan of Zhang Ximeng, actively running around to attract more like-minded people.

In addition to these three parties, there is another party that is the most critical, and that is Zhu Yuanzhang!

He finally set the tone, and at the same time left Zhang Ximeng behind for an in-depth discussion.

"We understand what Mr. said, and take it seriously. But if Mr. hadn't mentioned something, we might have really listened to those people and buried that grandson!"

Zhang Ximeng couldn't help laughing, "My lord, there is actually another reason... My lord's intuition is right when dealing with Hu Sanshe's case. The law of the country is the most important thing. Even if the general betrays, he will not hesitate. As long as the law is the first, It can’t be wrong. Don’t be distracted by the so-called morality. It’s not that morality is not important, and legal principles are also human feelings. But morality cannot be allowed to trample on laws, let alone morality override everything.”

Zhu Yuanzhang has a feeling in his heart, in fact, he has already realized the key behind this... As the leader, he has the ultimate law enforcement power, the law and rules, and he is the one who has the final say.

But morality is different, especially Confucianism, the power of interpretation is not in his hands.

"Mr. is always thinking of us, and we have kept it in mind... But there is one more thing. It is not easy to really reshape Gangchang! It is not something that can be decided in a few words here."

Zhang Ximeng nodded vigorously, "My lord is wise. In fact, we are doing this by paying homage to Zongze and explaining history...Now there are loyal and brave soldiers who died for the country. They must be rewarded heavily. To deal with Hu Sanshe, it is the law of the country that comes first. Rewarding loyal and brave soldiers is a clear honor and disgrace. As for the grandson—just distinguishing the enemy from ourselves! With such a clear order, the lord will naturally win the hearts of the people and be invincible!"

Hearing what Zhang Ximeng said, Lao Zhu laughed heartily and was convinced.

It's over, it's over!

"Sir, we plan to go to Zhuji, visit the soldiers, and implement what the gentleman said." Zhu Yuanzhang thought for a while, and then said: "We are going to give twice as much land to the soldiers who died, exempt them from the land tax in their homes, and pay them back. To arrange for their children to go to school, and to set up a monument in their hometown..." Lao Zhu said a lot in one breath, covering almost all of them.

"Is there anything else you want to add, sir?"

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "The lord has already said it. If I have to say, besides these real things, we should also honor the sacrificed soldiers and make them superior. If you mention them, everyone will give them thumbs up! Be regarded as a role model, not those talented scholars who can only read books."

Chapter 215 Double Pension

Hu Dahai originally wanted to take his second son Hu Guanzhu to Jinling to plead guilty, but unexpectedly Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhang Ximeng came first, and went directly to the army.

Hu Dahai was so excited that he didn't know what to say for a moment.His son Hu Sanshe chooses death wisely, and he does not avoid risks when he is in the top position. His presence in the army is not only a trust in him, but also an encouragement to thousands of loyal and brave soldiers. Painful, but also respectful, kneeling in front of Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Humble post pays respects to the superior!"

Lao Zhu hurried over and reached out to hold Hu Dahai. Lao Zhu was not a person who showed his emotions, but he still held Hu Dahai's arm vigorously, shaking it again and again, and then he entered the military tent to sit down. Zhu Yuanzhang asked Hu Dahai to sit beside him. by the side.

Afterwards, Lao Zhu asked other people to go out, and then he said to Hu Haihai: "We know that no matter what you say, they are all your own flesh and blood. Tigers are poisonous and do not eat their offspring. It would be inappropriate for you not to take your son seriously." Human favors. But we really can’t hold our hands high... Tens of thousands of shi’s worth of grain, after conversion, is almost 2 taels of silver. We have stipulated that those who embezzle dozens of taels will be beheaded and skinned. In addition, he sells bootleg alcohol. The profit is more than [-] guan. We have worked so hard to conquer the country, and the brothers have sacrificed their lives, and the blood is stained with yellow sand. Is the family property that has been saved so hard, just for people to ruin it casually?"

Hu Dahai knew about his son's crime a long time ago, because people kept sending news from Jinling, Hu Sanshe's case involved a lot of people behind it. .

Some people stole grain from warehouses, some made wine privately, and some smuggled and sold it. From local officials to large merchants, more than 200 people were involved in the case.

More than 30 of them were sentenced to death.

Among these people were Zhu Yuanzhang's fellow from Haozhou, and a wealthy businessman from Huaixi. One of them turned out to be Zhu Wenzheng's cousin. This person was not only involved in the bootleg wine business, but also smuggled salt from Zhang Shicheng.

When he was traced to his home, a total of two thousand shi of private salt was found. In addition to the case, another case was drawn.

This guy also wanted to talk about Zhu Wenzheng, but after investigation, it was determined that he was only acting in the name of Zhu Wenzheng and did not tell Zhu Wenzheng.

He prepared 3000 taels of silver, but he hadn't had time to send it out yet.

When the matter got to this point, Zhu Yuanzhang was so frightened that he secretly wiped a cold sweat.