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The folks of Cuigezhuang today truly saw something to widen their eyes!
Early in the morning, the Emperor Zhu, accompanied by over three thousand students, arrived at the little-known Cuigezhuang. He then sent someone to invite Cui Baoguo, the head of the Farmers' Association, and a few elder villagers. Afterward, the group, in a grand procession, made their way to the fields east of the village. xxs1
It was deep winter, and the fields of Cuigezhuang were covered in a thin layer of snow. However, the verdant wheat seedlings stubbornly poked their heads through, displaying an unyielding vitality amidst the starkness of winter. The seedlings waited quietly to be covered by the next snowfall, anticipating their vigorous growth in the spring.
At this moment, standing at the edge of the fields, one could inhale the sweet scent of the wheat seedlings while also feeling the chill of the winter snow.
This was a scene cherished by countless scholars and literati throughout history.
Alas, the over three thousand students brought to the fields by Emperor Zhu were in no mood to appreciate their surroundings. The invited elder farmers, on the other hand, felt nothing for the beautiful scenery. For those who had truly tilled the soil, they experienced the hardship of turning the earth under the scorching sun and the agony of squatting to pull weeds. Even the autumn harvest, so often praised and lauded, was merely painful yet rewarding for the true farmers.
Let us not speak of "No field lies idle, yet farmers starve to death," nor of "Should drought, flood, pests, or locusts strike, the entire family would be in distress with no hope." For even in years of bumper harvests with no rent or taxes, autumn harvest was not a particularly pleasant memory.
Does this seem far-fetched?
Anyone who finds this point far-fetched is either a heartless scoundrel speaking from a position of privilege, or an idiot with no brains.
Let us take the example of the book "A Concise Record of Awakening Greed" written by Zhu Chongba, who started with nothing but a bowl:
Zhu Yuanzhang once calculated a set of data in "A Concise Record of Awakening Greed": If the stipend for a first-rank official was 87 shi of rice per month, then it would require 1044 shi of rice annually. Converting this to paddy, it would be 2620 shi.
From this data, we can see that the milling of paddy into rice results in significant loss. At least during the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty, the loss rate was quite high.
According to the calculation data of student Zhu Yuanzhang, the rice yield rate was only around 40%.
Calculating further based on this method: To produce 2620 shi of paddy, 873 mu of land would be required. Farming requires draft animals; assuming one ox can plow 50 mu of land, 17 oxen would be needed. For labor in the fields, assuming one person cultivates 15 mu, 57 people would be needed for cultivation.
After harvesting, a farmer carrying a load of unthreshed rice stalks could yield only 4 dou of paddy. Thus, 6550 loads would be needed. If the distance from the field to the threshing ground is one li, and returning to carry more also takes one li, making it two li round trip, then the carrying alone would amount to 13,100 li.
Let us not concern ourselves with the reasons and significance behind student Zhu Yuanzhang's calculation of this data, nor with the fact that Zhu Yuanzhang was cursed like a dog for writing "A Concise Record of Awakening Greed." We only look at one crucial data point within it: 13,100 li.
Well, an autumn harvest is a long march of ten thousand li, an autumn harvest means a layer of skin shed from the shoulders. What is so beautiful about such a memory?
Do not speak of carts, wagons, handcarts, oxen, or horses, because these were rare commodities. When the Chinese nation was first founded, anyone who owned a cart or a millstone was considered a wealthy household. Even before the year 2000, livestock in rural China were considered heavy assets, more precious than people!
Emperor Zhu himself had tilled the land in his younger days and knew the feeling of sweat droplets falling like shattered beans.
Thus, a strange scene unfolded: despite the beautiful sight of early winter snow lightly covering the wheat seedlings, neither Emperor Zhu, nor the students, nor the elder farmers were willing to appreciate it.
Villages near the capital are mostly named after certain Zhuang (estates), such as Cuigezhuang and Zhanggezhuang. Apart from the naming convention, they are basically the same as villages elsewhere. The villagers primarily engage in farming, while elders and women engage in some handicrafts. Able-bodied laborers would work in workshops during the agricultural off-season.
Emperor Zhu did not enforce any distinction between industry and agriculture. The Ming Dynasty also had no absurd regulations stating that farmers could only farm and laborers could not engage in small workshops or set up street stalls. The policies towards the populace were not entirely laissez-faire, but at least they were relatively relaxed.
Of course, the reason Emperor Zhu dared to implement such policies was the inherent strength of the Ming Dynasty. The continuous expansion of territory meant that the demand for land among the Ming populace was not as urgent as during the Tianqi and Chongzhen eras. The constant inflow of hard currency also ensured that the per capita income of the Ming people was sufficiently high. With one able-bodied laborer in a family, it was enough for a family of five to live a relatively good life.
When the lives of the common people improved, naturally, no one would think of rebelling against the Ming and restoring the Qing.
When Zeng Cheng and Liu Heming left the imperial palace, Emperor Zhu sat alone in the Hall of Heavenly Purity, lost in thought.
This was a war with a low probability of victory. Even the most strategic and wise rulers might not be able to perfectly resolve the issue of a massive capitalist class.
For example, a certain principal.
Firstly, this principal, with his sparse hair, owed his rise entirely to the capitalist class.
Messrs. Chen and Hu, looking bewildered, gazed at Qi Feng who was speaking eloquently, utterly disbelieving these words were coming from him.
Mr. Hu's eyes lit up: "The person you speak of, is it Zhang Wenhong of the near-kin territories?"
Daming and Daming are not the same.
Daming originated from the term "Myōshu" (名主), meaning land with a name, i.e., private land. Daming refers to a person who possesses a large amount of land.
During the Muromachi Shogunate, the samurai leaders who joined Ashikaga Takauji's rebellion were appointed Shugo, governing one or several provinces, collectively known as Shugo Daimyo.
After the Ōnin War, the trend of gekokujō (下克上, lower-over-higher) prevailed in Japan, and most Shugo Daimyo declined, while smaller lords rose to become Sengoku Daimyo.
During the Edo period, the Shogunate divided the daimyō of the country into Fudai Daimyo (vassals of Tokugawa Ieyasu) and Tozama Daimyo (daimyō who originally surrendered to Toyotomi Hideyoshi).
This was because Inukai Bunhō said, "If the Great Ming were to rule Wa."
This fellow even publicly declared that Emperor Kōkaku himself, as the King of Wa, possessed neither divinity nor humanity, and his actions had brought no welfare to the people of Wa, betraying the trust of the Emperor of the Great Ming. He further stated that Emperor Kōkaku should commit seppuku to apologize.
For daring to be so outspoken and critical in the rigidly stratified society of Wa, Inukai Bunhō quickly gathered a large following. Many of these were samurai and rōnin who were extremely dissatisfied with the court and the shogunate of Wa.
Now that Qi Feng proposed to exploit Inukai Bunhō to cause chaos in Wa and make a fortune, the Ming merchants present, including Mr. Hu and Mr. Chen, were all greatly tempted.
Mr. Hu chuckled and stroked his beard, saying, "With only Inukai Bunhō, at most he can disrupt one region under his governance, and the money we brothers can earn will be quite limited. In my opinion, we should find ways to bring in more people."
Qi Feng smiled and nodded, uttering another name: "What about Yajima Nishikatsu?"
Upon hearing the name Yajima Nishikatsu, the Ming merchants present burst into knowing laughter.
In terms of status within the martial world, Yajima Nishikatsu was actually far inferior to Inukai Bunhō. After all, Inukai Bunhō was a daimyo, whereas Yajima Nishikatsu was merely a commoner from the countryside, who could only claim to be a scholar of Rangaku (Dutch learning).
The key was that Yajima Nishikatsu was not a pure scholar.
Although Yajima Nishikatsu dared not openly criticize the court and shogunate of Wa like Inukai Bunhō, and even dared to rally a group of dissatisfied short statured individuals to publish newspapers, this fellow Yajima Nishikatsu relentlessly attacked the various feudal lords and daimyo of Wa, while also making sarcastic remarks towards the court and shogunate of Wa.
In the eyes of the court and shogunate of Wa, Yajima Nishikatsu was like a toad – unable to bite but capable of disgusting them to death. After all, he wore the guise of a Rangaku scholar and was usually seen associating with Ming merchants, so the court and shogunate of Wa dared not deal with him directly.
Now Qi Feng brought Yajima Nishikatsu to mind.
Frankly speaking, Wa, which is praised to the heavens by countless incurable individuals, is actually similar to the situation in India. India has a caste system, and Wa also has social strata.
For instance, why do samurai without masters remain rōnin and not find jobs?
This implies that Tokugawa Ienari must first deal with the rōnin to complete the blockade effectively.
The lords of Chikuzen, Chikugo, Buzen, Bungo, Hizen, Tsushima, Hyuga, and many others also responded, while other lords and daimyo could not help but frown.
These differences in geographical location naturally led to uneven development among the various domains. Some domains were quite wealthy, while others were extremely poor.
The disparity in wealth and poverty was directly reflected in the number of rōnin within each domain.
The poorer the domain, the more rōnin it had.
More importantly, the domains of Satsuma, Chikuzen, Chikugo, and others share a common appellation: the Kyushu domains.
These domains originally made a living on the island of Kyushu. The Satsuma domain even dispatched troops to capture the Ryukyus, forcing the Ryukyu king to submit to Wa and pay tribute.
To say they were resigned would be an understatement. Shimazu Hisamitsu and the lords of Chikuzen, Chikugo, etc., had considered resisting, at least to obtain a better territory.
Then Shimazu Hisamitsu and his retinue briskly moved to Ezo, completely ceding the island of Kyushu.
If they were to obey their lord and disregard Tokugawa Ienari, what would the shogunate think? Mutual obstruction and bickering, how could they possibly clear out the rōnin!
This was even more unacceptable to the lords than directly providing funds to support Tokugawa Ienari!
When Tokugawa Ienari finished speaking, the lords present breathed a sigh of relief while also feeling somewhat suspicious.
As is well known, aside from his lechery, Tokugawa Ienari's biggest flaw was his greed. The unrestrained accumulation of wealth by his sons and daughters was entirely inherited from Tokugawa Ienari.
Shimazu Hisamitsu, that Ezo fool, who was as poor as a dog, still dispatched samurai and ashigaru to help Tokugawa Ienari. Now he was the first to jump out and scold the other lords, acting like a loyal dog willing to shed its last drop of blood for the Edo Shogunate, yet Tokugawa Ienari seemed displeased?
After some introspection, a bright idea flashed through Matsudaira Nobunobu's mind. Thinking positively, Tokugawa Ienari might genuinely want to purge the samurai, and his current behavior towards Shimazu Hisamitsu was merely an act to lure the other lords into a trap.
Thinking negatively, Tokugawa Ienari's true objective might not be the complete eradication of the rōnin, but rather to target the lords themselves! Once shogunate samurai and ashigaru entered the territories of various domains in large numbers, anything could happen later!
With this thought, Matsudaira Nobunobu's expression turned grim. He then glanced at Shimazu Hisamitsu and said loudly, "Lord Shimazu is absolutely correct. This is precisely the time for us to unite and overcome difficulties together. We cannot afford to hesitate at this moment!"
With Shimazu Hisamitsu and Matsudaira Nobunobu taking the lead, the other lords had no more room to retreat. Whether they understood the situation or not, they had to follow Shimazu Hisamitsu and Matsudaira Nobunobu in expressing their willingness to dispatch samurai and ashigaru to assist the shogunate in clearing out the rōnin.
Tokugawa Ienari, however, was inwardly resentful.
Messrs. Chen and Hu, looking bewildered, gazed at Qi Feng who was speaking eloquently, utterly disbelieving these words were coming from him.
However, Qi Feng paid no mind to their stares and instead said to Mr. Chen, Mr. Hu, and the others, "What do you say? Those willing to do this with me, Qi, we will do it together. Those unwilling can leave on their own. As long as you don't cause me trouble, we'll still be good brothers."
Mr. Hu couldn't help but frown, saying, "Brother Qi's idea is good, but where can we find a daimyo willing to cooperate with us? According to Brother Qi, this daimyo must not have too much power, must not be too smart, must not be too foolish, and most importantly, must be able to awe those short statured individuals of Wa. Such a daimyo would be hard to find, wouldn't he?"
Mr. Hu's eyes lit up: "The person you speak of, is it Zhang Wenhong of the near-kin territories?"
As for dispatching ninjas or intentionally infecting patients with leprosy to plague the territories of Emperor Kōkaku and his son, Tokugawa Ienari currently had no such plans.
Unfortunately, Tokugawa Ienari's well-laid plans were now being ruined by those two scoundrels, Shimazu Hisamitsu and Matsudaira Nobunobu.
The lords and daimyo present were somewhat bewildered, not knowing what this scoundrel Tokugawa Ienari intended to say next.
The lords and daimyo continued to be bewildered – the Great Ming is the superior nation, the father of Wa, isn't that naturally expected?