sovbooks Chapter 69 General Overview of the Reform and Innovation of Hegemony
Chapter 69 General Overview of the Reform and Innovation of Hegemony
Wang Hong accepted the order and left, his boots clattering as he gradually disappeared into the night.
Gao Cheng watched his figure disappear, then gently exhaled a breath of stale air before leaning back against the low table, closing his eyes in deep thought.
Jinyang is more than a thousand li away from here. If you ride at full speed, it will take about five or six days to get there.
As for Gao Huan's reaction after reading the letter, he could guess even with his own eyesight.
After all, that cheapskate father couldn't be happier if someone could clean up the mess in Ye City for him.
Therefore, at this moment, he could basically predict that the outcome of the battle in Ye City would be no longer in doubt.
However, while the situation in Ye City was relatively easy to resolve, the situation in the world was much more difficult to stabilize.
Although he is a retrospector, standing at the end of history, he knows which path leads to the end.
Knowing that something is "feasible" is one thing, but knowing "how to do it" is another.
The simplest thing is that, although only a few years have passed since Gao Huan came to power, the Eastern Wei Dynasty is already riddled with problems.
Not only were the Han and Hu peoples irreconcilable, but Ye City and Jinyang were also divided into two separate entities, with the imperial court and the hegemon's government having conflicting policies.
These contradictions are intertwined like a tangled mess, yet also fragmented like broken pieces; the slightest misstep could lead to utter ruin.
Therefore, although he had a strategy in mind and various ideas for implementation, he was unable to make a decision on which strategy to adopt.
Now, the city of Ye is about to be pacified, and the time is ripe.
He was also well aware that the situation had reached a point where he had to make a final decision.
With this in mind, he no longer hesitated, immediately picked up paper and pen, and began to write swiftly.
Shortly afterward, a general program was established that ran parallel to the two principles of "deprivation of privilege" and "building national consensus".
These two principles were the general guidelines for governing the country that he tailored for the early period of the Eastern Wei Dynasty's struggle for hegemony, which he had already repeatedly considered when he was in Jinyang.
As for the specific explanation, it's quite simple.
The so-called deprivation of privilege boils down to two points: political purges and economic deprivation.
Its purpose was simple: to use force to shift the focus of national agriculture from noble families and powerful clans to small, self-sufficient farmers.
Historically, the Northern Zhou Dynasty only occupied a small corner of Guanzhong, with limited territory and a poor population, making it the weakest state in the later Three Kingdoms period.
However, by implementing the equal land distribution system, establishing the government army, and destroying Buddhist temples, the Sui Dynasty transformed itself from weak to strong in just twenty years, ultimately laying the foundation for the unified Sui and Tang Dynasties.
That is the secret to their success.
The root cause of the problems in the Eastern Wei Dynasty lay precisely in this.
Although Gao Huan inherited the system of the Northern Wei Dynasty and also implemented the equal-field system, he was constrained by the antagonism between the Xianbei nobles and the Han gentry, and ultimately failed to carry it through to the end.
The land allocated to peasants was often seized by powerful families through various means within just a few years.
As for the government troops, they were never truly established. The army was always in the hands of powerful figures, nominally a national army, but in reality, it was a private army.
This is why, despite its vast territory, large population, and unparalleled military might, the Northern Qi dynasty in history was never able to translate its national strength into combat power and was ultimately destroyed by the Northern Zhou dynasty.
Therefore, if the Eastern Wei were to implement the equal-field system, it would have to be more thorough than that of the Western Wei.
As for how to achieve thoroughness, Gao Cheng already had a plan in mind, so he picked up his pen again and wrote rapidly on the silk scroll.
"Firstly, laws should be amended to close loopholes in the system, for example, abolishing slavery and implementing a system where oxen are given land."
Under the old system of the Northern Wei Dynasty, slaves and oxen could all be entitled to land, and the amount was the same as that of commoners. The original intention of this system was to win over powerful families, but as the state's control weakened, it gradually evolved into a tool for powerful families to annex land. Local powerful families would often keep hundreds or thousands of slaves and oxen, occupying land in the name of slaves and oxen, but in reality, all of it belonged to their own families.
Therefore, if this problem is not eliminated, the equal distribution of land will remain empty talk.
"Secondly, the buying and selling of mulberry fields (perpetual land) was strictly restricted."
Mulberry fields, according to regulations, are to be passed down through generations and cannot be bought or sold. However, since the Rebellion of the Six Garrisons, these laws have been neglected for many years. Powerful families have regarded them as mere formalities and have often ignored them, arbitrarily annexing small farmers, causing countless self-cultivating farmers to lose their land and go bankrupt.
Therefore, the Eastern Wei Dynasty wanted to establish the Fubing system, and this system should be the bottom line.
"Thirdly, a large-scale investigation should be conducted to uncover hidden households and land holdings, and a new register should be created."
Since the Hebei Incident, the country has been in chaos, and the household registration system has been neglected. Countless people, in order to avoid taxes and war, chose to rely on powerful families or even become hidden households by attaching themselves to temples. Some powerful families also took advantage of the chaos to seize public land and hide it without reporting it.
These hidden households and hidden lands should be investigated one by one, re-included in the national household registration, and redistributed as sources of manpower and funds.
With these three elements in place, the policy of equal land distribution can have a feasible basis.
As for the inevitable resistance encountered during the investigation, Gao Cheng was not too worried.
After all, the greatest obstacles now are the Xianbei nobles and the Han gentry.
Among them, Xun Gui's side, the four nobles have become ready targets. After dealing with them, the confiscated land will be the first batch of land to be distributed.
Moreover, after this ordeal, the four nobles will surely live in constant fear. At that time, it will be a good opportunity to have them fight against the group of Xianbei nobles under Gao Huan's command, so that they can live out their lives.
As for the aristocratic families, now that they've boarded the ship, it will be difficult for them to get off.
Since they needed his help, they naturally had to show their sincerity, and their hidden population and land were the best way to pledge their loyalty.
This is called: using someone else's strength against them!
Thinking of this, Gao Cheng's lips curled into a cold smile as he continued writing.
The continuation of the writings refers to relaxing the restrictions on industry and commerce, and vigorously developing handicrafts and commerce.
If the above three policies were the foundation of the Eastern Wei's reforms and represented cost-cutting, then relaxing the restrictions on commerce and industry was a means of maintaining balance and generating new revenue.
Since the founding of the Great Wei Dynasty, it has implemented a policy of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce, which has forced the court to rely entirely on land taxes for its expenses. However, land taxes have been decreasing due to the consolidation of land by powerful clans, thus creating a vicious cycle.
Therefore, lifting the ban on industry and commerce can both collect taxes to supplement national revenue, appease nobles who have lost their land and prevent them from taking desperate measures because of it, and take the opportunity to completely shift the country's agricultural focus from maintaining the "large land ownership system" to supporting individual small farmers, which can be described as killing three birds with one stone.
With this strategy of increasing revenue and reducing expenditure, the Great Wei will surely be able to undergo a complete transformation.
At that time, even if noble families join forces, they will find it difficult to stir up any trouble.
All of the above constitutes "deprivatization".
As for the other strategy, regarding how to create a "national consensus" that transcends group interests, to put it bluntly, it is actually about incorporating all forces into a new framework through the binding of interests and the reshaping of ideology.
However, this matter is easier said than done.
This is because since the end of the Han Dynasty, the world has been in chaos for hundreds of years, and people's hearts have long been scattered.
The common people only know their lord, not the imperial court; the soldiers only know their commander, not the emperor.
Even the Northern Zhou dynasty in history did not complete this stage of reform. It merely established a consensus of interests centered on the Eight Pillars of State and the Twelve Great Generals of Western Wei by compromising with the Xianbei nobles and bestowing surnames upon powerful Han families.
Therefore, if Gao Cheng wants to reverse this situation, he needs to start from three aspects.
First, it lays the groundwork for education.
Official schools were established in various regions to teach Confucian classics and instill the concept of "loyalty to the emperor and love for the country" in people's hearts. Military academies were set up in the army to educate soldiers and make them understand the meaning of "protecting the country and defending the homeland".
Only in this way can the court's prestige be restored.
Secondly, strict selection of officials was implemented.
From then on, the selection of officials should be based on their talents, not their family background or age. This would break the old custom that "the upper ranks have no poor families, and the lower ranks have no noble families," thus giving all the talented people in the world a chance to rise to prominence.
In this way, children from poor families can be grateful and loyal to the court.
Third, establish the authority of the law.
Since the world fell into chaos, laws and regulations have long been neglected, the powerful and wealthy break the law and no one dares to question them; the common people suffer injustices and have nowhere to seek redress.
If Gao Cheng wanted to completely consolidate power, enforcing strict laws and regulations was the most crucial and indispensable element.
In addition to these three policies, it is also necessary to coordinate with various reforms in the military and economy to gradually establish the common belief that "only when the country is strong can individuals prosper."
Only in this way can a new political and economic balance be achieved, laying a solid foundation for the reform of people's livelihood and the great integration of ethnic groups after the Eastern Wei unified the country.
All of the above constitutes "building national consensus".
Gao Cheng's mind raced, and his pen moved swiftly until the two principles were completely finalized. Only then did he look at the densely packed characters on the silk scroll and exhale a long breath.
(P.S.: This chapter mainly discusses the strategies and directions of reform, so it might seem a bit boring. However, those who frequently read historical fiction know that even purely lighthearted stories or those written by top authors, as long as they remain within the traditional framework of fiction without systems or cheat codes, if certain things aren't explicitly stated, they will inevitably be criticized as unfounded and untenable when the corresponding plot points are introduced later. Therefore, the author can only provide a brief summary. Please forgive me if this bores you. If you're not a stickler for historical accuracy and are just looking for entertainment, you can skip this. Of course, please don't accuse me of making things up later.)