"Yes, what the teacher said is indeed correct."
Nearby, when Song Gongwen heard this, his expression was filled with joy. He continued, "The Jiangnan gentry has been severely damaged after the last incident. It will be difficult for them to organize a more powerful force."
"If we implement the unified tax system for officials and gentry at this time, it would be absolutely the most appropriate, because the gentry will no longer be able to fight back."
"As long as we are tough, even if we encounter obstacles, they will definitely not be too big."
When the interests of the gentry were harmed.
There is no doubt that they will choose to form an alliance and then counter the power of the imperial court.
But now, the most powerful Jiangnan gentry in the Wei Dynasty not only had their property confiscated but also suffered a huge blow because of the Baiyi Gate incident.
In addition, since I have the leverage over these people, it will be easier to deal with them.
And once the Jiangnan gentry compromise.
The aristocratic forces in other places want to resist, but their power will not be too strong.
With his current power, he has nothing to fear.
But soon.
Song Gongwen thought of another problem and said immediately: "Now the gentry is indeed easy to deal with, but those court officials..."
"The unified tax system for officials and gentry targets not only the gentry, but also our colleagues. If this move is implemented, it will definitely arouse a lot of opposition. This is different from the previous reforms. The tax system based on land use only made life difficult for the gentry."
"But this student's move has really shaken the ministers in the court. Once it is proposed, I'm afraid..."
His meaning is very simple.
It means to distribute the tax based on the amount of land used, which affected the interests of the gentry.
Although the gentry were deeply tied to some officials in the imperial court, they ultimately did not pose a threat to those officials.
But for officials and gentry, who earn two yuan a day, that is completely different. It is equivalent to snatching food from the bowls of those officials appointed by the court.
Especially those people who do not hold high official positions and have low salaries.
The purpose of passing the imperial examination and becoming an official is to avoid paying taxes to the court.
But now.
If even this privilege is gone, these people will definitely cause trouble.
Although these people do not hold high positions or have much power and seem unable to cause any trouble, the problem is that there are a lot of such people in Wei, spread across various places and prefectures.
In other words, if the officials at the lowest level in the entire country all opposed it.
The consequences would undoubtedly be very serious and would affect the entire court.
Therefore, Song Gongwen implemented the policy of requiring officials and gentry to pay taxes together.
I feel a little undecided.
This is not fear.
But I am worried that this will be opposed by everyone.
If we say that he was full of enthusiasm because of the successful implementation of the land-based tax system, he wanted to implement all measures that could change the country.
Now, after being in a high position and seeing more of the court's shortcomings, he had more concerns. Song Gongwen was naturally not afraid that this matter would be opposed by everyone and that his official position would be affected.
Instead, they believed that if this measure was actually implemented, there would be great resistance, which would affect the operation of the entire Wei officialdom.
Once this happens, I will be to blame.
Especially now that the situation has been created with great difficulty.
Also afraid of being affected.
I couldn't help but seem a little indecisive on this matter.
Especially in my heart, I began to understand my teacher a little.
Although we know that some measures will be of great benefit to the country and the court, we cannot implement them due to practical reasons.
After hearing this and seeing the other party's reaction, Zhang Zhengming understood what the other party was worried about.
Suddenly, he smiled and said, "Gongwen, the fact that you have such thoughts shows that you now have a broad perspective and understand the rules governing the operation of a court. This is good, but not so good either."
"Because you know so much, you've become wary and hesitant, which is somewhat detrimental to your desire to reform the court."
"If you want reform, you must forge ahead, because you know the benefits of doing so, both for Your Majesty and for the country."
"Because I had an estimate, I didn't dare to make any drastic moves for a long time afterwards."
"I just want to make up for it in some way, but doing so will not solve the fundamental problem."
At this point, Zhang Zhengming couldn't help but sigh and said, "My thoughts at the time were actually similar to yours. The fundamental reason was that I knew I couldn't bear the consequences of the reform failure. This consequence, of course, wasn't fear of death."
"I'm afraid that after I leave, everything will return to its original state. That would be the most fatal thing. Do you understand what I mean?"
This sentence made Song Gongwen stunned, and then he nodded.
He could naturally understand what the teacher was saying.
Death may not mean anything.
But if you die, everything you did in your life will be distorted by future generations, especially in terms of reform, which means you have failed. This is the most painful thing.
If it were me, I would probably feel sad too.
Zhang Zhengming suddenly smiled at this moment, and then said: "But now I am not afraid anymore, because I know that even if there are some things I cannot know, there will be people who will inherit my will and continue to do those things."
"Therefore, the move to have officials and gentry pay taxes together must be implemented. Of course, since it was proposed in your name, you don't have to worry about it."
"This matter has a huge impact and is very dangerous. It will bring a lot of criticism, so let me do it."
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