Chapter 353 Li Yun's Enlightenment
Zuo Xiang was shocked: "Kill them all?"
Li Nuo nodded and said, "There is no reform without bloodshed and sacrifice. If we don't shed the blood of the enemy, we have to shed our own blood. It is impossible for the people to live a good life just by marching and protesting."
A great man once said.
Revolution is not about hosting dinner parties, writing essays, painting or doing embroidery. It cannot be so elegant, so leisurely, so refined, so gentle, courteous, frugal and modest.
Revolution is an uprising, a violent action by one class to overthrow another class.
Because of the special nature of its practice, Confucianism naturally stands on the side of the general public.
The land has been annexed by the powerful, and the common people have no land to farm. What should they do? Then they should beat the local tyrants and divide the land. Those who are willing to share will be spared, and those who are unwilling to share will be killed. If they are all killed, won’t the people have a good life?
It's that simple.
Li Nuo could understand Zuo Xiang's shock.
This kind of theory is still somewhat ahead of its time in this era.
Zuo Xiang was deeply influenced by the Confucianism of this world and was trapped in traditional Confucianism.
Confucianism advocates benevolence and always wants to carry out reforms through benevolent governance, so Confucianists often hold protest marches to avoid bloodshed and sacrifice, so they are often the ones who sacrifice.
The Legalists advocate rule of law. The land of the wealthy was bought, not robbed. The medicinal herbs were grown by them themselves. They are their own things, so they can sell them at any price they want. Isn't killing them indiscriminate killing of innocent people?
If this is true, then the people deserve to die of starvation and disease.
Li Nuo's words had a great impact on Zuo Xiang, but when he thought about his experiences over the past few decades, he had to admit that he was right.
In the game between the imperial court and the powerful and aristocratic families, they hesitated and compromised constantly, and ultimately nothing was accomplished.
No, someone still got something done.
After Li Xuanjing killed all the powerful and wealthy, the legal reform, which had always been difficult to promote, became very smooth.
The left prime minister sighed and said, "That being said, how easy is it to make them compromise through violence?"
There is one thing Li Nuo must admit, that the revolutionary experience of another world is not entirely applicable to Daxia.
After all, the so-called powerful families in that world only have land and money, and they have no ability to resist the violent revolution launched by the country or the people.
But the noble families of Daxia are not just rich. The imperial court is filled with their officials, the army is filled with their generals, and each of them has countless powerful men. When they join forces, even the imperial court has to give in.
Although the world belongs to the Li family, your majesty's real power is far less than imagined.
In the provincial capitals controlled by several major families, they are the real court.
It can even be said that they represent Daxia better than the imperial court.
When faced with foreign invasion, these aristocratic families are the backbone of the force in resisting the invasion.
If we don't take action against them, the people will have no good life.
And if they were to move against them, the other dynasties would take advantage of the situation and the people would also have a hard time.
This is the current dilemma of Daxia Confucianism.
If they want to change this predicament, unless their power can easily suppress several major families and have enough strength to prevent foreign enemies from invading, otherwise everything is empty talk.
But that’s all in the past.
If we can’t do anything about the big families, is there anything we can do about the few drug dealers in Chang’an?
Chang'an.
Jishiditang.
Jishidiang is owned by the Wang family and has five medical clinics in Chang'an.
Today, Jishidiang's largest clinic in Chang'an was not open, and the owners of five clinics gathered in the back hall of one of the clinics.
"Manager Xu, the imperial court has just proposed medical reforms, and we have raised the price of medicinal materials by so much. Is it really okay?"
"What can happen? We own our own products. We can raise the price if we want to, and lower the price if we want to. The imperial court can meddle in everything, but how can it control the price of our medicine?"
"Besides, this is the intention of the family head. The imperial court wants to reform the medical system. The consultation fee is so low, and the drug price is still so cheap. Will we still have a way to survive in the future?"
"We must let the court see our attitude. If we compromise this time, how will we do business in the future?"
"Several major families advance and retreat together, what can the imperial court do to us?"
…
As the general manager of several Wang family clinics in Chang'an, when Manager Xu heard that the court had medical reform trends, he immediately reported it to the family.
Sure enough, not long after, the Imperial Medical Service began purchasing medicinal materials on a large scale.
They had already heard about Zhao's medical reform. If Daxia did the same, their medical clinic business in various places would be affected.
If anyone else wanted to ruin the Wang family's business, they would have been killed long ago.
But their opponent was the imperial court, and the measures they could take were limited.
The head of the family said that even if the medical clinic in Chang'an did not do business, the imperial court's medical reform would not be carried out as it wished.
In the last rebellion between the two kings, the Wang family suffered heavy losses. Not only were all the officials in the court purged, but the second master, who was the most talented in martial arts in the family, was also framed for treason and beheaded. Everyone in the Wang family was holding their breath.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Just as they were discussing how to respond to the court's next move, there was a sudden loud knock on the door.
A waiter opened the door of the clinic, but before he saw anyone, he said impatiently: "Why are you knocking? The clinic is closed today. Go somewhere else to buy medicine and see a doctor!"
But the person standing at the door was not a patient.
A team of uniformed officers stood there, and the leader waved his hand and said, "Catch them all!"
While the guy was still in a daze, he was pinned to the ground.
Several shopkeepers in the back hall came out upon hearing the news and were also arrested on the spot by the people from the Ministry of Justice.
"What are you doing!?"
"What crime have we committed? Why are you arresting us?"
"Which government office are you from? How can you arrest people at will?"
A constable held an arrest warrant from the Ministry of Justice in his hand, waved it in front of him, and said, "Look carefully, the Ministry of Justice does not arrest people randomly. You have committed the crime of maliciously raising drug prices. Come with us, all of you."
Shopkeeper Xu was stunned for a moment, then he said angrily, "What crime of maliciously raising drug prices? What are you talking about? How can Daxia commit such a crime?"
The detective from the Ministry of Justice said, "I'm sorry, this crime has just been established. If you have anything to say, please talk about it when you get to the Ministry of Justice."
Several shopkeepers of Wangjia Jishiditang were taken away by the Ministry of Justice, and many people on the street witnessed this scene with their own eyes.
"Isn't that Shopkeeper Xu? What happened to him? Why was he arrested by the police?"
"Manager Xu usually looks very decent. Has he committed any crime?"
"The shopkeepers of several other Jishiditang restaurants of the Wang family are also inside. This is a big deal!"
Fushangtang.
An apprentice ran in quickly and said in panic, "Boss, this is bad. Including Boss Xu, several Bosses of Jishidiang have been arrested by the Ministry of Justice!"
The figure who was turning the abacus inside the counter changed his expression when he heard this and said in shock: "What!"
If Manager Xu was arrested alone, it might be because he had committed some crime.
But all the shopkeepers of Wangjia Jishidiang were taken away by the Ministry of Justice. He was sure that it must be because of the price increase of medicinal materials.
The court has to abide by the law when doing things, and the Ministry of Justice cannot just arrest people at will because of this!
He hurriedly left the clinic and looked for other people to discuss countermeasures.
Half an hour later, a message came from the Ministry of Justice.
Several Jishidiang shopkeepers were sentenced to ten years in prison by Li Nuo, the vice minister of the Ministry of Justice, for violating the court's "Medical Management Regulations" and arbitrarily raising drug prices in an attempt to shake the foundation of medical reform. The five Jishidiangs in Chang'an were confiscated according to law, and their medicinal fields near the capital were also nationalized.
The imperial court is implementing medical reform so that the people can have access to medical treatment when they are sick. This is a basic national policy that will be implemented for a long time.
Their behavior is undermining national policy and profiting from national disaster, and their crime is unforgivable.
At the same time, the Imperial Medical Bureau posted a notice outside Jishiditang that the five Jishiditangs would be converted into national medical clinics, with imperial physicians attending every day and consultation fees ranging from ten to one hundred wen, with drug prices less than ten percent of the previous price.
After the news came out, the people of Chang'an cheered.
In the past two days, news has come out that the court is about to implement new laws.
In the new law, the redemption sentences tailored for the powerful and officials will be further reduced, and the redemption silver will be increased tenfold.
This is naturally a good thing for the people.
I heard that such a law has been implemented in Zhao State, and now it is finally their turn.
Ever since the top scholar returned from Zhao State, good things have happened to the people one after another.
In the past, if ordinary people wanted to see a doctor, the consultation fee alone would cost one or two taels of silver, and the cost of medicine was even more astronomical. Ordinary people would spend all their money after seeing a doctor a few times.
The consultation fee at the National Medical Clinic is one hundredth of that of the original Jishiditang, and even the beggars on the street can afford it.
The people of Chang'an were jubilant, but the owners of the major medical clinics were shocked and frightened.
This is blatant robbery!
Just because they raised the price of medicinal materials, they arrested them and sentenced them to the Ministry of Justice, and also robbed their medicinal fields and clinics. What's the difference between this and bandits?
It is hard to imagine that this is what the imperial court would do.
A reasonable bandit only seeks money and does not harm anyone!
Although they were shocked, angry and frightened, they did not dare to delay in taking action.
Several major medical clinics immediately removed the signs announcing the price increase for medicinal materials and restored the prices to their original prices, fearing that they would be the next to be robbed.
At the same time, they immediately sent someone to convey the message to the family.
Secretariat.
The left prime minister looked at the file handed over from the Ministry of Justice with a stunned expression.
Isn't this blatant robbery?
This is blatant robbery.
As a disciple of Confucianism and the prime minister of a country, he could never come up with such a solution in his entire life.
But I have to admit that this method is very useful.
Not only are the medicinal materials free, but there is no need to build a clinic. All we have to do is ask the Ministry of Works to change the plaque, and the National Medical Clinic can officially open tomorrow.
This decree has at least pushed the progress of medical reform forward by several months.
The medical reform that was still in the preparation stage a few days ago has suddenly reached the completion stage.
At this moment, he finally realized how effective violence was.
He spent his entire life thinking about how to get the aristocratic families to give up their interests so that the people of Daxia could live a good life, and he made many efforts to this end, but all ended in failure.
Li Nuo taught him a lesson through medical reform.
Facing the oppression of the aristocratic families, the way out for the imperial court to reform and for the people of Daxia is the simplest and most effective way, which can be found in just four words.
Kill them all.
This was a path he had never imagined.
A figure walked into the yamen, and the right prime minister picked up the file that the left prime minister had just put down on the table. He had guessed what means Li Nuo would use to implement this medical reform, but he did not expect that his method would be so simple and direct.
The Right Prime Minister put down the file and said, "As expected of Li Xuanjing's son, only he and his son can use such a method."
Li Nuo walked in from outside and said, "Thank you for the compliment, Lord Right Prime Minister."
He just came back from the Ministry of Justice.
In terms of medical care, the national conditions of Daxia and Zhao were different, which he had not considered before.
The medical industry in various places, from upstream to downstream, was monopolized by aristocratic families, making it difficult for the imperial court to intervene.
I heard from the imperial physician that they grow their own medicinal herbs, train their own doctors, and run clinics and drug stores. If outsiders step into this industry, they will soon be suppressed by them. The final outcome is either the store closing down or the medicine being sold to them at a low price.
Li Nuo simply used their own methods on them.
If the law does not support him from doing this, then make a special law.
This would not be considered a violation of the law.
The Right Prime Minister asked, "I want to know what you are going to do next?"
Li Nuo said: "Medical care is related to people's livelihood and must be controlled by the court. Private clinics can be allowed, but they must be supervised by the court. The Imperial Hospital will set a price cap based on the cost of planting and transportation of each medicinal material. The price of medicinal materials in all clinics is not allowed to exceed this cap. The court should also increase the planting of medicinal materials to break the monopoly of the aristocratic families..."
The reason for the high price of medicine is, on the one hand, the monopoly of aristocratic families, which deliberately raise the price.
On the other hand, because the output of medicinal materials is extremely low, the final analysis is to increase the output.
The right prime minister said calmly, "What you said can be implemented in the capital, but it is difficult to achieve outside the capital. Can you force all the hospitals in the world to become national hospitals?"
Li Nuo did not deny it and nodded, "At present, it is indeed impossible."
In Chang'an, he can do whatever he wants, but in other people's territory, he has no say.
He is in the fifth realm and his words don’t count.
What he says doesn’t count as he is in the sixth realm.
But when he reached the seventh level, who dared to say that he had no say?
Li Nuo handed the drafted medical law to the left prime minister, then left the Secretariat and prepared to go home for dinner.
The left prime minister suddenly said, "The Central Secretariat has approved the funding for the expansion of armaments."
The right prime minister raised his eyebrows and asked in surprise: "Oh, you changed your mind?"
The left prime minister said: "Li Nuo is right. In the current Daxia, the power of the aristocratic families is too great. Any peaceful reform is futile. Not much of the money spent by the court can really be used for the people."
The right prime minister's eyes moved slightly, and he said, "I never thought that an old stubborn like you would come to your senses one day."
He suddenly became curious and asked, "What did he say about the reform?"
The left prime minister said slowly: "He said that reforms cannot be carried out without bloodshed and sacrifice. If we don't shed the blood of our enemies, we must shed our own blood. If we want the people of Daxia to live a good life, there is only one way..."
The right prime minister immediately asked, "What is the solution?"
…
The Secretariat.
As everyone knows, the Left Prime Minister is a peaceful person, while the Right Prime Minister is harsh and serious in his daily life. Except for the father and son of the Li family, there is no official in the court who is not afraid of the Right Prime Minister.
But today, when the Right Prime Minister came back from the Secretariat, a rare smile appeared on his face.
Soon everyone learned that the Left Prime Minister had agreed to allocate funds for his expansion of armaments.
This is not surprising. The Right Prime Minister was certain that there would be a war between Wei and Daxia, and had always wanted to expand the military to prepare for the upcoming war, but the Left Prime Minister had always refused. The two had quarreled countless times over this.
The Right Prime Minister was obviously very happy that he got what he wanted today. Officials from the Secretariat even heard him laughing heartily in his government office.
The Right Prime Minister had a tragic life. All his family members were killed in revenge by opponents of the reform in his early years. Even his closest disciples had never seen him laugh so happily.
Ningxin Garden.
Li Nuo had just finished his meal and was playing shuttlecock with Mu'er when a figure suddenly rushed over.
Li Yun's hair was messy and he looked extremely haggard, but his eyes were bright and he looked at Li Nuo excitedly and said, "I understand, I understand, I understand the secret of boiling water!"
(End of this chapter)
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