A nation's rapid development cannot be separated from the support of capital, and landlords and powerful families are the biggest obstacles to the development of capital.
Today, through the Royal Trading Company, families like the Yuan, Cao, and Yang families have begun to engage in workshops and commerce, transforming themselves towards capital.
The emergence of capitalists may have many drawbacks, and exploitation will still exist. However, for ordinary people, capitalists' exploitation is merely labor, and it will not make them unable to survive. Only when laborers live better can they create value for them.
But some people are different. They don't care about any of that. They want people, money, and lives, which leads to the accumulation of wealth, making the country and its people suffer more and more, and ultimately causing the people to be unable to survive and the country to collapse.
Exploitation is inevitable; as long as there are people, there will be exploitation. Liu Hong was well aware of this, or rather, he himself was the biggest exploiter.
However, exploitation is controllable. Capital should be used to make people live better lives. Even if they don't get paid for their labor, at least they should be able to ensure that as long as they are willing to work, they won't starve.
It won't be like before, where people toiled all year round and still couldn't afford enough to eat and drink, and were oppressed to death or rebelled. This... is enough.
The accumulation of capital is bloody, and it's just a matter of who bears the burden! It's either the common people, the old-generation landlords and powerful families, or the barbarians from all directions.
The common people certainly couldn't do it, so it was up to the landlords, powerful families, and barbarians from all directions to provide the lifeblood for the Han Dynasty.
Now, Liu Hong has also invited the bureaucratic class of the Han Dynasty onto the chariot of capital, and the royal family and bureaucrats have been combined into a new community of interests.
Therefore, Liu Hong had the courage and ability to bleed the landlords, powerful clans, and barbarians from all directions in order to complete the primitive capital accumulation of the Han Empire.
Inside the Chongzheng Hall, the officials continued their lively discussion about various methods and strategies for dealing with and curbing landlords and powerful clans.
Direct violence is definitely not an option. We can use force to deal with lawless and powerful people, but what about those who abide by the law?
A drastic, one-size-fits-all approach could force them to unite and rebel, and the consequences would be unbearable for everyone. After all, the powerful clans of the Han Dynasty have accumulated considerable influence over generations.
Therefore, the only option is to help the weak and punish the strong, support and transform a group of small and medium-sized landlords to join in and fight against those powerful landlords, and then let capital enter the market to reap the benefits.
After some discussion, Chen Fan, the Grand Tutor, bowed to Liu Hong on the throne.
"Your Majesty, after discussion among your ministers, we believe that to curb the power of the wealthy and powerful landlords, we must address the root cause!"
Liu Hong smiled and nodded, then asked:
"So how should we begin? Grand Tutor, please explain in detail...!"
Liu Hong was well aware of the origins of powerful clans' development, and he also knew how to proceed.
However, this is not something he could do alone.
As the emperor, one should create and reconcile conflicts, not get caught up in them.
That's why he let his officials speak for themselves and take the initiative.
Chen Fan and the officials understood the emperor's intentions, but now these families, which had become capitalists, had become the beneficiaries of capital.
Dealing with powerful local magnates and landlords is a matter of their own interests, and even if the emperor doesn't say anything, they will take the initiative to stand up for themselves.
Benefits are earned through struggle and effort; it's unrealistic to wait for them to be given to you.
Upon hearing the emperor's question, Chen Fan turned around and glanced at the officials in the hall, who all nodded in unison.
Seeing this, Chen Fan turned to face Liu Hong and said respectfully:
"Your Majesty, the development of those people is nothing more than raising more people and annexing more land! As long as these two things are not stopped, those malignant tumors will be extremely difficult to eradicate!"
"Yes! Continue...!"
Chen Fan nodded, and then continued:
"The main reasons for those who raise livestock and seize land, besides collusion between superiors and subordinates and oppression of the people, are as follows:"
First, natural disasters and man-made calamities: the people could not resist natural disasters, and in order not to starve to death, they had no choice but to sell their land at a low price, submit to them, and become the objects of their oppression.
Second, the tax system was unreasonable: In the past, taxes were collected in cash and silk, but farmers only had grain. If they wanted to pay the taxes, they had to sell their grain.
However, those people took advantage of this to lower grain prices, causing people to sell grain for only five coins or even less when they could originally sell it for ten coins. This resulted in them being unable to meet their tax obligations, causing losses to both the court and the people, while they alone profited from the situation.
Third, corvée labor: In the past, when the court conscripted corvée labor, the people had to prepare their own food and clothing. If the time was short, it was fine, but if it was long, the farming season would be missed, causing the people's land to be abandoned and the people to lose their livelihood. The court would also lose tax revenue, so the disadvantages outweighed the advantages.
Fourth, there is the issue of officialdom. The only people who can serve the people and whom the people can rely on are officials at all levels.
If officials do not cherish the people under their jurisdiction and instead collude with those who exploit them, then the people will find it extremely difficult to survive. The officials' illegal actions will lead to hatred towards the government and the imperial court.
As Chen Fan finished speaking, the officials in the court looked at Liu Hong with firm eyes.
A relieved smile appeared on Liu Hong's face. He knew that what he needed to do could finally begin.
These four issues have been a perplexing problem for countless people since ancient times.
Whether they were shrewd emperors or insightful individuals, they all knew the harm of these drawbacks, and some tried to change them, but in the end, all their efforts came to naught.
It's not that it can't be changed, it's that it shouldn't be changed.
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