Chongzhen's words made Li Banghua silent.
Killing gentry is a very dangerous thing!
Because the imperial power did not extend below the county level, the areas below the county needed the help of local gentry in management.
Why does imperial power not extend below the county level?
Simply put, in terms of administrative organization, the highest rank among officials sent by the imperial court was county magistrate.
But here comes the problem!
There are only six or seven officials in a county government office, and including the low-ranking clerks, the total number is only forty or fifty.
A few dozen people manage a county of tens of thousands of people...
Taxes were levied twice a year, corvee labor was performed several times, and there were also various issues such as the imperial examinations and public security.
The difficulty can be imagined.
Under such circumstances, the towns and villages under the county formed a situation of civil self-governance.
The poor common people were unwilling to submit to each other, so the powerful clans, wealthy landlords, and educated gentry became the representatives of power for civil self-government.
Behind the county magistrate’s administrative power is the imperial power.
Behind the autonomy of local gentry and clans is public opinion.
Decisions made by the imperial power often harm the interests of public opinion.
For example, taxes... corvee...
Before the Tang Dynasty, local autonomy was in the hands of the aristocratic families.
After Huang Chao killed all the aristocratic families, the local administration work fell on the gentry.
These retired officials have great influence in local areas, and some of them can even command the support of hundreds of people.
If the county magistrate wants to manage the place well, he needs to cooperate with the local gentry.
In this way, the interests of imperial power and public opinion can be balanced, and efforts can be made to satisfy both parties.
If the representatives of the people are killed, the consequences can be imagined.
"Your Majesty," Li Banghua stepped forward, "I think it is better not to kill the local gentry if possible. If we kill them, the local area will be in chaos."
"A mess? Is it that serious?" Chongzhen was a little confused.
Li Banghua nodded: "I will give you a simple example. Two farmers fought over a land boundary issue. They both thought they were right."
Chongzhen was very interested in Li Banghua's example because this example occurred very frequently in all dynasties.
Li Banghua went on to say: "If there are local gentry, they will ask them to judge the case. With the mediation of the gentry, the matter will be settled quickly. If there are no gentry, the situation will get out of hand and there is a high possibility of loss of life."
"Even if no one was killed, if the two sides went to the county government, it would occupy the county government's administrative resources and cause unnecessary waste of resources."
Chongzhen frowned and thought for a moment: "What about the village head? Can't they replace the role of the gentry?"
The Ming Dynasty implemented the Lijia system, with 110 households forming a Li and a Li head appointed.
In addition to being responsible for the imposition of corvée labor, the village head was also responsible for education and public security issues.
However, their authority is limited to this.
Other issues, especially those involving criminal justice, need to be reported to local authorities.
Li Banghua shook his head and said, "In most places, the village chiefs are relatives of the gentry. After the gentry is killed, the authority of the village chiefs disappears."
"The source of the gentry's authority is relatively complex, consisting of various factors such as official experience, knowledge, and wealth, and it is not something that ordinary people can replace."
After listening to Li Banghua's analysis, Chongzhen smiled coldly.
The importance of the gentry group indeed exceeded his expectations.
But...he was prepared.
"Lord Li, the problem of the gentry cannot be solved simply by killing them."
Li Banghua breathed a sigh of relief.
It's good that Your Majesty knows this. Killing people blindly will only make things more and more complicated.
"I have a question. What do you think is the key to the gentry gaining authority?"
key?
Li Banghua frowned and thought for a while: "I think it is fair and upright, and it benefits the village."
Chongzhen smiled and said, "I think so too, so the problem of gentry is not that complicated. As long as we do three things well, the county will be in chaos."
"Your Majesty, please give your instructions."
Chongzhen stood up before speaking, put his hands behind his back and looked outside the palace door.
Through the window paper, you can see that the sunset outside the hall is gradually fading away.
The eunuchs hurriedly lit the lamps, making the dim hall bright again.
Under the candlelight, Chongzhen said calmly: "Those who bring disaster to the village should be killed!"
"Those who benefit the region and obey the imperial court should be won over!"
"Those who don't cause trouble and don't obey the court will be suppressed!"
Li Banghua was shocked.
Kill! Win over! Suppress!
In just five words, a seemingly complex problem is simplified.
No, it's definitely not that simple.
He was about to speak when Chongzhen explained: "Don't target the entire gentry group. They are too powerful."
"The key is to win them over! Win over some of them and deal with the others. Let them have conflicts among themselves and fall into internal friction. If there are no conflicts, create them. If there are conflicts, expand them. When necessary..."
Chongzhen stopped talking here.
This sentence hinted to Li Banghua that when necessary, he could create some incidents to divert conflicts.
He didn't say it clearly, and he wouldn't say it clearly.
Li Banghua will definitely understand, whether he will do it or not depends on his own wishes.
Chongzhen continued: "The court will only benefit if they are trapped in endless internal friction."
Li Banghua licked his teeth after hearing these remarks.
Your Majesty's method of dealing with the gentry is too cruel.
"Wait," Chongzhen said seriously, "It's not enough! The gentry are not that easy to deal with. If you want to defeat them, you need to do it both openly and secretly."
"It's obviously about killing, winning over, and suppressing."
"We will secretly wage a war of public opinion, and let scholars all over the world criticize those gentry who are causing trouble to the countryside and defaulting on taxes."
"Under attack from both inside and outside, I believe that the vast majority of gentry will willingly move closer to the court. In this way, the gentry's problem will be solved."
Li Banghua raised his head again and looked at Chongzhen with bright eyes, his mind complicated.
In his impression, the Ming Emperor had used this trick before!
When dealing with the nobles, he killed Xue Lian, won over the Duke of England Zhang Shize, and suppressed those with Beijing camp background.
It’s high, really high!
"Your cabinet should discuss the specific methods to deal with those gentry." Chongzhen handed this power to the cabinet.
Li Banghua was about to decline, but Chongzhen stopped him: "I am tired, Lord Li, please leave first."
"This..." Li Banghua's face looked ugly.
These ministers will become gentry one day in the future.
Your Majesty, is it not a form of internal friction for you to let these future gentry deal with the current gentry?
Who gave Your Majesty the idea?
So vicious!
After leaving the Qianqing Palace, Li Banghua took a sedan chair to the cabinet.
"The elder is back!" Fan Jingwen personally helped Li Banghua into the house.
Fan Jingwen was from Wuqiao, Hejian Prefecture, Northern Zhili. His father, Fan Yongnian, once served as the prefect of Nanning.
A typical family of officials.
His clansmen took advantage of his relationship and deliberately defaulted on paying taxes to the imperial court.
The imperial court was now rectifying the administration of officials and local gentry. His clansmen were found to have deliberately defaulted on taxes, so they found Fan Jingwen to protect themselves.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
