This is the most worrying issue for all those in power from ancient times to the present.

Similar ideas can be found not only in Confucian Analects, but also in many other books and allusions.

Why did Zhu Ying take such a risk and open up the people's minds?

In fact, in Zhu Ying's view, the so-called ideological confinement was not of much use. The only ones who benefited from it were not the imperial power, but the ministers, literati, and even the landlords and gentry.

They monopolize knowledge. Just like Yawen, they have the right to interpret official notices, and ordinary people can't understand them anyway.

This is an obstruction to imperial power.

Zhu Yuanzhang was of course very clear about the intricacies of this matter, so his edicts were conveyed in plain language to prevent others from taking advantage of the situation.

But even so, Zhu Yuanzhang never considered enlightening the people. He was now the emperor and a vested interest group, so of course he would protect his own interests first.

However, if people become more enlightened, will there really be constant rebellion and social unrest?

Zhu Ying doesn't think so.

Later experience told him that those who were most fond of rebelling were not the scholars but rather the foolish and reckless men.

Those who are said to be righteous are mostly butchers; on the contrary, sensible and knowledgeable people are more likely to maintain social order.

At certain times in later generations, when violence was rampant, it was often the children who dropped out of school who were the most impulsive and became the first-class thugs.

There are some people who attend school honestly, a few of them go out to fool around every day, but almost the vast majority of them study hard.

As the saying goes, a gentleman uses his mouth, not his hands; when a scholar meets a soldier, he cannot explain his reason clearly.

People who have read books and have knowledge will be more willing to protect the imperial power. Even if more people read books, the number of corrupt officials can be reduced a lot.

Everyone understands the law now, and can directly file a complaint against officials for wrongdoing instead of being deceived.

When Zhu Ying thought of this, he began to think about how to convince the old man. After a moment of hesitation, he said:

"History is a mirror that can help us understand the rise and fall of nations. Grandpa has lived from the end of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty to the present day, and has personally experienced that chaotic time. I ask you to recall that those who led the rebellion were all scholars."

"It's still these scholars who are the most excited. It's better to have no books than to believe in them completely. Confucianism originated from the Spring and Autumn Period, but our China has been making continuous progress since the unification by the First Emperor."

"Now is the best time for our Ming Dynasty. Without the noble families and scholars to dictate our affairs, we can paint on a blank sheet of paper and do whatever we want."

"Let's not talk about the distant past. Grandpa looked at the Sui, Tang and Song dynasties. Even the emperors themselves were bound by many constraints. It has become a hidden convention that the imperial power does not extend to the countryside."

"The so-called royal family is just the largest family."

Zhu Ying spoke earnestly, with the purpose of making the old man agree with his ideas.

Why is reform so difficult? The most important thing is the change of traditional ideas and the adoption of different principles. However, in this world, whether it is the ideas of literati or the ideas of emperors.

They were all restricted by their predecessors. The reason why there was such a big change in later generations was not because of their own changes, but because they were impacted by the world and had to change and modify.

Don’t you see, the change in mainstream thinking in later generations alone was achieved at the cost of the blood and lives of countless college students and advanced elements?

Zhu Ying was actually a little anxious to tell the old man about these things at this point.

But this time in the early Ming Dynasty, especially during the Hongwu period, was truly the best time for China in ancient and modern times.

There has never been such a good time as in the early Ming Dynasty.

There has never been, and there will never be.

Zhu Ying also once thought about reforming these things when he ascended the throne.

Zhu Ying was not sure if he could really be compared with the old man. After all, he had never been an emperor and he didn't know what the future would be like.

But he knew very well in his heart that if the old man could support his idea in this regard, then the whole thing would become much simpler.

With the old man's current power, there is no reason for anyone in the world to oppose him.

After listening to this, Zhu Yuanzhang began to think seriously.

What the eldest grandson said were things that Zhu Yuanzhang had never thought about in his life. Although Zhu Yuanzhang felt a little resistant at first, this was completely different from his thoughts.

In Zhu Yuanzhang's heart, or in the hearts of all emperors before Zhu Yuanzhang and after Qin Shihuang, the so-called imperial thought of family, country and the world has been deeply rooted.

The Ming Dynasty belongs to the Zhu family now and must be so in the future.

Whether it was the system established by Zhu Yuanzhang, the massacre of meritorious officials, or arrangements in various aspects, they were all for the purpose of allowing this family to continue to exist.

But what the eldest grandson said was a completely different idea, a path that no one had ever taken before, a path that required overcoming difficulties and was even full of dangers.

He could not see the prospects of success on this path because there was no precedent.

All Zhu Yuanzhang could see were countless dangers that would shake the foundation of the Zhu family's Ming Dynasty.

According to Da Sun's idea, doing so would naturally make the entire Ming Dynasty take off.

When his eldest grandson said these words, Zhu Yuanzhang could also feel the confidence in his words, as if he could see the future of the Ming Dynasty.

But is it really worth taking such a big risk?

The Ming Dynasty was already very large, so large that no matter who it was, it would take a lifetime to travel across the territory of the Ming Dynasty. In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang was already satisfied with such a vast territory.

All territories belonging to the Han people have come under the direct rule of the Ming Dynasty.

With the millions of brave warriors in the Ming Dynasty now, there is no doubt that more territory can be gained after a few battles.

Zhu Yuanzhang was confident that he only needed to issue an edict. Given the current military situation of the Ming Dynasty, there was no opponent that could be compared to it.

However, the territory is too vast, making it more difficult to rule, and may even add a heavier burden to the Ming treasury.

At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang hesitated.

Even to his doting eldest grandson, he would just keep silent instead of supporting him.

A hint of disappointment flashed across Zhu Ying's eyes. Although this was already expected, the old man's silence made Zhu Ying understand what he was thinking.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who originally had no intention of expressing his opinion, suddenly felt distressed when he saw the loneliness in his eldest grandson's eyes.

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly realized a problem.

He is old and no longer has the same drive as when he was young. A stable life seems to be more important to him.

But the eldest grandson is not like that. He is only eighteen years old, and his ideas and wisdom are far superior to those of ordinary people.

Judging from the many previous suggestions, learning performance, and brilliant achievements since the age of ten, it is enough to prove that in many aspects, the eldest grandson is not just talking big, but thinking and pondering very seriously.

My eldest grandson is so outstanding, why should I stop him? Even if the reform fails, can't I afford to lose?

Thinking of this, Zhu Yuanzhang said to Zhu Ying in a deep voice: "I have never heard of your grandson's thoughts, and I don't know what will happen in the future, but I am your grandfather, and I am still strong."

"No matter what your grandson thinks, just go for it. I'll support you from behind. Even if you fail, I, as your grandfather, will help you clean up your mess."

Having said that, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly laughed.

Before my eldest grandson was about three or four years old, I, as his grandfather, would often wipe his grandson's butt myself.

Now that he has grown up, naturally it is still my responsibility as the grandfather to clean up the mess for my grandson. No one else has the qualifications.

Zhu Ying looked at the old man with a little surprise. He had already given up, but unexpectedly, the old man suddenly agreed with his idea.

"Please rest assured, Grandfather. No matter what aspect, I will never make drastic changes that will affect the foundation of the Ming Dynasty. I will take one step at a time and proceed steadily."

Zhu Ying said solemnly that he himself was not a rash person, so he would not easily influence major reforms. Instead, he would take it slowly, like boiling a frog in warm water.

The reason why the matchlock gun was developed first instead of agricultural manufacturing was based on the current national conditions of the Ming Dynasty.

In Zhu Ying's opinion, wars of too large a scale should not be fought, but small-scale battles are no problem at all.

In this way, the internal conflicts of the Ming Dynasty can be gradually transferred outward. The biggest key is to maintain the combat effectiveness and cohesion of the army.

A soldier who has not experienced the baptism of war will always be a rookie. Once he encounters an emergency, he is not on the same level as the veterans.

Moreover, with the matchlock gun, some minor disturbances within the Ming Dynasty could be quickly quelled.

Hearing his eldest grandson's answer, Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly. He was still very confident about his eldest grandson's calm temperament. The eldest grandson now did not give him any of the impulsiveness and bloodiness of a young man.

On the contrary, he is just like an old man in his sixties or seventies, too experienced.

Sighing slightly in his heart, Zhu Yuanzhang knew that his current temperament was caused by his eldest grandson's life and death. He had experienced so many things that he would naturally become calm and steady.

Now that he had received the old man's approval, Zhu Ying didn't want to talk too much about it as the atmosphere was a bit too heavy.

Then he asked, "Grandpa, is the current income of the national treasury a heavy burden? There are still many fertile fields in Daming now, why do you feel stretched to the limit?"

Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang could not help but say: "If you don't manage a household, you don't know how to make a living. If the weather is good, given the current situation of the Ming Dynasty, this wouldn't be a problem, but the weather is too bad for us."

"You don't know, nowadays, there are constant disasters in various places every year, and the money and grain for disaster relief almost accounts for half of the annual revenue of the national treasury. Take the Henan Provincial Government for example, the Yellow River burst its dike in February this year alone."

"In total, at least one million dan of grain has been transported for disaster relief. Now that the autumn harvest has not arrived, all of it is stored grain, and we just happened to be stuck at this point."

After hearing the old man's explanation, Zhu Ying said that he could understand that Henan was one of the hardest-hit areas this year with continuous disasters.

Moreover, this maintenance is not just for now. Henan's autumn grain production is sure to have declined significantly. When winter comes, we can only rely on the court to mobilize grain support from all over the country to survive.

The situation will have to be maintained until next year's summer grain harvest before it can stabilize.

The key is to wait until the disaster is over. Otherwise, another wave will come, which will make the situation even more difficult.

"It's just like this with a big family and a big business. Tomorrow, let's ask the Ministry of Revenue to bring the state treasury situation to our eldest grandson to see. He will naturally understand our difficulties."

"Those expenses give us a headache just looking at them."

In front of his eldest grandson, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke more relaxedly and had nothing to worry about.

Last year, the Ming Dynasty's annual revenue was about 30 million shi of tax grain, which seems huge, but the expenses are also very high.

The biggest expense, naturally, is in armaments.

A soldier needs two stone and three liters per month, which is twenty-seven stone and six liters per year. Currently, the Ming Dynasty's standing army is about 1.2 million.

When there was no war, the soldiers cultivated land and were mostly self-sufficient.

Even with such a large army, hundreds of thousands of troops would be mobilized for local operations, and the annual military pay would be at least tens of millions of dan.

This is just calculated based on the lowest private rations. In reality, according to the military rank, middle-level officers will certainly get more.

About half of the annual tax revenue is used for military pay.

Then there are the salaries of officials and huge other expenses.

In fact, if calculated in this way, it seems that there will still be some left, but in fact this is already the highest annual income at present. In the first few years after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the tax grain was pitifully small.

The current annual income has to pay off the previous deficit.

In a place like Henan, where a severe famine has occurred, the only option this year is to grant large-scale tax exemptions until the disaster is over.

Henan only produces more than two million shi of tax grain a year. In just over four months from February to now, more than two million shi have been lost for disaster relief.

This also includes the loss of disaster relief troops, which means that the victims are currently unable to generate income and can only rely on the court for support.

"Actually, my grandson has some different ideas about taxation. Grandpa, please listen to me and see if they can be implemented." Zhu Ying thought for a moment and spoke.

"Grandson, please tell us quickly." Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up and he asked immediately.

Zhu Yuanzhang was really troubled by the issue of collecting taxes and grain, and he made repeated revisions in its implementation.

Nowadays, the Ming Dynasty implements a unique "grain chief system".

In the fourth year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the Ministry of Revenue to calculate the land tax in prefectures and counties, with each district having a tax payment of 10,000 dan. The landlord with the most land was selected to serve as the grain chief, who was responsible for supervising the collection and payment of the land tax in that district.

The grain chief collected land tax, which was divided into "retained grain" and "transported grain". The retained grain was spent by local prefectures and counties, while the transported grain was transported to other places.

Among them, the grain transported to the capital was called "Jingyun", and the grain transported to other places was called "Duibo". The "Jingyun" part was escorted by the grain chief himself.

The treatment of grain chiefs was extremely generous. Zhu Yuanzhang would personally summon those grain chiefs who transported grain to the capital on time, and commend them for their efforts. Those with talent would even be allowed to stay and serve as officials.

For example, Yan Zhen, the grain chief of Wucheng, was "the first to deliver grain every year" and was praised by Zhu Yuanzhang. He is currently appointed as a councilor of the provincial government.

In the eighth year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang also gave the chief of grain the legal privilege of reducing his sentence.

The grain chief is not only responsible for transporting grain, but also for other local farming-related functions.

Zhu Ying also has a certain understanding of the current tax situation in the Ming Dynasty, and what he wants to talk about today is the issue of the Dingyin system.

Without hesitation, Zhu Ying said to the old man solemnly: "The tax will be distributed according to the amount of land, and there will be no additional taxes for the increase of population."