blogombal Chapter 99 Persuasion
Chapter 99 Persuasion
Chapter 99 Persuasion
"Gentlemen!"
Wang Anshi's eyes turned cold as he said, "In my early years, I traveled with my father to various places as an official, and later served as an official in several places."
Those gentry controlled vast amounts of land, yet they were rich but heartless.
They not only exploit the people, but also use various means to evade taxes.
"Has Lord Wang ever considered that those officials who previously opposed the new law were themselves gentry?"
Moreover, local officials relied heavily on the gentry, not only for tax collection but also for local security, which depended on the cooperation of the local gentry and clans.
There are many ways to evaluate officials, but the core ones are tax collection and maintaining public order.
If Lord Wang wants to target the local gentry, he needs local officials to carry it out.
They were gentry themselves, and they were inherently resentful. In addition, they needed to rely on the gentry to govern the local area and ensure their own political achievements.
"Does Lord Wang think they will carry out the imperial decrees?" Wang You asked.
Many people consider Wang Anshi to be an idealist.
In other words, his reform strategy was too idealistic and did not take into account practical problems at all.
In ancient times, it was believed that imperial power did not extend to the countryside; the county level was the lowest administrative unit of the imperial court.
The townships and villages below that level, although nominally under the jurisdiction of the county government, are actually governed by local autonomy.
As the saying goes, if the people don't report it, the officials won't investigate.
In the village, any matter that arises is handled by a respected elder in the clan.
If the officials are alerted, the rest of the village will gossip and curse them behind their backs.
And those tenant farmers, being controlled by the gentry, would be even less likely to seek help from the government.
In ancient times, even a small county could have tens of thousands of people, while a large county could have hundreds of thousands.
But what about the officials?
At the county level, there are usually only three to five people who can be considered officials; below that, they are just clerks.
Officials were usually selected from the families of local gentry.
Whether they are officials of the imperial court or officials on temporary assignment, once their three-year term is up, even if they are not promoted, they will be transferred to other places.
Although those subordinate officials were not transferred that frequently, it was impossible for them to stay in one place forever.
But officials are different; they are fixed and cannot be transferred.
Some minor officials even have more say than officials in certain aspects.
Once local gentry were dissatisfied with county officials, they only needed to arrange for the people and tenants to file complaints, which would be enough to give those officials a headache.
Secondly, there's taxation. The local officials are all locals. Although they act arrogantly towards the common people, they dare not offend the local gentry.
The gentry owned vast amounts of land and were also the main taxpayers.
Once the gentry find various excuses to delay paying taxes, the officials can do nothing about it.
The evaluation of officials in ancient times was very simple: it depended on local security and whether they could collect taxes on time.
Whether the local economy has improved or how education is is actually not a significant factor.
In a county where a bunch of people report to the authorities every day, and can't even explain how much tax they pay, such officials have no chance of promotion, and may even have no future in their lives.
In this situation, how could local officials dare to offend the local gentry?
Don't talk about reporting the truth; failing to solve the problem is itself a sign of incompetence.
If the imperial court sends officials to handle the matter, the local gentry only need to pay the outstanding amount, or even pay a little more as punishment for the delay, and the officials will naturally go back to report happily.
They wouldn't make things difficult for the gentry; they would even thank them.
After all, how could I have made a contribution without them?
The original official's future was ruined.
It's not that all officials are corrupt, but those who are truly dedicated to public service are ultimately a minority.
Most of them are mediocre and corrupt officials.
Mediocre officials may not be as greedy as corrupt officials, but all they ever think about is their own future.
Not to mention that these officials' families were themselves local gentry.
Historically, Wang Anshi's reforms were like this: local officials outwardly complied but inwardly defied them, and many even used the reforms to exploit the people.
The money squeezed from the people goes partly into their own pockets and partly into the government's handover as political achievements.
Wang Anshi stayed in Bianjing, while Emperor Shenzong remained deep within the palace.
Both men saw that the court's fiscal revenue was constantly increasing and believed that this was the result of the reforms.
Some loyal and righteous officials who saw these phenomena and wrote letters to speak frankly about them were also seen as sabotaging the reform.
Su Shi almost lost his life because of this.
"As long as there is proper supervision and a system of rewards and punishments, officials will naturally not dare to act recklessly," Wang Anshi said firmly.
"As expected of the stubborn Prime Minister," Wang You thought to himself.
Anyone else who heard him say that would be somewhat swayed.
It's not that I'm not firm enough, but rather that what Wang You said might actually exist.
But Wang Anshi remained unmoved, his eyes resolute.
"Let's not even talk about the fact that the supervisors are also officials, and it's hard to guarantee that they don't have their own selfish motives. Just look at those local officials; they only need to help those gentry shift these burdens onto the common people, and they can still meet the imperial quotas."
"In the end, it will be the common people who suffer. Not only will it not solve the problem, but it will even exacerbate class contradictions," Wang You said, shaking his head.
"Brother Wang, Ziqian's words make sense. You should think it over carefully," Zeng Gong advised.
He greatly admired Wang Anshi; otherwise, he wouldn't have recommended Wang Anshi to Ouyang Xiu.
That's why he didn't want Wang Anshi to go astray.
Although Zeng Gong was still young, he was not someone who did not eat meat porridge. He had an understanding of the situation of the common people and the thoughts of those officials.
It's very likely that what Wang You said will happen.
"As Ke Ziqian just said, the improvement of systems and laws is achieved through the continuous trial and error of our predecessors."
Even in failure, valuable experience can be left behind for future generations to learn from.
"Now you're advising me to think it over again? What's the reasoning behind that?" Wang Anshi retorted.
""
Wang You hadn't expected the boomerang to arrive so quickly.
"What I mean is to feel our way across the river; it's hard to predict the outcome of anything before we even start."
But before we do it, we must at least consider its feasibility.
Only proceed if it is feasible. If it's all about trial and error, that might be acceptable for other things, but how can governing the world be done that way?
Wang You paused, his face showing worry, and said, "When a dynasty prospers, the people suffer. When a dynasty falls, the people suffer."
As the sages said, governing a large country is like cooking a small fish.
Governing the world requires not only careful methods and approaches, but also the utmost carelessness.
What may seem like minor mistakes to the imperial court can become a huge burden on the common people.
Lord Wang's dedication to the country and its people is admirable, but the impact of his actions on the common people must also be considered.
If Lord Wang insists on his own way, causing countless people to suffer exploitation, even leading to the destruction of their families, how can Lord Wang bear it?
"What a poignant phrase: 'When a dynasty prospers, the people suffer; when a dynasty falls, the people suffer.' These eight short characters encapsulate the bitterness and helplessness of the common people."
O
Wang Anshi first praised Wang You's words, then asked in return: "But even if we are absolutely certain, there is still a possibility that things will not go as expected. If we follow Ziqian's advice, then we might as well not change the laws and let the situation deteriorate."
""
"No."
Wang You shook his head and said, "The reforms are implemented directly. Even if there are problems when they reach the local level, it will take a considerable amount of time to get feedback."
Moreover, many people are unwilling to accept changes and may not provide timely feedback.