Chapter 2 Chapter Two Who Created the "Hongwu Prosperity"

Speaking of the Hongwu Dynasty (AD 1368-1399) when Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang was in power, most people today have the impression of massacres of heroic figures, who conquered Mongolia in the north, and were powerful and powerful.But there is an unavoidable historical fact that has been ignored in the long river of history. This historical fact is a set of numbers - in the twenty-sixth year of Hongwu (AD 1393), there were 8,577,623 hectares of land in the world, 1,065,2804 households, and a population of 6,054,5812.The country's annual revenue of rice and wheat totals 32,789,800 shi, and the official warehouse grain is 71,800,000 shi, which can be used by the national government and the people for 3 years without counting the reserves of the common people.The total output of cotton in the country is more than 11,803,000 catties, and the total amount of fruit trees planted is 1 billion.A total of 4,000,987 ponds and weirs were opened in all prefectures and counties across the country, 4,162 river courses were dredged, and 5,048 embankments were built. "History of Ming Dynasty Shihuo Zhi" commented on this period in this way: the universe was rich and prosperous, the wealth was envied, the prefectures and counties had abundant storage, and even the red rot was inedible...

Turning our attention to the past and future generations of China's feudal society, a vertical comparison: 300 years later in the Qing Dynasty's "Golden Ages of Kang, Yong, Qian, and Qing Dynasties", the total number of cultivated land did not exceed 6 million hectares.The previous Northern Song Dynasty, known as the "Fu Song Dynasty", had a maximum population of only 45 million.In the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, when the great poet Du Fu recalled incomparably that "the rice was flowing with fat and the corn was white", the total national grain tax revenue was only one-third of that at that time... Then compare the contemporary world horizontally: According to the records of the British scholar Joseph Needham, in the 14th century The highest level of European population is only a quarter of that of China at this time, and the sum of government agricultural taxes of Western European countries is one thirty-second of that of China at this time...

Such a number can only be described in one word - the country is rich and the people are strong.The era that can be described by this word is the prosperous age—the prosperous age of Hongwu. Talking about the prosperity of Hongwu, talking about power and strategy, dispelling thick and dark, never taking into account the national economy and people's livelihood. Let's explain in detail how such an impressive "GDP" achievement was created. The British dramatist Shakespeare once described the prosperous age in a play: "The prosperous age is a magnificent palace, the great king guides us at the top, and the silent pillar holds up his height."

Speaking of the "magnificent palace" in Hongwu's prosperous age, Zhu Yuanzhang is naturally the first to be recommended.It is well known that he implemented the policy of "rest and rejuvenation" after the founding of the country: light corvee and low tax, official land tax of five liters and three combination, private land tax of three liter and three combination, which is the lowest land tax in all Chinese dynasties; Once it is cultivated, it will be owned by the landlord, and the newly cultivated land will be exempted from corvee for 3 years; strict thrift is practiced, and extravagance and luxury are prohibited...

There is also the "macro-control" that is little known today: first, large-scale immigration and reclamation, and the relocation of landless farmers and aristocratic families in the south to Shandong, Shanxi, Liaodong and other provinces for reclamation and settlement. "Jiangnan powerful".A policy was introduced to encourage "diversification", stipulating that farmers with 5 to 10 acres of land must plant half an acre each of mulberry, hemp, and kapok, otherwise the tax would be increased. If more than 10 mu is doubled, every 100 farmers must plant 200 jujube trees. Those who violate the law will be sent to the army. The government will send a large number of "technicians" to the countryside to promote advanced agricultural production technology and spend great efforts to build water conservancy projects.The business aspect is not relaxed either. The sea ban is strictly enforced throughout the country.Of course, I did not forget to take proper care of it. The tax reduction and exemption for industry and commerce is only 30 yuan, which is less than half of that of the Yuan Dynasty. The national government and people are registered and naturalized, divided into three categories: civilian households, military households, and artisan households. Random population movement is strictly prohibited. "Book", "Fish Scale Atlas", register the national land household registration...

The work of clean government has not been relaxed. "Agricultural performance" is the first criterion for assessing officials. Corrupt officials have been strictly investigated, and large prisons have even been set up in the name of "corruption punishment". Local officials have to take the lead in farming, called "responsible fields." ... With great deliberation and painstaking efforts, an economic system that continued the entire Ming Dynasty was established. This is a feudal agricultural country economic system that is highly centralized, with clear powers and responsibilities, strict laws, strict legal nets, clear layers, and strict barriers.From the perspective of future generations, it may be rigid and rigid, but under the background of the decline of all industries at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, it burst out with incomparable vitality.The impressive economic achievements are the crystallization.

Under this remarkable achievement, the outstanding figures—the able ministers of the Hongwu era, with their unknown actions, meticulous thoughts, and painstaking efforts, they are like silent pillars, supporting the brilliance of the "Hongwu Prosperity" .The most important of these are 3 people.The reason why these three people are "unknown heroes" is because in the Hongwu Dynasty where there were many heroes, their identities, occupations, and degree of attention, compared with many heroes and celebrities, they can only be regarded as "little characters" with no names. Assuming the great responsibility of governing the world, it is not "highlight" enough, but it is "important" enough.

The first person is Yang Siyi, the first Minister of the Household Department of the Ming Dynasty, whom we briefly mentioned in the previous chapter. In "History of Ming Dynasty", which can be regarded as the most complete and complete compilation among the twenty-four histories, the introduction to Yang Siyi is only a few short strokes of hundreds of words, and in these few strokes, the year of birth and death is unknown, the place of origin is unknown, and the name of the name is unknown. Unknown, it is true that he cherishes ink like gold, but behind his cherishing ink like gold is his contribution like gold.If the economic system established by the Ming Dynasty during the Hongwu Dynasty came from Zhu Yuanzhang's iron fist, then Yang Siyi, who was the first Minister of the Household Department at the founding of the Ming Dynasty, was the designer of this economic system.

Yang Siyi is a "second official", who was originally a secretary of the Yuan Dynasty in Pingzhang. Although his "virtuous name" is outside, he has not been reused in the Yuan court all year round.Until the twenty-first year of Yuanzhizheng (1351 AD), Zhu Yuanzhang, who was ordered to go to Zhu Yuanzhang, was in urgent need of talents. He was very happy when he learned from Liu Ji that Yang Siyi was a "great sage of the Yuan court". The "rebellion" was successful.From then on, the Yuan Dynasty, which was about to collapse, lost a "little secretary" who ran errands, and the Ming Dynasty, which was born, added one of China's most outstanding economists in the 14th century.

Liu Ji's vision was not wrong, and Yang Siyi, who belonged to Zhu Yuanzhang, was indeed a "great sage".As a Confucian student, he is erudite and talented, and he is proficient in everything in astronomy and geography. First, he assisted Xu Da, Chang Yuchun and others to innovate their equipment and improve the "fire dragon gun", making it the main weapon of the cavalry in the early Ming army. 》, making it the general calendar after the founding of the Ming Dynasty. In my spare time, I studied mathematics problems, improved the abacus used by Zhu Yuanzhang’s army to calculate accounts, and even created a "new method of abacus calculation". It was quickly popularized and used, and the calculation efficiency doubled.Among the pillars of Zhu Yuanzhang's pioneering era, this "second minister" who bears the name of "great sage" is a "good steel" that shines everywhere.

"Good steel" should naturally be used wisely, and soon Yang Siyi was appointed Secretary of Agriculture, in charge of the logistics work of the Ming army's conquest of the world.Farming, production, taxation, income and expenditure calculation and distribution, everything was done in an orderly manner. After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, he changed himself and became the "Shangshu of the Ministry of Households".This Minister of the Household Department can be regarded as the most "difficult" one among the previous ministers of the Ming Dynasty. It is difficult because from the first year of Hongwu to the fifth year of Hongwu, the Ming army attacked from north to south, conquered the capital of Yuan Dynasty to the north, and then pursued the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty in Monan and the northwest by taking advantage of the victory. In the areas of Sichuan and Guangxi, we must fight to sweep away the separatist forces in the south and strive to unify the north and the south.But all wars will inevitably cost a lot. In the Ming Dynasty at that time, the country was waiting to be rebuilt, and the people were exhausted. It was time to recuperate and recuperate. When the people's minds were in order, tax increases must not be apportioned to meet the money and food expenses on the front line. Hubu Shangshu is really "a clever woman can't cook without rice". Yang Siyi has a solution: instead of raising taxes, promote farmland, rest with the people, vigorously encourage land reclamation, and try to increase financial resources without increasing taxes; the frontline costs are huge, so he uses his "mathematics expertise" to calculate carefully.Especially for the war in the north, regardless of the opposition of the frontline generals, they almost cut all kinds of expenditures by half, and even worked tirelessly to make a detailed list of the usage of various expenses and hand them over to the frontline generals for execution.When the finances are really tight, the expenditure on palace construction will be reduced, and the urgent need will be alleviated by "tearing down the east wall to make up for the west wall".The painstaking efforts were finally not in vain. In the fifth year of Hongwu (AD 1372), Xu Da and Li Wenzhong's Northern Route Army marched northward to Mongolia, and wiped out the vital forces of the Yuan Dynasty one after another in the battles of Dingxi and Shangdu. Although there was a defeat in Lingbei, it was temporarily lifted. It eliminated the threat of the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty to the Ming border.The Southern Expedition Army also reported frequent successes, conquered Fujian and Guangdong provinces, and wiped out the separatist regime of Ming Yuzhen in Sichuan. It is a miracle that in the past few years, the recovery of domestic production in the Ming Dynasty has been carried out in an orderly manner, and the people have not increased the burden. Fiscal revenue has been increasing year by year, not to overwork the people, but also to ensure front-line supply, and complete the great cause of dominating the country.Behind the miracle is Yang Siyi's painstaking efforts. The war is over, but what belongs to Yang Siyi has just begun.Since he served as the Minister of the Household Department, he has always been conscientious and conscientious, putting the people first in everything. The many policies he suggested have hit the pulse of the economic construction of the Ming Dynasty.Floods and droughts are frequent in various provinces. Yang Siyi suggested that the country set up "preparation warehouses" for relief of floods and droughts. This move was used throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties and benefited countless people.Yang Siyi suggested that the country introduce preferential policies to encourage farmers to plant mulberry and hemp. In a few years, the country's mulberry and hemp industry flourished, which also drove the development of handicrafts such as silk textiles.In order to prevent the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty from invading, Zhu Yuanzhang set up the "Nine Frontiers" military base in the north. However, when the Nine Frontiers were first established, the border gates were short of money and food, and the country's expenses were also stretched. Under the premise, merchants are allowed to send grain to the "nine sides" in exchange for salt, and obtain the privilege of selling salt.As soon as this law came out, businessmen all over the country responded one after another, rushing to buy land in the "nine sides" for reclamation, and recruit refugees to cultivate it.The result is the "domino effect". Since then, the "nine borders" have sufficient money and food, and the border defense has been greatly improved. Merchants raced to cultivate land, reappearing the appearance of criss-crossing fields and economic prosperity.The merchants who made a lot of profits in the "opening up China" gradually formed two merchant groups that influenced the modern and modern history of China-the Shanxi Merchants Group and the Huishang Group. Yang Siyi, who is a great talent, has never been proud of his talent. Liu Ji's "Collected Works of Sincerity Bo" called him "magnanimous and tolerant". Zhu Yuanzhang's opinion can also be recognized by Zhu Yuanzhang in a reasonable way of speaking.Zhu Yuanzhang, who is suspicious by nature, has always attached great importance to this "great sage", not only because he can "be a man", but also because Zhu Yuanzhang, who was born as a farmer, knows that this careful thinking and outstanding household minister has always been a A talented person who is "urgent to the urgent needs of farmers". Although the evaluation in "History of Ming Dynasty" is brief, it is objective: "Although it is intended by the emperor, but the scriptures and paintings are detailed, it is sometimes called its ability." After the rapid development of the northern reclamation, due to the shortage of labor force in Shaanxi, Yang Siyi took the initiative to invite Ying to go to Shaanxi to implement Zhu Yuanzhang's national policy of immigrating to the border.Soon after, he served as Shaanxi Counselor (Governor of Shaanxi Province). During his tenure, he worked hard to appease immigrants and develop production, which made Shaanxi's economy boom in a short period of time and immigrants lived and worked in peace and contentment.After doing all this, the most outstanding economist in the Hongwu Dynasty died from overwork and died suddenly. This capable minister with careful thinking, careful planning, and excellent vision, with his generous character and meticulous administrative methods, supported the overall economic recovery of the Hongwu Dynasty. He can be called a leader in terms of "unsung heroes". In the Ming Dynasty with Yang Siyi as the minister of the household department, the economic recovery was carried out in an orderly manner, but Yang Siyi who was good at planning was obviously not enough.The ancients said that "the way of governing the country is the harmony of softness and fierceness", and Yang Siyi, who is "magnanimous and tolerant", obviously belongs to the "soft" side.No matter how elaborate the plan is, strict laws and regulations are needed to "escort the escort". Therefore, there is a second "unsung hero", the supervisory censor Han Yike. In "History of the Ming Dynasty", which gathers the eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty, many "straight ministers" have been written in great books and have been famous for generations. Among them, Han Yike, who has the least ink, can be called the "father" among them. Han Yike, courtesy name Boshi, was born in Shanyin, Zhejiang.Similar to Yang Siyi, he almost became a "second minister". In the 21st year of the Yuan Dynasty (AD 1361), the battered Yuan Dynasty set up a list to seek talents, and Han Yike, full of ambition, readily went to apply for the post of supervisory official , but failed because of his low status and nowhere to go.After that, he lived at home. In the first year of Hongwu (AD 1368), under the recommendation of Liu Ji, he first served as the teaching instructor of Shanyin and worked hard for several years. At last, he attracted Zhu Yuanzhang's attention. Then came the appointment that was overdue for many years - Supervisor history. The position of supervisory censor in Zhu Yuanzhang’s era was very different from that of the Yuan Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang reformed the official agency, and set up thirteen departments nationwide, with a total of 110 supervisory censors. Patrolling the censor, the top priority is to correct and impeach officials for illegal behavior, and the official position is low but the power is heavy.And Han Yike, who was in office, also proved with his actions that he seemed to be born for the position of supervisory censor. During the Hongwu period, Han Yi was a person who was feared by everyone, especially the rich and powerful who had illegal deeds, and almost hated and feared him.He is a straight man, not afraid of the powerful, and even dared to stroke Zhu Yuanzhang's "tiger beard".In the early days of Hongwu, Li Shanchang retired, and Hu Weiyong succeeded Zuo Prime Minister of Zhongshu Province.One day, Hu Weiyong and Chen Ning, a crony censor, had an audience with Zhu Yuanzhang during the Zhongcheng Tu Festival. While they were talking and laughing, Han Yike suddenly broke in and impeached Hu Weiyong and others face-to-face. Xie Tianxia", speaking "regardless of occasion", and aiming at the emperor's favored officials, naturally provoked Zhu Yuanzhang Longyan to be furious, and cursed on the spot: "Quickly talk about the censor, dare to arrest the minister." Immediately ordered Jin Yiwei to arrest and put him in prison However, Han Yike, who had been tortured so much, did not give in, and kept yelling at Hu Weiyong. The news reached Zhu Yuanzhang, and Zhu Yuanzhang, who had calmed down, was finally moved by him and ordered his release. Later, Hu Weiyong really failed and implicated countless ministers, but Han Yike was reused by Zhu Yuanzhang.Han Yike made persistent efforts to correct and impeach important ministers all day long. On the list of those impeached by him were a series of meritorious figures who founded the Ming Dynasty: Fu Youde, Wang Bi, Lu Zhongheng, Liao Yongzhong, Lan Yu...but it was not as Zhu Yuanzhang said, "expelling the trap". Minister", each impeachment is well-organized and has real evidence.There were also powerful and powerful people who were jealous. For example, Lanyu once said that he wanted to make Han Yike "look good". Han Yike laughed when he heard the words, and ordered the whole family to open the door every night, and fell asleep soundly. The news spread to Lanyu. The domineering general who killed countless people in his life also had to keep a respectful distance. Han Yike, who confronts evil with evil, also has a side that is unimaginable to the "rich and powerful"-tolerance.For major cases, he always advocates repeated inspections to avoid implicating innocent people.During his tenure as the procuratorate of Shaanxi, he wrote to Zhu Yuanzhang to re-check the officials sent to Fengyang for crimes and rescued many innocent people.The "Hu Lan case" and "Kongyin case" that shocked the official circles of the Ming Dynasty, Han Yike dealt with them, tried his best to save innocent officials and people, but implicated himself in it.Later, Zhu Yuanzhang personally checked and released him.Someone once accused Han Yike of embezzlement, and Zhu Yuanzhang also suspected it. He specially visited Han Yike’s house privately in a micro-clothes. He saw the dilapidated house of Han’s house and the whole family wearing patched clothes. Zhu Yuanzhang still suspected: Could it be that the money was hidden secretly? up.Han Yike was frank, and emptied the money box at home in front of Zhu Yuanzhang, mocking himself, "I have never saved money, and I have nothing to save." In Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, Han Yi is sometimes very ignorant of current affairs.For example, once, when Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to give the family members of the criminal minister to his officials, others thanked him for "the emperor's kindness", but Han Yike firmly opposed it, and insisted that the investigation should not "disaster his wife and daughter". "It goes against the laws of nature and human relations."Zhu Yuanzhang accepted Han Yike's opinion, and as a reward, promoted Han Yike to be the chief envoy of Shanxi (equivalent to the governor of Shanxi).The first thing Han Yike did after he took office was to impeach Zhu Yuanzhang's son, King Jin, for his illegal behavior. Show compassion to the local ethnic minorities and build water conservancy projects.Good people are good people everywhere. After Zhu Yuanzhang's death, in the 31st year of Hongwu, Emperor Jianwen issued an edict to promote Han Yike as the left deputy capital censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, which was the highest position Han Yike got in his life.On the way to his post, due to years of fatigue, he died of illness when he arrived in Hangzhou. "History of the Ming Dynasty" records that it was night, meteors fell, and racing horses neighed. Although the historical data is mythical, it cannot be denied that this direct minister who made Zhu Yuanzhang love and loathe him all his life, was annoyed by using him, and could not bear to abandon him, was the "iron-faced emperor" with the most earth-shattering achievements in the entire Hongwu Dynasty. history".The cleanliness of the officials in the Hongwu Dynasty was the best in the entire Ming Dynasty. The direct ministers represented by Han Yike contributed a lot. His value is just like Zhu Yuanzhang's comment on him: a minister of integrity. The "violent" Han Yike and the "soft" Yang Siyi are two important figures in the Ming Dynasty to establish the country and Anbang. In fact, the outstanding person among them is the third person - Fei Zhen.Compared with the previous two, he is a character of "combining fierceness and softness". Like Yang Siyi, Fei Zhen's records in "History of the Ming Dynasty" are also abbreviated. The name and date of birth and death cannot be tested, but the place of origin is listed—a native of Poyang, Jiangxi.Compared with Yang Siyi, this talented minister who was also born as a Confucian scholar was unknown in the Yuan Dynasty. He had neither obtained any honors nor held any important positions. Official, the first position he got was the magistrate of Jishui, Jiangxi. It seems that the "starting point" is higher than that of Han Yike, but it is a "hard job" that is more difficult than Yushi.At this time, Jishui experienced several wars, and a large number of villagers fled. The registered population is only a quarter of that of the Yuan Dynasty, and the registered land is even three-quarters barren.It is easier said than done to restore people's strength and develop production. Fei Zhen faced the difficulties, and the land was barren, so he issued a notice to recruit refugees to cultivate it.When people fled, they went to the countryside to visit, persuaded them from door to door, and even sent yamen to search around to recruit the fleeing villagers to return to their hometowns.The money and food for spring plowing were scarce, so he took out all the money allocated by the above to repair the yamen and distributed it to the villagers for their homes.He issued strict orders to strictly investigate officials who neglected their duties. After only three months in office, he impeached and dismissed seven officials for dereliction of duty.After three years, the Jishui area finally recovered its economy and its production developed. By the end of his term of office, not only all the land in Jishui area had been recultivated, but the output had far exceeded the level of the Yuan Dynasty. The outstanding political achievements spread to the central government, just as there was a turmoil in Hanzhong, Shaanxi. Under the recommendation of Li Shanchang, Zhu Yuanzhang promoted Fei Zhen to participate in politics in Hanzhong with a stroke of a pen.But after taking office, I realized that this is a more difficult job.The Hanzhong area has been the main battlefield of the Ming and Yuan Wars for many years. It has been repeatedly hit by military disasters, and people's livelihood has been severely damaged. These are not the most serious. The most serious thing is that "bandits" are rampant. Harassing the local area, even looting official warehouses and robbing official food, caused complaints.The Ming Dynasty sent several cruel officials to act as agents here, and even sent large armies to encircle and suppress it, but in the end they worked to no avail.This time, the burden fell on Fei Zhen. Without the bravery of "Titan General" and the ruthlessness of "Cruel Official", Fei Zhen faced the difficulties.After taking office, he buried the people who died in the war, allocated special money to comfort the family members of the deceased, visited the families of the deceased, and asked the imperial court to reduce or exempt taxes, which temporarily stabilized the hearts of the people.However, the problem of "banditry" is still a big problem. Soon afterward, the banditry really happened. Not only did they ravage the state capital, but they even looted government food. Fei Zhen didn't panic. The people are allowed to borrow grain from the official warehouse, and return it according to the amount after the autumn harvest, without increasing official interest.After the news came out, something that surprised his colleagues happened. The "bandits" who used to be arrogant in the past, now voluntarily surrendered in groups. Fei Zhen ignored the past and allocated land for proper resettlement.In a few years, all the murderous bandits became law-abiding "good people" in agriculture, and the "bandit trouble" that had ravaged Hanzhong for many years was solved without a single soldier.When colleagues asked the reason, Fei Zhen explained: The local bandits only robbed food but not wealth. It can be seen that there are all poor people who have no food and clothing. Fei Zhen, who is "gentle and gentle", treats corrupt officials with "violence" no less than Han Yike.When governing Hanzhong, an official broke the law, and his backer was Li Shanchang, who had recommended Fei Zhen. Fei Zhen did not show favoritism, so he was severely punished.The result of being stern and selfless is of course the revenge of "benefactor" Li Shanchang.Not long after, Zhongshu Sheng Youcheng Yang Xian was punished for his crimes. Fei Zhen, who had nothing to do with Yang Xian, became "Yang Xian's one party" inexplicably. Fortunately, Zhu Yuanzhang allowed him to pay for atonement because of his previous good governance.After that, he continued his career as the "best magistrate" in the Hongwu Dynasty. The floods in Shandong, the drought in Huguang, and the civil unrest in Guangxi were all caused by him "at a time of crisis". The bitter "barren land" is managed into a thriving paradise. In the eleventh year of Hongwu, Fei Zhen from Jiuli was finally transferred back to the capital and served as the Minister of the Household Department. Frame his "enemies".Fei Zhen, regardless of previous suspicions, spared no effort to rescue, and finally made this "enemy" lenient.After the Huguang flood, he was appointed as a political adviser. After appeasing the local area and resuming production, he asked to retire due to old age, and finally returned to his hometown in Poyang.During Zhu Yuanzhang's era, large prisons were established repeatedly, and countless officials were implicated, but Fei Zhen, who was up and down during the ups and downs, was able to escape completely, which was not easy. Looking at his life experience in power, we can draw four words-convincing people with virtue.To be a magistrate, to subdue the people with virtue; to participate in politics, to subdue the bandits with virtue; to be a minister, to subdue the enemy with virtue.Throughout his life as an official, he treated almost everyone around him kindly.In the era of Zhu Yuanzhang, when major crimes and killings were frequent, and even in the officialdom of the two thousand years of feudal society in China, such a person is truly an outlier.