Chapter 19 Five, kill two birds with one stone

In all fairness, literary inquisition cannot be a routine in the history of the empire, just as burning books and burying scholars is only possible once.The original purpose of governing the country with ethics is to replace "hard suppression" with "soft control".Therefore, the butcher's knife of the empire is usually hidden in the sleeve, just like the tail of a fox is mostly hidden under the robe.What is held up high is something that many scholars covet - officials and salaries. This policy was established in the Western Han Dynasty.Since the Han Dynasty established a gentle policy towards the people, especially scholars, a series of supporting measures have been introduced.This is to allow those Confucian scholars who have read poetry and books to become officials in the imperial court and become imperial literati.Under the Han system, local officials had the obligation to recommend talents to the imperial court. Those who did not recommend were guilty, and those who recommended non-human beings were equally guilty.Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty said: "In a city of ten houses, there must be loyalty and trustworthiness; if three people go hand in hand, there will be my teacher." ("Han Shu Wu Di Ji") If the local officials and herdsmen can't find a single talent, it is negligence duty.This is the "inspection system" of the Han Dynasty, which existed before the "exclusive respect for Confucianism".Dong Zhongshu published his famous "Three Strategies of Heaven and Man" because he was promoted as "virtuous and upright" and asked in the Golden Palace.But after respecting Confucianism, the selection of talents is obviously inclined to the Confucian idea of ​​governing the country, and moral character is regarded as the primary criterion.For example, "filial piety and honesty" requires filial piety to parents and honesty to state affairs.Therefore, those who are recommended must have filial conduct and integrity. "Disciples of doctors" (this was established by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty at the request of Dong Zhongshu) required good literature, respected superiors, suppressed politics and education, followed the village, and did not interfere with going in and out.This is precisely the principle of ethical governance.

However, things backfired.By the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the so-called filial piety and honesty were no more than a means for some people to gain fame.There is a saying in the past: "If you promote a scholar, you don't know how to read; if you promote a filial piety, your father will live away from you." The scholars and filial piety promoted by the local officials, either did not study culture, or did not raise their parents, all of which were in vain.So the "inspection system" was abolished, and the "recommendation system" was established.The so-called "recommendation", also known as the "Nine Rank Official Personnel Law", is also called the "Nine Rank Zhongzheng System". , Upper Middle, Middle Middle, Lower Middle, Lower Upper, Lower Middle, Lower Lower Nine, etc., and then officials are awarded according to their grades.This system, which obviously has the color of rule of man and monopoly, of course has many disadvantages.Its most obvious problem is that "the upper class has no poor family, and the lower class has no powerful family". The official positions of the empire are monopolized by the gentry class, and real talents cannot stand out.So in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it was replaced by the "imperial examination system".The so-called "imperial examination" refers to the selection of talents (examinations) through the national unified sub-examination (subject), so it is called "imperial examination".In front of this kind of examination, "everyone is equal".As long as you are really knowledgeable, even if you are born in a poor family, you may be able to become a celebrity by ordinary people.Apparently, the empire's talent recruitment system has indeed matured day by day, from inspections, recommendations, to imperial examinations (they are collectively referred to as "elections").With the rise of the imperial examination system, scholars all over the world flocked to it, and the imperial net was not leaking.No wonder Tang Taizong danced with joy when he saw the new Jinshi filing in, saying that all the heroes in the world have fallen into my grasp.

On the surface, this is a "win-win" solution-the empire gets talents, and scholars get official positions.But the real winner is actually the empire.The price it paid was just a few official positions and some salaries, which can be said to be extremely low, or even zero.Because these official positions and personal salaries are to be given out anyway, not to Confucian scholars, but to others.So the Empire did not lose anything, not even at all. The dividends, however, are sizable.First, it was exchanged for almost the entire intellectual community's identification with the imperial ideology.Of course, without this recognition, the empire could enforce Confucianism and drive out all opponents, just like Qin Shihuang did.But it's not interesting or even meaningful to do so.The illiterate grassroots had no choice, and the empire itself could not produce knowledge and ideas.What it really wants to clamp is the minds of those scholars.Only when the intellectuals accepted the imperial ideology wholeheartedly, could the empire's strategy of "ruling with culture" truly succeed.Now, generations of so-called "intellectuals" are willing to take the idea of ​​imperialism as the standard (guinie), bow down at its feet (in fact, at the feet of the empire), and scramble to serve it (in fact, for the empire) Service), isn't it "the heart of the world"?What's more, after these minds are occupied by Confucianism, they will not think wildly, accept and produce any heresies, and this is exactly what the empire is worried about.The empire can get rid of its disadvantages while gaining its benefits. Isn't it a "double harvest"?

What's more, there are other gains. This is the best way to maintain the unity of the world.Generally speaking, a society based on a small-scale peasant economy with only farmers, landlords, merchants, and aristocrats should be a small feudal country, as it was in the era of states and the Middle Ages in Western Europe.Because the small peasant economy works at sunrise and rests at sunset, men farming and women weaving are self-sufficient, and do not need large-scale and long-distance contact, communication and circulation, it is completely possible to achieve "the sound of chickens and dogs is heard, and the people do not communicate with each other until old age and death." ".So, why should they unify into such a huge empire?How can the empire maintain its unity?Now we know that the Chinese Empire relies on culture, which is Chinese culture and cultural China.Common economic foundation, common mode of production, common living habits, common customs and etiquette, common language, coupled with common ideology, common ethics and morals, this is China with a small peasant economy that is like a mess of sand. The secret of maintaining the great unity for a long time.Chinese thinkers even have the idea that no matter whether you are a barbarian from the East or a barbarian from the South or the North from the Di, as long as you accept Chinese culture, you are a Chinese.On the contrary, if you give up Chinese culture, then you are not Chinese, and certainly not a foreigner, you can only be regarded as a "fake foreign devil".This is called "Yi Di travels to Hua Xia, and Hua Xia follows, and Hua Xia travels to Yi Di, so Yi Di follows."This concept, which might as well be called "culture is higher than race", is quite different from the modern Westerner's "human rights are greater than sovereignty".

Obviously, here, the common ideas and ethics are the most important, even more important than the common language. "Cars on the same track" is only the material basis, "books and texts" are only the cultural basis, and "walking in the same way" is the psychological basis.In fact, only when "people have the same heart and the same reason" can unity come from the heart, not mandatory.This is a grand cultural strategy that requires the efforts of countless generations of people, especially the enthusiastic investment of the intellectual community that undertakes the task of cultural inheritance and dissemination.It's certainly not easy.However, because the Empire successfully managed its relationship with the intelligentsia, it not only achieved this goal, but also achieved the effect of killing two birds with one stone.

Now it seems that letting Confucian scholars serve as officials is not just a redemption of knowledge and intellectual circles, it also has a longer-term significance.We know that because the empire is too large, it is actually impossible for it to implement the direct control and management of the head of state over the giant people under it, like a small country with few people, but it must be handed over to others.This is the "official agency system" that has been mentioned in the previous chapter and will be elaborated in the next chapter.Officials in a broad sense include two types of people.One is administrative workers who specialize in dealing with specific affairs (such as taxation and justice), which are "officials", which is also the so-called "technical bureaucrats", "professional bureaucrats" or "official officials" in modern times.The other type is political workers who can undertake tasks such as legislation, decision-making, herdsmen, and education. These are "officials", which are so-called politicians, politicians, or "political officials" in modern times.The Qin Dynasty was mainly governed by officials rather than officials, and even ordered to "use officials as teachers" after burning books, but it failed.The reason is that what the empire wants to solve is not mainly a technical problem, but a political problem.The stability of the regime, the stability of the society, the prosperity of the people, and the prosperity of the country all require those with political minds to think and solve them.Even a "sesame official" like the county magistrate of Qipin needs to have a political mind in order to clearly understand the intentions of the central government and superiors, and implement the policies of the empire to the end.Of course, it is also crucial that these minds must be synchronized with the thinking of the empire.If they are self-righteous, even self-righteous, or if they sing out their voices, the empire will also collapse, and the collapse will be faster.That is to say, the officials of the empire must have political minds, but they cannot think with their own minds, but must use the minds of the empire as their minds.This is obviously a difficult problem.

This problem was solved by Confucian scholars acting as officials.Confucian scholars are people cultivated and nurtured by Confucian moral concepts and state theory, and their thinking is completely consistent with that of the empire.Moreover, because they study hard in cold windows, they have mastered the Confucian classics by heart, and they are used to governing the country, so they are naturally good at dancing.Therefore, when they enter the center or are stationed in a place, they can promote ethics, handle affairs, and automatically control and adjust according to Confucianism to ensure that all regions are in step and coordinated.In addition, because they are deeply bound by the creed of "loyalty to the emperor and love the people", they are generally loyal to their duties and take it as their duty to protect the environment and the people.There are also those who are corrupt, pervert the law, stupid and lazy, but those who are rebellious and rebellious are very few.In other words, they may be corrupt, but they will not seek rebellion; they may be mentally retarded, but it is difficult to rebel.At least, that was the case during the so-called "peaceful times".Of course, when the country is in crisis, when soldiers are approaching the city, there will also be people who run away, communicate with foreign countries, live by stealth, and betray their masters for glory; , with all his heart and soul, dealt with the enemy, and even killed himself to become benevolent, like Yan Zhenqing, like Wen Tianxiang, like Shi Kefa, like Huang Daozhou.Such examples are endless in history.

The advantage of using Confucian scholars as officials is that these people are "scholars" and scholars.That is to say, they enter the state power institutions not because they have mastered resources (land), wealth (money), nor because they have any political capital (merit) or special relationship (nepotism), but because they have mastered knowledge. (knowledge).That's safe.If a person has too much credit, too much power, too much money, and too many resources, he will pose a threat to the empire.It doesn't matter what little knowledge and learning Confucian scholars have mastered.Because those things have no other use than serving the empire, and they cannot rebel.In fact, compared with local tyrants, separatist warlords, merchants and merchants, and meritorious officials, Confucian scholars are closer to the emperor, more in favor of the monarchy, and advocate exclusive respect for Confucianism, because that is where they live and work.Their knowledge and learning are only valuable and useful only if they are attached to the empire.This is why they will not and will not oppose the Empire.On the contrary, because they regard loyalty to the emperor and love for the people as their spiritual pillars, and take farming, studying and official career as their entire career, they can not only maintain the natural connection with the small-scale peasant economy, but also transcend the narrowness of the small-scale peasant economy. At that time, he would bring the enlightenment of rites and music and the spirit of the central government to every corner of the empire, becoming a voluntary propagandist of imperial ideology, a conscious defender and executor of ethical governance.

Another unexpected gain is that a "gentry class" was born from this.They are mainly composed of four types of people: retired officials, unofficial candidates, social sages and local leaders.Among them, retired officials are officials in the past, unofficial officials are officials in the future, and social virtuous and local leaders generally have "fame" or "idle positions". Therefore, it is called "Jin Gentleman", also known as "Gentleman".The original meaning of gentry is used by ministers to intervene when they go to court? ? ?belt.A gentleman is a gentleman with a gentleman's belt.Being a scholar is not an official; being a gentry means a bit of an official.Didn't go to court but got involved again? ? ?The belts (honorary titles or idle positions) indicate that they have a certain social status, and also indicate that they can walk among the officials and the people.

Obviously, these are some people who are between the government and the opposition, half officials, half people, and officials and people. They are a force that cannot be ignored in the empire.Because although the empire has tens of thousands of officials, it is still not enough to truly achieve "virtue is brought to life by the common people".Especially in the Ming Dynasty, officials were explicitly prohibited from going out of the city without authorization, and those who violated the law were charged with "disturbing the people" and sentenced to death.In this way, the etiquette and music education and even civil disputes in the vast rural areas had to be entrusted to these gentry.They are also well-educated and have inextricable connections with the government, so it is naturally incumbent on them.More importantly, they are also people who have been cultivated by Confucian moral concepts and state theory, so they will vainly promote enlightenment and maintain order.The empire does not need to increase its staff and has many voluntary servants, both unofficial and retired (retired) are its helpers.Is this more than killing two birds with one stone?It is simply a huge profit!