If a dynasty is corrupt in finance, corrupt in education, corrupt in health care, corrupt in people’s livelihood, and corrupt in everything else, then the dynasty will soon fall.
The rich enjoy their life, while the poor suffer in their survival. The son of a politician will become a politician. The son of a banker will become a banker. If this situation continues, the condition does not change for long time then expect disaster. The gap between the rich and the poor is getting bigger and bigger. Class antagonism is become more and more serious. The rich are feasting in their opulent mansion, while the streets are covered with frozen corpses. On one side you harm people, while on the other side you save people. On one side you poison people, while on the other side you make medicine. When the strong animals begin to migrate, the weak animals will stop reproducing. This shows that this land is really no longer suitable for survival.
Why don’t vested interest groups understand that without the lips, the teeth will feel the cold? Why would they rather be overthrown and start over again than give up their interests? This is because human greed hinders their judgment of impending consequence. The vested interest class will always hold on to their own stakes and interests. They are unwilling to sacrifice their own interests to bargain in exchange for the survival of the lower-class people. Read more history and you will know that there is nothing new under the sun. The essential nature of power is that it cannot be restricted. It will only succumb to greater power and collude with equal power to exchange interests. There are individuals who betray vested interest class that they belong to, but there will never be groups that betray vested interested class that they belong to. Knowing that there is a dead end ahead, there is no way that vested interest group would cut off the meat in advance. They believe that only their interests are above everything else. They only understand that whoever let go of interests will die first. They will hold on to the interests in their hands until they have to finally let go.
Let me give you a few examples and you will understand. The Qing Dynasty rulers knew that Western science, technology and culture were advanced. But why did they reluctantly make reforms only after the Eight-Nation Alliance overthrew their home after Boxer Rebellion? Kangxi, Louis XIV of the Bourbon Dynasty of France, and Peter the Great of Russia were three great emperors of the same period. Kangxi was very skilled in the concepts of square, root, power, circle, etc. in advanced mathematics calculus. When missionaries translated Western works for him in the court, he gave very accurate suggestions on the use of corresponding Chinese nouns. Do you still think that the Qing Dynasty emperors were stupid fellows who knew nothing about the West?
Kangxi knew everything. He himself was a beneficiary of astronomy, mathematics and Western medicine. He also carefully cultivated and educated his sons. All the princes had to learn the advanced knowledge of the West at that time. The eldest prince had observed and drawn astronomical charts. When others were still nodding their heads and reciting the Four Books and Five Classics, Standards for Being a Good Pupil and Child, The Classic of Filial Piety, Emperor Kangxi used a hand-cranked calculator to calculate square roots in the palace after attending the court assembly. He knew Chinese, Mongolian, Tibetan, and a small amount of Latin, English, and Spanish. He could communicate with missionaries in simple foreign languages. He not only studied mathematics, but also dabbled in modern medicine and dissected a bear. When he went to inspect the river control project, he stood on the dam and explained to the officials below how to calculate the flow of water. Kangxi knew everything. Why didn’t he reform from top to bottom like Peter the Great and learn from Europe in all aspects?
The emperors of the Qing Dynasty were actually very in tune with the world. For example, Yongzheng also played cosplay, wore Han dress, had permed hair and liked Western things. But why didn’t they learn from Europe? French missionary Jean-François Gerbillon recorded such an incident in his diary. Kangxi asked the missionaries to translate Western books into Manchu for him to read, but he deliberately kept an eye on them and didn’t let them go out and being seen by Han officials. Didn’t Emperor Qianlong know that Western firearms, military, and natural sciences were powerful? Why did he still implement a comprehensive closed-door policy and strengthen control over literary inquisitions? In fact, he was quite clear about the world situation. From the books left by missionary Michel Benoist, we can find that Qianlong was very familiar with the situation of many European countries. Qianlong and the King of France at the same time were close pen pals and often exchanged letters. He also paid close attention to the progress of the French Revolution.
Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong were the three most outstanding emperors of the Qing Dynasty. They actually knew that Western science and technology and philosophical and cultural ideas were far superior to China. These emperors did not learn but closed their country to the outside world because they knew what it would mean to learn advanced Western technology and culture. On the one hand, the Manchu nobles had always been wary of the Han people. They were always afraid that the Han people would rebel against the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty. On the other hand, Western democracy and freedom seriously hindered their feudal rule and interests. How could Qianlong not know that King Louis XVI of France was sent to the guillotine? How could they bear the pain of giving up their power, money and status to let the people pursue freedom, equality and democracy? Now can you understand why Qianlong acted so cold when the Macartney Mission came to China? He didn’t even look at the latest Western scientific and technological achievements they presented. In fact, Qianlong knew what Macartney would present to him. But for the sake of the eternal stability of the Qing Dynasty and the interests of the Manchu rulers, they must not let them make it public. Qianlong also specifically instructed that all documents related to European technology be written in Manchu and kept in the palace. He was afraid that Han officials would see it and it would spread among the people. They racked their brains to think about who the best would be to rule. That’s right, fool the people. A group of ignorant, foolish and gullible people can be firmly controlled. They can’t cause any trouble. They just farm and raise pigs. They don’t need to know anything else.
In 1909, two years before the fall of the Qing Dynasty, a survey was conducted. The number of literate people in the country was less than 3 million. At that time, the Qing Dynasty had a total population of 400 million, which means that the literacy rate of the Qing Dynasty population was less than 1%. After the Meiji Restoration, the literacy rate in Japan was 40%-50%. The Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 was actually 30 million literate Japanese fighting 3 million literate Chinese. Failure, isn’t that inevitable?
Another example is the vested interest group of the Ming Dynasty, the Donglin Party. When rebel leader Li Zicheng reached Beijing, Emperor Chongzhen almost knelt down to beg the Donglin Party for military expenses, but he couldn’t raise 100,000 taels of military expenses. After Li Zicheng’s army entered Beijing, Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself on a crooked tree and wrote “Every civil official can be killed, but don’t hurt a single civilian.” When the army searched, they found that there was money everywhere in Beijing. Official in the capital handed over 60 million taels of silver after being tortured by Li Zicheng. You see, this vested interest group headed by the Donglin Party would rather die or be overthrown and start over than give up their own interests.
Another example is the Tang Dynasty, where the vested interest groups headed by the aristocratic families monopolized the imperial examinations, economy, politics and other resources of the Tang Dynasty. To put it bluntly, the imperial examinations and recommendation systems were exclusively for the aristocratic families only. Ordinary people could not have any chance. The imperial examinations controlled by them through marriage and collusion were like AIDS, which was only transmitted through blood, mother-to-child and sexual channels. People from ordinary families could not pass the exams in their entire lifetime. Huang Chao was a representative example. He took the exams many times but failed all the times. He was so angry that he wrote the famous poem in Chang’an.
I shall wait till autumn comes on September 8,
I will mutilate all flowers when the flowers bloom,
Sky penetrating bursts of fragrances permeate Chang’an,
The entire city will be covered with golden armours.
By the end of the Tang Dynasty, the interest groups headed by the aristocratic families had made the Tang Dynasty corrupt to the core, and peasant uprisings continued everywhere. Huang Chao led the peasant uprising in Shandong. Every time he conquered a city, he would kill aristocratic clans and officials until all the aristocratic families in the city were totally killed. Huang Chao’s army marched into Chang’an City. He had no mercy on the powerful officials in the court who locked up the economic and political resources. He executed all officials above the third rank. The result of Huang Chao’s killing was that all the 28 major aristocratic clans in China that had accumulated for thousands of years were killed. This led to the social form of “selecting scholars without asking about family affairs and marriage without asking about family background”. This really gave ordinary people a channel to rise through the imperial examination.
Finally, I will tell you something about the core of this book. The vested interest groups will always hold on to their own privileges. Most of them will not sacrifice their own interests to bargain in exchange for the survival of the lower class. This is like people in our era. Even if there are continuous thunderstorms, the birth rate is dropping sharply, it is still difficult to make a down payment for a house even if you empty six wallets to the extent that some young people have already been forced to just lie down. This is the current situation. As those who profit from real estate, will they be willing to see the price of real estate fall? No. They will only despise those who cannot afford to buy a house as poor and have no vision. No one will be willing to sacrifice their own interests to give young people a future. If you read more history, you will find that all history is modern history. There is nothing new under the sun. It just appears in a different form. As Wang Jianlin said, “I have a suggestion for everyone. Read more history. Any history is modern history. Turning it over, any modern history is history. It just changes a little. Just read more history and you will be very wise and smart.”
I highly recommend you to read this book. Chinese history is addictive after reading it. This book clearly tells you that everyone can predict the future of this world as long as he knows enough about the past of this world. History will not repeat itself, but it will be similar enough.
If you have read the history of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, you will understand why big cities are natural contraceptives. In fact, the fertility crisis in today’s society was destined as early as 30 years ago. If you understand the causes and consequences of Wang Anshi’s reform, it is not difficult for you to understand the so-called Internet revolution of finance. It was a false proposition from the beginning. The ending must also be as hasty. If you understand the historical trajectory of ancient land tax from the double taxation system to Zhang Juzheng’s one-whip system, and then to the land tax promoted by Emperor Yongzheng, you will know that it is only a matter of time before the large-scale deployment of real estate tax. Why can Confucian culture last for more than 2,000 years? Why did Qin Shihuang burned books and buried Confucian scholars? Why did Yue Fei have to die? Wu Zetian’s wordless stele, the game within the game of the Hongmen Banquet, the truth of the nine sons’ fighting for the throne, etc. It is very helpful to improve your vision and stretch your perspective.
This was the first great debate on truth 2,000 years ago, and it still affects us today.
In 81 BC, the sixth year of Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty, an unprecedented ideological confrontation took place in Chang’an City, the Salt and Iron Conference. One side of the debate was the empire’s chief finance minister, Sang Hongyang. On the other side was Confucian representatives supported by General Huo Guang. The exciting and heated debate on the scene was recorded by a man named Huan Kuan and became a wonderful book that has been passed down to this day, The Discourses on Salt and Iron.
Why did this debate happen? And why is it called the most important meeting in the 2,000-year history of the Chinese empire that still affects us today. Some people even say that if you understand Sang Hongyang’s Query, you will understand Chinese history. The Query of Sang Hongyang has been a debate spanning 2000 years.
On February 12 of the lunar calendar in 87 BC, Emperor Wu of Han, who had ruled the Han Empire for 54 years, came to the end of his life. Knowing that he had not much time left, he urgently summoned Huo Guang, Sang Hongyang and other loyal ministers. During the 54 years of Emperor Wu’s reign, he attacked the Huns in the north, conquered wantonly, opened up the Western Regions, and expanded the territory, but frequent wars and extortion also made the subjects of the empire unable to make ends meet. There was a faint scene of the end of the Qin Dynasty. Therefore, in his later years, Emperor Wu of Han issued a self-criticism edict, deciding to rest with the people and stabilize the situation.
He made Huo Guang the chief regent. Huo Guang assisted Liu Fuling, who was only 7 years old, just like Duke of Zhou, Ji Dan assisted Emperor Cheng of Zhou, and let Sang Hongyang, a renown financial official, continue to control the empire’s finances. He believed that the sincere cooperation of the court would follow the established policies in his later years.
Two days later, Emperor Wu died. Liu Fuling succeeded to the throne and became Emperor Zhao of Han. After Emperor Wu’s death, Huo Guang had long had opinions on the various economic policies led by Sang Hongyang. He had hoped to adjust some economic policies, but was opposed by Sang Hongyang. So under the secret support and promotion of General Huo Guang, the calls for the abolition of the national salt, iron and wine monopoly policies became increasingly strong between the court and the public.
One day in the sixth year of Emperor Zhao of Han, in the court of the Weiyang Palace of the Han Dynasty, a debate was held on whether the salt and iron industry should be opened to the private sector for free competition or continue to be a state-owned monopoly. The two sides held a meeting that lasted for half a year, The Salt and Iron Conference. The Confucian scholars who demanded to abandon the monopoly and improve people’s livelihood threw out three sharp knives at the beginning. First, the court’s state-owned system of salt and iron industry caused an absolute monopoly, with high prices, poor quality, forced buying and selling, and major drawbacks. Second, the forced purchase of grain to establish reserves caused collusion between officials and businessmen, soaring prices, and a depressed private economy, which would only compete with the people for profits. Third, the comprehensive control of the economy has formed a large number of corrupt and powerful forces who intercept private interests in the name of state-owned enterprises.
In Sang Hongyang’s view, these people had no experience in governing the country. They could only raise questions but could not propose any solutions or innovations. So, Sang Hongyang also issued out three questions. First, the fiscal expenditure required for the operation of the state could not be met with only the insufficient agricultural taxes alone. If the government monopoly system is not implemented, how can the empire be maintained? Second, once there is a war, natural disasters and other urgently needed additional expenses, the treasury is empty. It is bound to inspire civil unrest. If you don’t compete with the people for profit, where will the money come from? Third, if the central government does not control important financial sources and resources in its hands to form an overwhelming force, what should we do if regional local forces expand their strength and rebel against the central government? This is the famous Query of Sang Hongyang. Not only did it make the Confucian scholars at the Salt and Iron Conference speechless but push them into a situation that they could only talk about other things. Even those who refuted Sang Hongyang in generations and dynasties afterward, such as Yang Xiong, Sima Guang, Liu Shipei, etc., could not answer this question substantively.
Strengthening the country vs Enriching the people. This is the recurring dead cycle of imperial history.
In fact, Sang Hongyang’s query can be summed up in one sentence: you can’t have both strong country and prosperous people. If you don’t maintain a high degree of control over the national economy, how can a centralized empire be maintained? Compared with the lives of the people, what is benevolent governance and benevolent care, this is the dilemma that all rulers of the country must face. As the historian Huang Renyu said, the operation of this empire has never relied on law, authority, figures, and administration. The emperors of all dynasties have never let the people possess wealth but have tried their best to weaken the people and expand the central government with various high-sounding reasons. The decline of the private economy has made us unable to get rid of our identity as an agricultural country. In turn, this strict control of the people has made government centralization more stable.
For more than two thousand years since then, the fate of almost every dynasty has officially depended on the emperor’s answer to this question. Emperor Wu of Han took the route of strengthening the country. The court was strong and invincible with the strength of the whole country. But the people’s industries were depressed. From officials and gentry to the people, they were exploited and plundered at all levels. Atrocities suffered from poverty. The court eventually fell due to a popular uprising. The prosperous Tang Dynasty took the route of enriching the people, abolished regulations, and decentralized power to regional local areas. Therefore, commerce thrived, the economy was prosperous, and the people were rich. However, the court had problems with expenditure, financial constraints, arrogant merchants, and inflated officers and soldiers. Finally, the Anshi Rebellion broke out, and the Tang Dynasty declined from prosperity. The country was divided into local vassal states, and the people suffered from war. The court eventually fell due to warlords.
When the country is strong, the people will rebel, and when the people are enriched, the country will get into chaos. This is exactly the vicious circle that Sang Hongyang asked. Throughout the Qin, Han, Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, all dynasties could not escape the collapse of the prosperous era and the brilliant disaster of the country’s demise. Under the imperial system, the monarch’s diligence or incompetence, recuperation or ostentation, although the process is different, but the result is the same. As Zhang Yanghao said, “When the country is rising, the people suffer. When the country perished, the people suffer.”
The essence of political science is actually the science of interest distribution. The essence of a politician is an interest distributor. If you want to understand China’s economic system, I strongly recommend you to read this classic book, The Discourses on Salt and Iron. If the Book of Shang Yang is the origin of the art of ruling and the art of controlling people, then The Discourses on Salt and Iron is the origin of fiscal economics.
After reading this book, you will understand why we only use the market economy in our country. But we will never develop an economic system like the West.
The discussion between the Legalists and Confucianists about state-owned monopoly and free economy started 2,000 years ago. If you understand the Discourses on Salt and Iron, you will understand that our economic system is actually operated by three levels of capital embedded in three levels of markets. In fact, politics dominates the economy and the state dominates the market in our land. It is different from the West, and many people cannot understand it.
After reading this book, you will understand that this system was formed more than 2,000 years ago. Everything has changed since then, but the main core has not changed. This book is the foundation for the formation of China’s political and economic system. It is the root. It also explains the operating principles of wealth.
Wealth lies in tactic and figures, not in hard work; profit lies in the situation and trend , not in hard work. Classics like this are very helpful for us to establish the most basic cognition and framework for understanding politics and economy.
Let me tell you a truth. People who really work will not become the leader’s confidant. No matter how much peripheral work you do for him, you will not become his confidant. Don’t think that if you do a lot of work, you will become the leader’s confidant. It’s impossible. The more you do, the more he will control you, restrict you, check you, and even deal with you.
Working hard is just a means for you to gain trust. Teachers who teach well in schools are generally difficult to get promoted. If you are transferred to another position, who will do the work? Where can your boss find such a good teacher? If the boss cannot find a good teacher, what could he do? The more work you do, the more you can’t leave your position. The less likely the leader will promote you.
Observe the phenomenon in the workplace. It is not difficult for you to find that people who hold leadership positions usually have poor work ability. Those with strong work ability are in the same position all year round. Only if you understand the rules of power operation can you understand why many ministers rise and fall. The leader will promote you when he needs to use you and kick you out immediately when he doesn’t need you. Why? He needs someone to work. But he doesn’t want to be dependent on you as the one that work all the time. That way you will undermine him. This is the mentality of the leader. A kind of political mind.
So, if you really want to be a tumbler in the workplace, you have to become his confidant. There are two ways to become an inner court official. The first is to be a counsellor. As a person who provides wisdom to the leader, also called a member of his think tank. The other way is to be a eunuch, also called secretary. We study these two types of people separately.
If someone is a person who provides strategies. The leader actually loves and fears him. The leader needs his wisdom. But he is too smart and cannot be unguarded. In history, Jia Xu in the Three Kingdoms was the best among the counsellors and inner court officials. He did well because he did not make friends with other people in society and stayed indoors. Even when his son wanted a position, he said that this position was not for his son and at least not at this time. Why? Because before Jia Xu died, Cao Cao would not use his son. After Jia Xu died, his son was promoted. So, if you want to be a counsellor of the leader, you must be trembling most of the time. And you may bear the blame for failure. You have to bear this blame. So, it is best to become a eunuch.
Don’t think it’s just the kind of eunuchs in TV dramas. In fact, eunuchs in ancient times didn’t need to be castrated initially in history. They were castrated in the end to prevent them from making disturbances in the harem. A eunuch was the emperor’s personal secretary. I’ve heard such a story before. There was a secretary. One day the leader entertained guests. His boss asked him to pour water. The leader said the tea was too hot. Can you drink such hot water? He said that “I came here to be a secretary, not to serve you tea and water.” Then the leader said, “Okay, never mind. I’ll pour it. You can excuse yourself.” A few days later, he was transferred out of the office. A few days later, he was fired. He said very confusedly, “I’m looking for a job. I’m not going to be a servant. Why does the boss treat me like this?” In fact, he didn’t know. His way of receiving and speaking was wrong. Because of the way he was educated in school. This kind of assertive personality. I make a living by my ability. I don’t need to flatter anyone. I don’t need to flatter. I just need to work hard. You have to give me money. In fact, it’s not like this in most situation. Most people who have just entered the workplace have independent personalities. I make a living by my ability. If I have ability, you have to promote me. Actually, it is not like that most of the time. Other than arriving at the office to work, serving tea and drink, reception ability, these are also part of the job itself. This is part of the job of secretary.
So how do we start to become the confidant of the boss? After joining the workplace. You can’t make friend with the leader right away. First of all, the first step is trust. Trust is the first step to achieve success. The boss will not keep you around him at the beginning. To qualify as a leader’s confidant, there are two qualities: internal and external. Internal is your internal quality. You should not be a flamboyant character. People who like to talk about this and that will never get the trust of the leader. If you are socially active person in the office, other workers recognize you as a nice and friendly person, you cut off the way to become the leader’s confidant. Externally, you have the ability to coordinate work problems. This is an issue of trust; you have to let the leader think that you are a diligent person. Go to work on time, leave work flexibly. You don’t leave until the leader leaves. Trust is a prerequisite. The stepping stone is to become an employee that the leader likes before the boss allows you get involved with more matters. Working all the time but don’t go to extremes or dogmatically. What I’m talking about here is a kind of psychological tactic. The second step is to report your work at any time and open your sincerity to the leader. Because he doesn’t understand you at first. People will be afraid of things they don’t understand. The more he knows about you, the more confidence he has in you. The third step is to become the leader’s information source. That is, the ear. You should take the initiative to report the dynamics in the office. This source of information is not just workplace gossip, but also social dynamics and industry market information reports. For example, if you research the dynamics of other companies, you should bring back various information from market research. The above three steps are just the first stage of becoming a confidant. There are three more things to do in the second stage. These three things determine whether you have reached the core turning point on the road to becoming a confidant. First, going on a business trip together with the leader. Second, doing private matters for the leader. Third, cultivating common hobbies with the leader. These three things are the turning points on the road to becoming a confidant. That is, after gaining trust, whether you can deepen the emotional connection between each other depends on the handling of these three things. If you have not done these three things with the leader, you will never become his confidant. You can figure it out by yourself, so I won’t elaborate. Some people will say that the leader is not professional in things. If you can’t talk to him about many technical things, don’t you have to find a colleague? The leader’s expertise is not to do business, but to drive others to work. That is to say, no matter how professional you are, the reason for your success is whether you are the leader’s confidant.
Finally, let me tell you something. Read more history. The essence of political science is the science of interest distribution. The essence of a politician is an interest distributor. Policy is the rules of the game based on interest distribution. In fact, if you read more history, you will find that all history is modern history. There is nothing new under the sun. It just appears in a different form. As Wang Jianlin said, I have a suggestion for everyone, “Read more history. Any history is modern history. To put it another way, any modern history is history. It just changes its form and reads more history. Read more history, and you will be very wise.
Are you the type that bodek the boss or the type that fuck the boss? For me, if I am the boss, I like the type that fuck me (at least he is honest) rather than the type that bodek me. My character and mutual relationship preference are not the East Asian type like China, Japan or Korea. Because someone that bodek is nice, but you do not know what he is up to. Does he have any scheme? (有什么心机？）Of course, it depends on your character too and your relation with elders and authority in family, whether it is authoritative or friend-like type.