Chapter 345: Minister of Rites (Part 3)
The chubby officer saw that he was totally unable to hold on and with a look of shock on his face he took a few steps back and left the circle.
Without waiting for this guy to say anything, Huo Chong lowered his sword and shouted, "Everyone, assemble!"
The officers around hurried back to their positions. Gao Pang was watching their expressions, curious about how Huo Chong would deal with them. Then Huo Chong continued to shout out the order, "Everyone! Stand at attention!"
There was the sound of footsteps, and the officers obeyed the order and stood at attention.
Huo Chong continued to shout: "Everyone, report your numbers!"
"One", "two", "three"... the counting sounds rang out one after another. Gao Pang watched as the army, after a few simple orders, already had the feeling that an army should have.
"If you can't do it, it's definitely because you haven't been trained enough. The reason for not being trained enough is either because you haven't learned it or you can't do it. So, comrades, don't say those empty words. This military training is to make you understand what you can do and what you can't do. What you can learn and what you can't learn. As for what to do after you understand, it's up to you to choose. My opinion is very clear, if you really can't do it, you can retire and transfer back to the local area. The army is made up of soldiers. Soldiers are not people in military uniforms, but soldiers who can meet the requirements of soldiers on the battlefield."
The officers listened attentively with solemn expressions. Many of them looked extremely disappointed, and some even lowered their heads.
"Comrades, it is not shameful if you can't do it. I am almost fifty years old. If you ask me to compete with young men in their teens and early twenties in physical strength, I can't beat them. It's not shameful to be strong and young. If there is anything shameful, it is that you can't do what you should do, but you have to pretend that you can do it. This is shameful. Comrades have fought for China for so long, and you have made contributions and worked hard. Now if you are willing, you can return to your hometown with honor. Oh, now that urbanization has begun, many people want to go back to their hometowns but can't, and the army has to ask retired comrades to work in the city. Therefore, this study is to allow everyone to make a choice. Of course, the army will also make the army's choice based on everyone's performance. So, I still say that there is no need to be embarrassed. Live your life well."
After hearing what Huo Chong said, Gao Pang felt that he had found a solution to his problems. Huo Chong meant that some people in the army had to leave and could not stay in the army just because they were old. Gao Pang also disagreed with many officials and if possible, he would let them leave.
The lecture did not take long. When the team was disbanded, Gao Pang went up to meet Huo Chong and told him what happened. Then he told Huo Chong how to take advantage of the people's hearts in Jiangnan.
After listening to this, Huo Chong said, "Now we can no longer rely on self-consciousness, we need to strengthen our learning. Your plans are indeed good, I am just worried about whether the training has kept up."
"What should the training be about?" Gao Pang was a little unconfident.
"Training is to make everyone understand what they are doing. This is something that requires rolling around on the ground and getting covered in mud. A scholar like you may have too much aesthetic in your idea of training."
"Aesthetics? So... that's true." Gao Pang felt a sense of resonance. Every time he saw those people who had no idea what to do and became more and more confused the more they learned, Gao Pang felt unhappy. But if he thought about it carefully, it was inevitable to do so. But in his heart, he still felt unhappy.
"Aesthetics..." Huo Chong sighed, "So-called aesthetics is based on concepts. Just like... ah... just like Chinese medicine. The earliest Chinese medicine was very amazing. Old masters like Bian Que could even perform surgical operations. However, Lao Gao, after Chinese medicine began to develop a system, some people turned Chinese medicine into aesthetics. Based on the terms and concepts of yin and yang, the five elements, and qi, some air-to-air guys came up with a set of explanations. This explanation itself has a smooth internal logic and is even very symmetrical. It was directly turned into aesthetics. But beauty is based on concepts, an air-to-air thing. Learning and training are not for this."
Gao Pang used the logic he had learned to understand Huo Chong's words. He felt that he understood them, but also felt that he didn't understand them.
"I heard from Qian Qing that you also learned swordsmanship. Let's have a competition. We won't fight each other in air-to-air combat. Let's talk about what our bodies feel."
Gao Pang had practiced martial arts before, so when he heard that he could practice martial arts with Huo Chong, he was eager to try. Soon, the two of them took up their positions and started fighting.
After more than a dozen moves, Gao Pang felt that many concepts had suddenly become clear. Huo Chong's moves did not look magical, but as the two sides practiced together, Gao Pang found that he was no better than the fat officer. The officer looked ready to be killed in front of Huo Chong, and Gao Pang himself felt the same way.
Huo Chong's sword was approaching Gao Pang's vital points. If it wasn't a simple sparring match, he would have probably chopped it off and stabbed it.
After a few more moves, Gao Pang withdrew from the circle and admitted defeat.
Huo Chong put away his wooden sword and began to explain to Gao Pang why he couldn't resist. Gao Pang instinctively felt that it was because of his lack of skills and proficiency, but Huo Chong started by explaining the steps and muscle use.
Soon, Gao Pang found himself confused. Huo Chong's knowledge of human kinematics far exceeded Gao Pang's. After Huo Chong's explanation, Gao Pang realized that it was not that there was something wrong with the moves, nor that Qian Qing was hiding something when teaching swordsmanship. It was that Gao Pang's understanding of his own body was very limited. As for the use of many muscles, let alone understanding, he could not even feel how to use those muscles.
While he was sighing in admiration, Huo Chong continued the topic, "Xiao Gao, if you practice these, you will sweat all over and your body will ache, and you will not consider whether it looks good or not. After completing a training, whether you have the determination to complete the next one is a problem. The more you understand, the more decisive you can give up. However, some things can be given up, and some things cannot be given up. You have to figure this out when you are doing training. Who am I, where do I come from, and where am I going. This is the basis of training. If you only do training without figuring out what it is, I don’t think it is called learning and training."
Gao Pang thought about it and felt something in his heart. He couldn't help but lower his voice and said, "Sir, some people just want to get a reputation and then use this reputation to make a living. What should we do?"
"This is your job, to recognize the true intentions of these people, select the right people from among them, and assign them a good job. A qualified official and leader should have this ability. In addition, since you can ask this question and your previous performance, I think you are qualified. So don't forget your original intention and stick to it."
Gao Pang was very surprised and happy to receive such an evaluation from Huo Chong. He asked excitedly, "Sir, can you give me some more advice on setting up the training course?"
"You and your comrades in Jiangsu and Zhejiang need to come up with a plan. I will give you some suggestions. I can only write you some content that I can connect with you. For example, which industries in Jiangsu and Zhejiang have advantages and which industries can develop rapidly at this stage. You can make targeted adjustments based on these industries."
"As for industry, the silk industry in Jiangsu and Zhejiang has always been strong."
"Whether you are strong or not cannot be determined by your thoughts. Let me ask you, if you were asked to control the cost below the current cost and increase the silk production tenfold, could you do it?"
"Ten times? How is that possible!" Gao Pang was shocked.
"I'll tell you how to digest this tenfold output. The Spanish fleet is desperately transporting tar to us. Can your animal husbandry provide enough wool or suitable animal hair to make tarpaulin? With tarpaulin and tar, can you use the confiscated land to build houses in the short term to provide housing for the urban working people? By the way, I have three more questions. First, do you think the current urban population can provide so much labor? Second, do you think you can use grain procurement and storage to build a stable urban food supply system? Third, can you introduce rural labor into the city and arrange jobs for them within their capabilities?"
Gao Pang was a little confused when he heard this. How did the problem suddenly become so big? Gao Pang hoped to do this in key cities first, such as Suzhou and Hangzhou, Zhenjiang and Yangzhou.
But on second thought, what Huo Chong said should be about the same thing. After all, if you want to improve the silk re-election, you must focus on the core cities. So Gao Pang replied: "Sir, we will do our best to do these."
"After you try your best, can you increase the silk production tenfold? This is a question. Tenfold, Xiao Gao. Tenfold, it's not that easy. You have to radiate this silk industry to all places that are capable of completing it. This requires you to provide a lot of funds for operation. This is not in the previous model, where you find some businessmen to help you work. I have said before that the key point of the Chinese court is management. The court operates itself. Let me talk about something far away. If Jiangsu and Zhejiang have such a system, can you let these be handed over to more grassroots units to implement? If the government does everything by itself, it won't take long before the cost crushes you. Then in order not to lose money, you will collect money in various ways and accumulate. In the Han and Tang dynasties before, weren't there factories run by the government? There were many in the past. As a result, in order to make money to feed those people in the government factories, the government implemented a monopoly operation. Instead, many industries have been messed up. You can just let the Cultural and Historical Bureau of Jiangnan recruit some scholars to work on this topic."
Gao Pang didn't expect that he wanted to give Huo Chong a lot of things, but he got more problems from Huo Chong than those in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. He didn't know whether he should be happy or stressed.
That night, Gao Pang talked with Huo Chong and people from several departments for a long time before going to bed. Before noon the next day, a record of the conversation was compiled. Gao Pang wanted to leave, but suddenly remembered Master Changxin. After asking, he found out that Master Changxin had also come to Xuzhou with Huo Chong. He hurried to meet him.
This time, Master Changxin did not find a house to live in, but went to a Taoist temple near the city of Xuzhou. It seemed that the Taoist temple had not been visited for a while. From the outside, it was hard to tell that such a famous Taoist priest lived in the small and dilapidated Taoist temple.
At this time, the Taoist priest's hair and beard were almost all white. Gao Pang looked at the Taoist priest's healthy appearance and sighed in his heart. The Taoist priest was also sixty years old, but now he looked like a young man with white hair.
The Taoist priest still spoke frankly, "Little friend, I have met your teacher. Do you think there is a big gap between you and your teacher?"
"My teacher... is a man of solid knowledge. He is also very patient." Gao Pang sighed.
"No. Your teacher just accepted his fate. You don't."
Gao Pang was puzzled, "What will happen if you don't accept your fate?"
"From my perspective, accepting your fate is the way of humanity. Not accepting your fate is seeking the way of the Tao. It all depends on what you want."
"Can you get it by just asking for the truth ?"
"If you are willing to follow the path proposed by Monk Huo, you will be able to obtain it. If you still want to do things according to your own principles, well, that's like farting in your pants and venting your anger at both ends."
Gao Pang couldn't help laughing when he heard this analogy. Thinking about it carefully, he felt that Master Changxin was persuading him to follow Huo Chong's arrangements.
This realization surprised Gao Pang. He never thought that a Taoist monk like Chang Xin would follow Huo Chong so much. Seeing that the Taoist who had always been a Taoist master had actually entered the secular world.
Without waiting for Gao Pang to say anything, Master Chang Xin said with a smile, "Little friend, do you think I am trying to become an official?"
Gao Pang instinctively wanted to shake his head to express his disapproval. However, he held back and said, "Master, do you think Mr. Huo has already taken control of the world's future?"
"If he fails to take charge, wouldn't you be disappointed?" the Taoist asked.
Gao Pang hesitated for a moment, "This... should be the case. But sir, your idea makes me feel too difficult."
"If you don't think too much about it first, it will be much easier when you do it. Many troubles come from not knowing what to do."
This made Gao Pang suddenly think of Huo Chong's description of swordsmanship, and he felt very touched. Although he did not solve the confusion at the moment, at least he had a direction. Although he felt extremely stressed at the moment, he did not have to have the illusion that he was in control of the situation when he did it.
After bidding farewell to Master Changxin, Gao Pang hurried back to Zhenjiang. After returning, just after the meeting, Master's wife sent someone to invite Gao Pang to come.
Gao Pang originally thought that his master's wife was going to move to Yangzhou. Although Yangzhou and Zhenjiang were only separated by a river, it was indeed inconvenient to live apart from his master Chen Mingtai, who was the salt administrator in Yangzhou.
When I got to the Master's wife, she didn't mention the move, but asked directly: "Gao Pang, how do you feel about your sister?"
Gao Pang blushed immediately. He had never thought that his master's wife would propose marriage to him. Although he was the governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Gao Pang still felt very embarrassed and didn't know how to answer. Although he couldn't explain the reason, he just felt embarrassed.
But the Master's wife's expression was full of sincere expectation, Gao Pang made up his mind, "If the Master agrees, I would like to propose marriage."
"No problem, no problem." The master's wife smiled like a flower, "Gao Pang, go and ask your master for marriage. Your sister is already old enough, it's time for her to get married."
Gao Pang's marriage went very smoothly, but Huo Chong wrote a letter to congratulate Gao Pang. But he suggested that Gao Pang should not hold a grand wedding, but promote the new policy. It is especially important to support the new marriage law of the Huaxia Dynasty.
Gao Pang could not accept that even a marriage had become a political event. The Chinese court had already begun to promulgate its own laws, and had recently formally proposed the Marriage Law. Before Gao Pang had time to read it, Huo Chong gave the order, and Gao Pang took the time to read it.
After reading it, Gao Pang was confused. The full text of the Marriage Law is divided into 6 chapters, including general principles, marriage, family relations, divorce, relief measures and legal responsibilities, and supplementary provisions, with a total of 51 articles.
As the governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Gao Pang felt that he had read some of the secrets. The characteristic of this marriage law was that it put family relationships under the management of the state. The core was that only marriages recognized by the state could be protected and regulated by law.
The basis of this marriage law is the equality of men and women, and that both parties are citizens of the Huaxia Dynasty. As long as you are a citizen of the Huaxia Dynasty, you have rights and obligations.
Gao Pang put down the full copy of the Marriage Law and sighed. There was nothing wrong with the text itself, and it was easy to understand. However, this text itself was shocking.
Especially in terms of marriage and divorce, as long as the marriage is notarized at the Civil Affairs Bureau, it is a legal marriage, and naturally both parties in a legal marriage can be protected.
In particular, divorce is possible.
This is equivalent to the state extending its hand directly into the family.
Although a marriage that is not approved by the Civil Affairs Bureau is not a legal marriage, the Marriage Law does have a section on de facto marriages, which describes this type of marriage, or the relationship in a de facto marriage that is currently the main form of marriage.
Gao Pang originally thought that this was a private matter, but after reading it, he did not dare to treat it as a private matter. He first convened the Civil Affairs Departments of Jiangsu and Zhejiang to discuss with these guys what to do.
I thought the guys in the Civil Affairs Department would be scratching their heads first. Unexpectedly, the Civil Affairs Department said decisively: "Governor, we have received the order. Our Civil Affairs Department is under the management of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. It is a dispatched agency. It is responsible for implementing the laws and policies of the Civil Affairs Department. Since there is already a Marriage Law, we will follow this Marriage Law in the future."
Gao Pang was even more disappointed. When the six ministries were split, only the Ministry of Rites was left with its name. Even the power of imperial examinations was taken away from the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Education was established.
The powers of each province also changed accordingly. Originally, each of the six ministries had its own executive department, but the names were different from the six ministries.
At present, each province has established a completely identical model in accordance with the new imperial court departments. The country has a Ministry of Civil Affairs, and each province has a Civil Affairs Department. The national Ministry of Civil Affairs is responsible for marriage, and the Civil Affairs Department of each province is responsible for executing the work of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
Gao Pang was theoretically the governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and theoretically had enormous power. However, even if Gao Pang did nothing now, the affairs of the two provinces would not be left unattended. The various departments of the two provinces could still carry out the decrees of the court.
It turned out that the situation in the world had changed. It seemed that it was just a change in official positions, but in fact, the change in official positions and official duties directly led to comprehensive changes.
What will be changed next?
