Chapter 349: Minister of Rites (VII)
After Feng Yukuan left, Luo Yiren talked to Huo Chong, "Your Majesty, I was teaching at the Ministry of Rites, and suddenly I had some insights, and I couldn't help but want to talk to Your Majesty."
"How do you mean?" Huo Chong was very interested.
Luo Yiren wanted to say it directly, but when the words came to his lips, he couldn't help but adjust his thoughts, and then tried to express his feelings.
"Your Majesty, the members of the Ministry of Rites who are from the common people, no, they are the reserve members. They have different views on things. It's a bit out of touch with reality." Luo Yiren didn't want to use the word "out of touch with reality" at first. After all, it's too rustic. However, he still used it, after all, it was a word used by many people in the upper class.
"It's the same thing. People who have received education still feel differently from those who have not. I feel this very strongly..." Luo Yiren said about his feelings as a teacher.
After Luo Yiren finished speaking, Huo Chong smiled. Huo Chong used to feel the same as Luo Yiren, but after so many years, Huo Chong finally had his own new opinion. And he was a little confident in this opinion.
"Xiao Luo. If you want to become a pillar of society, you need someone to teach you and be able to afford to lose. By "afford to lose" you mean you need to have the capital to lose. Why do you think I should implement the Ministry of Rites system in the military first?"
Luo Yiren shook his head. The superficial explanation of this matter was that Huo Chong believed that the army was well organized and disciplined, and it was most suitable to implement the Ministry of Rites system first. However, Luo Yiren always felt that there was something wrong with this statement, especially Huo Chong's current question, which must have some truth that could not be said publicly.
"The military is a very fair place, especially during the current war. Even if you have huge capital behind you, you still have to rely on your personal qualifications. If you lose the battle, you will die. Even if you don't die on the battlefield, you can't escape military law. If you are incompetent, or if you cause the troops to suffer losses, or if you lose the opportunity to fight in vain. With so many people here, the people's eyes are sharp, because these people are damaging the interests of the troops. Once the ritual system in the military is improved, there will be a channel like the ritual department. Probably there is no need to think about covering up everything during the war. As long as no one can cover up everything, those who are not suitable will still be caught and kicked out."
Luo Yiren had never worked in the military, and it took him a lot of thought to roughly outline a model based on the text.
Huo Chong couldn't help laughing when he saw Luo Yiren's expression. Luo Yiren's reaction was that of a scholar, or a person who had received a decent education and was able to build a model.
That is, from concept to concept.
From concept to concept, it is the result of these people's education, but also the reason and manifestation of these people's lack of connection with reality.
The reason why science and engineering men have formed the industrial party thinking that science and engineering men support is probably because science and engineering men originally go from concept to concept. But through experiments, they have to do it bit by bit in person.
This is the industrial party thinking of science and engineering men. However, the humanities can be separated from physical experiments, because the humanities are mostly based on human sociological reactions. Even in the 21st century, although science and engineering men have a simple idea of human thinking mode based on human physiological reactions, there is no real scientific and confirmed model that is widely used.
If liberal arts students consider human reactions, always take the most basic human biological basis as the starting point, and are able to study or self-study biology and medical knowledge, such liberal arts students are industrial parties rather than sentimental parties.
Huo Chong felt that he was an industrialist, because at this moment Huo Chong couldn't help but want to use Luo Yiren as an experiment. So he continued to say to Luo Yiren: "It's not easy to be able to afford to lose in the army. Because the price is too high, it's the price of so many lives. Do you understand?"
Luo Yiren thought for a moment and answered readily, "I understand."
"But it's different in other departments. They want to lose at a relatively low cost. As long as the capital is high, they can afford to lose. In addition, let me ask you, what do you think should be the name of this capital?"
"Wouldn't it be better to call it capital?" Luo Yiren was puzzled.
"No. This is something that ordinary people can understand. In fact, there is a better explanation. You try it."
Hearing Huo Chong's question, Luo Yiren asked tentatively: "Your Majesty, please let me think about it again."
Huo Chong nodded, took a document and started reading it. Recently, there have been many more things than expected, especially the huge profits from foreign trade.
Huo Chong had seen a video about Spain before, which mentioned that the current... oh, the 21st century Spain only has less than 5% of the land of the original Spanish Empire, or the Spanish Empire has lost 97.5% of its territory.
Huo Chong had long forgotten the exact number, and had no interest in verifying it. However, in 1733, Spain was still the strongest among the colonial countries in the world.
So the Spanish fleet brought another commodity besides tar: matte.
Copper concentrate is smelted to produce copper matte (also called copper matte), which is mainly composed of iron sulfide cuprous sulfide polymer (FeS·Cu2S) and contains gold and silver. The content varies depending on the smelting method. Copper matte is mainly used as a raw material for the production of crude copper in a blowing furnace.
Matte is an intermediate product produced during the copper smelting process. It is mainly an intermelt composed of copper sulfide and ferrous sulfide, with a total content of approximately 20-25% copper, 20-40% iron, and 22-25% sulfur.
Huo Chong's original impression of Spain was that it occupied most of South America, as well as the Caribbean region and Mexico.
Perhaps because he watched too many movies and TV dramas, Huo Chong's impression of this place is that, apart from the potatoes, corn, cactus, and alpacas and other special plants and animals that originated here, Huo Chong can only remember the special products based on oil and coca leaves.
So the Spanish fleet brought not only tar, but also thousands of tons of brown sugar, which is the direct product of sugarcane juice that is not filtered at all, and matte.
The Spaniards seemed to think that they had not come with a full load the last time and had left with an almost empty ship. They were prepared to risk their lives to return with a full load.
Whether it is brown sugar or matte, they are products needed by the Chinese court at present. Especially matte. China's current copper production is far from enough to meet the needs. Even if Huo Chong starts to mint silver and copper coins, he also starts to use paper money in large quantities. This approach can only greatly alleviate the current currency shortage of the Chinese court.
In order to ensure that the people have money to spend, and to ensure that the people in the areas currently controlled by the Chinese court will not be frightened by the new policies, it is natural that the copper coins cannot be taken back and recast.
The Customs Department gave a number, and the excited officials said that this time the trade surplus might turn into a trade deficit.
Huo Chong looked at the customs report and saw that the customs officials had implicitly suggested that the trade could be smoothed out . At least the Chinese court should not use silver to pay the Spaniards who had been exporting silver to China.
Huo Chong wanted to laugh when he read the document. This was really ridiculous. So Huo Chong picked up the pen and was about to write his instructions. Then he heard Luo Yiren say, "Your Majesty, I have a word."
"Oh. Tell me about it." Huo Chong still wanted to finish writing the instructions, so he picked up the pen and continued writing.
"Can it be called capital?" Luo Yiren expressed the idea he came up with after much thought.
Huo Chong really couldn't write any more. He put down his pen and looked at the short-term experimental subject opposite him. Or the subject of the investigation.
"Xiao Luo, why do you think so?"
"I also heard this during a lecture. It was said by His Majesty."
Huo Chong smiled when he heard Luo Yiren speak so modestly. This was a little unlike the Luo Yiren of the past. Although Luo Yiren of the past was not completely ungrateful, he was a rather enterprising young man. Such a modest statement was indeed unlike his previous style.
Thinking of this, Huo Chong asked: "Why is it capital?"
"Because capital can be traded. Although capital is a common term, it does not mean that it can be traded anywhere. I always think of the word capital as a description. The word capital feels like it can be traded."
Hearing this, Huo Chong couldn't help but sigh in his heart. It seems that Luo Yiren is indeed an educated class. Ordinary people can understand that it is used for trading, which is quite powerful. Because ordinary people basically don't have capital. All they have is their own body and the few skills that this body possesses, and they lack things that can be traded.
The so-called learning literary and martial arts and selling them to the emperor's family is the highest level for ordinary people, or even scholars.
Since Luo Yiren understood this, Huo Chong asked: "So do you think you have the ability to explain this concept clearly. Especially to the people in the Ministry of Rites."
Hearing Huo Chong's question, Luo Yiren suddenly felt a little scared. Although he knew that Huo Chong was a powerful leader who could tolerate many things, Luo Yiren knew that once he told others about his idea, those people might not accept it as calmly as Huo Chong did.
When he understood the difference between the perspectives of ordinary people and scholars on the world, Luo Yiren was very excited. He felt that the problem that had troubled him for many years had been solved.
But Huo Chong obviously saw the problem more thoroughly, and even brought out the deeper things in it, which made Luo Yiren understand it even more clearly.
At this point, Luo Yiren was shocked by the world he saw from a different cognitive perspective.
Originally, Luo Yiren was the son of an official, so he hated the fact that his family members did not work at all and only thought about how to exploit the land to exploit the tenants. That kind of ruthlessness was what Luo Yiren hated the most. This was also the reason why Luo Yiren could still accept working under Huo Chong even though his land was confiscated.
Even though it was his own property, and even though Luo Yiren was very unhappy about it being confiscated, he admitted that if the land remained in the hands of his family, they would continue to exploit the land ruthlessly.
As Huo Chong said, "The Chinese court does not oppose the Chinese people's right to own the land and use the land in their hands to engage in production in order to seek a better life. What the Chinese court opposes is the right to use the land to exploit the Chinese people."
Luo Yiren saw that the Chinese court was seriously implementing the policies derived from this concept. So even though he was unhappy, Luo Yiren felt that he did not have a bad conscience.
However, what Huo Chong is saying and pointing out now is the cruel reality of the world. If we look at the world from the perspective of capital, ruthlessly using things, including land, to exploit others is the essence of capital and the only thing capital has to do and can do.
If the people in the Ministry of Rites understood this point, would many people suddenly feel that "exploitation is justified"?
Luo Yiren felt a great deal of pressure and could not help but mutter, "Your Majesty, the old system turned people into ghosts, and the ghosts who ate people and the poor ghosts who were tortured by poverty became neither human nor ghost. Isn't the new era that Your Majesty wants to create to turn ghosts into humans?"
Facing Luo Yiren's weakness, Huo Chong nodded, "Yes. If you, the vanguard, don't understand what capital is, the power of capital, the internal logic of capital, and the weaknesses of capital, do you really think that a confused vanguard can create a bright and clear world?"
Seeing that Luo Yiren was frightened by the nature of the world he suddenly saw, Huo Chong smiled, poured Luo Yiren a glass of water and placed it in front of him, "Xiao Luo, capital operation is a model. Capital is the principal or property used for investment to obtain profits. It is the general term for various social and economic resources that humans use to create material and spiritual wealth. Capital can be divided into institutional or social production relationship capital, and its improvement or appreciation is achieved by changes in social and political ideas. Therefore, your fear is correct because you have seen many aspects of capital."
Huo Chong was very satisfied with Luo Yiren. If you are poor, it is good to understand the capital. Because there is a word "money" in it. With money, you can get things done. If you have a lot of money, you may be able to do whatever you want. This is the limit that ordinary people can reach.
However, capital is different. Capital can make money, but money is not capital. Because social relations and power are also part of capital.
When Huo Chong was working on P2P, he was very clear that the entire P2P industry was certainly built on money invested by others, but one of the foundations, or one of the most important foundations, was a policy.
Whether you can succeed depends on whether you have connections, power, and connections. If you want to be able to afford to lose in P2P, you definitely can’t do it without people.
As the son of an official, Luo Yiren had seen the transactions between Qing officials. Those transactions were not as straightforward as simply paying tribute to the emperor. They were more about the operation of power behind the scenes, forming alliances and dealing with enemies. What was needed in the officialdom was intangible things, that is, intangible capital.
At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Donglin Party brought disaster to the country and the people. It was not necessarily because the Donglin Party members gave money to each other. Instead, the Donglin Party colluded with each other and formed a policy of not paying taxes, shifting all the national burdens that the landlords had to bear to the ordinary people, which triggered the systemic collapse of the Ming Dynasty.
The reason why Huo Chong created the drama about changing rice into mulberry trees was that what he wanted to express was far from simple.
Luo Yiren drank a few sips of water at this time, calmed down a little, and asked: "Your Majesty, since capital is so vicious, why do you still teach people such things?"
"I will teach you about capital first. Please listen to me." Huo Chongming said, "What is capital in capitalism? It is a set of measurement methods for social power, which is based on commodity economy. The characteristic of capital's continuous appreciation comes from the exploitation of workers by private owners."
Luo Yiren nodded repeatedly. He felt that he was not so excited at this time, perhaps because he had opened the door, or because he was standing behind Huo Chong, so he felt protected.
Moreover, Huo Chong did not have a critical tone, although such a description was already terrifying enough. The surplus labor of the workers was accumulated as capital in the hands of the capitalists. And the capitalists used this capital to fight for the social power to control production. This was very clear to Luo Yiren, a member of the landlords.
If the purpose of renting out the land is not simply food, but all the output that can be deprived of the tenants.
Just when Luo Yiren felt that Huo Chong didn't seem to have said it clearly, he heard Huo Chong continue: "Purchasing goods is not the purpose of capital appreciation. Capital does not correspond to specific goods, but political power."
At this point, Huo Chong emphasized it twice, "This is political power, political power. Distribution according to capital is actually the distribution of social power according to the degree of exploitation of workers. Whoever exploits workers most efficiently and accumulates more capital will gain controlling rights and become the chief decision-maker. The shareholding system of distribution according to capital can be completely described as an aristocratic republic - whoever controls more troops and more land will have more say. The nobles who own the most land and enslave the most serfs will become the chief nobles, or the largest shareholders in modern terms. The nobles divide power according to land and jointly form a country, while capitalists quantify power with capital and jointly dominate the entire society in the form of companies or countries. Their social power is built up by the blood and sweat of workers. The accumulated surplus value created by workers has become the power in their hands."
Luo Yiren nodded repeatedly, but he didn't understand why Huo Chong described capital in this way. Because such a description was suspected of praising power.
"Xiao Luo, the system we want to establish is essentially about operating capital. Because what we oppose is exploitation and oppression. But we, the vanguard, want to seek liberation for the people, and we cannot do it with bare hands. If we want to have weapons and the ability to learn, we also need to invest capital. And if we want to be in power, we also need political power. It's like those metal tools. Without tools, we can't do anything with our bare hands. So we have to know and understand capital. And learn to control capital. For example, if I let you take on important tasks in the Ministry of Rites, it means that I will hand over a lot of political capital to you. If you are a person who doesn't understand what capital is, how can I be at ease ?"
Luo Yiren nodded again and again, thinking that what Huo Chong said was very right. However, suddenly, Luo Yiren felt a surge of joy in his heart. According to what Huo Chong said, he was very likely to win the position of Minister of Rites.
With this status, and the power and political capital that comes with it, to what extent can one realize his ambitions!
In this ecstatic state, Luo Yiren heard Huo Chong say calmly: "Don't let your imagination run wild. Work hard, and the responsibilities that should be borne by you will naturally be given to you. If you can't do it, I don't want to hurt you. After all, there are too many people who want to benefit. With power comes responsibility. If you are wrong, you can't afford to lose."
