1. When the senior minister put forward a new chapter, the world situation
Senior Minister's New Chapter was a plan for the founding of the People's Republic drafted by Hong Rengan when he went to Tianjing as a military adviser in the ninth year of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (1859).
The new chapter of Senior Minister first put forward the ideas of "sizing up the situation" and "legislation", expounded the history and present situation of western countries at that time, pointed out that the most advanced countries in the world at that time were Britain, the United States and France, and praised these countries for their "exquisite skills and profound national laws". When introducing Britain, he said: "English, ... is called the strongest country today, and it is also good to use law." When introducing the United States, he said: "Citigroup is Millikan, and its president ... has a five-year term with limited salary. When you are full, you will be pampered and the provinces will raise them again. If something happens, the provinces will generally discuss it, and ... it is wise to take many people as candidates. But also for many discussions. When introducing France, he said, "Francie's skills, ... all countries started here." Although other countries are excellent, Buddhism is not below them. The political situation, economy, history and geography of Germany, Russia and other countries are briefly discussed. It is pointed out that Russia was once a backward and beaten country. After learning from the west, it has also become strong. It says, "Russia ... was repeatedly persecuted by Britain, Buddha, Sweden, Romania, Germany and other countries more than 100 years ago, so it sent its eldest son to the Franciscans to study the national law and firefighting skills in disguise, and returned to China for a few years, and ... prospered politics and religion. For more than 100 years, he has gained great fame. Make an accurate forecast of Japan's development situation, saying: "Japan's close trade with Citigroup needs all kinds of skills, thinking that the law will be unique in the future." " 」
The analysis of these advanced western countries and emerging countries in the new chapter of senior ministers not only shows their excellent skills, but also emphasizes the "good laws" of their political and religious systems. The rise of Russia and Japan is to "learn the national laws" and "think about the laws" from the West, not just to learn their "firefighting skills". It also pointed out that some countries in the world ignored the general trend and followed the old rules, which led to the decline of their national strength. They were beaten and bullied and said, "Turkey ... didn't know how to change it, so it never recovered. It was invaded by Russia for many years in C." It said sadly: It is precisely because of its inflexibility that China has become a weak country being bullied in the world. "Can't be the crown of the east, but will be eclipsed for the time being. What a pity! " It cries out loudly that China must clearly understand the general trend of the world, learn from Russian and Japanese examples, learn from Turkish lessons, "conform to the times", adopt the "big gifts" of French and western countries, and make laws and regulations, otherwise it will be too late to regret! "I strongly urge the heavenly king Hong Xiuquan," I don't want this promising day. I want to work hard for China. I want to uphold the principle of heaven, father and brother and peacefully reunify the country for ten thousand years. "That is to say, to build a new country, we should not follow the traditional path of China. We must learn the politics and science and technology of the advanced capitalist countries at that time.
Two. Contents of a new chapter for senior ministers
The senior ministers in the new chapter are divided into four parts: human supervision, morality, law and punishment. Employing people to detect disadvantages is aimed at the decentralized tendency of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and emphasizes unified leadership. Style, aiming at all kinds of bad habits in society, strives to change customs. Criminal punishment, imitating the reform of criminal law in western capitalist countries. These three parts are very simple. The main part of the book lies in the legal category, and all legislation and policies on political and economic reform are concentrated in this category. However, these four categories are interrelated and they complement each other. Legal thought occupies a prominent position in the political reform plan of senior minister's new chapter. Hong Rengan said in a friendly letter about the legislative system: "The rule of law is the first priority of a country, and ... the rule of law is followed by a country. This is a great experience for the next thousand years. Seeing the political crisis in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, he thought that it was an urgent task to establish a perfect legal system. Therefore, he explained in the article of new senior minister: "The so-called law-abiding people care about the world and people's hearts. For example, laws, regulations and educational ceremonies should be based on legislation. This is a trend, but you are not complacent. He also said: "It is not easy to build a law according to the outline; The text of law is concerned with discipline, which changes every time. The "law" mentioned here includes basic law and special law. The former refers to the "discipline and rules, the gift of education" of the founding of the country. Which means the outline of the constitution. The latter refers to the "small discipline" that can be revised from time to time, that is, specific laws and regulations. Judging from the contents of all the new articles on senior minister, there are dozens of articles in four categories, focusing on the development of capitalist economy, and the major policies of politics, economy, culture, education and diplomacy are clearly stated. It can be seen that "outline" and "discipline" refer to the fundamental law and common law of the country. After the establishment and improvement of the legal system, the new chapter of senior minister proposed "setting up a news library to collect public opinion", and "showing the law, distinguishing good from evil, encouraging honesty and shame, and showing loyalty and filial piety are all used to teach people". Running a newspaper and expressing public opinion, as the mouthpiece of the people, has the function of supervising administration. It is also put forward that "the promotion of provincial newspaper officials, officials have positions but no rights, are honest and upright, and their official positions are not controlled by officials, nor are they controlled by officials, that is, rewards and punishments are not allowed to praise officials or demote them." "Eighteen provinces and 10,000 square meters of news articles have signs around reporters to make traitors honest and loyal subjects honest. Therefore, it is inevitable for people to discuss good and evil. " This is an organization that collects and reflects public opinion, is responsible for provincial supervision and plays the role of a representative of public opinion. In addition, the "Xing Hui" was proposed to deal with social welfare and education. These are all political measures with democratic colors.
Senior Minister's new chapter on developing capitalist economic policy can be summarized as the following four aspects:
1. Advocating learning from western science and technology In the feudal society of China, science and technology were regarded by the ruling class as "fantastic skills and cunning" and were always suppressed. Senior ministers refuted in the new article, as well as "fireboats, trains, bell darts, pyrometers, thermometers, anemometers, sundials, mirrors, scales, serial guns, celestial spheres, the earth and so on. Are original enough to be widely known. This is an honest skill, not a woman's disguise (decoration). Some people think that these science and technology are "useful things", which can improve and promote the development of production and benefit the rich country. It is also believed that scientific and cultural knowledge can eliminate China's ignorance and isolation, expand people's audio-visual and promote social progress. Therefore, it is suggested that we should not only advocate from the top, but also try to introduce "foreigners' exquisite skills" into China, and let "those who teach skills enter and teach us" to spread and popularize western science and technology in China as soon as possible. While advocating the introduction of western science and technology, it also places great emphasis on encouraging China people's inventions. It has repeatedly proposed that "the wise should be allowed to create their own inventions, and the most original person will receive a patent award", and suggested adopting the patent system implemented in capitalist countries.
Second, it advocates the establishment and development of modern capitalist enterprises. The new chapter lists the concrete plans for establishing and developing various modern enterprises. Advocate "promoting the benefit of chariots and horses", build "steam wheel carts" and build a national road plan extending in all directions; "Publicize the benefits of boats" and use "fire boats and gas boats"; "Develop the art of utensils" and make "exquisite and convenient" articles; "Treasure", mining gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, coal, salt and other minerals. In addition, it also advocates the establishment of banks, insurance companies, postal kiosks, information offices and news stations. The new chapter of senior ministers advocates that enterprises should rely on private investment and be allowed to make profits. In addition to the postal kiosks set up to deliver official documents and "set up by the state", other enterprises advocate "enriching the people and paying salaries with a clear-cut banner". Private-invested enterprises guarantee a certain profit, and when they find mineral deposits, they are allowed to recruit people to take them, and the position of "general manager" is allowed to receive two-tenths of the income. Another example is that a bank can issue1500,000 pieces of "silver paper" with millions of assets from "those who have millions of wealth" or "three or four enriching people * * *", and it is allowed to "earn 3% every two times" in the deposit and exchange activities of "silver goods exchange or paper-silver exchange". The new chapter of senior minister clearly supports the capitalist employment relationship, opposes buying the children of the poor and bankrupt as slaves, and at the same time opposes giving alms to the poor proletarians to prevent idleness, requires them to "stand on their own feet" and "stand on their own feet", and advocates that "it is appropriate to work for value" and "the quasi-rich should hire employees". This is a way to follow the example of western capitalist countries and force proletarians to act as hired workers, thus expanding the capitalist exploitation relationship, that is, adopting the wage labor system that has always existed in western capitalist countries. In enterprise management, the new chapter of the senior minister advocates the way of free competition of capitalism. The development of production technology is "left to the wise to create by themselves", which stipulates that "the most original person will be rewarded for his own interests", but "others are allowed to imitate". That is, on the one hand, the patent system encourages inventions, on the other hand, it allows other enterprises to promote their use after the expiration of the restriction period. The mining of mineral deposits breaks the geographical restrictions. "Small ones are suitable for rural areas, large ones are suitable for county towns, and especially large ones are suitable for people inside and outside the province." There are no restrictions on starting a business, and it is "set up with a clear salary." In fact, this kind of private investment, profit-making, labor-hiring and free competition enterprise advocated by senior ministers is a private capitalist enterprise that has long existed in western countries.
Third, attach importance to and actively develop the relationship between commodities and money. Capitalist production is first of all commodity production, and its existence and development are closely related to the relationship between commodity and currency. One of the focuses of the new chapter of the senior minister on establishing some modern enterprises is how to promote the circulation of goods. For example, the purpose of establishing transportation enterprises is to facilitate "big businessmen to carry passengers and goods" and make peace with foreign countries ("communication and reconciliation" is mainly "trade", that is, foreign trade); The purpose of setting up a bank and issuing "paper" is for businessmen to engage in the storage and exchange activities of "easy exchange of silver goods or paper", because "this will greatly benefit businessmen and people, and it will be easy to carry in and out"; To run a "news museum" is to consider "the times are constantly changing and the price is low", so that "businessmen and farmers can have a look and make up for what they need"; The establishment of insurance companies is to consider how to protect "cargo ships and others from fire and water" in the circulation of goods. Secondly, Senior Minister Xinwen advocated that the officers and men of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom adopt the salary system, and changed the original supply system into the "salary system", that is, the distribution of personal consumer goods was realized through monetary relations, so that all necessities of life were purchased through the market, and the monetary relationship of commodities was expanded.
Advocating opening to the outside world and introducing science and technology Before Hong Rengan went to Tianjing, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had implemented an independent foreign policy, which was based on the understanding of the China people's anti-aggression since the Opium War, but had little understanding of the necessity of opening to the outside world. Senior Minister's new chapter strongly criticizes the ignorance of China's closed-door policy in the past, and points out that "detaining and not handing it over to others" is the arrogance of Yelang's "shallow people". Results "the whole body is blocked, the blood vessels are blocked, and the disease is terminal!" He advocated opening to the outside world, absorbing the strengths of other countries, and enlightening the people to introduce western science and technology. He said: "Foreigners have exquisite skills and profound national laws, so they should be allowed to trade first, but they should not enter the dry land without authorization. ..... Only those who teach skills, such as Mu Si, can go in and teach our people, but they are allowed to make suggestions for the country and must not slander the national law. " . This understanding of senior minister's new chapter is obviously related to his plan to learn science and technology from the west and establish modern enterprises.
Judging from the content of the new senior minister's article, its core is to "innovate" China from the political, economic and cultural aspects, following the example of western capitalist countries. Politically, China should be built into a country with legal system and democracy, and economically, China should be made rich and strong by establishing and developing modern capitalist enterprises. Later, the plan put forward by the bourgeois reformists, although more knowledgeable and detailed, was far less ambitious. More importantly, it was put forward on the basis of the revolution that overthrew the landlord's land ownership, while the bourgeois reformists put forward it on the basis of maintaining this land system and opposing the peasant revolution. The class nature of the two is different. "Senior Minister New Chapter" was the most revolutionary program for developing capitalism before the emergence of bourgeois revolutionaries, and it was also the most active program for social reform at that time. It will go down in history as the first program advocating the all-round development of capitalism in the development process of China's modern economic thought.
The position and function of senior minister's new chapter in the history of Taiping heavenly kingdom
Are there subjective and objective conditions for the realization of Senior Minister New Chapter in China at that time? According to the historical facts of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, it seems to be achievable. In the place where the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was restored, the landlord class was dictatorship, and most of the land was transferred from the hands of feudal exploiters to the hands of farmers, which freed farmers from feudal land relations and cleared the way for the development of capitalism. At the end of the feudal society in China, the capitalist economy had sprouted. By the Taiping Revolution, all kinds of feudal shackles were lifted. Especially after the recovery of Croatia and Zhejiang, the policy of encouraging industry and commerce and vigorously supporting production was implemented. Capitalism in urban and rural areas is very active, agricultural silk industry has increased production and trade is prosperous. With the further development of commodity economy and the disintegration of natural economy, capitalist mode of production will inevitably appear. It is not impossible to put forward a new chapter for senior minister, which meets the objective requirements of social and economic development in China at that time and has a certain objective economic basis.
Senior Minister Hong Xiuquan and Tianwang reviewed a new chapter and made 28 plans. On 25 schemes, he approved the word "yes", some approved "this scheme is also right", some approved "it's not too late to kill evil spirits", and some approved "this scheme is not feasible now, for fear of inviting evil spirits to kill each other. Once the evil spirit is killed, it is not too late. " Hong Xiuquan wants to implement the plan of a new chapter for senior minister.
However, as a program of developing capitalism, Senior Minister New Chapter is essentially different from the agricultural land system in China, which embodies farmers' public ownership economy. The capitalist road, the development direction it embodies, will eventually contradict the nature of the peasant regime, thus changing the nature of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. For this inherently contradictory program-in order to strengthen the peasant regime, we must change the nature of the peasant regime. This is a very important issue related to the future of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. How does Tian Wang Hong Xiuquan view and handle this important issue?
I think the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has answered the question with facts. Today, we who study the history of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom regard New Chapters of Shangshu as a continuation of China's land system. At that time, there was no Hong Rengan himself. At the beginning of Senior Minister's new article, he said that he didn't avoid difficulties and obstacles and came to Tianjing. "I really want to prepare Chen Fangce and spread the news widely." At the end, he said, "I recorded all the treatments I saw and compiled them into small volumes, and gave them to those rare people in ancient times for me to learn from and spread the news widely." It can be seen that Hong Rengan, the new senior minister, didn't agree to the military adviser system, just like Yang and others, the former military adviser, agreed to implement the hat system, but it was just a scheme for Hong Xiuquan to choose. As for the attitude of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom towards the new senior ministers, it is very clear that it is not listed in the general catalogue of imperial edicts. In this general item, as of the winter of the tenth year of Gengshen (1860), the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had a new calendar of eleven years and the China land system was re-established in the eleventh year (186 1 year), all of which were 29 items. But the former has father poems, and the latter cancels father poems and replaces them with father's imperial edict. Because only part of his father's poems are his father's poems, and most of them are Hong Xiuquan's poems, his father's imperial edict was printed, that is, his father's imperial edict was abolished and replaced, which shows that the general purpose of the imperial edict is strict. All the laws and regulations of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, except a hierarchical regulation, are included in this general item. The New Chapter of Senior Minister, which has been engraved for less than nine years (1859), is not allowed to be listed in the general catalogue, but just like other works of Hong Rengan, such as Ying Jie Gui Zhen, Military Discipline, Killing the Devil, Humboldt System of Wang Gan, etc., they are all published in the form of personal works. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom criticized "all Confucius and Mencius have a hundred schools of thought", "all books are not allowed to be bought, sold and read" and "there are books in the world that are passed on to readers without covering their purpose" [1]. So if there is a printed book, it must be accurate, and then it must be engraved and promulgated. Hong Rengan printed his ministers' new works and other books, which were published at the request of the heavenly king Hong Xiuquan, and were different in nature from those listed in the general catalogue. Commentators say that the new chapter of senior minister is the continuation of China's land system and the second political program of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, which is incorrect.
When the new chapter of Senior Minister was promulgated, the people of Taiping Heavenly Kingdom knew little about the western capitalist system, but they scoffed at "the poor man holding a gold ingot in his hand". Foreigners despised it as a coolie and regarded it as the "greatest praise" with strong class feelings. The landlord class is strictly dictatorial, and with great class hatred, "rich households" have no livelihood "and" several households are abandoned instantly ". They told the senior minister that the bank should be set up by a millionaire, and that "the interest rate should be allowed to be 3% every two times", and that "the rich should be allowed to pay wages and show their knowledge" and "the rich should be allowed to hire people", which was extremely dazzling. After Li Xiucheng was captured, the enemy interrogated him and recorded his confession. One of them said, "Miss Li disdains reading all the books compiled by the false king." . Li Xiucheng's disdain for Senior Minister's new chapter is a revolt against the feelings of the peasant class from the bottom of his heart. Li Xiucheng's attitude just represents the attitude of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom figures towards the new chapter of senior minister. What is the personal attitude of Tian Wang Hong Xiuquan towards Senior Minister's new chapter? Although he looks taller and farther than them, the consciousness and feelings of the peasant class are no different. Hong Xiuquan grew up in a middle-class family, worked as a teacher in the countryside, and later went to a mountain village in Guangxi to engage in revolutionary activities. After a long and arduous war since jintian uprising, he deeply formed a class consciousness of sharing the same breath and fate with the peasants. On the other hand, his hometown is in Hua County, Guangzhou. After the Opium War, he was impacted by western capitalism and had an ideological tendency of seeking truth from the west. After he founded Shintoism, he went to Guangzhou Luoxiaoquan Chapel with Hong Rengan to study Christianity as the capital of Shintoism. During this period, he told Hong Rengan that he would "share the truth and knowledge with other countries" if the motherland could be restored in the future [1]. When Hong Rengan founded the Party, he played a new chapter on Senior Minister Chen, and he adopted it, which was quite natural. However, Hong Xiuquan's thoughts are still dominated by revolutionary thoughts that reflect farmers' demands. He adopted the suggestions of the new chapter of senior minister, first of all, considering that these suggestions were conducive to strengthening the peasant regime and overthrowing the revolutionary war in the Qing Dynasty. For example, the article "It's not too late to sell news articles or secret cabinets" said: "It's not too late to decide this magic killing strategy." Criticizing the article "Promoting Provincial Press Officers" said: "This strategy is not feasible now, for fear of attracting demons to turn against each other and killing the remaining demons is not too late. For example, the article "Don't Kill" said: "I have an imperial edict to kill evil and protect the good. Killing demons is guilty and inevitable. In the following article, I criticized, "I forbid not to kill, because it is forbidden to kill people indiscriminately, not to kill by providence." These instructions clearly show this consideration. Just because Hong Xiuquan passed the new chapter of senior minister doesn't mean that he gave up or changed his previous ideas. After the promulgation of the new chapter on senior minister, the established economic policy of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has not changed.
In this case, Hong Xiuquan not only made his position clear to ministers, soldiers and civilians, but also announced that the established principles, policies and lines of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had not changed. Therefore, in his mind for eleven years (186 1 year), that is, more than one year after the promulgation of the new chapter of senior minister, he re-promulgated the land and farmland system in China. After the capital was Tianjin, Tianmu system was promulgated in the winter and November of Hao Gui's third year (1853), and reprinted at the beginning of Jiayin's fourth year (1854). After the promulgation of agricultural land system in China, Tianjin encountered the problem of food shortage. By the summer of four years in Jiayin, the grain was abundant and he had changed his mind and fled. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had to temporarily "pay the grain tax as usual" during the autumn harvest this year, so it will not be reprinted. Zeng Guofan's intelligence agency compiled the Collection of Thieves' Data, saying that "all books are bundled" and there is no farmland system in China. Thought that "it seems that China's land system has not been promulgated", it can be seen that the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom did not promulgate it for propaganda purposes. For some reason, it was not realized, so it was no longer printed realistically. It was seven years later, but it was reprinted and promulgated in the eleventh year. This is not without purpose, but a targeted measure. Hong Xiuquan published in the sacred book of the old imperial edict after the tenth year of Gengshen in July, and changed the "one for the whole people" recorded in the 27th section of Chapter 31 of the household registration book into "one for the holy treasury", which was in line with the public ownership of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and provided ironclad evidence that the land redistribution system of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom really adhered to public ownership in the end for eleven years [1]. More than a year after the promulgation of the new Senior Minister, it was Hong Xiuquan who stated that the land system in China was re-promulgated. It was Hong Xiuquan who announced the adoption of the new senior minister's proposal in order to "destroy the demons", overthrow the feudal rule of the Qing Dynasty, "be a hero for many people" and "be the crown of the East", and build China into a powerful country and a rich country standing in the world. He is determined to complete the task of "saving the world", that is, "having fields to plow together, food to eat, clothes to wear and money to help". He did not change from the road of peasants demanding public ownership of land to the road of capitalism, but put the new plan of senior minister to develop capitalism into the track of peasant regime in Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
Senior Minister Xinwen suggested learning from the western "system" and "technology", which is really "democracy and science" in science, and Hong Xiuquan adopted and implemented it all. But there is a problem with democracy. Before jintian uprising, Hong Xiuquan and Feng Yunshan formulated the military adviser responsibility system which embodies the peasant democracy. The chief is the head of state, and the military adviser is responsible for state affairs. But Hong Xiuquan was deeply influenced by imperial power. After he killed Yang in the Tianjing Incident, he insisted on "I am the master and I will be the strategist" and took the power of the strategist into his own hands, thus undermining the responsibility system of the strategist. Hong Xiuquan dared to undermine the military adviser responsibility system because the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom did not and did not know how to make a constitution. The fundamental law of founding the country, which is "discipline and education ceremony" proposed by Senior Minister, is the Constitution. The peasant regime of Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has the power of peasant people's righteousness. Hong Xiuquan dared to take the position of military adviser as his own, but did not dare to abolish the military adviser system. When I arrived in Tianjing, Hong Rengan, although I still gained real power, I had to give my name to Hong Rengan to avoid criticism from my subjects. In particular, he made his two brothers, Hong Renfa and Hong Renda, lords, and his subjects objected, so he had to withdraw his two brothers. His subjects supported Shi Dakai's rule and honored Shi Dakai as the righteous king. He had to engrave Wang Yin and send someone to Anqing to welcome Shi Dakai back. Later, he had to listen to the opinions of his subjects, deposed Hong and appointed Li Xiuwei as a military adviser. All these events show that the peasant regime of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has no small democratic power. On this basis, Hong Rengan proposed that the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom should formulate a constitution, and this constitution was realized. The collection of "public opinion", the supervision of provincial officials, and the establishment of some local autonomous institutions. The senior ministers proposed in the new chapter are all close to the parliamentary system. The military adviser responsibility system in Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, together with the constitution and parliamentary system, has the same effect as the constitutional monarchy in bourgeois countries in political system.
The most serious political problem in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is that there are privileges and privileged classes in the peasant regime. However, it is not impossible for the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom to get rid of the privilege and destroy the privileged class. After the implementation of various programs on democracy and social education in Senior Minister's New Chapter, people's wisdom was opened, and there was an organ representing public opinion, supervision by public opinion, and a constitution that everyone must abide by. Then this privilege from feudalism and theocracy will inevitably be abolished gradually, and the privileged class of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom will eventually be eliminated.
In a word, "Senior Minister New Chapter" is not the second political program of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, but only provides a plan to develop capitalism for the peasant regime of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. But it will definitely make the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom play a great role in "democracy and science". Where is the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom going? The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom will never reverse the times and return to the old road of feudal dynasties such as Han Liu Bang and Zhu Mingyuan Zhang, but instead, it will create its own road. The promulgation of "Senior Minister's New Chapter", Hong Xiuquan's instructions to carry out his plan, and the re-promulgation of the tiantian system in the eleventh year are all a large number of existing documentary evidence.