The guards in the Yangxin Hall had already been dismissed, and even Lu Fang, who had been following Jiajing, disappeared. In the huge Yangxin Hall, only Jiajing and Zhang Juzheng were left, sitting opposite each other.
"Come, have some tea."
With a warm smile on his face, Jiajing picked up the teapot and poured a cup for each of them.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Zhang Juzheng obviously did not expect this scene. He looked very reserved. He picked up the tea cup and took a sip. His eyes shone and he couldn't help but praise: "The aftertaste is extremely sweet, good tea!"
"Of course, this is the first batch of West Lake Longjing this year. I'm not even willing to drink it. If Aiqing likes it, I'll have some sent to your house later." Jiajing also picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said casually road.
"My lord, Zhang Juzheng would like to thank Your Majesty for your kindness!" Upon hearing what the emperor said, Zhang Juzheng showed gratitude and quickly knelt down to express his gratitude.
"Okay, get up, I have some questions for you."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Zhang Juzheng stood up immediately.
"After the imperial meeting, did your Ministry of War receive the warships that were previously appropriated by the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Works?"
"Your Majesty, after the imperial meeting, Mr. Xiao Ge sent someone to hand over the remaining twenty-three warships to the Ministry of War. Now the warships are all docked at the Municipal Shipping Department."
"Also, how have you implemented the military expansion and reorganization of the Ming Dynasty Navy that I proposed at the imperial meeting?"
"Your Majesty, I have selected 15,000 brave men from all over the country and trained them. In addition, ships suitable for maritime operations are also being built. It is expected that they will be ready for combat in half a year!"
"good very good."
Jiajing nodded after hearing Zhang Juzheng's answer, then pretended to be casual and asked: "As the Minister of the Ministry of War, do you know what the current shortcomings of our Ming Dynasty are?"
"Your Majesty, the current shortcomings of our Ming Dynasty are the corrupt administration, excessive levies and miscellaneous taxes, low combat effectiveness of the soldiers, Japanese invasions in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and northern Tatar invasions from time to time..."
Zhang Juzheng did not dare to answer the questions raised by Jiajing directly. He could only avoid his eyes and look at him.
Just when Zhang Juzheng wanted to continue speaking in this context, he was interrupted by Jiajing impatiently: "Okay, stop talking about these clichés! You Zhang Juzheng dare not say it, so let me say it."
"Your Majesty, please forgive me!" Zhang Juzheng hurriedly knelt on the ground.
"There are three shortcomings of our Ming Dynasty. One is the financial deficit, the other is the corruption of the guard system, and the third is the extravagant spending of the clan!"
Jiajing put down the tea cup in his hand and looked directly at Zhang Juzheng: "Everyone knows about these ills, but no one dares to talk about them! So what about temporary reforms? As long as the root cause is not touched, the disease of Ming Dynasty will never be solved. It’s not going to get better!”
"You are the Minister of the Ministry of War. Let me first take the guard posts in various places as an example. I have sent people to investigate. Some guard posts have recorded soldiers with a full quota of 2,000 people, but in fact they are less than 1,000 people. ! Even the gunpowder in the gunpowder cannot be fired due to moisture. Most of the soldiers hang out in gambling houses all day long. They are tired of training and can only cope with the situation without any combat effectiveness. "
"Therefore, I plan to abolish some of the guard posts." Jiajing changed the subject, and his plain voice reached Zhang Juzheng's ears, like a thunderbolt from the blue.
"Your Majesty, no! Even though the guard system is so rotten, we should still work on it slowly. If we abolish it hastily, it may cause dissatisfaction among the soldiers, cause trouble, and shake the court!" Zhang Juzheng hurriedly advised after regaining his composure.
"Who told you that I am going to disband now? I plan to select those brave soldiers in the guard station first, form another battalion, train them diligently, and make their treatment higher than that of ordinary soldiers! This is a long-term I hope you can handle the matter well." Jiajing chuckled, helped Zhang Juzheng up, then patted Zhang Juzheng on the shoulder and said sincerely.
"In addition, after the Ming Dynasty Navy is reorganized, it can go to sea to fight against Japanese pirates and keep the enemy at sea. In this way, the people along our coast will also suffer less!"
"I, Zhang Juzheng, am willing to do my best for Your Majesty!"
"What did you say just now? Oh yes, I remembered it. The clan's expenses are excessive! Zhang Juzheng, do you know how many vassals we have in the Ming Dynasty now?" Jiajing said, knocking his head.
Hearing this, Zhang Juzheng thought for a moment and gave the answer: "Your Majesty, there are currently more than 85,000 people recorded in the vassal records!"
Jiajing nodded and said with emotion: "Yes, more than 85,000 people! You also know that the title of the Ming Dynasty is hereditary and will not be downgraded. Every year, their expenditures account for 10% of the court's expenditures. forty."
"Do you know what the people are scolding? I spent so much money in the Ming Dynasty to raise a group of pigs who only know how to eat, drink and have fun, rob women, enclose land and give birth to a large number of children! The key is that these pigs cannot be eaten, they are me The moth of the Ming Dynasty." There was no emotion in Jiajing's tone, as if he was talking about an extremely common thing.
"But Your Majesty, doing this will make you..." Zhang Juzheng stopped speaking abruptly, not daring to say any more.
"What are you afraid of? I am the emperor! In theory, my power is unlimited. I don't care how the history books will evaluate me in the future, whether I am mean and ungrateful, or whether I harm the clan."
"I don't ask whether it's possible or not, but whether it's right or not. As long as I think it should be done, I will do it!" After Jiajing finished speaking, he stood up from the chair, waved his sleeves, and looked into the distance. His gaze is profound.
"Do not ask whether it is possible, but ask whether you should..." Zhang Juzheng chewed on what Jiajing said repeatedly. For a long time, his eyes were slightly red, and he slightly covered his face with his sleeves, and said loudly: "My lord, Zhang Juzheng is willing to die. Be loyal to His Majesty!"
"As for how to make up for the financial deficit, this is why I must lift the maritime ban and implement the policy of converting rice into mulberry. How can I not know why they implement this method?"
"One tael of silver, six coins will go to the treasury, I accept it, four coins will go to the treasury, I also accept it! If they want to get more, don't blame me for taking action."
Jiajing said silently in his heart, then leaned over and helped Zhang Juzheng up.
"It's not too early, you should go back first."
"Your Majesty, I retire!"
Zhang Juzheng reluctantly left the Yangxin Hall. Jiajing did not respond and just waved his hand, seemingly not caring about it.
Walking out of the Yangxin Hall, I don't know when a bright moon hung in the sky. Zhang Juzheng walked alone under the moonlight, his steps were steady, the confusion in his heart was gone, and his eyes were full of determination.
…
In the study, Jiajing had been writing for a long time, but still couldn't put it down.
"What do you think I should write? I thought about it for a long time and still couldn't figure it out. If I had known, I would have asked the cabinet to write it!" Jiajing put down the brush, looked at Lu Fang who was standing beside him, and asked.
"Your Majesty may wish to write some words of encouragement. The content does not need to be too complicated. Hu Zongxian will understand it." After hearing this, Lu Fang gave her own suggestion after thinking for a moment.
"Words of encouragement? Let me think about it..."
"Yes!" After thinking for a long time, Jiajing finally found a suitable sentence and patted his head excitedly.
Jiajing laid the paper again, with a solemn expression, and slowly wrote on the paper: I have served the king for thousands of miles, and I want nothing for myself. I know the hardships of the frontier, how can I seek for my wife? I will not be held responsible for what you do!
