On their own?
Yu Qian smiled bitterly, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Earlier in the morning court, he had relied on himself, but as a result, he was opposed by the whole court.
He admitted that he had underestimated the intensity of opposition from his ministers on this matter.
However, this is the case with court affairs.
Especially for such major national affairs, very few can be passed in one go. Usually, it takes constant pulling, several discussions and mutual compromises before a final conclusion can be reached.
The real trouble is that, as the emperor just said, the scope of this matter is too wide.
Even if he lowered his profile to lobby a group of people who could support him and made all the preparations, he still didn't think he could get the matter passed through the court.
If you can't figure it out, just don't think about it. Yu Qian raised his head and looked at the emperor and said.
"Your Majesty, please make it clear."
Zhu Qiyu pondered, organized his words, and spoke.
"To be honest, sir, although the nine-sided strategy is imperative, not only Mr. Shen and the court officials, but even I will not agree to spend most of the year's taxes on the construction of the nine-sided strategy."
"Such an action, like fighting for years, is exhausting the people's strength."
After hearing this, Yu Qian felt more frustrated.
Jiubian's strategy was a plan that he finally formulated after painstaking efforts, constant deliberation, and countless energy.
If it can be implemented, then he is confident that he can build a strong line of defense so that the Ming Dynasty will no longer face the dilemma of being driven straight into the capital to attack the capital within a hundred years.
After several years of hardship, nearly a hundred years of time to recuperate and recuperate, in Yu Qian's opinion, is completely worth it.
However, what made him a little disappointed was that the emperor also had the same attitude...
Looking at Yu Qian's somewhat disappointed expression, a smile appeared on Zhu Qiyu's face, but he changed the subject and said it decisively.
"So, I agree with Mr. Shen's idea and will not agree to spend all the annual income on Jiubian. At the same time, I also agree with Mr. Shen's idea that Jiubian must be built, and it must start next year at the latest."
This time it was really Yu Qian's turn to be confused.
What does it mean not to use the annual revenue for Jiubian, but Jiubian still needs to be built.
Are you planning to let the horses run without giving them grass?
At this point, Zhu Qiyu simply stopped talking about it and spoke directly.
"Sir, do you still remember the military camp issue that I discussed with you a few days ago?"
Military camp?
Yu Qian frowned and thought for a moment, and his eyes suddenly lit up.
This corruption in the border military garrison has been discussed in the imperial court for a long time.
Long before the mutual market, the emperor and he, Yang Hong, Fan Guang and others also discussed this matter.
Yu Qian still remembered that the emperor told him at that time...
"Your Majesty, do you mean that I hope that I can cultivate the private fields and restore the military garrison?"
Zhu Qiyu was still satisfied with this understanding, nodded and said.
"Yes, Taizu once said that the Ming Dynasty raised millions of troops without costing the people a grain of rice. Mr. Wang has read the history books. You should know that during the Hongwu period, our annual income was not as high as it is now, but the daily expenditure of the frontier army was less than ten percent of today's military expenditure. One or two.”
"The root cause lies in shrinking defense lines, rampant private farming, derelict military camps, and corrupt generals. Such accumulated abuses have caused the court's military expenditure to increase year by year, while the lives of the lower-level military households have become increasingly miserable."
"The imperial court cannot spend unlimited amounts of money to support the border army, so if it wants to support the construction of the Nine Borders, it must start with the border army itself."
Yu Qian was stunned for a moment, and a hint of admiration rose in his heart.
This Majesty is really...unfathomable!
Everyone's eyes are focused on the construction of the border defense line.
Even when he learned that he had been summoned, he had a vague hope in his heart, thinking that the emperor might be here to distract him.
but none.
The emperor's thoughts are always in front of everyone.
At this time, Yu Qian suddenly understood what the emperor's intention was when he asked the Ministry of Household Affairs to maintain the border army's annual silver level.
As the emperor just said, during the Hongwu period, the Ming Dynasty's military expenditure accounted for less than one-tenth of its annual revenue.
The core reason is to rely on farming, democratic movement, and middle-level methods to enable the border army to be basically self-sufficient.
At that time, the Jingli silver given by the imperial court was more of a reward and the icing on the cake, rather than a necessity for survival.
However, with the stability of the country, of course, the most important thing is the destruction of the King of Sai system, the establishment of the rotating guard system of the Beijing army and border troops, coupled with the corruption of generals, the proliferation of privately cultivated land and other reasons.
The military garrison was gradually depleted, and relying solely on the democratic movement and Kaizhong could no longer support the huge expenditure of the frontier army, and the imperial court could only make up for it.
Therefore, theoretically speaking, if private land reclamation can be reorganized and military settlements can be restored, it is entirely possible, allowing the border army to save a large amount of silver every year.
In this way, under the condition that the Ministry of Household Affairs maintains the original Beijing-regular silver allocation unchanged, the extra silver can be used for the construction of Jiubian.
At the same time, it will not affect the normal operation of the country.
This is indeed a good idea.
Not enough. What made Yu Qian even more nervous was that in addition to the private land reclamation and the corruption of military camps and generals, the emperor also mentioned...
"Your Majesty just said that the defense line is shrinking?"
Zhu Qiyu sat on the throne and glanced at Yu Qian with interest.
As expected, Yu Qian is a great expert in military affairs. Whenever it comes to military affairs, every detail will immediately attract his attention.
But originally, he had no intention of hiding it from Yu Qian, so he nodded directly and said.
"Yes, Mr. Yu is an expert, and there are no outsiders here. I might as well say it bluntly. In fact, although the border policy formulated by Taizu had the disadvantage of making the King of Sai powerful and difficult for the court to control, it was purely based on national finance and border policies. In terms of defense, it is the most complete system.”
this……
I really can’t accept this...
The border policies currently implemented by the Ming Dynasty were formulated by Emperor Taizong.
As the Minister of War, Yu Qian naturally knew that there were many shortcomings. Otherwise, he would not have taken advantage of the remaining momentum from the Civil War to propose reforms to border defense.
In fact, he knew in his heart that the emperor was absolutely right.
From a national perspective, the border policies formulated by Taizu were the most effective.
Although many improvements and detailed revisions have been made to the nine-sided strategy he is proposing now, the overall idea is still based on Taizu's idea of establishing the King of Sai.
However, you can do it, but you can't say it.
At least, it seems inappropriate for Yu Qian, who is a minister, to take any side at this time.
Echoing the emperor's praise of Taizu is tantamount to denying Emperor Taizong's side policy.
As for refuting the emperor's praise of Taizong, it seems inappropriate.
After hesitating for a moment, Yu Qian said cautiously.
"What your Majesty said is true. However, I believe that all border policies must be determined according to the situation. When Taizu founded the country, he considered long-term inheritance. However, as your Majesty said, there is a suspicion that the King of Sai has become too powerful and he tends to be conservative. "
"Taizong's northern expedition was due to the remnants of the Northern Yuan Dynasty stirring up people's hearts on the grassland. The five expeditions to Mobei frightened the grassland tribes, which established the prestige of the Ming Dynasty, but also worried about the aggressiveness of the attack."
"The so-called combination of hardness and softness, and Taizong's military prowess, then the kings of future generations will naturally follow the royal way and combine offense and defense. This is the foundation of adhering to the legacy of Taizu and Taizong and achieving long-term peace and stability."
