To be fair, after answering and pondering, Wu Di thought that the questions in the palace examination were not too difficult.
The first question is about the territory of the Ming Dynasty. If you get the answer wrong, you can't blame others. Moreover, the prince has already revealed five regions. If you add the chief secretaries, you will get full marks.
The second question asked about Chengzu's Northern Expedition. Some candidates were completely unaware of such a major event. They could only say that they had been idle, neglecting their studies, and leaving serious matters behind. They regretted it only after the imperial examination.
The three questions were designed to test the mental arithmetic ability of the on-campus students. Wu Zong tried combinations one by one. After spending some time, he finally got the answer. Presumably other candidates can also use this method.
The fourth question involves taxation, titled "What types of taxes should the court currently collect, and what percentage of each tax should be collected. The type of tax payable must be stated and the relevant reasons must be stated."
By setting the questions in this way, the prince can easily find out the candidates' attitude towards the court's taxation and the backers behind them, which will be of great reference value for future appointments.
Now all the discerning people in the court can see that the key to whether the Ming Dynasty can exterminate the bandits and even clean up the Eastern captives lies in taxation, which is a top priority.
As long as the annual income can be significantly increased and there is sufficient silver as a basis, even if the prince supervises the country, he can easily mobilize various people and expand the army to prepare for war.
Without money, rebuilding the country or even reviving the Ming Dynasty is just a daydream, with no hope at all.
According to the most conservative estimates by officials from the Ministry of War, just recovering Liaodong would cost no less than 50 million taels of military pay!
If it lasts for a long time, ten years or even longer, I'm afraid it will break through the 100 million mark!
Liaodong's military expenditure now reaches more than five million taels per year, and this is only the cost when it only defends but does not attack.
Once the army is dispatched, the money and food consumed will inevitably double. Ten million taels per year is only consumption under the most ideal conditions.
If there is a big defeat like the Battle of Saarhu, a huge amount of 10 million taels will be lost at one time.
The previous annual income of the imperial court was only fifteen million taels at its peak. This humiliating defeat was absolutely unbearable.
During the period when the prince was supervising the country, the fiscal revenue began to be abundant, but the loss of so many soldiers and horses at once would catch the whole court by surprise.
Even so, compared with the fifth question, the fourth question is just a small matter.
The fifth question asked the candidates, "The Donglu have invaded and plundered five times. Now the plague is rampant in the north and everything is in ruins. Some people suggest that the capital be moved to Nanjing in order to ensure Wanmin's peace and long-term peace. What is the solution to this strategy?" 》
Every time the Qing army entered the pass, the Ming army stationed in various parts of the north had to come to serve the king, which cost a huge amount of money and food. The biggest drawback was to dispatch the troops to suppress the invaders to aid Jifu.
The main force of the Ming army gathered in the Jifu area, but it was still impossible to guard against it. The Qing army still adopted the tactics of avoiding the real and attacking the weak, and was so powerful that it destroyed cities and villages one after another, looted treasuries, and robbed people and livestock, causing extremely serious losses to various parts of the north.
Every time the Qing army entered the customs, the North would suffer a catastrophe. After five catastrophes, the tax revenue in the northern chief ministers' territory had ceased to exist in name only. Except for the main cities and prefectures, the people in other places had already become wandering people, begging for food. Spend the day.
Although moving the capital is suspected of being cowardly, it is still a strategy to move in. Stick to the south of the Yangtze River and use the Huaihe River as a barrier. It is also like the Southern Song Dynasty. After losing ground on the battlefield, it can retreat to Lin'an or Hangzhou, and its political power will still be there. It lasted for more than a hundred years.
Nowadays, the only enemy in the north is the Donglu, whose strength is far inferior to the danger posed by the three old enemies of Jin, Menggu, and Xixia during the Southern Song Dynasty. Therefore, moving the capital to Nanjing is nothing more than a way of recuperating and recuperating by retreating into advancement.
Emperor Taizu Gao made Nanjing the capital at the beginning of this dynasty. It was only after the Jingnan that Emperor Chengzu moved the capital to the capital. Moving south again did not violate the ancestral precepts, but was in line with Emperor Taizu Gao's wishes.
There are many advantages to moving the capital to Nanjing. Firstly, it can greatly reduce the pressure on water transportation. The emperor took his imperial concubine and tens of thousands of entourage to the south. Water transportation no longer needs to transport large quantities of grain to the capital, which can directly reduce the loss during transportation.
Secondly, Nanjing and Donglu are thousands of miles apart. Even if Donglu enters the pass again, it will not pose any threat to the capital. The court can organize defense more calmly and avoid large-scale losses of troops and generals.
Thirdly, the emperor's presence in Nanjing can also more effectively control the taxes in the Jiangnan area, especially those merchants who have been evading taxes for many years. Under the thunderous attack, the annual income will surely rise.
These three major benefits are not available in Beijing. Any savvy candidate will think that as long as they write it down, they can get more than half of the points.
Wu Di also thought that the prince would use this question to test the courtiers' opinions on moving the capital. If there was no strong opposition from everyone, the prince might really move the capital south to temporarily avoid the attack of the Eastern invaders.
Regarding the matter of moving the capital, it is natural that benevolent people have different opinions and wise people have different opinions. No matter how you argue, there will be corresponding reasons. He should think twice before making remarks to avoid speaking the truth.
There are seven questions in this imperial examination. Questions one to four are worth ten points each, questions five to seven are worth twenty points each, and the full score is one hundred points. Wu Di doesn't know who can get more than eighty points.
If he can get ninety points, he will definitely be a highly talented person and will be put into great use by the prince.
Especially the sixth question, which is extremely mentally demanding and cannot be filled in by ordinary people!
After Wu Yan finished writing, he sat there for a long time. He felt that he was not very satisfied with his answer to the sixth question. He was still thinking about better content. He didn't know what the prince's standard answer was, and whether he could secretly follow the way of the dragon. .
The last question seemed to be the simplest, but it was actually a trap. Others were kept in the dark. Wu Zong seemed to have a deeper and more transparent view. The prince would not ask such a question for no reason, even if it was just to give points to the candidates.
After many candidates have explained that "Heaven moves vigorously, and a gentleman strives to constantly strive for self-improvement," the prince may ask if he can be an official as explained. Of course, the candidates will agree wholeheartedly.
If one day in the future the incident comes to light because of personal enrichment, the Metropolitan Procuratorate will use this examination paper to compare what he has embezzled, and will sentence a certain former examinee to the crime of deceiving the emperor.
The examination paper was written in black and white and required signatures and fingerprints. It was exactly the same as the way the prince used to deal with the nobles. Although Wu Di only listened to Xue Guoguan's narration, he could generally guess what happened at that time.
Maybe there is no need to bother the Metropolitan Procuratorate far away in the capital. If something goes wrong, Shaanxi Governor Zuo Maodi, who has the power to kill first and report later, can take action directly. Afterwards, he can just write down the ins and outs and report to the prince.
By the time Wu Yan finished answering the test paper consciously, a certain prince was almost done with it.
In order to help Zuo Maodi realize his original intention of suppressing Shaanxi as soon as possible, Yaoji decided to allocate him no less than two hundred officials.
Half of the palace examinations are completed, and the other half are allocated by each yamen. On average, each yamen only has a dozen or so people.
This is not a big deal. The real obstacle is that Jifu officials do not want to go to Shaanxi to take office, and everyone has this idea, which makes Zuo Maodi, who is ambitious, find it difficult to move forward.
The solution to this problem is that a certain prince decided to grant amnesty to those who had embezzled relatively small amounts of money and let them go to Shaanxi to perform meritorious service. If they dared to return to their old business, they would be punished with the same crime.
It is not difficult to pick out a hundred of the nearly a thousand moths with minor crimes. After escaping, many of them will choose to wash their hands in the golden basin for the sake of their families. Even some of them will be cautious. Be careful.
Sun Chuanting brought good news. Han Rui, the deputy general of the Fifth Army Camp, was caught up and killed by the Qin army in Yangcun, south of Wuqing, while he was trying to escape. His body has been sent to the Ministry of War for record.
Ma Xu, the general guarding Tianjin, reported that Bachu Wang and Liu Liangzuo led their troops in an attempt to seize the ship and escape. After a fierce battle, the defenders shot Bachu Wang dead in one fell swoop and wiped out more than a thousand enemies. Liu Liangzuo fled with the remaining troops and his whereabouts are unknown.
At this point, the six lieutenants of the three major battalions have been killed, most of the troops have become the results of the battle between the Yongwei Battalion and the Qin Army, and the remaining ones are no longer frightened, and there is nothing to fear.
On the other hand, "Hua Ma Liu" had better luck and escaped. However, as long as he did not board the ship and go to sea, he would have difficulty surviving in Jifu and even the Shandong area in the face of the officers and soldiers who went to pursue him.
Sun Chuanting has ordered the Qin army to repeatedly search and sweep the remnants of the Beijing camp in the area around Jifu. Before going south to suppress the bandits, they can eradicate this scourge for His Royal Highness and restore the peace of the past to the capital.
Regarding the disbursement of silver rewards, Yaoji asked Li Shiwen, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, to communicate directly with Sun Chuanting and Huang Degong, eliminating the need for the Ministry of War to be an intermediate link, so as to avoid delaying the official business by those who enrich themselves.
Theoretically, it's ten taels of silver on the front of a soldier from the Beijing camp. If there is only a naked corpse, it cannot be cashed. Who knows if he will be defrauded of two silver rewards.
Under the pressure of Sun Chuanting, who had made a lot of gains, the generals of the Qin army did not care too much about it, because the generals' money was not calculated based on their gains. The prince had his own share for them, so there was no need to compete with ordinary soldiers for rewards. silver.
A total of nearly a thousand people were arrested in various yamen. Faced with requests from all directions to fill the vacancies, the officials were now at their wits' end. Du Yinxi had no choice but to come to the prince to ask for orders. If the vacancies were not filled as soon as possible, the court might be paralyzed.
It's not a big deal. Yaoji's solution is first, to release a group of officials who were wrongly convicted by the scapegoat from the prison of the Ministry of Punishment.
For example, Yan Jizu, the governor of Shandong who was reinstated, did not commit any capital crimes. The arrest of King De by the pigtails had little to do with him. He was just arrested and executed because he wanted to take the blame for Yang Sichang. He was a veritable scapegoat.
The second is to recall officials who have been dismissed or have returned to their hometowns for business. A famous painter like Wang Duo who will seek refuge in the pigtails in the future, if we don't bring him back, how can we "click" his head off smoothly?
Isn't it great to draw this kind of dog that eats the inside and outside? If you kill each one, you will lose one. Then go down to the underworld as soon as possible and paint a portrait of Lord Yama!
Those guys who want to buy an official position can be received by Xue Guoguan. After filling the vacancy, they can find an opportunity to have sex together. This can not only solve Yinxi's urgent need, but also make the father-in-law and son-in-law make a lot of money. Why not? Why not?
It will be enough to add another one or two hundred people to the staff after passing the palace examination. These newly promoted officials have little work experience, but they are full of energy. It is a great gift to be an official in Jifu. Anyone who is disobedient will be transferred. Go to Shaanxi.
Roughly five to six hundred people can be eliminated for Du Yinxi. Even if it can't be filled one-on-one, it doesn't matter. Anyway, a certain prince has already raised the salaries of the courtiers, so it is time to reduce the number of people and increase efficiency...
Regarding the design of the new city, Yaoji felt that he would have to slowly study it with Zhang Guowei, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, and let him come up with a master plan for Shandong. The details could be left to his subordinates.
The small town of 500,000 taels is familiar to the big city of 5 million taels. Of course, it is easy to see that Zhang Guowei has to focus on this huge new city despite his busy schedule.
All the prince's requests and suggestions must be implemented, because the prince has solved the most difficult problem of city construction funds, and the rest of the work must be completed by the Ministry of Industry. The prince must not be disappointed.
Regarding the details of the Western Bastion, Zhang Guowei is still referring to the many architectural books brought by armed warlocks from thousands of miles away, especially those on military aspects.
The bastions of various countries also have their own characteristics and differences. Zhang Guowei also needs to compare them, select the best and imitate them, and achieve the expected results while reducing the cost as much as possible.
This also gave him a new understanding of the Western defense facilities of the same period in the process of learning. In comparison, similar fortresses in the West have stronger structures and stronger resistance to invasion than those of the Ming Dynasty.
The prince's request is not unreasonable. With the same amount of money, it is natural to build a Western-style bastion with higher defensive capabilities. If all the outer walls of the new city can be built into bastions, the new city will be indestructible and the emperor can rest easy.
"Okay, the political affairs have been dealt with. You can relax for a while. It won't be too late to leave the palace after dinner! I have a game from the fairy world. Let me share it with you!"
Sui An, who is in charge of the Yin Shou Supervisor, has not only completed a pair of mahjong, but if he completes one after so many days, his official title will really be lost.
Knowing that none of the deputy generals of the Beijing camp survived, Yaoji was in a good mood and decided to play mahjong for fun. He asked Yang Jinchao to change to a table specially used for playing mahjong. The silk tablecloth had been laid out, and the box for holding the cards was just Bit.
"This game is not much different from 'Ma Diao Ye'. I wonder which of the four beloved ladies have volunteered. They think their Ma Diao skills are good and dare to compete with their colleagues? I will give each family one hundred taels of silver. I will use it later." Before the meal, if you win, it’s yours, if you lose all your money, you’ll have to change someone else!”
Not many people carried heavy money with them when attacking, so a certain prince gave each of the seed players a hundred taels of capital, which was considered entertaining and educational.
Everyone was eager to try it out after hearing this, but they still felt a little unsure about playing openly in front of the prince.
After much thought and calculation, the final ones to fight were Hong Chengchou, Xue Guoguan, Zuo Maodi, and Li Shiwen!
The level of this group of players was much higher than that of Hou Di. Yaoji just spoke briefly and concisely, and they understood almost everything.
After throwing the dice, the first one turned out to be Xue Guoguan, the first assistant.
Sun Chuanting, Zhang Guowei, and Du Yinxi were watching the battle behind them. Seeing this, Wu Gang stopped thinking about the test questions and came to join in the fun.
Among them, Zuo Maodi was the youngest. Yaoji originally thought that he would make a mistake, but he didn't expect that he would fight in a measured way.
Xue Guoguan was not good at managing politics, but he was an expert at playing this game. He was a high-ranking player among the courtiers.
Li Shiwen, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, is good at calculation. He must plan ahead for any cards he plays to avoid giving gifts to his subordinates.
Among the four, Hong Chengchou is the smartest. Although he has just played and is a bit unfamiliar with the concubines who started fighting in the morning, he will not easily defeat Zhang.
In order to mobilize the enthusiasm of the players, a certain prince set the compensation standard as five taels, ten taels, fifteen taels, and twenty taels, so as not to worry that they would not have fun.
