After saying goodbye to Gu Bingqian and watching Gu Bingqian leave, Han Xu came over again.
Han Xu and Feng Ziying didn't say anything else, and immediately asked: "Ziying, the White Lotus Sect's influence is spreading in Beizhi and Shandong with alarming momentum. The imperial court must deal with it as soon as possible. It cannot drag on like this. Is there any response from the Ministry of War?" Of the policy?"
Feng Ziying asked back: "Mr. Yu, this is the right time for the Ministry of War to ask your Ministry of Punishment. If the rebellion is triggered by the Ministry of Punishment and the local government's ban on the White Lotus Sect, then the Ministry of War will have its own countermeasures. But now that the Ministry of Punishment has not taken any measures, let's ask the Ministry of War Countermeasures, isn’t this the other way around?”
Han Xu glared at Feng Ziying, and then remembered that this guy now had the same status as him, and was also an important minister qualified to participate in the court meeting, but the departments they represented were different.
"The Ministry of Punishment is naturally considering it, but the scope of involvement is too broad. I am a little worried that it will trigger the large-scale rebellion you mentioned. The situation in Shanxi has not yet completely calmed down, and the talks in Nanjing have not yet been completed. Once turmoil occurs, the Ministry of Household Affairs will It's time to jump." Han Xu said thoughtfully: "It takes a suitable time to solve the problem. In addition, the investigation by the Criminal Department still lacks a little enthusiasm."
"Beizhi and Shandong are the key points, and Shuntian Prefecture, Baoding Prefecture, and Zhending Prefecture are the top priorities. Mr. Yu, if the Ministry of Punishment wants to take action, it must inform the Ministry of War as soon as possible so that we can deal with it." Feng Ziying thought for a moment and said, "You said it would be best to wait until after the negotiations with Nanjing are completed, so that Jiangnan tax and water transportation can enter Beijing smoothly, and we will be more confident."
"Humph, wouldn't that make Nanjing even more proud?" Han Xu sneered. "That doesn't matter, why don't you fight for the moment's leisure." Feng Ziying looked indifferent, since the court had made up its mind to welcome Prince Yi Zhong to the throne. , still care about this?
Han Xu didn't expect this guy to be so naughty, as if he had been immersed in the role of the court for decades. How could a young scholar of his age look down on these situations so lightly?
"You should be open-minded. If we lack the taxes from Jiangnan, will we really not be able to survive?" Han Xu asked.
"That's not the case. Why don't all the cabinet ministers accept my point of view? Now the industrial and commercial tax scale in the North is gradually increasing, so whether it is borrowing from Haitong Bank or issuing national bonds, it is not a problem. It was possible to support the Northwest Army in fighting across the Yangtze River, but it would only add several million taels of debt to the army. But I couldn’t sit still, and I felt like I couldn’t even sleep well, so I said, what are you worried about? None of the creditors are worried, they all believe that the court can afford the repayment, so what should we worry about?"
Feng Ziying curled her lips disapprovingly: "To put it bluntly, the meat rotten in the pot, where did the borrowed money go? Didn't it go to buying grain and firearms, distributing military pay, making clothes, armor and stomachs, and buying donkeys and horses? Carts, this silver is not all circulating within our territory. Instead of letting this silver be buried in cellars by merchants or landowners to become moldy, how can we take it out and circulate it, so that the people can benefit from it, but you guys are just I can’t understand this, what can I do?”
"Ziying, you put it lightly. How can we repay this huge debt? And there is interest, which keeps growing. Won't the court be overwhelmed by the benefits in the future?" Han Xu retorted.
"Mr. Yu, do you know how much the industrial and commercial tax revenue of Yongping Prefecture and Shuntian Prefecture increased in the eleventh year of Yonglong compared with the tenth year of Yonglong?" Feng Ziying asked with a smile.
Han Xu shook his head and said he was unclear.
"In Yongping Prefecture, the increase in the eleventh year of Yonglong was two times that in the tenth year of Yonglong, and the tenth year of Yonglong increased by 3.2 times compared with the ninth year of Yonglong. The ninth year of Yonglong increased seven times compared with the eighth year of Yonglong. Of course, this is in itself Although the industrial and commercial tax base is relatively low, it is enough to explain many problems. It is because Yongping Prefecture has opened the Yuguan port, and has iron ore mining and cement firing in Lulong, Luanzhou and Qian'an. , this scene is repeated in Shuntian Mansion, so the industrial and commercial tax revenue of Shuntian Mansion is also skyrocketing..."
Feng Ziying said calmly: "If there is demand, there will be production, and if there is production and circulation, it means there will be taxes. Iron ore mining, iron refining, and iron tool making alone can not only allow many people to earn wages, but Moreover, it can be transported and sold to pay taxes. Iron smelting, cement production and coal mining alone can generate countless demands, so its industrial and commercial
Taxes will continue to increase..."
Han Xu was slightly moved, but still shook his head: "Ziying, what you said may surge in the short term, but after all, the demand has a certain level, and it will quickly decrease by then..."
"What Yuchengong said is correct, but there will be more other needs to be developed. For example, Yuchengong may know that the potatoes, sweet potatoes and corn that Mr. Xu has tried to plant around Tianjin Wei have achieved great success. Shaanxi has almost played a single-handed role in rescuing the victims. This year, the situation of refugees in Shaanxi has improved significantly. This is due to the improvement of the weather, but the promotion of potato, sweet potato and corn planting has also played a big role. In this regard, Mr. Yu Chen You can learn about the situation reported in Shaanxi through the General Affairs Department. Even if it is a bit exaggerated, it will not be too different." Feng Ziying had already read the report from the General Affairs Department, and it came from the Shaanxi Chief Envoy's Department. The report provided a very detailed report on the harvest status of these types of crops in Xi'an, Yulin, Qingyang, Pingyang, Fengxiang and other places. It was similar to the situation reported by Lian Guoshi, Geng Ruxi, and Zheng Chongjian, and the effect was very good.
"Refugees, disaster victims, and hungry people have always been a lingering haze in our northern Zhou Dynasty. But to solve their problems, we have to fill their bellies. But whether they can eat enough depends on God in the past, but Now the emergence of new crops allows us to see a glimmer of hope, and these crops from outside the region depend on the continuous expansion of sea trade, including the transportation of more things we need from Southeast Asia, and the expansion of sea trade requires more iron and wood. , and more crew members are needed. I just gave a simple example to prove that all of this affects each other. There is no need to worry about how much debt the court will owe. As long as it circulates within our Dazhou territory, more will be produced continuously. Much wealth."
For scholars like Han Xu who have never experienced a market economy, it is indeed difficult to accept or understand Feng Ziying's views, or it may be difficult to accept them in a short period of time.
But Feng Ziying firmly believes that as long as she continues to instill in them, find various opportunities to introduce and explain to them, and supplement it with the results of her own attempts, eventually they will slowly realize these realities, and then gradually accept and apply them. .
Inspired by such enlightenment ideas, I believe that the Zhou Dynasty should be able to enter the budding period of capitalism earlier than the Ming Dynasty, at least not later than Europe. In this way, the Zhou Dynasty, which was still in the period of great exploration, could also become one of the great powers. , and may even be larger than Asia alone.
Feng Ziying still left. The outcome of this discussion could not be reached in an instant, but the two of them still reached an agreement on the issue of the White Lotus Sect.
After the negotiations with Nanjing are over, it is time to consider taking action against the White Lotus Sect. The first ones to bear the brunt are Beizhili, Shuntian Prefecture, Zhending Prefecture, and Baoding Prefecture. These three prefectures are all located in the hinterland of the capital and must be eradicated.
Feng Ziying stayed at the palace gate that night. Xuanwu Gate, Donghua Gate, and Xihua Gate were all closed. No one was allowed in or out, except for the Meridian Gate.
Zhang Jin was stationed by the flag-bearer guard, while Xu Chao led his troops to travel between Xihua Gate, Xuanwu Gate and Donghua Gate to prevent accidents.
By the second day, all the ritual procedures were basically completed. Ye Xiang and the senior officials left the palace, while Gu Bingqian, the Minister of Rites, was left in the palace to deal with the aftermath.
There was not much shock. Perhaps everyone had been mentally prepared for it. Even the people in the capital city had been unable to rule under Emperor Yonglong for so long. The cabinet also maintained the entire court situation, and the Supreme Emperor had not done so for many years. In terms of governance, the impact of his death is minimal.
At least since the death of the Supreme Emperor was announced in "Today's News" and a series of measures taken by the court, it has passed so peacefully, even calmer than imagined.
But Feng Ziying knew that the departure of Emperor Yuanxi marked the end of an era, and even meant that the era of Emperor Yonglong was coming to an end.
What will follow is probably not the era of Emperor Wan Tong that many people imagined, but the real era of cabinet rule.
Of course, during this transition period, Prince Yi Zhong, that is, Emperor Wan Tong, will still compete with the cabinet. The imperial power will not be willing to shrink, but will still struggle, but Feng Ziying is not optimistic.
Until now, the cabinet has already prepared various comprehensive measures to deal with it. The Jiangnan gentry that Prince Yi Zhong relies on is too loose, and Wu Xun's performance is too loose.
The present situation is not satisfactory either. During this period when the imperial court relied on loans from Haitong Bank and the issuance of treasury bonds, it had survived the most difficult southwest rebellion, Shanxi civil unrest, and the joint invasion of Jianzhou Jurchens and Chahar people. Invincible.
It can be said that the longer the delay, the more advantage the imperial court will have. The reason why it accepted Prince Yohitada's peace talks at this time is actually because the cabinet felt that it would make little difference whether Prince Yohitada or Emperor Yonglong's sons would become emperor. Therefore, it is better to accept Prince Yohitada, at least the war can be extinguished a year and a half earlier, so that Jiangnan can pay taxes earlier, water transportation can be restored as soon as possible, and the situation in the north can be stabilized.
The death of Emperor Yuanxi also contributed to the sudden acceleration of negotiations between Nanjing and the imperial court. For both parties, reaching an agreement as soon as possible and restoring the situation to the situation before Yonglong nine years was what all parties expected.
Feng Ziying expected that the negotiations with Nanjing should reach an agreement before the end of July. As for the fate and status of Niu Jizong, Wang Ziteng, Sun Shaozu, and Chen Jixian, there will be an explanation, but this will be temporary.
