Mu Ying and Duke Feng Sheng of the Song Dynasty went to Yunnan to conquer Yunnan. During this battle, Mu Ying served as the vanguard and destroyed Zala Walmi, the commander of the Liang King in the Yuan Dynasty, surrendered to the Duan family in Dali, and pacified Wusa, Dongchuan, Jianchang, and Mangbu. The barbarians and chieftains.
It took only a few months to achieve these many military exploits. When it comes to military merit, it is countless times better than Zhu Su and others who were struggling in Jizhen. At this time, he seemed to be a rising new generation of generals within the Ming Dynasty.
Of course, Zhu Su is not just happy because his brother who is very good to him has achieved great success. More importantly, there are many forests in Yunnan and Guizhou. If he wants to develop the shipbuilding industry in a short period of time, such a natural timber base is absolutely indispensable. .
You know, before lighting up the technology tree of ironclad ships, if you want to build sea ships, you have to have giant trees. With Yunnan, after acquiring Yunnan, the Ming Dynasty had an almost inexhaustible supply of giant trees. With Yunnan, it is equivalent to having the first card in hand to start the Ming Dynasty's Age of Discovery.
Zhu Su could not wait to see the Ming Dynasty's loyal fleet taking the American continent to the east and the Australian continent to the south. Countless Ming caravans dumped countless tea and silk to all parts of the world, allowing all humans on the planet to appreciate the power of Chinese civilization...
However, Zhu Biao soon poured cold water on Zhu Su who was caught up in his imagination:
"Well, it's great to have great victories in both the north and the south, but rewarding the three armies is also a big problem."
"It's not easy for me to be the head of a family. Now that the army is about to return, where can we raise enough silver..."
"...Is the hole in the treasury actually so big?" Zhu Su was stunned.
…
At this time, in the Jinshen Hall, as Zhu Biao said, as the emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang was discussing with several close ministers how to increase the state's use.
Logically speaking, although the imperial court in the early years of Hongwu was in dire straits, it still showed an upward trend. The taxes received by the country were increasing every year, so there should not be such a sudden shortage of funds. That's when the situation arises.
But because of Zhu Su's appearance, Lao Zhu, who was originally quite satisfied with the current development of Ming Dynasty, suddenly felt that time has not waited for us. First, he learned that the Ming Dynasty only had more than two hundred years to live, and that his own Hongwu years had less than thirty years left.
Second, he learned that many of the policies he had formulated were of no benefit to the Ming Dynasty. The national policies such as "military households" and "vassal kings" that he personally formulated have become several huge stones that crushed the vitality of the Ming Dynasty.
Lao Zhu is a person who does everything by himself. Unlike the European emperor who said "I will take care of the floods after I die", he never leaves known problems to future generations.
I can't relax! The Ming Dynasty will die in more than two hundred years!
Therefore, he immediately began to check and fill the gaps for future generations. He wanted to speed up the time to expand the territory and make the cake of Ming Dynasty bigger. Even if his descendants were defeated in times of crisis, they would be able to defeat for a while longer.
I wish I could bring all the lands on the Kunyu Ten Thousand Kingdoms Map under the rule of the Ming Dynasty.
However, at this time, the Ming Dynasty had not even recovered all the old mountains and rivers of the Han and Tang Dynasties. The Beiyuan Dynasty was still watching outside the Great Wall, and the northwest, southern Xinjiang and other places were still not under the control of the Ming Dynasty. However, after taking back Yunnan a few years earlier, Ming Dynasty's finances actually fell into trouble.
This made Lao Zhu suddenly realize: So our foundation in Ming Dynasty is so weak?
My heart is irritable and my complexion is not good-looking. At this time, Lao Zhu sat behind the imperial court with a frosty face, bluffing all the civil servants who originally wanted to impeach Zhu Su into silence.
"Last year Lingbei suffered a defeat, and there were many famines in various places, so we spent a lot of money, so we won't pursue it. This year the weather is good, why can't we use taxes?"
"Don't tell me that the North and South military expenditures are too high. I didn't ask you to come here just to find excuses."
"I don't care about the rest. We will leave this huge family property to you. No matter what, you have to come up with a useful method! It must be given to the court and this mess will be smoothed out immediately! "
Seeing the emperor furious above, the ministers and ministers below were trembling, but no one dared to say a word. They had been worried a lot these days because of their wealth. Although they were looking for excuses at the beginning, they still came up with a few ideas.
However, the Hongwu Emperor above was not only powerful, but also a master who did not rub sand in his eyes. Whether it was to increase taxes on the private sector or reduce military spending, he rejected all suggestions.
At this moment, all the officials could do nothing but hang their heads and act like clay Buddhas in the temple, pretending that they could no longer see or hear.
Lao Zhu became even more angry when he saw the heads of these court officials hanging down. At this moment, he really missed Hu Weiyong. Although Hu Weiyong deceived his superiors and deceived his subordinates, and was powerful and self-absorbed, he was also talented. During the days when he was prime minister, if the court encountered problems, there would always be a resolution in the end.
Unlike these wine-skinned and well-educated poets, they struck hard to prevent the Zhu family from intervening in the Imperial Academy and impeached the fifth Luo Zhi; to solve the problem of the empty treasury of the imperial court, they immediately became obedient.
At this time, most of the cabinet officials who replaced the prime minister were young Hanlins. There is nothing wrong with asking them to draft documents and upload them. But if they are asked to worry about practical matters and give advice on running the country, they are obviously not ready yet...
Over there, Li Shanchang, who had been lowering his eyebrows and lowering his eyes, saw that Lao Zhu was on the verge of breaking out, and thought it was time.
If you come forward at this time, you can not only win the trust of the superiors, but also sell hundreds of officials a favor...
So, he stood up from the chair that Lao Zhu specially gave him to sit on, cupped his hands to Lao Zhu and said, "Thanks to the superior, I have just thought of a way, which may be able to solve the crisis of the national treasury."
"Oh?" Lao Zhu perked up. Sure enough, when it comes to practical matters, you still have to rely on this team of veterans who have followed you all the way. He hurriedly asked Li Shanchang: "Korean Master is indeed our Xiao He! Say it quickly."
"Yes, come on." Li Shanchang said with cupped hands. "I know that the superiors care about the people and are not willing to give more to them."
“But if that’s the case, how can we conjure money out of thin air to supplement the country’s needs?”
"After much thought, there is only one method that was used in the Yuan Dynasty that can solve the shortage of the national treasury..."
"Okay, why beat around the bush, don't we know what you Li Shanchang is capable of?" Lao Zhu laughed and scolded, interrupting Li Shanchang's words to show off his knowledge. "Just say it! As long as it's not an act of rebellion that harms the people, we will definitely reward you!"
"Thank you, sir!" Li Shanchang had a hint of joy in his eyes, and then he said calmly: "The good method that the old minister mentioned is the banknote method that was used in Yuanting!"
"Money method?" Lao Zhu was stunned.
"Yes." Li Shanchang nodded. "I think that as long as I print my Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes, I can permanently relieve the treasury of the imperial court!"
(End of chapter)
