This February, so many people came to Beijing. Not only was the emperor busy, the cabinet was also busy, and all the government offices in Beijing were even busier.
What Gu Renyi encountered could also be seen by others.
"The national treasury and internal funds combined exceed 10 million taels of silver. Zhejiang will also ship at least 4 million taels of silver this year. The total amount is 15 million taels of silver, which can be made up."
Peng Ze, who was transferred to the governor of Henan last year, had served as an inspector in Zhejiang. He naturally knew something about Mei Ji's "crazy" in Zhejiang and the huge profits of maritime trade.
"...But the imperial court had so much money, but the Ming Dynasty was still full of hungry people. Sichuan and other provinces were hit by disasters, let's not talk about it. Henan was not a good year for tourists, and there were even people begging along the way in the North Zhili area. Mr. Ge, how will Your Majesty discuss this year’s great court meeting? Do you have anything to say?”
Peng Ze is a Qingliu official, upright and has a reputation for integrity.
Back in Zhejiang, he and Wang Qiong didn't get along, and they had many quarrels. Later he was transferred to Henan, and his official position was quite stable. Moreover, within this stability, there was also a bit of fighting spirit. Although this person was a frail scholar, his methods were tough.
In today's trend where the emperor's favor is more and more favored by local officials, Peng Ze can occupy a place because of the three words of honesty, stability and toughness.
As a Qingliu official, he still prefers traditional cabinet bureaucrats on the whole.
In any case, the emperor supported Liu Jian and firmly maintained the positions of Li Dongyang and Xie Qian, which shows that they still have weight in the emperor's heart. The emperor sometimes used theirs.
In addition to Peng Ze, there was also Wu Hou, governor of Baoding.
Wu Hou, whose courtesy name was Wenfu, was the second Jinshi in the second class in the 14th year of Chenghua. He was in the same class as Liang Chu, the current Minister of Civil Affairs, and Liang Chu was the first in the second class. Later, he went to the Hanlin Academy... to edit, compile, and serve as lecturers for bachelor's degree. This was probably how they got through it.
The official position of the Governor of Baoding is naturally inferior to that of the Minister of Civil Affairs.
This is the difference between going to the East Palace or not. Liang Chu served as a Xian Ma in the East Palace, and his status was an official of the East Palace. It will naturally be different when the new king succeeds to the throne.
However, the governor of Baoding was in charge of Baoding Prefecture and more than 50 counties in six prefectures, and he was a proper feudal official.
"The imperial court wants to withdraw from the people and herdsmen, but the order is not the same. In the past, both officials and civilians had to understand the difficulties of the imperial court. But what about this year? Baoding Prefecture has withdrawn, but Zhending Prefecture and Hejian Prefecture have not withdrawn. If the people get into trouble, I, the governor, will not be able to save my head. I finally saved some money, but someone wants to launch a large-scale military campaign."
Wu Hou's expression was extremely sympathetic, "I, the official of the Ming Dynasty, really don't care about the life and death of the people?"
"Have you two reported your duties to His Majesty?"
Peng Ze and Wu Hou were in the same situation, queuing up.
Peng Ze said: "I am tomorrow. At that time, I will definitely explain the matters here to Your Majesty!"
"Okay. I'll go with Brother Jiwu."
Li Dongyang and Xie Qian could not deny their statements. Even they felt that this year's situation meant that the court really wanted to benefit the people. Otherwise, how can these people be worthy of the common people in the world?
The issue is……
Lin Han, the Minister of Rites, who was also here, said: "However, Yang Zengrong's memorial was retained. Perhaps your Majesty is also considering the plan to expedition to Tatar in the second year of Zhengde. Your Majesty has lofty aspirations and is an extraordinary king. Since ancient times, , It can be seen that such a talented and strategic monarch wants to make martial arts a national policy.
When it comes to complex matters, the matters of people and animal husbandry mentioned by Wu Zhongcheng are the most important. First, if the people and herdsmen retreated quickly, the number of horses would inevitably be greatly reduced. At this time of campaigning against the Tatars, will Your Majesty really agree to Wu Zhongcheng's request? Secondly, the troops and horses have not moved, and the food and grass go first. No matter how much silver the imperial court has, it will not last long if it is used to expand the army and prepare for war. The savings of the Han family for sixty years were enough for Emperor Wu to attack the Xiongnu in the north. Although our Ming Dynasty has increased its financial resources, this is what it is after all. How can a few years of hard work compare to the great Han Dynasty under Wen Jingzhi? "
What Lin Han said is exactly the crux of the matter at the moment.
There are different ways to make concessions that benefit the people. Even when it comes to people and herding, profit is secondary, and the key is horses.
Peng Ze clenched his fists in his sleeves, "In this case, I will send a memorial to your majesty to temporarily stop the troops. They can change the three-year re-fighting to two-year re-fighting. Why can't we change the three-year re-fighting to two-year re-fighting?" Five years or eight years to get back together? Your Majesty loves the people like a son and is by no means a cruel king. The people's lives have improved, the Ming Dynasty has become rich and powerful, and it's time for the barbarians from all over the world to submit!"
Xie Qian raised his eyes and said, "If His Majesty's will can be changed, Duke Xixian would have changed it long ago. Why do you need it now? The emperor's will can only be fought for, not forced. Jiwu, you still need to be more capable. "
Xie Qian is a senior in private and a superior in public. This sentence can still be said.
No matter how angry Peng Ze was, he could only tilt his head and snort, but he didn't dare to refute.
Li Dongyang sat like a dead tree for a long time, and finally said: "Yu Qiao's words still have some truth. The emperor's will cannot be forced. It is easy to break, and the impulse will become the beauty of others. Some people even wish to do so. We have a quarrel with the emperor. Only then will the real harm be done to the people.
As for the matter itself...it is true that the Emperor loves the people. We all have our own opinions and reasons, and His Majesty will not completely ignore it. "
This is the cabinet's understanding after years of struggle with the emperor.
To put it bluntly, you have to smooth the emperor’s hair. The more you want to achieve your goals, the more you have to do this.
Don't even think about using the words of a saint or the way of a wise king to frame him.
How many times...
It’s not certain who will frame whom in the end.
So let’s see what the emperor says during the court meeting.
As for this year's Great Court Meeting, we have already had previous experiences. All arrangements will be much smoother. And it doesn’t seem like they were as concerned about issues as they were last year.
It is more about the personnel and financial flows behind the issues.
But no one really has these two things written on their face. Power and money appear in the guise of issues.
As for the topic itself, whether it's complex, river construction, the city that never sleeps, etc., it's basically the same thing.
The key to everything lies in how the emperor decides.
If you can win the emperor's "vote", you will be promoted and allocated funds.
If the emperor doesn't agree with you, then it's basically all for nothing.
This pattern also has its own problems. For example, no one cares about the issue itself, but instead cares most about the "highest intention."
But how can I put it, this situation was created by Zhu Houzhao with all his efforts, using various means, and painstaking efforts.
It can even be said that it started in the eleventh year of Hongzhi.
This is the inevitable result of concentration of power.
But it was okay in the hands of Zhu Houzhao, because his "highest intention" could be said to be for the country and the people.
Yang Zengrong analyzed the importance of the word situation in his memorial. Sometimes, to accomplish something, personal preparation is important, but it may be more important to look up and see what is happening around you.
Could the Ming Dynasty just sit back and watch the outcome of Mongolia's left and right wings?
And if we don’t fight this year, we will continue to allocate large amounts of funds next year.
Calculating the accounts this way, I can’t actually say which one is better.
But military and national affairs are never so easy to decide.
Maybe Du Weiren secretly thought about what to do if he failed, let alone an ordinary person like him.
But Yang Zengrong's memorial was retained, which suddenly touched the hearts of many people.
Wang Bing, Minister of the Ministry of War, felt that he had touched a hint of holy meaning.
He had long wanted to promote a change in the cabinet, but the emperor was very politically sensitive, and any response would negate his arrangements.
So he had tried several times, until he changed his mind this time and finally got a shot.
It also made him think highly of Yang Zengrong.
"Your Majesty kept your memorial, presumably because he wanted to complete the retelling in advance."
"If this is really the case, I will congratulate Da Sima in advance."
"how do I say this?"
"In this year's situation, all localities and government offices will ask for money from the emperor. The most powerful among them is the cabinet."
"Why?" Wang Bing asked this, which seemed to mean he was taking a test.
"Because the general trend is like this. These officials are originally eyeing the money of the imperial court, and this year His Majesty has the intention to spend money. Officials from all over the country who come to Beijing are running for connections. Apart from the emperor, the biggest connection is the cabinet. And these officials want money. The reasons must be legitimate, and the cabinet cannot and will not refuse."
Wang Bing smiled slightly,
This Yang Zengrong is indeed somewhat clever.
He actually expressed what he was thinking.
Last time, he broke up with Mr. Li Ge and Mr. Xie Ge on bad terms, and he became even more disapproving of the two of them.
As the emperor and the courtiers, we can't just ask these people to sit down slowly in that seat, right?
The point is that the cabinet itself had some 'political rifts' with the emperor.
You can't blame anyone else.
If he doesn't take advantage of him today, he will be taken advantage of by others tomorrow. In this case, why should we give it up to others?
And this crack appeared during this great meeting.
When Wang Bing began to feel the atmosphere of "reaching out to the court" to ask for money, he keenly realized that he could dig this hole for the cabinet. As Yang Zengrong said, if you want money now, the reason will be very legitimate.
After all, this is the second year of Zhengde's reign. Is there still a fool who would suggest that the emperor build a palace? Local officials already have performance pressure, and the emperor loves the people, so of course he wants money for the sake of the people!
And when such a request is made, the cabinet really cannot refuse it.
"Speaking of which, I have no choice but to do it."
Yang Zengrong didn't understand why a dignified Minister of War had any compulsion, "What does the Great Sima mean?"
"Point to the horse." Wang Bing tapped the table with his index finger, his eyes looking very deep.
"The cabinet wants to withdraw Minmu quickly. If this is the case, they can leave their names in history and drink together. But for the remaining horse gaps, the emperor will ask Taipu Temple, which belongs to the Ministry of War. However, a large part of the people and herdsmen are missing. Where can the Ministry of War get these horses? Are you asking me, the minister, to do magic? "
Yang Zengrong nodded with understanding.
But if His Majesty is willing to push for the resumption of the plan in the second year of Zhengde, it will be different, and it can even be said to be completely reversed.
First, in order to prepare for war, the people and herdsmen would not retreat so quickly, so the problem of horses would not arise.
Secondly, the emperor would naturally not give all the money to the cabinet and Qingliu. He would at least leave a large amount for military needs. To be safe, he would also leave money for emergencies. Then the contradiction between the cabinet and the emperor will be highlighted.
Think again about how Liu Jian got there in the first place? It’s not because he opposes the emperor’s sending troops!
According to the emperor's temperament, he can tolerate small things on weekdays, but when it comes to military and national affairs, it doesn't matter whether you are a veteran of the four dynasties or a founding figure, you will still win!
Under that situation, can they still secure their position in the cabinet?
"If Da Sima wants to be on the safe side, it's best to meet someone else."
"who?"
"Yang Yingning."
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(End of chapter)
