In the second year of Zhengde, it was the fourth day of March.
The weather is sunny.
The emperor summoned his ministers to the Fengtian Hall for a grand meeting!
There were hundreds of ministers in Fengtian Hall, standing in three rows.
On the far left are the military attachés, headed by Duke Ying and Duke Cheng. In the middle are the capital officials, with the six ministers and nine officials in the front, and on the far right are the local governors.
There are three people in the first row in the middle, cabinet ministers Li Dongyang, Xie Qian, and Yang Yiqing.
In the second row are nine chief officers of the six departments and nine ministers.
The third row is the ministers of various ministries, and they stand behind their ministers one by one. Behind them are the Yuanwailang, Langzhong and the chief.
The local governors were headed by Wang Hao, followed by the four governors of the North and South Zhili, and then the governors and chief envoys of other provinces.
It can be said that the core group of rulers of the Ming Dynasty were here.
"In the first year of Zhengde, the court set seven topics, most of which could not be completed in one year, such as complex construction, river engineering, and military affairs. Therefore, I do not plan to make any big changes in this year's topics. The intention is that the government's governance must continue Continuous and long-term success, some things in the world are urgent, and some cannot be urgent. As for this year, the court will put more effort into complexes and river engineering to ensure the stability of summer and autumn taxes throughout the year.
The Ming Dynasty was so big, some places were good and some were bad. I will work with you all to find ways to resolve the bad aspects one by one, but the good aspects cannot become worse. The governors and chief envoys from Shandong, Henan, South Zhili, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shanxi, and North Zhili have also arrived today.
Remember my words, the prosperity of the country and the people of the Ming Dynasty is actually the prosperity of the country and the people of your country under your own autonomy. The imperial court did not increase taxes, nor did it treat the people excessively. I have repeatedly given instructions in your memorials to deal with those who do not treat the people well. Officials who deserve to be killed should be killed without mercy. If there is chaos in these places and the people cause trouble for Ming Dynasty, I will cause trouble for you. "
"I will obey the Holy Instructions!"
There are some provinces that Zhu Houzhao did not mention, such as Huguang, which has a refugee problem at this time. In Guangxi, there are occasional ethnic minority rebellions. Shaanxi is located on the border and faces the Tatars, which is also special. So this is not too much to ask for.
To put it bluntly, it is stable.
"Only when there is a stable situation can there be room for maneuver. As for the rest, I won't say more. The meeting is asking you for advice. You can tell me. I'm here to listen. Mr. Li Ge,"
"I'm here."
"Look, what would be better to discuss first?"
Li Dongyang shook his body and moved forward, "Your Majesty, I believe that governing a country must be based on the four words "act according to one's ability". If we want to discuss this year's major affairs, we must calculate this year's ledger and then spread the business. Then we will As His Majesty said, don't rush, just do as many things as you can."
"What do you think?"
"I second the proposal." Xie Qian followed first.
Then Yang Yiqing and Wang Hao also replied, "I second my opinion."
The four of them said this, and Zhu Houzhao had no other opinions. He flicked his sleeves and said, "Okay, let's settle it. Let's calculate the accounts first. Minister of the Ministry of Revenue?"
The Korean holding tablet came out, "Your Majesty, this year the treasury recorded a total of 4.82 million shi of rice and wheat, 2.6 million shi of wheat and water, 44,000 pieces of silk and cotton, 4,000 pieces of linen, tax silk, agricultural mulberry silk, and human penis. More than 60,000 pieces of silk were donated. Autumn grain was recorded at 24.08 million shi..."
There was no whipping law at this time, so many of the taxes collected were in kind. Listening to Han Shangshu say this, it is like reading an article of 10,000 words, a lot of buzzing.
In general, the grain supply in the first year of Zhengde was about 28.9 million shi, an increase of 400,000 shi from last year, but it still failed to break through the 29 million mark. In the Ming Dynasty, the better years were about this level. Zhengde The first year was still a moderate peak.
Mainly, Zhejiang increased by 300,000, Shandong increased by 80,000 shi, and Beizhili increased by 70,000 shi. Other regions were basically the same or had a slight increase. The reason why it was finally flattened to 400,000 was because some places were decreasing, such as Sichuan. .
"... In addition, this year's investigation of the Lianghuai salt tax case revealed that 8,623,400 taels of stolen silver were confiscated. According to His Majesty's principle of 'go where you come from', the deposited silver is currently placed in the Shaofu and is planned to be spent among the private sector this year. In addition, The Shipping Department of the city has allowed 1.18 million taels of silver to be deposited. According to His Majesty’s decree, this silver tael is used for disaster relief and is currently being sealed.”
This was what the emperor had promised his ministers, and he would set up an admission system for shipping companies in Fujian, and the silver earned would be used for disaster relief. Moreover, disaster relief was disaster relief. Zhu Houzhao never touched a penny, nor did he let anyone else touch it.
After Han Shangshu said these words, many ministers had joy on their faces.
The Ming Dynasty's treasury also began to have 'surplus grain'!
However, there is nothing to do with the treasury. One-third of these taxes must be used for salary payments, and one-third must be given to the vassals of the world. The remainder is due to the cancellation of the Kaizhong Law and merchants no longer transport grain to the frontiers, so there is still Some of it must be allocated to the border areas for military pay.
These expenses are fixed. Unless the tax suddenly changes from 28 million to 56 million, it is unlikely that there will be much surplus food. But it’s very difficult. No matter how powerful Zhu Houzhao is, he can’t produce things like hybrid rice and chemical fertilizers. The productivity is here.
But in addition to the treasury, there is another item.
It is also something that many people are concerned about.
That's the palace.
The emperor still had more than 4 million taels of silver left in his internal funds, but the key lies in how much silver the imperial merchants and the weaving bureaus in Hangzhou, Suzhou and other places transferred to Beijing.
Because it was at the level of one million taels, there were too many boxes and it was impossible to hide it. Therefore, all the ministers knew that there was money, but they were not sure how much.
Generally speaking, internal funds mean that the emperor wants to separate his own money from the treasury.
But when it comes to Emperor Zhengde, he is upright and upright. Even the money from internal funds is not used for himself, so this account is not hidden.
It's just that the reason for asking the emperor to spend money must be sufficient, otherwise the emperor will be taken advantage of.
But no matter what, this money, like the national treasury, is still used for the national economy and people's livelihood.
"That's about it for the treasury's accounts. But you all must also know that the first year of Zhengde was the first year of opening up the sea. The maritime trade of the imperial merchants was very profitable, Liu Jin,"
"Yes." The great eunuch took a step forward and announced openly, "According to reports from the imperial merchants and local weaving bureaus, in the first year of Zhengde, due to His Majesty's policy of opening up the sea, the shipping companies in the three cities all opened up sea trade, with a total of The total amount of silver handed over is 5.0258 million taels!"
As soon as the numbers came out, everyone in the room was shocked.
Liu Jin rolled it up directly, "Fortunately, Your Majesty insisted on opening the sea against all opinions and actions, and that's why we have the Ming Dynasty's wealth rolling in today! Your Majesty is truly the wise king of all ages!"
He said this, and everyone else didn't express his disapproval either. The Fengtian Hall was filled with words of praise for the saint.
Zhu Houzhao looked at their surprised expressions and felt that it was a good thing he didn't listen to you people.
As for that number, it's also quite interesting. He nodded at 500, which is because he put his thought into it. He would never have a number like 498, so he just spent some money to get it together. Otherwise, you will miss a step.
In total, Zhu Houzhao now has more than 17 million silver coins at his disposal.
The numbers are huge, but in the past two years alone, more than 7 million taels of silver have been harvested from overseas. Adding in the previous years, basically more than 10 million taels have flowed directly into the Ming Dynasty from overseas.
At this time in the Ming Dynasty, there was still a shortage of silver. Although this was only for the royal family and the private inflow of silver was not counted, there was still no problem in the short term.
No matter how poor the Ming Dynasty was, it was at least large enough to afford food.
This account has been basically settled.
Zhu Houzhao said: "Don't be too cruel. Leave me a small treasury for emergencies. Even ordinary people know how to prepare food for emergencies. As for other things, I am not stingy, but no matter how much I save, Silver cannot be spent excessively, let alone extravagance and waste. This is the first point. In addition, the Ming Dynasty is so big, if you really need silver, ten million taels is not enough. So the priority is that none of you have If you want money, don't feel resentful. I also wish I had ten million taels, and then each of you governors will receive 5 million taels."
Some of the courtiers couldn't help but laugh. The emperor's words were actually a bit playful.
"For this last point, I spent the money from the imperial court. I will go and check it out. The reason has been mentioned before. The Ming Dynasty is not rich. I give you the money I squeezed out to make you spend it effectively. If I find out, who has embezzled this money... The cabinet, the six ministries and nine ministers, the court nobles, and local dignitaries are all here today, and the ugly words are ahead.
On that day, when I want to chop off someone's head, no one will be allowed to intercede. Even if you ask, I won’t give you face. So, if I really get this money, I don’t know whether I will be happy or sad. "
Many of the emperor's lines were like those of upright ministers, which made them somewhat speechless and even confused in their roles... Who was persuading whom? It was usually the ministers who advised the emperor to be frugal and love the people.
"Your Majesty." Li Dongyang came out to speak again, "Now that the accounts have been cleared, I think we can discuss this year's affairs. I have thought about it. Among the many issues, the only one that is called a national policy is also related to the lives of millions of people in the border areas. The strategy of life is rough, so it may be possible to discuss the restoration early. Last year at this time, the court set a three-year strategy for the restoration, that is, the first year of suppression, the second year of blockade, and the third year of restoration. In this way, this year should be a blockade. "
This sounds very nice, but Wang Bing, the Minister of War, has already begun to murmur. The elder's idea is probably to allocate another one million taels for complex sets this year.
After all, we only had this kind of money for the war last year. How much more can we get this year?
But what about the more than ten thousand taels of silver left? how to do?
When he mentioned this Zhu Houzhao, he suddenly raised his head and looked around, and asked: "Is the Yongxiebu tribe's Yibula here?"
Forehead……?
Suddenly there was a commotion among the courtiers. Everyone was whispering to each other and looking for this person.
Liu Jin, who was above, was also a little panicked, "Your Majesty, the Great Council did not ask for any dissent..."
Zhu Houzhao stared at him.
Liu Jin sweated on his forehead, "...I have neither invited nor assassinated the leader."
"It's okay. If you haven't been invited, ask someone to invite them. The Yongxiebu tribe has surrendered to the Ming Dynasty. How can its leader not participate in the discussion of reinstatement?"
"Your Majesty." The British Duke Zhang Mao was a little concerned, "It's not like he is a Tatar. The meeting involves the most important affairs of our Ming Dynasty. Shouldn't it be better for him to avoid it?"
Zhu Houzhao shook his head. In a powerful era, one must have an inclusive mentality. He said firmly: "Go and invite us. Since we have agreed to advance and retreat together on the battlefield, what should we do to prevent it? Besides, Yong Xiebu must be involved in the complex. Why can’t it be announced?”
On the grassland, strength is respected. He just wanted to let the Tatar leader see that the Ming Dynasty was no longer the Ming Dynasty in the past. Being powerful means controlling millions of strings, and being a wise ruler and a wise minister. Power is the answer to everything.
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(End of chapter)
