He also has a second intention, which is to completely conquer North Korea.
After the Jiannu were overthrown, they took advantage of North Korea and marched to Fusang.
After all, Fuso and North Korea are only separated by the Korean Strait, which is only more than a hundred miles recently.
The closest Fusang mainland to Daming mainland is Shanghai, which is more than 1,400 miles away.
At this time, if a warship encounters a major emergency across the sea, it is almost equal to the annihilation of the entire army, and supplies are also a big problem.
But North Korea is different. It is more than a hundred miles wide, and warships can arrive in one day. Supply, transportation, retreat, etc. are all guaranteed.
But the biggest problem is the island, which is an unstable factor.
"Mao Wenlong, I hope you can understand the general situation. Seeing that you have made great achievements in containing the slaves and sheltering refugees in the past few years, I will give you a chance to enjoy your old age. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
After Chongzhen muttered something to himself, he returned to the Long case and continued to read the financial expansion statement submitted by Bi Ziyan.
There is no war in the Northeast, and with the power of great victory, it is rare for the Ming Dynasty to enter a relatively peaceful day.
The cabinet and six ministries were complete, and they were all his own people. Even the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue who was most worried was back, so Chongzhen had nothing to worry about.
After the original Hubu Shangshu Guo Yunhou and the new Hubu Shangshu Bi Ziyan took over, they rushed towards Shaanxi non-stop. After the autumn harvest, he had to take advantage of the opportunity to clear the land quickly and be ready to return the land to the people.
It was rare for Chongzhen to have free time. After handling the affairs of the court every day, he would just wander around and take the concubines of the harem on autumn outings.
It seems that he knew that the emperor was annoyed by the etiquette directed at the emperor in the palace, so Wang Chengen did not mention it anymore, as long as there were no problems in the big occasion.
At this moment, he felt that the ancient emperor was really happy.
Such lively days passed by in a blink of an eye, and it was mid-to-late September, and the autumn harvest in various places was also over.
Good news kept coming back to Beijing. Officials from the cabinet and the Ministry of Household Affairs were buzzing about, but everyone was smiling.
In the early morning of this day, after Youben Qiwuben withdrew from the court, Bi Ziyan, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, left the office.
"Your Majesty, after this year's autumn harvest, news came from various places that all taxes have been put into the treasury, totaling 33 million dan, which is 5 million dan more than last year.
If we include what Shaanxi was supposed to collect, it would be about eight million dan more than last year.
The increase was mainly due to the confiscation of grain produced in the fields by many officials, gentry and wealthy merchants in Shanxi who were implicated by the King of Qin, King Dai, King of Jin, and the Eight Great Locust Merchants.
According to His Majesty's request, all the land taxes collected this year are all grain and have been put into storage! "
"good!"
Chongzhen was smiling, but he just didn't want him to be happy. Bi Ziyan looked serious and continued: "Your Majesty, during this autumn harvest, Southern Zhili and Guangdong, Fujian and other provinces did not cooperate with gold flowers and silver, causing quite a stir. ,
I had no choice but to arrest some gentry, wealthy businessmen and officials who were causing trouble, and the matter was settled. Please give me your permission! "
"Jinhuayin? Not cooperating?"
Chongzhen sneered. The so-called gold and silver is because the food loss from the southern provinces to Beijing is only one-tenth, and the water transportation capacity is insufficient.
In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, someone proposed that four stones of grain should be converted into one tael of silver, and the tax money should be paid directly. After excluding what was transported to Beijing and left to Nandu, the remainder was converted into almost one million taels of silver.
It seems like nothing, but based on the current market price, the imperial court is three million shi short of food.
But this grain has been confiscated by the local government and is worth four million taels. Now only one million taels are given to the court, and the local government has embezzled three million taels.
"There are really some people who are not afraid of death!"
"The imperial court has issued an edict that from now on, only grain will be collected unless conversion is necessary. If conversion is necessary, gold and silver shall be converted into the average local grain price in the previous year."
"Those who don't cooperate this time...the wealthy businessmen will be punished double, and the direct descendants of the gentry will not be allowed to take part in the imperial examination for three years. This is the first time, so let's forget it for now.
If there is another time, I will kill them directly! Those who cause trouble will be rewarded with twenty army sticks! "
Chongzhen was really angry. He had worked hard and tried his best to reserve food to deal with the next natural disaster, but now he was still holding back. He really didn't know how to live or die.
"Guo Aiqing, you must ask all government agencies to strictly monitor the granaries! In addition, take advantage of the autumn harvest to continue to purchase the grain stocks from the gentry and wealthy merchants. The Ministry of Household Affairs will buy as much as they sell."
"I obey the decree!"
After Bi Ziyan responded, he added: "Your Majesty, there is still a drought in Shaanxi this year, but because many reservoirs were dug last autumn, snowfall in winter and several rains in spring, all reservoirs are full of water.
In addition, all drought-resistant crops are grown. According to statistics, the soybeans, mung beans, cotton, etc. grown in Xi'an, Fengxiang, and Yan'an Prefecture are basically about 60% of those in previous years.
But the good news is that due to the pressure to return the land to the people, the gentry and wealthy businessmen have lowered the rent for this year, with the lowest being half a percent and the highest no more than 20 percent.
Because the imperial court promised to exchange all the money for grain, overall analysis shows that although there is a severe drought in Shaanxi this year, the surplus grain in people's homes is actually more than during the good harvests in previous years.
It may be a bit bitter, but if you survive for a year, it won’t be a big problem! "
Bi Ziyan's words were very helpless, as natural disasters cannot be changed by manpower.
"Your Majesty, I sincerely request that reservoirs be built throughout the Ming Dynasty and sweet potatoes, corn and other crops be promoted. Judging from Xi'an, Fengxiang and other prefectures, reservoirs play a great role in preventing floods and droughts.
Sweet potatoes are drought-tolerant and have high yields. Although they are not as filling as wheat and rice, they are better in terms of yields. Together with other staple foods, they will reduce staple food consumption! "
“This matter will be led by the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Works, and targets will be set for the chief secretaries of each province. If the northern provinces want to plant wheat, they can wait until the planting is completed before following up.
The southern provinces must move quickly, especially the several major grain provinces such as Shandong, Henan, Jiangxi, and South Zhili.
Tell the people that if they do not participate in the construction of the reservoir, they will not be covered by the court's rescue in the event of a natural disaster. If the gentry and wealthy businessmen are unwilling to contribute, then they will contribute a hundred times the people's wages! "
Chongzhen did not hesitate at all about this matter. This was a great contribution that would benefit future generations for hundreds of years. It was related to the people's rations and must be done.
Not only must it be done, but it must be done as a top priority, and its importance must be ranked before pushing back the establishment of slaves.
The construction of reservoirs and canals was also done intensively in the thirty-four years after the founding of the People's Republic of China.
A total of 80,000 to 90,000 large, medium and small reservoirs have been built, and millions of ponds and dams of various types have been built. Facts have proved that this kind of project is correct.
Although he had not participated in it, reservoirs in some places were still playing an important role until the crossing.
Even if the technology is so advanced in later generations, it will still be useful, let alone this backward agricultural society.
In addition to drought and flood prevention, the most important thing is to improve the climate and optimize the water cycle.
“Not only do we need to build reservoirs and canals, but the Yellow River, Huaihe River, Canal, and Yangtze River need to take advantage of the dry season in winter to clear out the silt when it’s time and reinforce the dams when they need to.
Since there are no more corvees, we will spend the cash and allocate two million taels of silver from the warehouse, and then allocate another one million taels from the internal funds for river control this year. "
Having said this, Chongzhen stood up, walked to the edge of the platform, and stared at the ministers with extremely oppressive eyes.
"I'll say one more thing!"
