Chongzhen made the final calculation in his mind.
There is a total shortfall of more than 900,000 silver in the salary arrears of the three major battalions, the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division, the Forbidden Army, the Jinyi Guards, Dongchang and Tangtong.
Regardless of Wu Sangui's words, he would have to prepare at least 1.5 million taels of silver. Part of it was used as a reward for silver, part of it was used as food and salary, and the rest was used to recruit soldiers.
"Wang Cheng'en, bring the account books of the household and internal funds!" Chongzhen ordered.
Wang Chengen did not dare to neglect and personally handed the account book to Chongzhen.
Opening the slightly old account book, Chongzhen flipped through the pages. The further back he turned, the faster he turned. When he turned to the last page, Chongzhen suddenly gave birth to an evil fire.
He threw the account book to the ground with a snap, sat on the dragon chair and gnashed his teeth.
In the majestic Ming Dynasty, the national inventory of silver was only 3,000 taels of gold and 10,000 taels of silver.
Converted into silver, the total is only 40,000 taels!
forty thousand! ! !
If you search the house of any official of third rank or above in Beijing, the property confiscated will exceed 40,000 yuan.
He knew that the treasury had been in deficit since the Tianqi Dynasty.
If the court has no money, the country will come to a standstill. Emperor Tianqi had no choice but to use the money from his internal funds.
Fortunately, Emperor Tianqi has Wei Zhongxian, and he has ways to make money.
The results of it?
After Chongzhen came to power, Wei Zhongxian was beheaded!
He is confused!
Be it Wei Zhongxian or the Donglin Party, whoever is in power will be corrupt.
Sooner or later, the money embezzled by Wei Zhongxian belonged to the emperor, and the money embezzled by the Donglin Party was put into his own pocket.
Chongzhen picked up the internal money account book and looked through it.
The national treasury is 40,000 taels of silver and the internal funds are 160,000 taels.
That adds up to two hundred thousand taels of silver.
No wonder Chongzhen did not dare to move south in history. He was afraid that the soldiers would mutiny due to lack of pay on the way south!
Looking at the cold numbers, Chongzhen's heart gradually became cold.
The anger in his chest slowly condensed and turned into a cutting knife.
He held the handle of the knife and said angrily: "It's okay to be greedy for money in normal times. Now that the treasury is empty and the court is in danger, they still dare to be greedy! They are looking for death!"
Wu Mengming and Wang Zhixin next to them lowered their heads at the same time, feeling guilty. They knew in their hearts that Chongzhen was angry with the account books on the surface, but actually he was warning them.
Chongzhen looked at the performance of the two of them and felt a little comfort in his heart. Jin Yiwei and Dongchang were his knives. He could make them sharper by banging them in front of them.
He changed the subject and said, "I remember that Commander Wu's son is getting married the day after tomorrow, and Wang Cheng'en prepared a congratulatory gift for me."
Wu Mengming was stunned. The Ming Dynasty was busy with state affairs, and thieves were coming. The emperor, who had everything to do, was still thinking about his son's marriage.
"Your Majesty, I can't bear it!"
"You are my right-hand man, don't push me away anymore."
"Thank you, Your Majesty for your kindness!" Wu Mengming, who was murderous without blinking an eye, knelt on the ground with red eyes.
Chongzhen turned to look at Wang Zhixin: "Wang Zhixin, you are in charge of Dongchang. It's time for the eunuchs under you to take charge."
Wang Zhixin looked confused. He kowtowed first, and then asked cautiously: "Your Majesty, I am scared."
"Afraid? Is it just fear? Du Xun came from your sect. The newspaper said that he was dead, but as far as I know, he and Wang Chengyin surrendered to the enemy!"
Surrender to the enemy?
After hearing this, Wang Zhixin's face changed drastically, and the emperor's words revealed two pieces of news.
One, Du Xun surrendered to the enemy.
Second, Your Majesty obtained the information from other channels.
After the announcement of the Xuanfu yesterday, Jinyiwei and Dongchang learned from their own sources that Du Xun, the former eunuch in charge of the Shangshang Cuisine, committed suicide.
They didn't even find out the information but the emperor found out. This is something that sounds terrifying.
Does the emperor have other intelligence organizations?
The king's heart trembled all over, and he fell on the ground and said, "This slave has misdisciplined me. I beg your majesty to forgive me."
Chongzhen stared at Wang Zhixin fiercely and said nothing.
The king is greedy for money, and although his family fortune is not as high as his honor, it is still a huge sum of money compared to others.
Chongzhen said nothing.
He was thinking about whether to replace Wang Zhixin and Wu Mengming.
Dongchang and Jinyiwei are two knives that need to be polished before killing.
but...
Once there is a substitution, Dongchang and Jinyiwei will be in chaos for a while.
Normally it would be no problem.
Time is running out now, and neither Daming nor he can accept the consequences of chaos.
Seeing that Chongzhen didn't speak, Wang Zhi panicked and said, "I have neglected my duty. I beg your majesty to spare my life."
Chongzhen nodded slightly: "Since you are aware of your sin, I will give you a chance to redeem your sins in the morning."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"You are all my ministers. If you make mistakes, correct them, and if you don't, try to encourage them. The bandits are coming, and you should work together to help me defend against the enemy."
"I obey!" Wu Mengming and Wang Zhixin kowtowed at the same time, but Li Ruolian was the only one who felt a little disappointed when he kowtowed.
Chongzhen saw the performance of the three of them in his eyes, and his plan gradually took shape.
Wu Mengming is fairly fair, but he usually doesn't make up his mind when doing things. He just looks at Dongchang's dishes and does whatever Dongchang does.
Wang Zhixin can and dares to do things, but his weakness is also obvious: he loves money as much as his life.
Li Ruolian is loyal, not greedy for money, and is a trustworthy person.
In this case, Wu Mengming continued to cooperate with Wang Zhixin. They were the emperor's sword and the emperor's gun.
Li Ruolian hides in the dark and does the dirty work.
"Wu Mengming, during the court meeting, you must write down everything that I and the officials said verbatim. If there are any mistakes or omissions, you will be punished!"
"I obey the decree!"
Wu Mengming took out a pen and paper and silently stepped aside.
Not long after, Wang Chengen walked into the side hall and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, you have handed over 20,000 taels of silver to Dingxi Bo Tangtong."
"I understand."
"Li Banghua, the imperial censor of Zuodu, is waiting for orders outside the door!"
"Let him in."
"yes."
After the eunuch finished delivering the message, Li Banghua, the white-haired censor of Zuodu, stepped into the hall.
The cheeks are thin and the back is slightly hunched. Against the backdrop of the old court clothes, he gives people the feeling that he is about to burp at any moment.
While bowing, Li Banghua lowered his head and searched the hall with his eyes.
When he saw Wu Mengming and Wang Zhixin, his heart skipped a beat: It was broken.
If the leader of Jinyiwei and the leader of Dongchang appear at the same time, it's bound to be bad.
Li Banghua swallowed his saliva and said cautiously: "Your Majesty, Li Banghua, is here to meet you."
Chongzhen smiled coldly: "Li Banghua, someone has accused you of forming a clique for personal gain, taking bribes and perverting the law, and deceiving the emperor. Do you know your crime?"
Li Banghua cupped his fists and raised his hands: "Your Majesty, do you have any evidence?"
"Evidence? You entered the official position at the age of twenty-nine and are currently the censor of Zuodu. Your annual salary is less than a hundred taels. Tell me, where did the wealth of ten thousand taels come from?"
"Since the evidence is conclusive, please punish me!" Li Banghua said without fear.
He does not deny corruption, but he cannot be blamed for corruption.
The salaries of officials in the Ming Dynasty were low, and they were already stretched thin. In addition, the treasury has been empty since Chongzhen ascended the throne, and the court has been short of salary and salary from time to time. For the sake of the whole family, even upright officials have to rely on corruption to survive.
As time goes by, the desire slowly grows.
Over time, corruption became prevalent in the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty.
"Criminal? Haha!" Chongzhen sneered, "You are the censor of Zuodu. According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, what crime should you be guilty of?"
Ming law...
Li Banghua shuddered when he mentioned these three words.
If according to the Ming Dynasty law, those who embezzle more than sixty taels will peel off the human skin, fill it with straw, and hang it on a pole to show the public.
"I...death penalty!" Li Banghua was disheartened and prepared to die.
He just hoped that Wu Mengming and Wang Zhixin would be gentler when they did it. These old bones couldn't stand the torment anymore.
"Hey!" Chongzhen sighed, "You are not guilty!"
Not guilty? Li Banghua was a little confused.
"I know that if you were not greedy, your whole family would starve to death. In the final analysis, it is my fault that the courtiers of the Ming Dynasty have no food and clothing."
"Your Majesty, I am scared and I plead guilty. It is my fault and has nothing to do with Your Majesty." Li Banghua said tremblingly.
He couldn't understand what Chongzhen was going to do. One moment he said he was guilty of death, and the next moment he said he was not guilty.
So capricious, there must be some conspiracy.
"Hey, bygones are bygones. I hope you will discipline yourself and others in the future and do your best for the Ming Dynasty."
Li Banghua swallowed his saliva, and after regaining his composure, he hurriedly kowtowed and thanked: "Thank you for not killing, Your Majesty. I am willing to serve you as a dog and horse."
Chongzhen wanted to reuse Li Banghua.
It must be beaten before reuse so that he does not get too proud.
But it's just tapping.
Li Banghua was not afraid of death. Historically, when he learned of Chongzhen's death, he left behind three sentences: "As a dignified husband, I am a disciple of a sage and sage; I am loyal and filial, so I swear to the death; when I am in danger, I am worthy of my orders."
Then he committed suicide and died for his country.
"Wang Cheng'en, give Feng Yuanyang's letter to Li Yushi to read."
Wang Chengen hurriedly handed the secret letter to Li Banghua.
After reading it, Li Banghua frowned and was silent in thought.
"Li Yushi, what do you think?" Chongzhen asked.
"I think this is the right strategy."
