Wan Shihe described Yin Zhengmao's capture of Luzon as a misunderstanding. This was an extremely shameless approach, but with a slight twist, it became extraordinarily reasonable.
Is the result more important, or the process? In fact, it is the impact and feedback after the results that are most important.
"Wang Daokun and others came to remonstrate over the dispute over Songjiang Shipyard." Zhang Juzheng took out another memorial. This time the main content of the court discussion focused on maritime affairs. If you want to open the sea, you must have ships.
There have been some disturbances in the Ming Dynasty's shipbuilding business.
There are mainly three ideas. The first is to follow the methods of the ancestors and fully imitate the ships of the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty; the second is to fully imitate foreign ships; and the third is to combine Chinese and Western methods to create ships with special features of the Ming Dynasty. .
The first idea is difficult to realize. The wood used to build the ship was built with all the efforts of the world. It is really difficult to restore the glory of the ancestors in a short period of time. Moreover, the shipbuilding experience and ideas of 160 years ago, At present, it is indeed a bit backward. Ming Dynasty lost its commodity advantage in shipbuilding.
The second way of thinking is what Songjiang Prefecture is doing at the moment. This is why Hong Mao Fan wants to set up a shipyard in Luzon. Such wood suitable for shipbuilding is simply not available in the places controlled by Hong Mao Fan.
It is only distributed in Luchuan in Myanmar, Siam, Annan and other places. It is also very convenient to use nearby materials for construction. There is teak in Wanli Seawall. This kind of hardwood is most suitable for shipbuilding. Moreover, Luchuan's teak industry chain is extremely stable and the supply volume is large enough. Able to build a ship immediately.
That’s why there was a replica of the three-masted merchant ship. The ship was launched very quickly. This was a kind of assembly, and it was also a restoration of the shipbuilding capabilities of the Ming Dynasty. The southeastern shipbuilding industry of the Ming Dynasty was not non-existent, but was limited by the long-term maritime ban. , The scale is limited, and when the imperial court handles affairs, it is natural to clenched its fists to do big things.
The third type is the opinion of the Maritime Hall, and improvement is also the consistent practice of the Ming Dynasty.
On the ships of the Ming Dynasty, the navy of the Ming Dynasty also discovered some shortcomings and made improvements. For example, the hard sails used by the Ming Dynasty were far more practical than soft sails, and could sail in all directions and sail faster. For example, the ships of the Ming Dynasty did not No watertight compartment design.
The watertight cabin design during the Yongle period was still ahead of that of the West, and its structure was simple and easy to improve.
"So that's it. The reason why the lucky boat is called the lucky boat is because it is a lucky boat." After reading Wang Daokun's memorial, Zhu Yijun realized that the origin of the word "Fu Chuan" was that because of the watertight cabin, the ship was sailing due to water leakage. The probability of an accidental shipwreck has been reduced from 90% to 20%, which is a lucky ship.
In the watertight compartment, there is a water hole located at the bottom of the bulkhead. When the bulkhead is flooded, it will quickly block the water hole under the pressure of the water to prevent continued water penetration and sinking the ship.
Once water seeps into a Western ship, it is almost certain to sink. The Ming Dynasty's watertight cabin idea is to divide the ship into airtight rooms. Once there is water seepage, a cabin is sealed to prevent the ship from sinking, so it is called a lucky ship.
These ideas of combining ancient and modern forces, using both Chinese and Western ideas, immediately became a mainstream voice, and even the court heard their cries.
Zhang Juzheng pondered for a moment and said: "A sea that is open to all rivers is a great place, and we should learn from each other's strong points to eliminate the bad and retain the good."
Ming Dynasty lost the advantage of goods on ships. It was Ming Dynasty that lost 140 years. It also lost the supply chain of ships, including the supply of wood, bamboo, iron, oil, hemp, rattan, etc. The materials alone cost more than 40 years. If the imperial court wants to build sea-going ships, these will naturally have to be connected.
The loss of product advantages does not mean that Ming Dynasty’s design ideas have completely fallen behind.
Building a ship is by no means easy and simple. For example, the iron alone includes cut iron, steel, construction iron, new nails, yellow nails, nail blanks, iron wires, anvils, iron bars, poles, scales, etc. There are several types, all of which require work.
Songjiangfu Shipyard recruited a total of 3,260 shipwrights from Qingjiang Prefecture, Suzhou Prefecture, Huai'an Prefecture, Yangzhou Prefecture and other places, more than 6,000 laborers, and 310 southern soldiers who used labor and materials. Seven people are responsible for the inspection of security, laws and other matters.
This is a huge system project. To realize it, an efficient court must be needed to schedule it. Obviously, the Ming Dynasty under the imperial examination can do it.
Songjiang Shipyard has also fallen into a brief confusion since its establishment. Money has been spent, people have arrived, and expectations have not been met. What kind of ships are more suitable to build? Yin Zhengmao came down to Luzon and sent all the information from the Manila Shipyard to Songjiang Prefecture. Since the Hongmao people used this kind of ship to cross the ocean, they should build this kind of ship first and make do with it first. Then solve the problem whether it is good or not.
Obviously, Songjiang Shipyard and Maritime Academy are very concerned about whether the solution is good or not. Combining ancient and modern efforts, the combination of Chinese and Western methods has become a mainstream.
This combination of ancient and modern forces, the combined use of both China and the West, was not just the first idea proposed by the little emperor. The Ming Dynasty improved bird cannons and Franco cannons, all based on this idea. This idea of improvement has a long history.
The court really needs to make a decision on this matter, and it requires decisiveness, otherwise there will be endless quarrels, and no one can bear the responsibility of violating the ancestral family law. The ancestral things are not good, and the foreign ships are good, and the wind power and public opinion are the same, and the shipyard is still Do you want to do it? Songjiang Shipyard certainly knows what to do, but such political pressure cannot be decided by a shipyard.
This is a concrete manifestation of the political rigidity of the Ming Dynasty. When a new thing appears, the first consideration is the political impact.
This sentence itself is Zhu Yijun's instructions for external communication, and there is nothing to refute. If you want to criticize, it is also to criticize the old Taoist priest Jiajing. He first started to improve the matchlock gun and the Franco machine gun. This is the ancestral law, and the ancestor of Jingtian is not The four characters of Qianqing Palace.
The court discussion is still going on, and the most noisy issue is still the issue of collecting the official tax. The country is not rich and the people are poor, and the issue of returning the land is also a huge issue on the table.
"How to collect the official tax after the land is returned? The past grain chiefs have been eliminated due to long-term mergers. Now the Ming Dynasty's official tax is simply robbing. The powerful and powerful households cannot receive it, so they can only plunder it from the common people, who have none. Every summer and autumn taxes have to be fought, which is really difficult to deal with." Wan Shihe talked about a common phenomenon in the Ming Dynasty.
Hai Rui also said with some emotion: "It is indeed common. When I was in Yingtian Mansion, I also discovered this vicious cycle."
"So Yin Butang is in the extreme south. They have to tear down the door and move the bed. The court knows that he is a wealthy and powerful gentry, but what can be done? Will the bandits be suppressed? Will the Japanese pirates be brought to justice? We can only let Yin Butang do evil. Yes." Ge Shouli also said with emotion.
Hai Rui's fish-meat Jin gentry was impeached and went home to stay idle and could no longer sign official documents. However, Yin Zhengmao had already visited the house and the court was indifferent.
The princes of the Ming Dynasty are ministers who have been appraised by His Majesty and can be brought to the Ancestral Temple to show to the ancestors. They are not rotten fish or shrimps, nor are they wine bags and rice bags.
In fact, what they discussed involved a common phenomenon throughout the Ming Dynasty and a topic that could not be touched. The small people armed themselves to resist taxes, or civil unrest.
Powerful people are extremely good at using a royal method to create chaos among the people.
That is to shift the pressure on the court to collect taxes downwards, forcing the court not to increase taxes, or even collect taxes.
This was also the main contradiction of the Japanese invasion at that time. The imperial court wanted to collect taxes and set up banknotes like the Yuegang Rating House to draw points. The powerful people immediately began to expropriate the money, causing civil unrest.
This was the trick that the scholar Gu Shaofang used when he was ordered by the court to return the land. The powerful people had already formed a path dependence, forcing the people to have no way of survival. They fell into the grass and became bandits, and went to the sea to become bandits. Tax.
The pessimistic Wang Zhigao said with some helplessness: "The serious harm of appeasing bribery has been done and it will be difficult to reverse."
"It's difficult, it's difficult. The road to Shu is as difficult as climbing to the sky!" Wang Xijue, who was in charge of the Hanlin Academy, was also full of emotions.
A dead end.
If local officials want to complete the taxes distributed by the court, they must appease the local big households. Otherwise, if the big households don't pay, they have to go to the countryside to plunder. When they go to the countryside to plunder, the people will use everything they can use to resist the taxation, and they are not ordinary people. There is no respect for the imperial court, because there are too many. Local large households have appropriated most of the means of production but refuse to pay, and the common people have to bear these taxes.
The court's fish scale book is placed there, and how much land and official gifts a county has should be placed there.
The specific manifestation of this terrible vicious circle in taxation is: if local officials want to collect taxes, they must appease the powerful people who occupy the vast majority of the means of production. The more they tolerate it, the more the means of production will be concentrated in the hands of the powerful people, and even Including the people themselves, it is not unusual to use land for strong personal dependence.
When powerful people take advantage of the land's self-respect and the people's self-respect, they become more and more arrogant and do not take the court into consideration. Local officials, on the other hand, become more indulging in the powerful people.
Once the imperial court forces powerful people to return their lands, the powerful people who had previously followed the imperial court to exploit the people will use the people who are attached to them to resist and fight against taxes with arms, leaving nothing but chicken feathers in the land.
Is it just taxes? All local activities, including corvee labor, suppressing bandits, repairing bridges and roads, building schools, etc., and all government decrees were caught in this predicament, but there was nothing they could do about it.
This is what Zhang Juzheng repeatedly mentioned. The New Deal and power are both top-down and bottom-up.
"Let's continue the court discussion." Zhang Juzheng did not give any specific method.
After the court meeting, Zhang Juzheng still looked sad. He thought of a way, and this method was effective.
I just don't know if His Majesty the Emperor is willing to do it. Once this thing is done, it will not only be Zhang Juzheng who will be scolded, but the little emperor will also be scolded together.
"Sir, tell me what you have to say." Looking at Zhang Juzheng's constipated look, Zhu Yijun even considered asking Chen Shigong to come over with a three-grade gun to give Zhang Juzheng a big look, and he would speak hesitantly if he had anything to say.
Zhang Juzheng took out a memorial and handed it to Zhang Hong. He bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, I have this memorial."
"Sir, it seems that you have violated the rules." Zhu Yijun took the memorial and did not open it to read. Zhang Juzheng bypassed the cabinet, bypassed the Supervisor of Ceremonies, and presented the memorial directly to the young emperor, indicating that this matter was of great importance.
Zhang Juzheng bowed his head and said: "It's a great achievement."
Zhu Yijun calmly finished reading Zhang Juzheng's memorial, closed the memorial very calmly, handed the memorial back and said: "Sir, this infamous gentleman cannot afford it, so I'll do it. I'm still young, so it's not a big deal. When the commotion gets serious and serious, I will lower my head, admit my mistake, write a note on myself, and read it before going to the Ancestral Temple, so that everyone can pretend that nothing happened."
"Your Majesty, how can you be wrong?" Zhang Juzheng held the memorial and said, "It is the greatest disrespect for a minister to bring your Majesty into a bad name."
Zhu Yijun shook his head and said: "Sir, why can't you use all the people and things that can be used to bring about the resurrection of the Ming Dynasty? Isn't the Edict of Sin and Self used in these places, where is it used? Besides, it is me who is blamed by all directions. It’s not necessarily true that I’m guilty of all kinds of sins. Whether I’ll read this diary of my own sins or not is another matter.”
Zhang Juzheng said with a troubled face: "Your Majesty."
"Sir." Zhu Yijun said gently.
Zhu Yijun continued: "You can't submit to this memorial. If you accept Fu Yingzhen's accusation, you will be convicted of transgression. Ge Shuli, Zhang Siwei, Wan Shihe, and Fu Yingzhen are all waiting for this day, waiting for Mr. Fu Yingzhen to be convinced." On this day when you overstep the imperial authority, the disciples who follow you will also leave you, and then, with the help of my banner, they will knock you to the ground, trample you in the dirt, and trample you hard."
"The disciples promoted by the teacher and the new policies implemented by the teacher will all disappear with the departure of the teacher, and the people and the government will cease."
"I will bear my long-cherished wish and give it to Dongliu?"
Zhang Juzheng found that he could no longer treat His Majesty as a child. Gan Luo became prime minister at the age of twelve, and Yue Yun fought on the battlefield at the age of twelve. His Majesty said that young people are full of energy and have their own hard work.
"I'll give the order." Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Juzheng's silence and thought he had agreed to make a decision.
Zhang Juzheng still refused and said: "It is better for me to report to you. I will report to the late emperor and be loyal to your majesty. Your majesty is a saint, with no fault in his achievements and no stain on his wisdom."
Zhang Juzheng still adheres to his political views, respecting the power of the emperor, and the rituals, music, conquests, celebrations, rewards, and punishments come from the emperor. He refuses to agree to put this filth on the head of the little emperor. It is more appropriate for him to bear the infamy. The emperor's prestige cannot be lost while he is in power.
This is what a loyal minister should do.
Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng are not always in sync with each other on certain matters, and there is no conflict of ideas. There are also some minor conflicts between the monarch and his ministers. If the overall goals are consistent, the conflicts can be put aside.
Zhu Yijun found that he could not refute, so he could only shake his head and said: "Okay."
"Then let's talk about sir's method in detail. Sir is still not harsh enough. Let me tell you what I think." Zhu Yijun sat up straight. When he was debriefing his duties in the Ancestral Temple, he also thought of a method.
What a coincidence! Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng thought of a place to go.
Zhu Yijun considered his words and said: "Why did Yinbutang suppress the powerful gentry in Nanya so much that they couldn't lift their heads, so suppressed that they didn't even dare to speak out? If they were bullied, they could only hand over the door. , because they don’t dare to transfer Yin Butang’s oppression of them downwards and cause a civil uprising, and Yin Butang really wants to kill them.”
"Yin Butang can really kill them."
"Song Yangshan, Zhang Jin, Yu Dayou, Chen Lin, Wang Daokun, Zhang Cheng and others were in charge of the affairs of Songjiang Shipping Department and the return of farmland in Nanya. Why were so many cases detained? Even Xu Fan had a murder case. When Luo Bingliang arrived, he confiscated his troops in Jizhen, but when Luo Bingliang arrived, he confiscated the Gu family and killed the chickens to scare the monkeys, so why did he immediately stop daring? Because it provoked a civil uprising, Luo Bingliang would really confiscate his family and exterminate his family."
"Because Luo Bingliang can really raid homes."
"Yin Butang is a villain, and Luo Bingliang is a hawk. Isn't it their duty to quell the Japanese bandits and ransack their homes?"
"The current shortcomings of appeasement in the world are that local governments appease powerful people, or the main reason why local governments cannot defeat powerful people is that they don't have a knife in their hands. What we have to do is to hand this knife to local officials."
Zhang Juzheng bowed his head and said, "It's true."
This is the content of Zhang Juzheng's memorial, how to hand swords to local officials and let them fight.
Zhu Yijun continued: "With this sword, we must first ensure one thing, not to hurt the foundation of the imperial court, so we need to draw a boundary and formulate good rules. Mr. Xiang also said that the people are the foundation of a country, and the foundation is solid and the country is peaceful, then it should be How to do this? We can’t give the local government too much power to prevent the danger of feudal towns, but we also need the local government to be able to fight against the powerful. It all depends on intelligence, which cannot replace criticism with weapons.”
"This knife should be handed over."
"Your Majesty is wise." Zhang Juzheng bowed his head again and said.
Zhu Yijun said with a smile: "Sir, I insisted on Gao Qiyu's death. I sent Gao Qiyu to Suzhou to investigate the misappropriation of Ma Yilong's reclaimed land. He found that he couldn't handle it, so he went to invite Luo Bingliang, who used the power of the fox to get the matter settled."
"The fox pretending to be the tiger's power can solve a problem. The local government has independent financial control and the terrible situation of losing all the power of the imperial court."
"Sir's method is the same as mine. The Fusi of Beizhen opens a tax office, and each provincial road sends Fusi of Beizhen to punish thousands of households to guard it. He is responsible for tax inspection, and only tax inspection."
"But sir, Beizhen Fusi is a criminal department. There are only 600 people in total, which is not that many at all, so we still have to make a selection."
Zhu Yijun did not allow Zhang Juzheng to report. It was because of this incident that he called a department that Zhang Juzheng could not touch, Jinyiwei.
How to preserve Zhang Juzheng's reputation, the little emperor also had his own little trick. He continued: "This tax inspection matter is related to the country's financial resources. How can it be given full power to Jin Yiwei? In a few days, this yamen, this system It will just rot away in confusion."
"Contradiction exists among all things, and balance and harmony also exist among all things."
"I think we should simply set up a special taxation bureau, select Jinshi Juren who are proficient in arithmetic from various places to serve as affairs officers, Tiqi will be responsible for tax collection, and each province and highway will send internal officials to supervise it."
When Zhang Juzheng heard this, his expression finally changed slightly. Once this tax inspection bureau was established, it would inevitably lead to criticism from Shilin Qingliu. After all, a gentleman is ashamed of speaking for profit. As a result, Zhang Juzheng was only interested in speaking for profit, and he also established a special tax bureau. The Taxation Bureau, together with this trend of public opinion, can Zhang Juzheng withstand it?
"It should be so." In Zhang Juzheng's memorial, he sent Tiqi to keep an eye on the spot, which was a temporary emergency. If anyone was dissatisfied, he would kill the chickens to scare the monkeys and raid every house, so that the court's laws could be upheld.
As a result, His Majesty's order was doubled. Not only did Tiqi go there, but there were also officials in charge of the household department and internal supervisors.
The Ming Dynasty used such checks and balances only for conquest. It was obvious that the emperor had equated taxation and conquest in his mind. There seemed to be no difference. Conquest and taxation were both the same levy.
Zhang Juzheng asked himself whether he could withstand this trend of public opinion.
Zhu Yijun continued: "The system has been solved, but what about manpower? Manpower is a big problem. If only one Tiqi collects taxes in a county, it will push the Tiqi to a dead end. We need to allocate some manpower to the Tiqi."
"The private sector has its own manpower."
"I thought that when I issued a tax invoice, each household should fill in the number of acres of land and file the tax by themselves. If they dare to steal or make any mistakes, I would ask the Tiqi to recruit heroes from the Jianghu to make up the difference. , determine the share, and give them 30% of the missed number."
"These gangsters can be used by powerful people to bully the people. Why can't they be used by the imperial court to bully powerful people?"
The imperial power grants big business, and the bandits all over the world should be very interested.
From the words of the little emperor, Zhang Juzheng understood the meaning of the little emperor, which was to collect taxes with arms and make full use of the bandits and bandits who roamed among the people. Of course, they can be called heroic rangers to carry out force levies against powerful families.
Zhu Yijun's method was copied from the American tax police, the world's third largest armed force in later generations, from the Ming Dynasty's Xichang and Naixing factories, and from the Ming Dynasty's Emperor Wanli's tax inspector.
During the thirty years of Emperor Wanli's long-term failure, he was extremely focused on one thing, and that was making money. Zhang Juzheng taught Emperor Wanli so many things, but Emperor Wanli only remembered one thing, making money.
The mining tax supervisor of Emperor Wan Wanli was notorious, and he was even known as: one from internal funds, nineteen from private pockets.
The method proposed by Zhu Yijun was also carefully considered. While the taxation bureau was directly subordinate to the emperor, there were also civil servants involved. The income tax was not used as internal funds, but was divided into half of the national funds.
Zhang Juzheng was stunned after hearing this. His Majesty not only doubled it, he also doubled it super. This method is so vicious!
He also understood why His Majesty didn't let him bear this infamy. He really couldn't bear it. Could he bear this infamy?
Zhang Juzheng was silent for a long time, and said with difficulty: "Your Majesty has issued an order to supervise the implementation? I will not go to the memorial."
Look at how many evil thoughts this sunny and cheerful little emperor hides in his heart!
Zhang Juzheng found more and more that he was protecting the courtiers and the powerful gentry in the world!
Zhu Yijun showed a smile and continued: "Okay, but the implementation of a government order cannot be achieved overnight. Then it will be tried out in Nanya first. Luo Bingliang will supervise this matter. It will be tried out in the 14th Mansion of Nanya first. While it is being tried out, Summarize experience and lessons, and improve laws and regulations. Similarly, when the emperor's uncle is in Beijing, he also orders him to train internal officials, Tiqi, and tax collectors in the Ministry of Household Affairs to learn arithmetic and cultivate talents together."
Zhang Juzheng blinked and finally understood why His Majesty insisted on asking Zhao Mengyou to be the commander-in-chief instead of Luo Bingliang. Luo Sigong was the screaming partner of the little emperor who was fighting every day in the palace. It can be said that Jane is in the heart of the emperor, the holy family is prosperous, and Luo Binliang is In fact, it is more suitable to be Tishuai.
Feelings are waiting here!
The gray line of grass snakes, the pulse is thousands of miles away, one drink and one peck, could it be a predetermined decision? The little emperor may have been planning this for a long time, pushing forward bit by bit!
"Sir?" Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Juzheng and asked doubtfully: "Sir, don't you agree?"
Zhang Juzheng came to his senses, bowed his head and said, "I am guilty and lost my mind."
"Then let's talk about the feast." Zhu Yijun opened the textbook and planned to teach. Zhang Juzheng began to explain the private school's direct interpretation. Last year, he studied Mencius, and this year he started to teach the Doctrine of the Mean.
The collection of currency taxes must be accompanied by fierce social conflicts, so super doubling and armed taxation have become inevitable means. The powerful people are all extremely rich, and their servants are even better than those raised by local officials. There are many good yamen servants, and even the yamen servants raised by local officials are mostly powerful people.
The imperial court currently does not have that much money to support so many people, so it needs to actively mobilize the enthusiasm of dynamic social groups and collect taxes.
The taxation bureau is only responsible for collecting taxes and does not care about anyone else. Even if it is a kiln, it still has to pay taxes.
Zhu Yijun drafted the edict, but did not mention the tax office or the tax bureau. The organizational structure was not established overnight. Luo Bingliang worked in Nanya first, and then established the Beizhen Fusi tax office after some results were achieved. and the tax bureau, which is independent of the six ministries.
Zhu Yijun got a set of tax stamps and tax payment certificates. The tax stamps were issued to powerful households, and they filled in the number of acres and tax payment themselves. If the court inspection was correct, the Ministry of Household Cleaning Department and Tiqi Qianhu Luo Bingliang would seal it together. half each.
The tax payment certificate is sewn together and then torn apart, which is an anti-counterfeiting method that cannot be copied.
Nothing in the world can be solved overnight. Zhu Yijun just told Zhang Juzheng his thoughts and did not make any big moves.
This imperial edict had minimal impact when it was promulgated.
The courtiers, courtiers, officials in the capital, and foreign officials were completely unaware of the terrifying power of this memorial. Countless people were even mocking him. His Majesty the Emperor was too young and inexperienced. He was one year older, and the edict was no longer valid. Like a joke.
If you issue a tax stamp, do you want the rich and powerful to pay the tax themselves?
Ge Shouli finished reading the newspaper and looked at the imperial edict on it. He said with a smile on his face: "Your Majesty is still too young and has some whimsical ideas. Now, with a tax stamp and a fully stamped tax payment certificate, you can collect taxes." Is that so? If all the powerful people in the Ming Dynasty were loyal to the emperor and the country, how could they still be in the situation of huge financial losses today?"
Hai Rui frowned. He smelled the aura of conspiracy, but he didn't think about what happened for a moment. He just instinctively felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't tell exactly what was wrong.
Hai Rui said sternly: "So let Luo Qianhu keep an eye on it. Whoever refuses to pay taxes will have his or her house ransacked. If several houses are raided, then he will pay the tax? Ge Zongxian, do you really think that His Majesty is doing something wrong? His Majesty talks about banquets and daily life. Note, we have all seen it, and we all vividly remember His Majesty scolding the courtiers. Do you think His Majesty would really do such a useless thing?"
"There's something wrong here."
Mr. Zhang is still too gentle in his actions. He is scolded anyway, so why not double it and then double it? The Armed Tax Inspection Bureau was established today! Please give me a monthly ticket, wow! ! ! ! !
(End of chapter)
