Volume 2: Soaring! The Overlord of the Region Chapter 270: The 44th Year of the Wanli Reign (I)
On January 4, 1616, the first State Council meeting of the new year was held.
"Last year, the Royal Bank of Ming Dynasty opened branches in seven provinces including Shanxi, achieving full coverage of the two capitals and thirteen provinces in the country. Last year, the bank only lost 250,000 yuan after deducting various expenses and interest on deposits from the interest on coinage and loans issued. In other words, the bank will make a profit this year! Your Highness, the circulation of the new currency in the country is very smooth. I think that starting from this year, except for various taxes in kind, our Ming Dynasty can realize all taxes in new currency. Pure silver can be withdrawn from the circulation market."
"The Ministry of Industry has completed the inventory and re-registration of all artisan households last year. According to your highness's request, in addition to the master craftsmen of various industries, other ordinary craftsmen, especially those affiliated with the palace, are separated as much as possible. President Cao of the bank has given great support to this matter and has successively issued entrepreneurial loans totaling 2 million yuan to these separated craftsmen. In fact, if it were not for this reason, I think the bank would have made a profit this year.
In addition, the Ministry of Works dredged old canals and built new canals totaling more than 300 miles in Guanzhong last year. In Guanzhong, 700,000 mu of land was restored from semi-wasteland to fertile farmland..."
"Ministry of Justice... er, I am ashamed. After the discovery of the Qin bamboo slips from Shuihudi, the members of our Ministry of Justice realized that they were lacking a lot in the field of law. We will learn the essence of the Qin bamboo slips and revise the Ming Dynasty Law. I promise that within this year, we will come up with a new version of the Ming Dynasty Law."
Seeing Liu Yuanlin's panic, Zhu Youdong felt relieved: the Shuihudi Qin Bamboo Slips were just a trigger, and the ultimate goal of this battle was not the Ministry of Justice. However, he himself did not expect that the effect caused by the appearance of the Shuihudi Qin Bamboo Slips would be so good.
Yes, this is not the Qing Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty scholars certainly had various problems, but they generally would not be complacent or refuse to accept new things.
"Grand Minister, don't be anxious. The revision of new laws is not something that can be done overnight. I suggest that you focus on revising the civil laws first, and then start the trial implementation. During the trial implementation, make gradual adjustments."
"Yes, Your Highness, I thank you for your understanding. I will obey your command."
"The Ministry of War plans to replace the uniforms of the soldiers in the nine important towns this year. The relevant plan and budget have been compiled and sent to Your Highness and colleagues before the meeting. This matter still requires the support of Fangshan Laboratory, the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Revenue."
"Bang!" Just as Wang Xiangqian finished speaking, Xu Honggang from the Ministry of Revenue angrily slammed the table and said, "Grand Marshal, are you making a budget? There are a total of 2.3 million households of all the garrison soldiers and military garrison soldiers in the nine important border towns, with an actual number of 500,000 regular soldiers! You actually want the Ministry of Works to make 400,000 new flintlock rifles? And you also want to equip each flintlock rifle with at least 1,000 bullets? The budget for this alone is nearly 10 million yuan. In addition, there are armor, swords and guns, cotton clothes, summer clothes... With the above cumulative expenses, the Ministry of War actually made a budget of 15 million yuan for the Ministry of Revenue! What? Do you really think that the Ministry of Revenue got some money from selling salt mines last year, and you feel uncomfortable if you don't spend it all?"
"Bang~!" Wang Xiangqian had been with the soldiers for a long time in his early years, and he would personally pick up a knife and chop people when he was pushed to the edge. Facing Xu Honggang's rage, he slammed the table without showing any weakness: "Grand Minister, be careful with your words, don't be disrespectful in front of the king! The Ministry of Revenue has been in arrears with the Ministry of War for seventy or eighty years. It's good that I didn't ask you for the previous arrears! After so many years, you can't even pay the military pay, naturally you have no ability to change the clothes of the soldiers in the border towns . Grand Minister, go to Ji Liao and Xuan Da to have a look! Many of the swords and guns used by the border soldiers of my Ming Dynasty were passed down from their grandfathers! Not to mention chopping people, they can't even kill chickens! With such military equipment, how can we defend our country? Grand Minister may not know yet? The new generation of wolf kings on the Mongolian grasslands has grown up, and one day they will go south on a large scale!"
"Bah~~ Don't I know the tricks of your military department? You exaggerate the enemy's strength and then try to cheat me out of the budget!"
"You~! How dare you! Mr. Xu, how dare you accuse me of cheating on the budget? When I was personally carrying a sword and killing the enemy in Jizhen, you didn't even know where to stop!"
"You bastard! As a senior official of the country, you actually say such shameless words! So what if you have led troops before? I was the Minister of War in Nanjing, and I also led troops! The world's number one Henghai Guard was built by me with the help of Your Highness!"
"Haha~~ You are such a shameless man, what do you think of Henghaiwei..."
"Dong, dong, dong~~" Fang Zhenghua, who was sitting at a small table behind Zhu Youdong and recording the meeting, slammed the gavel in his hand with a stern face: "My two superiors, you have been disrespectful in front of the emperor. You will be fined one month's salary each."
"Yes." The two old men turned around at the same time: "Please forgive me, Your Highness."
"Alas, I have already been fined, what else can I say. Um, Da Sima."
"I am here."
"It's time to change the uniforms. But Grand Marshal, I think we should first clean up all the garrison soldiers and military garrison soldiers of our Ming Dynasty before we talk about changing the uniforms. After all, we all know that our Ming Dynasty has 800,000 combat soldiers in the country, but how many of them can really fight? Of the 300,000 in the inland provinces, it would be great if 30,000 to 50,000 can fight. The 500,000 in the nine borders may be slightly better, but it is difficult to gather more than 100,000 brave soldiers!"
"Yes, I understand. So will the Ministry of War start the investigation of military households this year?"
"Well... we need to be cautious about this matter. The Ministry of War will focus on investigating the situation this year. We will decide later when to start the inventory of military households. After all, the court has other important matters to deal with this year."
"Yes, I obey your command."
"Okay, next is the Ministry of Rites, right?"
"Yes, Your Highness, colleagues. All preparations for spring ploughing and spring sacrifices have been completed. The preparations for this year's examination have also been completed. Candidates from various provinces have come to Beijing one after another. With the help of Shuntian Prefecture, the basic needs of the candidates have been generally solved... Now, I am just waiting for Your Highness to give the examination questions."
Yes, for this year's imperial examination, Emperor Wanli had already given all his powers to Zhu Youdong. This was also the first time that Zhu Youdong had dominated an imperial examination after traveling through time and space for fifteen years.
And this year is the big year for the imperial examination.
"I will personally deliver the examination questions to the examination room half an hour before the exam. The Ministry of Rites will just prepare well. Regarding the spring ploughing and spring sacrifice, I will ask the Emperor for permission. If the Emperor does not want to go, I will go."
"Yes, I obey your command."
"Your Highness." The Minister of Revenue Xu Honggang stood up and said, "The Ministry of Revenue has two main tasks this year. First, according to the plan approved by the emperor, starting from January this year, new salaries will be paid to all civil servants, clerks and runners of our Ming Dynasty. Second, rebuild the Huangce Library."
"Okay, rebuilding the Yellow Book is a fundamental matter involving the country. Although we have completed the national census in the past two years, rebuilding the Yellow Book will add the land and houses owned by each person on the basis of the population. So the resistance will definitely be great. Let's put it this way, although you just had a quarrel, but, Sima."
"I am here."
"Regarding the reconstruction of the Yellow Book Library, the Ministry of War must send a letter to the garrisons in various places, asking them to fully cooperate with the relevant staff of the Ministry of Revenue. If one of the Ministry of Revenue's investigators is killed by unruly people or local tyrants, the Ministry of War must at least take the head of a captain or a general flag to pay for his life."
"Ah? Your Highness!"
"Grand Marshal, wouldn't it be better for our soldiers to first understand how strict our investigation of civilian households is, so that they can be mentally prepared for the future investigation of military households?"
"Uh...ah, I obey your command."
"In addition, the Grand Master of the Imperial Court and the Grand Master of the Imperial Court."
"Your Highness, I am here."
"Rebuilding the Yellow Book is a matter of great importance. You, the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites, must also send personnel to participate. If any local official dares not cooperate with the reconstruction of the Yellow Book, the officials of the Ministry of Personnel have the right to dismiss him on the spot. If any gentry dares not to be honest, I will directly dismiss their and their descendants' fame!"
"Yes , I will obey your command!"
"Well, then, let me tell you about this year's overall work... um? What is it?"
At this moment, the door of the conference room was suddenly opened - for a meeting of this level, unless there was something extremely urgent, the guards outside the venue would not let any visitors in.
"Your Highness, all the superiors, the Governor of Ji-Liao, Yang Hao, has an urgent report that the Mongolian leader Hudun Tuhan (Lindan Khan) has led an army of 60,000 to invade the border! Miyun, Yanqing, and Zunhua have all lit beacons at the same time!"
"Fuck me~~" Zhu Youdong was so depressed: the Shuihudi Qin Bamboo Slips had such a good effect, I was preparing launch more things and then burn the Kong family. This Lin Danhan actually jumped out to make trouble at this time!
Forget it, haven't I been expecting this guy to gather his main forces so that I can beat him all at once and completely weaken Mongolia? Come on!
