Why did the emperor rebel?

Chapter 462
On their own?
Yu Qian smiled bitterly, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Previously in the morning court, he was relying on himself. As a result, he was opposed by the Manchu court.

He admitted that he underestimated the intensity of opposition from the ministers on this matter.

However, the government affairs of the court are like this.

Especially for this kind of major state affairs, it is rare to pass it at one time. Usually, it has to go through constant pulling, several discussions and mutual compromises before a final conclusion can be reached.

The real trouble is that, just like what the emperor said, the scope of this matter is too wide.

Even if he put down his body to lobby a wave of people who can support him, and made all the preparations, he still didn't think that he could let this matter pass the court meeting.

If you can't figure it out, just don't think about it, Yu Qian looked up at the emperor and said.

"Please make it clear, Your Majesty."

Zhu Qiyu pondered, organized his words, and spoke.

"To tell you the truth, although the Nine Borders strategy is imperative, not only Mr. Shen and the court officials, but even I will not agree to spend more than half of the year's taxes on the construction of the Nine Borders."

"Such actions, like years of fighting, are exhausting the strength of the people."

Hearing these words, Yu Qian felt even more frustrated.

The strategy of Nine Sides is a plan that he worked hard, kept deliberating, and spent countless energy before finally formulating it.

If it can be put into practice, then he is confident to build a solid line of defense, so that within a hundred years, Ming Dynasty will no longer face the dilemma of being driven into the capital to attack the capital.

In Yu Qian's opinion, it is totally worthwhile to spend several years of hardships in exchange for nearly a hundred years of recuperation time.

However, what disappointed him was that the emperor also had the same attitude...

Seeing Yu Qian's disappointed expression, Zhu Qiyu had a smile on his face, but he changed the subject and spoke decisively.

"So, I agree with Mr. Shen's idea and will not agree to spend all the revenue on Nine Sides. At the same time, I also agree with Mr. Nine Sides' idea that Nine Sides must be built, and it must start next year at the latest."

Now it was really Yu Qian's turn to be confused.

What does it mean not to use the annual revenue for the Nine Sides, but the Nine Sides still have to be built.

Is this going to let the horse run instead of giving grass to the horse?
At this point, Zhu Qiyu simply stopped being tricky and said directly.

"Sir, do you still remember the matter of the military settlement that I discussed with you a few days ago?"

Juntun?

Yu Qian frowned and thought for a moment, his eyes suddenly lit up.

The corruption of the border army station had been discussed in the imperial court very early.

Long before the mutual market, the emperor and him, as well as Yang Hong, Fan Guang and others, also discussed this matter.

Yu Qian still remembers that the emperor told him at that time...

"Your Majesty means that Wang Chen can go to rectify the private farming and restore the army?"

Zhu Qiyu was still satisfied with this comprehension, nodded and said.

"Yes, the Taizu once said that the Ming Dynasty raised millions of soldiers without spending a grain of rice on the people. Sir, I have read the history books. When I knew Hongwu, my annual revenue was not as good as it is today, but the frontier military routine silver consumption is less than ten times the current military expenditure. One or two."

"The increase in frontier military regulations is rooted in the shrinking of the defense line, the overuse of private land, the disuse of military settlements, and the corruption of generals. Such a lot of abuses have caused the military expenditure of the imperial court to increase year by year, while the life of the low-level military households has become more and more miserable."

"It is impossible for the imperial court to provide unlimited silver to support the frontier army, so if you want to support the construction of the Nine Frontiers, you must start with the frontier army itself."

Yu Qian was stunned for a moment, and a hint of admiration rose in his heart.

This His Majesty is really...unfathomable!
All eyes are on the construction of the border defense line.

Even he, when he learned that he was summoned, had a vague hope in his heart, thinking that the emperor might come to sideline the situation.

but.

The thoughts of the emperor can always be in front of everyone.

At this time, Yu Qian suddenly understood what the emperor's intention was to let the Ministry of Households maintain the annual routine silver level of the frontier army just now.

As the emperor said just now, at the time of Hongwu, Ming's military expenditure accounted for less than one-tenth of its annual revenue.

The core reason is to rely on farmland, pro-democracy movement, and open medium methods, so that the frontier army can basically be self-sufficient.

At that time, the Jingli silver given by the imperial court was more of a icing on the cake in the nature of a reward than a necessity for survival.

However, with the stability of the country, of course, the most important thing is the destruction of the King of Sai system, the establishment of the Beijing army's frontier guard system, the corruption of generals, the flood of private cultivation and other reasons.

The military settlements were gradually disintegrated, and the pro-democracy movement and Kaizhong alone could no longer support the huge waste of the frontier army, so the imperial court could only make up for it.

So in theory, it is entirely possible to reorganize the private land reclamation and restore military settlements, allowing the frontier army to save a large amount of silver every year.

In this way, under the condition that the Ministry of Households maintains the original capital appropriation of Beijing Bank, the extra silver taels can be used for the construction of the Nine Sides.

At the same time, it will not affect the normal operation of the country.

This is indeed a good idea.

Not enough, what makes Yu Qian even more nervous is that, apart from mentioning the private reclamation of land, the corruption of the army and generals, the emperor also mentioned...

"Your Majesty just said that the line of defense is shrinking?"

Zhu Qiyu sat on the throne and looked at Yu Qian with great interest.

Sure enough, Yu Qian is a great expert in military affairs, but when it comes to military affairs, every detail will immediately attract his attention.

But originally, he didn't intend to hide it from Yu Qian, so he nodded directly and said.

"Yes, Mr. Yu is an expert, and there are no outsiders here. I might as well say bluntly. In fact, although the border policy formulated by the Taizu has the disadvantage of making the king of Sai a powerful and difficult for the court to control, it is purely based on the national finance and border policy. In terms of defense, it is the most complete system."

This……

This is really unacceptable...

The current border policy implemented by the Ming Dynasty was formulated by Emperor Taizong.

As Minister of the Ministry of War, Yu Qian naturally knew that there were many disadvantages in it, otherwise, he would not have taken advantage of the remaining momentum of the civil war to propose border defense reforms.

In fact, he knew in his heart that what the emperor said was right.

From a national point of view, the border policy formulated by Taizu is the most effective.

Although he has made many improvements and revisions in the details of the nine-sided strategy he is proposing, the overall idea still refers to Taizu's idea of ​​establishing King Sai.

However, you can do it, but you can't say it.

At the very least, it seems inappropriate for Yu Qian, who is a minister, to stand on any side at this time.

Echoing the emperor's praise of Taizu is tantamount to denying Emperor Taizong's border policy.

As for refuting the emperor's praise of Taizong, it seems inappropriate.

After hesitating for a moment, Yu Qian said cautiously.

"What your Majesty said is true, but I believe that all frontier policies must be determined according to the situation. The Taizu established the country, considering the long-term inheritance, but as your Majesty said, there is a suspicion that the King of Sai will be a big one, so he tends to be conservative. "

"Taizong's Northern Expedition was due to the remnants of the Northern Yuan Dynasty inspiring people's hearts on the grassland. The five expeditions to Mobei frightened the grassland tribes and established the prestige of the Ming Dynasty.

"The so-called combination of rigidity and softness, Taizong's magnificent military might, the king of later generations will be like your majesty, and he will naturally follow the kingly way, combining offense and defense. This is the foundation of long-term peace and stability."

(End of this chapter)