Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 837 Engineering
The dust was flying, the mules and horses were galloping, and the scorching sun was actually kinder at this moment.

The project is still going on, and the emperor is observing calmly, feeling extraordinarily fulfilled in his heart.

In an agricultural society, water conservancy projects are a matter of life and death and must be investigated.

Jiangxi was a gathering of elites in the Ming Dynasty, and it was known as "half of the courtiers in Jiangxi, Hanlin Duojishui". According to the "History of the Ming Dynasty", among the 160 four cabinet ministers recorded in the "Ming History", there were 22 from Jiangxi, 56 chief ministers, and [-] ministers from Jiangxi. Nine people, such a number, is the highest in the country.

But this is inseparable from the credit of water conservancy projects. Shupi, Bopi, Jiaopi, and Ganjinpi in Fuzhou, Jiangxi, Liqu in Yichun, and Chatanpi in Taihe are all large canals that irrigate tens of thousands of acres. After many times of dredging, Jiangxi has become rich and has many Jinshi.

Therefore, if the north wants to rise, it must develop agriculture, lay a solid foundation, know etiquette, and have a chance to develop when it is full.

Of course, the greatest contribution of the water conservancy projects in the Ming Dynasty was the control of the Yellow River.

Pan Jixun's policy of confining water and attacking sand has kept the Yellow River safe for decades, and his strategy will be used as a reference for future generations.

Although the cabinet does not have any five-year plan, and it is impossible to have one, the political turmoil, natural disasters and man-made disasters make it difficult to continue, but the Ministry of Industry has its own planning projects.

First of all, Xishan water diversion and Miyun Reservoir are two important projects.

The Ministry of Industry has invested a lot of energy here, just to keep Beijing from lacking water.

Secondly, there is no major project that needs to last for decades like the Huaihe River.

The Yellow River and the Huaihe River are integrated, and the Yellow River took the Huaihe River into the sea, leaving the Huaihai Plain in a mess, and a large number of fertile fields turned into saline-alkali land, which caused countless disasters.

The former granary has become a burden because of the Yellow River.

Harnessing the Huaihe River is also a major project after [-], and it will take at least ten years of work, with a base of tens of millions.

Seeing the emperor lost in thought, no one dared to disturb him.

After a long time, Zhu Yixi felt a little shady, and when he looked up, an umbrella had been propped up above his head, covering up the scorching sun.

Glancing at the eunuch, he didn't say anything, and got into the carriage directly.

The eunuch deserves to be favored and powerful, how many people in the world can treat the emperor like this?
The carriages and horses moved slowly, and Yang Le, the admiral of the East Factory who followed closely, approached cordially: "My lord, the diversion of water from the West Mountain will be completed by next year, and Beijing will also be able to drink spring water by then."

"Hmm!" The emperor snorted softly and fell silent.

The few people on the side also tactfully did not bother.It just fell silent.

Soon, the emperor returned to Yuquan Mountain, and the coolness suddenly hit his face, not to mention how comfortable it was.

As soon as he arrived at the villa cabinet, he submitted the draft proposal.

Regarding the regulations of the Luzon Governor's Mansion, there are natural rules and regulations, which seem reasonable at first glance, and also follow the rules of checks and balances.

However, in the selection of the governor, three people were submitted at once for the emperor to choose.

First of all, the former governor of Xuanda, and now the governor of Chahar-Sun Changzhou.

That's right, Chahar changed the Governor's Mansion and became a military town, governing the three cities of Chifeng, Chengde, and Kuanhe, and was responsible for managing the tribes of Chahar, the Khan tribe, and the Han people.

In the Chahar area, the imperial court adhered to the policy of encroaching step by step. From Chifeng, to Chengde, and Kuancheng built in the lower reaches of the Kuan River last year, Chahar has three cities.

The next target is the upper reaches of the Kuan River, where Pingquan City is to be built.

Then continue eastward and northward, turning the entire Chahar region into a mixed nomadic and agricultural area.

Today's Mongolia does not have a unified Khan, so naturally there is no one to stop Ming's encroachment policy.

Sun Changzhou took 5000 people to guard Chifeng, which can be described as extremely hard work.

Zhu Yixi glanced at it and let him row away.

At the age of nearly 50 years old, going to the Philippines again, isn't that equivalent to courting death?
The second candidate is Lin Jiading, the chief minister of Guangdong, a native of Putian, Fujian. He was a Jinshi in the seventh year of Chongzhen (1634).

When King Fu supervised the country, he served as the inspector of Guangdong, and later became the chief envoy of Guangdong.

The cabinet commented on him as energetic, capable of learning from the West, emphasizing business and loving agriculture.

Obviously, he is an official who is active in thinking and does not stick to books.

The other person was from Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, named Jinbao. He was admitted as a Jinshi in the 13th year of Chongzhen (1640), and was awarded the county magistrate of Linqing, but was forced to leave by Liu Zeqing.

The Qing army captures Hangzhou and kidnaps Queen Lu. Jin Bao and his former governor, Tongzhi Yao Zhizhuo, rise up to fight against the Qing, but they are alone and defeated.

Later, Shaowu was established in the imperial court. Because of his unyielding and protesting actions, he gained a good reputation. He was promoted to the prefect of Quanzhou, and later promoted to the deputy envoy of Fujian.

Because of his unyielding integrity, he has led troops in battle, and he has served as an official in Fujian for many years. He is familiar with the affairs of Xiyi and Taiwan.

More importantly, he is only 43 years old, young and strong, just right.

Zhu Yixi is satisfied with this person's experience.

When he ascended the throne in Nanjing and appointed the old people of the previous dynasty, the imperial court did not appoint all the people, but selected the best.

The first ones to be ruled out were, of course, the court officials who once took refuge in Li Zicheng and the Qing Dynasty in Beijing.

The priority for hiring is those chaste men who lead the army in battle, are indomitable, and have a heart for the court.

Whether you have the ability or not, aside, the most important thing is to save energy.

Who can deny Hong Chengchou's ability?
But he was a traitor.

Therefore, Jin Bao satisfied the emperor no matter his qualifications, ability, physical condition, or experience as an official.

"Appoint him as Governor of Luzon!"

Zhu Yixi picked up the third ticket and said.

Tian Fu, who was waiting on the sidelines, was busy writing and reviewing.

As for Sun Lin, he is only 25 or [-] years old, and he has already shocked the officialdom as the commander-in-chief of the South China Sea Division. If he is promoted to governor, he will definitely make the court mess up.

He didn't dare to be like Qianlong, who was appointed Minister of Military Aircraft when Fukang'an was 20 years old.

The promotion of favored ministers can't be done in such a random way. Isn't this creating a barrier between the monarch and his ministers?

In Zhu Hong's group, the cabinet had no objection, and immediately drafted a decree, issued it to the Ministry of officials for implementation, and confirmed the matter.

After the process was completed, he hurried to Tianjin.

In the past, such an edict would have been sent from the canal south to Zhejiang, and then sent to Fujian, and it would have been impossible to achieve it within two or three months.

But now they take a boat from Tianjin, take a sea boat directly down the river, and reach Fuzhou in about half a month.

At this time, Jin Bao, who served as the inspector of Fujian, arrived in Taiwan by boat.

According to the procuratorate, also known as "standard Taiwan", this official position is responsible for the judicial, criminal and prison affairs of a province, and is a third-rank official rank.

The procuratorate is not only in charge of the judiciary, but also responsible for the management of the province's "post office" affairs. It is necessary to ensure that the information sent by the central government to the local area is correct.

On the one hand, the procuratorate focuses on the judiciary and oil post, and the procuratorate is equivalent to the current director of the judicial department, director of the public security department, and the head of the provincial procuratorate.

In addition, in addition to the people, the officials still have the right to supervise. Any officials who have committed corrupt or illegal acts have the responsibility to correct and expose them and report them to the court.

The three-year evaluation of local officials stipulated by the imperial court was also completed by the inspector.

Under the deputy envoy of the inspection, he also set up Qianshi. The deputy envoy and Qianshi usually separate to inspect places, such as military preparation, learning, patrolling the sea, Qing army, post, and farmland.

However, Jin Bao personally came to the Taiwan government this time, and he really had to do it for you.

The summer tax in Taiwan was earlier than that in Jiangnan, and it was paid in late May and early June, but it shocked the entire Fuzhou and Fujian provinces.

It turned out that after the three-year tax-free period, the Taiwan government began to implement a two-and-a-half-year tax.

Summer tax of 27 silver dollars——

In other words, the Taiwan government has about one million silver dollars in taxes every year.

The commercial tax is 300,000% and the grain tax is [-]%. Even if it is [-]%, the Taiwan government can leave at least [-] yuan.

What a huge number that is.

In the whole of Fujian, the annual tax is only 4 million yuan, while the Taiwan government has only 600,000 people, and the first two taxes can reach a quarter of the province's total.

When the governor of Fujian learned of this, his first reaction was disbelief. After verification, his second reaction was to feel that Taiwan was more than that.

He felt that many officials in the Taiwan government might not be clean, or that they had been raised.

The Shaowu Dynasty carried out financial reforms for many years. The local grain tax was divided into one, two, and three cents.

The one handed over to the household department is called shipment, while the one left in the local area is called storage.

Before Shaowu, there was no fiscal revenue at the provincial level. Taxation was based on the county, and the fiscal revenue of the three divisions.

Therefore, once a major disaster occurs, the governor will ask the big households to donate food and silver to tide over the difficulties. At this time, for those county government offices with rich treasuries, the governor is unable to dispatch support and watches helplessly.

People are selfish, each county will only sweep the door, and will not take other counties into consideration.

As for disaster relief, it must be reported to the court. Once it comes and goes, it has already led to a civil uprising.

Historically, it was not until the Yongzheng period that there was a provincial-level finance, called retention, which came from the return of fire consumption to the public, but the rules were strictly limited, and if more than 500 taels were used, it had to be played.

However, in the Shaowu Dynasty, because the governor also served as the dispatcher of the province's disaster relief, the provincial finance was gradually formed.

The finance at the provincial level is managed by the chief envoy, used by the governor, supervised by the inspector, and can only be used with the consent of the three parties.

In terms of application, it can only be used for repairing official roads, dredging river embankments, helping victims of disasters, paying military salaries, and offering sacrifices to charity.

The source of provincial finance is commercial tax.

Fifty percent of the commercial tax revenue is handed over to the Ministry of Households, [-] percent is retained in the local area, and [-] percent is reserved for saving money.

Even if it is only two cents, in a province like Fujian, where business is more important than agriculture, the business tax has already exceeded the agricultural tax, and the treasury can leave 500,000 silver dollars a year.

Although not much, it is enough to relieve the victims in an emergency.

For example, in Jiangsu Province, the annual business tax exceeds 4 million, and the retention can reach about one million, which is the real wealth.

The Fujian Third Division is concerned about commercial taxation, and what they hate the most is that the local government conceals the report. Taiwan has made such a big deal, and it is even more important to investigate it, lest something goes wrong.

Of course, the reason is that some officials from the Taiwan government reported to the governor that there are many red barbarians in Taiwan, and that the people's customs have gradually changed, which is indecent.

"Native to Taiwan, I heard that Taiwan has only been around for a few years, the land is rich, and it has become the first choice for Fujian..."

The staff on the side looked at the sea, staring at the rough waves, and couldn't help sighing.

"Nearly [-] Xiyi, the Taiwan government is different."

Jin Bao held his head up, blowing the sea breeze.

At noon, the ship arrived in Penghu County, and in the afternoon, it arrived in Dayuan County, Taiwan.

The magistrates and prefects of Taiwan all came to the pier to greet them. They were all cautious and respectful, even more careful than serving their parents.

They couldn't help but be so timid.

Ming system—the prefectures and counties are inspected every month and reported to the government. The government inspects and reports to the chief minister every year. Every three years, the governor and the procuratorial department review the officials' affairs and make a book to report to the officials. Ministry, as evidence for foreign officials to investigate.

Previously, foreign officials were evaluated into eight grades, one was greedy, two was cool, three was impetuous, four was inferior, five was old, six was sick, seven was dismissed, and eight was not cautious.

After the Shaowu Dynasty, foreign officials were divided into three classes, excellent, middle, and inferior. The inferior ones were demoted, the middle ones were transferred to other provinces, and the excellent ones were promoted to Beijing.

As before, the position of magistrate has been transferred for decades, but now it does not exist.

When he boarded the pier, Jin Bao only felt that the atmosphere was really different.

The ships docked at the pier are basically Western-style sailboats, but there are very few Fuchuan, and Xiyi can be seen everywhere.

Facing a high-ranking official like him, this group of red-haired and green-eyed Xiyi showed no respect. They just saluted and left on their own.

Jin Bao felt his breath rising.

Get in the carriage and open the curtain to see that there are all kinds of shops along the street, and the buildings are even more strange.

Ming-style buildings are unremarkable.

In his heart, he became more and more angry.

When they arrived at the government office, the space was huge. The front and back yards were spacious and brand new, clean and tidy, several vases were placed extremely elegantly, and the paintings and calligraphy were also good.

"Where is this a county office?"

Since the Kingdom of China, it has been popular to destroy the county government to show the cleanliness of the tallow, but now in Taiwan, it is extremely beautiful.

Jin Bao accumulated a lot of sulking, and he only smiled when the magistrate proposed to hold a banquet, but his sullen face still made the entire Taiwan government tremble with fear.

The next day, he sent his teacher to check the account books, and then went to the county warehouse to look.

Dozens of boxes of silver coins, worth 100,000 yuan, made Jin Bao breathless.

Suddenly, he felt out of breath.

The magistrate at the side said respectfully: "Standard Taiwan, the four counties of Taiwan Prefecture, Penghu, Dayuan, Chicken Coop, Danshui..."

"I know." Jin Bao nodded, cast a sidelong glance at him, and said, "Why is your summer tax so high?"

"Are there any harsh people?"

After these questions, the Taiwan prefect's waist immediately became lower.

"It's actually because the sea merchants purchased a large amount of sucrose, with an annual output of millions of tons. Because of the ten taxes and three, the annual tax is no less than 300,000..."

"Moreover, in the past two years, our government has exported tea, rice, wood, moth balls, etc. on a large scale, and also collected a lot of taxes."

"The money obtained is firstly used to support the officials (the head of the county yamen is the chief envoy to send money), secondly used to conquer the natives, and thirdly used to recruit people who reclaim wasteland to fill up the household registration..."

ps: What the hell, Japan and South Korea have entered, so angry! ! ! ! ! !
(End of this chapter)