Rule over Ming Dynasty

The dignified Ge Lao, who was serving as the governor of Southern Zhili, was assassinated, which fully exposed the seriousness of the problem of the Jiangnan official and gentry group.

Although the Ming Dynasty drew on the experience and lessons of the previous dynasties, respected Confucius and Confucianism, and relied on the scholar-bureaucrats in Jiangnan as the foundation of the dynasty, it could not be used as a bargaining chip for the favor and pride of the Jiangnan officials and gentry.

Even if the Ming Dynasty moved the capital to the north, it was in order to better resist the northern nomads moving south, but it cannot be the reason for you to ignore the court because the mountains are high and the emperor is far away.

Unexpectedly, the official gentry group in Jiangnan not only resisted the imperial decree, but also dared to secretly attack the imperial envoy of the local government.

"The thief is not out there, he is in Jiangnan!"

Zhu Youtang always thought that the enemy of China's prosperity was external, but now he suddenly discovered that the Jiangnan class was the biggest cancer of the Ming Dynasty.

It has been more than a hundred years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, and the emperor himself has only been in power for nearly five years, but who would have thought that the Jiangnan Guanshen Group now has no king and no father.

After accumulating wealth by taking advantage of its geographical advantages, the Jiangnan official and gentry group tried every means to strengthen themselves. Not only did they jointly evade taxes, they even did not intend to pay taxes to the court at all.

It's just that a country's productivity is limited, and the court's expenses are often fixed. Once you can't collect taxes from you, you can only make up for it from others, but this will often squeeze out other people's living space.

In the original history, the reason why the Ming Dynasty finally came to an end was largely due to the court's inability to collect taxes from the wealthy Jiangnan official and gentry class. As a result, the country fell into complete chaos due to financial problems.

Because of this, the Ming Dynasty would not have fallen to the iron cavalry of the north, but the selfishness of the Jiangnan official and gentry group harmed the entire nation.

Turning the time back to the present, today's Jiangnan official and gentry group has become the most urgent problem to be solved.

If the imperial court's order to abolish silver was because it infringed on their vital interests, so they chose to resist, this might make it easier for people to accept it.

But when Chaoge Lao went to Jiangnan as an imperial envoy, he almost lost his life on the way to Suzhou. This was simply a naked provocation to the imperial court.

"Your Majesty, please calm down, or you may injure the dragon's body!" Liu Jin saw Zhu Youtang in a rage and seriously dissuaded him out of loyalty.

Zhu Youtang brought the tea cup to his mouth, but found that it was already cold, so he asked someone to arrange for new tea to be delivered, but he gradually calmed down.

Although Jiangnan officials and gentry group dared to touch Wang Yue, which made him very angry, he knew that anger alone could not solve the problem, and now he needed to come up with a feasible plan.

Soon after, several eunuchs went to summon the six departments.

When Zhu Youtang summoned a few important ministers, he often chose to meet directly in Yangxin Hall, and also intervened in their discussions from time to time.

The cabinet ministers currently staying in Beijing are the first assistant Liu Ji and the second assistant Xu Qiong. Their duties are arranged outside, so they can come in with just a summons.

The six departments are located in Dongjiangmi Lane and Xijiangmi Lane. When they were summoned, Jia Jun, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry, Liu Xuan, the Minister of the Ministry of War, Liu Zhong, the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, and He Cong, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, came immediately.

"What happened?"

"I don't know, it must be something serious!"

"Stop guessing, let's go in together to see the saint!"

……

Several important ministers had just met outside and already knew that something big must have happened, otherwise the emperor would not have summoned them all together.

Like Zhu Youtang's propaganda of "empty talk will harm the country, but hard work will prosper the country", Hongzhi has always been very pragmatic in his work and will never call them here for no reason.

Liu Ji seemed more and more calm. Faced with Liu Xuan, the Minister of War, and others who were speculating, he led everyone to visit Emperor Hongzhi who summoned them.

"Wang Ge Lao was assassinated?"

"Who is so audacious?"

"Jiangnan is really lawless!"

……

After learning that Wang Yue was assassinated on his way to Suzhou, even Liu Ji stared in shock, and the six important ministers present couldn't help but become angry.

Although some officials in Jiangnan had an accident last year, they should not make random guesses. After all, it is possible that this was indeed an accident.

This time, Wang Yue went south under the order as the cabinet minister. Not to mention that Wang Yuegui was the cabinet minister, and he was also an imperial envoy. As a result, he was attacked in the dark.

At this point, the problems of the Jiangnan official and gentry group can directly rise to several levels, and even become the most important issue for the Ming Dynasty to deal with.

"It is said that there are unruly people in Shandong. I think Jiangnan is like a dragon's pond and a tiger's den!"

Although He Cong, the Minister of Household Affairs, was also targeted by local forces when he was the governor of Shandong, he did not dare to stumble secretly. However, he did not expect that Jiangnan would dare to poison the dignified imperial envoy, and he was also targeted. Jiangnan officials and gentry group said.

Zhu Youtang has slowly calmed down now, so he picked up the tea cup and asked calmly: "Tell me, what do you think about this matter?"

"Your Majesty, please lead the troops to eliminate the thieves!" Liu Xuan, Minister of War, respected Wang Yue very much and expressed his stance directly.

Liu Ji glanced at Liu Xuan sincerely, but shook his head slightly: "This method is inappropriate! Now the enemy doesn't know where he is, and we are spending so much time and effort to gain more than we lose!"

"Liu Ge's old words are true! This time, Wang Ge was always hit by secret arrows, but failed to capture the murderer. What can he do even if he leads the army?" Jia Jun, Minister of Industry, stood on Liu Ji's side and said.

Zhu Youtang took a sip silently and was not in a hurry to express his position.

In fact, sending troops to Jiangnan can put pressure on the Jiangnan official and gentry group, but it is not the best strategy.

First of all, as Liu Ji said, even the person who fired the hidden arrows could not be found this time. Even if Liaodong's cavalry was sent to Jiangnan, there was nowhere to exert force.

Secondly, the Jiangnan official gentry group is a group of literati after all. What they pursue is wisdom. Usually no matter how noisy they are, they will not use force to fight against the court. You can refer to the following dynasty.

Finally, there are garrisons in Jiangnan and other places. Even if the army is dispatched for deterrence, it is easy to block the hidden arrows with open guns and difficult to prevent them. It is impossible to solve the tactics of Jiangnan officials and gentry group.

That's why we still have to deal with the Jiangnan official and gentry group step by step, and we need to use more clever ways to attack the Jiangnan official and gentry group.

Now that Liu Ji had been promoted as the chief assistant, he showed the decisiveness of the chief assistant of the cabinet: "For this plan! Immediately strengthen the defense of Mr. Wangge, while Mr. Wangge will stay in Nanjing to recuperate and take charge of the overall situation, and order all the people in South Zhili to Local officials and gentry promote imperial decrees!"

In fact, he was not very optimistic about Wang Yue this time. It is true that Wang Yue had brains and courage, but he was old after all, and he still went to Jiangnan in a sick body.

Unexpectedly, this time they were facing the entire class of officials and gentry in Jiangnan. It was difficult to prevent hidden arrows this time, and they might give Wang Yue a fatal blow in the dark next time.

The best thing to do now is for Wang Yue to sit in Nanjing with his body injured, and leave other matters to local officials, which can not only promote the imperial decree, but also prevent Wang Yue from continuing to fall into crisis.

This……

Liu Xuan, Minister of War, heard that Liu Ji had this plan. Although he didn't think it was the best plan, he didn't have a good idea for a while. The biggest problem now is that the capital is too far away from Nanjing, and there is not enough information, so it is really difficult to come up with a solution that can quickly solve the problem.

"This method by Mr. Liu Ge is very good!" Jia Jun, Minister of Industry, and others thought for a moment and expressed their support for this plan.

Although most of the important ministers agreed to Liu Ji's plan, the one who really had the decision-making power was the Emperor of Heaven, so they all looked up at Zhu Youtang.

Zhu Youtang knew that this was a better approach, but he suddenly asked seriously: "My dear friends, what if I go to Jiangnan in person?"

Although the risk factor of leaving the palace will increase, the current situation no longer allows him to hide in the Forbidden City. Instead, he should go to Jiangnan to let the Jiangnan officials and gentry know that there is still an emperor in the Ming Dynasty.

Not to mention that the scholar-bureaucrats of this era always talked about being loyal to the emperor, and the Jiangnan official and gentry group was not monolithic, so he personally went to Jiangnan to abolish the silver standard and implement the Hongzhi New Currency with the power of an emperor.

If any blind official or gentry dares to speak out against the situation, he can kill the chicken and scare the monkeys on the spot, and everything will be much easier to deal with.

"Your Majesty, you must not!"

But as soon as he finished speaking, even Xu Qiong immediately exclaimed.

It's not that they want to go against Zhu Youtang, but Wang Yue has just been attacked in the dark, and if Zhu Youtang has any shortcomings, the whole Ming Dynasty will change.

Especially now that the Ming Dynasty's crown prince is vacant, if something unexpected happens, the whole of China may fall into chaos, and the Ming Dynasty's regime may even overthrow.

Liu Ji and other important ministers all thought of this and looked at Zhu Youtang with panic, but they were afraid that Zhu Youtang would insist on going to Jiangnan.

Liu Jin seemed to have already guessed this situation, looking worriedly at Zhu Youtang who was sitting on the dragon chair.

Although Zhu Youtang had already guessed that this might be the result, he still felt unhappy when he saw six important ministers blocking him and said: "Only by abolishing the silver standard, the Ming Dynasty will be strong. Why not go down to Jiangnan to scrap silver and push coins?" ?”

"Your Majesty is a man of great wealth, and it is not appropriate to go to the south of the Yangtze River!"

"Your Majesty, you are going to the south of the Yangtze River. You are afraid that you will waste people and money along the way!"

"Your Majesty, the trip to the south of the Yangtze River is time-consuming, energy-consuming and expensive. This is not the behavior of a wise king!"

……

Facing the questions raised by Zhu Youtang, the six important ministers present almost didn't even think about it, and they all came up with reasons why Zhu Youtang should not go to Jiangnan to stop him.

In addition to worrying about the turmoil in the Ming Dynasty, they also considered the cost of going to Jiangnan.

The emperor's trip was not a trivial matter, even if there were more than 10,000 security personnel, and in order to welcome the emperor along the way, corvee labor was naturally required to build corresponding supporting facilities.

Once the emperor needs to pass through a county town, the corresponding roads must be repaired, the emperor must build a temporary palace, and the people at any time must also be accommodated.

As for the diet of the emperor's entourage, the feeding of the horses, and even the transportation of large amounts of materials, these things cost a lot of people and financial resources.

"Your Majesty, please think twice!" Liu Ji exchanged glances with the others, and then suddenly knelt down to express their stance.

Zhu Youtang was not a completely unreasonable emperor. Although he wanted to see the picturesque Jiangnan in this era with his own eyes, he also pretended to be his Chinese compatriots.

The emperor of the later dynasty liked to go to Jiangnan. Every time he went to Jiangnan, he spent a lot of financial resources, which eventually led to financial problems for the entire dynasty.

Going to Jiangnan by yourself now is indeed conducive to promoting the abolition of the silver standard and the implementation of new currencies, but if it consumes too much silver, it is indeed not a good plan.

Zhu Youtang glanced at Liu Ji and other important ministers who were kneeling on the ground, and finally looked at He Cong, the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and Jia Jun, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry, and said: "He Qing, Jia Qing, you two work together to calculate what I will gain when I go to Jiangnan." How much money does it cost!"

"I accept the decree!" He Cong, the Minister of Household Affairs, and Jia Jun, the Minister of Industry, looked at each other and immediately expressed their opinions in a polite manner.

Although they were opposed to Zhu Youtang going south to the south of the Yangtze River, they were more worried about the emperor's safety. As for the cost of the emperor's trip to the south of the Yangtze River, it was only secondary.

Both of them knew that Zhu Youtang was a wise emperor. Now that the emperor wanted to know the cost of going to Jiangnan, they would naturally check it carefully.

As for the emperor's final decision, no matter whether the emperor wanted to go to Jiangnan or stay in the Forbidden City, they would unconditionally support Zhu Youtang's decision.

Compared with the cost of going to Jiangnan, it is equally important to deal with the problems in Jiangnan now, especially because they do not want Japan to use its own advantages in silver mines to plunder China's social wealth in the future.

Zhu Youtang picked up the information sent by Yin Zhi and said with a smile on his face: "Mr. Yin Ge's investigation in Zhejiang has made a good breakthrough. After his continuous and in-depth investigation, it has been confirmed that the gold ship was indeed hijacked by the Jiangnan Merchant's fleet! "

"Jiangnan Company?"

"Isn't Jiangnan Company the same one that evaded tariffs?"

"More than just evading tariffs, they have already cooperated with the Dayou family to mine the Kyushu silver mine!"

……

When he heard the news, Liu Zhong, the Minister of Punishment, couldn't sit still, but he bitterly pointed the finger at this business established by the Jiangnan family.

Zhu Youtang was in a much better mood at the moment, but he still maintained his patience and said: "The robbery of the gold ship is already known to everyone! As long as the facts can be found out, the members of Jiangnan Company can be liquidated. Jiangnan's resistance may be Solved easily."

"Your Majesty, your Majesty!" Liu Ji and others said after learning Zhu Youtang's plan.

Originally, they could make a big fuss about tax evasion through Jiangnan Company, but this matter was quite tricky to deal with. After all, they could not just listen to Fu Zhao's words, and the punishment for evading tariffs should not be too harsh.

If they can really find out that the gold robbery is related to Jiangnan Company, then they can uproot the entire Jiangnan Company, and then achieve the purpose of shocking the entire Jiangnan.

March in Jiangnan is a good time of spring rain.

In this increasingly prosperous ancient city, a broken carriage was swaying into the city from the north gate of Suzhou City in the drizzle.

"Sir, we have arrived at the first floor of Suzhou City. Please get out of the car!" The horseman who drove the carriage seemed quite strange and authentic as he led the people to the front of Zhaiyue Tower.

His carriage was not of high quality at all, and all those who took his carriage were just looking for an advantage, and scholars with status who were rushing to take exams usually would not take his carriage.

Unexpectedly, this well-dressed young master and his entourage actually chose to take his car, and even directly pointed out that they were going to the largest brothel in Suzhou City. It was really puzzling.

"What are you watching me do?" A young man with a black face asked with confusion on his face when he noticed that the young man accompanying him was staring at him.

The groom didn't know which one the master and servant were singing, so he emphasized in a flattering manner: "My guest, I'd like to accept the favor of twenty pence!"

"Tong'er, give me the money quickly!" The black-faced young man straightened his collar and said matter-of-factly.

Wang Ye rolled his eyes helplessly, but obediently took out the copper coins to pay. He just didn't understand why the other party brought him to such a romantic place. (End of chapter)