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Chapter 553 A war that shouldn’t have happened

"I obey the Holy Orders... But will this affect the tax collection and local stability in the south?" Faced with the issue of redundant officials raised by the emperor, Yuan Yingtai must empathize with it. Regardless of whether he is a scholar or not, he must also be aware of it. bright.

When I went to Guangdong to serve as the chief envoy, I was constantly running around in the lower states and counties. There was less than one out of ten officials who were really capable of doing things, and less than three out of ten officials who were forced to do things.

The rest either really don’t know how to do it, or they really don’t want to do it. Their existence, in addition to wasting taxes, will also hinder officials who want to do their jobs, which is indeed of no benefit at all.

But managing a country is not as simple as cutting off whatever is in the way. When faced with an already existing mature system, there is often no clear line between right and wrong. The process is not very important, but the result is the key.

In addition to the problems left over from history, the second set of teams in Nanjing did have a necessity to exist. They supervised and managed many things south of the Yangtze River for the imperial court, especially the annual summer and autumn grain taxes. If it is abolished, the workload of the six departments will increase, and it will also seriously affect the water transportation, weaving and other industries, affecting the whole body.

In other words, due to the constraints of communication and transportation conditions, the scope of control of the central government is limited. The capital alone is not enough to control the overall situation, so a co-processor is needed to help the central processor complete some tasks. It looks super redundant on the motherboard, but it’s not enough without it.

"Have you ever heard of the Sun and Moon Bank?" Since he was about to take action on Nanjing's official system, Hong Tao would not ignore all the negative impacts and had to make precise calculations before making his decision.

However, if he didn't explain some of the details, it would be really difficult for others to figure them out. It's not a matter of IQ, it's a matter of knowledge. If you have never seen something before, it is useless to think about it. At this time, you must give an explanation.

"That's natural. When I was the governor of Nanyang, His Majesty issued an order that grain from Guangdong and Fujian should be transported northward by sea, and the money should be paid to the Sun and Moon Bank... His Majesty plans to use the bank to collect taxes!?"

As an official who has served in Guangdong and Fujian for a long time, I don't know that the Sun and Moon Bank is unlikely. Starting from the 1614th year of Jingyang (), cash salaries in the two provinces were distributed by the Sun and Moon Bank, and all they received were five qian and silver coins weighing one qian.

However, as the official minister, Yuan Yingtai must not only consider the literal meaning, but easily thought of another possibility. But can banks replace the work of various ministries in Nanjing? In principle, he didn't really believe it.

"It's definitely not possible at the moment. It's not like we will lay off all Nanjing officials next year. We still have plenty of time. Maybe it will be possible in a few years. Don't just focus on the Sun and Moon Bank. Customs, the Maritime Governor's Office, and the offices of various state governments. The granary, navy and army are all considered together.

Let’s stop here for today. When I get back, I will carefully consider what I said. Don’t reveal it to outsiders yet. We, the king and my ministers, will talk in detail later. Don't think that you can take a break from your busy schedule when you return to Beijing. There are too many things to do and they are all complicated. "

Seeing Yuan Yingtai's surprised expression, Hong Tao was very satisfied. Although the tax system of later generations was not created by myself, it can serve as a prophet to most people, which always makes people feel happy.

However, this time the prophet was delayed by the little eunuchs of the Cuju team who poked their heads outside the palace. If they had nothing particularly urgent, they would usually inform Wang An or Wang Chengen first and would not come directly to disturb them. "Tell me, where did someone take the opportunity to cause trouble?"

So what is the urgent matter? Hong Tao feels that this big arrest is inseparable. He could arrange in advance for the Imperial Horse Guards and Imperial Guards to go to Shanxi, or he could secretly recruit Annan mercenaries to suppress Jiangsu and Zhejiang, but the officials, gentry, and nobles involved were far more than these two. If they were not protected, some would take risks.

"Reporting to Lord Long Live, it is the Spanish envoy from Luzon who has arrived at Dagukou. Governor Yuan sent someone to ask if he is allowed to enter Beijing to meet the saint." Unfortunately, he guessed wrong. After hundreds of officials and nobles were arrested, no one rebelled. There is news for the Spaniards who have been forgotten for the time being.

"...What a damn shameless person! Send an order to Yuan Keli and the naval staff to enter the palace quickly. The envoy should ask him to wait. When I have arranged the army, let him bring the letter of war. go back!"

But after Hong Tao read the thick memorial, what he thought was good news turned out to be bad news, so bad that he couldn't help but curse.

According to the statement of the Naval Staff, the Spanish envoy did not come to continue discussing cooperation between the two countries. He was not even from Spain, but a captain officer under the Governor of the Philippines.

He brought the final reply from the King of Spain. The proposal for cooperation between the two countries was rejected. The specific reasons were not stated. Then there was the suggestion from the Governor of the Philippines, hoping that the Ming Emperor would issue an edict to prohibit Dutch merchant ships from docking at coastal ports, and that Ming maritime merchants would not go to Batavia to trade.

In addition, the Governor of the Philippines also conveyed the King of Spain's intention to take back the hijacked galleon Montanis and all the people and property on board. The ransom is naturally not a penny, and the only compensation that can be given is forgiveness, and the hijackers will no longer be held accountable.

Hong Tao almost turned his nose in anger. What did he take himself for? The governor of Spain's overseas territories, or the chief of a small country in Southeast Asia? They didn’t even send a special envoy, and they didn’t even have a handwritten letter. They just found someone to send them off with just a few words!
Respect is never given by others. If you want to get it, you can only get it yourself. Hong Tao's attitude towards those who don't respect him has always been tit for tat. Of course, the premise is that you have the ability to fight back. If not, just use the ancient saying as a fig leaf. It is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge after ten years.

Hong Tao really can't decide whether he has the ability to retaliate now, how to retaliate, and to what extent he should retaliate. He must call in professionals to ask.

In the winter of the 10th year of Jingyang, Captain Steer, the special envoy to Manila, was sent back to Manila port by a ship sent by the Ming Dynasty Navy with a letter written by the Ming Emperor. All ports in Guangdong and Fujian have also posted navy notices, advising merchants not to go to Manila Port in the near future. If you must go, go back quickly and it is best not to dock in the port.

why? Because the Ming Navy followed the Ming Emperor's imperial edict to impose military punishment on the Port of Manila. If the Spaniards did not surrender, war would follow.

There was only one reason. The Spaniards who occupied the city of Manila massacred Ming Dynasty merchants for no reason many times and refused to apologize and pay compensation, which made the always tolerant and generous Emperor Jingyang intolerable. In order to safeguard the dignity of the royal family and the interests of the people of Ming Dynasty, we must act on behalf of heaven and impose some punishment.

(End of this chapter)