unclear

Chapter 701 Stubborn Disease
Hong Tao did not have high hopes of convincing Yuan Keli. This chief of staff had the same personality as Li Zhi back then. He would figure out things that he could understand without much discussion, and he would become more confused the more he talked about things that he could not understand.

When he was still the crown prince, Wang An was his right-hand man. Later, when he became the emperor, Tian Yi, Chen Ju, Li Zhi, Yuan Keli and others joined him. After more than ten years of careful management, he could no longer count how many people were willing to follow him.

In this process, first Chen Ju and then Wang An gradually drifted away from his own ideas. If Li Zhi had lived a few more years, there might have been a gap between them. Did he burn the bridge after crossing it? No. Did they become too ambitious for power as their status rose? No.

No one was wrong, the only mistake was that he was a time traveler, and his thoughts were completely different from theirs. After a long time, there would naturally be a mismatch in thought. He had anticipated this outcome before he became emperor, but it couldn't be said that he had anticipated it, but he had encountered it before, and more than once.

I was not experienced enough in the previous times and was a little unprepared. I should not make the same mistakes this time. There is no good way to deal with this situation. There are only two words: replace. Whoever can't keep up with me, I will replace him.

Those who are willing to give up their power are partners and friends. They are no longer officials, but their friendship remains. Those who have the conditions can arrange a nominal position as an advisor in the court, and those who don't have the conditions can go home to enjoy their grandchildren. They care about each other from time to time and enjoy themselves.

Those who are unwilling to hand over power, or even try to seize it, can only be sorry. The better the relationship was in the beginning, the sharper the knife is now. Friendship? It doesn't exist. The ancients said a long time ago that the royal family is ruthless. What does the emperor call himself? Orphan, widow.

"…It has been basically sorted out. After reading it, I was deeply moved. I used to think that our dynasty had many serious and stubborn illnesses, but I never expected that it was already in a critical condition. If Your Majesty had not pushed forward the new policy against all odds, it would have been in danger."

On the issue of how to deal with the rioters, Yuan Keli did not agree with the emperor's brutal methods, no matter how thoroughly the reason was explained, he still could not agree. But when it came to other government affairs, he had to praise the emperor.

There is a saying that one does not know the cost of firewood and rice until he manages the household. Even when he was the governor-general of the navy, shipping, and customs, he did not feel as deeply as he did when he became the chief of the general staff. Almost every department in the court from top to bottom was rotten to the core. According to the Ming Dynasty law, not even one-tenth of the officials would be left, and all the crimes should be punished by extermination and confiscation of property.

At this time he had to hold his nose and understand the emperor's actions. If he did not take drastic measures and dared to cut off his arm to survive, how could he save this shabby ship with holes in it?

"Alas... I have known about this for a long time, but everything has its priorities. I cannot do anything without sorting out the military situation. I was planning to wait a little longer, but I didn't expect them to take action first. What do you think, Li Qing, do you dare to be the bad guy on my behalf again and cut off a piece of rotten meat from the Ming Dynasty?"

Seeing Yuan Keli's distressed expression, Hong Tao felt that this old friend could still hold on for a few more years. It didn't matter if there were differences in specific operations, as long as the general direction was consistent, there would be no major problems.

"For the sake of the Ming Dynasty and Your Majesty, I am willing to die without hesitation!"

Let me be a bad guy again, this can be said from the emperor's mouth, it can be seen how bad the bad guy must be this time. But Yuan Keli did not hesitate at all, stood up and bowed respectfully, and accepted it without even asking for specific details.

In terms of boldness, Yuan Keli would not submit to anyone except the emperor. As long as it was truly for the good of the Ming Dynasty and could benefit the people, he would not mind pretending to be a pirate, letting his soldiers slaughter the people of Annan, and even his own elders would be ignored.

"Li Qing, you are too kind. With your talent, you can protect the country's well-being and expand the territory. How can you sacrifice yourself for some villains?" If there is a big flaw in Yuan Keli, it is that he is bold and dares to do anything for what he wants. So Hong Tao has to cool him down. It's not good to be unmotivated, but being too motivated will often backfire.

"I am not exaggerating. Salt and tea are the foundation of the country and are of great concern. It will not help to just remove the superficial aspects. Once we dig deeper, it may be difficult to resolve the issue." Yuan Keli was deeply moved when the emperor called him a great talent in governing the country in person.

No matter how opposed to the scholar class, he is still a member of the scholar class, and his basic moral sentiments are not much different. There is a saying that if a king treats you as a national scholar, he must repay you as a national scholar, and a scholar will die for his friend.

To be valued by such a wise, daring, and decisive king at a prime age when one's ideals have not yet been extinguished is a job that most scholars would dream of but cannot hope to obtain.

But there was still no significant change in attitude, and they also advised the emperor to pay more attention and not take it lightly. This was not excessive caution, but the worry that had to be had after learning more about the inside story.

"Since Li Qing said so, let's study it first. We need real evidence to prove whether it is really that powerful."

Seeing Yuan Keli's insistence, Hong Tao could no longer persuade him and nodded to the staff beside him. In less than half a minute, the conference table that could seat more than 20 people was mostly occupied by various materials, most of which were selected from the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue and the archived memorials and memorials of the Silijian.

These are the preliminary results that the General Staff, the Imperial Household Department, and the Cuju Team have collected and summarized over several months. The core content is two words: salt and tea!

That's right, Hong Tao was going to rectify the main components of Ming Dynasty's taxation. This idea had been in his mind for a long time, but he had never expressed it until he thought he had enough power.

Even so, it must be carried out in secret first, and only after obtaining sufficient information, coming up with complete countermeasures, and having very feasible alternative plans, will it be implemented.

Why is it so cautious? Yuan Keli has just said that too many people are involved and too many interests are entangled. If it is not handled carefully, it is likely to trigger a chain reaction of national nature.

Unlike the struggles in the imperial court, the chaos caused by salt and tea was bottom-up, with more participants from the civilian sector. Although they did not have as much power as the civil and military officials, they were more numerous, and once they started to stir up trouble, it would cause great harm to the economy, agriculture, and population of various places.

Salt has been a necessity of life since ancient times. Ever since Guan Zhong of Qi State in the Spring and Autumn Period proposed the concept of official mountains and seas, the mountains, forests, minerals, and even salt on the Chinese mainland have suddenly changed from being a gift from heaven to the purse strings of rulers of all dynasties. Private collection and sale without government approval is a crime!
The history of tea becoming a banned commodity is a little shorter, starting from the Tang Dynasty. In addition to its tax function like salt, the main purpose was to curb the nomadic peoples in the north. Using tea to control the nomads was the policy of several dynasties.

(End of this chapter)