Daming, originally wanted to destroy it, but the system came

Chapter 458 Raising Honest Silver and a Whip Technique

Zhu Yuanzhang's worries are indeed justified.

With the development of science and technology and the emergence of more and more advanced weapons, it is inevitable that there will be an unstable threat to society.

Don’t you see that the entire world, since the end of World War II, has never completely ended war.

It's just that our years are quiet and there are always people carrying the burden forward.

The flames of war were blocked outside the country, so we mistakenly thought that modern times were an era of peace.

But in fact, it has never been the case. The entire history of mankind is actually the history of wars, and wars never really end in one day.

Even including today's Ming Dynasty, the reason why Zhu Chun asked Muchun to withdraw from the battlefield in the Western Regions was to let him go back to garrison in Yunnan.

Aren't we also worried about the rebellion of chieftains such as Kawadi and Guidi?

Therefore, these weapons will definitely be controlled and cannot be freely circulated in the future.

But the problem is that Zhu Yuanzhang used the garrison system to distribute his troops to various parts of the world. The stability of the garrisoned places also had the intention of farming.

"But what happens next? My ambition is the whole world. If I establish diplomatic relations with them now, how can I have the nerve to fall out with them later?"

Because he had already sent a letter to Yunnan, by the time Zhu Shu and Zhu Bo arrived in Yunnan with their army, I believe that the second batch of necessary munitions had been produced for them.

It would also be good to build a Ming Dynasty version of the Louvre tomorrow.

At the Eurasian gate of the Western Regions, Zhu Chu could see that both the Ottoman Empire and the Golden Horde were eyeing the Ming Dynasty.

What's more, Yunnan is so far away from the capital, so it's not an exaggeration to call it a local emperor.

Don't ask, just do whatever you are told.

At the same time, Muchun will also arrange professional artillerymen for them.

As Yan Shitai entered the capital and became an official in the court, Zhu Zhen issued an imperial edict and ordered Wu Yong to succeed Yan Shitai, directly jumping several levels to serve as the prefect of Yongchang Prefecture.

"So Wang Fu, you have to hold on tight. You have to hold on for me for at least one year. After one year, it's almost time to start a full-scale war."

But then again, Zhu Zhen was sitting alone on the dragon chair in Qianqing Palace that day.

Wu Yong was just a commanding officer before, but now he has soared into the sky and directly became the top chief executive of a land.

"Especially the Golden Horde. The one behind it is the Grand Duchy of Moscow. I'm afraid this war will involve the whole of Europe."

If there were two hundred cannons and one hundred thousand guns, they would not be able to defeat Li Chenggui and the Jurchens.

"Hundreds of thousands, or even one or two million troops can still be assembled in the country. The food, grass and baggage can still be endured. But if the whole country is mobilized, I am afraid the country will be in turmoil," Zhu Zhen sighed secretly.

As for the outcome of Shen Rong's promotion to the Minister of Industry on that day, of course, the ministers compromised in the end.

Apart from Muchun, he is the biggest in Yongchang Mansion.

Otherwise, what else can be done? Can you make these 100,000 guns?

Let alone guns, many people still don’t know how bullets work.

There is no need for gunpowder to be fired, just hit it with a needle and go out by yourself?

In fact, since ancient times, those who secretly hide armor and weapons have been severely punished for treason.

Therefore, it is not that the Ming Dynasty has no troops available, but once the country's troops are mobilized, if Li Zicheng breaks out an uprising in advance, Zhu Zuke will have no choice but to fight to defend Nanjing.

By then, I am afraid that only the capital's capital camp troops will be left in hand.

In ancient times, even crossbows were strictly controlled. Private possession of crossbows was absolutely not allowed, as were bows. Only hunters could string them in the mountains and forests, otherwise it would be a capital offense.

He also wanted to immediately send troops to the European continent, and also wanted to take part in the Hundred Years War between England and France.

Therefore, Zhu Ming will never make a desperate move unless necessary.

At this time, Zhu Xi silently opened the system and looked at the interface. It was the territory of the Ming Dynasty, the rivers, mountains and territory of the entire country.

This is also the reason why Zhu Min did not summon Wu Yong and Long Qu to Beijing.

This is the emperor's bedroom, and was originally the place where the emperor's daily work and life took place.

But since Zhu Zhen became the supervisor, and Zhu Yuanzhang had the habit of working in the side hall, both of them were in the side hall, and only Zhu Zhen hid here to take some time off.

"You can't attack from far away or close to you. Although the Ottoman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) are hostile forces, if we join forces with the Eastern Roman Empire to attack from both front and back, it may not be impossible to destroy the Ottoman Empire."

It would be best to wipe them all out and let them experience the experience of being robbed.

In this way, there is no need to worry about the Northeast battlefield.

That Emperor Yongle was too watery.

He is a soldier in wartime and a citizen in peacetime.

It wasn't that there was no gunpowder, but that it was loaded into the bullet case in advance as a primer. It was not clear to them, and Zhu Zhen didn't bother to explain.

But these are all things that will happen later. Now Zhu Zhen immediately asked someone to transport 100,000 guns and millions of rounds of ammunition to his two brothers in the north.

This is true for bows and crossbows, let alone long guns and short cannons.

It is also enough to show Zhu Zhen's trust in him.

What Zhu Chu cares about now is neither the northeastern battlefield nor the southwest battlefield.

According to Zhu Chu's plan, he will first conquer Northeast China and Southeast Asia this year, and then send troops to the Siberian Khanate before the second half of the year.

When there are almost no opponents on the Asian continent and the entire territory is the territory of the Ming Dynasty, they will not have to worry about their future and can fully expand the European battlefield.

By that time, troops can be sent out in three directions at the same time from Southeast Asia, the gateway to Eurasia, and the plains of Eastern Europe to sweep across Europe.

"Although I cannot imitate the First Emperor to unify the Central Plains, after all, this is a feat accomplished by my father. However, I want to unify Europe."

And again, given the limitations of today's era, even the Australian continent and the American continent are new worlds that have not yet been discovered, and almost all advanced civilizations are on the Eurasian continent.

It is also equivalent to that as long as Zhu Zhen can really wipe out the entire Eurasian continent, he will be the world hegemon.

Others, such as the Australian continent and the American continent, are all undeveloped 'primary' lands. All you have to do is go up and occupy them and lead the indigenous people to reclaim the land.

As for those in the South China Sea, such as Luzon and other archipelago countries, this is not to mention.

When Zheng He went to the West, he conquered all over there and even destroyed several countries.

You can know their combat effectiveness.

While thinking about it, Zhu Zhen picked up his pen and wrote down his plan.

It’s not that I’m afraid I’ll forget, but there are still a lot of things waiting to be arranged.

"The census should have results. The next step is to reform the household registration system, especially the military household registration. From now on, I will let people voluntarily join the army instead of compulsory military service. At the same time, the treatment of the troops should be improved. By the way, officials should also be given Some benefits.”

Even Zhu Zhen felt that Zhu Yuanzhang was too harsh on officials during the Hongwu Dynasty.

The first is that his salary is not high, and the second is that Zhu Yuanzhang is too jealous of evil and does not rub sand in his eyes. Corruption is a capital crime and cannot be forgiven.

In fact, Zhu Ming also had the same idea.

If you want to be greedy, or if you dare to be greedy, then go ahead and be greedy, but don’t let me know about it. Once I know about it, I will chop off your head.

But officials also have corresponding expenses. Especially when superior officials are inspecting their performance, they need to curry favor with others. Even if it is just a dinner party, can you treat them to a bowl of Yangchun noodles?
Do you still want to do it?

However, with the small salary of officials, the government will often be in deficit.

This is not corruption, but borrowing.

But the problem is that if the current official fails to make up for the shortfall, it will leave a hole for the next one. If things continue like this, the first small pit will turn into a sinkhole. Who can bear this?

There is no way I can work for the old Zhu family. I have to pay for it myself, right?
There is no such argument.

Therefore, during the morning court meeting on this day, Zhu Chu, who was rare in his pleasant appearance, said in a gentle tone: "My dear friends, I have good news to tell you."

"Is the queen happy?" Someone said happily: "This is the foundation of the country, this is the foundation of the country."

Zhu Chu's face darkened. Do you want to tell me something important three times?

Not to mention it's not that fast.

"That's not the case, let alone my family affairs, why do you have to worry about it? And my fourteenth eunuch is a strong competitor for the crown prince. The so-called foundation of the country has nothing to do with you," Zhu Zhen suddenly lost his temper.

I was supposed to give you benefits, but you're causing trouble for me?
All the officials looked at each other, a little unsure for a moment.

The main reason is that there is no difference between Emperor Yongchang and Emperor Hongwu. The two men sit side by side on the dragon throne. They both look like ghosts of the same person. Even their temperaments and personalities are so similar.

They didn't know what this uncertain emperor was going to do.

The gentler and calmer he is, the more cautious everyone becomes.

Finally, it was Yan Shitai, the censor of Zuodu who was in charge of public speaking, and asked: "May I ask, Your Majesty, is there any happy event?"

This is more reserved. What if it is not the queen who is happy, but the two noble concubines?
Zhu Ming glared at him angrily, does it have anything to do with you? It's not you, Yan Shitai, who has thick eyebrows and big eyes, so that's the case, right?

Can you stop gossiping about the royal family?

"No," Zhu Zhen snorted coldly and said, "Don't pay too much attention to my Xia San Road. Originally, I was very happy. I wanted to tell you that I wanted to give you some benefits. But now I am angry. , I don’t want to talk anymore.”

All the officials looked at each other, "Your Majesty, you are not young, don't be willful."

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head dumbfounded. He had never been such a childish person before, so he coughed lightly and said: "Zhen'er, you are the king of a country, the emperor. How can you let the ministers see the joke?"

Of course, Zhu Zhen would not act like a spoiled brat at this age, so he took advantage of the situation and said, "I know."

Then Zhu Ming expressed his well-prepared thoughts: "Looking at the officials of Ming Dynasty, although they are clean and honest, they dare not take deductions at the top, and dare not prey on the people at the bottom. But in fact, it is still difficult to completely put an end to the excessive collection of miscellaneous taxes. When I was the king of Dian and passed through Hangzhou, I saw that the government and the aristocratic families joined forces to levy taxes privately in the name of the court, which made the people miserable. In the end, the people would rather give the land title to the aristocratic family for free and become the family's own. Sharecroppers, slaves.”

"My father came from a poor background. He is well aware of the hardships faced by ordinary people. He also understands that people's greed is endless. Corrupt officials and cruel officials can destroy a family. It is really worthy of death."

"But not all officials are corrupt or rotten. There are also decent people among you, and there are also people who are honest and upright. What's wrong with you? Are you going to be implicated by those corrupt officials?"

All the officials were moved to tears.

His Majesty finally stopped pointing at everyone and calling them dogshits.

It is true that many people have always harbored a trace of resentment in their hearts.

They are not corrupt officials, so they have to be cautious, lest they accidentally get involved and bring disaster to the whole family.

I heard Zhu Ming continue to say: "In view of this, I plan to adjust the salaries of officials at all levels and increase some monthly salary for you."

This monthly period is not the days of a woman’s month, it’s a period holiday.

The so-called monthly fee refers to the monthly payment as usual, which is the salary of officials.

Although the salaries of officials at all levels are calculated based on their annual salary, they are actually collected from the Ministry of Household Affairs every month.

After all, officials are also human beings. They also have to eat, drink, have sex, and have a family to support. If they are given once a year, what if something happens to them?
However, the additional salary for the aristocratic class such as the kings is settled once a year, which is also called annual salary.

Zhu Ming's words finally made the officials excited.

Is this going to give them a wage increase? This is a good thing.

"Look at your potential," Zhu Zhen scolded with a smile. Seeing all the officials starting to beam with joy, he felt that they were too naive, and then said: "In addition to increasing salaries, I also plan to set up a special subsidy called Yanglian Silver System.”

Raise honest silver?
Everyone looked confused.

After all, when it comes to the Yonglianyin system, it is a policy created by Yongzheng. This is the first time I have heard of it.

"May I ask Your Majesty, what is raising honest silver?" someone asked.

Zhu Ming was naturally prepared for it, so he talked eloquently: "The so-called raising money for integrity, as the name suggests, since the court wants officials to be honest and honest, but it cannot starve officials to death. Salaries are what you deserve, It is for you to raise a family and support yourself. In addition, raising integrity silver is a reward for officials' integrity."

"To put it simply, you don't have to be greedy, I will give it to you."

These words were too straightforward. Many ministers lowered their heads, and the original joy became very embarrassing.

Zhu Ming said nonchalantly: "Don't be embarrassed, I just hope that after the implementation of the Integrity Bank system in the future, we can truly cultivate good and upright officials who are honest and upright, so that the name of the Integrity Bank will not be tarnished. At the same time, if there are still people who dare to commit corruption, don’t blame me for being rude.”

"And all my dear friends, please think about it. Let's not talk about how a gentleman loves his money. I just want to ask you one thing. When you take other people's money, do you want to do things for others? Doesn't that mean you have a reason to be arrested? What’s the point if you can’t sleep or eat if someone else takes care of it?”

"I will try my best to ensure that you will have no worries and not suffer too much financial troubles. At the same time, I also hope that you can stick to your heart and don't fall for a little profit. Think about your original intention of becoming an official in the court. Yes. For fame? Or for the sake of justice? It can't be for making money, right? What else can you do than take the risk of beheading and take bribes? "

"Listen to me, as long as you work hard, I will not only scold you every now and then, but I will not kill you without asking anything."

thank you.

"But Your Majesty, where is this money that supports integrity?" Zhu Zhen, who was the supervisor of the country, had to stand up and ask.

If you want to give money to officials all over the world, the amount of money is not small.

And judging from what Zhu Chu means, is he planning to do it for many years?
But where will the money come from?
Of course, Zhu Ming had thought about it and said: "As I mentioned just now, even if the Ming Dynasty is so strict against corrupt officials, it still can't prevent local officials from privately increasing miscellaneous taxes and taxes. It is really abominable. But they still have various reasons. The people of Hangzhou thought that the imperial court wanted to embezzle their little money, so they added various tax names every year to give the family an advantage. "

"In this case, we must completely eliminate all miscellaneous taxes from now on. I will implement a whipping method."

That's right, it was Zhang Juzheng's whipping method that was proposed by Zhu Zhen a century in advance.

The so-called one-whip method simply means gathering all taxes into one tax.

For example, there are countless miscellaneous taxes and taxes before, as well as summer taxes, autumn taxes, etc.

Just in the name of taxation, you can make money.

As mentioned before, Emperor Beiyuan went away after collecting all the taxes for decades to celebrate his wife's birthday.

This does not give the people a way to survive at all. How can the people resist? Can such a country survive?

So Zhu Ming expressed his long-prepared thoughts: "The so-called one whip law is that from now on, the court will only collect taxes once. No matter whether they are children of aristocratic families, common people, or officials, from now on, everyone will only pay one tax." A tax called personal income tax.”

Everyone was stunned, wait a minute, Your Majesty, it seems like you got into something serious just now?
"Officials also have to pay taxes?" someone exclaimed.

I work as an official for you, and you still want me to pay taxes? Is there any more royal law? Is there any more law?

Your Majesty, this is not how you play.

Logically speaking, shouldn't the landlords take the lead in paying taxes? After the landlords pay, they should take the people with them to pay, and then the landlords' money will be paid back in full, and we should split the people's money 30-70?

Of course seven is yours, we can just divide it into three.

Everyone was blinded.

Zhu Ming sneered secretly, "I'll give you a sweet treat first, and then hit you with a sap. Do you feel comfortable?" Feeling good?
"As a citizen of the Ming Dynasty, and as an official, what's wrong with setting an example? Why are you special?" Zhu Ming said coldly.

The officials finally came to their senses. This is not to give us more money. This is simply to revolutionize our lives.

Zhu Ming changed his words and softened his tone and said: "Don't worry, the extra money will definitely be more than what you are asked to pay."

To put it bluntly, it is still a matter of form, or in other words, it is done for the world to see.

You see, all civil and military officials in my dynasty have to pay taxes. Will aristocratic families also have to pay taxes? What about the landowning gentry? Naturally, the people will no longer complain, and even the nobles cannot run away.

Whatever needs to be paid must be paid to me.

After Zhu Ming was quiet for a while, he was about to do something big again.

(End of this chapter)