Ming Zhengzhi, I am Zheng Kezang

Update time: 2012-11-18

Take a county as an example. The county magistrate has a county magistrate of the sixth rank, a county magistrate of the sixth rank, and a master of the eighth rank who is equivalent to the office director. There are three persons who are in charge of the history of the ninth rank, three persons who are the first-class copycats, and two servants who are the first-class. There are nearly 22 people in charge of records from Jiupin Dianshi, Liuwai Fourth Class to Liuwai First Class; if a county governs eighteen townships, there will be eighteen township covenants of the eighth rank; if the whole county has 22 cities , then there are another 200 from the Bapin Township Covenant, plus the patrol and inspection department stationed in the whole county to patrol and arrest heads. Private individuals are all included in the government establishment.

According to the "Official Salary Law" just enacted by Zheng Fan, the monthly salary of the sixth rank is [-] guan, and the lower level is reduced by [-] guan, from the ninth rank to six guan per month, and the lower class is from the first class to the fifth class. , each lower level decreases consistently.Calculated in this way, a county will spend [-] yuan a month in salary alone.But this is only a salary. In order to control corruption, Zheng Fan has set up local supervision systems such as Supervisory Envoy, Supervisory Shishi, and Supervisory Shilixing, as well as auditing systems such as auditing sub-bureaus, auditing sub-bureaus, and auditing police stations. , also adopted the post allowance and reward system.

The reward for becoming an official is not a pension, but a reward for meritorious officials, magnates, and even Spykers. Those who pass the examination during their tenure and become above-average civil servants can be qualified as meritorious officials and enjoy tax-free preferential treatment for meritorious officials. Among the three ranks, one can get a title, and from the second rank and above, depending on the merits, one can be rewarded with the title of Spyker.

If the reward for becoming an official does not involve money, then the job allowance is a huge expenditure just as the name suggests.Moreover, according to Zheng Kezang's instructions, this job allowance is tilted towards local officials and low-ranking first-line officials.Therefore, officials of the same sixth rank can get an allowance equivalent to twice their salary when they serve as county magistrates. The inspector censor who stayed in the center can only get [-]% of the salary allowance.In the same way, foreign officials engaged in specific affairs can receive an allowance of up to five times their salary.

By doing fuzzy calculations in this way, the salaries and allowances spent by the county-level government will be about 20 kan per month, and about [-] kan per year, which is the minimum expenditure when doing nothing.

In fact, a county's annual expenditure of 20 guan is still achievable in the territory of Nanzhili, but if it is extended and viewed nationwide, there will be a huge problem.Although Zheng Kezang has arranged that the county (sanzhou) level finances can retain [-]% of the payable land tax and industrial and commercial taxes except mining tax and salt tax, and the government level finances can be withdrawn according to the retention of the county level finances. Withdrawing [-]% of the funds retained, the provincial finances will withdraw the remaining half after the government-level finances withdrew, so that the central government will only retain [-]% of all the provinces' receivables, but even so, it still cannot meet the huge gap in local finances. The central government is forced to subsidize it from the small national tax.

However, in addition to paying the salaries and allowances of the central ministries and offices, the central government also has to pay huge military expenditures, plan construction costs, and hoard emergency supplies for disasters. Customs duties, mining taxes, and greatly reduced salt taxes alone, It's just a drop in the bucket.Fortunately, Zheng Kezang has listed the inner court expenses separately, otherwise this hole would never be filled.However, even so, the Du branch is still complaining about it --- Zheng Fan's little family fortune accumulated by confiscating traitors and full-staffed properties after landing on the land has been exhausted in successive years of military expansion, and the funds just obtained through the sale of salt farms have also been exhausted. Disappeared like thawing snow - In this case, finding another source of income becomes a top priority.

"How many shipyards are there now?" Zheng Kezang, who has no gold hands, is standing in the area of ​​the Songchong Shipyard and inspecting it. "How many warships and civilian ships can be built every month?"

"If you go back to the king, there are now [-] shipyards under the name of the Warship Division." Tang Tong, who has been promoted to the inspector of the Zhengwupinshui Military Department and assists the Warship Division member Uiro Mahara in supervising the affairs of the shipyards, replied. "Among them, Haitan, Sanduao, Xiangshanao, Songchong, Seogwipo, and Yeyidi can manufacture large and medium-sized soft-sail warships of more than [-] materials. Longjiang Shipyard mainly produces red single ships, and the rest ships The market can produce merchant ships and clippers of less than [-] materials."

Tang Tong answered in detail, but this was not what Zheng Kezang asked, so Ma Yuan added: "Now the six major arsenals can launch a cruiser every year and a first-class cruiser every two months. , the Longjiang shipyard can produce five red single gunboats and four inland river merchant ships every month, and the rest of the shipyards can launch one to two [-]-ship cruise ships every month, and merchant ships with less than [-]-shipments can be produced every two months. Build one."

Zheng Kezang only felt that this number was too small, but expanding production capacity will inevitably cost more money, and he is short of money now, so he had to ask a new question: "Nowadays, maritime trade is banned and merchant ships are sold to the private sector. , is there any benefit?"

"Of course there are benefits." Wu Hu, who was already a doctor of the Shipping Department of the Sipin Water Resources Department, immediately replied. "There are no specific figures on the construction of new branches, sub-offices, and police stations of the Department of Shipping, but as far as I know, eleven foreign shipyards have been newly opened in Fujian and Guangdong provinces, and the ship booking list has been queued for three years."

"If that's the case, let's switch to civilian ships." Zheng Kezang decided. "Except for Haitan, Sandu'ao, Xiangshan'ao, Songchong and Longjiang shipyards, all others are converted to civilian ships." Zheng Kezang looked at Ma Yuan. "The financial resources of the feudal clan are so poor. Although the shipyard belongs to the Ministry of Navy, you must have an overall perspective. In addition to maintaining the production of warships, the proceeds must also be used to support part of the Ministry of War." Looking at the troubled Ma It turned out that Zheng Kezang lightly hammered his chest. "Don't worry, once the income of the feudal clan improves, the money from the Warship Division will still be used in the Navy Department." Now that Zheng Kezang has reached this point, Ma Yuan has no choice but to be obedient, Zheng Kezang said with a smile. "Go, go and see the forging of iron bones."

Today is different from the past, because Zheng Fan occupies the southeast, so the supply of iron materials is very sufficient, and the Warship Division has developed on the basis of casting keels, using forging technology, and each iron keel has been hammered by a hydraulic hammer. Fully hammered, its quality has far exceeded the original design requirements.

But Zheng Kezang was not satisfied with the effectiveness of the hydraulic hammer, so when the British guy Burley, who had provided the composting method and was rewarded with a command envoy and a lot of money, finally invited Thomas Savery from the UK according to Zheng Kezang's instructions After arriving in Dongning with Thomas Newcomen, Zheng Kezang immediately ordered the opening of the top-secret steam engine research institute, and appointed Li Ping, who had studied the Anglo-Guilian shipbuilding method with Ma Yuan and Wu Hu, as the supervisor, and Burleigh as the assistant. Provide heavy gold and hundreds of blacksmiths and carpenters to serve the two, so as to give birth to the first generation of steam engines and heavy steam hammers for the manufacture of weapons.

However, steam engines and steam hammers are not projects that can be accomplished overnight. Thomas Savery and Thomas Newcomen also need time to adapt to Eastern craftsmen, so Zheng Kezang is still looking at hydraulic hammers.

Looking at the heavy hammers falling successively under the action of hydraulic power, Zheng Kezang naturally saw the problem. The key is that the bearings are not good enough, and the heavy hammers will get stuck in the air from time to time, but all these are problems in development. Zheng Kezang All Zang can do is encourage him.

"In the future, iron keels can only be used for navy ships." Amid the sound of forging, Zheng Kezang instructed, but his words are actually nonsense, because there is no need for civilian ships to spend such a huge amount of money to use refined iron. As for the keel and ribs, as for the lack of big wood to make the keel, there is still supply from Ezodi and Guangnan. "In addition, foreign merchant ships for civilian use can be equipped with artillery, but the number of cannons needs to be controlled at the beginning of shipbuilding, and the gunners must be hired from the army." Zheng Kezang said with difficulty, and Ma Yuan and others also had difficulty listening. "In addition, there are not many people who can use soft sailboats in this dynasty. The Navy Department and the Shipping Department can set up merchant shipping schools and teach sailing skills widely. I only hope that in five or ten years, the foreign ships of this dynasty will spread all over the world, and the Thai and Western people will come. Shenzhou, we can also go to Europa"

Coming out of the shipyard, Zheng Kezang returned to Nanjing directly by boat. When the boat reached the Taicang River, Zheng Kezang suddenly asked, "Has all the property of the Wang family in Taicang been confiscated?"

Zheng Kezang asked abruptly, and all the attendants beside him were confused. Fortunately, there was a member of the Privy Council Yuanwailang who was in charge of dealing with the Northland. He still remembered some things, so he was attracted Report to Zheng Kezang: "Your Majesty, all the properties of the Wang family have been confiscated, and each branch of the Wang family has also distributed Jinlan and Xiboni."

Zheng Kezang pondered for a moment and asked, "Did the secretary of the staff send a letter to Wang Jian and Wang Yuanqi asking them to return to Taicang?"

"As early as the first year of Wuding, after the feudal clan entered the south of the Yangtze River, servants of the Wang family were sent to the north with letters. Not only the Wang family, but also all the people who served as officials in the Qing Dynasty under the rule of the feudal clan sent people to write letters. Several of them One came back, but the Wang family is no longer among them." Yuanwailang took a peek at Zheng Kezang, and then reported. "It is precisely because Wang Jie and others are willing to serve as captives that this feudal clan confiscated the Wang family's property and distributed it to the Wang family. Now the land under the Wang family's name has been included in the inner government."

Zheng Kezang suddenly realized, no wonder this Yuan Wai Lang spoke hesitantly, the original land has been included in the Wang Tian of the Inner Mansion and has become his own property, obviously Yuan Wai Lang has some scruples.

In this regard, Zheng Kezang did not explain anything to Yuanwailang, but only asked him to step down, and then he ordered: "Tomorrow, in the name of the imperial court, a decree will be delivered to the world, and all rewards from Wang Xijue before and after his death will be taken away. If the family is equally captive and does not return, it will not only harm the current clan, but also the ancestors."

It has been four years, and those who should return have already returned. If they don’t return, Zheng Kezang doesn’t need them to return. Nailing them directly on the pillar of shame to warn future generations is their last use