Chapter 141: Founding of the People's Republic of China (2)
Fengtian Hall, Great Chao Hui.
Zhu Yunxi was sitting on the throne, and the sandalwood rose slightly, covering his face, making him look even more powerful and unpredictable.
"I have this memorial!" Xu Huizu, the Duke of Wei, who was the first in the queue of military ministers, said, "Your Majesty, due to the relocation of vassal kings from various frontier fortresses and the reorganization of guard posts and the abolition of the old and weak, the military rations in this year's budget for the northern frontier fortress include
There is an additional gap of 1.6 million shi of military rations!"
"Among them, the military rations in Liaodong, Ningxia and Gansu were exhausted when the old and weak guards were demobilized, and they were stretched thin!"
Suddenly, all the officials were slightly stunned.
The border troops of the Ming Dynasty were short of food. How many years had this happened?
But at the same time, some people carefully weighed it in their hearts, and there was no way they were short of food! In addition to their own farming, the border army's military rations allocated by the Ministry of Household and Military Affairs every year were in excess. In addition, those Qiu Ba in the past could exchange salt seals with merchants.
The right to food, how can the frontier fortress be short of food?
"The army must not be without food for a day!" Zhu Yunxi's voice was faint on the throne, "Let's go to Shandong, Henan and other places to raise military rations!"
"Your Majesty!" As soon as Zhu Yunxi finished speaking, Zhang Wei, the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, said, "The northern provinces have transferred their grain reserves once this year during the flood in Huaibei. The official grain storage accounts of each province are only 30% of one thousand. If it is transferred again.
The northern provinces transport grain to the frontiers. If the autumn harvest this year does not go well, there will be a famine next year!"
"Your Majesty!" Hou Yong, the Minister of Civil Affairs, also said, "Moreover, the northern provinces are still bearing the cost of providing work-for-relief for the victims of the Huaibei disaster, supporting hundreds of thousands of civilians in Huaibei, and all kinds of expenses for the Xuzhou ancient road. It's really
It’s not appropriate to wither food from the north anymore!”
Zhu Yunxi pretended to think deeply, "What should we do?"
"I have an idea!" Hou Yong, the Minister of Civil Affairs, said again, "The granaries south of the Yangtze River have been well-stocked in recent years. Why not mobilize grain and grass from the south of the Yangtze River? The granaries in Zhejiang, Huguang, Jiangxi and other places should first go by waterway.
Overland and sent to the frontier. Even after the transfer, there are some vacancies in the granaries of the southern provinces, but the summer harvest is coming soon, so we can just fill them!"
As soon as he finished speaking, someone among the ministers shouted loudly, "Your Majesty, I think what Hou Shangshu said is inappropriate!"
Zhu Yunxi looked over and saw that the person speaking was Ji Shi Zhonglong Dan from the Ministry of Husbandry.
The full name of Gei Shizhong is Liu Ke Gei Shizhong. Although their official position is not big, they have great power. Not only are they responsible for inspecting the six ministries, but they can also supervise the princes and ministers.
"Why did my dear love say this?" Zhu Yunxi asked calmly.
"The distance from the south of the Yangtze River to the frontier fortress is more than ten thousand miles. If you transport grain from the south of the Yangtze River, not to mention how much it is transported, the manpower and material resources alone are an astronomical figure. People eat horses' chews along the way, and the grain delivered may not be enough to eat on the road! The northern frontier fortress needs one hundred
Six hundred thousand shi, the southern provinces need to raise at least double this amount to ensure that the amount of military rations is delivered to the frontier fortress!"
Long Dan said loudly, "Moreover, the rainy season is about to enter in the north, and the muddy and rugged road will definitely delay the deadline for transporting food. Once it is delayed, if the frontier army has no food and causes trouble, wouldn't it be worth the loss?"
These words caused many courtiers to nod in agreement.
Zhu Yunxi, on the other hand, sneered in his heart. Long Dan seemed to be fair, but in fact he was biased.
Since he was an official from Jiangnan, he naturally did not want to see 1.6 million shi of military rations allocated to the southern provinces. Not only him, but almost all officials from Jiangnan were unwilling.
They were afraid that this would become a regular practice in the future. In addition to the annual grain tax, the border troops would be mobilized from the south if they were short of food. There were only a few truly wealthy provinces in the south. If things continued like this, the south might be burdened with a heavy burden.
burden.
And considering the emperor's character, such a burden will definitely be placed on the gentry, and additional taxes will definitely be imposed on the gentry in the south.
Zhu Yunxi pretended to be deep in thought, "What about Yi Qing's opinion?"
Long Dan said loudly, "It's better to raise funds nearby!" After saying that, he paused and said, "Firstly, it is close, and secondly, it costs less." Then he sighed, "This is also a helpless solution, and I know it.
It’s not easy for the people in the north, so we can only continue to suffer them!”
These words immediately caused the officials from the north in the hall to glare angrily.
Zhu Yunxi on the dragon throne did not speak, but pondered with a straight face.
After a while, he spoke in a deep voice, "Although the northern provinces have used more grain and grass this year, I remember that the big warehouses in Luoyang, Jinan, and Baoding were all full. Why is it suddenly unsustainable now?
"
The sound is not loud, but it has a roaring sound.
Food is the lifeblood of a country, and nothing can go wrong.
"Your Majesty!" At this time, someone among the ministers suddenly said, "Take Shandong as an example. In fact, in the past two years, several large warehouses in Shandong have been reduced by several percent compared to Hongwu twenty-five years ago!"
The ministers looked over in surprise. The person who spoke was the last of the civil servants, Xu Liang, the Langguan of the Shandong Du Branch of the Ministry of Household Affairs who had just taken office less than two days ago.
"Huh?" In an instant, the emperor on the dragon throne became furious, "What's going on, tell me clearly!"
Xu Liang bowed forward and saluted, and said, "I have looked through Hongwu's account books for the past twenty-five years and compared them with those of the past two years. In Shandong, the income and expenditure of official warehouses are very uneven.
In other words, what is brought in is not as much as what is spent. Moreover, the total amount of grain entering the official warehouse every year is also quite different!"
Zhu Yunxi was immediately furious, "Hubu, how come you are so bad that you report good news but not bad news to me on weekdays, but when something really happens, you are all filled with holes?"
"I am guilty!" Zhang Yan and others hurriedly leaned over to plead guilty.
"What else can you do besides asking for forgiveness?" Zhu Yunxi's roar echoed in the hall, "I want to know why a large province with a large grain reserve can suffer a deficit?"
"Long live Qi Zhen!"
When the officials were panicking, a voice sounded.
Li Zhigang, the newly appointed minister of the Ministry of Personnel and censor of Zuodu, walked to the south study room and said loudly, "I know something about this matter!"
"Say!" Zhu Yunxi waved his sleeves and sat down on the dragon chair.
"Long live Lord, do you still remember the case of embezzlement of private land by the Yanshenggong family in Qufu, Shandong Province in the second half of last year!" Li Zhigang said loudly.
"Yeah!" Zhu Yunxi nodded coldly, "I remember that this case was handed over to you for investigation!" He said, sighing, "I also thought that after all, I am a saint, so I want to give some face and leave a name for the scholars in the world.
Later, Taizu Gao Emperor Long Yu passed away, so this matter became a big deal and a trivial matter for me!"
"The Emperor's benevolent heart has blessed the world!" Li Zhigang shouted and continued, "But the case of Yan Shenggong is just an example. While handling the case of the Kong family's land embezzlement, I discovered that Shandong, Henan, Hebei and other places,
There are many landowners who give their land to scholars who have a good reputation..."
In an instant, all the eyes in the hall looked over.
Zhu Yunxi sighed in his heart, "It's so difficult to do something!"
Not only is it difficult and slow, but it also requires weighing the pros and cons of all aspects. As an emperor, he has to direct and act such a scene by himself, which is really tiring.
"As a result, there are fewer people's fields that pay grain and taxes, but there are more fields under the gentry's name that do not pay grain. This enriches them, but the court suffers losses!" Li Zhigang continued, "And this trend is getting worse, not only
This is true in Shandong, Hebei and Henan, including Shaanxi and Shanxi. Many students from poor families suddenly became big landowners as soon as they gained fame!"
As soon as Li Zhigang finished speaking, Long Dan said loudly, "Your Majesty, I think this wind can never rise!"
Immediately, officials from the Sixth Section of the Hanlin Academy and those from Jiangnan started speaking.
"Your Majesty, tax exemption is a favor to the country, how can we allow it to enrich itself?"
"Your Majesty, after this, decades later I will have land in the Ming Dynasty, but no tax money!"
"The country's moth must be investigated rigorously!"
"I beg you to order me to get rid of these scum for Your Majesty!"
