After hearing Emperor Hongzhi's questions, Liu Jian and Li Dongyang also began to think deeply.
Abolition of the military household system, the implementation of a compulsory military service system, the establishment of military schools, and the establishment of a strong military are undoubtedly not in the interests of the civil service group.
For the civil servant group, they still prefer the current system. It doesn't matter if military power is in the hands of the emperor. In fact, nothing else has changed.
Under the current system, it is destined that it will be difficult for these military generals and noble groups to rise again, and they will never be able to compete with these civilian groups.
However, the abolition of the military household system, the implementation of a compulsory military service system, and the establishment of military academies are completely different. Under this new system, let’s not talk about whether the military generals of the Ming Dynasty will rise.
According to the theory that the butt determines the head, the civil servants as vested interests should instinctively oppose this new system, because the new system will produce unstable factors and have an impact on their vested interests.
Moreover, the proposal to open a military academy made the two of them instinctively feel scared. The Military Generals Group has always been unable to defeat these civilian groups. A very important point is that there are very few knowledgeable people in the Military Generals Group. Many of them are
The big boss is not like these people in the civil service group, who all came out of the imperial examination.
In addition, schools are all used for inheritance. Confucianism can achieve its current status because, in the final analysis, it still attaches great importance to education and inheritance, generation after generation, endlessly.
On the other hand, the inheritance of military commanders is generally passed down from father to son and from family to family. Various military books and the like are not passed down at all and are only in the hands of a very few people.
Therefore, many times, the generals of the past dynasties were basically wild men, the kind of generals who grew up in actual combat, rather than relying on inheritance from generation to generation.
Opening a military academy now means that this military academy can inherit and train generals on a large scale in the future. Naturally, it will gradually be able to compete with the civilian group. This will definitely seriously damage the interests of the civilian group.
"Your Majesty, I think it is inappropriate to abolish the military household system~"
After pondering for a long time, Liu Jian spoke slowly, and then he added: "The military household system is the foundation of our Ming Dynasty's military system. Once it is abolished rashly, it will inevitably cause violent fluctuations."
"In addition, if the compulsory military service system is implemented, it is very likely that it will be difficult to recruit enough soldiers. There is a popular saying among the people, good iron cannot be nailed, and good men cannot be soldiers. Under the compulsory military service system, people are very likely to evade military service. Otherwise,
Willing to serve in the military."
"Secondly, under the compulsory military service system, for example, if a young and strong labor force serves in the military for four years, and there is a lack of labor force at home, they may not be able to survive."
"Third, the implementation of the compulsory military service system will inevitably cost more money than the current military household system, and our imperial treasury has always been very empty, and it is simply impossible to support hundreds of thousands of troops completely out of production."
Liu Jian expressed his opposition. He was also very sharp and immediately saw some problems with the compulsory military service system.
After hearing this, Emperor Hongzhi nodded slightly. This compulsory military service system is indeed very good, but if these problems are not solved, it will definitely not be implemented.
"Zhang Mao, what did you say?"
Emperor Hongzhi looked at Zhang Mao. This restructuring plan was proposed by Zhang Mao. Naturally, it would be better for Zhang Mao to speak up.
"The military household system must be abolished. I think Liu Gong must be very aware that the military household system has become rotten. It is completely unable to shoulder the responsibility of protecting the family and the country, and has lost its combat capability."
"If we don't abolish the military household system, no matter how hard we try to change it, our Ming army will always be like this. Even if we defeat the grassland people this time, they will still continue to go south in a few years."
"So we must take advantage of this period to build a strong military system."
Zhang Mao thought for a while and said slowly.
"As for the problems Liu Gong mentioned, we can also find ways to solve them."
"The first problem is that we cannot recruit enough soldiers. Because we implement a compulsory military service system, being a soldier is an obligation. Soldiers are recruited from all over the country. Even if some people desert the military service, we can still recruit enough soldiers.
of soldiers, and rigidly stipulated how many soldiers each county and each prefecture must recruit."
"Of course, the reason why everyone is unwilling to become a soldier is because under the current military system, our military households in the Ming Dynasty are very poor. They don't have enough to eat, don't wear warm clothes, and have no social status. Naturally, everyone doesn't want to be a soldier.
Soldier."
"But during the Qin Dynasty, the Qin Dynasty implemented a military merit system. Everyone was vying to be a soldier, and even becoming a soldier had to squeeze through their heads."
"The reason for this must be clear to Mr. Liu and Mr. Li. In the final analysis, it is still a matter of interests."
"With the compulsory military service system, you only need to serve as a soldier for four years. You will not be a soldier for generations, nor do you need to be a soldier for your whole life. In addition, we can provide appropriate subsidies. For example, if you serve as a soldier for four years, you will be given a total of two
A subsidy of ten taels of silver."
"In addition, if someone joins the army, they will be free of charge for four years and five years of tax and corvee service. In addition, after retiring from the army, they can also work as a constable in a local government office or something like that."
"I think this set of policies will definitely not mean that we can't recruit people. For those who serve in the military, their lives at home can be guaranteed and they can have arrangements after they retire."
"One last question about expenses."
Zhang Mao had already discussed the compulsory military service system with Liu Jin for a long time in advance, and all aspects of the content were discussed clearly. Therefore, when faced with Liu Jian's questions, he responded fluently and almost knew how to answer without even thinking.
.
"By implementing the military household system, the court can indeed save a lot of expenses, but by turning a strong army into farmers, the court's expenses will be reduced, but similarly, the combat power of our Ming army will also be weakened, so that the grassland people repeatedly
They went south to plunder, burn, kill and loot at will."
"With the implementation of the compulsory military service system, there is no doubt that expenditures will increase dramatically. Judging from the current situation of our Ming Dynasty's treasury, it will definitely be unsustainable."
When it came to military expenditures, Zhang Mao did not express objections, but simply admitted that under the new military system, the Ming court's military expenditures would increase a lot.
"If you want to build a strong army, you must be willing to spend money and invest in it. Only when you put in the effort will you be rewarded."
"So in terms of expenditure, I think it still needs your Majesty's internal funds to bear it."
Speaking of this, Zhang Mao said helplessly.
The finances of the Ming Dynasty court are really very tight, and the national treasury is starving to death. It is extremely difficult to expect the Ming Dynasty court to increase military expenditures. Even if it can increase a little, it is just a waste of water, and there is no sense at all.
effect.
So after much thought, Liu Jin also felt that it would be more appropriate for the military expenditure to be borne by Emperor Hongzhi's internal funds.
Emperor Hongzhi is now very rich. If it is Zhu Houzhao's property, they and his son are definitely the largest capitalists and the richest people in the Ming Dynasty.
Following the many industries that Liu Jin purchased, any one of them is a hen that lays golden eggs. Even the least profitable one was the Xishan Coal Industry that was founded the earliest. Now it can bring hundreds of thousands of taels of silver to Emperor Hongzhi a year.
profit.
As for a series of industries such as the First Bank of Ming Dynasty, Miyun Iron Works, Changlu Saltworks, Tianjin Cement Factory, Tianjin Port, Tianjin Shipyard, glass factory, textile factory, etc., any one of them can be given to Hongzhi within a year.
The emperor and the prince brought in millions of taels of silver.
In addition, there are fleets that go to sea for fishing and fleets that go to sea for business. These are also very profitable. Especially the fleet that goes to sea for business can earn millions of taels of silver every time they go back and forth between Japan and Korea.
Just from this, we can know how rich the current Emperor Hongzhi and Zhu Houzhao are. Last time, Emperor Hongzhi was able to take out 1.5 million taels of silver in one go, and at the same time, he also deposited hundreds of dollars in the First Bank of the Ming Dynasty.
Ten thousand taels of silver showed that Emperor Hongzhi was wealthy.
There was absolutely no problem for Emperor Hongzhi to use internal funds to support the Ming Dynasty's army. Emperor Hongzhi could afford to spend several million taels of silver a year.
Even in the future, as more and more industries are invested in and expanded externally, the scope of business will become wider and wider, including establishing colonies overseas, mining gold mines, etc.
The income from Emperor Hongzhi's internal funds will be even greater. By then he will earn tens of millions of taels of silver a year, and it will be very easy to spend tens of millions of taels of silver to support the Ming army.
"From the internal funds?"
When Emperor Hongzhi, Liu Jian, and Li Dongyang heard this, they immediately said in surprise.
"Yes, it will come from His Majesty's internal funds."
Zhang Mao nodded solemnly and said.
"this…"
When Emperor Hongzhi heard this, he immediately became a little unhappy. This fund was from the emperor's treasury. It seemed a bit unreasonable that the army was raised from the emperor's treasury.
Although the current Emperor Hongzhi is also very rich, raising an army is not a trivial matter. The expenditure is very huge. What's more important is that it requires expenditure every year, and it takes one to support it.
This also means that once the military reform is completed, if all expenditures of the Ming Dynasty's army come from the emperor's internal funds, then the internal funds of Emperor Hongzhi must be sufficient to maintain the army's expenses at least every year.
Although I have made some money now, it is still unknown whether I can always make money in the long run. This is an extremely heavy burden, and Emperor Hongzhi dare not agree to it outright.
"It would be fine if it comes from the internal funds. It is said that His Majesty's internal funds are already filled with money."
Li Dongyang smiled and nodded.
Don’t you want to change the military system?
Should the military household system be abolished?
Yes, implementing the compulsory military service system costs a lot of money. The national treasury is empty and it is difficult to support it at all. If you want to reform the military system, then just take money from your emperor's small treasury.
As long as your emperor is willing to pay this amount, then we have no objection.
Even Li Dongyang was thinking that if military expenditures really come from the emperor's internal funds, then when formulating various expenditures in the future, this number should be as large as possible.
Military service cannot be in vain. It is not excessive to pay dozens of taels of silver for four years of military service. This expenditure alone is a huge amount.
If a soldier is given twenty taels of silver in four years and if he raises ten thousand, he will be given two hundred thousand taels of silver in four years. If he raises one hundred thousand, he will be given two million taels of silver in four years.
The Ming Dynasty is so big that it must have an army of 300,000 troops at least. This expenditure alone in the past four years can give you six million taels of silver.
In addition, the expenditure on food, weapons and equipment, etc. is huge, and I will never give up until I give you several million taels of silver a year.
"This is a good idea. Your Majesty has money anyway."
Even Liu Jian couldn't help but nod in support after hearing this.
Only Emperor Hongzhi looked at Zhang Mao with a dark face. If this military expenditure comes from internal funds, you can also say it. Are you not leading me to death?
I finally saved some money, but you won’t be willing to waste all my money.
"Your Majesty, I have actually considered this point carefully."
Zhang Mao smiled and said confidently.
"oh?"
"tell me the story."
Emperor Hongzhi looked at Zhang Mao with a dark face, but he really wanted to hear what Zhang Mao had to say.
How can you cheat the emperor without bringing him along?
"Your Majesty, it stands to reason that the military expenditure should be borne by the imperial treasury, but the treasury is empty and there is no way it can support the normal expenditure of a powerful army."
"Unless we do not want to change the existing military system and continue the military household system, otherwise, if we want to reform and build a strong army, either the court will impose heavy taxes to increase the revenue of the treasury, or we will find a way
Find a way to support the expenses of the army."
Zhang Mao first pointed out very directly that it is difficult to do something when the national treasury is empty, especially when it comes to such a big thing as the military reform. In the current situation of the national treasury revenue, it is simply impossible to do something.
It is possible to maintain the expenditure of a strong army.
The Ming Dynasty now only has less than five million taels of silver a year (capital development has led to more taxes, and Changlu Saltworks pays two million a year), even including the grain, cloth, silk, etc. collected from various places.
Category.
These are only enough to maintain the daily expenses of the court. There is not much silver, food, etc. to use on the army. Naturally, there is no way to build a strong army.
After hearing Zhang Mao's words, Emperor Hongzhi also nodded. Is this realistic for the court to impose heavy taxes?
It is not realistic at all. The taxes on ordinary people are already relatively heavy. If we continue to impose heavy taxes, the people will not be able to survive. When the time comes, they will rise up one after another, and the country will change hands.
As for levying commercial tax, it’s a no-brainer.
Some people have proposed levying a commercial tax before, but they were instantly drowned out by countless objections. It is a hundred or a thousand times more difficult to levy a commercial tax than to take back military power.
So if Emperor Hongzhi wanted to reform the military system and build a strong army, what should he do if there was no way to increase the revenue from the treasury?
Of course, the money came from Emperor Hongzhi's own internal funds.
After all, the world still belongs to your old Zhu family, so there shouldn't be such a clear distinction.
What's more, now that the military power is back in the hands of the emperor, shouldn't this military expenditure also come from your internal funds?
After listening to Zhang Mao's words, Emperor Hongzhi nodded slightly. He had experienced the feeling of being criticized without money.
In the past, when he wanted to do something, Zhou Jing said that there was no money, and Emperor Hongzhi was instantly discouraged. He wanted to rely on the treasury to reform the military system. It was just a dream, it was simply unrealistic.
If you want to reform the military system and build a strong army, you must have enough money. Since the national treasury cannot do it, you must invest it from your own internal funds.
But if it really comes from internal funds, it means that in the future, one's own internal funds must have enough income, which means that one of these current industries must make money, and more must be purchased.
Industry is the key, and making more money is the key.
This also means that Emperor Hongzhi is absolutely inseparable from these industries. Once there is a problem with these industries, he will not be able to earn enough money to maintain military expenditures.
Of course, this is also a way that Liu Jin thought of, a way to firmly tie the emperor to the chariot of capitalism. Once this is done,
No matter who becomes the emperor, he must support the development of capitalism, otherwise there will be no way to get enough money to maintain the Ming Dynasty's army.
Similarly, the current market of the Ming Dynasty alone cannot meet the needs of capital. It must expand externally, whether it is foreign trade or foreign colonization. In short, it needs to continuously obtain enough from the world outside the Ming Dynasty.
Only wealth will do.
Once capital embarks on the path of rapid development, Liu Jin believes that Ming Dynasty will definitely dominate the entire earth.
"Your Majesty, there is a saying that goes well, eating the emperor's salary and being loyal to the emperor~"
"This military expenditure comes from internal funds. Everyone knows that this money belongs to your Majesty. It is you who support the Ming Dynasty's thousands of troops. Naturally, the Ming Dynasty's army will be more loyal to your Majesty."
Zhang Mao thought for a while and then continued to add.
This point is said to have gone into the heart of Emperor Hongzhi, and it is the same if you think about it carefully.
If you want people to be loyal to you, you must give them enough benefits. This is the same even if you are the emperor.
If you want the army to focus on you, it is natural to invest this money.
"I see, this must be the idea of Liu Jin, the brat. Although Zhang Mao is a little clever, he will never come up with such a clever plan."
Then Emperor Hongzhi soon seemed to think of something and immediately started laughing.
The military power was finally taken back, and Emperor Hongzhi was actually afraid that it would be taken back by the civil service group again. However, if the military expenditure came from internal funds, he would be able to support these troops by himself.
If something happens in the future and the civil service group wants to take back military power, the military expenditure alone will be enough to overwhelm the national treasury.
After thinking about this clearly, Emperor Hongzhi immediately understood that these things were definitely not thought up by Zhang Mao.