typeface
large
in
Small
Turn off the lights
Previous bookshelf directory Bookmark Next

Chapter 53 A night of preparation

 Chapter 53: A night of preparation

Zhao Ji has made up his mind and is ready to steal a fortune from the corrupt officials Cai Jing, Wang Fu, Zhang Bangchang, Li Bangyan, Gao Qiu and other high-ranking officials. This is not because Zhao Ji is greedy for money, but because he wants to increase revenue for the national treasury!

Zhao Ji looked at the roster, which contained the names of more than a hundred civil servants of sixth grade or above in Beijing, as well as the estimated amount of their wealth.

He said: "Taifu Yang, the estimated wealth of the first, second and third grade civil servants in your list is much lower!

And the wealth of the fourth, fifth and sixth grade civil servants is estimated to be on the high side."

Yang Jian immediately looked like he knew his mistakes and would correct them, and he knelt down and said:

"The official family has a great reputation. This is all the negligence of the old slave! The old slave will correct it now."

Zhao Ji smiled and returned the list of officials he planned to invite to Genyue to Yang Jian.

Yang Jian took over the roster, and there was a trickle of sweat on his forehead. He immediately started to modify it on the spot...

In fact, Zhao Ji has seen through Yang Jian's little things. Yang Jian is a high-ranking official who does not want to offend, and deliberately conceals his family assets for high-level officials. Of course, Yang Jian dares to offend low-level officials of the fourth, fifth and sixth grades.

Zhao Ji re-examined the list of officials' wealth compiled by Yang Jian and nodded with satisfaction.

He asked: "Mr. Yang, do a quick calculation. If these officials donate one-tenth of their family wealth to the national treasury, how much money can they increase in revenue for the national treasury?"

Yang Jian quickly calculated...

After a while, Yang Jian reported back: "If these officials pledge one-tenth of their family wealth, they should be able to collect an additional 1.23 million yuan for the national treasury."

"Very good!" Zhao Ji said happily.

He thought in his heart that the expenses for leading the troops south this time should have been spent. First, let’s take a look at the civil servants. Who has been supporting these civil servants with high salaries since the founding of the Song Dynasty?<

/p>

Zhao Ji knew that the salaries of officials in the Song Dynasty were the highest in all dynasties.

The prime ministers of the Song Dynasty and senior officials at the level of privy councilors had a monthly salary of 300 copper coins, which was always one thousand copper coins. Multiply three hundred by one thousand, which is a monthly salary of 300,000 copper coins.

Every spring and winter, they also give money and materials for making clothes, twenty pieces of damask, thirty pieces of silk, and one hundred taels of cotton.

In addition to money and clothing, food was also given to the prime ministers and senior officials at the level of privy envoys in the Song Dynasty, and they were given a monthly salary of one hundred shi.

The treatment of minor officials in the Song Dynasty was also good.

The monthly salary of county magistrates in large counties with more than 10,000 households is 20 guan, and that of small counties is 12 guan per month, and the salary is five to three dan per month. In addition to their regular salary, there are various subsidies, such as tea, wine, and cooking materials.

, fuel, mugwort, charcoal, salt, and other materials, as well as fodder for horses and clothing and food expenses for servants, etc., are all in considerable quantities.

Thinking of this, Zhao Ji felt that the reason why the Song Dynasty's high salary failed to foster integrity was because of the lack of corresponding corruption prevention systems and corruption punishment measures.

As far as Zhao Ji knows, the wealth of the Six Thieves of the Northern Song Dynasty, if you pull out any one of them, should be tens of millions of dollars.

Gao Qiu, who was not among the Six Thieves of the Northern Song Dynasty, should have had a wealth exceeding tens of millions.

Just this afternoon, when Zhao Ji took Wen Yi Zhenjun and Li Shishi back to the palace from Liang Shicheng's house, he saw that thousands of forbidden soldiers, like the laborers, bricklayers, and carpenters of later generations, were building a private house for Gao Qiu.

!

At that time, Zhao Ji did not express any opinions. He wanted to settle accounts with Gao Qiu and other corrupt officials later...

"The official family..." Yang Jian called softly, bringing Zhao Ji, who was deep in thought, back to reality.

Zhao Jidao: "Mr. Yang, it's getting late. According to the list you have drawn up, you will immediately pass on my order tonight and invite the officials on the list to visit Genyue tomorrow. Don't tell them yet that you have to donate ten percent of your family wealth.

One thing."

"Old slave obeys the order." Yang Jian retreated and selected the eunuchs who were sent to deliver the order...

Later, Zhao Ji summoned the eunuch Liang Shicheng and asked again about the case of demon Dao Lin Lingsu.

Liang Shicheng reported back respectfully: "At Dali Temple, Lin Lingsu's case has been settled as a solid case, and Lin Lingsu was convicted of using fake elixirs to murder His Majesty. When they were building Shenxiao Wanshou Palace and many other Taoist temples,

More than two million yuan was embezzled from it.

If you are found guilty, you should be executed in Ling Chi. We are waiting for the Yushitai to review it and report it to the official Zhu for approval!"

Zhao Ji's eyes lit up and he sighed secretly, I planned to let the civil servants visit Genyue like this. I wanted to rip off the civil servants, but I could get more than one million copper coins. I didn't expect to fight corruption and eliminate evil, and the money would be like this.

The ground is so fast and plentiful!

Zhao Ji asked: "Did the more than two million yuan that Lin Lingsu embezzled ever be in the Taoist temple in the capital?"

Liang Shicheng replied: "The dirty money in his Taoist temple is only one million yuan. The rest of the dirty money, Lin Lingsu transported it back to his hometown in batches in the past four years to buy houses and land."

Zhao Ji remembered the promise he made to Wen Yi Zhenjun and said: "Taoist temples such as the Shenxiao Wanshou Palace that are being built in various places must be stopped immediately. Those that have been repaired should not be demolished.

After all, demolition also costs money and people's efforts.

Today, I do not encourage people to believe in Taoism, nor do I object to existing believers continuing to believe in it.

Once the Lin Lingsu case has been investigated, it can be closed.

Mr. Liang, please go to the Yushitai again to remind you that before the second watch tonight, the case of Lin Lingsu in Dali Temple must be reviewed.

I want to make a critical review of Lin Lingsu’s case before the third watch tonight.”

"Old slave obeys the order." Liang Shicheng accepted the order and stepped back.

Zhao Ji couldn't help but sigh that the judicial system of the Song Dynasty was really very complete. Major cases were tried in Dali Temple to prevent unjust, false and wrongful convictions. Moreover, the death penalty cases had to be executed by Emperor Zhu Biao...

/p>

At this time, it’s already been a day.

The chamberlain reminded the officials many times that it was time for dinner.

Zhao Jidao: "Pass the meal."

Zhao Ji ate the delicacies from the mountains and seas, and his mouth felt like wax, because his thoughts at this time were not on the food.

He was so anxious to get money for the treasury because he wanted to personally lead the generals and troops and go to the southeast to see if there was any rebellion in Fang La.

After all, Zhao Ji, who is in the palace in the capital, has not heard any news about the uprising in Southeast La La until now.

And the time traveler Zhao Ji relied on his own historical knowledge to know that it was already the tenth month of the lunar calendar in the second year of Xuanhe, and Fang La should have rebelled!

If we wait a few more months, the spark of Fangla's uprising will become a prairie fire, and it will be difficult to deal with it by then.

Zhao Ji recalled the historical materials he had learned in his mind:

On the ninth day of October in the second year of Xuanhe, Fang La, a native of Qingxi, Muzhou, led an uprising in Qixian Village, She County. He called for a crusade against Zhu Meng and killed all the officials and their minions on sight...

Fangla's uprising took less than ten days. Tens of thousands of people gathered together, and their followers were like clouds. They attacked the city and seized the pond...

Fang La called himself Holy Duke and Jianyuan "Yongle". He quickly captured dozens of prefectures and counties, and his tribe grew to nearly one million, and he was powerful in the southeast...

……

Zhao Ji worked so hard to open up Genyue, preparing to take advantage of the civil servants and raise money as soon as possible for military expenses. The top priority was to deal with Fang La and his tribe as soon as possible, who were very likely to have caused trouble.

As for why Zhao Ji took the risk to go to the southeast in person, he knew in his heart that he would not go on a personal expedition. According to the historical practice, he appointed Tong Guan as the propaganda envoy of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and Tan Zhen as the envoy of the Zhejiang and Zhejiang roads. They were fully responsible for suppressing the rebellion.

Fang La's uprising would have to wait until April 24, the third year of Xuanhe's reign, before Fang La would be defeated and captured.

It was impossible for Zhao Ji to let Fang La's uprising last for more than five months in the southeast and capture fifty-two counties in six states, as happened in history.

It is even less likely that the Fangla Uprising will shake our Song Dynasty.

What Zhao Ji planned in his mind was to take advantage of Fang Lagang's uprising and use thunderous means to quickly extinguish the spark in the southeast.

In this way, we can avoid the major population attrition in the two Zhejiang Provinces due to the war caused by the Fangla Uprising, and we can also protect the economic lifeline of the Song Dynasty in Jiangsu and Zhejiang from being ravaged by the war; let alone the ambitious Jin Dynasty.

country, and glimpsed the emptiness of the national power and the weakness of the military power of the Song Dynasty...

Thinking of this, Zhao Ji put down his jade chopsticks and glanced at the delicacies in front of him, but he had no appetite. He said to the waiter:

"Prince Xuan and Prince Zhan Shigeng Nanzhong came to see me. I have something to ask."

……


This chapter has been completed!
Previous Bookshelf directory Bookmark Next