Generally speaking, the founding emperors often learned from previous dynasties in designing the national system, thereby avoiding some bad habits.
The institutional design of the Ming Dynasty was mostly in the Song and Yuan Dynasties.
Needless to say, the Yuan Dynasty was defeated by the Mongols' overly lenient and extensive management of the country. As long as enough money was collected, all civil affairs, large and small, were handed over to the local tyrants and evil gentry, and even a tax farming system was implemented.
In this case, the poor have no place to stand, the rich are connected by streets, and the people have no life.
Therefore, the Ming Dynasty implemented strict governance and returned to the feudal management of the Song Dynasty.
As for the Song Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty came to the conclusion that the people of the Song Dynasty were too weak-minded, and they sought peace every year. They retreated step by step, and in the end there was no way to retreat, and the country could only perish.
Therefore, integrity is valued.
The manifestation is that civil servants are proud of the imperial staff. The harder the bone, the more valued it is by the officialdom, which is equivalent to meritorious service.
During the Tumubao Incident, even if the emperor was captured, he refused to negotiate for peace; in the Chongzhen Dynasty of the late Ming Dynasty, Chen Xinjia, who negotiated peace, was killed.
Being stubborn and losing softness may seem like a relief, but in fact, a good opportunity is missed.
One piece and one piece of relaxation is the kingly way.
In order to cultivate the pride of scholars and win people's hearts, Ming Dynasty implemented the national policy of preferential treatment to scholars.
Emperor Taizu Gao exempted all current officials from corvee service; the "Regulations on Preferential Exemptions" of the 24th year of Jiajing stipulates that the first-rank official in the capital is exempted from service for thirty dan, and the person is thirty ding, and the following decreases to the ninth-rank official.
Six dans of grain are exempted from service, and six dings of people are exempted; half of the amount is given to foreign officials; two dans of grains are exempted, and two dings are given to officials, supervisors, and students; seven-tenths of this product is exempted if one becomes an official.
In the 38th year of Wanli's reign, the "New Regulations on Preferential and Exemptions" also stipulated that the current Jia Ke Jingguan was exempted from land tax of 10,000 acres, and the following were reduced gradually.
Six-sixths of the land is divided into sixty-six percent; the maximum area of land that is exempted from land tax is 3,350 acres for those who have not yet entered the imperial examination; the land that is exempted for those who have not yet been promoted to official positions is 1,200 acres; and the land tax for students who are students and supervisors is 80 acres.
In other words, before the thirty-eighth year of Wanli, ordinary scholars could not legally be exempted from unlimited tax exemption, but they were only exempted from tax for two dan.
Later, we made further progress step by step, and the scope of exemptions and exemptions was expanded.
After all, ordinary people, who would watch "The Law of the Ming Dynasty"?
Taking more and eating more is the right way.
The local government officials did not dare to offend the talented people, so they could only allow them to be exempted from tax and distribute the remaining taxes to other people. It became a consensus to bully honest people.
During the Zhang Juzheng period, a whipping method came into being.
They strictly followed the laws of the Ming Dynasty to collect taxes and take food from the mouths of the gentry, offending many people.
Therefore, it is inevitable that people will die and government will cease.
Didn’t Emperor Wanli know the benefits of a whip?
Of course he knew, but he also understood that after Zhang Juzheng's death, there was no such executor in the Ming court.
In other words, the civil and military officials of the Wanli Dynasty had become corrupt, and no matter how good the laws were, they were just laws to them and could not be enforced at all.
In order to stabilize the country and the country, just like Cao Pi's nine-level Zhongzheng system, we had to make compromises and drink poison to quench our thirst.
Unfortunately, everyone knows that the more indulgent this thing is, the faster it will die.
After the promulgation of the regulations in the thirty-eighth year of Wanli, the gentry became even more unscrupulous, land annexation intensified, and the trend of land donation became the mainstream.
Of course, this is no wonder that the Wanli Emperor, no matter from the Han, Tang, Song or Yuan Dynasties, whether he was a powerful person or a gentry, as part of the common world with the emperor, they have enjoyed the rights of tax exemption and exemption from corvee for thousands of years.
In the early Ming Dynasty, there was too much control and the tighter the restraints were, the easier it would be to collapse in the later period.
Just like the Qing Dynasty, the gentry and gentry were all responsible for paying grain, which was implemented during the Yongzheng period but was abolished in the Qianlong period.
The reasons are generally the same, there are no cool officials to implement them, and it is not good for the stability of the country.
Just like a live broadcast, all that is harvested are ordinary people's money. Do you still want to take the money from the guild and the big brother? Don't you want your life?
Of course, the system design of the Ming Dynasty also had many advantages: local decentralization, centralization, no relatives, vassal towns, and eunuch disasters, and very few patches needed to be made.
Zhu Yixi came from a later generation, so he naturally understood that the Qing Dynasty's Ming Dynasty system did not undergo many changes, which was rare in previous dynasties.
The systems between the Song Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty, and between the Yuan Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, are worlds apart.
"The biggest patches are one in finance, two in taxation, and three in military system."
Zhu Yixi shook his head: "The military system has been changed, finance has been changed, only taxation has been increased, commercial taxes have been increased, and the original agricultural tax collection has not been changed much."
His index finger tapped on the table unconsciously, his brain running rapidly.
Before he came to the throne, and in the years after he came to the throne, he had a tacit attitude towards the land annexation in the late Ming Dynasty, as well as the gentry's concealment, underreporting, and contributions.
There is no way, the primary goal is to expel the slaves and unite all the forces that can be united, and other places can tolerate it.
Reduce the resistance to establishing a dynasty and rule the world faster.
If, like the protagonists in those novels, we carry out reforms from a young age and the gentry receive food from one body, this is no less than pushing scholars out of the ruling system.
When the time comes and the enemy immediately embraces the powerful gentry, you will be doomed.
Conquering the world is nothing more than having many friends and few enemies, and people from these four major classes, scholars, farmers, industry and merchants, must actively participate in it.
Isn’t it pleasant to settle accounts after the fall?
On the emperor's desk, the censors who patrolled the nine northern provinces submitted a satisfactory answer sheet to him.
In one year, more than a hundred magistrates, magistrates and other officials were captured, and thousands of officials and officials were captured.
The prisons of the Ministry of Punishment are already overcrowded.
In the past few months, Dali Temple and the Ministry of Punishment have been the busiest, working overtime every day to carry out trials and convictions.
Those with excessive corruption will have their homes confiscated, beheaded, and exiled in one order; those with minor corruption will have their homes confiscated, exiled, and border areas enriched.
It can be said that such cruel methods greatly shocked the officialdom, and the northern provinces were wiped out.
Coupled with the provincial examinations and the appointment of new people such as Jinshi, they flooded into the officialdom like running water and washed away the old customs.
Only then did Zhu Yixi feel that the foundation for implementing benevolent governance had been solidified.
After all, the promulgation and implementation of policies are two different things. Support at the grassroots level, especially at the county level, is extremely important.
If the old bureaucracy continues to be used, all reforms will ultimately be just another patchwork, or a benevolent coup with harsh governance, which will become a gluttonous feast for the gentry and bureaucrats.
"Now that the time is right, let's start from Hebei, then spread throughout the north, and then go to the south at the right time!"
Go north first and then south, first easy and then difficult. This was the emperor's idea, and it was also a strategy he was gradually implementing.
And this benevolent policy means rent reduction and interest rate reduction.
That is to say, the policy of double reduction targets local tyrants and evil gentry.
If the interest rate is reduced, for private loans, the annual interest rate shall not exceed 30%. If it is higher than 30%, the transaction will not be established, and the borrower can choose not to repay the money.
Rent reduction is for the landlord class.
For any land leased to tenants, the rent for a year shall not exceed 30% of the harvest. If the rent exceeds 30%, the landlord will pay ten times the profit. The individual is not allowed to participate in the imperial examination. If he commits the crime again, the imperial examination will be restricted for three generations of the whole family.
As can be expected, this policy is no less than a whip, but more toned down.
After all, the one-lash method is to dig out meat, while the double-cut method is to put a tight spell on it, restrict land annexation, and ease social conflicts.
It is also easier to be accepted by the enlightened gentry class.
This is equivalent to, you can increase the deed tax, but you cannot directly confiscate my property.
To be honest, this policy is nothing more than an internal improvement in feudal society. It can only ease the contradictions, but cannot solve them.
But there is no other way. It is impossible to dig out your own foundation and help others, right?
Zhu Yixi is not as noble as those so-called selfless saints who traveled through time. She never married or had children, but devoted her life to ordinary people who had nothing to do with her.
Even if they were brothers and sisters, he couldn't do this, let alone strangers.
"Snapped--"
Putting down the double reduction policy, Zhu Yixi turned around and said: "Let the elders come over."
Soon, the cabinet ministers gathered.
A small-scale imperial meeting began.
Zhu Yixi directly passed on the double-minus memorial, picked up the tea at hand, and drank it slowly.
It was him who was observing everyone's reactions.
Among the four members of the cabinet, each performed differently.
Zhao Shu, the chief assistant, nodded slightly; Zhang Shenyan, who was deep and deep, rarely showed a smile; Yan Chongxin looked stunned; Lu Daqi held his hands and laughed.
"Your Majesty..."
Halfway through the words, Lu Daqi saw everyone's faces, reacted immediately, and stopped talking.
"What do you think, Chief Assistant?"
the emperor asked.
"Your Majesty, this is benevolent government." Zhao Shu burst into tears instantly, and he naturally knew that this was the emperor's handiwork.
But it was precisely because of this that he felt that he was worthy of being an emperor, and he could think of things that others could not think of.
"It does not harm the interests of the gentry but benefits the people. The people rejoice and the people worship."
This compliment profoundly reveals the fundamentals of the double reduction policy - not to harm the interests of the gentry.
Compared to cutting flesh with a knife, a tight curse seems easier for people to accept.
Everyone can see that this policy is more conducive to social stability and easier to win the support of the four people.
It should be noted that although the gentry class has various bad habits and shortcomings, there are also many enlightened people.
The double reduction policy is to divide and win over the gentry, let the enlightened gentry fight against the local tyrants and evil gentry, and gain the support of one group of gentry, and the implementation of the policy will be smoother.
When the time comes, not only will there be support in the official circles, but also a large number of people in the private sector will agree.
This is the true national policy.
Zhang Shenyan also caressed his beard and sighed: "The people's livelihood is very difficult, but with such benevolent government and the people being so understanding and cheerful, I have no choice but to agree and support it even if I risk my life."
What else could Yan Chongxin and Lu Daqi say?
All we can do is support and support him in droves, and at the same time praise the emperor a lot.
"This policy can be extended to all the northern provinces. After the officialdom in the south is clean, it can be implemented throughout the world."
The emperor made the final decision in a very loud voice: "When the time comes, why won't the world be peaceful?"
For a time, all cabinet ministers obeyed.
It can be expected that if this policy is truly implemented, it will be extremely effective for the stability of the country.
"Gansu soldiers and horses gathered together, the Mongolian tribes in the desert surrendered, and there were many cavalry. Now they are fighting against the Rakshasa Kingdom, and they are taking time out."
Lu Daqi finally got the chance to speak and immediately said: "After the battle of Turpan, Yarkand was vulnerable to a single blow. He feared our king's division like a tiger. The imperial court can attack him, and his journey will be smooth."
Zhao Shu also agreed: "I heard that there are oases everywhere in the desert area, and I can't live without oases."
"The Yarkand people can't escape at all and can only wait for the king's army in the oasis. However, the Mongolian tribes in the desert have many cavalry. Once the war goes against them, galloping horses and harvesting some land in vain will not have much effect."
"It's better to beat Yarkand."
"Okay!" Although the emperor also supported Yerqiang in his heart, he could not say it openly and had to be raised by the people below.
And he serves as the referee, in a detached position.
Just like the double reduction policy, the reason was that it was proposed by others instead of the emperor himself. Leaving some room for relaxation would be beneficial to both the ministers and the emperor.
Therefore, before the government was sealed at the end of the year, in addition to double reductions, decisions were also made on the northwest strategy.
Everyone understands that the court has only two choices, the Oiratmeng in the ancient tribes, and the Yarkand Kingdom.
Oirat Mongolia, that is, the nomadic desert Mongols in the northern Xinjiang region, near the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, were the Tatars who created the Tumu Fortress incident.
As for the Yarkand Khanate, as its name suggests, the Uighurs are the Hui people who believe in the Peace Religion.
The goal of the Oirat Mongolian strategy has always been the Kazakh Khanate and the Yenisey River Basin; while the Yarkand moved south towards Afghanistan and Pakistan.
It can be said without hesitation that in terms of wealth, the Oirat Mongolia, which occupies the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains and the Yinli River Valley, are definitely number one.
After all, southern Xinjiang is nothing but desert, and the biggest specialty is Hetian jade. If it were not for the control of the Southern Xinjiang Silk Road, Yarkand would have been in poverty long ago.
In the northwest, one is weak and the other is strong, and the officials have different tendencies.
In the end, when it was learned that the cabinet had decided to make things easier first and then target Yarkand, there was an uproar inside and outside the court.
However, contrary to the opinions of the civil servants, the nobles agreed with the cabinet's decision.
Compared to the Oirat Mongolia, which had already come into contact with firearms and had tens of thousands of cavalry, the Yarkand Kingdom, which had always been intoxicated with the luminous cup of grape wine, was easier to conquer.
Furthermore, the Turpan area has already offended its people, and now it is the perfect time to completely eliminate the hidden dangers.
As long as Yarkand is captured, the northern Xinjiang region will not be far away.
Although Mongolian Mongolia has more meritorious deeds, it is not as safe and easy to capture as Yarkand's meritorious deeds.
At this time, Anle City.
"It seems that the court has made a decision."
Gao Yigong raised his head and looked ahead.
At this time, 30,000 Ming troops were stationed in the Turpan area.
Among them are 20,000 cavalry and 10,000 infantry plus firearms battalions, which can be said to be the essence of the entire northwest.
"Chief Soldier, where are you?" everyone asked.
"To the south, the Yarkand Khanate."
The sword pointed to the southwest, Gao Yigong's face showed color.
"Brothers, the opportunity to make great achievements lies ahead."
Gao Yigong raised his sword and said: "The imperial court has brought an edict and promised four meritorious deeds (basis). As long as this country is conquered and destroyed, there will definitely be more than a few people who will be granted the title of marquis and emperor."
"The imperial court will never be stingy with titles and rewards."