After hearing Jia Ke's words, Liu Yu, the Minister of Civil Affairs, felt that it was very inappropriate. Now that the south is finally stable, once chaos breaks out, the tax-rich areas of the south will be threatened.
And he also saw the emperor's dilemma, so he quickly came out to relieve the emperor's worries, "What Mr. Jia said is inappropriate. If the rewards are stopped, the barbarians in the south may not give up. Once a war breaks out, the imperial court will not have military pay.
I'm afraid things are worse."
Jia Ke didn't refute what he said, and then acted like I had no other choice and you guys had to figure it out.
When the emperor saw Jia Ke's indifferent expression, he was so angry that he really wanted to drag Jia Ke out and give him a beating to vent his anger. However, he suppressed his anger again when he saw the plaque on the main hall of Dongnuang Pavilion that read "Be careful with haste and use patience".
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When Liu Yu saw Jia Ke like this, he knew not to rely on Jia Ke in this matter, so he had to find a solution on his own.
Liu Yu, the Minister of Civil Affairs, thought about it carefully, then came out and said to the emperor: "Long live my lord, if there is really a shortage of silver, there are always several ways to solve the temporary difficulty."
The emperor sat up and looked at Liu Yu, feeling a little dissatisfied with him. Didn't Liu Yu see the strangeness yet? Wouldn't it be embarrassing for me to give me advice now?
But the emperor couldn't help but speak, "Liu Aiqing, if you have any ideas, please speak up immediately. Let's discuss it together. Even if it doesn't work, it's better than standing still."
Liu Yu then bowed and said: "The salt merchants in the south are the richest in the world. From the founding of the People's Republic of China to the present, because the salt merchants were so productive when the dynasty was established, Emperor Taizu's salt tax on the salt merchants in the south of the Yangtze River was the lowest in all dynasties.
.Now that the imperial court is in difficulty, it is easy for them to ask them to reimburse millions of taels of silver."
As soon as the emperor heard Liu Yu's idea, he frowned. The salt tax in Jiangnan was indeed the lowest in history, but this was only on the surface. Secretly, all the salt merchants had to send a large portion of their profits to the palace every year.
, this was only known after the emperor ascended the throne.
Since Jiangnan salt merchants have already sent so much money every year, the emperor has no reason to ask them to repay the favor. Otherwise, what kind of person would the emperor be, and what difference would he make from a robber?
So the emperor directly said: "This is absolutely impossible. The salt tax in Jiangnan was set by Emperor Taizu, and the ancestors of these salt merchants made many contributions to the court. If we ask them for silver at this time, Jiangnan will definitely be in turmoil and the gentry will be unstable.
If this strategy is not feasible, you should think of other methods."
Liu Yu was a little angry when he heard this. Nowadays, no one in the world knows how wealthy Jiangnan salt merchants are. If you don't get money from them, what else can you do?
At this time, Zuodu Yushi Tianye stood up. After giving his influence to the emperor, he said: "The emperor does not want to increase taxes, which makes the gentry uneasy. I have a solution."
The emperor looked at Tian Ye and said unhappily: "If you have any ideas, just tell me."
Tian Ye also saw the emperor's displeasure and guessed the emperor's intention. However, for the sake of the stability of the court and the country, he had to risk offending the emperor and came up with this idea.
"Your Majesty, there are so many bank accounts in Jin Province. Many of these bank stores have millions of dollars in silver. Why not find a few leading bank accounts in the name of the imperial court and lend them 3 million taels of silver. Wait until the court is rich in a few years.
Return it slowly."
The emperor became angry when he heard this, "What are you talking about? How can there be any reason for the imperial court to lend money to poets? I don't want to be ashamed anymore. I will never mention this again."
After hearing the emperor's words, Tian Ye had no choice but to retreat. He thought that the emperor was determined to take action against Jia Ke regardless of the overall situation of the court.
They discussed for an hour or two, but there was no way to fill the hole. After all, this was not a small amount, and it couldn't be filled with a little money.
The emperor finally said with a cold light in his eyes: "Then you have no choice, then I will give you an idea."
When His Highness's ministers heard that the Emperor had an idea, they all raised their hands and said, "Listen to the Emperor's instructions."
"Now that our world is relatively peaceful, and the Tatars in the north have not made much trouble in the past few years, why not reduce the military pay for some troops in the Nine Borders, and wait until the court is rich in a few years, and then make up for them. Everyone
What do you think, my dear?" The emperor said confidently with a smile. This was a clever plan to deal with Jia Ke that he had thought about for a long time.
When Lei Ying heard the emperor's words, he was scared to death. He had never thought that the emperor would be so crazy. If the military pay was reduced to the old, weak and disabled soldiers in the mainland, it would be okay. But if the military pay of the elite soldiers from the nine sides was reduced, who would be able to resist the north for him?
of alien race.
Thinking of this, Lei Ying hurriedly came out to advise the emperor: "Your Majesty, this must not be done. If the military pay is not enough, our Ministry of War can slightly reduce the military pay for the inland army. For the elites of the Nine Borders, we must not miss a penny."
At this time, Old Meng Ming also came out and said: "Your Majesty also agrees with Lei Ying's suggestion. If the silver is really unlucky, like those weak soldiers in the mainland, it is okay to reduce them by one or two levels. Moreover, there are many soldiers and horses in the mainland.
If it is spread across the country, each person will not be able to get much, so the turmoil caused by this will be smaller."
When the emperor heard what they said, he felt embarrassed. If it was true that the imperial court was not doing well in taxation and if he wanted to reduce expenditures, it would be a good idea to reduce the military pay of the internal soldiers by one or two levels. But now the emperor's main purpose is not to reduce
Instead of spending money, he wanted to use the financial power in his hands to break up the army controlled by Jia Ke. Therefore, he absolutely could not agree to this method.
"What are you talking about? Don't you know how many people there are in the mainland? If the military pay is reduced, how will their families survive? And if so many people start a riot at once, it will be difficult for the court to deal with it. I think the nine soldiers are because of the military pay ratio.
The mainland is much higher, and there is no need to reduce expenditures on all nine sides. It is okay to pick out one or two that have light defensive pressure and reduce military pay." The emperor said decisively, with determination in his tone.
When everyone was there, the emperor had already made up his mind. Their attempts to persuade him were of no use, so they all lowered their heads and listened to the emperor's orders.
The emperor's face is now uncertain. He knows that if this decree is made, the northern border will be unstable. If the Tatars don't come, it will be fine. If the Tatars come to attack, the soldiers at the border may not be able to
I resisted desperately. But now the arrow is on the string and I have to shoot.
So the emperor gritted his teeth and ordered the following ministers: "Jiubian Zhongxuan Mansion and Liaodong Town are the closest to the capital, and the capital has 200,000 troops. If anything happens to these two places, reinforcements can be sent immediately. Therefore, starting from this month
At first, the military pay in these two places was only 60%. The government will make up for it when there is a surplus in a few years."
Everyone felt a chill in their bodies after hearing the emperor's words. The emperor was blatantly planning to attack Jia Ke.
Jia Ke stood there with no expression on his face. He had already known the emperor's plan when he was at the military aircraft. He had already thought of a way to deal with it. This time the emperor suddenly attacked him, which was his crisis.
But from another aspect, this is his opportunity. If the emperor does this, the people in these two places will probably be dissatisfied with the emperor. Like some middle-level generals who still have hope for the emperor, they will soon
I will be completely disappointed. The emperor is destroying the Great Wall.
After the emperor finished explaining his method, he kept staring at Jia Ke. How did he see Jia Ke's reaction? If Jia Ke strongly opposed it, he would naturally have another excuse to dismiss Jia Ke. This time, he would reduce military pay.
It must be carried out no matter what.
But the emperor was completely disappointed. Jia Ke stood there without any expression or any objection. It seemed that he agreed with the emperor's method, which made the emperor a little confused. But since Jia Ke had agreed, it was convenient.
He is in a lot of trouble.
So the emperor said again: "The military pay for the defenders north of Miyun will also be reduced by 30% this year."
The emperor did this to let the world see that he was not specifically targeting Jia Ke. After all, in addition to Jia Ke's direct descendants, other troops also began to reduce their military pay. This was to show his fairness.
When Jia Ke heard the emperor's words below, he almost fell to the ground. What is the emperor going to do? He has reduced the military pay of all the troops in the north of the capital. This is simply asking for death. Does he think that these people are not enough to eat?
Is the rice army really going to fight to the death when it encounters the Tatars?
But the emperor's next words made Jia Ke understand what he meant.
"All the troops in the north of the capital have had their military pay reduced. I am afraid that the defense in the north of the capital is a little weak. Therefore, we have decided to send the Xiaoqi battalion northward and set up defenses between Miyun and Xuanfu Town to facilitate support from both sides. What do you think, dear ministers?"
He confidently stated his own solution. In order to think of this solution, he didn't sleep for several days.
If the Xiaoqi battalion is transferred, Jia Ke will not have his own direct troops in the capital. Although the other three battalions are still controlled by Jia Ke, many of the generals have served in the camp for generations. I would like to think about him as the emperor.
His loyalty will not be less than that of Jia Ke.
After the emperor finished speaking, the hall was completely silent. Everyone stared at Jia Ke to see what he would say in reply.
Jia Ke just sneered inwardly. Did the emperor really think that besides being able to truly control the Xiaoqi camp, he could not fully control the other three camps? If it were someone else, maybe this situation could still happen, but for Jia Ke,
The emperor is fanciful to think this way. What can he do if he agrees to him? If he strongly opposes it, I am afraid that the emperor will not have the courage to take the next steps. Why not just agree to him, isn't there such a saying? If you want to cause people to perish,
First make people crazy. According to Jia Ke, the emperor is already crazy enough now.
So Jia Ke came out of the class, bowed and said: "I completely agree with the emperor's opinion. If the military pay is reduced in these three places, I am afraid that the morale of the army will be unstable. It is just right to move the Xiaoqi battalion between Xuanfu Town and Miyun."
Stabilize the situation at critical moments."
The emperor and the military ministers did not expect Jia Ke to agree. Among them, Lao Mengming looked at Jia Ke and showed a satisfied smile.
The old gentleman now thought in his mind that Jia Ke still had the overall situation in mind and had no thoughts that were detrimental to the court. They were just judging a gentleman with a villain's heart.