This is a long story, starting with Li Mu's damaging move to Li Shimin, who asked the Sixth Department to prepare a "budget".
Before Li Mu came up with this harmful idea, the priorities of the six ministries in Datang's financial planning were very obvious. Generally speaking, it was like this: the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Punishment, and the Ministry of Works. When we got to the Ministry of Works,
, basically it’s nothing. It’s the greatest kindness not to delay the salary. This kind of division is exquisite. Generally speaking, it is still “military first”, and then people’s livelihood and society are given priority. The Ministry of Rites is in charge of diplomacy, so it cannot be missed.
The face of the Celestial Kingdom must be maintained even if there is no money. The Ministry of Personnel is in charge of promotion and evaluation, and no one dares to follow suit. As for the Ministry of Punishments and the Ministry of Works, they are actually about the same, but the foundation of the Ministry of Works is not as strong as anyone else's, and it is ranked last.
It's inevitable.
After Li Mu came to Chang'an, the structure of the Six Ministries changed greatly. The Ministry of Works transformed from a department that used money from the imperial court to a golden doll. Now the factories under the Ministry of Works produce Zhenguan plows and plows.
For a unique thing like bearings, the speed of making money is not much different from the speed of bending down to pick up money, and the status will naturally rise. The Ministry of War is completely opposite. The war to destroy the Turks has been fought, although there are small countries in the surrounding area that are coveting it.
Datang, but they are all suffering from scabies. Datang does not take the initiative to attack them. Basically, they do not dare to attack Datang. Therefore, there will be no big war in a short time.
Without a major battle, investment in the Ministry of War will naturally be less. This is a very simple truth. When making a budget, it is impossible not to mention the other five departments of the Sixth Department. But in fact, things are not that simple. The main expenses of the Ministry of War are,
It is the pay for soldiers. Although there is no war, the soldiers have to be maintained, right? Even if the part of the military merit reward is missing, the bulk is still there. Therefore, it is actually unfeasible to reduce the budget of the Ministry of War.
If Li Jing was still the Minister of the Ministry of War, he would definitely argue with his arguments and speak truthfully. But now the Minister of the Ministry of War has been replaced by Hou Junji. Who is Hou Junji? This is a man who was ignorant and incompetent in his early years.
A reckless man who still boasts and claims to be brave. What truth can he explain? Looking at his opponents, they are all civil servants and they are just talking. How can he take advantage of them?
The final result is that the budget of the Ministry of War is 40% less than in previous years. This 40% is added to the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Punishments, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and the Ministry of Personnel. As for the Ministry of Works, because it is holding a golden doll, it is impossible to increase the budget.
, and barely managed to keep the original bottom budget. It was because of Li Mu's sake that the ministries did not dare to take action.
This is how the budget battle basically came to an end. The Ministry of War suffered a big loss, the Ministry of Industry maintained its capital, and the other four departments made a profit. Except for the Ministry of War, everyone else was very happy, and everyone was enjoying themselves, except for Hou Junji who was struggling.
Hou Junji was suffocated and angry because of this, which was second to none. If the budget was enough, even if it was less, it would not be impossible to deal with. But the problem is that if the budget is less than 40%, it is really not enough. The Ministry of War did an internal calculation
, even if the budget is reduced, it will still have to be at least 80% of previous years to support the soldiers. If it is reduced by 40%, it means that the size of the soldiers must be reduced.
In fact, for Hou Junji, it doesn't matter if he reduces the size of his army. The country is not his anyway. Just having fewer soldiers will not cause big trouble. But the problem is that if Li Shimin doesn't do it, he still wants to
After a few years of rest and recuperation, he cleaned up the surrounding areas and achieved the unparalleled feat that neither the previous Sui nor the Sui emperors could achieve, namely pacifying Goguryeo.
The current soldiers of the Tang Dynasty are all veterans who have experienced war. If they are disbanded and recruited temporarily, they will all be new recruits. How will they fight?
Therefore, reduction is absolutely impossible. This is fundamental and cannot be discussed.
The pressure returned to Hou Junji, and he was dumbfounded. This was too difficult for a man. As a reckless man, he only knew how to spend money and embezzle, and could not make money at all. Let him find a way to make money, then
There is no other option but to grab it forcefully.
Hou Junji, who had been holding back for half a month, was about to pass the New Year and it was time to officially implement the budget. He really couldn't stand it anymore and found Li Shimin. Relying on his qualifications as Li Shimin's guard captain, he acted rogue.
, knelt down in front of Li Shimin, and lay down as if he were resigning himself. He didn't even try to be euphemistic, but said directly that he couldn't handle this little money, and that he really couldn't do it, so he was no longer the Minister of War.
If someone else had behaved like this in front of Li Shimin, he would have been reprimanded and imprisoned for several days. But Hou Junji was different after all. Although he was a reckless man, he followed Li Shimin on the battlefield and guarded Li Shimin as the last barrier.
The kind of younger brother who "bends the sword for his elder brother" is a confidant, so naturally he is different. Although Li Shimin is ruthless, he still has some affection for the people around him. Moreover, he is also from the army, and he is well aware of the ins and outs of the army.
Hou Junji was right about what he said. It is definitely impossible to cut the budget by 40%.
But now that the budget has been finalized, if it were to be changed, it would be too involved. The other four departments would definitely not agree, and there would definitely be another quarrel and a bad year.
Li Shimin thought about it for a long time, then suddenly slapped his head and thought of the Ministry of Works.
The Ministry of Industry is making money now, and the money earned by Li Mu, although the accounts are so detailed that no one can find fault with them, Li Shimin always feels that there must be some problem somewhere, but he can't see it. His intuition tells him that Li Mu must be
Yes, he is rich. The factory must be making money, and it is much more than he knows.
Why not let the Ministry of Works shoulder the gap left by the Ministry of War?
Once the idea arises, it cannot be contained. Li Shimin then gave Hou Junji an opportunity to discuss the matter in person, and they made an appointment. Hou Junji took the lead first, and then Li Shimin arrived. The two sang and harmonized, digging a hole for Li Mu to jump, making him confused
Just accept this.
With Li Shimin present, if Li Mu agrees, it's a sure thing. If he agrees but can't do it, it's the crime of deceiving the emperor, and he will be beheaded.
The idea was good, but it didn't go so smoothly. Neither of them expected that so many people would come to Li Mu's house on New Year's Eve. Hou Junji met Wang, and they came to Fengqiu.
Huang, met a bunch of shopkeepers again. When they got to the study, they met Changsun Wuji again. Li Shimin brought Li Tai over, and met Li Chengqian halfway.
As long as there are many people, everything will become difficult to handle. Hou Junji is also a reckless man, and he has no ink in his stomach. He only remembers what he had discussed with Li Shimin and does not know how to adapt. When the situation is different from what he imagined, he will not
I knew how to speak, but I had been holding back my words. When I heard Li Shimin handed over the words, I had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak.
I spoke out of desperation, and even nervously, my mind suddenly went blank, and I forgot all the words I had prepared. I opened my mouth a few times, and when it came to my mouth, it became: "I am asking Zhuluhou for money!"
As soon as these words came out, everyone was shocked.
Li Shimin was stunned by Hou Junji's stupidity. What the hell is this? You already have the right words and you don't know how to speak?
Wang Ze was stunned with admiration. Everyone had been "robbed" by Li Mu, and finally someone got hold of Li Mu. But he felt that Hou Junji was a bit arrogant. Li Mu was not the same as when he first came to Chang'an.
Boy, he is in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Industry, and is already a force that cannot be ignored. Although you, Hou Junji, are a veteran, you may not be able to bully him.
Only Changsun Wuji smiled mysteriously. As the person who knew Li Shimin best, he had already realized a lot from the look between the two of them just now.
Li Mu was a little dumbfounded. For such a straightforward "rob", he felt that if he didn't agree, it would be considered bullying.
Li Mu smiled speechlessly, looked directly at Li Shimin, made the matter clear, and said: "Your Majesty, you don't have to beat around the bush to make it so difficult for the general. Just tell me what is going on."
Li Shimin glared at Hou Junji, feeling a little embarrassed. But now that the matter was over, he couldn't hold himself back if he said it, and it would be even worse if he didn't. He hesitated for a moment, but finally said it, saying: "That's what happened..."
Immediately, he explained the matter again and said forcefully: "In short, I think it was you who proposed the budget, and you also have some responsibility. Now that the problem is here, I won't let you bear more, 10%
How about it? You ask the Ministry of Industry to bear 10%, and the other 00%... comes from internal funds. Is this fair?"
Li Mu was not in a hurry to answer, and said cautiously: "Your Majesty, I would like to ask you, how much is this per cent... approximately?"
Li Shimin sounded like he had a good accent, so he hurriedly said: "Two hundred thousand guan."
Li Mu cleared his throat and said, "Your Majesty, I feel that this matter is a bit bullying."
When Li Shimin heard that Li Mu didn't want to agree, he became angry and said: "How can I bully others? Didn't I say that I would also give out 10% of the internal funds?!"
When everyone saw the two people confronting each other, they all looked at each other and dared not say a word.
Faced with Li Shimin in such a state, Li Mu was a little helpless. He grinned and said: "Your Majesty, don't be impatient and let's start from the beginning. You see, when we talked about the budget, Your Majesty promised that you would never do anything."
I will not say a word to others, saying that this matter was my idea. But I said it clearly and clearly. I cannot afford to offend anyone. Look, you just said it in front of so many people.
, what do you think I will do when I return to court in the future? It seems that after the New Year, I have to resign."
These words made Li Shimin blush. The ancients valued integrity very much. It was impossible to go back on something that was promised. Being reminded by Li Mu, Li Shimin remembered that he had indeed promised Li Mu not to leak the news. Just now
His actions were obviously a violation of his promise. He couldn't argue with Li Mu's words.
But in front of so many people, if you let it go so lightly, will you still have face as an emperor? Now he can only insist on going his own way. Li Shimin risked his face and said: "Don't mention these useless things, I mean
Okay, I’m wrong. But even if I don’t tell you, do you think that the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty couldn’t imagine that you came up with this idea? No one except you could have come up with such a wicked idea. You can’t hide it even if you want to.
I can't hide it! Don't even dream about resigning. Several big businesses have been started because of you. You have given up your job. Where can I find someone to take over? As long as you have a good reputation, you have to work for me.
, I can’t do it if I don’t do it!”
This was a bit confusing. Li Mu could vaguely see Cheng Yaojin's style in Li Shimin's body. He almost laughed out loud. Finally, he couldn't hold it back. Li Mu said again: "Your Majesty, justice is in the heart of the people. I won't say more.
Now. Coming back to this matter, I visited Li Shangshu yesterday and learned about the budget. The Ministry of Works is still at the bottom as in previous years. The budget of the Ministry of Works is less than half of that of other ministries, and compared to the Ministry of War, it is even less.
One-fifth. Under such circumstances, you also plan to ask the Ministry of Industry to bear 10% of the Ministry of War... The Ministry of Industry has also recruited a lot of new people. We have the mentality of not adding burden to the court, so we don’t
The proposal to increase the budget was based on the original intention of suffering for oneself and benefiting others, so..."
"Are you starting to cry about poverty again?" Li Shimin no longer cares about his face. This is already the case. His face has already been trampled under his feet. Why not do it more thoroughly and said: "I can't figure out the things about the factory, but I
Judging from your behavior, it doesn’t look like you’re short of money at all. Don’t cry about being poor. This matter has been settled. The Ministry of Industry will pay 10%, so why don’t I care!”
"Your Majesty!" Li Muyi spoke righteously and resoundingly, "I must reiterate that the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Internal Affairs are so generous now because I am using my family wealth to support them. I settled the accounts yesterday and was already complained by my wife. Here I come.
In the six months since I arrived in Chang'an, I have earned more than 700,000 guan from the big and small. On average, it is only 100,000 guan per month. Of this little money, I don't even spend 30% of it on myself. It's all spent on official business. Madam
They say that I am a prodigal, and I also feel that I am a prodigal. I earn very little but spend a lot, and I cannot live my life anymore..."
After crying a lot, I didn't get any sympathy.
An unknown person who came to Chang'an for half a year earned 700,000 guan! In half a year, 700,000 guan! Even if he robs money, he can't do it so fast! How can he still cry for poverty and let others live?
Li Shimin was even more heartbroken. He thought about his internal money. Since he ascended the throne, his internal money has never exceeded 300,000 guan. And Li Mu, a young boy, earned 700,000 guan in half a year. This is not even
Counting the money he made by helping others to raise money...where did all his money come from?
Isn't this strange? Before he came to Chang'an, everyone lived like this. Where did his money come from? Did he conjure it out of thin air?
Li Shimin couldn't help but asked this question. Everyone also focused on Li Mu. This was a question worth a thousand dollars. If anyone learned it, wouldn't it be possible to earn 700,000 dollars in half a year?
At that time, everyone was still fighting for nothing, everything was enough!
"Is this..."
Li Mu chuckled, picked up the tea cup, took a sip, and said: "The secret must not be leaked, so it's better not to say it."
Everyone almost fainted from the heavy gasping. Li Shimin also got angry and said: "No, I ask you to say it, you have to say it! You can't say it!"