Chapter 105: Victory and good governance

It is said that the first three days of summer are the beginning of the dog days. After the summer solstice, the weather becomes increasingly hot.

Because of the hot weather, in early May, the emperor agreed to the request of the imperial lecture official to postpone the imperial lecture.

It was also decided that in the future, the imperial lectures would be suspended from February 12 to May 2 for the spring lectures, and from August 12 to October 2 for the autumn lectures.

This will become a permanent rule and there is no need to request it one by one.

In other words, the little emperor is on summer vacation.

Unfortunately, summer vacation is not for enjoyment.

Precisely because the emperor stopped holding imperial lectures, the number of times the cabinet asked the emperor to go to the Wenhua Hall to hold court more often, and the number of ministers who came to the Western Garden to make reports, both increased significantly.

For example, today, while Zhu Yijun was still having lunch, Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu were already waiting in Chengguang Hall.

Seeing the emperor coming in, the two of them hurriedly saluted: "Your Majesty."

Zhu Yijun waved his hand and signaled the two to stand up.

After sitting at the imperial desk, he took a breath before speaking, "Prime Minister and Lord Wang are in such a hurry. Is there something important?"

The two looked at each other, and Zhang Juzheng nodded to signal Wang Chonggu to make a response first.

The latter readily followed suit and took a step forward.

After Wang Chonggu entered the cabinet, he was quite high-spirited.

The temperament of the side-line has calmed down a little, and he seems a lot more mature and steady.

He smiled and congratulated loudly: "Your Majesty! Great victory!"

Zhu Yijun immediately reacted and asked, "Did the Duoyan Guards invade the border again? What was the result? "

There is no lack of surprise in the tone.

Wang Chonggu was not surprised by the emperor's subtle thoughts, so he picked out the important parts and reported the matter to him.

Zhu Yijun listened to Wang Chonggu carefully and nodded from time to time.

In early May, the envoy of Duoyanwei returned and brought the news back to the tribe.

Although the imperial court rewarded Duoyanwei, it was only the nominal chieftain Changang who was rewarded.

The current powerful figure in Duoyanwei, Dong Huli, was not rewarded.

That was all, the court still gave him silver as a reward.

As for food, cloth and the like, there was none of that - if one wanted food, Chang Ang had to go ahead and buy it from the border towns of the Ming Dynasty.

Power means authority, and Chang Ang took this as an excuse to win over the tribal elders and gain their hearts.

Dong Fox naturally wouldn't sit idly by.

At this time, it might be a way out for Dong Huli to take the initiative to move closer to the Ming Dynasty.

But he chose another direction - that is, foreign war to divert internal conflicts.

The ancient method has remained popular for a long time because its effect is almost like an objective law and has never failed.

The best way for nomadic people to consolidate their power is naturally a successful raid.

Whether it is population, food, or coarse salt.

As long as the looting is successful, one's prestige and status in the tribe will rise.

Internal threats will also be defeated on their own.

Unfortunately, Dong Fox had good plans but bad luck.

This time when he violated the border, he happened to meet Qi Jiguang who was waiting for him and was on high alert.

Wang Chonggu was still beaming with joy: "Dong Hulida's bandits had more than 4,000 cavalrymen, attacking from Panjiakou and Longjingguan, and they just happened to run into Qi Jiguang."

"In this battle, the border troops killed more than 300 enemies and injured countless bandits. The Tartar chieftain Zhe Kelulanle surrendered! Dong Huli fled in panic!"

Panjiakou, Longjingguan?

Zhu Yijun was stunned, as this was somewhat beyond his expectations.

How could he remember... In history, Dong Huli invaded from Jie Ling and Tao Lin.

He had previously specifically instructed to strengthen military preparations here.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yijun suddenly realized that he seemed to be looking for a sword on a boat!

We have specially sent more troops, and the scouts are not stupid.

Zhu Yijun touched his nose awkwardly, luckily no one else knew about it.

I also secretly reminded myself in my heart.

Water has no constant shape, and soldiers have no constant position.

I was born in a peaceful era, so I don't know anything about war.

Especially when it comes to military affairs and historical events, they may not be accurate.

Since you don’t understand, you’d better not try any micro-management, otherwise you will easily become like Chiang Kai-shek.

In addition to trusting veteran generals like Qi Jiguang and giving them support in the government, we should also rely on the country's profound accumulation and use its mighty momentum to crush the enemy.

Zhu Yijun took a deep breath.

I examine myself three times a day.

Wang Chonggu had no idea what the emperor was thinking, but he continued to report the details of the battle in a serious manner.

At the end, he began to ask for credit: "The Cabinet and the Ministry of War believe that those who gave instructions for this battle, those who broke through the enemy's charge, those who worked with the troops, and those who provided support from afar should all be rewarded."

"Especially Qi Jiguang, the Prime Minister, and Xu Xuegu, the military commander, were the main contributors."

If we don't reward people for their achievements after winning a battle, we will have no fighting power.

As for verification and review, it will naturally be done by the Ministry of War and the Censor.

Zhu Yijun naturally had no reason to disagree, and happily agreed: "Yes!"

Of course, Wang Chonggu did not come here just to ask for credit.

He paused, then said, "Your Majesty, this battle has had some impact."

"I heard that Chang Ang is now under house arrest by Fox Dong."

"The leaders of the Duoyan Guard, the barbarian chieftain Wulusihan and the barbarian woman Bayan Zhulai, followed the decree and returned the abducted people from the Ming Dynasty. They also tied up two members of the sinning tribe, Bayan Aduchi, and presented them to the emperor, begging for forgiveness and restoration of tribute."

"The Ministry of War believes that the matter is ambiguous. Please make your decision, Your Majesty."

This is the effect of the first battle. Chaos broke out within the Duoyan Guards.

Dong Huli had to use drastic methods to suppress Chang Ang.

Other leaders also had strange thoughts.

After that, Wang Chonggu explained Ulushan to the emperor again.

Wulusihan is one of the lords of Doyanwei, the younger brother of Dong Huli and the uncle of Changang. He only obeys the orders of the tribal leaders and not their decrees.

But this one is always a fence-sitter.

During the Jiajing period, they frequently harassed the border, but if another group violated the border, this group would secretly inform the border generals.

During the reign of Emperor Longqing, the imperial court tried to reward him, but Ulus Khan often accepted the rewards and continued to plunder the next.

Now that they see the situation is not good, they are starting to sit on the fence again.

The bound Bayan Aduch was naturally the enemy chieftain whose hands were stained with the blood of Ming Dynasty border generals.

Zhu Yijun nodded thoughtfully.

He had heard of the Ulushan tribe.

Historically, in the second year of Wanli, which was the next year, Dong Huli plundered Xifengkou again, and Ulus Khan obeyed the order of the court and tried to stop him.

In the third year, Chang Ang invaded the border and asked to borrow troops from him, but Ulus Khan also sternly refused and reported it to the court secretly.

Afterwards, Chang Ang was defeated and the emperor carried Chang Ang to the border to apologize.

Of course, as the Ming Dynasty gradually weakened, this group immediately turned against it.

He frequently assisted Chang Ang in plundering Liaodong and other places.

In short, he is just a wild dog that can never be tamed. He fears power but has no moral integrity.

Zhu Yijun pondered for a moment and said, "Just behead Boyan Aduchi and display his head to the public. As for the tribute…"

"If you can promote trade, I will not hesitate to reward you."

Free of charge? Wishful thinking!

In the past, the imperial court was unwilling to fight, but now Zhu Yijun doesn't mind this kind of small-scale war with small tribes - without continuous bloodshed, how can we do business well? How can we naturalize peacefully?

Want to be rewarded? Then really make some achievements!
Wang Chonggu nodded in agreement and was about to leave.

Zhu Yijun suddenly called Wang Chonggu: "Lord Wang."

Wang Chonggu stood still again, bowed and listened.

Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said seriously: "The Tuman Khan has been disturbing the border constantly. My intention is to fill up the granaries in Ji and Liao first after the resumption of the Sino-French policy."

"What do you think, Lord?"

Wang Chonggu was shocked.

Fill up the Ji-Liao granaries first. Is this a preparation for a major war?
But correspondingly, Xuan Ziran had to move back a row.

He met the emperor's gaze and hesitated.

Seeing this, Zhu Yijun sighed and spoke again: "Your father Wang Yao, uncle Wang Wenxian, and brother Wang Chongyi are all righteous men from the Northwest salt merchants, so why not let those who are capable do more work."

"We will also take over part of the Kaizhong salt permits in Ji and Liao."

This is helpless to lure him with benefits. Sure enough, as soon as the voice fell, Wang Chonggu immediately bowed and said: "I obey your order!"

Zhu Yijun waved his hand, signaling him to stand up.

Seeing that the emperor had no further instructions, Wang Chonggu bowed and left.

Zhu Yijun looked at Wang Chonggu's back and watched him leave before he sighed helplessly, "Even if you become a general or a prime minister, you can't get rid of your merchant habits."

He and Zhang Juzheng were the only ones left in the hall, so it wouldn't be a big deal if he complained.

He really couldn't help it.

Wang Chonggu has too many business habits.

He handles other matters impartially and is indeed a capable official.

But once it comes to damaging their own private property, they become hesitant and reluctant.

You have to promise some benefits to make up for it before you will be willing to do it.

Zhang Juzheng, who was standing behind, didn't take it seriously.

He has been in the cabinet for many years. What kind of people has he not met?
Wang Chonggu is considered good as he can handle most of the things well, which is already very rare.

Zhang Juzheng said in a comforting and warning tone: "Your Majesty, you are too kind. The business taste of Lord Wang is much lighter than that of his nephew."

Wang Chonggu intervened and occupied a seat in the cabinet, leaving Zhang Siwei in a dilemma. He could only continue to be in charge of cabinet affairs but could not be promoted to the position.

These days, his temperament has become much more sinister, almost visibly so.

Not to mention the little tricks that happen in private.

Zhang Siwei was the head of a Shanxi merchant family, and Wang Chonggu's relatives who were engaged in business were all under more or less pressure from this young man.

Similarly, in the court, Zhang Siwei also began to connect with people from the Three Jins, but it was unknown what his plan was.

This situation requires us to take it seriously.

When Zhu Yijun heard this, he immediately sat up straight.

He sighed, "Mr. is right. It's not good to drag on the matter of Zhang Siwei..."

He looked at Zhang Juzheng and said sincerely, "Sir, please discuss this in court."

Zhang Juzheng glanced at the emperor without saying a word.

He knew in his heart that although he didn't know what method the emperor would use, it was obvious that he wanted to teach Zhang Siwei a lesson.

After all, who will enter the cabinet is decided by the emperor himself, and there is no need for court discussion.

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation.

However, seeing that the emperor knew what was going on, he did not bother to ask any further questions - there were too many things to do and he had no time to take care of every aspect.

Zhang Juzheng nodded and talked about the main purpose of this trip: "Your Majesty, it was agreed last time that in August this year, the provinces of Huguang, Shandong, Henan, and Shaanxi will be added to implement the performance evaluation system."

"Before that, I and the Ministry of Personnel will review the pros and cons of the performance evaluation system again."

“It has been nearly a year since I entered the legal examination industry.”

"I and the Ministry of Personnel have made additions, subtractions, and patchwork changes to the original performance evaluation system. In light of the problems we have encountered this year, we have finalized a new draft so that it can be implemented in the two capitals and five provinces."

"Your Majesty, please read it."

As he spoke, he took out a memorial from his sleeve and presented it respectfully.

Zhu Yijun reached out and took it.

He pointed to a low stool placed a little way off and said, "I've asked the palace servants to leave. You can sit down by yourself, Yuan Fu."

Zhang Juzheng was already accustomed to the emperor's behavior in private, and silently moved the stool over - it was not that he didn't want to stand to show his respect. The last time he tried his best to refuse, the emperor personally went to move the stool for him.

An emperor with this kind of behavior had no choice but to accept his emotional bribe.

Seeing the emperor reading the memorial he had submitted, Zhang Juzheng explained in a caring manner: "After a year, the more difficult problems with the performance evaluation system are still with low-ranking officials."

"They are resistant in their hearts, the numbers are huge, and they collude frequently in private."

Zhu Yijun had expected this, and asked without even raising his head, "What are the details?"

Zhang Juzheng sighed: "It's nothing more than those means."

"Double it. Double the execution of the central and provincial government orders. After exploiting the people, they say it was the central and provincial government orders, deliberately stirring up public resentment and inciting the people."

"Change it. There are always imperfections in government orders. When the central government reaches the province, it changes in another way. When it reaches the prefecture, it changes in another way. When it reaches the lowest level, the performance targets set are all weird and strange.

"Void..."

Before Zhang Juzheng could say anything else, Zhu Yijun had already finished reading the memorial.

He waved his hand and smiled self-deprecatingly: "Xuzhi, it's just formalism, I know."

Zhang Juzheng stopped talking.

I pondered over this word in my mind and felt it was a little strange, yet somehow appropriate.

Zhu Yijun closed the memorial without any negative emotions, as he was used to this kind of thing.

Instead, he comforted Zhang Juzheng: "Sir, your response to the Ministry of Personnel is to prescribe the right medicine according to the symptoms. That's good. Just follow this. I will approve it for you later."

"This is something that was expected a long time ago. Please don't sigh, sir. This is the significance of the pilot project."

"The devil is one foot high, the Tao is ten feet higher, each of us should make our own moves, and take our time."

After saying that, Zhu Yijun glanced at Zhang Juzheng.

I have to say, after serving as Prime Minister for a year, he looks older than he actually is.

No wonder Yan Song and Xu Jie lived to be eighty, while Zhang Juzheng died in his fifties.

Excessive wisdom is harmful to your health.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yijun could not help but advise: "The Prime Minister should also pay attention to self-cultivation, there is still a long way to go."

Zhang Juzheng just regarded it as an ordinary consolation and did not take it seriously.

He gave a perfunctory hum.

Then he turned to the matter of Songjiang Prefecture: "The Earl of Ding'an reported the other day that the land donated by the people to the Xu Mansion has been properly settled."

"The prefectural government has also reviewed the taxation, and most of the local exorbitant taxes and levies have been eliminated."

"However, in this case, the taxes and corvée labor may not be enough to support the operation of the various government offices in Songjiang Prefecture."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun also became serious.

He thought for a moment and said seriously, "I was just about to discuss this with you, sir."

Zhu Yijun hesitated for a moment and got straight to the point: "I know you intend to reform the tax law. Songjiang Prefecture is a good example for us."

"I have some thoughts on this, too. I'd like to share them with you, sir."

Zhang Juzheng had already guessed this.

He had prepared a draft in the cabinet today and was eager to come to the Western Garden to find the emperor.

Zhang Juzheng sat up straight and listened carefully.

Zhu Yijun subconsciously reached out his hand to fiddle with the air in front of him, and said thoughtfully: "First, the regular tax rate of 1% to 30% is inappropriate. After the abolition of the excessive taxes, everything will return to the regular tax rate."

"Of course, the specific amount, and how much each province will increase or decrease based on its characteristics, will have to be discussed with the Ministry of Revenue first."

The regular tax rate is 1% of 30%, which is a bit unrealistic.

This number cannot be said to be very low, and it is probably enough for the normal operation of the Ming Dynasty's bureaucratic system - this is also the original intention of Emperor Taizu to set this number.

But the problem is, how can a court function normally?
There is a war this year, and the Yellow River is being managed next year. There are national ceremonies every now and then. The grain transport system has been overturned, there are floods in Huguang, and there are earthquakes in Ningxia... the list is too numerous to count.

Extraordinary things happen every year.

Not to mention the normal "wear and tear" of a system, where tax collection becomes less and less is inevitable.

Expenditures were more than expected, and revenues were less than expected. The tax rate of one in thirty was not enough to support the normal operation of the Ming Dynasty.

That's why they imposed all kinds of exorbitant taxes and levies, and made up all kinds of excuses to fill the holes.

It’s like counting forward three hundred years.

If a country is established under such productive conditions, agricultural tax must be 70% of the total tax revenue, and even so, there will be additional levies later.

How could the Ming Dynasty have the ability to lower the regular tax rate to just one in thirty?

If you want to change the tax system, you should start with the experimental field and return the excessive taxes and levies to the regular taxes.

After three to five years of trial, when the time is right, we can start to implement it nationwide.

Pilot projects are all valuable experiences!
Zhu Yijun sorted out his thoughts and continued: "Second, about the merger..."

"I can allow common people to cooperate in production, but I do not allow officials and gentry to annex it."

"The cabinet and the six ministries will discuss the specifics. It doesn't matter if we try a few more times or wait a few more years. It's only in one prefecture anyway."

There are pros and cons to mergers.

If we want to promote the scale and industrialization of agriculture, mergers are a good thing.

In fact, this is an unstoppable historical process.

If you want to promote the germination of capitalism, this is an indispensable link.

But as I said, different paths lead to the same destination - the form of annexation may make the same difference to the course of history, but it will be completely different for the people.

Zhu Yijun still remembers how many tears Xia Yan's article on contract labor had made him shed.

Nowadays, we are crossing the river by feeling the stones, so naturally we have to try new ways.

Zhu Yijun paused and continued, "Third, sir, do you think... that officials and gentry should pay taxes?"

(End of this chapter)