Chapter 739 838 Financial Deficit

Hearing the name "Hai Rui" mentioned by the housekeeper, Xu Jie frowned slightly.

He actually didn't like Hai Rui, and knew that this person was not easy to get along with.

At the beginning, he protected Hai Rui not because of his reputation, but for himself.

Think about Hai Rui's reputation after he wrote the letter, if he didn't protect him, it would damage his reputation, and Hai Rui was just a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue before, and he was not in his eyes at all.

Hai Rui was valued by the Qingliu, and he claimed to be a member of the Qingliu, so he naturally had to protect him.

Although, in the eyes of the Qingliu, Xu Jie had already been a turbid one.

The fundamental reason why he got close to the Qingliu was actually because they had a common enemy-Yan Song.

"Master, do you think it's possible to write a letter to the governor of Hai, asking him to suppress this matter."

The housekeeper said tentatively.

"Do you think it's possible?"

It's not unreasonable that Hai Rui's career was prosperous after he was released from the prison.

It would have been best if someone like Hai Rui could be reinstated, but he was pushed up by the Qingliu, and the strong praise from the gentry and aristocrats in Chun'an and Xingguo played an inestimable role in this process.

The name of "honest official" is not something that any official can bear.

Xu Jie did not know the fundamental reason why Hai Rui was sent to the post of governor. It was because he knew Hai Rui's character and disliked him that he was sent to the Tongzhengshisi, letting him work in this powerless government office, and let him move every nine years. By the time he was promoted to Tongzhengshi, he was almost dead.

Hai Rui was an outlier in the officialdom, and no one wanted to work with him, all because of his reputation.

Xu Jie did not know how Hai Qingtian was praised, but he thought that this person might be upright and incorruptible, so he got the name of Qingtian.

"Send someone to the governor's office to get some information and see what they are planning to do."

Xu Jie certainly would not return what he had obtained, but he also knew that he needed to find out Hai Rui's plan before considering how to deal with it.

This year, Xu Jie felt that his luck was not good, and it seemed that every major event that happened was against him.

First, Gao Gong was going to return to the court, which made him lose his appetite for a long time, and at this critical moment, such a thing happened again.

I have worshipped the Buddha many times, but why didn't the Buddha know how to bless me.

In later generations, many people thought that Hai Rui had a high position in the end because of his impartiality and upright character, and was valued by the Prime Minister Xu Jie and was constantly promoted.

So when Hai Rui tried the Xu Jie case, he felt that he was ignorant of worldly affairs and ungrateful.

But in fact, Hai Rui's rank was indeed very high, but he did not have much real power.

Hai Rui started as a teacher and was later promoted to the level of county magistrate, which was actually the limit that most juren could reach.

Later, for various reasons, Hai Rui was promoted again to the Ministry of Revenue as a chief of the Yunnan Division, responsible for calculating Yunnan's money and grain.

At this stage, although his rank was low, he was a powerful person and always had real power in his hands.

After he submitted a memorial, when he was released from prison, there was no vacancy in the Ministry of Revenue, so Hai Rui was arranged to go to the Ministry of War, still as a chief, which was considered "reinstatement".

In the first year of Longqing, after the funeral of Emperor Jiajing, the merit-based reward led by Xu Jie began, and Hai Rui did not receive any special treatment from Xu Jie.

Hai Rui was also promoted for his merit in submitting a memorial, and was transferred to the Shangbao Division as a secretary, responsible for the safekeeping of the imperial seal, talismans, and seals.

In other words, the result of Hai Rui's merit-based reward after submitting a memorial was that he was changed from a powerful chief of the Ministry of Revenue to a warehouse manager, responsible for the safekeeping of seals and talismans.

The Tongzheng Division, to which he was later promoted, was actually a government office for the elderly in the Ming Dynasty court.

It can be seen that Xu Jie's promotion of Hai Rui was just a wishful thinking of some people.

As long as people in the system do not make mistakes in their work, they should be promoted, so there is no such thing as Xu Jie promoting Hai Rui.

Of course, it is true that Xu Jie protected Hai Rui when he was imprisoned, which is a favor, but this is actually the responsibility of the Prime Minister.

If he did not protect Hai Rui, it would be a dereliction of duty for the Prime Minister.

"Greetings to Eunuch Chen, and greetings to Lord Wei."

On the palace road, two figures walked forward one after the other, and the eunuchs they met on the road all stepped aside to salute.

After there were no other people on both sides of the road, Wei Guangde behind him took two quick steps to close the distance between him and Chen Ju, and asked in a low voice: "Is the emperor summoned you today for the issue of military pay?"

Chen Ju, who was leading the way in front, slowed down his pace and answered in a low voice: "It should be. His Majesty has seen the memorials of the Ministry of Revenue and knows that the court's financial expenditure is insufficient. He may also ask about this matter today.

Brother Wei, are you clear about the situation of the Ministry of Revenue in recent years?"

"I know a little bit."

Wei Guangde just frowned slightly and then relaxed. Although he was not the Minister of Revenue, the expenses of the Ministry of Revenue in recent years were roughly listed and submitted to the cabinet every year, and the military pay was the biggest part, so he still remembered it roughly.

The most taboo thing for cabinet ministers is that when the emperor asks questions, you don't know anything.

As mentioned before, the cabinet handles government affairs, mostly according to the old rules. Only when there are things without old rules, you need to use your brain to think of ways and come up with a safe response, but such things are not many after all.

But the essence of the cabinet is the emperor's secretariat, providing advice for the emperor's decision-making. So you may not know what the emperor knows, but you must be able to answer what the emperor wants to know, otherwise your existence will lose its meaning.

Wei Guangde had a good memory. In just a moment, the data reported by the Ministry of Revenue in the past had already appeared in his mind.

As long as he didn't suddenly ask something he wasn't prepared for, and just asked about the Ministry of Revenue's silver and money expenditure, Wei Guangde was confident that he could still handle it.

As for why the Ministry of Revenue was involved, it had to start with the cabinet's proposal to make it feasible, the Beijing Camp's military affairs requested to fill the military quota.

The Beijing Camp requested to fill the military quota, and the Ministry of War thought there was nothing wrong with it, and the cabinet didn't think it was wrong, so they all approved it.

When the memorial was in the hands of the emperor, of course, his opinion was the same as everyone else's, and he also thought that the Beijing Camp should be fully staffed according to the system, so he waved his pen and the matter was settled.

After the decree was issued, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue discussed the issue of increasing the military pay, and the Ministry of Revenue immediately stopped doing it.

In fact, for a long time, most of the silver allocated by the Ministry of Revenue went to the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of War had become an absolute gold-eating monster in the Ming Dynasty court.

It is true that the Beijing camp is full, and if the soldiers are not full, they will be paid. This is also true, but the mistake is that the Ministry of Revenue cannot come up with silver, and the Ministry of Revenue also thinks that it cannot be left like this.

If it is handled in this way, most of the soldiers in the towns under the Ministry of War will also have a shortage. In addition, inland provinces, especially the Dusi near the north such as Shandong, have sent guest soldiers to supplement the defense of the border towns, and their transfers have caused headaches for the Dusi, who are already understaffed.

If the Beijing camp can be full, and the Ministry of Revenue also increases the soldiers and salaries, what should be done if other towns also submit such memorials?

So the Ministry of Revenue simply did not talk to the Ministry of War, but directly handed the memorial to the emperor and let the emperor decide.

"Your Majesty has been looking through the memorials submitted by the Ministry of Revenue in the past two days, and it is also very difficult."

Chen Ju whispered about the situation in the past two days.

When the two arrived outside the Qianqing Palace, Wei Guangde was soon summoned to the palace after the report.

"Shan Dai, get up. There are no outsiders here, and there is no need to perform the etiquette between the monarch and his subjects."

Emperor Longqing said immediately when he saw Wei Guangde bowing after entering the hall.

When he was in Yu Ju before, whether he summoned Gao Gong or Wei Guangde, or other people, everyone just bowed their hands to bow. Therefore, although he has been the emperor for several years, he is still not used to seeing these people kneeling in front of him.

Is Wei Guangde willing to kneel?

Of course not, but the times are like this, so he just has to accept it.

When he first came here, Wei Guangde may still have the concept of equality for all, but now, his thoughts have changed subtly.

Don't look at him kneeling to the emperor. There are a lot of people kneeling to him outside, and they are vying to kneel in front of him.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Wei Guangde stood up after completing the ceremony, and then stood solemnly below waiting for the emperor to ask.

"The matter of the Beijing camp, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue are now in dispute, you should know."

Emperor Longqing got straight to the point, and it was indeed this matter.

"When my father was in power, I heard that the national budget was insufficient. I won't ask about the previous questions. Just tell me how much silver the Ministry of Revenue has received and how much silver it has spent in the three years since I ascended the throne. Why is the national treasury so miserable?"

Emperor Longqing really asked him about the data of the Ministry of Revenue. The emperor did not directly summon Liu Tigan to ask about these figures, but asked the cabinet. Wei Guangde couldn't help but feel a little suspicious. Did Liu Tigan offend the emperor?

Or, the emperor did not trust the Ministry of Revenue, so he went to the cabinet. After all, although the cabinet could not manage the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Revenue must report its work achievements to the cabinet.

However, there was no time to think about what happened between the emperor and Liu Tigan. Wei Guangde just thought about it and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, since the first year, the total amount of silver collected by households in thirteen provinces for grain, grass, salt, taxes, and openings has reached 11.99 million taels.

A total of 9.29 million taels have been allocated, and there are 2.7 million taels left.

Now, to provide border salaries and official military salaries, cloth flowers, and annual taxes, more than 200,000 taels of silver should be used, and 2.8 million taels of silver should be used for the annual tax of each border. The income cannot match the expenditure.

This is also the reason why the Ministry of Revenue reported the deficit. Although there is still silver in Taicang, this silver will be transported to the border town before the New Year, so there is a deficit of 300,000 taels of silver."

Wei Guangde is still very familiar with addition and subtraction. He added and subtracted the figures of the Ministry of Revenue for the past three years and reported the data that Emperor Longqing wanted.

As for the border salaries, official military salaries, cloth flowers, and annual taxes mentioned later, this was written in the previous memorial submitted by the Ministry of Revenue, otherwise Wei Guangde would not be so clear.

The cabinet did not vote on the memorial, and they just presented the figures of the Ministry of Revenue to Your Majesty. They did not need to give any opinions.

However, the cabinet ministers read the contents of the memorial carefully, after all, it was very important data for the government.

"I remember that when Taizu established the military settlements, the court did not need to allocate military pay at that time. In my impression, the court initially allocated military pay because of the establishment of Liaodong Town. Why is it necessary to allocate so much military pay now?"

In the education of Emperor Longqing, in addition to the classics, history, and collections, the systems established by Zhu Yuanzhang were also studied.

However, if you compare the book with the actual situation, there will definitely be many puzzles.

Wei Guangde thought for a while and replied: "Your Majesty, the national border defense system in the ancestor dynasty only set up four towns in Liaodong, Datong, Xuanfu, and Yansui, and then set up Ningxia, Gansu, and Jizhou as seven, and then Guyuan and Shanxi as nine. Now Miyun, Changping, Yongping, and Yizhou are all listed as border towns.

In addition to the original main soldiers of each town, the defensive troops also increased the recruited soldiers and guest soldiers.

The soldiers of a town were enough to defend the land of a town. Later, due to the plundering of the captives and cavalry until the soldiers could no longer defend, more soldiers were recruited. However, the recruitment of soldiers was insufficient, so more guest soldiers were added. The prisoners were more than in the past, and the number of people sitting and eating became more numerous.

Each town originally had its own farmland, and the farmland for an army was enough to support an army. Later, when the farmland was insufficient, the people's food was used. When the people's food was insufficient, salt grain was used. When the salt grain was insufficient, the Beijing transportation was used to provide wages. The amount exceeded the regular quota. And those who waste money will be very happy.

The treasury is empty and the country's economy is declining day by day. The fields are depleted and the people's resources are exhausted. Because of today's shortage, the cost of supplying the border is as big as it can be. "

The Ming Dynasty implemented the military garrison system. A garrison town was enough to support a town of soldiers and horses. There was no need to use civilian food and court pay, but that was in the early Ming Dynasty.

After the "Tumubao Incident" occurred in the Zhengtong years, the pressure on the northern border of the Ming Dynasty increased sharply. The court began to add border towns to stabilize the border defense. Because the border towns had insufficient troops, they began to recruit troops. Later, due to insufficient recruitment, they began to recruit troops from inland guards. Deploy guest soldiers.

With the gathering of large armies, although the security of border towns has been stabilized, military expenditures have also increased, especially the mobilization of guest troops requires more silver and grain.

Of course, Wei Guangde did not mention the collapse of the military system. After all, if this matter was revealed, it would offend all the noble generals of the Ming Dynasty, and possibly lose his life.

But at the very least, by saying this, Emperor Longqing probably understood the reason why the money and grain from the imperial court were not spent in the early Ming Dynasty and now occupy most of the national funds.

"I have read the past reports from the Ministry of Revenue. From the previous dynasty, the old treasury was used, but today the old treasury has been exhausted. Is it all due to military pay?"

Emperor Longqing asked a question: Do soldiers actually need so much money?

You must know that from the establishment of the Ming Dynasty until the Zhengde Dynasty, the court's revenue and expenditure could at least be barely balanced. Even if there was a deficit, it could often be made up in the second or third year, and no money from the old treasury was used.

But in the Jiajing Dynasty, the state's use increased suddenly, to the point where Laoku had to be used.

And even in the Jiajing Dynasty, it was indeed very rare for several old treasuries sealed by the previous dynasty to be exhausted in just over twenty years.

However, the Jiajing Dynasty's depletion of national power was not entirely due to military pay. Although military pay was indeed an important reason for the court's deficit, it was definitely not the fundamental reason.

"Your Majesty, have you ever remembered that in the 41st year of the Jiajing reign, Lin Runlin, the imperial censor, once said, 'The wealth of the world is 4 million shi for the capital every year, and 8.53 million shi for every place. The number of defeated capitals is almost doubled. Year after year, the situation becomes more and more prosperous, and the situation is extremely disadvantageous. How can we support it?

The previous dynasty exhausted the old treasury, which was actually the reason why the vassals complained to the imperial court.

During the Taizu period, a system was established whereby vassals were not allowed to operate any of the four civilian industries. All members of the clan were entitled to a stipend. The vassal government asked the late emperor for compensation, but the late emperor could only try to satisfy him. If the food and rice were insufficient, the silver would be exchanged. The longer the deficit would be, the bigger the deficit would be. . "

Wei Guangde replied.

Emperor Longqing immediately became silent when he heard that it was the clan and military salaries that were dragging down the Jiajing Dynasty's finances.

Because he had realized that the stubborn diseases of the Jiajing Dynasty seemed to still exist in the Longqing Dynasty.