prosperous age

Beijing, Imperial City, Cabinet.

"Have you read the memorial to the Ministry of Industry? I don't know how long Pan Jixun's water control will last and how long the canal transportation will last."

Yin Shizhen came to Wei Guangde's duty room to chat, and couldn't help but talk about the memorials he had just dealt with in the past two days.

In the fourth year of Longqing's reign, Pan Jixun was appointed as the right deputy censor of the capital, prime minister of river channels, and admiral of military affairs. After Pan took office, he personally conducted surveys and proposed a river management plan for dredging the old Yellow River.

To this end, Pan Jixun personally supervised and led [-] migrant workers to dredge more than [-] miles of the main river below Suining Titou Bay, build more than [-] feet of embankments along the river, and create [-] breaches, thus smoothing water transportation.

After the project was completed, the Ministry of Industry naturally reported Pan Jixun's memorial immediately.

After all, water transportation has a huge relationship.

Since Emperor Yongle moved the capital to Beijing, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal has been responsible for the heavy work of transferring grain from the south to the north. Tax dollars from the south of the Yangtze River are also transported to the capital through the Grand Canal.

Last year's water transportation was cut off, which almost caused the Ming Empire's finances to completely collapse. Especially the bank that distributes annual stipends at the end of the year had no income due to the water transportation cutoff, so naturally it couldn't pay much tax money.

"Oh, I just hope there won't be another big flood in the next two years. This time the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Household Affairs really plundered all the treasures."

Wei Guangde spoke.

When flood control was implemented again, it was not only the Ministry of Industry that provided money, but also the Ministry of Household Affairs, which was completely depleted.

"If Datong can be negotiated this time, it can alleviate the financial crisis of our Ming Dynasty."

Yin Shizhen suddenly turned the topic back to the court.

In the past two days, the cabinet has reviewed the fiscal expenditure on military expenditures around Jiajing 18 years.

The 18th year of Jiajing was a very important dividing point. Prior to this, Ananda Khan was still fighting to unify Mongolia, so he did not pose a substantial threat to the border towns of the Ming Dynasty.

At this time, the Ming court allocated more than [-] taels of silver to the border towns as military pay every year.

But since then, Anda Khan has sent envoys to request mutual trade but was rejected. Relations between the two sides have become tense, and wars have broken out frequently. The imperial court's military salary allocation to Bianzhen has increased sharply to more than 180 million taels. In the 29th year of Jiajing, the expenditure even exceeded 200 million taels. two.

How much tax money did the Ming Dynasty receive in a year?
It is roughly around 280 million taels, which means that [-]% of the court's money expenditure was used for military expenditures.

In addition, the suppression of Japanese pirates in the south and various counter-insurgency, flood control, disaster relief, etc. directly depleted the old treasury of the Ministry of Households. To solve the problem of clan Lumi, it was the grain support transferred from the south that kept the empire running until now. .

At this time, the cabinet ministers all hope to get good news about Datong as soon as possible. As long as the confrontation with the Mongols can be ended, the court's military expenditure can be greatly reduced, and at least one million taels of silver can be released to solve other problems.

"Ke Dao has already started to play, and it's hard to suppress it. It's really troublesome."

Hearing Yin Shizhen talk about this matter, Wei Guangde couldn't help but said depressedly, "Guo Ganren has already delivered the memorial before he arrived in the capital. With him as a senior official taking the lead in opposing it, those people danced even more happily."

They and other cabinet ministers also have some people in the Ke Dao, but now the news has broken out that the entire Ke Dao is almost one-sidedly opposed to the peace talks, and the few supportive voices are directly drowned in the opposition.

Even though they had met with Ke Dao Yan Guan several times in private, they still could not convince them.

If it was just Ke Dao who objected, after all, although they could bite, their level was too low, so they could be ignored.

As long as the emperor does not support it, such a memorial is of no use at all, because no one in the cabinet supports their opinions.

Prior to this, because of the private statements of cabinet ministers, no officials of the third rank or above in the imperial court reported their opinions on this matter.

However, Guo Qian, the former Minister of Household Affairs in Nanjing, came to Beijing to serve as Minister of War, but he did not take up the post. When he heard the news on the way, he directly sent a memorial to express his opposition to Datong's pursuit of peace talks with the Mongols.

With the second-grade officials speaking out in support, those officials from the Department of Science and Technology are not as if they have been given blood.

"Today I'm afraid we have to get together again to discuss and put pressure on the rest of the six bureaus and five temples. Those who support can go forward, and those who oppose it are better to remain silent."

Yin Shizheng said.

"We still need to urge Gao Xinzheng to release those foreigners as soon as possible."

Wei Guangde spoke.

"It's so easy to find a local official position just after the reform."

Yin Shizhen understood what Wei Guangde meant, which was that Gao Gongfang had previously said that officials who opposed it would be sent to other places to serve as officials.

"Just swap. Local officials go to Beijing to join the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the Sixth Section, and people from the Section will take over."

Wei Guangde said harshly; "I already talked to him about this matter yesterday, and there should be news in the next two days.

Just let a few out, and the rest should be more honest. "

If everyone just wanted to solve the threat from the north before, after checking the amount of military expenditures in recent decades, peace talks are the way to go in order to solve the financial dilemma of the court.

No one wants the court to shut down due to lack of money during his term. If it is revealed, it will be the fault of the cabinet.

"On your noble side, British Duke Zhang Rong also opposed it fiercely."

Yin Shizheng said.

"No way, he's senior. I've visited him three times. Except for the first time he let me in, he didn't let me in the next two times."

When Wei Guangde heard Yin Shizhen talking about the British Duke, he became very angry.

No one can bear the tone of being rejected by others.

But Zhang Rong has been a prince for more than 30 years, and his seniority is much higher than his.

Don't talk about civilian officials suppressing military generals. That's just military generals, not nobles.

Although nobles have no rights, the top nobles have more face than them in front of the emperor.

The emperor could only trust key government offices such as Suwei Palace and Beijing Camp to them rather than to civil servants.

Even if the civilian prime minister has nominal authority over the capital, the actual military power is still in the hands of the nobles.

At that time, those nobles will only sell the emperor's account, and will not care about the Ministry of War and the cabinet.

"Now I only hope that Duke Dingguo can win over and persuade more nobles to support us. However, after all, he has just inherited the throne and his prestige is still much lower than that of Duke Ying."

Wei Guangde sighed.

"Is Duke Cheng really unwilling to take care of this matter? He is also a close minister of the Emperor, so he should know His Majesty's wishes."

Yin Shizhen asked again.

He could only hear about the affairs in Xun Guili. For the real news, he would have to ask Wei Guangde. He was the only one who had more contact with this group of people.

Wei Guangde shook his head, "Gong Chengguo said he didn't care, it should be His Majesty's order."

Wei Guangde glanced at Yin Shizhen and said: "I only told Gao Xinzheng yesterday about some things, but His Majesty seems to have not made up his mind yet.

When we were asked to try it out in the first place, it was probably because we were wavering that we said so. Although Cheng Guogong didn't say it clearly, I heard that this was what he meant, so he couldn't express his position. "

Having said this, Wei Guangde leaned towards Yin Shizhen and said in a low voice: "So I only told Gao Xinzheng this before and asked him to be a lobbyist for His Majesty. I hope that His Majesty can confirm his attitude and let's not get involved."

After speaking, Wei Guangde winked at Yin Shizhen.

Convince the emperor that there are risks involved and just let Gao Xinzheng go for it.

Because if you don't pay attention during the persuasion process, you may offend Long Yan. Even if you don't have an attack on the spot, a thorn will be pierced in your heart.

When the office was about to be dismissed that afternoon, several members of the cabinet gathered at Li Chunfang's room to discuss the matter. Finally, one person assigned several officials to them, and these were the people they had to do the work.

"You left Ge Shouli and Zhu Heng to me. Yes, Zhu Shangshu and I are from the same hometown, but this time things are different. The last time I contacted them, Zhu Shangshu had already stated his position. It is okay to pay tribute, but not to trade with each other. .

As for Ge Shouli, that old stubborn man, he was so sure of his death that even eight cows couldn't pull him back.

I think it’s better to try with someone else, Mr. Gaoge, Brother Suqing, why don’t you try these two? "

Wei Guangde felt like crying when he looked at the list they assigned.

Originally, he thought that Zhu Heng, Minister of Industry and Industry, would support him in this matter. However, after learning about the cabinet's attitude, Zhu Heng explicitly refused to fully accept Wang Chonggu's suggestion. He only agreed to pay tribute, but firmly opposed mutual trading. .

In fact, many officials who are opposed now focus their opposition on the mutual market, fearing that this is funding the enemy.

Trading with the Mongols was completely prohibited, and the Tatars were so difficult to deal with. If they really agreed to mutual trade and allowed the Tatars to develop and grow again through mutual trade, it would be a disaster rather than a blessing for the Ming Dynasty.

As for the so-called tribute, who doesn't know that trick? It is impossible for Anda Khan to surrender to the Ming Dynasty sincerely.

The leaders on the grassland all the time dreamed of restoring Genghis Khan's hegemony, restoring the capital of the Yuan Dynasty, and striving to dominate the Central Plains.

"Who among us doesn't have a stubborn old man? Do you think the trouble is all passed on to you?"

Gao Gong looked at Wei Guangde and smiled bitterly: "How about you try the British father's place again and see if you can get him to open the door for you?"

"Then why did you knock on his door?"

Wei Guangdehu questioned.

"The first time I visit, I still have to open the door. As for the second time, if he doesn't open the door, I will stay outside his house all night to see if he will open the door for me."

Although Gao Gong usually looks down on nobles, and only maintains superficial respect for several princes, but now the situation is stronger than others.

If the court wants to be stable, peace talks with the Mongols have become necessary. Otherwise, if the confrontation continues, the Ming Dynasty's finances will be unable to bear it in a few years.

"I don't understand. Zhang Shangshu is actually opposed to the negotiation. He is in charge of the Ministry of Revenue. How can he not know our difficulties?
That was also his difficulty. "

Zhang Juzheng also sighed.

Zhang Shouzhi, the Minister of Household Affairs, was assigned to Zhang Juzheng to solve the problem. However, Zhang Shouzhi seemed to be similar to Ge Shouli in that they were both stubborn old men. Just thinking about it made Zhang Juzheng feel big-headed.

"Everyone should try their best. If the result is not satisfactory, wait two days and then change the target of persuasion."

Li Chunfang said.

Normally in the cabinet, everyone just maintains harmony on the surface and fights for power secretly, but this time they are surprisingly united.

In fact, the fundamental reason is that everyone sees the benefits of peace talks to the court and saves money.

There were many problems in the Ming Dynasty, but in the final analysis, it was all about money, and money was needed for everything.

Moreover, due to the existence of various unspoken rules, what can be solved with 10 taels of silver can only be solved with 30 to [-] taels of silver. Even Gao Gong, in order to avoid the recurrence of things like the first year of Longqing, did not dare to go too far. Deal with those moths ruthlessly.

Although he is still harsh on corrupt officials with solid evidence, he will not be too harsh on those officials who have no evidence of corruption. Now he is becoming more tolerant.

He also needs a group of people under him to help him speak to avoid being isolated again.

"Guo Qian has to take the blame this time. If it weren't for his memorial, Zhang Shouzhi and Ge Shouli were directly brought out. Although they did not support it before, they did not publicly express their opposition."

Gao Gong spoke harshly again.

Early this morning, the General Secretary sent a memorial to the Minister of War, Guo Qian, who was still on the way. It was the root of all today's events. Wei Guangde did not expect that the impact would be so huge.

By the afternoon, Ge Shouli, the imperial censor of the left capital of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and Zhang Shouzhi, the minister of household affairs, made public memorials to express their attitudes.

Under such circumstances, everyone in the cabinet was put on fire.

They did not say before that they had sent a letter to Datong to contact Wang Chonggu and Ada Khan, so the courtiers thought that neither the cabinet nor the emperor had made a decision yet.

Although there are rumors that people in the cabinet are contacting Beijing officials, everyone just thinks that it may be an individual's point of view.

After all, the convening of others by them was still very confidential. Even if they had different opinions, they did not disclose to the public what the elders said to them.

But this also leads to another disadvantage, that is, the news is a bit confusing.

For example, here in Wei Guangde, because Wei Guangde spoke of his honor through Dingguo Gong Xu Wenbi, most people initially thought that Wei Guangde supported the Datong peace talks. Especially when he was rejected outside the British government, it was confirmed that he supported the peace talks. manner.

However, Zhu Heng's external stance confused Wei Guangde's attitude towards this matter, because Zhu Heng only supported tribute and opposed mutual trading.

The mutual exchange of tribute and trade is one and the same, and there cannot be mutual trade. All fools know that Anda Khan will never agree to pay tribute.

Zhu Heng's conditional support is actually his opposition, because Anda Khan has no conditions to talk to you.

The relationship between Zhu Heng and Wei Guangde also caused doubts among outside officials who did not know the inside story, and they did not know which side to believe.

The situation of other cabinet ministers is also similar. Anyway, there are too many rumors now, so the news is also very confusing.

However, not all officials in the capital look at the faces of several cabinet ministers, such as those from the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the Sixth Section. They are taking turns to report against this matter every day and create public opinion in the court.

Under the current environment, Wei Guangde and others are even more afraid to reveal what they have done before, otherwise they may be collectively impeached.

The situation in the court changed so quickly that in almost one afternoon, everyone felt the pressure.

However, the temptation of peace talks was too great, which could directly alleviate the court's financial difficulties, but it was also difficult for them to give up.

"Su Qing, you have to go and have a good talk with Zhang Siwei. You can't avoid suspicion just because of his uncle's relationship."

Li Chunfang reminded Gao Gongdao.

Officials in the Ming Dynasty had this habit. When there were officials who were related to each other, they would often abstain from voting when expressing their opinions, that is, to avoid suspicion.

Zhang Siwei supports the peace talks, but because of his relationship with Wang Chonggu, some officials from the Department of Science and Technology have used this as an excuse to attack him.

“If Shandai’s guess is correct, it’s hard to say that everyone who supports this proposal is crucial.”

Li Chunfang continued.