Lonely non-good minister

Duke Mu, who was sitting next to him, listened quietly. With the previous lessons learned, he did not immediately speak to teach Song Chun what to do.

"The taxes in the Wei Dynasty are already very heavy. Now that the treasury has no money, we can't impose more taxes." Song Chun was very worried: "Although the autumn harvest is around the corner, the tax money from various places will soon be shipped to Beijing again, but the treasury has no money. Support, and also to make up for the shortfall in the palace treasury, is still not enough in the end, is there any way the Duke can do it?"

He took the initiative to ask, and then Mu Guogong owed him: "In Linhai, the Great Wei Dynasty, the annual salt tax is very considerable, and there are merchants coming and going, and the taxes on merchants' goods are also very high, but the money cannot be paid in full every year. Every year, you owe the court a sum of money. This sum of money is used for capital business, and the annual income is unpredictable. Why don't the prince think about these things?"

"Salt tax?" Song Chun glanced at the account book in his hand: "Don't you pay it in full every year?"

Mu Guogong nodded: "This is a common trick between the local government and salt merchants. If we pay it in full every year, how can there be such a huge profit to feed the salt merchants and other trash fish in this business line? Prince, please don’t underestimate this amount of money. It ranges from seven to eight million taels and ranges from two to three hundred thousand taels. This is not a small amount. As long as it is handled properly, the annual profit can be doubled."

Song Chun was horrified. He had never been exposed to these things before, but now he realized that there were so many tricks hidden in them.

"The Crown Prince oversees the administration of the country. It is appropriate for the Situ officials to report these matters to the Crown Prince in detail." Therefore, they deliberately did not tell you.

Song Chun was originally dissatisfied with these old officials of the late emperor, and Duke Mu's words made him even more worried. However, he did not immediately anger the officials of Situ Mansion.

He is very aware of his current situation. He has been isolated from the civil service for many years, making it difficult for him to promote capable and loyal civil servants to replace these old officials of the late emperor in a short period of time. The only choice is Mu Guogong's Children, grandchildren, and disciples, but once these people are activated, it means that half of the court will be controlled by Duke Mu's government.

He did not want the imperial court to be dominated by one family, and he did not want to become a puppet in the hands of Duke Mu.

Song Chun's mind was racing, and he sat down with the account book: "The emperor's behavior is ridiculous. No matter how hard he tries, he can't save his honor. The ministers are inevitably disappointed, so that they are slack in their duties. They are not as good as they were when the late emperor was there." I have tried my best, but I see that several ministers are getting old and are incapable of doing things. Now I intend to promote a few new people during the performance appraisal at the end of the year. Can the Duke recommend them?"

He took the initiative to throw the opportunity away. Mu Guogong was surprised that he had not forgotten his propriety. Instead, he carefully weighed his intentions before speaking: "I wonder what position the prince intends to promote to? I recommend him based on his talents."

He knew that Song Chun would not allow one family to dominate the government, so he reused too many ministers who were related to the government. For this reason, he had to arrange everyone properly so that he could gain the maximum profit.

Song Chun pondered: "I'm acting in Situ's house."

"I know what I'm doing." Duke Mu didn't recommend him easily. He agreed first and then gave Song Chun a reply after he went back and thought about it carefully. This would show that he was not always thinking about recommending his own person to the top.

Even if both parties know it well, they still have to do what they should do.

Song Chun acquiesced.He had the approved 30 taels of silver arrive in a timely manner. There was no need to lick his face and ask Huo Ying for money. Song Yuan breathed a big sigh of relief. After calling the quartermaster and the three parties to count all the silver together, Song Yuan started from manufacturing. I have withdrawn from the firearms matter.

This matter was not her business, and she had no habit of taking matters into her own hands. After she made it clear to Song Fu, and asked Song Fu to give Yan Yan the status of a craftsman, Song Yuan began her inspection in the new year.

The autumn harvest was coming, and bumper harvests were reported everywhere, but she had to follow the rules and go around to feel reassured. The most important thing was that after the autumn harvest, the water conservancy projects had to be repaired, and the repairs last year had to be checked to see if they were in good condition.

Wei Yan thought that the border was not peaceful now, so he borrowed fifty soldiers from Song Fu to accompany him for protection. Together with civil affairs and judicial officials, a group of more than seventy people set off soon.

Song Yuan went to Jiuquan first, and what he saw in front of him was not much different from last year. The road was still desolate, and those who looked at the long yellow sand felt bitter in their hearts.

Zhang He was as enthusiastic as ever. Although he had lost a lot of weight, his brows and eyes were beaming with joy. As soon as they met, he praised An Zhou for the good seeds he had brought.

The northwest is remote, and the process of delivering letters is also slow. When Song Yuan received An Zhoushi's letter, An Zhoushi had already arrived in Jiuquan. He rushed to Jiuquan with the seeds before the end of the sowing season, and took his students to the fields in person. Teach the people here how to sow and irrigate, and every step of the way took a lot of effort.

Zhang He gave him the greatest respect and support. Although the sown area was not large, the increasingly mature crops gave a glimmer of hope to the border that was about to be shrouded in despair.

Standing on the city wall, looking at the flax and wheat that were about to be harvested, Zhang He's eyes were bright: "With Mr. An's guidance, the wheat and flax have really grown. Although they have been planted before, they lacked experience and were sparse. The ears are all empty, and the harvest is really not good. This year is good, and there is more flax. Mr. An also contacted a caravan to come here to purchase it. The two parties have reached an agreement, and they will exchange grain for it. In this way, it can also be solved. It’s a matter of feeding the people.”

"It only takes a few months to achieve such results, and you have taken the trouble." Song Yuan looked at the farmland outside the city: "Is it only planted in this place, or is it also planted in other places?"

Zhang He hurriedly said: "Other places have also arranged for agricultural officials to give guidance, but the people are stubborn and unwilling to change the experience taught by the old people. I went to see it and found that the harvest was not ideal."

"You need to worry more about this. Jiuquan is already arid, and there are not many fields that can be used for farming. If you can use it, you must not waste a penny. By the way, there is one more thing I want to ask you. In my opinion, this place is too close to the border. Now that the Xiongnu is trying to stir up trouble, can those people who have been living on the border consider moving to the interior of the country? Along the way, I saw a lot of deserted villages, and I went to have a look. Although it is not a land with abundant water and grass, there are also large areas of abandoned fertile farmland. As long as water conservancy is built and operated for a few years, it will be a good place to live." Song Yuan deliberately unfolded the map and pointed out the location to Zhang He for a closer look.

Zhang He looked at it carefully and said: "Xiaguan also had such thoughts, but the people miss their hometown and are not willing to move."

"It's important to think about your hometown, and it's even more important to move to preserve your family. You should spend more time communicating on this matter. You discuss it first. If you are sure that moving is feasible, report it to me. I will contact the craftsmen to build water conservancy for you."