Traveling through the Ming Dynasty, as soon as you open your eyes, you will die

Chapter 50 Change Begins

The morning sun was rising, the air was fresh and the birds were singing and the flowers were fragrant. I was walking on the street that was still slightly cool at night. I looked at the residents of the shops along the street. Under the guidance of Jin Yiwei, I started to sweep. In the spring air, water vapor enters the lungs, and my mood improves.

At eight o'clock in the morning, the meeting was held on time.

When the king and his ministers face each other, they are more energetic than before. The whole appearance seemed to be completely new, and there was no longer any lethargy or sluggishness.

This is what a dynamic leadership team should look like.

Today at the court meeting, two new people appeared, Wu Sangui, whom everyone knows.

Chongzhen pointed to Li Yan, who was wearing a third-grade court uniform, to the ministers: "I would like to introduce to you dear friends that this is Li Yan, the original first adviser to the bandits."

As soon as they heard that he was Li Yan, all the ministers looked at him curiously.

I have long heard that Li Yan was a genius in civil and military affairs. It was he who transformed Li Zicheng's bandits into the enemies who almost destroyed the Ming Dynasty.

When I saw him today, he was really suave, but his calmness was hard to match. I couldn't help but exclaim in my heart, he is indeed a talented person.

Li Yan rushed to the officials and said: "Li Yan is not talented and Wuxiang was captured by King Ding. After several long conversations, he was deeply impressed by King Ding's heart and talent. He is willing to surrender to the Ming Dynasty, assist the emperor to stabilize the overall situation, and revive the glory of the Ming Dynasty."

Chongzhen continued: "It was Li Yan who helped King Ding win consecutive battles after surrendering to the Ming Dynasty, and won several glorious victories. He played an important role in stabilizing the situation in Zhili.

With the strong recommendation of King Ding, I believe that heroes do not care about their origins, and talents do not care about their origins. The imperial court is currently short of a Minister of War. Therefore, I have decided to appoint Li Yan as Minister of War of the Ming Dynasty. "

As soon as this statement came out, although it made people experience it, no one objected.

In this precarious time, the Ministry of War is crucial, but it is also a prickly hedgehog. It's too late for everyone to hide. It's best for someone to take over. When the time comes, if you, Li Yan, do good or bad things, even if you become Li Chuang's traitor and sell out to Daming, we won't be able to control you.

Li Yan kowtowed and formally took office.

Qian Tonghe, the Minister of Household Affairs, stood up limping. When I was forced to do it, the wound on my buttocks was not healed yet. It was probably because of the injured tendons and I was about to become disabled.

"The minister has the original play."

Chongzhen asked kindly: "What's the matter with your love?"

"I am old and feeble-minded, and I am really powerless to lead the Ministry of Household Affairs. However, I feel the emperor's kindness in understanding the situation, and I still want to continue to do my best for the emperor and the court in this difficult time. For this reason, I ask the king to take charge of it. In the household department, I will serve as assistant to the minister."

Qian Tonghe did not hold any grudge against King Ding because he was truly patriotic. At the same time, he also admitted that what King Ding did was right.

And under the operation of King Ding, Ming Dynasty is showing signs of coming back to life, so let's continue to do errands for the court.

But Tobe is indeed a prickly hedgehog, and life will definitely be even more difficult in the future.

He didn't have the means to determine the king, nor did he determine the king's evil heart, nor did he have the prestige of a high position to determine the king. The Ministry of Household Affairs really couldn't manage it well.

Since you have broken the ancestral precedent and allowed King Ding to participate in politics, you can simply appoint the original traitor as Minister of War. Then is it natural for me to recommend the Ministry of Household to King Ding?

Therefore, Qian Tonghe took the initiative to stand up and give way to others both in public and private affairs.

Chongzhen was not sure and gave some comfort.

Qian Tonghe insisted, and after three invitations and three rejections, the routine process was completed. In the end, Chongzhen announced that Qian Tonghe was still the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and he was appointed the king and took charge of the affairs of the Ministry of Household Affairs.

For this reason, Lu Mou officially obtained the financial power of the Ming Dynasty.

Lu Mou stood up and said: "Father, I have something to report." Chongzhen has not had such a great dynasty for more than ten years. Ministers no longer impeach each other, and monarchs and ministers no longer oppose each other.

The ability of the king and his ministers to talk to each other calmly and do business is all the result of sons.

As soon as he saw his capable son standing up, Chongzhen's smile became even brighter: "Your Majesty, tell me what you have to say."

"Since my father has appointed me as the concurrent leader of the Ministry of Household Affairs, I would like to ask you to implement changes in the Ming Dynasty's finances."

This is what the two of us discussed in the song "Only Mom is Good in the World." This time it is officially presented, just to go through the formalities, let the cabinet approve it, and go through the legal procedures.

"Your Majesty, how do you change."

"My son asked my father to issue an edict, and the cabinet approved it. The Ming Dynasty's finances will be collected and managed by the Ministry of Household Affairs, and revenue and expenditure will be unified to cope with the crisis."

As soon as this request came out, Qian Tonghe, the old minister at that time, almost cried.

This request was made by countless ministers since the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, but none of them could be realized. It's okay now. Under the pressure of the crisis, King Ding proposed that it should be possible.

According to the understanding of later generations, the fiscal revenue of the Ming Dynasty was only about three million taels a year at its worst.

In fact, this was not the case. By the 16th year of Chongzhen, historical data recorded that the Ming Dynasty's fiscal revenue was 7.2 million (total money and material).

Where did the four million go?

There were actually five fiscal revenue departments in the Ming Dynasty. The emperor's internal funds were the bulk, followed by the Ministry of Revenue, then the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Industry, and even the James Mansion.

In this way, the finances are scattered and not unified, the government has multiple branches, the financial management and operation are chaotic, and good steel cannot be used on the cutting edge.

In this chaotic financial situation, many reformers have proposed reforms, but the results have been nothing. Even the powerful Prime Minister Zhang Juzheng tried his best to seize funds from various yamen and internal funds for the household department, but after seizing them again and again, nothing came to an end.

Faced with the current situation, it is almost like being forced to start over in a crisis situation.

When the two men were arguing at that time, Chongzhen's mentality was actually that as long as he could prevent the Ming Dynasty from perishing in his own hands and prevent his family from being ruined and hanged, as long as there was any glimmer of hope or opportunity, he would seize it with all his might.

Therefore, I agreed to many reform plans that my son would never even think about passing.

And Huang Shijun, the last of the fifty-two cabinet ministers, was completely ruined in the first year. Whatever the unreliable Chongzhen wants to do, the cabinet will approve it without hesitation. He is just a humanoid stamp.

Chongzhen asked the ministers calmly: "Do you have any objection to King Ding's reform of the financial system?"

The Ministry of Household Affairs of the stakeholders applauded with both hands; the new Minister of War, Li Yan, was originally a supporter. From then on, the Ministry of War was no longer in charge of the payment of military salaries to the national army, and could concentrate on the war.

The Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Industry doesn’t even have a chancellor now, so who can object? Anyway, I don’t have the money to ask for it from the Ministry of Accounts, so I wish I could save worry and effort.

As for the James Mansion, its original income was to support the royal family, but every year it failed to pay tribute to the huge pigs, and you always punished it. Now it's better, I have no income, I don't care, and I am free.

Seeing that no one objected, Chongzhen nodded and said: "Except for the three levels of internal funds reserved to support the royal family, the rest are all vested in the Ministry of Household Affairs for unified revenue and expenditure. Can the cabinet be justified?"

Huang Shijun stood up and said, "I have no objection."

The matter was successfully resolved, and Lu Mou said again: "The land annexation in the world is serious, which is the root cause of this peasant uprising. For this reason, I ask the emperor to revoke my and King Yong's fiefdoms, return the land to the people, and return the land rent and taxes." With the treasury of the Ministry of Household Affairs. But King Yong and I will only receive the salary from the court in accordance with the regulations of the king, and will no longer leave the capital to live separately. We will use this as a rule and carry it forward."

As soon as this proposal came out, all the ministers were shocked. They were shocked that King Ding was so broad-minded. This is really a blow to oneself, a cruel attack.

(End of this chapter)