SWDnovel Chapter 31 Tightening the Belt to Make a Living
Chapter 31 Tightening the Belt to Make a Living
Everyone immediately stood up and stood with their hands at their sides.
The footsteps grew louder as they approached, and a person emerged from behind the screen.
At this moment, Zhu Ming changed into a black casual outfit, with dark gold five-clawed dragon patterns embroidered on the cuffs and collar.
Her jet-black hair was tied up with a single jade hairpin, revealing her angular face and a pair of deep, unfathomable eyes.
He strode out with his head held high, like a young general about to go into battle.
Then, his gaze swept over everyone in the room, finally settling on the messy table.
To be precise, it landed on the small mountain of chicken bones and seven or eight empty plates in front of Qinglong.
Qinglong also sensed Zhu Ming's gaze, paused for a moment, and then continued to push the fried chicken and spit out the bones as if nothing had happened. His movements were so smooth and fluid that it was outrageous.
Zhu Ming's lips twitched.
"......"
He knew in his heart that the current Qinglong, that is, his own younger brother Zhu Youjian, was a sixteen-year-old boy who was at an age where he could never be satisfied.
Having waited all morning for the grand court assembly, I'm probably starving by now.
He wanted to say something, but looking at Zhu Youjian's adorable appearance, he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
That's it.
He withdrew his gaze and slowly walked towards the head of the table.
"Please sit down."
He has been in this Tianqi Dynasty for almost a year now.
Over the past year, he has transformed from a modern soul with only a superficial understanding of the political situation in the Ming Dynasty into the Tianqi Emperor, who now reigns supreme over the world and holds the reins of power.
Only he himself knows how much scheming, weighing of options, and calculated maneuvering went into this.
He secretly ordered Wei Zhongxian to manage the Baohe Store, using commerce to support his political career, and amassed a fortune of several million yuan.
He reorganized the three major camps, created the Six Divine Guards of Tianqi, and gradually took military power back from the hands of civil officials;
He ordered the Ministry of Works to improve glassmaking, ice making, and fan manufacturing, using these "ingenious skills and crafts" to fill the national treasury;
All of this is for today.
But his goal was never to be a ruler who simply adhered to the established laws of his ancestors.
He wants to reform the system.
He wanted the Ming army to truly become an iron army capable of fighting and winning battles, rather than a scattered force whose pay was cut at every level and whose generals fought their own battles.
He wanted to control all the armies in the land. These six words sound easy, but in practice, it was tantamount to making an enemy of all the vested interests in the world.
Civil officials, local tyrants, hereditary military households, border military families... which one isn't deeply entrenched? Which one is willing to obediently relinquish the military power they've held for decades?
Therefore, he needs to take it one step at a time.
Today's banquet, though called a casual gathering, is in fact another major strategic move by him following the Tianqi Grand Military Parade.
"Gentlemen, please don't stand on ceremony, eat and drink well!"
The officials took their seats, and the atmosphere in the hall gradually relaxed.
The palace maids kept bringing out new dishes and drinks, and everyone stopped being formal and ate and drank as they pleased.
After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,
After everyone had finished eating and drinking, and the bowls and plates had been cleared away and tea was served, Zhu Ming finally spoke.
"My beloved ministers," his voice was not loud, but it clearly carried to every corner of the warm pavilion, "I invited you here today not for this meal."
The atmosphere in the Qianqing Palace suddenly became solemn.
The cabinet ministers, the border army commanders, and the commanders of the Six Divine Guards gathered together, knowing that Zhu Ming had something very important to discuss.
"The Jurchens of Liaodong have repeatedly invaded our borders. The rebellions of the chieftains in the southwest have reached a stalemate. Along the southeast coast, pirates and the foreign barbarians are causing trouble together," Zhu Ming paused, then continued, "You know these things better than I do."
No one responded.
"We must fight the war, feed the people, and pay the wages." Zhu Ming's gaze fell on Ding Shaoshi. "Grand Secretary Ding, have you produced the plan I asked you to submit?"
Ding Shaoshi's body trembled, and he thought to himself that it was all over and that it was his turn this time. However, in order to keep his job, he had made a lot of preparations and he absolutely could not be kicked out at this time.
After all, Ding Shaoshi was a member of the eunuch faction, and now that he had finally entered the cabinet, he was enjoying immense prestige.
Moreover, once he loses his status as Grand Secretary, his old friends won't let him off easily given the things he's done.
Therefore, when it comes to military pay, historically, when the national treasury is empty, the government either targets merchants or ordinary people.
However, Zhu Ming's Baohe Shop has been doing very well lately, and his family's shops are also doing quite a bit of business. He can't very well let the emperor's merchants pay taxes, so he has no choice but to increase taxes on the people.
Thinking of this, Ding Shaoshi also felt that this was the best solution at present, so he decisively stood up, took out a folded book from his sleeve, and held it above his head with both hands.
Wei Zhongxian stepped forward, took the document, and presented it to Zhu Ming.
Zhu Ming did not accept the answer, but said instead, "Let me tell you all about it."
"Last year's military pay in Liaodong was raised by Eunuch Wei... and it can still last for several months. In the southwest, the White-Spear Army is paying its own military pay to quell the rebellion for the country, and the court has not allocated any funds."
Ding Shaoshi coughed and forced a smile, saying, "In the southwest, the White-Spear Army is paying its own military expenses to quell the rebellion for the country, and the imperial court has not allocated any funds. In the southeast coastal area... General Zheng Zhilong of Fujian is indeed suppressing the Japanese pirates, but..."
He cautiously observed Zhu Ming's expression. "It's just that Zheng Zhilong reported that the expenses for coastal defense are enormous, and his navy has not been paid for three months. He requested the court to allocate 200,000 taels of silver, otherwise there is a risk of a naval mutiny."
"He puts in the work but doesn't put in the effort, and still wants money from the court," Zhu Ming sneered. "What a Zheng Zhilong."
Zheng Zhilong was the Fujian General at this time. If it weren't for this guy having a good son, Zhu Ming would have used him as the first stab in the Tianqi era to open up the sea.
But, you still have to say a few words of criticism!
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Ding Shaoshi added, "In my opinion, the most urgent matter at present is Liaodong."
"The Jurchens are powerful and must be guarded against. If we need to raise military funds, we must... impose additional taxes on Liaodong."
These words immediately sparked a buzz of discussion in the hall.
Zhu Ming did not speak immediately.
Additional taxes were levied on Liaodong troops.
For three hundred years, this has been the only trick that civil officials of the Ming Dynasty knew when they were short of money.
Increased taxes, levies, and corvée fees were added layer upon layer to the people, until they were destitute, until bandits rose up everywhere, and until the country was destroyed and the people were wiped out.
He had read the History of Ming and knew what the final outcome of this path would be—the Chongzhen Emperor levied three additional taxes, forcing people to sell their children, and when Li Zicheng entered Beijing, the national treasury couldn't even scrape together a million taels of silver.
The ministers, however, amassed a fortune of 75 million taels of silver in their homes.
Imposing additional taxes on the people? That's like drinking poison to quench thirst.
"Improve the Liaodong tax," he finally spoke, his tone unreadable. "Does Grand Secretary Ding mean to increase taxes on the people?"
"Yes," Ding Shaoshi replied, oblivious to the underlying unease in Zhu Ming's calm tone. He continued, "Your Majesty, the national treasury is empty! The Tianqi Grand Military Review and the reorganization of the Three Great Camps—each of these cost a fortune. Now, we must establish the Tianqi Six Divine Guards, which will be another huge expense… We are like skilled cooks without rice to make a meal!"
"We have no choice but to tighten our belts and make things difficult for the people!"
Ding Shaoshi spoke with great enthusiasm at this point.
The millions of ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty were fragile but hard to kill. By tightening their belts and enduring hardship, they could gain wealth and honor in return. Why not? After all, this was how every dynasty had done it.
Wei Zhongxian chimed in, "Your Majesty, this old servant must speak frankly. Although the income from Baohe Shop is considerable, it's just a drop in the bucket when it comes to filling the national treasury. The court's expenses are enormous, and relying solely on Baohe Shop is far from sufficient. Imposing additional taxes on the people is a last resort."
Several eunuch ministers in the cabinet echoed, "Grand Secretary Ding is absolutely right. Only by increasing the tax on Liaodong can we meet the urgent needs. We should take the lead in tightening our belts and living frugally. As long as we can survive the Jurchen invasion and pacify Liaodong, the revival of the Ming Dynasty will be just around the corner."
Looking at these people, Zhu Ming suddenly felt a sense of weariness.
He sat on his throne, looking down at the impeccably dressed cabinet ministers.
They all claim to be "sharing the nation's burdens," but when it comes to actually doing things, they can't come up with any other solutions besides increasing taxes on the people.
It's not that they're stupid, it's that they simply don't want to take it—imposing additional taxes on the people would only cause them suffering and damage the foundation of the nation, but their own land and shops wouldn't be affected by a single penny.
Either way, the knife won't cut them, and it's not them who will feel the pain.
These people, who have spent their lives studying the classics and spouting righteousness and morality, are actually more shrewd than anyone else at heart.
Zhu Ming suddenly smiled.
That smile was as cold as snow falling in June.
"Good! What a wonderful idea to increase taxes on the people! What a way to make the common folk suffer!"