Emperor Taizong's Growth Plan

Chapter 307 Beat all the officials and replace the household secretary

As the sun was rising, in the cool morning breeze, the people in Zhongqing City heard the thick and crisp sound of bells coming from the four gate towers of the imperial city, and immediately startled a group of people living beside the imperial city. bird.

In the Xuanzheng Hall, all the court officials bowed and knelt down on the ground, shouting long live.

Today is the Great Court Meeting again, and as the frontline battles in various places are getting smoother, the main energy of the officials in the court has gradually been put on the government affairs of the country.

The current Hubu Shangshu stepped forward quickly, holding the memorial in his hand, and said loudly:

"Qizou Your Majesty, as of today, [-]% of the taxes and taxes in various parts of the country have been collected. The local government's briefing has been submitted to the household department for sorting out. According to preliminary estimates, this year's taxes are equivalent to silver coins, totaling more than seven million taels of silver."

You must know that when Xiao Cheng first came to the throne, the entire Yun Kingdom paid taxes for a year, but it was only more than 500 million taels of silver.Judging from the numbers alone, the level of tax increase is terrifying!

On the dragon chair, Xiao Cheng hung his face down, without showing any expression, making it difficult for the courtiers to see his face clearly, adding to the sense of majesty and mystery.

However, although he was silent on the surface at this time, he was quite emotional in his heart.

This honest farming, really did not ransack the house, and the compensation came quickly...

The 600-year accumulation of Buddhism, the indemnity of Xia Li and the two countries, and the confiscation of the family property of that miscellaneous disciple Jin Tangfeng at the beginning, made Xiao Cheng squander for so long, and now there are still 400 million taels of silver in the treasury.

At this time, the Minister of the Household Department, with an excited expression on his face, shouted:
"The country is rich, and money and food are piling up like a mountain. It all depends on His Majesty's proper governance, so that our national strength in Dayun is becoming more and more prosperous! Minister, congratulations to Your Majesty, congratulations to Dayun!"

Hearing such blunt flattery, Xiao Cheng frowned slightly.After pondering for a while, he suddenly asked:
"How much tax, how much tax?"

Taxes and taxes are paid in different forms.The tax is silver money, and the tax is gold and silver, rice grain, cloth, silk, etc., and even fodder can be counted.Moreover, the uses of the two are not the same. Although they are called together, there are many differences when they are counted.

Just now he was congratulating Xiao Cheng on the Secretary of the Household Department with his face blushing, and suddenly he seemed to be strangled by the neck. He opened his mouth and thought hard for a long time, and then he stammered and said:
"There are about two taxes... Ah, no, it should be about three million taels of silver. The rest of the tax in kind takes up a large part... In the minister's memorial, there are detailed records, please read it!"

Xiao Chengman's majestic scrutiny gaze fell on the Hubu Shangshu who was already sweating on his forehead, and asked in a cold voice:
"In this way, you don't know how much the commercial tax is and how much the agricultural tax is?"

Obviously, the new Minister of the Household Department, who has been in the position for half a year, can't answer Xiao Cheng's question.

"If you don't even know these things, you certainly don't know the detailed data of taxes in various parts of the country!" At this time, Xiao Cheng was already furious in his heart, and continued to ask in a cold voice.

Apparently, this Lord Shangshu still couldn't answer Xiao Cheng's question.

Xiao Cheng snorted coldly and said:
"You don't know, then I'll tell you!"

In the line of sight that only Xiao Cheng could see, the golden finger panel was opened, and the detailed tax list of Yun Kingdom appeared in front of his eyes.

"This year, the middle school has received 3107 million taels of silver. The tax in kind is equivalent to 5 million taels of gold and silver, a total of 720 million taels of silver. Commercial tax accounts for [-]%, and agricultural tax accounts for [-]%. Let me read it to you over and over again!"

Among them, the commercial tax was higher than in previous years because Shen Wansan used the tea-horse business to manipulate commodity prices to reap the wealth of the Western Regions and collect excellent war horses for Xiao Cheng.

Xiao Cheng's voice became colder and deeper, his words seemed to be like thunder, and his majesty was so solemn that it made people feel terrified.

Hubu Shangshu's heart jumped immediately, his legs softened, he knelt down again, leaned over the ground, and apologized in a trembling voice:

"Your Majesty, I am negligent and slack, and have not fulfilled the important responsibilities of the court. Please forgive me..."

Seeing this, Xiao Cheng on the dragon chair trembled in front of him, and sternly reprimanded:

"Do you know why I suddenly asked you like this?"

"The four places in Yongzhou have resumed local administration this year. Although there have been wars on the border recently, they have not spread to the territory of the four prefectures. They are rich lands with a large population, and there are 130 taels of silver in taxes. Fifty percent more taxes in the court, most of it is due to this. As the Minister of the Household Department, you insist on flattering me, saying that this is because of my proper governance?"

After Xiao Cheng ascended the throne, he did implement good governance such as the Water Conservancy and Farmland Law.Taxes this year are nearly 200 million taels higher than usual.Excluding those handed over from the four places in Yongzhou, the remaining 10 taels were also due to this reason.

In addition, there is also Chiang Mai County in the south, where the Ailao people lead a group of minority tribes in Tiannan to cultivate. After the tax holiday, this is another tax credit!
But this year's tax hike is by no means the main reason!
In fact, the servants under his command wanted to flatter him, and Xiao Cheng obviously wouldn't be so angry if he said something flattering.

The reason why Xiao Chengduo asked how much the tax is is just now, but he deliberately took the opportunity to beat the minister and all the officials in the palace, so that they would not deliberately fool himself.

Who would have thought that this Minister of the Household Department, who had served for half a year, could not even answer these questions. I don't know whether it is lack of ability or intentional negligence in politics!

The Ministry of Households is in charge of and counts the country's tax revenue, which is the most important money bag.As a result, the Hubu Shangshu is such a parallel importer, how can Xiao Cheng not be angered?
All of a sudden, in the entire Xuanzheng Palace, all the officials were silent, shocked and surprised in their hearts, they all bowed their heads and dared not speak.

I have known for a long time that our Majesty is not easy to fool. I didn't expect that the intelligence organization under His Majesty today is so exaggerated!The statistics of tax revenue, even the household department in charge of taxation, money and food, have not been cleared yet, and it has been put on the table of His Majesty, which is really shocking!

Then he heard Xiao Cheng's voice suppressing his anger from above the dragon chair.

"Shangshu Hubu is negligent and slack, what should I do?"

Zhang Hong, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, took a step forward, bowed and said:
"According to the 'Ministry of Officials Examination Method', those who slack off in government affairs will be assessed as inferior, and they should be demoted to three levels, demoted from Beijing and retained, so as to see the effect!"

In fact, strictly speaking, he is just perfunctory, and the plot is not serious.If it is really investigated according to the test method, the first time it is discovered, it will be fined for several months, and the second time it will be held accountable.

But it was a coincidence that this Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs happened to hit Xiao Chengqi on the head, so naturally he would be punished according to the heaviest.

Hearing this, Xiao Cheng nodded coldly and said:

"According to this!"

In the hall, Hubu Shangshu's face was ashen, and he knelt down tremblingly, regretfully saying:

"Sir, thank Your Majesty Long En!"

This is thunder, rain and dew, all of which are the grace of the king.

Even if the courtiers were demoted and investigated, or even ransacked and executed, they could only pinch their noses and knelt down to thank them with extremely complicated hearts.

Xiao Cheng waved his hand impatiently, and let the imperial guards pull him down the hall.

Zhang Hong, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, carefully looked at Xiao Cheng's expression, and then said cautiously:
"Your Majesty, now is the time to count the state's taxes. The post of Minister of the Household Department is indispensable..."

Hearing this, Xiao Cheng's eyebrows, which had been loosened just now, frowned again.

Today, the officials of the household department among the six departments are almost all reorganized officials from the former Shaofu.And most of these people are the former disciples of Qu Cheng, the former Shang Shu Ling Qu Cheng.

Previously, Qu Cheng was involved in the corruption case of food relief. Although he and his family were not instigated, it exposed the terrifying influence of the three veterans of the Ma, Qu, and Tao families in the court.

After that incident, Chaozhong appeared to be calm on the surface, but in private it was a dark tide.

Qu Cheng, like Ma Minwen, asked himself to retire, and the Shang Shuling, who was in charge of all officials, was no longer established.Tao Ai stepped down from his real military position and took the false title of Taiwei in Beijing.The disciples and former officials of the three families were also intentionally dismantled and transferred to serve in the garrisons of the central and local yamen.

After Xiao Cheng seized power, the three families made great contributions to stabilizing the court and appeasing civil and military affairs.Since then, he has been conscientious and conscientious, and has no other thoughts.

It's a bit embarrassing to end up where the power is no longer, but after thinking about it carefully, this is already the best ending!
After all, a force that has great influence among civil and military officials, and even has connections with the concubine of the harem, if it hadn't been for meeting Xiao Cheng, even if it didn't kill blood, there would be many plots in the dark.

The words are a bit far-fetched, but it is precisely because of this that all the talented people in the household department have been transferred away.In desperation, Xiao Chengcai found an official who was not outstanding except for his moral attributes, and stood up to him.

At this time, Zhang Hong asked Xiao Cheng to re-recognize his appointment as Minister of the Household Department, which gave him a headache.

It's not that there are no suitable candidates, but that none of them are suitable.

The all-around player Zhuge Liang has just entered the official position, and he is not just in power now, so it is impossible to promote him to such a position all at once.Xiao Yu and Yang Yanhe also used it, but they were sent by Xiao Cheng to Jianchang Mansion and Yongzhou before.Liu Bowen is still in Yunlou, specializing in the study of how to use Qi luck.

Shi Chengwen, a disciple of the Yin-Yang family, was good at military strategy, and Hai Rui's uprightness was too unsuitable...

Thinking of this, Xiao Cheng's eyes suddenly moved.

There is someone to choose, of course...but I should be able to use it temporarily!
"Where is Yan Song, the doctor of the Gyeonggi Qingli Division of the Ministry of Punishment!"

Yan Song's ability is still there, coupled with his similar taste, Wen Tiren, Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, valued him very much, so he was dissatisfied with the speed of his promotion.This time it took just over a year, and he has already been promoted to rank five doctor.

Among the ranks of hundreds of officials, Yan Song suddenly heard His Majesty calling his name, his heart skipped a beat, and he walked out quickly, bowed and saluted:

"Chen is here!"

Xiao Cheng couldn't help but pause when the words came to his lips, his heart was extremely complicated.
Letting Yan Song, a person with low moral attributes, manage the household department, to a certain extent, it is no different from letting a mouse manage rice vats and monkeys manage Taoyuan. They are all condoning corruption...

But Xiao Cheng really didn't have any suitable candidates on hand.

Well, I just hope that Yan Song can be smarter!
"Yan Song, the doctor of the Ministry of Punishment, fulfilled his duties, and was immediately transferred to the household department, the servant of the household department, and temporarily took charge of all matters of the household department!" Xiao Cheng said in a deep voice.

The so-called "quantity" of a certain official position is deliberately added when a junior person takes office, similar to a probationary period.

The doctors of the six departments are only five-rank officials.But the servant of the six departments is a third-rank official position.

Although the implementation of the new dynasty system is still short, there is no unspoken rule similar to that of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.But just looking at the official rank, I also know that if you want to be promoted to the Minister of the Six Departments, you must first transfer to a local post, and then you will be promoted.

If it weren't for the fact that the household department cannot do without the chief officer, and Xiao Cheng has no one on hand, that's the only way to go!
When he really heard what Xiao Cheng said, Yan Song felt ecstasy in his heart.

Among the six ministries, there are as many as eight or nine chief executives in each department, and as few as three or four, which is incomparable with the responsibilities of the left and right servants of each ministry.Not to mention, this is still a matter of the household department with the position of servant.

Although he is only the "Minister of the Ministry of Power and Household Affairs" for the time being, His Majesty now thinks clearly about rewards and punishments.As long as you do a good job, not to mention becoming a regular, even the position of Shangshu is not impossible to get enough!

Thinking of this, Yan Song couldn't calm down anymore, he quickly knelt down, kowtowed, and said in a vibrating voice:

"Chen Yan Song, thank you Your Majesty!"

Xiao Cheng sized Yan Song up a few times, then suddenly burst out laughing, and warned with deep meaning:

"Do it well, don't let me bring Hai Rui back!"

In Yan Song's ears, he only thought that Xiao Cheng meant that if he didn't do well, he would let Hai Rui, a Jinshi of the same department, come back to replace him.It sounded like he was beating himself.

Yan Song got up immediately, and said seriously:

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will definitely not disappoint Your Majesty!"

Xiao Cheng nodded, motioning for him to join the queue, and continued:
"Masters, do you have anything else to report?"

But at this time, Zhang Zhao, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, stepped out immediately, cupped his hands and said:

"Qizou Your Majesty, the Turkic tribe in the north, Ashinasheer, led hundreds of people to surrender to our dynasty, how to deal with it, please Your Majesty decide!"

When Xiao Cheng heard this, his eyes moved immediately.

Blue training card, [Return to General Tang Fan]!
During this period of time, the Three Kingdoms of Yun, Xia, and Li were once again at war. Although Xiao Cheng had been prepared for it, he was in a hurry for a while, and he forgot about the four people summoned by the training card.

At this time, Zhang Zhao continued to speak:

"There is another Prince Wei Chisheng sent by the Khotan Kingdom in the Western Regions to bring gifts to the court to congratulate His Majesty, and now he is staying at the State Guesthouse."

In fact, apart from these two people, on top of Ceka, there are also Qibi Heli from Tie Le Qibi tribe, and Lun Gongren from the Tubo noble family.

Among these four people, Qibi Heli and Ashinasheer can be the main generals of the partial army, and the other two are mostly just filling in.

But the four of them were either from the Western Regions, or were from Tubo or Turks, and Xiao Chengzhi was in the world. Although the main energy was still on the Xia Kingdom and the Li Dynasty, it obviously couldn't be limited to the Central Plains.

Thinking of this, Xiao Cheng immediately said in a deep voice:

"Since you are a surrendered and paid tribute, you must show our grandeur. Let people treat you well, and don't neglect them. Choose a day and let them enter the palace together, and let me have a look."

Income into the court will definitely play a role in Xiao Cheng's future efforts to attack the Western Regions, Turks, and Tubo!

Hearing the words, Zhang Zhao immediately bowed and said yes.

　I took a rough look at everyone's opinions, and I know it well, and I will pay attention to some things.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)