prosperous age

Wei Guangde brought up the topic of Japan and mentioned the rumors about mountains of gold and silver. Wang Guoguang naturally understood and figured out the key.

The Ming Dynasty really had no good feelings towards Japan. In the past few years, when the Japanese invaded the southeast, although the real perpetrators were mostly pirates or bandits from the Ming Dynasty, everyone called them Japanese pirates.

Anyway, all you need to know is that the imperial court had no good feelings towards the Japanese pirates.

Knowing this and making good use of it, we can provide a reason for the Ming Dynasty to send troops to Japan.

Of course, the Ming Dynasty sent troops to Japan not simply for revenge, but because of the legendary mountains of gold and silver.

Japan is an island country. It is obviously impossible to go there without a strong navy.

From this perspective, a strong navy is really needed.

Before the Ministry of Revenue, most people believed that the strength of the South China Sea Navy was second to none in the Ming Dynasty Sea and there was no need to continue developing it.

As long as those sea vessels are properly maintained, they will not need to be replaced in large quantities within 20 to 30 years, so it is completely possible to stop investing in the navy.

Although his views remain unchanged now, with visible benefits, he naturally knows that the Ministry of Revenue's meeting needs some changes, which is to continue to support the construction of the South China Sea Navy.

When distributing the tax silver from the old port earlier, the Ministry of Revenue had never considered involving the South China Sea Navy.

Doing so is certainly not about getting rid of the donkey after it has served its purpose, but the army is really not suitable to have its own source of income.

How did the feudal lords come into being in the late Tang Dynasty? It was because they controlled the army and local finances and taxes, and had the strength to be self-sufficient, which gave them the courage to challenge the central government and formed de facto warlord separatism.

As long as the army does not receive stable financial and tax support, everything will have to depend on the imperial court for compliance and to maintain national stability. This is the consensus of all the imperial court officials.

However, when Wang Guoguang left, he didn't know that Wei Guangde looked at him with something wrong.

Wang Guoguang wanted to take away the tax silver from Yuegang through Jiugang, and he also wanted to manipulate the inner court in the distribution of tax silver from Jiugang. This was not something he could touch.

If this method were really to be implemented, Feng Bao would be the first to jump up.

It’s not because this matter concerns Feng Bao’s personal interests, but because he has to help the master behind him.

The two Empress Dowagers and the young emperor were not suitable to compete with the court for money face to face, so only he, the prime minister, had to come forward.

Well, no matter who Feng Bao is, Zhang Juzheng could only lure him with benefits.

Feng Bao would definitely treat anyone who wanted to take away the inner court's money as his number one enemy.

If Feng Bao got to know the news, even Zhang Juzheng could at most save Wang Guoguang's dignity and let him retire voluntarily. But he might even dig up the old case and prosecute him.

There is no official who is absolutely clean.

Wang Guoguang is from Shanxi and has close relations with the late Shangshu Yang Bo and former Xuanda Governor Wang Chonggu.

These three families, together with the Zhang Siwei family, are also large families in the Shanxi business circle, controlling the vast majority of the market share in the trade with Mongolia.

Being able to control the market and become a leader in it would certainly not be possible without their influence in the government.

When talking about the Longqing Opening, most people only know that it was a limited opening of the maritime ban. In fact, the mutual trade between the north and Mongolia was also an important measure taken by Emperor Longqing to maintain an open attitude towards foreign trade.

Just because it involves tribute, it is not taken seriously by the outside world.

Wei Guangde's influence on the border is actually limited, far less than the influence of Shanxi merchants who have been working hard for a hundred years. He can be said to be a local tyrant.

Therefore, Wei Guangde was not interested in trade in the north from the beginning, but instead focused on opening up the sea in the south.

Because of the Japanese invasion, the largest maritime merchant families, such as the Xie Qian family, suffered heavy losses and a gap in their strength. This was a godsend opportunity for the Wei family to intervene.

With him as the link, merchants from Northeast China, Beijing, Shanxi and Fujian were connected. With the convenience of his friend Lao Kan, who was of the same age, working in Fujian, he was deeply involved in maritime trade.

However, even so, Wei Guangde only participated in the investment and did not become the biggest decision-maker or major shareholder.

If his Wei family became the largest maritime merchant in the Ming Dynasty, they would become the target of public criticism.

Wei Guangde didn't want to be the first to do so, but some people couldn't see clearly.

The Yang Bo family was the largest merchant family in Shanxi at that time, and the other families were also rising stars, so it was hard for them not to be noticed.

In the following days, the cabinet continued to handle the affairs in the south in an orderly manner and negotiated with the Ministry of Revenue on the transfer of grain relief.

However, in their spare time, the Cabinet and the Ministry of Revenue also secretly discussed the distribution of customs silver from old Hong Kong banknotes.

The plate of Yuegang must not be touched. Zhang Juzheng saw it very clearly and knew that the "Emperor's Southern Treasury" was not just a casual talk. The annual income of one million taels of silver was already the largest income of the palace, even exceeding the income of a large number of imperial farms.

The final distribution plan drawn up by the Cabinet and the Ministry of Revenue was that the Jiugang Xuanwei Office would receive 10%. This was an old rule and would not be changed without permission.

Twenty percent of the South China Sea navy's revenue was taken and used specifically to build new ships, which was considered the court's investment in the navy.

Of the remaining 70%, the Ministry of Revenue insisted on 40% and the inner court 30%, while Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde had similar ideas, which was to split it in half. Such a result was more likely to be approved by Feng Bao.

At this point, the news could no longer be concealed, and Feng Bao also learned that the court was planning to set up a banknote customs in Jiugang.

Feng Bao found out about it, and naturally the previous discussions of the Ministry of Revenue also reached his ears.

Although Feng Bao looked normal, Wei Guangde still noticed his deep hostility towards Wang Guoguang.

You know, although Feng Bao was a eunuch, he had good literary talent. If he had not been stabbed in his youth, he believed that he could have won the title of Jinshi by taking the imperial examination.

Therefore, he did not think that he was inferior to civil servants at all.

However, even though he fully cooperated with the previous dynasty's political affairs without harming the interests of the inner court, he did not expect that there were still civil servants who wanted to stab him in the back.

Naturally, he hated the Ministry of Revenue, which was headed by Wang Guoguang.

After all, someone who has been stabbed will have some changes in his mentality, which is not easy for ordinary people to understand.

Wang Guoguang did not think that he had offended Feng Bao. After all, the six ministries often argued about official matters, but if it was not a deliberate targeting, there would be no enmity.

All we can say is that each of them is competing for interests for their own government office.

Therefore, Feng Bao deliberately made things difficult for the Ministry of Revenue in the distribution of the 70% tax silver, forcibly demanding a 40% share, leaving only 30% for the Ministry of Revenue. The two argued in the cabinet, and in the end it turned into a quarrel, which made Zhang Juzheng feel that something was wrong.

At this time, Wei Guangde was still watching the show on the side. That was what Zhang Juzheng was worried about and had little to do with him.

When Feng Bao asked him, he still insisted that it would be fair for the Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial Court to split it in half.

"Is this the charter that the Ministry of Revenue is discussing?"

Just when the inner court and the Ministry of Revenue were arguing over the distribution of tariffs in the old port, Wei Guangde received a document sent by an informant in the Ministry of Revenue. It was a draft of a memorial that the Ministry of Revenue had discussed privately and intended to submit to the court.

"That's what Doctor Hu said when he sent it over. He said that most of his colleagues at the Ministry of Revenue thought it was feasible, but they were afraid that the Ministry of Personnel would have to increase the number of positions in the Ministry of Revenue. Otherwise, with the current staff in the Ministry of Revenue, they simply wouldn't be able to handle it."

Zhang Ji whispered in Wei Guangde's ear.

"The money and grain of the whole country are scattered among various government offices. Please merge them into the Ministry of Revenue."

Wei Guangde muttered softly that the taxation system in ancient times was indeed complicated and it was actually difficult for people in later generations to understand.

The taxes collected by the government were finally collected by several government offices. The Ministry of Revenue received the largest share of the money and grain, followed by the Ministry of Works. The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites also received some income. Each government office had its own warehouse to receive local taxes.

There were actually many types of taxes in the Ming Dynasty, the main ones being land tax and capitation tax.

Land tax was a tax levied on landowners and was the main source of tax revenue in the Ming Dynasty.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the land tax was implemented under the two-tax system, namely summer tax and autumn grain. Summer tax was generally levied on wheat, money, and banknotes, while autumn grain was mainly levied on rice, beans, grass, etc.

The amount of tax was determined based on factors such as the fertility and yield of the land. For example, the tax standard for official land and wheat was 1.76 dou of wheat per mu for first-class wheat, 0.5 dou of wheat per mu for second-class wheat, and 0.027 dou of wheat per dou for consumption. The tax standard for private land was relatively lower, such as 0.5 dou of wheat per mu for wheat, and 0.027 dou of wheat per mu for consumption.

The Ding tax is actually divided into head tax and Ding tax. One is a tax on the population, while the other is only imposed on men over the age of sixteen. This tax system is mainly to ensure that the country has sufficient military resources and labor force.

With the development of Ming Dynasty society, the Ding tax gradually evolved into a household tax, and was no longer strictly calculated based on the number of people. The "One Whip" policy that was being implemented was to spread the head tax onto the fields.

But in addition to this, the Ministry of Revenue also had to collect rent and taxes, etc. The objects of rent included military garrison land, grain storage land, school land, government office land, and the four Tang mausoleums land, and taxes were losses.

These are the main taxes levied by the Ministry of Revenue, but there are actually many complicated industrial and commercial taxes, such as market stall taxes, pawn taxes, tooth tax, salt tax, wine tax, tea tax, cattle, donkey, horse, pig and sheep tax, cloth tax, cigarette tax, and land tax.

The Ministry of Works' financial income mainly came from the silver converted from labor and materials sent to various places and the income from bamboo and wood. These sources of income enabled the Ministry of Works to be independent of the management and interference of the Ministry of Revenue, forming its own system of income and expenditure.

Specifically, the Ministry of Works' financial revenue consists of two parts: one is the silver collected from labor and materials by dispatching workers to various places, and the other is the income obtained from drawing a line on bamboo and wood.

These revenues are mainly used to support the Ministry of Industry’s various expenses, including but not limited to construction projects, repairs and maintenance, etc.

The taxes collected by the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty mainly included silver for government servants, silver for horse prices, silver for firewood and charcoal, silver for raftsmen, and silver for post stations.

The Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty gradually obtained a large amount of silver income in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, including various forms of silver. These incomes were mainly concentrated in the Arsenal and the Chariot Department.

These revenue items reflect the important role of the Ministry of War in the Ming Dynasty's fiscal system, especially its contribution to military and logistical support. The financial functions of the Ministry of War in the Ming Dynasty not only reflected its independence in the national fiscal system, but also reflected its specialization in military and logistical management.

The taxation in the Ming Dynasty was adjusted in different periods. It can be understood that when the government had new expenditures but did not have the money to pay for them, it would often come up with a type of tax and levy a tax on a specific area to pay for the expenditures.

Therefore, even with the documentary evidence, the taxation of the Ming Dynasty is often completely unclear.

Wang Guoguang is now in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, and he wants to truly give the financial and taxation power to the Ministry of Revenue. Wei Guangde couldn't help but sneer in his heart.

Perhaps in the eyes of many people, the Minister of Revenue manages the national treasury and has a very respected position, but this is not the case.

Among the six ministers of the Ming Dynasty, the Minister of Revenue was actually a tough job that could not be done well by just one person.

Perhaps, in the eyes of many people, the Minister of Revenue is the highest administrative chief of the Ministry of Revenue among the Six Ministries, equivalent to the modern Minister of Finance.

This position is mainly responsible for national economic affairs, including household registration, taxation, and coordination of national funds, and is in charge of the country's financial power. Whether it is disaster relief, appropriation or war, it all needs to be approved by the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

Therefore, the Minister of Revenue occupied a vital position in the political and economic system of the Ming Dynasty.

But in fact, in the ancient autocratic monarchy, the Minister of Revenue did not have such great power. Most of the time, he just played the role of the emperor's financial adviser.

Under normal circumstances, his duties were limited to implementing certain limited programs.

In the early days of the dynasty, the people paid taxes in kind and performed military service in person. The military facilities, the imperial court, and several other expenditure agencies in Beijing had fixed quotas of materials and corvée, which were fulfilled by designated collection agencies.

By the end of the dynasty, most supplies and corvée labor were converted into silver, but these monetary revenues were not combined into one.

The spending agencies simply maintained separate expense accounts, while the silver was still paid by the collection agencies that had previously completed these supplies and labor services.

The only exception was the palace. Since there was no central financial institution in the imperial city, part of the silver supplied to the palace was managed by the Ministry of Revenue.

In addition, the accounts of the Ministry of Works, the Imperial Household Department under the Ministry of War, and the Imperial Household Department under the Ministry of Rites were all managed separately, and the amounts were very large. The same was true for the management of military equipment and facilities.

The Ministry of Revenue only served as a bookkeeping function for the transportation of silver. It could not control allocations through the budget. All savings from various expenditures were controlled by each department and deposited in their own vaults. The Ministry of Revenue had no right to manage them.

The emergence of this situation means that revenue and appropriations are based on the system, and the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue can only make very limited adjustments, such as revising the discount ratio, suggesting more discounts, and sometimes changing the location of material and fund transportation.

These tasks were temporary expedients, so the Ministry of Revenue in the Ming Dynasty could be said to be a large accounting management department rather than an executive agency.

The general system of the dynasty was clearly arranged by Zhu Yuanzhang, so the Ministry of Revenue had limited autonomy and often found it difficult to cope with the unreasonable demands of the emperor and eunuchs.

The Minister of Finance of the Ming Dynasty was famous for refuting the emperor's orders to purchase various treasures, but this also came at a price.

Since 1380, a total of 89 ministers of the Ministry of Revenue have been appointed, 16 of whom were dismissed, 3 were executed, 2 were exiled and banned from employment for life, and 1 was banished.

Among these people, most of them were defeated in the cruel political struggle because the emperor disliked them.

He was in danger without realizing it, and Wang Guoguang even wanted to concentrate the financial and taxation power of the court.

Undoubtedly, this was a taboo, which would not only displease the emperor, but also make his colleagues unhappy.

"Go ahead and jump, make a scene, but in the end, even Zhang Juzheng may not be able to protect you."

Wei Guangde thought silently in his heart.

Zhang Juzheng's power was largely due to the trust of the harem and the support of Feng Bao. Wei Guangde saw this more clearly than anyone else. (End of this chapter)