Daming: The most ruthless tyrant in history

Chapter 161 Determination of Weights and Measures

"To investigate the matter of Yousi's deficit, I can't let go of the knot in my heart."

Zhu Youxiao sat on the throne and looked at Bi Ziyan and Zhu Guozuo who were left behind. "The two Qing families must adhere to the same principle. It is not important to deal with things, not people. What others think is not important. What is important is how the two Qing families behave." , the expenditures of the departments in Beijing over the years must be carefully investigated, and if there is no expansion, just keep an eye on the government offices of the departments in Beijing."

"If it really involves the local area, if you deviate from what I just said, you can put it aside temporarily so as not to pass on some bad habits in the court to the local officials."

"I know that checking for deficits in Yousi is a thankless job and can easily offend people. But given the current political situation and atmosphere, if we don't be ruthless enough to check these things, some people's minds will not change."

Bi Ziyan and Zhu Guozuo showed different expressions.

The emperor's attitude and performance now are quite different from just now. They know better than anyone else that what the emperor said will be the benchmark for subsequent inventory of deficits.

"Your Majesty, I feel that taking advantage of this inventory deficit, some adjustments involving the Ministry of Household Affairs can be clarified."

Bi Ziyan thought for a while, bowed to Zhu Youxiao and said: "A single abolition of the assessment of military pay is not enough to change the current problems of the national treasury, such as the elimination of redundant soldiers and redundant service, the revitalization of farming, strict investigation of false claims of military pay, and the investigation of hidden military personnel." Tian private field..."

"There is no need for the Qing family to ask me for instructions on matters such as these."

Zhu Youxiao waved his hand and interrupted: "Since I let the Qing family hold the position of Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, I will support the Qing family in everything they do."

"The errand of the Household Secretary is undoubtedly the most difficult to do. It involves money and food. No matter how small it is, it is a big deal. Even if the Qing family doesn't think too much about it, others will think too much about it."

"My only words to the Qing family are to do it with confidence and boldness, and to do it in a down-to-earth manner. Hubu, I absolutely trust the Qing family. I am responsible for everything. The Qing family does not need to worry about anything."

"The minister obeys the order."

Bi Ziyan felt a warm feeling in his heart and bowed in response with a slightly moved expression.

Since becoming the Minister of the Ministry of Accounts, the more Bi Ziyan learned about the situation, the more troubled he became. There were too many messes and bad debts.

As the steward of the Ming Dynasty, he had too many issues to consider. All expenditures were like water, but all taxes were difficult. The fiscal revenue and expenditure were out of balance.

If we don't find ways to increase revenue and reduce expenditure, the financial hole will only get bigger and bigger.

Faced with such complex financial pressure, without the emperor's trust and support, even if he had great abilities, little could be changed.

"The next two Qings will have a harder time."

Zhu Youxiao smiled slightly, looked at Bi Ziyan and Zhu Guozuo and said, "If you encounter any difficult problems, they may have an impact on the court situation. There is no need to worry about anything else. Just go to the palace to see me."

"The ministers obey the order."

The two men immediately bowed and responded.

Zhu Youxiao carried out all the arrangements to intervene in the Liaozuo War step by step. He did everything he was supposed to do. After that, in addition to managing the transportation of money, food and military supplies to specific teams, everything related to the war relied on his trustworthy people. Help civil and military.

This also caused Zhu Youxiao's energy and attention to begin to shift to the court again.

In order to avoid the civil servants of the outer dynasty, some people from this party or that faction are eyeing Liaodong, or want to disrupt the current situation in order to break the current predicament.

Zhu Youxiao had to create a tense atmosphere in the court, so that the energy and attention of most civil servants could be focused on the court itself.

Investigating Yousi's deficit is not the purpose. The Ming Dynasty is rotten from top to bottom. If we really go to investigate, the dirty things will definitely make people angry to death.

By confining the matter to the court in the capital, one is to make everyone nervous, the other is to investigate and change certain customs, the other is to recover the shortfall of silver, and the other is to gain momentum for Bi Ziyan.

Ming Dynasty's central financial system involved adjustments and changes. In the past few years, Zhu Youxiao had no intention of getting involved.First, I asked Bi Ziyan, who was a civil servant, to plan changes according to the ideas of civil servants, sort out the complicated tax system, alleviate the difficulty of imbalance of revenue and expenditure, improve the fact that the national treasury is empty, and avoid frequently asking for internal funds to allocate funds. Condition.

While Bi Ziyan was doing this, what Zhu Youxiao had to do was to develop internal funds and taxation, focus on many industries in the inner court, and reserve and train financial and taxation talents.

Once the initial plan is effectively implemented and changed, the mid- to late-stage tax reform plan can be gradually implemented.

No policy can be implemented without people. Without loyal and reliable talents who can effectively implement and promote it in various places, no matter how good the policy is, it will be empty talk.

Bi Ziyan and the others left the Qianqing Palace to investigate the matter of Yousi's deficit, and word spread quietly about Yousi in the outer court. Many people paid attention to the matter at that time.

However, Zhu You didn't pay too much attention to these changes. He had too many things to do and had no time or energy to pay attention to them.

Qianqing Palace.

Dongnuan Pavilion.

"Everything I did in the War Bureau in the past, the ministers said, I have kept it in mind."

Zhu Youxiao stood up from the throne and looked at Wang Zheng, Song Yingxing, Jiao Xu and others who had been summoned. "But there is one thing, I think you all need to pool your wisdom and make it clear in the war bureau as soon as possible, that is, to determine the weights and measures." "This not only involves the standardization of firearms and artillery, but also involves the standardization of all kinds of ordnance. Even in the future development of firearms, artillery, gunpowder and other fields, the requirements for some parameters must be more precise."

When Wang Zheng, Song Yingxing, Jiao Xu and others heard this, they looked at me and I looked at you with different expressions, which they had not considered.

"It's like testing the power of a firecracker. It's based on its range and destructive power." Seeing everyone's reaction, Zhu Youxiao continued.

"The range of fire cannons is often measured in 'steps', but don't you think there is too much deviation in this value?"

"Your Majesty is right."

Song Yingxing nodded and said: "Actually, ministers and others have considered these situations. If we want to unify firearms and artillery standards and carry out standard mass production, we must innovate some references. Otherwise, there will inevitably be large deviations, and this problem cannot be solved." , the Bureau of Military Affairs develops new firearms and artillery, etc., and will encounter a lot of troubles in the future."

Is a great talent.

Zhu Youxiao showed an expression of approval. In fact, he only thought of doing this after Luo Yangxing led a group of missionaries back to Beijing.

When it comes to the development of the industrial field, it cannot be supported by just patting the head and making a decision. This will inevitably require a longer period of time, and if you want the industry to develop steadily, you must have a set of standards, among which the more precise The weights and measures standards must be finalized.

"I have some ideas, and I wrote them down one by one before."

Zhu Youxiao walked towards the Imperial Case, turned his back to Wang Zheng and the others and said, "You can take it back and discuss it first. If you think it is feasible, you can gradually clarify the standards for weights and measures, such as length, weight, and numbers. It would be best if a clear anchor could be verified and calculated to ensure that this new system of weights and measures can promote the development and production of the war bureau."

"In addition, the ministers must also try to make it clear that instruments such as vernier calipers are to be developed and changed. Since the Ming Dynasty's firearms and artillery are to be developed and changed, they must be done well. It cannot be said that a large amount of manpower, financial and material resources were invested, and nothing was obtained in the end. This is not good."

"The ministers obey the order."

Wang Zheng and Song Yingxing all bowed in response.

In fact, Ming Dynasty's exploration in some fields was ahead of its time, but due to various factors, these fields were not taken seriously.

In Zhu Youxiao's eyes, respecting Confucianism and promoting science and technology is something that must be done. After all, talent cultivation is related to the destiny of the country, but education should not be limited to scientific examinations and official positions. Talent cultivation in other fields must also be paid close attention to. Just get up.

It's just that some things can't be done in a hurry. They need to be changed and adjusted step by step. After all, the territory of the Ming Dynasty is too vast. It may take several years for a policy to really see results.

(End of this chapter)