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Chapter 1459 Absent-minded
"Your subject, Xiong Wencan, has come to report good news to Your Majesty. The Office of Transmission has just received reports of victory from the Western Regions and the Persian Gulf war zone. We respectfully request Your Majesty to open them personally!" After Wei San went to the entrance of the main hall to announce the victory, Xiong Wencan straightened his robes and strode in.

But without even lifting his eyelids, he only caught a glimpse of Cao Huachun and the five Grand Secretaries of the Directorate of Ceremonial kneeling on the ground. He had no choice but to pretend he hadn't seen them, and loudly announced the purpose of his trip, emphasizing the words "good news!"
"...Hey, you're not coming if you don't want to, but you're all coming together! I haven't even had breakfast yet, and good news and bad news keep coming one after another to join the fun...Get up, all of you! You're lucky today, with Xiong Tongzheng coming to your rescue."

Remember my words: this is not an isolated incident, but we cannot condemn the entire group based on one example. Go back and draft a plan to handle this matter, ensuring that we punish the wicked without disrupting normal production!

Contrary to expectations, the emperor remained silent for several breaths before speaking, his tone suggesting displeasure. However, he still gave Xiong Wencan face by dismissing Cao Huachun and the others without reprimanding them in court.

"...Does Tan Buming know?" Only after everyone had left did the emperor use his seal, open the lacquered wooden box in front of him, and take out two battle reports to read one by one.

The text, spanning over a thousand words, was filled with the imagery of war and battle, yet it failed to garner even a sliver of praise. Xiong Wencan even doubted whether the emperor had finished reading it; he had only read a little over half when the emperor had already walked away with his hands behind his back.

"The General Staff should have heard about the urgent dispatch that arrived in the city."

"Let's issue this to all departments and have the newspapers publish the original article so that the people can enjoy it together."

At this point, Xiong Wencan finally finished reading both battle reports. Even though he had been in a high position for a long time and had seen many big scenes, he still felt that his heart could not be at peace.

A resounding victory, a truly magnificent victory! Assuming that Huang Taiji and Jieji did not compromise their principles, these two major battles were probably the most glorious moments in the history of the Ming Empire's foreign wars.

In the Western Theater, Russia, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Crimean Khanate, with a total of over 6 regular troops and over 2 auxiliary troops, launched a fierce attack on Turkestan city for several days without success, and also lost their elite Winged Hussars.

Later, Huang Taiji launched a surprise attack from the air with his Eagle Squadron, and the army was instantly routed. They fled westward for hundreds of kilometers, with countless soldiers fleeing in the process. East of the Caspian Sea, they were intercepted by the Ming Dynasty's cavalry and Kazakh cavalry, and almost the entire army was wiped out, with nearly a hundred generals captured.

The detailed list was too long to be presented separately by the next wave of messengers. Just listen to that; the captured generals and seized supplies are already too numerous to list in the battle report alone. They wiped out the main forces of three countries in one fell swoop; it must be a 100% resounding victory.

This was far more glorious than the capture of Luzon, the raid on Salim harbor, or the Battle of the Cape of Good Hope. This was a true face-to-face battle, the best demonstration of national strength and military might, and inflicting the greatest damage on the enemy.

The gains in the Persian Gulf theater were not as great as those in the Western Regions theater, but the investment was also smaller. With only two Marine Corps corps and part of the Indian Ocean fleet, they not only firmly held the ports of Suez and Fao, but also repelled the invading European coalition forces and the Ottoman Guards, killing tens of thousands of enemy soldiers.

In terms of operational difficulty alone, he personally believes the Persian Gulf theater of operations is even more challenging than the Western Regions theater. After all, it's thousands of miles away from home, essentially delivering a devastating blow on someone's doorstep, gaining both substantial and tangible benefits!

"Yes, Your Majesty, I obey your decree... Why is Your Majesty so worried?" Xiong Wencan couldn't understand what the emperor was worried about, that he was even a little distracted by such a brilliant victory.

"Xiong Wencan, I have something to ask you. Can you tell me the truth?" The emperor remained silent for a few minutes before speaking, but his words were completely irrelevant to the events that had just occurred and the battle report. "Your subject will certainly tell you the truth and will not dare to conceal anything!"

Although he didn't understand, Xiong Wencan still gave a straightforward answer. As the saying goes, "A straight body casts a straight shadow." He wouldn't dare say he's been completely incorruptible over the years, but he has absolutely no history of corruption or forming cliques, and he's not afraid of being investigated.

"Has your family ever invested in any businesses or chambers of commerce?"

"...Your Majesty, according to the new Ming Dynasty law, officials who are qualified to attend the Imperial Conference are not allowed to engage in business in their own families, except for receiving allowances. Since I took office as the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, I have sent people to check on people's homes every year, and I have never found anyone who has violated this rule."

This time, Xiong Wencan hesitated, not out of guilt, but out of surprise. Normally, the emperor shouldn't be asking such a question. The Eastern Depot was gone, but the Advisory Office and the Embroidered Uniform Guard were no pushovers. Add to that those elusive and unyielding eunuchs, and while they couldn't completely monitor all the officials in the country, knowing the movements of officials in the capital wouldn't be difficult.

In this respect, it cannot be said that Emperor Jingyang was heartless. When revising the new Ming Code, according to Yang Lian and Zhen Xianshi, it should have been a blanket ban on officials and their families engaging in business, blocking the path of collusion between officials and merchants from the source, thus solving the problem once and for all.

However, Emperor Jingyang, in front of all his ministers at the imperial council, rejected the proposal that had already been approved by a majority, giving a particularly malicious reason. The emperor said that no official could do it, nor could they implement it.

Instead of wasting time and effort creating a bunch of impractical laws that ultimately become political tools for mutual attacks, it's better to take a step back early and create some enforceable and humane regulations. Then, if they become unsuitable for the current situation in the future, they can be revised accordingly.

Ultimately, the new Ming Dynasty law did not include any clauses prohibiting officials from engaging in business. It only stipulated that officials and their direct relatives could not directly engage in business, and that family members engaging in business had to report to the Ministry of Taxation, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard in advance.

However, there were exceptions. High-ranking officials who were eligible to attend the Imperial Council were prohibited from engaging in business within their own clans. However, these officials were not disadvantaged; many years ago, the emperor established an anti-corruption fund specifically for investing in large enterprises, mines, and plantations.

Each high-ranking official in the imperial court received a share of the profits without participating in the business operations, and would receive corresponding dividends at the end of the year. This amount was substantial, exceeding the income of many mid- to lower-ranking officials' families engaged in business. Moreover, as the anti-corruption fund invested in more and more industries, there was a significant annual increase in profits.

The emperor's original intention was to use high salaries to encourage integrity, so that high-ranking officials could shift their focus away from making money and devote more attention to their work.

However, the emperor was unwilling to use the people's tax revenue to pay officials excessively high salaries, so he created a fund. Nominally, it was managed by the empress, but the actual operator was Zhuque, a legitimate member of the imperial family.

However, these shares are not for life; they don't follow the person, but rather their position. In other words, whoever holds this position receives the dividends, but if they retire, are transferred, or are dismissed, sorry, the dividends immediately cease.

This also encourages high-ranking officials to cherish the present, do their jobs well, and act as a firewall. Unless the temptation is particularly great, it is generally impossible to penetrate this wall, and it is easy to choose between what is more important and what is less important.

(End of this chapter)