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Chapter 1478 War Reparations
“In fact, establishing a special zone to implement reforms would have a greater impact on the local area. It would be better to place it in Luzon or Da Nang. I dare to assume that even if something goes wrong, it would be much easier to handle than in the provinces on the mainland.”

At this time, Yuan Chonghuan, who had returned to the capital to report, was also somewhat tempted. The reforms strongly advocated by the emperor should not have any major flaws, and wherever the special zones were set up, the local economy was very likely to grow rapidly.

As a local official, who wouldn't want to achieve outstanding results during their term? They would definitely fight for what they could. Moreover, the reason he put forward was also quite unique: overseas territories are separated by the sea, and although the upper limit may not be as high as Guangdong's, the lower limit is definitely much higher than that of Zhili and Shaanxi.

"Very well, my beloved ministers, please do not argue. I have never said that I would establish special zones. This reform is different from the past. It is no longer starting from scratch, but from one to two. There will certainly be resistance, but it will not be too great, so there is no need to proceed step by step and feel our way across the river."

However, we should not rush things; the most important part is establishing the rules. I will first set a rough timeframe for your reference: two years! Each department should carefully establish the relevant rules within two years, trying to avoid any omissions.

After six months of operation, the timeline will be adjusted based on the progress made. Again, the key is to prioritize stability over speed. Furthermore, this period can be used to disseminate information, allowing the public to prepare mentally, adjust their expectations, and reduce resistance during implementation.

Faced with the court officials' relatively positive attitude, Hong Tao became completely unreasonable. "Special Zones? Don't they see the difference between the current emperor and the emperor thirty years ago? Back then, special zones were established to reduce the provocation on the court officials, to prevent them from rebelling. Now, there's no need for that at all; things have changed!"
However, Hong Tao didn't make the mistake of being too hasty. Implementing a tiered system nationwide and across all industries is indeed a massive undertaking. Therefore, it's crucial to lay a solid foundation beforehand, striving to anticipate most of the drawbacks and find solutions during the policy design phase, rather than feeling one's way forward during the implementation phase.

"Your Majesty, how should we deal with the civil unrest caused by the arms case?" Since the emperor's attitude was clear and he had given a general strategy, the ministers stopped arguing and began to whisper among themselves, discussing how to plan.

Although the Court of Judicial Review is also a key department in the hierarchical system, requiring clear legal definitions, it is much easier than other ministries. Therefore, Zhen Xianshi did not participate in communication with his colleagues, but instead inquired about the most difficult case at present.

"The circumstances are understandable, but the law is unforgiving! If it is found that military personnel were involved, their benefits should be revoked and they should be punished according to the law. Do not hesitate, for without rules there can be no order. The laws of the Ming Dynasty are not made for a select few; everyone except me must be treated equally."

Local officials who failed to act decisively should all be dismissed and sent back to Beijing for re-evaluation by the Ministry of Personnel. Those found to have been involved will be punished even more severely, and will not be pardoned! Ma Baoguo, the Ministry of Education must conduct effective public relations work on this matter to prevent anyone from muddying the waters.

The most important task at hand is to prepare for negotiations with the Western Regions; this cannot be taken lightly. If we cannot secure as much of the war's spoils as possible from the negotiating table, then the blood shed by the soldiers on the front lines will have been in vain.

Yang Sichang, let me first briefly outline the preliminary plan prepared by the Ministry of Rites. My beloved ministers and I will listen attentively, reflecting on our thoughts and filling in any gaps. Let's set aside other matters for now; this is a time of harvest, and it is only right that the ruler and his subjects share in the joy!

Even if Zhen Xianshi hadn't asked, Hong Tao still had to make a clear statement on this matter; otherwise, none of the court officials would have dared to make a final decision. The final decision was simple: treat everyone equally.

Regardless of whether they are military personnel or family members of martyrs, no one can be treated specially under the law. They have already been given the honor of direct access to the emperor, but they refuse to use it and insist on becoming a mob. They can only become chickens for the court to establish rules and prestige, to be slaughtered for more people to see.

However, compared to other matters, the tiered reform and the arms theft case were not particularly urgent. Last week, Huang Taiji sent an urgent official document reporting that the Tsarist Russian delegation had passed through Turkestan. According to the estimated pace of the Wanli Emperor's caravans, the journey from Beijing to the Ili region would take at least four months, and would be further extended if extreme weather or war occurred along the way.

However, ever since the Yarkand Khanate was incorporated into the Ming Empire and railways were built intermittently along the Silk Road, this arduous and long journey suddenly became within reach.

Except for the possibility of the tracks being blocked by heavy snow and floods during the winter and summer seasons, the horse-drawn carriages can run at a speed of 300 kilometers per day during the rest of the year. Including the time for transfers and rest stops along the way, the Russian delegation will arrive in Beijing by the end of February.

Although Tsarist Russia suffered a complete defeat in this war and was the first to willingly become the easy target, so the outcome was unlikely to be too unexpected, contingency plans still needed to be prepared.

The Ming Empire is no longer the nouveau riche it was during its expansionist period, where it would take everything, useful or useless, and even if it wanted to take advantage of someone, it would have to be selective. Therefore, it is necessary to first compile a list based on the intelligence at hand, including two main parts: war reparations and punitive reparations.

The Ministry of Rites is already working on this. There's still some time at today's imperial meeting, so why not bring it up and discuss it together? Should we accept Xi'er from his family? Or should we accept Xi'er's mother as well?

"According to data collected by the Ministry of Rites over the years, the population of Tsarist Russia was approximately 12 million. However, the population was relatively dispersed, with only Moscow, Novgorod, Pskov, Yaroslavl, Kazan, Astrakhan, Kostroma, and Arkhangelsk having populations exceeding 10,000."

As is well known, Tsarist Russia was very poor. Data before its interactions with the Ming Dynasty is unclear. After years of aid, its annual GDP is estimated to be around 180 million rubles.

According to the calculation methods of various European countries, this amount of money was equivalent to 180 million Spanish pesos, or about 90 million imperial silver coins. However, due to the low level of domestic monetization and the prevalence of barter, the imperial treasury only received between 500,000 and 800,000 imperial silver coins annually.

I believe that the primary form of reparations to Tsarist Russia should be gold and silver. Even if we were to burn all the wine vessels and plates in the homes of their king and nobles, we probably wouldn't be able to gather much. Besides furs, livestock, timber, and grain, there are no other valuable goods that can be used as compensation.”

If this task had been given to the previous Minister of Rites, he wouldn't have been able to come up with a feasible plan, let alone in a week, or even in ten years. It wasn't that he wasn't dedicated to his work, nor that he lacked ability; rather, it was due to a lack of international relations, an inability to find supporting data, and an unclear understanding of the other party's financial situation and annual income.

By the time of Yang Sichang's term, it had become customary to open our eyes to the world and send envoys to engage with it. After more than a decade of accumulation, we were finally able to clarify these fundamental issues.

(End of this chapter)