Starting in Saarhu, it is a bit difficult to make a comeback.

Chapter 233: Rewards the heroes, China takes back Macau (please subscribe for monthly tickets)

After the establishment of the new dynasty, there were many things. First of all, there were many vassal princes and nobles left over from the previous dynasty.

Although Li Xianzhong had been solving these problems for a long time, he used Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong to kill a large number of vassal kings.

However, there were still many vassal kings who sought refuge with the Hongguang court.

For example, King Dai, King Lu, King De, etc. have accepted the money and grain and a large amount of farmland from these vassal kings, and accepted the concession of the Ming Dynasty. Now, if we want to formally abolish these former vassal kings, it must be unfair and inconsistent.

Fortunately, when Zhu Yousong negotiated with him, he only cared about his own treatment, and the two parties did not reach an agreement on how to deal with other former Ming clans, which still left a lot of room for maneuver.

It has been more than 260 years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty. During the Zhu Yuanzhang period, his descendants were only 58. During the Jiajing period, the number of registered clans exceeded 2, and in the middle of Wanli, the number reached an astonishing more than 8.

Now I'm afraid it has already exceeded 10 people.

It was naturally impossible for Li Xianzhong to provide money to support these former Ming clan members.

The Ming Dynasty had great restrictions on clans. These people could neither obtain honors and serve as officials, nor do business or join the army, nor could they even leave their fiefdoms.

In the end, Li Xianzhong gave them two choices. One was to continue to retain the clan membership of the former Ming Dynasty.

The Chinese court arranged all the former Ming Dynasty clans to the imperial city of Fengyang.

These people could not leave the Fengyang Imperial City. The Chinese court paid these clans according to the standard of 1000 taels for the prince, 500 taels for the county prince, 100 taels for the general, and 50 taels for the general and below.

Of course, clans in the pre-Ming Dynasty could also choose to give up their clan membership. After that, the Chinese court would no longer care about these clans, and they would be no different from ordinary people.

You can leave your fiefdom, engage in any job, or obtain a title and become an official.

Nowadays, there are not many princes, princes, and princes in the Ming Dynasty. Although other clans take this little money every year and have to pay for their own freedom, they may be liquidated in the future.

It was obvious that Li Xianzhong was forcing them to give up their clan membership.

In the end, except for hundreds of low-ranking clans such as General Fengguo and Lieutenant Zhenguo, who chose to retain their status, the other clans chose to give up their clan membership.

After all, although those vassal kings handed over a large amount of farmland and were harvested by Li Xianzhong, they still had huge wealth. Even without their clan membership, they can still live very comfortably.

Once the emperor and the courtiers, this clan status of the previous dynasty might bring disaster to their lives, so they were afraid to avoid it.

Li Xianzhong, a nobleman of the Ming Dynasty, was relatively tolerant. He only lowered the treatment of the nobles of the previous dynasty, but did not deprive them of their titles.

The annual salary of a duke is 3000 taels, that of a marquis is 2000 taels, and that of an earl is 1000 taels.

After all, compared to the huge size of the Zhu Ming royal family, Xungui is not even a fraction.

Moreover, Li Xianzhong used Nanjing's granary to set fire to the nobles of Southern Zhili, and almost got rid of them all.

Li Xianzhong himself was a member of the nobles of the capital. These people also supported his ascension to the throne. It was also his original promise to retain the titles passed down from their ancestors.

The wealth of these people was all deposited in Liaodong Bank, and Li Xianzhong knew very well that they were all owners who were not short of money.

It is unique in Chinese history that nobles from the previous dynasty can continue to inherit titles and receive salaries in the new dynasty.

After dealing with the clan and vassal kings of the previous dynasty, the next step is naturally the clan of this dynasty.

The Li family in Liaodong is a big family.

Even counting only Li Chengliang's direct descendants, there are already hundreds of people.

If we follow the previous practice, it will be a huge expense.

This is also the reason why Li Xianzhong is unwilling to overuse the Li family.

The only Li family member he really valued was Li Rubai's eldest son, Li Huaizhong.

As for his father, Li Rusong, his eldest brother Li Shizhong has passed away and has no heirs.

The second brother Li Xingzhong also became the commander-in-chief of Jizhou and controlled the Nanzhen Fusi of Jinyiwei.

He named Li Xingzhong King Ji, but it was not hereditary.

Li Rusong's other brothers are all deceased, so Li Xianzhong was generous to these deceased uncles. Third uncle Li Ruzhen, fourth uncle Li Ruzhang, and fifth uncle Li Rumei were also granted the title of prince.

The other four uncles were granted the title of county prince.

In this way, all eight of Li Rusong's younger brothers became princes or county kings.

However, only Li Rubai's Liao king is hereditary, and the other princes are not hereditary.

After all, Li Rubai is his second uncle on the surface, but he actually has the kindness to raise and promote him, and he has the same affection as his father and son.

It is also appropriate for his descendants to be hereditary.

Other titles are inherited by demotion, and there is only one heir.

The prince's eldest son inherits the title of county prince, and then the title of duke, duke, marquis, earl, and general protecting the country.

The clans in China are only at level 7, and after that there are ordinary people.

This can avoid excessive burden on the clan.

In addition, the Chinese clans do not engage in Zhu Ming's method of establishing vassals, and they are all in the capital.

There are corresponding land titles for the title: 1 acres for prince, 5 acres for county prince, 1500 acres for duke, 1000 acres for county prince, acres for marquis, and acres for earl.

Of course, in China, except for soldiers with military merit who can be exempted from land tax for a certain period of time, all land in China must pay grain.

In this way, no matter whether it is the clan or the nobles, the burden on the court will not be too great.

However, the Chinese clan has no restrictions on becoming an official.

Members of the clan can also control the military and political power, and even enter the cabinet.

Li Huaizhong is the governor of Zhili, and Li Xingzhong is still the commander-in-chief of Jizhou, holding military power around the capital.

The first assistant, Yan Mingtai, and the second assistant, Li Sanshun, were actually the top civil servants and generals whom Li Xianzhong acquiesced to.

Yan Mingtai was granted the title of Duke of South Korea, and Li Sanshun was granted the title of Duke of Jin.

They are also the only two dukes.

Mao Yuanyi controlled the Intelligence Department and was the Crown Prince and Tutor, and was granted the title of Marquis of An.

Fan Wencheng had been managing Li Xianzhong's finances since Pinglubao. He controlled the money bag of the Liaodong Army and was named Marquis of Fushun.

Among the remaining meritorious ministers, Kong Youde was granted the title of North Korea's uncle, Sun Chuanting was granted the title of Taiwan's uncle, Xiong Tingbi was granted the title of Hami's uncle, and Zheng Zhilong was granted the title of Liuqiu's uncle.

Yan Mingtai, Li Sanshun, Mao Yuanyi, and Fan Wencheng are all Li Xianzhong's confidants. They have followed him for more than ten years, so it is reasonable for them to be granted the title of Duke.

Kong Youde and other four people basically all contributed to the expansion of territory.

In the new dynasty, apart from the Li royal family, including Gao Jie and Zuo Liangyu, who were previously knighted, there were actually only ten people in total who were knighted.

Li Xianzhong also had his own requirements for the title of nobility, which was to expand territory.

However, he was not stingy with the officers and soldiers of the Liaodong Army.

He used part of the 20 hectares of imperial estate inherited from Emperor Hongguang and the large amounts of land donated by lords and gentry from various places to be distributed to the meritorious officials of the Liaodong Army.

Nearly 1080 soldiers received land based on their accumulated military merit, with a total of million acres distributed.

Li Xianzhong handed over the ownership of the remaining land to the Ministry of Household Affairs as official land, and he only retained 80 acres of land in Liaodong as the imperial village.

It turned out that Li Xianzhong's personal property was basically used as Liaodong's military expenses.

Now he personally retains only 2% of the shares of Liaodong Bank and the East India Company, and all other shares are transferred to the household department.

As a result, the Ministry of Household Affairs has a large number of state-owned enterprises.

In particular, Liaodong Bank is basically equivalent to China's central bank. The final shareholding ratio was 2% for Li Xianzhong, 5% for the household department, and 3% for other shareholders.

Dongliuqiu Company has 2% Li Xianzhong, 2% Zheng Zhilong, and 6% Hubu.

After taking over a large number of high-quality assets in Liaodong, the income of the Ministry of Revenue was naturally much higher than that of the Ming Dynasty.

However, Li Xianzhong was still shocked after receiving the budget plan for the first year of Qianxi submitted by the cabinet.

The fiscal deficit was actually as high as 2000 million taels of silver.

Li Xianzhong's crazy plundering last year did not consume much silver deposits. Today, there are still 3000 million taels of silver in Taicang of the Ministry of Revenue.

There was a deficit of 2000 million taels a year. Then in the second year of Qianxi, wouldn’t the Ministry of Household Affairs be empty?

Fan Wencheng, Minister of Revenue, said: "The cabinet has repeatedly reduced expenditures!"

Li Xianzhong took over the income and expenditure statement submitted by the household department.

The estimated income of the imperial court in the first year of Qianxi includes.

The customs duties of the City Shipping Department were 380 million taels of silver.

Taxes on salt, tea and wine from various places amounted to 360 million taels.

Commercial taxes and deed taxes in various places were 300 million taels of silver.

The income from various mines and mining taxes was 210 million taels of silver.

The dividend of Liaodong Bank is 300 million taels of silver.

Dong Ryukyu Company's profit share was 350 million taels.

State-owned enterprises in Liaodong generated revenue of 200 million taels.

Revenue from trade with Outer Khalkha and Oirat Mongolia was 100 million taels.

The agricultural taxes collected by various chief ministers across the country are estimated to be 3800 million shi on grain, of which 1200 million shi will be handed over to the central government.

The rental income of official fields in various places is about 1200 million shi.

In this way, the imperial court's income was 2200 million taels of silver and 5000 million shi of grain.

According to the price of one stone of grain at 5 taels, the income from grain is equivalent to 2500 million taels; even if only the 2400 million stone of grain directly handed over to the central household department are counted, the income from grain is still 1200 million taels.

The income of more than 30 million taels of silver has long exceeded the highest income of the Ming Dynasty.

However, the expenditure is even more terrible, with as many as 50 troops requiring direct payment from the central government.

The salary of these people alone is as high as 1200 million taels.

The imperial court greatly improved the treatment of officials. Although the bonuses were partly paid by local taxes, the salary part was still distributed by the imperial court, which was as high as 340 million taels.

Then there are the newly conquered seven provinces of Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi, Huguang, Jiangxi, Guangxi, and Fujian. The central government is expected to allocate 7 million taels (1000 million taels for Sichuan's land conversion alone).

The imperial court's military budget is 800 million taels, which is mainly used for the updated equipment of artillery and gunfire, as well as the manufacturing of new warships and the research and development of new technologies.

In addition, the investment budget for each province to build roads, build new commercial ports, and establish schools is 800 million taels.

The royal family’s expenditure was 180 million taels (including the previous dynasty).

The expenditure was as high as 5320 million taels of silver.

There is indeed a fiscal deficit of nearly 2000 million taels.

Fan Wencheng said: "Some costs can actually be reduced. For example, the scale of 'returning local people to local people' should be smaller, and the number of schools established in various places should be reduced."

Li Xianzhong said: "The 'return to local rule' in Sichuan and other places must be strictly implemented. Once this opportunity is missed, there will be no chance to completely win over the territory of those chieftains in the future. The investment in the first year is the largest. , I will ask for younger ones more and more in the future.”

"We can't save money on building new schools in various places and hiring teachers."

"Nowadays, the literacy rate of our Chinese people is too low. It is urgent to gradually popularize primary schools in various places!"

"However, it cannot be fully supported by the central government's finances. Rich provinces such as Liaodong, Southern Zhili, and Zhejiang are ordered to bear half of the cost. In this way, the central government can save 200 million taels."

"As for the road construction, I will find a way to let private capital participate in the road. After the road is built, the court will set up a toll gate. These investors can recover their investment every year. In this way, the court can also get 300 million taels less!"

Of course, borrowing private capital and local finance cannot fundamentally solve financial problems.

To solve the financial problem, we still need to open source to increase revenue.

The land and population data of the previous Ming Dynasty are too watery.

A comprehensive census and land survey must be conducted, otherwise a lot of taxes from the court will definitely be missed.

In addition, trade revenue must be increased. Originally, only a few ports in the north were conducting trade, and the revenue from tariffs was definitely limited.

On the first day of February, China announced the opening of 13 ports including Incheon, Yingkou, Lushun, Tianjin, Dengzhou, Qingdao, Wusong, Ningbo, Quanzhou, Guangzhou, Macau, Keelung, and Naha for foreign trade.

Municipal shipping departments were set up in these ports to ensure the collection of customs duties.

Among these 13 open ports, Macau is undoubtedly the most special. Currently, its actual control is not in the hands of China. China only has sovereignty over Macau.

For Li Xianzhong, this is absolutely intolerable!

Although the Portuguese only obtained the right of residence in Macau, they actually did not have the right to garrison troops. They relied on bribes and the payment of some tariffs to the Ming Dynasty every year to achieve the current garrison.

After Sun Chuanting became the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, he naturally would not spoil them.

The Ming army's 1800-ton Galen sailing ship directly blocked the port of Macau, and then began to shell the forts in Macau.

Although the Portuguese have been strengthening the defense of Macau and building forts and land fortresses.

However, the number of troops stationed in Macau is too small, and the Chinese army's explosive shells are extremely lethal to personnel.

And their merchant ships are no match for the Chinese Navy.

In the end, the Portuguese Governor of Macau, Amarius, was forced by the pressure of the Chinese army and led the garrison in Macau to surrender to the Chinese army.

Sun Chuanting, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, directly sent troops to Macau and confiscated the property of the so-called Macau Governor's Palace.

However, they did not drive away Macau businessmen who were doing business normally.

Instead, the land deeds were replaced for them. In the future, Macau will become a port open to the outside world. The Portuguese can continue to do business in Macau and their existing private land can continue to be used, but they must pay taxes to the Chinese court in accordance with the law!

Facing the powerful Chinese government, the Portuguese quickly chose to surrender.

China has opened 13 ports at once, and the maritime powers in the West are naturally very happy.

After all, the richness of China's products cannot be matched by any other country.

In addition to traditional porcelain, silk, and tea, China is also the only country in East Asia that can produce industrial products such as glass, cement, and steel.

Following Portugal, Spain and England also signed a trade agreement with China.

Both sides open ports to each other.

In addition to the mainland, these countries will also open their colonial ports to China.

At present, only the Netherlands has not signed a new trade agreement with the Chinese Conquest.

Because the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) occupied by the Netherlands is actually a bit close to China.

Once it is opened to China, I am afraid that Chinese goods will soon occupy this place.

Therefore, the Dutch government commissioned the Dutch East India Company to send a large delegation of more than 100 people to the capital to negotiate with the Chinese court!

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(End of this chapter)