Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A knock sounded at the door, and Wen Zhenmeng soon heard the gatekeeper report that several soldiers had come to the door.

Upon hearing the guest's identity, Wen Zhenmeng asked in surprise:

"Why are the hundred households responsible for the street coming to our door for no reason?"

"Has someone in your family committed a crime? How did they get involved with them?"

After the reform of the garrison system in the capital, garrison soldiers were assigned to every ward and every street.

They are responsible for military service, assisting police stations in checking household registrations and maintaining public order, and possess certain law enforcement powers.

When Wen Zhenmeng heard that a hundred households had come to his door, his first thought was that someone in his family had committed a crime.

He was furious about this, because this reshuffle was a crucial juncture in his political career.

Whether he can become a Grand Secretary in the future depends on whether he can be promoted to the position of Grand Secretary of the Secretariat.

If he were impeached and lost his promotion opportunity because of a family member's misconduct, Wen Zhenmeng would probably be furious. He is extremely angry right now.
"Say!"

"Who among you committed a crime? Turn yourselves in."

"The laws and regulations were established for you. Don't delude yourselves into thinking that I will violate them to protect you!"

They made their stance clear first, distancing themselves from the situation.

The doorman, trembling with fear, racked his brains trying to recall if he had committed any crimes outside, and stammered:
"Sir, they've come to collect... the gold."

"They said they wanted to buy gold!"

"Are you here to confiscate gold?" Wen Zhenmeng and Yao Ximeng exchanged a glance upon hearing this.

The two realized at the same time that this was preparation for issuing vouchers.

If the imperial court wants to issue pledged gold certificates, it naturally needs to receive enough gold.

Having already resolved to implement the court's measures, he naturally would not object and immediately gave the order:
"quick!"

"Aren't you going to lead me to greet them!"

He took the initiative to go out the gate and welcome the centurion inside.

Although this person was doing trivial tasks, he was a genuine sixth-rank military officer, and it was a hereditary position.

Even if Wen Zhenmeng passed the imperial examination with top honors, his initial official position would only be a sixth-rank official.

After the emperor established civil military officers and partially swapped positions between civil and military officials, no one dared to underestimate these hereditary officials.

These people, as long as they are willing to become officials, can be demoted three ranks to become civilian military officers and then gradually rise to hereditary ranks.

When Wen Zhenmeng faced this centurion, he put aside his airs and took the initiative to greet him.

When Wang Baihu, the leader of the group, saw that Wen Zhenmeng, the top scholar, had come out to see him and even invited him inside for tea, he felt his bones melt.

In the past, even the top scholar might not have paid attention to the commander of the Five Military Commissions.

As a mere centurion, I would never even see them.

Now things are much better. The emperor values ​​hereditary officials and even allows them to transfer their titles. Although Commander Wang is reluctant to go overseas while staying in the capital, he genuinely feels his status has been elevated.

Even if he was in charge of trivial matters in the capital, he was happy to do so.

Wang Baihu declined Wen Zhenmeng's invitation, saying:

“Scholar, I have come here to inform you that all scholars, especially officials, must voluntarily declare their assets, particularly the gold hidden in their homes.”

"If anyone else has more than 10 kilograms of gold, which is 266 taels in the new system, they can also be reported."

"The imperial court will issue vouchers in gold, and no family is allowed to own more than ten kilograms of gold."

As he spoke, he ordered someone to bring out a stone lock, which weighed exactly ten kilograms.

Wen Zhenmeng suggested that someone consider whether the amount of gold stored at home exceeded this weight, and if so, it would be best to sell it.

Since Wen Zhenmeng had decided to support the court's policies, he naturally endorsed them.

However, he was puzzled as to why it was Commander Wang who came to inform him:

"Aren't you from the garrison? Why are you meddling in this kind of thing?"

"His Majesty has decreed that, except for the military and civilian offices and military and civilian guards on the frontier, military personnel are not allowed to interfere in politics. Some time ago, he also set out regulations prohibiting military personnel from forming associations."

"The collection of gold is the Ministry of Revenue's business, why are you issuing the notice?"

"Is someone concealing their information and not handing it over, and you even broke into their home to search for them?"

Wang Baihu chuckled dryly and said:
"This is not us interfering in politics, it's us cooperating with the police station."

"The Ministry of Revenue and the Embroidered Uniform Guard jointly issued an edict stating that gold is related to national security and financial order."

"In accordance with the imperial court's ban on gold leaving the country, the three ministries took joint action to investigate the gold hidden among the people."

“Everyone who has hidden money should report it. Otherwise, if it is discovered later and the source cannot be explained, they will be prosecuted for the crime of possessing a huge amount of property with unknown sources.”

"If a citizen or scholar is convicted of a crime, his or her scholar status will be revoked, his or her political rights will be stripped, and he or she may even be included in the list of those to be exiled by lot."

“Scholar, you are a distinguished member of the Hanlin Academy, so I’m sure you won’t make things difficult for us.”

"We hope you will inform the police station after you have reported the incident."

Having come this far, Wen Zhenmeng certainly wouldn't make things difficult for Commander Wang; he was merely a messenger.

However, he was genuinely dissatisfied with the imperial court's dispatch of military officers from the garrison to issue the notification:
What does it mean?
Threaten them with military officers?
Therefore, he proudly declared:
"I will naturally sell my hidden gold to the imperial court. You may now report back."

"Does the imperial court still want the silver? Should it be collected in paper money?"

Wang Baihu handed a copy of the official document to Wen Zhenmeng and asked him to sign the notification form.

After completing the task, he chuckled and said:

"The imperial court does not accept silver, but I heard that the circulation of silver ingots will be prohibited."

"Only silver coins and standard silver ingots and silver bricks minted by the imperial court are allowed to continue circulating in order to regulate market order."

"If you have more than 10,000 taels of silver at home, it is advisable to deposit it in a bank to avoid evading property tax and being implicated in a case of having a huge amount of unexplained wealth."

“Bachelor of Arts, you have a bright future ahead of you, so don’t let it ruin you.”

His words seemed to be a gesture of goodwill, a deliberate reminder.

Wen Zhenmeng frowned upon hearing this, truly sensing the trouble ahead.

According to the imperial court's measure, he could only keep 10,000 taels of silver in his household; the rest had to be deposited in the bank.

If he doesn't comply, accusations of tax evasion, unexplained wealth, and other misconceptions will follow.

His future prospects in officialdom were naturally greatly affected.

So after seeing Wang Baihu off, he sighed deeply:
"The imperial court is using military force to collect gold and silver; they are determined to issue vouchers."

"If this is how it is, how can it be the way of governance?"

"Does that mean everything has to be done with force?"

Yao Ximeng was equally dissatisfied, but he knew he couldn't defy the imperial court. If his uncle governed with this mindset, it would be difficult for him to achieve any notable accomplishments in the next six months.

Therefore, he offered words of comfort:
"The vouchers are of great importance, and the imperial court must be cautious."

"Besides, we can keep ten kilograms of cash and ten thousand taels of silver, which is enough for household use and will not affect the livelihood of most people."

"Let's find the extra gold and silver in our house as soon as possible, exchange them, and deposit them in the bank."

Wen Zhenmeng still harbored resentment, but considering the Planning and Development Commission related to the vouchers and the social security fund that supported scholars, he finally shook his head and packed up the gold and silver as Yao Ximeng had instructed.
-
Most officials in the capital shared this view, and the imperial court's gold acquisition proceeded smoothly. Silver reserves also increased significantly, as these were deposits made by major banks as reserve requirements after receiving silver deposits.

The Gold Reserves Association used its silver coin reserves to purchase gold, and then minted the newly acquired silver into silver ingots and bricks, intending to use them when silver coins were in short supply.

In addition to purchasing gold at the standard price of 15 gold, they also purchase gold at market prices on metal exchanges.

The price of gold soared, quickly rising to over fifteen dollars.

At this point, those who owned gold began to hold back their sales, and many people realized that gold was more valuable than silver. Compared to storing silver, storing gold was a better way to preserve value.

However, the imperial court forbade them from hiding gold.

Newspapers began publishing extensive articles about laws concerning gold, stating that after the issuance of gold vouchers, the imperial court would use these vouchers to forcibly purchase gold.

They even encourage the public to report such incidents and offer rewards for doing so.

After making an example of a few wealthy households by searching their homes and confiscating their property on other charges, the merchants and residents of the capital quickly became obedient and dutifully handed over their gold.

The price of gold has stabilized at around fifteen dollars, and no one dares to speculate on gold at this critical juncture.

This was strongly promoted by the Grand Secretary and was related to the interests of all scholars.

If this matter is ruined, none of my children or grandchildren will ever become scholars.

Even before the new Currency Act has been introduced, measures concerning gold have already begun to be implemented.

The existing laws are sufficient to carry out the collection of gold.

Zhu Youjian was quite satisfied with this, and what pleased him even more was the execution ability demonstrated by the Capital Garrison.

After he arranged for the Embroidered Uniform Guard to issue the order, the plan was quickly implemented.

This means that his control over the capital has extended to every household, achieving his goal of reforming the capital's garrisons.

Regardless of whether the vouchers can be issued nationwide, at least in Beijing, it's already a certainty.

Given the current rate of currency circulation, Zhu Youjian planned to spend several years gradually spreading the currency from the capital, Shuntian Prefecture, Beizhili, and so on.

It can be said that the current situation is very good, and the vouchers will most likely be successfully issued.

However, it wasn't without its problems. Many civil officials criticized the soldiers of the garrisons for their brutality, and some even accused them of using their power to extort gold. Zhu Youjian was furious about this and ordered:

“Anyone who extorts money from the people or hides money in secret will be demoted from officer to sergeant, and from sergeant to military household and sent to Liaodong to serve in the army.”

"Furthermore, let the people of the capital conduct an evaluation of the local garrisons. The three garrisons with the lowest scores will be relocated, and half of the hereditary officials and soldiers will be relocated to Liaodong."

"The same applies to the centurions within each garrison; those who don't perform their duties properly are relocated."

Instruct Yuan Keli to continue pushing forward the reform of the garrison system and transform them into a qualified national guard force.

After receiving the order, Yuan Keli made a special audience with the emperor to advise him:
"The restless ones in the capital's garrisons have long been dealt with, and those who remain are relatively well-behaved."

"What is needed now is to reassure them and help them settle in their newly relocated location."

"Even if His Majesty wants to make changes, he will have to wait a few more years."

“We will evaluate them after the people have elected their representatives and understand how to participate in politics.”

He believes that the most important thing now is to maintain stability and stabilize the morale of the troops in the capital.

Knowing the local situation well, he knew that the capital must remain stable to prevent unrest in the region.

Especially now that the emperor needs to use the garrisons, we must not let them run wild, and we must not be too harsh on them.

Upon hearing Yuan Keli's advice, Zhu Youjian realized that he had acted impulsively again.

He still needs to use the garrison to collect gold, so he can't punish them so severely.

Therefore, he readily agreed and said:
"Since Yuan Qing says so, then we will not carry it out for the time being."

"However, anyone who misbehaves in the garrisons will be expelled from the capital."

"Let the officials of each guard make their own evaluations, and at least one-tenth of them should be relocated."

"Those soldiers who made contributions in Liaodong and insisted on serving as officials in the garrisons in the capital still need job placements!"

"We can't just clear out the excess of hereditary officials and then immediately exceed the quota limit again."

"Even if I were willing to do so, there aren't that many hereditary estates in the capital."

Upon hearing this reason, Yuan Keli understood why the emperor still wanted to move against the garrisons in the capital, even though the reform of the garrisons had just been completed.

The meritorious soldiers of Liaodong were a group even more powerful than the hereditary officials of the capital's garrisons.

These people must be properly settled, otherwise the entire Ming Dynasty may descend into chaos.

Therefore, he immediately agreed to relocate the hereditary officials of the garrison as required by the emperor.

He actually disliked some people and planned to throw them out this time.

This relocation of one-tenth of the officials will serve as a lesson in awe for the remaining hereditary officials.

If they don't behave, they will be driven out of the capital and sent to other places.

After agreeing on this matter, Yuan Keli brought up another thing:

“Li Banghua…”

As soon as the name was uttered, Zhu Youjian waved his hand and said:

“Li Banghua has formed a society. According to the regulations that military personnel are not allowed to form parties or join societies, he should leave the military.”

"The Beijing Garrison is the imperial guards, and people with partisan leanings cannot be appointed as guards."

"This isn't just targeting him, it's targeting everyone."

"And Xiong Mingyu should also step down from his position as Vice Minister of War."

Seeing the emperor's resolute attitude, Yuan Keli was at a loss.

Although he had a good relationship with Li Banghua, he was more in favor of the emperor when it came to the principle of non-partisanship among military personnel.

Considering that the emperor had always valued Li Banghua highly, he did not mention him again.

But there was another thing he was worried about, and he asked the emperor:

“Sun Chengzong was also included in the Donglin Party.”

"After returning to the capital, he was originally appointed as the governor of the Beijing Garrison. Should we reconsider?"

Zhu Youjian frowned, knowing that this matter was troublesome.

Sun Chengzong made great contributions in quelling the rebellion in Liaodong. If he is not properly settled, the meritorious officials in Liaodong will certainly be dissatisfied.

Zhu Youjian also wanted to use the newly rich in Liaodong to force the nobles in the capital to open their own fiefdoms, so of course he had to treat them well.

So after considering it, he said:

“In addition to military personnel not forming parties, nobles should also not form parties, and Sun Chengzong should declare his withdrawal from any party or social organization whose members hold official positions.”

"Try to persuade him to follow the rules."

"He's a hereditary marquis now, don't get involved in that stuff anymore."

A clear warning was issued, demanding that Sun Chengzong withdraw from the Donglin Party and the social groups that had split off from it.

If Sun Chengzong doesn't comply, he has plenty of ways to deal with the meritorious officials.

Yuan Keli was aware of all this; the methods Emperor Taizu used to deal with his meritorious officials were all recorded in the historical books. With the current emperor's prestige, no nobleman could withstand the blow.

He didn't want his old friend to be targeted by the emperor, and planned to persuade him to obey the imperial decree and withdraw from the political party after Sun Chengzong arrived in Beijing. (End of Chapter)