Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Han Yu, who was mentioned by Qian Qianyi and Qu Shisi, was also sighing at this time.

He didn't expect that he would be involved in a case because of his relatives' affairs.

Before the emperor sent the Jinyiwei to Shanxi to investigate, he informed his relatives such as the Zhang family and the Wang family, asking them to act carefully and clean up their previous mess.

Unexpectedly, because of the connections between Shanxi businessmen, the Zhang family was still involved and even implicated themselves.

This made him doubt himself, whether he really couldn't manage his relatives well:

"For now, I can only take the initiative to plead guilty."

"I hope Your Majesty will give me some face."

He submitted a memorial, stating his crime of not managing his family properly and requesting the emperor to punish him.

Inevitably, the memorial contained a request for resignation, after all, he still had to save face.

After receiving the memorial, Zhu Youjian frowned slightly.

In his heart, he did not want Han Yu to resign. Although this prime minister had no great talent, he also had no effective strategy for governing the country.

However, he had a gentle temperament and did not have to worry about the cabinet resisting the various reforms he wanted to implement.

Moreover, he decided to establish a term system, so he had to let this prime minister, who was appointed by the platform, serve for one term. Otherwise, the court would always be in turmoil, which would make the country unstable.

So after thinking it over, he summoned Han Yu to have a conversation with him.

Because it was a private conversation, Zhu Youjian summoned him to the Western Garden, inside the Purple Pavilion.

When Han Yu heard that the emperor wanted to communicate with him privately, his first reaction was to refuse, because such a private conversation would damage his reputation.

But after hearing the eunuch say that the emperor was waiting for him in the Purple Pavilion in the Western Garden, he couldn't help but sigh, thinking of the expectations of the emperor and his subjects when he first took office.

At that time, the emperor said that he would reserve a fief of 300 li for him, which was the same treatment as many Purple Pavilion heroes.

I didn't expect that there would be a crisis of cabinet overthrow before I even finished my term.

This forced him to let go of his pride and said to the eunuch who was delivering the message:

"Please lead the way, sir. I will be there soon."

Arriving at the Purple Pavilion in the Western Garden, Han Yu was even more moved, because the emperor was not only waiting for him in the pavilion, but also specially set up several couches and invited him to sit down and talk:

"I previously talked about the five-level needs theory, and the fourth level is respect."

"As the Prime Minister, I naturally respect Mr. Han."

"I just don't know what concerns Han Qing has, and what needs are not met?"

Han Yu fell silent upon hearing this, and thought of yesterday's imperial lecture.

Although the five-level needs theory was unheard of, it came from the words of ancient sages and he agreed with it in his heart.

According to the five levels of needs mentioned by the emperor, his physiological needs, safety needs, and emotional needs must be met. After the emperor was appointed as prime minister before and now sits down to discuss the need for respect, there is no doubt about it.

The remaining unmet need is undoubtedly self-realization——

Forget about realizing his ambitions now, even whether he can continue to serve as the Prime Minister requires the emperor's favor.

This made him silent for a while, then he stood up and bowed to the emperor:
"I have failed your Majesty's trust. Please allow me to resign."

He knelt on the ground for a while and begged the emperor for punishment.

Zhu Youjian sighed, stepped forward and helped him up, saying:
"Why is this necessary, Han Qing?"

"I won't implicate you in what the Zhang family did."

"If you really resign, you will be failing in your trust."

They forcibly lifted Han Yu up and pressed him down on the couch.

Han Yu wanted to hold on, but his body, over sixty years old, was unable to compete with the emperor who had practiced martial arts for many years. He was pressed on the couch by the emperor and had no choice but to sit down.

After he sat down, Zhu Youjian continued:

"There's no need to mention resignation anymore."

“The most important thing now is to solve the problem.”

"Han Qing, please tell me how to solve the problem of Shanxi merchants."

"The results of this investigation are shocking!"

He had always wanted to take action against the Shanxi merchants, but he was stopped by Han Yu twice before.

Now that this has happened, Han Yu has no reason to continue to stop it, and can only say:

"Your Majesty, the trade between Shanxi merchants and the grasslands has been going on for decades since the Longqing Peace Agreement."

"No one expected the grassland to change so suddenly, so some merchants continued to trade and committed the crime of collusion with the enemy."

"I think that merchants who are found to be colluding with the enemy should be severely punished and their property should be confiscated."

Finally hearing the words "confiscation of property" from Han Yu's mouth, Zhu Youjian nodded with satisfaction, thinking that Han Yu was a sensible person.

But in the current situation, just confiscating merchants who colluded with the enemy would not satisfy his appetite. He also wanted to take advantage of those who were involved like the Zhang family.

Knocking on the table in front of him, Zhu Youjian said:
"The Zhang family's wealth should be no less than a million, right?"

"Zhang Siwei cannot be granted a title based on his merits, but his descendants are rich and can donate for the title."

"Write a letter and persuade him to give you some money."

"The three major protectorates in the south of the desert are mobilizing troops, and there is also the war next year, so we need to raise military funds!"

"If this matter can be resolved, I will forgive them for what happened and return the titles they donated to them."

"If you can't solve it, don't blame them for colluding with the enemy and violating the laws of the court."

He had long thought of confiscating the money of Shanxi merchants to pay for military expenses, but Bi Ziyan, Yuan Shizhen and others had done too good a job in maintaining financial balance, so he felt that it was not necessary.

Now, seeing that there will be a war next year, and coinciding with the reform of the eleven-tax land tax, he finally decided to confiscate the Shanxi merchants and use it as military expenses for next year.

Those merchants who secretly communicated with the Jianlu or even actively traded with them in order to get back their property would certainly have their property confiscated and beheaded. He wanted to let everyone in the world know the outcome of doing business with the Jianlu.

However, for those who were implicated but did not actively trade with the Jianlu, they would be dealt with leniently. Zhu Youjian decided to let them bleed a little and keep their lives as a warning to others.

When Han Yu heard this, he knew that the lives of many Shanxi merchants were saved. But when he thought about the war to be fought next year, he couldn't help but feel bitter.

That means the nine frontiers and Liaodong are using troops at the same time, and the total cost could be more than tens of millions of taels of silver.

If the emperor asked Shanxi merchants to provide all the money, many families would probably go bankrupt before they could get the money.

Feeling sorry for the merchants in his hometown, he asked cautiously:
"Your Majesty, are you talking about military expenses? Are they additional expenses for next year?"

"If that's the case, I will try to persuade them."

Zhu Youjian nodded slightly and said:
"Of course it is the extra expenses for the war. The nine frontiers have fixed military expenditures, and the court has allocated funds for them."

"But if tax reform doesn't go smoothly next year and military spending isn't enough, someone will need to make up for it."

"Han Qing, you must be attentive when you take charge of the Finance and Economics Committee!"

After hearing this, Han Yu knew that the emperor was forcing him again. If he could not implement the eleven-tax reform next year and collect the land tax including Liao salary and nine-border military expenses, he would need merchants from his hometown to make up for the loss and make up the money.

This made him feel bitter just thinking about it, and he almost wanted to quit his job.

But thinking about the emperor's request to stay and the case that the Zhang family was involved in, he could only say:
"Your Majesty, rest assured. I will do my best to collect enough military funds."

"What we need for the war is military supplies. Can we ask them to provide food, clothing and other military supplies instead of money?"

“Among the Shanxi merchants, there are also many who are willing to serve the country and the court!”

Zhu Youjian pondered for a moment and realized that this was the merchant accompanying the army. Historically, this was what the Shanxi merchants did for the Jianlu, helping them transport military supplies and handle spoils of war.

Now we need to gather all our strength to fight against the invaders. It is not enough to simply confiscate the businessmen who have dealings with the invaders. We also need to provide them with ways to stop them from having to do business with the invaders.

So he nodded and said:
"Those who donate to the status of a public official or above and voluntarily declare taxes can be given the status of merchants accompanying the army to help transport military supplies and help the army deal with spoils of war."

“If you donate a noble title, you can also obtain territory in the grassland after the three major protectorates are established.”

"You should have a good discussion with Yuan Shumi and Huang Zhangyuan to decide how to manage the merchants accompanying the army."

"I have only one request, that is that merchants must also be patriotic and loyal to the court."

"I will not investigate this matter further for Han Qing's sake, but if anyone colluded with the enemy again in the future, I will hold all those involved accountable."

"All interactions between foreign traders and foreign forces must be reported to the Imperial Guards."

Han Yu breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the matter was finally over.

The emperor also decided to establish merchants to accompany the army, and asked him, Yuan Keli and Huang Liji to formulate the system.

If this matter is done well, although Shanxi businessmen will bleed a little next year, they may be able to take advantage of this opportunity to achieve greater development.

This made him sincerely grateful for the emperor's kindness and willingness to give Shanxi merchants opportunities.

After leaving the palace, he immediately wrote a letter to inform his relatives such as the Zhang family and the Wang family, asking them to quickly take the money and donate the title to become merchants accompanying the army.

Then he found Yuan Keli and Huang Liji, and invited the Minister and Vice Minister of Works who were in charge of commerce to discuss how to manage the merchants accompanying the army and let them donate for the title.

Although the Liaodong war will not begin until next year, preparations have already begun this year.

The first to take action were the three major protectorates in southern Mobei, hoping to delay the Jianlu and prevent them from returning eastward.

As winter was about to come, Yuan Keli was worrying about how to transport military supplies for the troops. When he heard that the emperor was going to establish a system of merchants accompanying the army, his eyes suddenly lit up:
"This is a good idea!"

"Those caravans have lost their business after the chaos on the grasslands, and they are all idle."

"It's just right to let them transport military supplies, saving the court the burden."

"These businessmen just don't work without profit. I don't know how to calculate the price."

"It would be great if the Kaizhong Law was still implemented, and they could be given salt permits."

Huang Liji smiled and said:

"You can use the title of nobility instead of the salt permit, and then give them the title after they do good things."

“But even so, the price has to be fair.”

Han Yu smiled bitterly and said:

“This year, you don’t have to worry about the price.”

"The Emperor requires all merchants involved in the case to redeem themselves by performing meritorious deeds, and to provide military funds and donate to the title of nobility."

"The extra money spent on the Liaodong war next year will also be provided by them. When Lord Yuan makes a battle plan, he must be frugal."

“If they all go bankrupt, it will be hard to find merchants accompanying the army in the future.”

Yuan Keli was stunned when he heard this, and then burst into laughter, knowing that this was the method used by the current emperor.

Originally, he had thought about saving some money and not bringing too much pressure to the court. But now it seemed that there was no need to save money, since someone else would pay for it anyway.

If only this kind of good thing happened once a year, he could keep his battle plan going.

So he did not intend to exhaust all resources, and said to Han Yu:
"Don't worry, we can also give them the spoils of war."

"As long as it is fair and reasonable, let them continue to be military merchants."

"The Logistics Department will send military representatives to supervise and protect them."

The military representative system was initially established by the Ministry of War and the Ordnance Research Institute, and later transferred to the Ministry of Equipment. It has now been implemented in various arsenals, which is of great help in ensuring the quality of equipment.

The Logistics Department also learned to send military representatives when purchasing military uniforms, and Yuan Keli planned to send them to the merchants accompanying the army. After all, these people were responsible for military supplies, which fell within the scope of the Logistics Department.

Han Yu listened to Yuan Keli's arrangements and felt relieved about this key assistant whom the emperor trusted.

He also recognized this world-famous upright minister, and even the emperor had great trust in him.

Now, Han Yu hoped that the war next year could be fought well, so that not only the system of merchants accompanying the army could be implemented, but also he, as the prime minister, could get some share of the credit.

Thinking of the emperor summoning him in the Purple Pavilion and the tasks he had arranged for him, he became motivated again and vowed to obtain the title of earl.

Yuan Keli was also very excited because he knew that the court was in financial difficulties and could not afford a large-scale war.

Therefore, he has made preparations to send only 50,000 troops next year, and let Sun Cheng and others lead 50,000 elite troops to look for opportunities to fight.

Now that he heard that the funds for next year's war would be provided by Shanxi businessmen, he suddenly felt that the plan could be changed.

Although Sun Chengzong can only dispatch 50,000 elite troops, southern Liaoning and the navy can still provide many people.

Mongolia and Korea can also buy more soldiers and horses, and even Hong Chengchou's proposal to recruit soldiers from Japan can be tried out.

Since the Shanxi merchants are paying, he doesn't have to worry about wasting military funds.

"It would be nice if something like this happened once a year."

"If the Xinwei Plan can be implemented continuously, the Jianlu will be exhausted to death."

He didn't have to worry about money and food, he had never fought a war before. Now just thinking about it made him feel extremely excited.

He said to Han Yu:

"How much money can Shanxi merchants contribute next year? Give me a rough figure first."

"The Privy Council can use this to make budgets and avoid wasting money and grain."

Han Yu really didn't know what to say. After thinking for a while, he said to Yuan Keli:
"We'll discuss the issue of money and grain after they come to Beijing."

"The most urgent task now is to investigate and confiscate those merchants who are colluding with the enemy."

"If we can find enough money from these people's homes, the court won't have to bother with those merchants anymore."

"Mr. Yuan must have the Imperial Guard investigate thoroughly and not let any merchant who colluded with the enemy go."

I grit my teeth when I think of those people. If it weren't for them, how could I have been implicated again.

Therefore, Han Yu had no sympathy for these merchants who colluded with the enemy, and even wanted to uproot them.

He believed that many Shanxi merchants thought the same. If these people had not been caught by the imperial court for colluding with the enemy, why would they have to bleed so much? (End of this chapter)