Daming: Dad, you are really not good at governing the country

Chapter 466 Why is it so important to change the horse harness?
The atmosphere in the imperial study at this moment was so solemn that it seemed as if water could be squeezed out of it.

Li Huanwen had a serious look on his face and clasped his hands together.

He bowed deeply to Zhu Yuanzhang who was sitting on the dragon throne, and then said solemnly: "Your Majesty, the current horse policy is related to the stability and prosperity of our Ming Dynasty.

But some habits really need to be rectified.

Take the grooms who made mistakes, for example. The lighter punishment was twenty strokes of the cane.

This will also help them learn a lesson and not act recklessly again.

For serious cases, we must not tolerate them!

He must be dismissed from his post, investigated, and exiled to the frontier."

When several ministers standing by heard this, their expressions changed slightly.

They exchanged glances, but no one dared to speak.

Li Huanwen seemed unaware and continued, "Your Majesty, the most important thing in our army is discipline. If we can't even do this, how can we win the battle?

Once the discipline is loosened and the atmosphere is bad, there will be no way to manage this team in the future. I hope Your Majesty will make a holy judgment."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned slightly and gently stroked the armrest of the dragon throne with his right hand.

After thinking for a moment, he asked, "What Li Aiqing said is absolutely right, but will such a punishment cause dissatisfaction among the horsemen in the army?"

Li Huanwen hurriedly took another step forward and replied earnestly, "Your Majesty, you are worrying too much. As the saying goes, strict teachers produce excellent students, and strict discipline can train a strong army.

As long as the punishment is appropriate and fair.

The grooms will understand the pros and cons of this and will not harbor any resentment."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly, agreeing with Li Huanwen's words.

Seeing this, he continued, "Furthermore, the court should immediately allocate special funds to improve the vehicles and harnesses used to transport horses.

Your Majesty, you don’t know that the existing wooden carriages are even more fragile in this icy and snowy weather.”

When Li Huanwen said this, his face was full of worry, as if the dilapidated appearance of the carriage was right in front of him.

"I went to the post station to inspect a few days ago and happened to see a carriage carrying horses.

The driver drove the cart carefully, but the road was not easy to drive on.

We had not gone far when one of the wheels got stuck in a hole.

The carriage was shaking so violently that the horses inside were neighing and kicking their hooves in fear.

If the coachman and the postman hadn’t stabilized it in time, not only would the horses have been injured, but the entire transport would have been delayed.”

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned even deeper. "Then according to your opinion, how can we improve it?"

Li Huanwen hurriedly bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, I suggest that all of them be replaced with a more solid and well-ventilated iron and wood mixed structure.

The bottom of the carriage needs to be made of thick wooden boards and the walls should be inlaid with iron plates.

In this way, even after a long and bumpy ride, the horses will suffer less injuries.

And the old horse reins, horse bits and other horse gear also need to be replaced."

Zhu Mengyan, the Minister of Rites, couldn't help but ask, "Sir Li, why is it so important to change the horse harness?

This is how it was used in the past, so don’t make a big deal out of it.”

Li Huanwen glanced at Zhu Mengyan and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "Master Zhu, you don't know that if the reins are too hard, it will be very uncomfortable for the warhorse to be tied around the horse's mouth and neck!

Over time, it is easy to injure the horse.

But if it is too soft, it will not be able to control the warhorse, so the choice of material is very important.

We must try to reduce the damage to the horses, keep them as comfortable as possible during transportation, and ensure their health.

Your Majesty, this is a matter of urgency. There is no time to waste, we must act now!"

Li Huanwen's tone was firm and full of determination, which left no room for doubt.

This shows that as an official of the Ministry of War, he attaches great importance to military logistics support from the bottom of his heart.

When dealing with such urgent matters, Li Huanwen was very clear and decisive.

The Minister of Revenue, Fan Min, was listening to the argument between the two and was so anxious that he kept stamping his feet, like an ant on a hot pan.

He really couldn't help it, and quickly interrupted, "My lords, please stop arguing, please stop arguing!

Whether it's investigating foreign tribes or managing the transportation and feeding of our Ming Dynasty, it will cost a lot of money."

As Fan Min spoke, he wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with his hand.

His face was full of helplessness and anxiety, and his brows were furrowed like twisted knots.

While speaking, Fan Min sighed from time to time, looking extremely miserable.

"Your Majesty, the court's finances are already as tight as a bowstring, and money is needed everywhere.

There are water conservancy projects to be built in the east, disaster relief efforts to be provided in the west, and the military camps in the south are still waiting for money to be allocated to exchange for weapons.

Where is the extra money to spend on these things?

But the matter of the warhorse is urgent and cannot be delayed. This really puts me in a dilemma!"

As Fan Min spoke, he rubbed his temples with his hands.

The headache came at him in waves like the tide, and it made the Minister of Revenue very distressed.

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't bear to see Fan Min like this.

He asked softly, "Lord Fan, in your opinion, is there any solution that can satisfy both parties?"

Fan Min quickly bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, I think it would be better to do both at the same time.

We are trying every possible way to increase revenue while also working hard to cut costs to solve this urgent problem.”

He frowned and said, "In terms of increasing revenue, I think we should immediately increase the purchase price of horses in the tea-horse trade by 20%.

Your Majesty, think about it, the surrounding ethnic minorities are all very smart.

If the court offers a high price, they will naturally be happy to send more good horses to trade with us.

At the same time, in order to attract more surrounding ethnic minorities to trade good horses, tribes were offered more than 20 high-quality war horses at one time.

In addition to presenting an additional batch of fine Ming Dynasty tea or other scarce materials, we can also confer honorary official titles on the tribal leaders of our Ming Dynasty and grant them certain trade privileges.

In this way, they will have tasted the sweetness and will definitely be more active in doing business with us in the future.”

Having said that, Fan Min paused, a look of worry appearing on his face.

Zhao Jian, who had served as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel since the fifth year of Hongwu, asked curiously, "Sir Fan, although this plan is ingenious, aren't you afraid that someone will take advantage of the situation and defraud the court of rewards and money?"

Fan Min smiled bitterly, "This gentleman is absolutely right, I am also wondering about this.

Once the price is raised, it is inevitable that some unscrupulous businessmen will have evil intentions and use some means to defraud the court of rewards and money.

This hidden danger is like a seed buried in the dark, and no one knows when it will sprout.

If this becomes a major problem affecting the source of war horses, it will be terrible!"

Fan Min knew it in his heart that he and Zhu Mengyan had always been good friends.

But now the financial situation is tight, and the measures I have come up with will inevitably conflict with the ideas of other ministers.

If something goes wrong later, it is still unknown whether this friendship can stand the test.

(End of this chapter)