I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 199 The prince takes action, do you still dare to move forward?

Zhang Chong and Yang Sizhong kept silent, but the anger was clearly visible on their faces.

Xu Jie's eyes swept back and forth across their faces, and he sighed, "You guys don't know the prince's ambitions!"

Yang Sizhong was indignant and said: "What kind of ambition is this to have such a chaotic government? It is nothing more than wanting to engage in war and aggression, which will ultimately lead to the destruction of all lives."

Xu Jie glanced at him and said, "Haha, you guys only know how to focus on the principles and theories in the books. In the end, it's useless!"

He grasped the armrests of the chair with both hands and tried to stand up. Xu Kun, who was standing next to him, hurried forward to help him up.

Xu Jie stood up and walked slowly in the study with his hands behind his back.

"Have you heard about the shipping?"

Zhao Jin and the other three looked at each other and said, "I heard about it."

"Do you think sea transportation is good or bad?"

The four of them were silent for a while, and Zhang Chong replied: "Opening a new route to reduce the pressure on the grain transport is a beneficial policy."

Yang Sizhong said disdainfully: "The canal has been used since the Sui and Tang dynasties and has been used for thousands of years. Emperors Taizu and Chengzu of our dynasty also spent a lot of energy on dredging and maintenance. Now it is stable and working well, so why open a new road?

In my opinion, it is a sheer waste of money and time.”

Xu Jie stared at him for a while and knew that this was the limit of his favorite student's career.

Not wanting to explain or persuade him, he continued, "The biggest benefit of opening up sea transportation in Xiyuan is that it can help to eliminate the accumulated problems in grain transport."

Zhao Jin nodded in agreement: "Mr. Shaohu is right. With sea transport, the court will not be controlled by those corrupt officials and the clerks and soldiers who are in cahoots with each other.

By then, we can make up our minds to clean up the century-old canal transportation and give it a brand new look. By then, the canal transportation and sea transportation will be cleaned up and in order, which will indeed save a lot of money for the national treasury. "

Zhang Chong figured out the meaning of Xu Jie's words, "Master, you mean that Xiyuan established a coordination bureau because of long-term consideration and wanted to make a big move against Ming Dynasty's taxation."

Yang Sizhong was shocked and almost jumped up. "The current tax system was established by Emperor Taizu. How dare you change it?"

The others didn't take his words to heart and continued talking along their own lines.

Dong Chuance said: "I have heard that the prince talked with his close ministers in the Western Garden and mentioned that he wanted to reform the taxation system of the Ming Dynasty and establish a complete financial and taxation system.

Students have always wondered how to establish a prince? To establish the new, one must reform the old. The tax system of the Ming Dynasty is of great importance. If it is suspended for one month, the food and wages needed by the officials in the capital and the soldiers and civilians in the nine border areas cannot be stopped for a day.

Today, when Shao Hugong said this, the students understood. The Coordination Bureau is preparing to abolish the old taxation system and establish a new and perfect fiscal and taxation system. "

Xu Jie suddenly stopped, turned around and looked at his fellow countryman, clapped his hands and exclaimed: "Yuan Han hit the nail on the head! The Coordination Bureau plus sea transportation, with grain and silver, can stabilize the officials and soldiers and civilians in the capital, and can stabilize the hundreds of thousands of elite troops in the capital camp and the nine borders.

As long as we stabilize these few places, the momentum of building the new and overcoming the old will be unstoppable!"

Zhao Jin and Zhang Chong said slowly: "After listening to what Shao Hu and Yuan Han said, we finally understood that Xiyuan had set up a coordination office since the 41st year of Jiajing. It was indeed a far-sighted plan that was amazing."

Yang Sizhong also understood, and secretly marveled at the wisdom and strategy of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

But deep down in his heart, he felt that governing a big country was like cooking a small fish. The laws and regulations handed down by our ancestors should be used as long as they were usable, and if there were any drawbacks, they could be slightly improved.

Once a war breaks out, the common people will be the ones who suffer in the end.

Wang Anshi of the former Song Dynasty made repeated changes, but the people still suffered and it eventually destroyed the Zhao Song dynasty.

In the silence, Xu Kun suddenly spoke up: "Father, my dear uncles and brothers, Duke Tangchuan has been expelled from the cabinet. Will Gao Xinzheng be replaced in the cabinet?"

The atmosphere changed, becoming somewhat solemn. Zhao Jin and the other three looked at Xu Jie without any hesitation.

Xu Jie walked back to his seat and sat down slowly.

"Yin Tangchuan was dismissed from the cabinet because Xiyuan considered that he had been the emperor's tutor after all and was an old official in the palace, so they kept him somewhat respectable. The prince's methods are becoming more and more sophisticated. So I guess Gao Xinzheng will not be able to join the cabinet yet."

Everyone was happy.

There is a rift between me and Gao Xinzheng.

In the 43rd year of Jiajing's reign, the Jin Party suffered a severe blow when the Gengxu Incident occurred. Gao Gong resigned from his post and left the capital in disgrace. However, the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Party on Xu Jie's side made great efforts.

Gao Gong was a vindictive person.

He is currently serving as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and does not have much ability to retaliate for the time being. He can only block the financial expenditures of the government offices under the jurisdiction of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Party.

But if he were allowed to join the cabinet, it would be a disaster. He would use the power in his hands to launch a fierce revenge.

Yang Sizhong asked carefully: "Master, how sure are you of this?"

Xu Jie looked at him calmly, "If Gao Xin and Zheng Zhen had been willing to put aside their prejudices and pride, and went to the Western Garden to be humble and ask for the Crown Prince's help when they sorted out the Lianghuai Salt Administration last time, and had made some progress in the sorting out of the Lianghuai Salt Administration, then this time when Yin Tangchuan was dismissed, Gao Xin and Zheng Zhen might have been able to join the cabinet.

Now the Lianghuai Salt Administration was being investigated, but it was a farce. Then, the issue of salary caused such a big incident, although it was now found that it was the assistant ministers Hu Qingxu and Yin Tangchuan who were behind it.

But didn't you, Gao Xinzheng, boast of your extraordinary talents? After working in the Ministry of Revenue for half a year, someone actually did something so daring right under his nose. How would the prince view Gao Xinzheng?

Is it just a name for nothing, or is it just old age and stupidity?"

Zhao Jin nodded: "What Shao Hu said makes sense. Now the emperor has entrusted the military and national affairs to Xiyuan. Everyone knows a thing or two about the prince's temper. If anyone wants to be used by him, he must show his true ability and hard work in front of him.

Zhang Shuda served as the governor of Shandong Province. He managed the horse administration in Shandong, Henan, northern Zhili and Liaodong. He also oversaw the construction of two major ports in Qingdao and Weihai in Shandong. Only then did the prince request an imperial decree to appoint him to the cabinet.

Gao Xinzheng did a poor job in the Lianghuai salt administration, which disappointed the prince."

Yang Sizhong suddenly said, "Master, in that case, the investigation of the Lianghuai salt administration was nominally led by Hai Gangfeng, but in fact it was Gao Gong who coordinated it. If he does a good job, it will be his political achievement, and maybe he can dispel the prince's prejudice and let him join the cabinet.

In this case, should we do something about this matter and make Gao Xinzheng fail?"

Xu Jie looked at Yang Sizhong and felt that he had overestimated the political wisdom of his disciple.

Zhang Chong shook his head repeatedly: "No, no!

During the investigation of Lianghuai salt administration, Xiyuan transferred Liu Yingjie to Nanjing as the vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue and Wang Yi'e as the governor of the grain transport. This was an open effort. In secret, Jinyiwei, Dongchang, and the Commercial Investigation Section of the Coordination Bureau had deployed countless spies.

Xiyuan has always been cautious and slow in advance, and will strike with lightning speed during the process, and will not stop until the goal is achieved. We should not get involved in this matter."

Xu Jie nodded with satisfaction: "Zi Yi is right. Liu Ruguan is a capable official in the Ministry of Revenue. The dirty things of Lianghuai Salt Administration cannot escape his eyes.

Wang Zijian was alert, intelligent, knowledgeable and capable. He had killed Japanese pirates and suppressed mountain bandits. But when he went to Huai'an, he thought that the salt smugglers raised by the salt merchants were nothing more than chickens and dogs.

There is also a Hai Gangfeng holding the banner!

In this investigation, all the salt merchants in Yangzhou and Huai'an will be executed, and the nobles and relatives in Nanjing will probably be dragged out to sacrifice their power. We should not join in the fun and wade into this muddy water."

Zhao Jin, Zhang Chong, and Dong Chuance nodded in succession: "Shaohu Gong is wise. The crown prince's personal attack is like the sword coming out of its sheath. How can he return empty-handed without chopping off hundreds of heads?"

(End of this chapter)