I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 204 I am very angry and the consequences are serious!

Ye Mengxiong replied: "Your Highness, I recommend Pang Shangpeng, the Right Secretary of the Dali Temple, Pang Shaonan."

"Pang Shangpeng from the Dali Temple?" Zhu Yijun nodded. "I know this person. Mr. Longtang, please tell me about his resume and strengths."

"Yes, Your Highness. Pang Shaonan is my fellow countryman, from Nanhai County, Guangzhou Prefecture. He was admitted as a Jinshi in the 32nd year of Jiajing, and first served in the Ministry of Political Affairs and Military Affairs, and then was appointed as the magistrate of Leping County, Raozhou Prefecture, Jiangxi Province, where he had quite a few political achievements.

In the 37th year of Jiajing, he was transferred to Fujian Province as the Supervisory Censor, and in the 39th year of Jiajing, he was transferred to Henan Province as the Inspector. There were many powerful clans in Bianliang who violated the law, and Shaonan was the first to suppress them. The officials who were corrupt resigned and left, and he was called "Pang Tiemian" at that time.

In the 40th year of Jiajing's reign, he was transferred to Zhejiang Province as an inspector, where he cracked down on the gentry and powerful, exposing their crimes of allowing their children and servants to abuse their power and bully the people, and petitioned the court to deprive them of their official positions.

At the same time, Shaonan investigated the problems of numerous local taxes and levies, unfair burdens, cruel levies of goods and labor, and implemented the Lijia Equalization Law, the Ten-Section Brocade Law, and the One-Strike Whip Law in Zhejiang.

"The Ten-Section Brocade Method? I have heard of it. It is to divide the grain of the ten-army group into ten sections, and divide them into ten years.

All officials, juren, students, students, and military cooks who should be exempted according to the rules will be listed before the name list of each class. For example, if someone has the salary in all classes, he will be exempted only in that class.

This move did solve some problems such as excessive exemptions and unequal taxation and labor service."

Ye Mengxiong quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Highness is wise."

Zhu Yijun waved his hand and continued, "As for the Single Whip Law, I have also heard about it from Yang Jinshui, and asked him to conduct a detailed investigation and write a memorial.

Pang Shangpeng first piloted the policy in Yuyao and Pinghu counties. Well, that's a good point. The pros and cons of any new policy are hard to predict, so piloting the policy first is the safest approach.

Mr. Shaonan did a good job in this regard, first conducting a pilot project, then summarizing the experience, and then promoting it throughout Zhejiang Province.”

Zhu Yijun drank two sips of hot tea to moisten his throat, and continued: "The specific practice of the One Whip Law is to first systematically and systematically compile the annual corvée into one line, convert all of it into silver, and collect it along with grain.

After paying the required amount of silver, the people could be exempted from corvée service. This benefited both the government and the people, and the people were happy to see the convenience.

Secondly, in the past, the corvée duties of the common people were performed every ten years, and were performed by the people of ten jia in turn. However, after the Single Whip Law changed the corvée duties to silver, each household had to pay the duties evenly over ten years. If the duties were performed for one year out of ten years, it would be heavy and difficult; if the duties were performed for one year out of ten years, it would be light and easy. Therefore, the common people were happy to follow it.

Third, the households with land will be divided into two categories. The amount of silver for those with land will be increased appropriately, while the amount of silver for those without land will be decreased.

To be honest, it was only after Zhu Yijun read the secret memorial submitted by Yang Jinshui that he realized that Zhang Juzheng's later reforms in the early Wanli period, including the Single Whip System, were all learned from this person.

Zhu Yijun even saw the beginning of the equalization of land tax in Pang Shangpeng's new policy in Zhejiang.

Pang Shangpeng implemented these new policies in Zhejiang but he was just the provincial governor of Zhejiang.

Although he was said to be on tour on behalf of the emperor, he could make decisions on major matters and make decisions on minor issues immediately, and he could speak frankly about the gains and losses of government affairs, and the benefits and harms of the military and civilians. He seemed to be in a high position with great power and broad responsibilities.

But after all, you are only a seventh-rank official, and the local authorities have plenty of ways to shirk responsibility by arguing with you.

Pang Shangpeng was able to promote the Ten-Section Brocade Method and the One-Whick Method throughout Zhejiang Province as a seventh-rank official, so his ability is unquestionable.

Ye Mengxiong looked at Zhu Yijun expectantly.

Wang Xijue also looked at him with a complicated expression.

Both of them knew very well that Pang Shangpeng was transferred from the post of Zhejiang Provincial Governor to the post of Right Secretary of the Dali Temple, which was actually a promotion in name only and a demotion in reality.

Because when he was the provincial governor of Zhejiang, in addition to vigorously promoting the Ten-Section Brocade Law and the One-Whip Law, he also desperately submitted memorials to impeach Hu Zongxian, who was in charge of military affairs of the three provinces of Nanzhili, Zhejiang and Fujian and was in charge of the suppression of Japanese pirates in the southeast, for his greed, lack of discipline and invasion of military supplies.

Who is Hu Zongxian?
The number one general of the Crown Prince’s Party at that time.

Later, Hu Zongxian was transferred to take charge of border affairs in Xuanda, Shanxi, and Pang Shangpeng stopped impeaching him.

In the 45th year of Jiajing's reign, he was transferred to the position of Right Assistant Secretary of the Dali Temple. Some people rumored that it was Hu Zongxian's revenge, who slandered him to the crown prince, promoted him in public but demoted him in secret, and put him in idleness.

To be honest, Hu Zongxian really did not retaliate against Pang Shangpeng. As a representative figure of the remnants of the Yan Party, he was impeached by countless people, and Pang Shangpeng's impeachment memorial was not even ranked among them.

Even if Hu Zongxian wanted to take revenge, it was not his turn yet.

Pang Shangpeng was transferred to Zhejiang as the inspector general because his Ten-Section Brocade Method and One-Whick Method offended the local officials and gentry in Zhejiang.

These people finally couldn't stand it anymore, and after some effort, they moved Pang Shangpeng to the Dali Temple as the Right Temple Secretary and put him in an idle position.

After reading the report from the Ministry of Personnel, Zhu Yijun felt that Pang Shangpeng's temporary move to the Dali Temple was actually a form of protection for him.

Any reformer who infringes upon the interests of vested interest groups will be retaliated against by them.

All you have to do is protect them well.

This was true for Pang Shangpeng, and later for Zhang Juzheng, and now for Gao Gong who is willing to promote salt administration reform.

"Mr. Longtang, since you are familiar with Mr. Shaonan, please bring him to Xiyuan the day after tomorrow morning to have a chat with me."

Ye Mengxiong was overjoyed: "Yes, I will obey your orders."

At this time, Huang Jin hurried over to report: "Your Highness, Liaodong has sent an urgent letter eight hundred miles away, which is the memorial from Xu Wei, the Minister of the Court."

Zhu Yijun took it and looked at it, then was silent for a while, "The king and his ministers of Korea are so greedy and thieving, they never change! Mr. Huang, send someone to invite Mr. Shi Lu from the Lifanyuan and Mr. Liu from the Navy Bureau."

"Yes."

The Navy Bureau of the Military Administration Supervisory Office was located at Xi'an Gate, so Liu Tao was summoned there quickly.

Zhu Yijun got straight to the point and asked, "Mr. Daichuan, where is the Xuanwu Navy now?"

"Your Highness, the Xuanwu Navy has just completed a tour of the east and west coasts of Korea and has now returned to Weihai Port to rest and replenish food and ammunition."

"When Liaodong Town was clearing out the Jianzhou Left Guard Jurchens in the Ayeku River and Helan River areas, they encountered Korean troops crossing the Bomen River and entering the Ming territory under the banner of helping to suppress the Jurchens.

Mr. Wenchang did not want to be pampered with them, and ordered them to disarm all of them, including 450 cavalrymen and 1,100 infantrymen, as well as more than 50 officials including the judge of the Anbian Protectorate and the military governors.

Now we will release more than ten people and ask them to go back to the capital of Korea to report the incident. We will ask their king to send an envoy to the capital of Ming to apologize and explain the reason for the invasion."

Wang Xijue and Ye Mengxiong looked at each other, surprised that such a thing could happen.

But the two of them didn't say anything, just listened quietly.

They are new ministers and want to take this opportunity to find out the Crown Prince's thinking on handling military and national affairs.

Zhu Yijun put his hands in his sleeves and walked back and forth in the open space in the middle of the room.

"I have warned Liaodong before, telling them to beware of the ambitious Koreans. As expected, Mr. Wenchang caught them red-handed.

Although Mr. Wenchang released their people to report back, it is just that North Korea usually enters our country by land. Now it is winter, the weather is cold and the roads are difficult to travel.

Daichuan Gong, when Mr. Shilu arrives, I will ask the Lifanyuan to write a letter and send an envoy to formally question the king and ministers of Korea, why they invaded the border and used military force, and whether they wanted to betray the king and cause chaos? Going by water is faster.

Ask the Xuanwu Navy to accompany the envoy and solemnly tell the Korean monarch and his ministers that this matter is very angry and the consequences will be serious! "

Liu Tao immediately responded: "I will obey your order and do it immediately."

(End of this chapter)