I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 330 Lao Gao, send me money!
After hesitating for a long time, Gao Gong refused to reveal any information about the Northern Expedition and the Southern Expedition, which made Wang Lin very angry.

If you don't leak some military secrets, how can you find opportunities to stir up trouble?

What does it matter if some military secrets are leaked? Are these ominous and sinister things more important than clarifying the government and restoring justice?

He suppressed his emotions and started talking about how to rescue Yu Changde, but Gao Gong looked around and talked about other things.

Wang Lin was angry!

Gao Da Huzi, you are a traitor! For the sake of your own career, you actually abandoned like-minded people and betrayed justice!

OK! OK! I want to follow you
Farewell!

Wang Lin left angrily. Zhang Siwei bowed awkwardly, said goodbye to Gao Gong and Gao Yi, and hurriedly chased after him.

"Wang Jijin has become more and more stubborn. The world has changed, but he still doesn't reflect on himself. He still clings to the past and becomes more and more pedantic and old-fashioned," Gao Yi sighed.

Gao Gong said coldly: "He is not becoming more stubborn and stubborn, but he is at a loss in the changing world and can't find a way out, so he has to stick to his old ways and become pedantic and old-fashioned."

Gao Yi's face changed. He wanted to refute but he knew that although Gao Gong's words were unpleasant, they really hit the point.

"My Lord Su, the world is unpredictable, but it is hard to accept when you say it. 'I heard that Chang'an is like a chess game, and the world has been sad for a hundred years. The mansions of the kings and princes are all owned by new owners, and the clothes of the civil and military officials are different from the past.'"

The two old Gaos were sitting in the study, one sighing and the other thinking, when a servant hurried to the door and said a few words: "Master, Master Ge..."

"Lao Gao, Gao Suqing, my Shangshu Gao"

Ge Shouli's voice floated in. He was a frequent visitor and acquaintance of Gao's mansion and could come and go as he pleased.

As soon as the voice entered my ears, a figure appeared at the door impatiently.

Gao Gong looked at the Minister of Works with some disgust but could do nothing about it.

"Brother Yuli, what's the matter?
"Gao Hubu, transfer the money quickly!"

When Gao Gong heard about the money transfer, he jumped up and said, "What do you mean by money transfer? Where do you want money transfer? Why do you ask for money when you see me? I am a cash cow, but you have plundered me."

Ge Shouli said with a smile: "Lao Gao, in my eyes, you are the God of Wealth with golden light all over your body. Enough of the nonsense, the budget for the construction of 169 county schools, prefectural schools and departmental schools in the capital, Shanxi and Liaodong was drawn up by the Ministry of Rites and the two provincial governments of Shuntian Prefecture, the cabinet voted on it, and Xiyuan approved it.

Give me money! "

Gao Gong said angrily, "Brother Yuli, you are being used as a gun, and you are so happy about it. They came to the Ministry of Revenue to ask for funding for the three schools! And they sent you to the front, and you are leading the charge. Why do you do that?"

"Why bother! Those schools were built for the three places, but they were built by our Ministry of Works. They are our achievements. Minister Lei has built palaces and pavilions for half his life. I am not following in his footsteps. I am specialized in building rivers, bridges, schools, and clinics. I am relieved!
Besides, Old Gao, your Ministry of Revenue is notoriously difficult to enter and handle affairs. Seeing that I have a good relationship with you, I will naturally ask you to come to me. I will not refuse a good thing that benefits the country and the people. Gao Suqing, you will not refuse it either."

Gao Gong said helplessly: "How can I refuse to take the responsibility? This is a matter that has been approved by the cabinet and Xiyuan. How dare I refuse? Besides, as you said, this is a good thing. I will take care of it.

However, there is a new process for the Ministry of Revenue to allocate funds. The Budget Department receives the approval and transfers it to the Accounting Department, which then approves it and transfers it to the Treasury Department, which then issues an invoice to Wells Fargo Bank.

The money will be transferred directly from the Wells Fargo Bank's treasury account to the Wells Fargo Bank accounts of the three provincial governors of Shuntian, Shandong, and Liaodong. Once your Ministry of Works has completed the repairs as required and the three provincial governors have passed the inspection, they will issue invoices to Wells Fargo Bank, and then the money will be transferred from the three accounts to you."

Ge Shouli said with a chuckle, "That's why it's hard to get into your Ministry of Revenue and handle things. Once the money is out of the national treasury, it will be much easier to handle things at Wells Fargo. That's not the case with your Ministry of Revenue."

Gao Yi was stunned when he heard this, and hurriedly stopped the two from arguing, "Lord Xinzheng, Brother Li, has the Ministry of Revenue changed the rules for appropriation again?"

"It has been changed!" Gao Gong replied. "Yang Jinshui and Wang Ruguan are in charge of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Rites, and they do this. They try not to let money go through these two offices, and all the money goes through Wells Fargo Bank and Huijin Bank. They only use bills.

The transfer of copper coins and silver is all handled by the bank, from one account to another. If you really need silver, you can go and withdraw it yourself when it arrives in your account.

If the money is not in your hands, the clerks below will not be able to make money. The Crown Prince took me and a few other people who are in charge of money to take a look and learn. I think it is very good. I will immediately report it to Xiyuan and ask for an order to implement it in the Ministry of Revenue. "

Gao Yi asked curiously, "To prevent corruption among clerks, can't we forge bills?"

Ge Shouli answered for Gao Gong: "If it was just a store or a business, the people below could have forged bills and embezzled the money. But between government offices, haha, normal transfers and withdrawals are very cumbersome. If they want to forge bills and embezzle, unless Gao Xinzheng takes the lead, the entire Ministry of Revenue will be embezzled."

Gao Gong said dissatisfiedly: "Yu Li, what are you talking about!" Ge Shouli laughed: "I know that Mr. Gao is as clean as water and has a noble character. It's just a metaphor, a metaphor."

Gao Yi was still a little confused: "In this case, wouldn't the bill account be very complicated?"

"It's better to have complicated accounts than to have the money stolen without anyone noticing. Now we have the debit-credit balance bookkeeping method, and the accounting system is becoming more and more perfect. It's nothing more than hiring a few more accountants, wasting more paper, ink and abacus, but it's a lot more money for nothing."

Gao Yi knew that the "extra money" that Gao Gong mentioned was the money that would have been embezzled according to convention.

It was both funny and ridiculous.

We should be thankful that corrupt officials and clerks are not allowed to embezzle money.

The servant brought hot tea and gave each of the three a cup.

Gao Yi listened to the conversation between Gao Gong and Ge Shouli and felt something in his heart. He could not help asking, "Duke Xinzheng, the Northern Expedition and the Southern Expedition must have cost a lot of money."

"More than that, the money is flowing like a river eastward, flowing thousands of miles!"

"Can the Ministry of Revenue's treasury bear it?"

Gao Gong sighed deeply, and Gao Yi thought he was going to complain, but he said, "This time, the northern and southern expeditions cost a huge amount of food and money. If it were in the past, the Minister of Revenue would have hanged himself or jumped into the river.

I never thought that I would be able to handle it with such ease!"

"With ease?" Gao Yi was shocked. "How do you mean with ease?"

Gao Gong thought for a moment and said, "This matter has nothing to do with military affairs. I have already told you two. According to this strategy, the military expenses and food salaries for the Northern and Southern Expeditions, as well as Pang Shaonan's salt administration and tax silver, can be fully covered."

Gao Yi was shocked, "Mr. Xinzheng, this is serious."

"It's the end of the second year of Longqing. How much salt tax did Pang Shaonan pay this year?"

Gao Yi and Ge Shouli shook their heads.

"Five million seven hundred thousand taels. This is just the salt tax collected from Lianghuai in the first year of the new salt policy. If the new salt policy is perfected and implemented nationwide, the tax silver for one year will be at least thirteen million taels."

Gao Yi's eyes widened: "So many?"

Gao Gong stroked his beard and replied, "The amount of salt produced in a year can be calculated. That's why the big salt merchants in Yangzhou are as rich as a country."

Ge Shouli also sighed: "Li Zhuowu is right. There is so much wealth in the world. The country is in trouble and the people are poor. It's just that the money has been embezzled by certain people.

Just like the tax silver, which was dug out from private cellars and moved to the national treasury, the Ministry of Revenue suddenly became well-off.

Although he is somewhat unorthodox, what he says does make sense. No wonder more and more young students believe in his teachings. "

Gao Yi's face darkened.

Many orthodox Confucian scholars regarded Li Zhi as a heretic and wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible. Unfortunately, he had the protection of Xiyuan and had quietly grown into a towering tree in a few years.

Not only does he now have the protection of Xiyuan above him and the support of business owners in the southeast and north, he also has hundreds of thousands of disciples who believe in his new learning.

There were many bigwigs in the capital, and the situation seemed calm, but the local areas were turbulent, and the conflict between the new and old schools of thought became more and more intense. Especially in Shanghai, Ningbo, Quanzhou, and Guangzhou, where the sea merchants and cotton and silk were prosperous, and Taiyuan, Kaiping, Shaanxi, and Liaodong, where the industry and border trade were prosperous, the new schools of thought dominated and forced the old schools of thought to retreat step by step.

Great scholars and famous people wrote letters to express their complaints and ask for help.

All these trivial matters were under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites, which made Gao Yi extremely anxious and he felt a headache whenever he heard the name Li Zhi.

Gao Gong glanced at him, knowing his friend's worries, and calmly changed the subject: "In fact, the Ministry of Revenue has more than enough money to support the Northern and Southern Expeditions this time. In addition to the full treasury, there are other reasons."

Gao Yi and Ge Shouli were immediately attracted and asked curiously, "Mr. Xinzheng, please explain it to us."

(End of this chapter)