I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 669: I have the king’s flag, are you afraid?
Changde City, the headquarters of the Governor-General of Huguang.

Wang Yi'e is presiding over the meeting.

Those attending the meeting included Tang Kekuan, the commander-in-chief of Qianzhong Military Region, Ling Yunyi, the governor of Hunan, Hu Xi, the governor of Hunan, Sui Yong, the admiral of Hunan, as well as the left and right councilors of the provincial government and the councilors of the six ministries.

"At the beginning of the meeting, I would like to say one thing."

Wang Yi'e glanced at everyone, his sharp eyes sweeping across everyone's faces.

"The military commander reported to this governor that the 12th of this month is the day for the salaries of the divisions and regiments of Qianzhong Military Command. The grain bureau of the military commander sent a letter to the governor, requesting that the governor transfer part of the military salary allocated by the Ministry of Revenue to the grain bureau account.

But by the 3rd, the Provincial Government's Finance and Taxation Department had not issued any documents, so the Hunan Branch of Huijin Bank was unable to allocate funds.

What do you want to do? ! "

Wang Yi'e asked sternly, and everyone's eyes were focused on Liang Wenliang, the Minister of Revenue of the Provincial Government.

He smiled awkwardly, "Governor, the accounts are too complicated, and the people below are too busy to take care of it for the time being. Please forgive me, Governor."

Wang Yi'e glanced at him.

He was previously a councilor of the Hunan branch of the Huguang Provincial Government, and had been in charge of tax collection in Hunan. He was a senior bureaucrat, capable but a little dishonest, and liked to take advantage of his seniority.

When Hunan was established as a province, he thought he would be promoted to governor, or at least councillor. He never expected that he would remain in office and not even get the councillor title.

I feel resentful!

Wang Yi'e continued, "This time, the salaries of the officers and soldiers of the various departments under the Qianzhong Military Command will be paid by the Military Command Office, but the allowances will be supported by the provinces along the Yangtze River, such as Huguang, Jiangxi, Anhui, and Jiangsu, and will be paid in turn on a monthly basis.

This month it was Hunan Province's turn. I didn't expect that other provinces had no problems, but Hunan Province had problems. "

Liang Wenliang is still trying to evade responsibility and making excuses: "Supervisor, the accounts are really a bit messy, and those idiots in the Finance and Taxation Department are inexperienced."

Now the wages of officers and soldiers in the Ming army are also divided into two parts. One is the salary, which is calculated according to military rank, from private, regular soldier, corporal, sergeant, staff sergeant, major sergeant, and officer upwards.

The army, navy, as well as the garrison, battalion, guard and wing guards, have the same military rank and their salaries are not much different. The difference lies in the allowances.

The allowance is divided according to position and status.

Navy posts are higher than army posts, and frontier posts are higher than garrison posts.
The combat status is higher than the combat readiness status, the combat readiness status is higher than the duty status, and the duty status is higher than the defense status.

The officers and soldiers of the Zhenwei Army have the highest food and salary in the army because they are in a state of combat readiness all year round, and the divisions and regiments of the Qianzhong Regional Command are currently in combat, so naturally they have the highest allowances.

The guard army's food and salary are relatively high because it is on duty all year round and is on combat readiness when there is an emergency.

The food and salary of the camp guards are relatively low because they are in a state of garrison all year round. They will only be on duty during the concentrated exercises for two months a year. They will only be on combat readiness when encountering joint exercises or emergencies.

After hearing Liang Wenliang's words, Wang Yi'e smiled faintly.

Tang Kekuan, Ling Yunyi, and Hu Xi looked at Liang Wenliang with strange expressions, which made Liang Wenliang feel uncomfortable.

What do you mean?
Are you bullying me with your eyes?
I’m not afraid!
Wang Yi'e said leisurely: "Since the 45th year of Jiajing, the army and navy of the Ming Dynasty have had an iron rule. That is, salaries are paid on time on the 12th day of every month.

In the past, Jinyiwei, Xuanzan Bureau, and Liangtai were all present to distribute money and grain to officers and soldiers one by one. Later, banks flourished, and starting from the second year of Longqing, officers and soldiers of various units opened accounts in Huijin Bank and Fuguo Bank, with each person receiving a discount and receiving it when they joined the army.

On the 12th of every month, salaries and allowances were deposited into the officers' and soldiers' accounts without missing a cent. The officers and soldiers only needed to go to the regiment's bank agency one month later to re-enter the bank account and find out how much money they had received and how much was left.

You can ask the agency to transfer money to your family's bank account regularly. Later, the treatment of officers and soldiers became better and better, with disability insurance and death insurance. In case of casualties, not only the court will provide pensions, but also the insurance company will provide insurance money.

In the past, officers and soldiers would go to record supplementary memorials once a month, but gradually they went less frequently, only once every three to five months, or sometimes once a year.

Do you know why? Liang Canzheng. "

Liang Wenliang replied with a fake smile: "Governor, I am not familiar with military affairs, so I don't know."

"I know you don't know. If you knew, you wouldn't have this attitude.

The officers and soldiers were so lazy because they knew that on the 12th day of every month, the court would pay their salaries and allowances to their bank accounts on time without fail, and they would get the calculated amount without a penny being deducted.

Do you know what this is called? "

Wang Yi'e turned around and asked everyone.

Everyone looked at each other in confusion, and Liang Wenliang sensed that something was wrong.

I didn't expect the imperial court to be so kind to these soldiers? They paid their salaries on time, not a day late, not a penny deducted. Then the Hunan Finance and Taxation Department, which I was in charge of, almost delayed the payment of allowances to the officers and soldiers of the Qianzhong Dusi on the 12th. Will there be any problems?
Wang Yi'e's eyes moved around Liang Wenliang's face several times.

Ling Yunyi answered from the side.

“I know.

The iron discipline of the Ming Dynasty's army is based on the timely payment of salaries! If we can't even pay salaries on time, how can we talk about clear rewards and punishments?

The emperor's words and instructions are still fresh in my ears, as if they were yesterday."

Liang Wenliang was a little restless.

Wang Yi'e noticed his expression and continued.

"How many heads did the emperor chop off because of the salary issue? I won't talk about the Five Military Commands of the Military Government. Liang, the Minister of State, is not familiar with military affairs, so he can't empathize with them if I mention it.

I will tell you about the winter of the first year of the Longqing reign. The food and wages of the officers and soldiers in Yansui Town and Ningxia Town were three days late. When the then Shaanxi Governor Huo heard the report, his clothes were soaked with white sweat on the front and back of his clothes.

He ordered a thorough investigation and found out that the grain supervisor under the governor of Yansui had asked for leave for his son's wedding. He was so focused on arranging the wedding that he did not explain clearly to the temporary supervisor.

The governor of the province had just been transferred from another place not long ago, so he was not familiar with military affairs and did not take it seriously. The people below were urging him as if the house was on fire, but he was not in a hurry. He still had the character of an official before, drinking a little wine, letting his temper take its time, and so he was paid three days late.

When Mr. Huo found him, he didn't care at all, saying that it was enough to distribute food and wages to the officers and soldiers, and it didn't matter if it was delayed for three or two days. Mr. Huo was so angry that he laughed.

The emperor, who was still the crown prince at the time, directly approved and sent the Embroidered Uniform Guard to Yulin, where they beheaded the three main responsible persons, the Governor of Yansui, the Inspector of Grain, and the Inspector of Books, on the spot, and sent their heads to the nine borders.

The remaining 29 people were exiled to hard labor, and even Mr. Huo was severely reprimanded by the imperial edict and fined for half a year. "Mr. Liang, do you think that this governor is making a big fuss out of nothing?"

Liang Wenliang was so frightened that his teeth were chattering and tapping.

"I will immediately send someone to Changsha overnight to ask the Finance and Taxation Department to deliver the appropriation documents and details to the Hunan Branch of Huijin Bank before the 12th."

Wang Yi'e did not say anything. Hu Xi said from the side, "Liang Canzheng, it's too late to give it before the 12th! It must be given before the 10th.

Do you know how the military prepares its rations? Usually the money is prepared three months in advance and placed in an account waiting for the funds to be allocated.

If the money is not paid two months in advance, the grain bureau will come to you with a musket. Do you know why?"

Liang Wenliang shook his head numbly.

How should I know? I have never been involved in military affairs, so I don’t know the intricacies and importance of it.

"He's holding a gun to your head. Even if you get punished, it's better than being caught and stabbed for delaying your salary."

Liang Wenliang wiped the sweat off his face with a handkerchief and said, "Sir, I know about this. I will immediately send a clerk back to Changsha to tell the people in the Finance and Taxation Department to hand over the accounts and the appropriation documents to Huijin Bank before the tenth day of the first lunar month."

Wang Yi'e knocked on the table, and everyone's eyes were on him again.

"What is the purpose of this Governor bringing up this matter at the beginning of the meeting? It's very simple. Now is different from the past, and we should not continue to follow the usual official habits.

Now Zhang Xiang has been in the Central Examination for a year and has achieved considerable results.”

The officials present couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts.

It is indeed quite effective, but the names of the officials who were punished and published in the newspapers are also frightening to us.

We have really entered an era where officials can hardly make a living.

"It is imperative to implement the performance evaluation system at the local level. The Central Steering Committee of the Performance Evaluation System has issued a document to list Hunan as a key province for the local implementation of the performance evaluation system.

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Why? Because Hunan is a newly established province, and now shoulders the heavy tasks of land reform and the development of the Dongting Lake Plain and its basin areas.

By implementing the performance evaluation system, we will spur government offices at all levels across the province to correct their official practices and improve efficiency, thereby ensuring the advancement of the above two key tasks.”

The officials looked unhappy after hearing this.

It has actually become a key province for the implementation of the performance evaluation system at the local level.

It’s really life-threatening!

I shouldn't have been so enthusiastic when the province was first established. I had to squeeze in and fell into the fire. But the officialdom in the world is like this from now on, where can I hide?

Wang Yi'e continued, "The next meeting will involve military affairs. You have all learned the confidentiality regulations. If military secrets are leaked, the crime will be aggravated. I don't want the Jinyiwei to find you.

All right. Tang Dushi, tell us the situation. We need the cooperation of all departments of the Chief Secretary and work together so that you can win the battle at the front with peace of mind. "

"Okay, the governor asked me to speak, so I will just briefly explain it.

Now the Third Division of Qianzhong Commandery has reached Fenghuang County, the Fourth Division has reached Baojing County, and the Second Division has reached Tianzhu. Three divisions, 30,000 troops, are all piled up in the border areas of western Hunan. The reason given to the outside world is to supervise the transformation of the chieftains in western Hunan into officials.

You can also think that they are going there for this. What you need to do is to ensure the logistics of these 30,000 troops. Since last year, the rear military governor's office has mobilized a large amount of military equipment, military rations, military clothing and other supplies and stored them in Shanghai.

In the past six months, we have used water transportation to go upstream and now have transported all the supplies to Changde City. Now, we need the cooperation of the six departments of the Hunan Provincial Administration to send the supplies upstream of the Yuan River to Chenxi City.

It has now become the No. 1 military station of Qianzhong Dusi, and then the No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 military stations will be established in Mayang, Luxi, and Baojing. The task of the governor is to recruit civilians, organize ships, and fully support the work of Chenzhou Prefecture.

After Tang Kekuan finished speaking, Wang Yi'e added two sentences: "I will repeat it again. This is not an ordinary day. If you are careless, your superiors can turn a blind eye.

But you can’t do that now. If you make a mistake in your mission, I will take out the royal flag granted by the Emperor and bring you to military trial!

Did you hear that?"

Wang Yi'e asked in a stern voice, and everyone present was shocked and solemn. Even Ling Yunyi and Hu Xi looked serious and followed everyone in answering in unison: "I heard it."

The royal flag is a privilege exclusive to the governor.

The royal flag and tablet were created by the current dynasty based on the banner system of the previous dynasty, combining the command flag and tablet system. Initially, they were only awarded to generals who led troops to war. The earliest royal flag and tablet was awarded to the general Liu Sheng, Marquis of Anyuan, when he went to war in Jiaozhi in the first year of Xuande.

In the fifth year of Tianshun, the military situation in the northwest was tense, and the court began to grant royal flags to civil officials in charge of military affairs in order to control the border army generals.

During the Zhengde reign, Wang Shouren, the governor of Zhangting in southern Jiangxi, sought imperial decree to eliminate bandits in southern Jiangxi, and was granted a royal flag. This marked the beginning of the practice of governors being granted royal flags. After that, it became a common practice for governors in charge of military affairs to be granted royal flags.

However, during the Longqing reign, Zhu Yijun turned the governor into the highest civil official sent by the central government to each province, with only the power of supervision over military affairs, and no longer the power of control. The royal flag was also taken back and was no longer granted to the governor.

Therefore, among the civil servants, only the governor was still granted the royal flag and had the power to command the army and enforce military law.

After hearing Wang Yi'e's announcement of the king's orders, everyone from Ling Yunyi down dared not slack off.

After the meeting, Wang Yi'e invited Tang Kekuan and Ling Yunyi to discuss related matters in detail.

After discussing the serious matters, Wang Yi'e invited the two to have tea.

Tang Kekuan held the steaming cup of tea and suddenly blurted out something.

"The key to the whole game is now in Sinan City. It has become a dangerous place. Zijian, you shouldn't have put Ziming in such a dangerous place."

Wang Yi'e looked at Tang Kekuan and asked, "Why can't Li Ziming go to Sinan? Because he is the governor's official?"

"He is also our hope!" Tang Kekuan said without hesitation in front of Ling Yunyi.

Wang Yi'e let out a long sigh.

Yes, Li Mingchun is a young talent cultivated by Longhua Academy and a legitimate inheritor of the Southeast School.

"Only steel can be forged through repeated tempering. We all know the emperor's temper. If Ziming doesn't temper himself well, it will be difficult for him to meet the emperor's standards. Even if we place high hopes on him, it will be of no avail."

"I know all this, but Sinan City is too dangerous."

"This governor also knows the danger. Danger is the best way to train people!" Wang Yi'e looked to the west, put his hands behind his back, and said leisurely, "Old Tang, just wait and see, there will be more and more outstanding talents in our dynasty in the future. If we don't seize this rare opportunity and let Ziming and others hone their skills, it's hard to say whether they can take on important responsibilities in the future."

Tang Kekuan was about to reply when an attendant came to report: "Report to the Governor, there is an urgent report from Hubei."

Wang Yi'e took the urgent report and his face changed after he scanned it.

Ling Yunyi and Tang Kekuan looked at each other, and Ling Yunyi asked, "Duxian, what happened?"

"Something happened in Hubei. Although it's not a big deal, it's a tricky matter. I have to go there."

Tang Kekuan was anxious at this time, "Four days ago, an urgent report said that the 1,000 wolf soldiers from Bozhou had passed Tongren City and have now arrived in Sinan City. It is possible that the plan has already been launched.

Duxian, is it appropriate for you to go to Hubei at this time? "

Wang Yi'e put the urgent report into his arms and said, "Now that the plan has been launched, I have nothing to do. The rest is up to you. I will leave immediately, and I will be back soon.

Ling Futai, the logistics of the 30,000-man royal army is now in your hands."

Ling Yunyi laughed: "Don't worry, Governor. If that bastard dares to slack off and make mistakes, I will arrest him first. When the Governor comes back and asks for the royal flag, I will chop him off with my own hands!"

"it is good!"

(End of this chapter)