Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 304 Rule the world
"This prime minister, however, cannot hold all the power. The financial power is given to the prime minister, and the heads of the Privy Council, the Inspection Council, the Imperial Study, the Jinxian Council, the Official Property Council, the Administrative Council, and the Lifan Council will be present at the State Council of the Fengtian Hall to assist me in governing the country. I will work with the eight assistant ministers to decide on the major policies of the country, and then the eight assistant ministers will each perform their duties."

He began to describe to his important ministers the future official structure of the Ming Dynasty in his mind. For everyone, this was tantamount to a subversive change.

Especially the first-rank prime minister, this time the emperor really gave up a lot of power.

Once the major policies are agreed upon at the State Council Meeting in Fengtian Hall, as to how they will be implemented, the specific affairs of the ministries under the Executive Yuan will no longer need to be approved by the Prime Minister.

The number of ministries under the Executive Yuan actually increased and became more sophisticated. The Ministry of Revenue was obviously dismantled, and the finance and taxation policies were separated. The Ministry of Works also dismantled some of its water conservancy functions and merged them into the Ministry of Agriculture. Then there were six ministries: Industry and Commerce, Culture and Education, and Transportation. There were also three second-grade positions: the Disaster Relief Department, the Health Department, and the National Treasury.

As for the Jinxian Academy, which seemed to have been split into two parts under the Ministry of Rites, with half of it going to the Executive Yuan and the other half going to the Lifanyuan, it became like a bare Ministry of Personnel afterwards. However, it retained the power to conduct provincial examinations, metropolitan examinations, and other examination-related functions in various provinces. It retained the Taichang Temple, and also added the Boyan Academy and Tongzheng Academy.

The Hanlin Academy was fine, the Tongzheng Academy under it was moved to Jinxian Academy, and from then on, they really became the imperial secretaries in the imperial study. On the contrary, the Tongzhengshisi had a total of seven Tongzheng deputy envoys of the third rank, each in charge of a courtyard. The Zhanshifu was redesigned and named Xuanzheng Office, specializing in propaganda.

The Inspection Office should not be underestimated either. Shen Li looked at it in some surprise. The three judicial departments were actually under the Inspection Office, but it was not what he thought.

The Chief Censor was too heavy-handed, and in fact he was only in charge of the Censorate. However, the officials sent out from the Censorate later made the concept clear: each province had a governor-general, but he was not in charge of military affairs, civil affairs, or criminal law.

Each province was modeled after the central government, and the governor was a true imperial envoy, who was like the emperor in the Fengtian State Council to ensure that the provinces were moving in the direction required by the court. This was true for the provinces, prefectures and counties.

The Censorate seemed to be even more important than before. It was clearly keeping an eye on the Executive Yuan system at the local level, and working together with the Jinxianyuan, which was directly connected to the official examination offices at all levels in the localities, to ensure the implementation of personnel and policies.

As for the Ministry of Justice, it was split into the Public Security Bureau, which was specialized in investigating and handling cases, and its status was raised. The power to adjudicate cases was retained and merged into the Dali Temple. The Dali Temple was renamed the Court and became a separate government office system, directly connected to the province, prefecture, state, and county, and the power of review was realized through each level.

The new Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Frontier Affairs are even more intriguing.

The government-owned property office, as the name suggests, is what the emperor called a method of increasing revenue, as if he wanted to compete with the people for profits. However, this government-owned property office was not only set up in the central government, but also at the provincial and prefectural levels.

The idea was to have officials in charge of industrial and commercial business first manage the government-owned property office, which would then house various businesses, which could also form partnerships with private individuals.

Their most important task was to gradually and comprehensively complete the corvée work required by the Ming Dynasty. After the corvées who served in the government were registered through the Public Security Bureau and local government officials, the rest of the work that required centralized spending, whether it was procurement or engineering, could be done by the various businesses under the government property bureau.

This has changed dramatically.

"In the future, there will be no annual office or sitting office. Except for gold and silver, all the needs of the inner court will be provided by the emperor's share of the profits from Changminghao and Zongminghao." Zhu Changluo looked at them, especially Xiao Daheng and Wang Yingjiao. "The treasuries of various government offices will be unified into a national treasury. The Ministry of Finance will be responsible for expenditure, the Ministry of Taxation will be responsible for collection, and the National Treasury will be responsible for the payment of silver. The annual office, sitting office, and miscellaneous office, what I and the court need, and what the local government needs, how much silver can be earned every year?"

Wang Yingjiao looked at the emperor in astonishment: "Your Majesty, if we build a palace..."

"It's just the purchase of the imperial treasury." Zhu Changluo said decisively, "If the Executive Yuan can sort out the financial affairs, I only want the gold and silver every year. If Changminghao and Zongminghao are not managed well, I and my descendants will be patient for the time being. I will take good care of the royal family and relatives. Although it is true that I led the royal family and relatives to compete with the people for profits, it is still a good policy to stop the annual and sitting management of Zongminghao and Changminghao and strictly order them to pay commercial taxes."

After saying that, he looked at them and said, "The same is true for the Ministry of Industry and Property. Industries related to the national economy and people's livelihood should be controlled by the court. Grain transport, salt and iron, tribute trade, major industries... these are needless to say. Local governments should adapt to local conditions and have strategies for survival, and they don't have to focus only on land taxes and labor silver. I am not worried that local officials and gentry will get rich because of this procurement. I will only focus on one thing: how much procurement silver is spent, how much tax silver should be collected, this is what the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Ministry of Industry and Property should do well."

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce was a new thing. To put it bluntly, its function was similar to the original Ministry of Revenue's management of the yellow book of land and population. Whether it was Zongminghao, Changminghao, or the commercial banks established by the official property office, plus private commercial banks, workshops, and shops, all those engaged in industrial and commercial business were registered with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.

The tax department naturally needs to carry out more detailed management, determine various types of business taxes, and require accounting standards.

But in the initial stage, Zhu Changluo really only asked for one thing, which was to grab the big head: the money in the court's fiscal expenditure other than salaries could be converted into part of the tax silver after spending.

And since the initial direction was clearly that only those state-owned commercial banks controlled by the government-industry institute could take over these profitable businesses, there would be a basis for calculating taxes.

If there is a problem later and there is an official identity, the Censorate can come forward to investigate and recover the money.

Chen Jian was stunned when he heard the emperor's explanation: "Your Majesty, if this happens, how many officials will the Ming Dynasty have to appoint..."

"Too many officials is not a problem, but too many without any real work is a problem." Zhu Changluo said naturally, "If we count all the clerks and servants, the total number of officials, clerks, soldiers and hired servants that the Ming Dynasty needs to support with salaries is not enough? Rightfully, they should all be public servants in the future."

After speaking, he looked around and then said, "In general, all scholars in the world should be exempted from punishment by salary. For those who do not want to be officials, they should start from agriculture, industry and commerce to make a fortune. The craftsmen have been eliminated, and the people should not look down on the businessmen. They should all be put on the table and all be civilians. However, there should be a regulation for the relatives of officials who do business."

Zhu Changluo looked at Shen Li and said, "When you hold power, it is inevitable to abuse it for personal gain, but there must be rules. Officials should serve the country and the people, and at least the seventh-rank officials and above should be selected based on integrity. The court manages the finances well, and the officials are well paid. There is no need to worry about supporting their families, and there is public money for many expenses. This is enough. It is not impossible for someone to be rich and powerful. I welcome anyone who can prove his ability and withstand investigation."

Shen Li shook his head and sighed, as if he saw the future of the Inspection Institute.

To put it bluntly, I'm afraid it's mainly to investigate corruption and abuse of power for personal gain.

This is an eternal problem. How easy is it to have clean and honest government?

Zhu Changluo added: "In the future, all corruption and fines will be deposited into the national treasury. I am entrusted by Heaven to protect the Ming Dynasty. I am like the brain and soul of the Ming Dynasty. The officials are my hands, feet, internal organs, and the gentry and the people are my flesh and blood. Money is like blood, it is needed everywhere, and the entire Ming Dynasty depends on it for nourishment. Gentlemen do not need to avoid talking about the word "profit". It is good for the monarch and his subjects, for the officials and the people, and even better for the Ming Dynasty."

This conversation between the emperor and his ministers in early March of the eighth year of Taichang was naked and profound. The future of the Ming Dynasty that the emperor described was still just a picture, but he began to talk about the essence of things, hoping that all the ministers would start from this clear clue, sort out all matters, and unify their thoughts.

In order to enjoy the benefits of being the ruler of a country longer and more steadily, the emperor had to delegate power to the prime ministers, and the monarch and his ministers governed together.

In order to satisfy the interests of all officials and public servants, the court had to ensure tax collection and expenditure in many aspects, including moral and disciplinary requirements, execution and supervision of official duties, and prevention and punishment measures.

In order to keep the people's hearts and minds on the court, the monarch and his ministers had to improve the people's situation on the one hand, and do a good job of distribution on the other.

The flow of money is indeed the blood and lifeblood, the clue.

In life, one must first live, then reproduce, and finally make a fortune and pass on benefits to future generations. The emperor, his ministers, and the court should provide protection and plan a way out for everyone.

As long as there is hope and this hope is visible, there will be no big problem.

There are always some people who are unable to think straight and blame others, and there are some people who are unsatisfied and take risks. So what?
A country is based on the use of force and is meant to safeguard the existing interests of the majority of people.

No matter what, Zhu Changluo only emphasized one point: in terms of numbers, ordinary people far outnumbered the gentry and wealthy families.

Aren't all the gentry and wealthy families descended from noble royal families? Don't they all have a first generation that truly made their fortune?
There is no shortage of gentry and wealthy people in the world. Whoever gets rid of them will get richer.

This is what it means to be a wise man who knows the times.

"It is not easy to achieve this goal. At least tens of millions of yuan of annual income is needed." Zhu Changluo concluded, "I am not in a hurry, and you should not be in a hurry either. Regarding the word money, it is also a very important subject. First, we should eliminate the threat from the north and let the Ming Dynasty have a steady stream of annual income from the vassal states. Before that, you should keep this secret. I will find time to discuss it with you in depth. I have been thinking about many methods for many years. You can deduce and verify them one by one and implement them step by step."

After that, he looked at everyone slowly: "Some of the ministers may retire in the future, but some will still be here. Now, everyone in front of the emperor should think that they have been included in the State Council Meeting in Fengtian Hall. Where the Ming Dynasty will go is the common responsibility of the monarch and his ministers, and it is also the power held by the monarch and his ministers. The Privy Council did not come today, and you all know my determination. I can make the decision on this matter, but it is not good. I am not unwilling to listen to advice on the priorities of all matters. I want to plan for the long-term of the country and seek the sincerity of the wise men. If you have comrades, you should put aside your old prejudices and discuss frankly like me in the future."

He stood up and bowed, and everyone naturally stood up to return the greeting nervously, with other emotions in their hearts.

"Those who help me rule the world should be my comrades. As long as you have this ambition, you can focus on serving the country, and I will protect you and your family. A hundred years later, we can talk and laugh in the imperial temple!"

The emperor explicitly promised him the title of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and all the ministers were thinking of this as the only first-rank official prime minister in the future Ming Dynasty.

The emperor in front of him did not look like Taizu, nor did he look like the previous emperor.

Is he the next Hu Weiyong, or the next Zhang Juzheng, or is he like the story of Emperor Zhaolie and Prime Minister Zhuge Liang?

do not know.

But today the emperor himself said that his royal power was not sacred, and now he bowed and looked for his comrades, which really made some people excited.

It's good to say that both the emperor and his subjects have bargaining chips, but the emperor has much more chips, such as the military power that does not exist today.

But it is obvious that the emperor will now need a year or even longer to convince everyone or be convinced by everyone.

Can't this be called wise?
The civil officials thoroughly understood the depth and breadth of the new law in the emperor's mind, while the military officials paid attention to the war in the northern border.

In March, when spring came and flowers bloomed, the snow between the mountains outside the border wall melted, and Liu Jing and Ma Gui led their troops out of the border.

When Li Chengliang arrived at Dagu, he looked at the Beiyang Fleet Admiral Shen Yourong who came to greet him and smiled warmly: "My life is entrusted to Admiral Shen."

"Marquis Ningyuan is joking." Shen Yourong looked at the famous Governor of the Beijing Camp, Li Chengliang, and stepped aside. "The Beiyang Fleet's warships are already ready. Please board the ships, fellow Beijing Camp members!"

Outside the Dagu military port, there were warships and ships drawn from the Coastal Defense Department, Changming Zhayang Company and Haimao Company under the jurisdiction of the entire Zuojun Military Governor's Office.

The shadows of sails covered the sky, and Li Chengliang, who had participated in planning many military and national strategies in Beijing, could not help but feel excited.

Old.

Otherwise, what will the future be like?

He patted Shen Yourong's shoulder with emotion and stepped forward: "Admiral Shen was born at a good time! If he leads the army well, the Ming navy will surely produce more dukes and marquises!"

Shen Yourong was shocked as she watched Li Chengliang walking forward.

...Duke?
(End of this chapter)