Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 231: The Department of Taxation has become the "Bandit Suppression Department"? Come forward and surrender!

Huang Zicheng is very tough.

No matter how the Ministry of Justice tortured him, he insisted that he had no accomplices in the court.

Whatever I do has nothing to do with outsiders.

In comparison, the Japanese shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu did not have such backbone.

Before the torture began, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu vowed that he would face death with indifference and would never surrender.

But the officials from the Ministry of Justice only showed the torture instruments before him and told Ashikaga Yoshimitsu how he would be tortured and how miserable and horrible the torture would be. This great general who had ruled Japan for many years and was high and mighty, was so frightened that he wet his pants on the spot and immediately knelt down and begged for mercy.

However, most of the confessions made by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu were of no practical value.

To put it bluntly, Japan and the Ming Dynasty are separated by the sea, making it inconvenient for the two sides to travel.

Before Zhu Yunhuan ordered the Ming Manufacturing Bureau to improve ships, it took much longer to sail at sea than it does now.

Moreover, the Ming Dynasty was not very familiar with the sea routes to Japan.

In the eyes of many people, taking a boat trip to Japan is equivalent to a trip to the gates of hell.

That is to say, the times have changed greatly. Maritime exchanges are frequent and ships travel fast. Shanghai has regular flights between Ming Dynasty and Japan, making travel to Japan simple and fast.

Before this, even if there were ministers who really wanted to collude with Japan, it would be difficult for the two sides to reach an agreement.

Apart from Huang Zicheng, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu had never interacted with any powerful ministers in the court before.

His confession can only be used to "bite people" and attack political opponents.

To truly track down Huang Zicheng's accomplices, Huang Zicheng himself must confess.

……

East Palace.

In the backyard.

Zhu Yunxun lay lazily in the rocking chair, basking in the sun.

While listening to the reports from the three judicial officials: Yang Jing, the Minister of Justice, Yuan Tai, the Left Censor-in-Chief, and Zhou Zhiqing, the Minister of the Supreme Court.

"On August 7, the tax commissioner suppressed bandits in Zhejiang and killed more than 100 robbers."

"On August 17, the tax commissioner reported that Tonglu County police chief Zhang Wenwu had colluded with a thug to rob merchants and had shot him dead."

"On September 13, the tax commissioner reported that when the tax commissioner's officials were inspecting the collection of commercial taxes on the road from Zhejiang to Fujian, they found several gangs of robbers who had been robbing people on the road for a long time. The tax commissioner then dispatched troops to suppress the bandits and successively eliminated seven gangs of bandits, totaling more than 340 people."

"On September 24, the Taxation Commissioner submitted a report..."

"On October 7, the Commissioner of Taxation submitted a report..."

……

"So, has the Commissioner of Taxation been busy suppressing bandits all this time?" Zhu Yunhuan asked without raising his eyelids, closing his eyes and enjoying the warm sunshine of early winter.

"Yes!" Yang Jing, the Minister of Justice, bowed and said, "The young prince said that bandits are rampant on the road. If they are not eliminated, the trade route will be blocked. Since the tax bureau collects taxes from merchants, it should help them open up the trade route."

"The young prince also said that only the tax commissioner can collect taxes. Those little bandits dared to block the road and collect money. They must all be eliminated."

"Therefore, the young prince ordered the tax commissioner to clear out the 'road bullies' and 'road bandits' throughout the country, vowing to eradicate the mountain bandits, green forest robbers, and lawless villagers one by one in order to revitalize the Ming Dynasty's business."

"A few days ago, the young prince led the officers and soldiers of the tax department to capture a group of merchants who tried to smuggle goods from the sea without paying customs duties. They confiscated all their goods and executed the leader on the spot."

Zhu Gaoxu is quite good at taking on tasks for himself.

He was put in charge of the Department of Taxation, but he turned it into a "Bandit Suppression Department"?

He took his soldiers to suppress bandits everywhere every day and never even returned to Nanjing City.

Speaking of which, although the world is peaceful now, there are still countless bullies and bandits in the Ming Dynasty.

This is also a chronic disease of the feudal era.

It has existed for thousands of years.

It basically means "I opened this mountain and planted these trees. If you want to pass through here, you have to leave some money for passage." This is not just a casual remark, but a real one.

There are many types of highway robbers.

One type is those who rob people of their money and sex and are ruthless.

No matter how much money you have, it will all be taken away. If you are a pretty woman, you will be raped.

The other category is the people living in the roadside villages.

When they see outsiders passing by carrying valuable goods, they will come to "extort money" and stop them on the road to ask for tolls.

Generally they won’t actually steal goods or money, but they will definitely make the merchants passing by bleed heavily.

However, no matter which category they belong to, most of them follow the rule of "rabbits don't eat grass near their burrows" and only target outsiders, not locals.

Because in ancient society, it was emphasized that "if the people do not sue, the officials will not investigate."

Merchants who are away from home and have no relatives here, if they are robbed on the road, can usually only consider themselves unlucky and cannot file a complaint with the local authorities to seek redress.

These people took advantage of this and occupied hilltops and intersections for a long time, carrying out highway robbery.

If it was a convoy escorting supplies from the imperial court, or delivering express mail, or if it was an official passing by, they would never stop them and rob them.

Even if they were scholars going to Beijing to take imperial examinations, these road bullies and bandits knew to stay away from them and did not dare to rob them.

Because the scholars who were qualified to take the imperial examinations in Beijing all had achievements.

If these people were robbed, they would hand in a name card to the local government office, and the officials would send runners to arrest them.

They can't afford to offend scholars!

The only exceptions are the traveling merchants who go from door to door, the street performers who perform in various places, and the ordinary people who have to travel far away for business... These people have a low social status, have left their hometowns, and have no relatives or friends to help them, so they can be bullied at will.

People have always picked the softest persimmons.

This creates a very strange phenomenon.

What seemed like a smooth and easy road to government officials was, according to word of mouth among the common people, a dangerous area full of robbers.

In the eyes of locals, the place is safe and the people live and work in peace and contentment, but in the legends of outsiders, it is a place with poor mountains and bad waters, many unruly people and rampant thieves!

Precisely because this situation was very common, "escort agencies" that specialized in escorting people on trips gradually developed.

And gradually formed a unique escort culture.

However, in this era, commercial society is just beginning to take off.

The transportation of many items is still controlled by the government.

So the problem is not that big.

But as business develops further and more and more people engage in business, this problem will become more and more serious.

Previously, Yang Shiqi and Xia Yuanji had reported that the horse-drawn carriages carrying silver and money of the Ming Bank had been robbed by bandits several times.

The two had some different opinions on whether to clearly post the logo of the Bank of Ming Dynasty and use the Bank of Ming Dynasty's banner on the carriages transporting the silver and money, and no conclusion had been reached yet.

Using the name of Ming Bank will prevent some timid robbers from acting rashly.

But at the same time, it will also attract some daring robbers and bandits.

There are pros and cons.

The key lies in the limitations of communication conditions. If you are robbed on the road, it is often too late to catch the thief by the time you report the situation.

In this era, ensuring that trade routes are unobstructed and not blocked by any robbers or villagers is a very daunting task.

Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been the development of specialized escort agencies.

You know, hiring a bodyguard from an escort agency is very expensive.

Ordinary businessmen simply cannot afford to hire him.

Moreover, this will also cause logistics costs to remain high, hindering the development and prosperity of business.

Of course, there is no escort agency in the Ming Dynasty at present.

However, it is still difficult for ordinary people to travel far away to sell goods and do business.

Without the protection of official status, ordinary people would face a life-and-death adventure when traveling far away with money!

"What do you think about this?" Zhu Yunhuan asked indifferently.

Yang Jing did not answer immediately, as if he was thinking about how to respond.

Beside him, the Left Censor-in-Chief Yuan Tai said, "Your Highness, since ancient times, kings have ruled the world with benevolence and justice."

"Now that the world is peaceful, we should educate the people as much as possible and use less punishment."

"Besides, suppressing bandits is the responsibility of local government. It is inappropriate for the tax commissioner to interfere in this matter."

"Before, the tax commissioner had many conflicts with local officials and gentry over tax collection."

"If we continue to act like this now, it will only cause greater conflicts."

"I think that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince should issue an order to summon the young prince back to the capital, severely reprimand him, and restrain the tax commissioner's behavior."

Zhu Yunhuan stretched lazily, glanced at Yuan Tai, and said, "I vaguely remember that you submitted more than 20 memorials to impeach the Commissioner of Taxation, right?"

Yuan Tai looked righteous and said, "As the Left Censor-in-Chief, I have the duty to 'impeach all the officials.' If the tax commissioner has committed illegal acts, I will impeach him."

Zhu Yunhuan did not refute, but smiled slightly, and turned to ask Yang Jing: "Our dynasty has been established for more than 20 years, and the world has been peaceful for a long time, but bandits and thieves are still emerging in various places, and it is difficult for the people to travel. As the Minister of Justice, what do you think about this?"

Yang Jing bowed and said, "This is all my fault. I failed to urge the local government to fulfill their duties and protect the people, which resulted in the inability to completely eliminate the thieves..."

Zhu Yunhuan interrupted him with a wave of his hand and said, "You are only a minister of the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice is responsible for administering criminal laws and examining criminal names. How to eliminate bandits and mountain bandits is the responsibility of local governments. What does your Ministry of Justice have to do with it?" "I am asking what you think about this. Do you have any good ideas? Tell me. I am not asking you to come and apologize for your crime."

Yang Jing cupped his hands and said, "Reduce corvée labor, reduce taxes, select talented people and appoint capable people to positions, so that the people can have warm clothes and enough food, and the thieves will naturally disappear gradually."

Zhu Yunhuan looked at him deeply.

This is absolutely correct nonsense and makes no sense at all.

But this kind of words are what officials of this era like to say the most.

After a moment's silence, Zhu Yunxun said, "Send the order to recall that little bastard Zhu Gaoxu back to Jinling City."

"He is the head of the Taxation Department. He is responsible for coordinating the affairs of the Taxation Department across the country. How can he be wandering around outside all the time?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Yang Jing and Zhou Zhiqing were obviously surprised, while Yuan Tai's face was clearly filled with ecstasy.

Before this, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had always been protecting the Commissioner of Taxation.

No matter how many petitions were submitted to impeach the Commissioner of Taxation, he remained completely indifferent.

Later, with the disarmament and restructuring of the army, as well as the changes in the yamen service system of local government offices, the conflicts caused by the Tax Commissioner gradually decreased.

The attitude of local officials towards the Commissioner of Taxation gradually changed from dissatisfaction to cooperation.

Even many local officials began to speak on behalf of the Commissioner of Taxation.

Although most of the officials in the court still disliked the Commissioner of Taxation, the trend of impeaching him gradually subsided.

No one expected that at this time, Zhu Yunhuan suddenly summoned Zhu Gaoxu back to Beijing.

Does this mean that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has changed his attitude towards the Commissioner of Taxation?

The three of them were all pondering Zhu Yunhuan's words in their hearts, and carefully observing the expression of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince with casual glances.

But I didn't see any clues.

I can only keep this guess in my heart.

"How is the trial of Huang Zicheng's case going?" Zhu Yunheng suddenly asked.

The three of them felt a tightness in their hearts.

At this moment, trying Huang Zicheng's treason case has become the most important task of the three judicial departments.

The three of them came to the East Palace today just for this matter.

It was just that Zhu Yunhuan didn't ask just now, so they were reluctant to speak.

"We have interrogated Huang Zicheng many times, but he has always refused to confess and insisted that he has no accomplices in the court."

Dali Temple Minister Zhou Zhiqing bowed and said, "The Huang Zicheng case has caused panic among the government and the public."

"Now, the three judicial departments receive hundreds of letters of complaint every day, but most of them have no real evidence. They have caused unrest in the country, and officials and civilians are all terrified, fearing that the court will start another big case."

"I think this case should not be delayed for too long and needs to be concluded as soon as possible."

Ever since Zhu Yunhuan ordered a large-scale investigation into Huang Zicheng's accomplices, rumors that he intended to stir up another major case spread like wildfire.

With the examples of the three major cases in which Zhu Yuanzhang killed so many people, namely the "Hu Weiyong Case", the "Empty Seal Case" and the "Guo Huan Case", the officials of the Hongwu Dynasty were very sensitive to such major cases.

Right now everyone is worried that the "Huang Zicheng case" will become the fourth largest case in the Hongwu Dynasty. How can we not be afraid?
The posture Zhu Yunhuan put on was much more aggressive than that of the previous major cases such as the "Hu Weiyong case", "Empty Seal case" and "Guo Huan case".

Right now, people all over the country are reporting traitors and exposing Huang Zicheng's accomplices. The momentum is unprecedented.

Many officials were very nervous.

To their surprise, the investigation into this case turned out to be a lot of noise but little results.

The officials were called in for individual questioning one by one, but most of them returned safely in the end.

This is a bit confusing.

You know, the three major cases before did not cause such a big commotion when they were investigated.

Before the official decree of conviction, many officials still thought that they would be given a lenient sentence by the court.

It was not until the killing was overwhelming and the blood flowed like a river that everyone came to their senses.

However, the way His Royal Highness the Crown Prince investigated the case of "Huang Zicheng's treason" seemed to be completely opposite to the way His Majesty the Emperor investigated the case.

The noise was loud. Very loud.

Not only the imperial court, but also ordinary people all over the country were alarmed.

Traitors are being investigated and their accomplices arrested everywhere in the country.

The editorials in the Da Ming Daily were more severe than the last.

But not many people were arrested.

can't read!
I can't understand it at all!
All the officials in the court were trembling with fear, but they didn't know what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was intending to do.

Zhou Zhiqing took the opportunity of Zhu Yunhuan's question to express his thoughts.

Hearing this, Zhu Yunxun asked, "Then do you think Huang Zicheng has any accomplices in the court?"

"This..." Zhou Zhiqing was suddenly speechless.

Huang Zicheng dared to go to Japan to "borrow troops" and signed such a traitorous treaty with Japan. He must have had his accomplices in the court.

Otherwise, how could he be so sure that Japan's military intervention would be effective?

The problem is that this kind of thing must be very secretive.

Any written evidence will be destroyed without leaving any trace.

Normally, no third party would be informed.

Therefore, if the person involved does not confess voluntarily, it will be difficult for outsiders to find out.

The so-called reporting is of little effect.

"If there is an accomplice but we cannot find him out, it will always be a hidden danger." Zhu Yunhuan's tone was extremely cold.

Zhou Zhiqing, Yuan Tai, and Yang Jing looked at each other quietly and shook their heads slightly.

During this period, many officials in the court entrusted the three men with messages and rumors, hoping that when they reported Huang Zicheng's situation to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, they would advise him to close the case as soon as possible.

But when they really faced Zhu Yunhuan, the three of them became hesitant.

His Royal Highness, who appears to be clean and has a slightly childish face, like a teenager, has created too many legends in the past year.

He seized the position of crown prince, established the Ming Bank and the Ming Daily, and took charge of the Ming Military Academy. Even Prince of Yan Zhu Di worshipped him as his teacher.

Internally, he had financial power, public opinion, and military power firmly in his hands.

Externally, he launched wars one after another and won victory, and Japan and the Northern Yuan Dynasty were pacified in the blink of an eye.

I don’t know what kind of overwhelming wave of opposition was aroused by the issue of the Tax Commissioner.

Officials in the court all thought that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would not be able to withstand the pressure and would have to give in.

But not only did he hold on, he also made drastic changes to the military, reformed the military system, and changed the government service system... He seemed not afraid at all of causing chaos in the world as a result.

In the end, there was no chaos in the world, and the terrifying atmosphere of impending storm in the court gradually dissipated into nothingness.

Faced with the overwhelming memorials and impeachments from officials, even His Majesty the Emperor might not be able to withstand it.

However, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did nothing, turned a blind eye, and quietly carried out reforms, and the problem was resolved without a trace.

This is what’s truly amazing!
Compared with angering His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, what is the pressure from the officials in the court to close the case?

What's more, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has an absolute "moral advantage" in this matter.

No one dares to say that the court should not investigate traitors, right?

The wind has already risen, who can stop it?
"Investigate, continue investigating until you find Huang Zicheng's accomplices." Zhu Yunxun glanced at the three people and said, "I know that this case is not easy to investigate, so I did not order you to conclude the case within a time limit, and I did not set a deadline for you."

"If you want to close the case as soon as possible, then find out Huang Zicheng's accomplices as soon as possible."

“When we have thoroughly investigated the case, we will close it.”

Yang Jing, Yuan Tai and Zhou Zhiqing all felt a tightness in their hearts.

In the past, when handling cases, I was most afraid of deadlines being set by superiors.

Time is tight and you will be held accountable if you fail to complete it.

But this time, they actually wanted His Royal Highness Prince Taisun to set a deadline.

Let the case be settled and be freed as soon as possible.

Hanging there is the most uncomfortable thing.

But since Zhu Yunhuan had said so, the three dared not say anything more.

"Yes!" Yang Jing, Yuan Tai and Zhou Zhiqing responded at the same time.

Zhu Yunhuan waved his hand and said, "Go down first."

The three of them bowed and were about to leave.

at this time.

A eunuch hurried over, looking flustered and nervous.

"Qi Tai, the head of the Ministry of War, claims that he is an accomplice of Huang Zicheng and has come to surrender to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

……

(End of this chapter)