Back to the end of Ming Dynasty to be a warlord

Chapter 289 The Emperor's Heartbeat

Yang Chao's report immediately made Shi Kefa, who was embarrassed by the court and had been in arrears and evaded taxes year after year, restless.

The Jiangnan area has always been the wealth center of the Ming Dynasty, but it is also the hardest-hit area for tax evasion. Jiangnan is rich, has the most scholars in Jiangnan, and has the most gentry in Jiangnan. There are too many scholars, recruiters, and Jinshi, and there are too many tax-free shares. , resulting in substantial tax evasion.

There are legal evasions, such as ordinary landlords or self-cultivated farmers who have landed their land in the name of famous scholars to obtain tax avoidance rights allowed by law, but more illegal evasions, many wealthy families The big households concealed their population, falsely reported the acres of land, and the good fields became barren fields, and these powerful families were protected or colluded with the government. As a result, they should pay ten taels, and it would be good to pay one or two taels.

Even so, these aristocratic families still think of ways to resist paying taxes, and they just refuse to pay them. Moreover, the more powerful and powerful officials and eunuchs are, the more they escape. The government is not afraid of chasing them. Floods, droughts and other pretense, just do not pay!

These families usually have officials in their families, and there are many famous scholars among their children. They are famous families in the local area. The government should not push them too much, but ask them to complete the tax.

The result is that Jiangnan cannot pay the tax year after year, and the court will become more and more embarrassed. If Zhang Juzheng strictly enforced the examination method, nine out of ten officials in Jiangnan would have to be dismissed. It is a pity that Zhang Juzheng He died, and he died miserably, and was scolded miserably by the scholar-bureaucrats. There is no longer a chief assistant like Zhang Juzheng who dared to offend officials and scholar-bureaucrats all over the world, nor did he have that kind of ability, so the world is getting better day by day. Bad.

Shi Kefa, who had been a high-ranking official for half his life, saw it in his eyes, but he was anxious and helpless. He told himself repeatedly that the Ming Dynasty had deep-rooted abuses, and it could not be reversed overnight, and patience was needed.

But the world is in chaos right now, and military expenses cannot be defaulted. Therefore, people like Shi Kefa who always regard the destiny of the country as their own mission can't sleep at night and sigh day and night.

But at this time, someone told him that there is no need to impose additional taxes, and he can receive 300 million taels of tax money as long as the court relaxes the ban. How can this make Shi Kefa not tempted.

Even if he also believes that opening the sea ban is not a long-term solution, he also believes that opening the sea ban will attract pirates' covetousness, and also believes that opening the sea ban is drinking poison to quench thirst, but now he is really thirsty to death, maybe after drinking poison, temporarily save the Urgent, giving Da Mingchao a breath can still save him.

So Shi Kefa immediately called Yang Chao over and asked him face to face. Yang Chao told him that in the Songjiang Mansion area, countless wealthy families were engaged in smuggling business through the sea, earning huge profits every year, but the court did not get a penny.

Yang Chao also told Shi Kefa that there is no need to ban these people from trading, but only need to open the sea ban so that they can legally access the sea, so that not only can they make money more conveniently and safely, but the country can also extract generous taxes from the sea trade.

Shi Kefa asked again, can really get 300 million taxes.

Yang Chao said that maybe not in the first year, but 100 million should be available, 200 million in the second year, and 300 million in the third year and beyond.

Yang Chao also said that if Shi Kefa trusted him, he was willing to issue a military order and entrust him with the handling of the shipping, and he promised to pay 300 million to the court every year.

Shi Kefa was really excited all day, but after thinking about it all night, he suddenly flinched.

It's not that no one has done this kind of opening to the emperor in the past, but these people are all despised by the civil official group and scolded as short-sighted people. They are often excluded by the orthodox Qingliu, and their reputations are ruined.

And in the past Shi Kefa, if he heard someone talking about lifting the sea ban, he would be the first to stand up against it, but Yang Chao said that there were 300 million taels of tax money, which made him change his mind, but his own change , After thinking about it, Shi Kefa was ashamed. This is a shame. How could he give up his principles for such a small amount of money.

So he fell silent and never mentioned the matter again.

Strangely, Yang Chao waited for Shi Kefa for several days, only to find that there was no movement. He knew that Mr. Shi, like other civil servants, was full of doubts about the sea and was unwilling to open the door leading to the sea.

In fact, Shi Kefa thought much more than Yang Chao did, but Yang Chao would not understand this kind of conservative culture that was born in farming civilization and ruled China for thousands of years.

But Yang Chao never gives up easily when he does things. If Shi Kefa can't do it, he will find someone else.

Obviously Yang Wencong is much easier to fool than Shi Kefa.

Let Yang Wencong, the military department, give a secret report to the emperor directly. First, he impeached many high-ranking officials in the south of the Yangtze River for colluding with local wealthy families to trade with the sea. Finally, he suggested that the emperor let the court open the sea and send capable officials to manage the city. Li, um, 500 million taels!

Anyway, Yang Wencong, the speaker, doesn't need to be responsible for his own words, so he just blows it up, but Yang Wencong is timid, he didn't dare to blow up to 1000 million taels as Yang Chao said, he only dared to write 500 million taels.

But this was enough to make the emperor tempted.

Emperor Chongzhen was really poor. One of the reasons why Concubine Tian Gui was favored by him in the past was that Concubine Tian Gui could understand him and knew that the emperor was poor. Concubine Tian Guifei used all kinds of porcelain instead of gold and silver vessels. The imperial concubine washed his clothes herself.

The gold and silver wares in the Chongzhen Emperor's palace were often secretly sold out of the palace, and they dared not let others know. More than a hundred times, but out of face, Chongzhen only dared to send ordinary gold and silver into the pawnshop.

Now that there are 300 million taels of wealth, there is no need to burden the common people, and there is no need to worry about stirring up civil uprisings. How could Emperor Chongzhen not be tempted by such a good thing, but there is another point, he is the same as Shi Kefa, worried about his own face damaged.

But Chongzhen's sense of urgency was much stronger than that of Shi Kefa, so after he received the secret report, he immediately discussed with his confidant eunuch.

"Cheng En, what do you think?"

After Cao Huachun went home to mourn and observe filial piety, Wang Chengen became the eunuch holding the pen.

In history, this Wang Chengen committed suicide with Chongzhen in the end. From Chongzhen's point of view, he was a good slave.

"Your Majesty, I have often heard that those tycoons who connect to the sea are as rich as a country. But according to my servant, it may be an exaggeration to say that I can collect 500 million taels of silver every year."

After listening to Wang Chengen's words, Chongzhen's slightly rosy face from excitement turned pale again.

Secretly sighed: "Hey, Yang Wencong is a loyal subject, but it's understandable that he didn't know about Tonghai."

Seeing the emperor's loss, Wang Cheng'en couldn't bear it, and regretted that he had spoiled the emperor's interest. The emperor finally found a way to dig money, but he was denied by himself. Now all the officials in the world know to open their mouths for money. No one can give the emperor any worries.

Thinking of this, Wang Chengen quickly overturned what he had said just now: "The slaves are actually not good at sea trade, but they are guessing out of thin air, so they can't be the master. Why don't your majesty order the Jiangnan Shiben soldiers to investigate carefully and report it in secret."

Emperor Chongzhen also felt that he could collect 500 million taels of silver just by opening the sea. The officials objected, how many people he killed for this, and why he robbed the people of money, isn't it for the sake of the country.

If a sea ban can really be opened, you can get 500 million taels of silver every year, and Chongzhen dares to stop the three salaries.

Thinking of this, Chongzhen nodded: "The words of your slave are the words of maturity and prudence."

Chongzhen couldn't help admiring. After ascending the throne, shooting became more and more difficult. Chongzhen also became less and less trusting of those civil servants who only talked boastfully, and he reused his trust in eunuchs. Now he feels that he really dares to rest assured that there are really only these slave.

"Just send Shi Kefa a secret decree according to what you said, and remember not to be known by outsiders, so as to avoid unnecessary complications."

Chen Xinjia was ordered to negotiate peace with Huang Taiji, but the officials learned of it, and they wrote letters of impeachment one after another. In the end, the emperor had no choice but to kill Chen Xinjia to appease the public outrage.

Wang Chengen immediately received the decree, looking at the thinner emperor, he also hoped that Shi Kefa could bring back good news.

Just when Yang Chao failed to seduce Shi Kefa, he directly seduced the emperor through Yang Wencong's secret performance, and the emperor was also very excited.

Outside the closed walls of the Ming Dynasty, in Shengjing City, which can be described as a miniature model compared to the Forbidden City, Huang Taiji was also talking to his confidantes in a sickly manner.

"Hilgen, it's not that I'm cruel, it's really a last resort."

Huang Taiji's tone was also full of helplessness.

A middle-aged general in armor but without a weapon sighed: "But Turg has always been loyal. This time, the servant saw with his own eyes that he committed suicide before retreating. It is not an insult to my reputation of the Eight Banners."

At that time, in the Dashui Chong camp outside Haizhou City, Hilgen immediately entered the commander's camp after arranging his relatives and horses. Before camp, he wiped his own neck with a knife.

In Hilgen's view, Turg has used his blood to wash away the shame.

Huang Taiji sighed: "I don't know. However, Turge's big defeat this time is really hard to cover up. Forget it, three of the cattle and deer in his hand will be given to Duoduo, and the rest will be divided among the beiel of the Xiangbai Banner. Some."

After Abatai led his troops back to the outside of the pass, he heard the news of Turg's defeat, and sure enough, one by one the banner owners jumped out, because Turge's men lost more than one banner man, and the other banners were okay, but to The emperor cried and begged, hoping to give them more coats of slaves, but Duoduo, who was inlaid with a white flag, began to jump up and down. In the name of Turge's defeat, he played together with several high-ranking shellfish in the inlaid white flag, demanding that Turge's family property be confiscated , punished his Niu Lu to compensate others, and made his family slaves.

(End of this chapter)