Jingtai: Making the Ming Dynasty Great Again

Chapter 155 Without a Whistle

On the same day, they arrived at the Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing.

He was received by Chen Lin, a senior official in the Guangxi Bureau of the Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing.

Chen Lin smiled broadly: "Minister Li, which years' accounts would you like to see? I'll have someone bring them over right away."

Li Xiandao: "Records of fund allocation for the manufacture of firearms by the Bureau of Armaments and the Bureau of Ordnance from the sixth to the fourteenth year of the Zhengtong reign."

Chen Lin was taken aback: "The Ordnance Bureau and the Armory Bureau?"

Li Xian looked at him: "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Chen Lin quickly shook his head: "No problem, no problem. Minister Li, please wait a moment, I will send someone to find it right away."

He instructed several clerks to move account books from the storeroom, while he himself drank tea with Li Xian.

A quarter of an hour later, the clerks returned carrying more than a dozen bundles of account books.

Chen Lin smiled and said, "Minister Li, these are the Ministry of Revenue's general ledgers for revenue and expenditure from the sixth to the fourteenth year of the Zhengtong era."

The funding allocation records for the Ordnance Bureau and the Armory Bureau are all in this general ledger.

Take your time investigating. Don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything.

Li Xian nodded and began to look it up.

In the sixth year of the Zhengtong reign, the Ministry of Revenue allocated the following to the Bureau of Military Supplies: 5,000 catties of copper, 30,000 catties of iron, and 100,000 catties of charcoal.

In the ninth year of the Zhengtong reign, 1,000 catties of copper, 8,000 catties of iron, and 30,000 catties of charcoal were allocated.

In the twelfth year of the Zhengtong reign, fifty catties of copper, three hundred catties of iron, and eight hundred catties of charcoal were allocated.

Li Xian flipped to the records of the thirteenth year of the Zhengtong reign, and the section for the Bureau of Armory was empty.

He flipped to the fourteenth year of the Zhengtong era, which was also empty.

Li Xian looked up at Chen Lin: "Physician Chen, in the thirteenth and fourteenth years of the Zhengtong reign, the Bureau of Armaments did not allocate any funds?"

Chen Lin leaned over to take a look and nodded, saying, "Yes, there has been no allocation in the past two years."

Li Xian asked, "Why?"

Chen Lin said, "Minister Li should know that the Ministry of Revenue needs the imperial decree to allocate funds first."

The Bureau of Arms and Weapons does submit its budget annually, and the Ministry of Revenue does submit a report to the imperial court.

Whether the imperial court approves it or not, and how much it approves, is a matter for those above to decide.

The Ministry of Revenue was only responsible for implementation.

In the thirteenth and fourteenth years of the Zhengtong reign, the imperial court did not approve it.

The Ministry of Revenue dared not use the treasury funds without authorization, so they have been empty for the past two years.

Li Xian frowned. The court Chen Lin was referring to was naturally the Beijing court.

He looked at Chen Lin: "You mean the Bureau of Armory submits a budget every year, but the imperial court doesn't approve it, so there's no funding?"

Chen Lin nodded: "That's right. If Vice Minister Li doesn't believe me, he can check the report from the Bureau of Armaments. There's a copy in the Ministry of Revenue's archives."

Li Xian said, "Take me to see it."

Chen Lin led Li Xian to another archive room and took out several bundles of files from the shelf.

Li Xian opened it and found that, sure enough, the reports from the Bureau of Military Equipment from the sixth to the twelfth year of the Zhengtong reign were all there.

The document contains the comments from the Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing, as well as a copy of the imperial court's reply.

The petition from the thirteenth year of the Zhengtong reign is also there, which reads: "Regarding the request for the allocation of firearms materials in the thirteenth year of the Zhengtong reign."

The total output is: 6,000 catties of copper, 40,000 catties of iron, and 120,000 catties of charcoal.

We humbly request Your Majesty's decision.

However, there was no reply following the report.

The same was true of the petition from the fourteenth year of the Zhengtong reign; there was only a petition and no reply.

As Li Xian looked at the reports, a question gradually arose in his mind.

He then dug out the records from the sixth to twelfth year of the Zhengtong era and compared them carefully.

In the sixth year of the Zhengtong reign, the Bureau of Military Equipment requested 8,000 catties of copper, and the Ministry of Revenue allocated 5,000 catties.

In the seventh year of the Zhengtong reign, an application was made for 8,000 catties of copper, and 5,000 catties were allocated.

In the eighth year of the Zhengtong reign, an application for 8,000 catties of copper was submitted, and 2,000 catties were allocated.

In the ninth year of the Zhengtong reign, an application was made for 8,000 catties of copper, and 1,000 catties were allocated.

In the tenth year of the Zhengtong reign, an application was made for 8,000 catties of copper, and 500 catties were allocated.

In the eleventh year of the Zhengtong reign, an application was made for 8,000 catties of copper, and 200 catties were allocated.

In the twelfth year of the Zhengtong reign, an application was made for 8,000 catties of copper, and 50 catties were allocated.

The number of applications remains unchanged year after year, while the amount disbursed decreases year after year.

In the thirteenth and fourteenth years of the Zhengtong reign, applications were processed as usual, but no funds were allocated.

Li Xian looked at Chen Lin: "Dr. Chen, who set these application numbers?"

Chen Lin: "This was reported by the Ordnance Bureau itself."

Li Xian asked, "The Bureau of Armory reports 8,000 catties of copper every year. Where did this figure come from?"

Chen Lin shook his head: "This humble official really doesn't know. If Vice Minister Li wants to find out, he'll have to ask the people in the Armory."

Li Xian then asked, "Has the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue submitted any memorials to the court reflecting the problem of insufficient funding for firearms?"

Chen Lin hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Minister Li, I shouldn't have said that."

But since you've asked, I'll tell you the truth.

The Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing would submit a memorial every year, stating that the funds were insufficient and the production of firearms was unsustainable.

But after the memorial was submitted, there was never a response.

Li Xian didn't say anything, but silently put away the records.

He already had the answer in his mind: the Ordnance Bureau had indeed not received the funds to manufacture firearms, so the firearms that were transported to Beijing could only be old stock.

Those old items have been sitting there for at least a decade.

Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate.

Following Yu Shiyue's instructions, Liu Dun began visiting the old censors of the Nanjing Metropolitan Censorate.

His task was to find out the public opinion of Nanjing officials and see if there were any clues.

The Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate and the Beijing Metropolitan Procuratorate had similar regulations.

Entering through the main gate leads to the ceremonial gate, behind which is the main hall, with the duty rooms of the various provincial censors on both sides.

Liu Dun presented the official document, and a clerk led him to the door of the office of Zhang Kai, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief.

Upon seeing that it was Liu Dun, Zhang Kai rose to greet him: "Imperial Censor Liu, please come in quickly."

After entering, Liu Dun got straight to the point: "Censor Zhang and Governor Yu have ordered me to visit the Nanjing Censorate to understand the public opinion of Nanjing officials."

Having spent many years in Nanjing, Censor Zhang must have been familiar with the conduct of officials in various government departments.

Could you perhaps offer some guidance?

Zhang Kai said slowly, "Imperial Censor Liu, this task of yours is not easy."

Liu Dun said, "Please enlighten me, Censor Zhang."

Zhang Kai sighed: "If Censor Liu wants to know public opinion, he can ask those young censors."

Liu Dun cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Censor Zhang."

He got up to take his leave, and after leaving the house, he found the duty rooms of several young censors following Zhang Kai's instructions.

The first one was an imperial censor in his thirties, surnamed Zhou.

After entering, Liu Dun introduced himself.

Censor Zhou quickly rose and bowed, saying, "Censor Liu has come from afar; I have failed to greet you properly."

Liu Dun waved his hand and asked directly, "How many years has Imperial Censor Zhou been in Nanjing?"

Censor Zhou replied, "Reporting to Censor Liu, I was transferred to Nanjing in the twelfth year of the Zhengtong era, and it has been three years since then."

Liu Dun said, "In three years, we should have a good understanding of the situation in each government office."

I would like to ask: among the officials in Nanjing, who has the worst reputation?

Censor Zhou's expression changed slightly, then he smiled and said, "Censor Liu is joking. How could I, a mere censor, dare to speak ill of my superior?"

Liu Dun stared at him: "Imperial Censor Zhou, I am here on a mission to inspect the area, not to inquire privately."

"Speak freely, I will not reveal the source of this information."

Censor Zhou shook his head again: "Censor Liu, please forgive me, I really have nothing to say."

Liu Dun asked a few more questions, but Imperial Censor Zhou either claimed ignorance or evaded the question.

Liu Dun had no choice but to take his leave.

The second one was surnamed Wu, two years younger than Censor Zhou, and also stayed in Nanjing for three years.

Liu Dun entered and asked the same question.

Censor Wu also shook his head: "Censor Liu, this humble official truly does not know."

Liu Dun said, "Imperial Censor Wu, you've been in Nanjing for three years, haven't you heard a single word?"

Censor Wu shook his head again: "Censor Liu, this humble official truly does not know."

Liu Dun left in anger, and then visited three more imperial censors.

Each person reacted in the same way: either claiming ignorance, giving vague answers, or changing the subject.

Liu Dun gained nothing throughout the entire day.