The year-end work summary meeting of the first ruling team of the Ming Dynasty was held in the Wenhua Hall to summarize the results of the year and plan the work of various ministries and agencies for the next year.
But Zhu Heng, Minister of Industry and Industry, did not follow the routine.
He opened his mouth and asked for money at the party.
Forget it, I still want to take away 1.8 million taels!
Zhu Yijun also understood why this guy started to make moves after Wang Guoguang reported the Taicang's progress.
Maybe the numbers you ask for depend on the situation!
If the national treasury receives 1.98 million, I will want 1.8 million. If it receives 3 million, I am afraid I will want more than 2 million!
It’s no wonder that after Wang Guoguang finished the report, he started to pour cold water on it, saying that this is hard and that is difficult, he is really experienced!
No one present would agree to the amount reported by Zhu Heng.
Zhu Yijun didn't want to be such a bad person. There would always be someone who would "speak up for justice" and make Zhu Heng retreat when he saw the difficulties.
But what he didn't expect was.
The person who spoke first was Zhang Juzheng.
Mr. Chief Assistant was neither sad nor happy. He turned to look at Zhu Heng: "One million and eight hundred thousand? How can the Ministry of Industry and Engineering have so much silver in its cautious inventory?"
Zhu Yijun couldn't help but feel happy, which made the old man feel a little hurt.
There is no fixed quota for the annual income ratio of Siku, but it is about the same every year. "Based on the annual income of Taicang, Jieshen is one-fourth, Taipu is one-tenth, and Guanglu is tenths of a cent."
Jieshenku has received 1.5 million taels this year.
But a lot of it was used, not to mention "the total amount of silver used in the construction of Zhaoling was 399,932 taels."
Just 720,000 taels were allocated for the construction and maintenance of the Yellow River, canals, and water channels. The imperial court that did not treat the people as pigs and dogs was not stingy in water conservancy construction. Even if Chongzhen was about to be destroyed, he would still spend 720,000 taels of money.
Allocating funds to the Ministry of Industry to repair water conservancy projects.
Coupled with the project to rebuild Ciqing Palace and the sea-going ship development project in collaboration with the Cao Yuan Yamen, the balance of payments was barely even in this year.
So if you don’t make money, you don’t make money. How much money does Jieshenku have?
In the 30th year of Wanli in history, when the scholar Zhu Gengyan recalled the first year of the reign of Emperor Wanli, he said - "On the first year of the year, there were more than 1.1 million gold in the treasure house, but now there is no money left."
Now I only have 1.1 million taels in my pocket, and I am talking about a big project worth 1.8 million yuan. I obviously asked the Ministry of Household Affairs for money.
Zhang Juzheng's words obviously meant that Taicang would not be allowed to take out one-third of the inventory at once.
When Zhu Heng heard this, he couldn't help but feel a little angry.
He knew that the chief minister had opinions about him. After Wang Zhigao left last month, when Zhang Juzheng recommended Zhang Han, he made a wave of sharp comments on the ministers.
The daily notes are written in white and black, such as "Ge Shouli is a gentleman, but he is declining", or "Yu Zhu Heng has derogatory words".
This incident made Zhu Heng angry for a while and it passed. Unexpectedly, Zhang Juzheng today did not even support a century-old plan. He was simply not a son of a man!
He ignored Zhang Juzheng, bowed his hands towards Wang Guoguang, met the emperor's gaze with a sincere expression, and tried his best to explain: "Your Majesty, I am not doing this for the department's personal gain."
"The Ministry of Industry has already discussed it, and the 1.8 million taels cannot be reduced."
"Coastal routes are very different from outbound shipping. In Guangdong, Fujian and other provinces, almost as long as a municipal shipping department and a port are established, the sea and the sky will be brighter."
"And ports such as the Bohai Sea and the East China Sea need to consider hydrology."
"For example, there are several ports near the Bohai Sea."
"The Yellow River has been changing for thousands of years. Although it now flows into the sea from Sisi and Huaihe, it was first brought into the sea from Lijin and Binzhou, and then from Tianjinwei into the sea. It has not been treated for many years. This section of the coast is almost full of silt, and there are several ports within a radius of ten
If we don’t dig three feet into the ground and salvage the mud within the remaining miles, we will definitely be stranded when we enter the harbor.”
"Another example is the Daming Sea (East China Sea), which intersects with many water systems such as the Yangtze River and canals. Foreign objects enter the sea and the water waves hit each other, causing shells to pile up, debris, sunken ships, and reefs to accumulate. The route now determined is the route of the former Song Dynasty.
Although the ancient Taoism has left its legacy, the new life of the past hundreds of years still needs to be investigated and sorted out one by one."
"As for the section of the sea transport to Beijing, the old road that was built in Yongle 5 years ago has been abandoned for more than a hundred years. The section from Gukou to Baihe must be dredged again."
"In addition, Dengzhou, Jiaozhou, Huai'an, Chongming and other places need to repair and reuse ports and adjust geography and hydrology."
"The materials used to dredge the river, clean up the seabed, dig the harbor, and reopen the old entrance are all in vain. I can't just open up the sea without spending any money."
"Your Majesty, please give me a clear warning!"
Zhu Heng made an impassioned speech in the Wenhua Hall, but the emperor and the ministers looked at each other in confusion.
This is just chatting to death.
If you speak so professionally, how can a layman judge? How can someone answer the call?
Even though Zhu Yijun had just made up his mind to politely reject Zhu Heng, he still felt a little embarrassed to speak up at this time.
He didn't know much about hydrology and had never engaged in water conservancy. He just felt that what Zhu Heng said seemed to make sense.
Especially if you let someone do a big project without giving them money, it's definitely not possible. You can't just ignore the process and only have the same result.
But...this 1.8 million is really a bit too much.
The Ministry of Household Affairs can indeed provide it, but when have you ever seen the state treasury empty out every year without leaving any inventory?
While Zhu Yijun was thinking, Wang Chonggu, who was Gaoyi's hand, suddenly said: "It is not necessary to recruit laborers manually."
Wang Chonggu looked calm and confident: "For example, we just mentioned the one hundred miles north of Jiaozhou and south of Yangjiaquan... There happens to be a Shandong army stationed in Jiaozhou, and together with the nearby battalion's thousands of troops, it can be dredged.
This section."
"This can be done in water sections such as Dengzhou, Huai'an, and Tianjin's Wei Neihe River. It will save a lot of labor costs."
It is very common for the security forces to carry out construction projects.
The large stone nest project in Zhaoling was carried out by Shenji Camp, one of the three major camps in Beijing.
Although a reward of silver is also required, it is considered as overtime pay in addition to military salary, and it is definitely cheaper than recruiting laborers - to ensure that the laborers do not starve to death despite all the deductions, the cost is really not low.
Of course, the only drawback is that it is a bit sensitive. After all, the project is large and tens of thousands of troops can be mobilized in the heart of the city.
Therefore, generally large projects in other places are not easily carried out in this way. For example, the Dashiwo project uses the Shenji Camp, which is led by the nobles, the deputy of the state leader, and the assistant ministers and supervisors, and all parties work together.
Fortunately, the emperor on the imperial court was very reasonable and nodded in agreement without hesitation: "Zhu Qing, if this is the case, how much can we save?"
Everyone was relieved and looked at Zhu Heng in unison.
Zhu Heng did not reply immediately, but began to think seriously.
A long time passed.
He then spoke slowly: "Even so, we still need 1.4 million taels."
Wang Chonggu frowned when he heard this.
Is it so expensive? If not, why not just ship by sea?
After hesitating for a while, due to the emperor's thoughts, he finally did not say anything.
Wang Guoguang from the Household Department lowered his head and clasped his fingers as if he hadn't heard anything. He had no intention of answering the call. He was obviously unwilling to pay the money.
The officials had different expressions.
At this time, the emperor on the imperial steps finally spoke.
Zhu Yijun looked at Zhu Heng inquiringly: "Zhu Qing, how about dividing the project into two phases and completing them one after another?"
Zhu Heng was startled when he heard this.
Divided into two phases...
He hesitated and said: "Your Majesty, yes, yes, we can first connect Tianjin, Jiaozhou and the ports of entry, and then dredge Huai'an and Chongming areas after completion."
"But... I'm afraid it will take another half a year to open the ship."
While the financial pressure is relieved, the progress of the project will naturally be slower.
Zhu Yijun had no choice but to reconcile - the funds were not enough to pay the full amount, and the construction deadline was still to be met.
"Two and a half years, just two and a half years." Zhu Yijun waved his hand.
Zhu Heng secretly cursed that it was the emperor who urged him to do it in a hurry, but now that he saw how much it would cost, he immediately stopped being in a hurry.
He is also a bad person.
Zhu Yijun had no idea that Zhu Heng was slandering him, so he only turned his gaze back to Wang Guoguang: "Da Situ, for this first phase of the project, Taikoo will allocate 200,000 taels, how about it?"
When Wang Guoguang heard this number, he finally reacted.
He stood up suddenly and saluted the emperor: "I obey your decree!"
Zhu Heng wanted to speak but stopped.
At this time, Zhu Yijun looked at Zhu Heng again: "Zhu Qing, for the remaining 500,000 taels, the Ministry of Industry and Engineering will come up with 300,000 from the treasury, and I will come up with 200,000 from my internal funds. How about that?"
As soon as the words came out.
Zhu Heng's face was filled with joy, and the other twelve ministers in the palace were all astonished.
kindness?
Did you hear it wrong?
While everyone was in shock, the newly appointed Hu Ke, Chen Wude, suddenly and without warning, lay down on the long desk and started sobbing.
I don’t know what caused Chen Wude’s trouble.
Everyone looked at the sound.
I saw Chen Wude wiping away his tears, standing up and bowing down to apologize: "I have violated the rules of conduct in front of the palace, please punish me."
Zhu Yijun asked curiously: "Why do you do this?"
This guy was also impeaching Zhang Juzheng before, and he was radical in his governance one by one, which was harmful to the country.
I've called you to a meeting today for the purpose of ideological education.
As a result, I started crying for no reason now. The minds of these old Confucian scholars are really hard to figure out.
Chen Wude choked with sobs and replied: "Your Majesty, please forgive me, I think of the late emperor..."
"In May of the fourth year of Longqing's reign, the late emperor urged me to buy gold treasures for the annual calendar. The ministers and the Ministry of Household Affairs stopped performing, but they were not allowed by Yu."
"At that time, the treasury was empty, the people were exhausted, the treasury was not enough to last a year, the annual regulations in the border areas were not issued in time, the provinces were famine, and they were constantly asking for help, and the ministers who were in charge of planning were worried day and night.
I have no idea what I planned."
"I was so bold that I disregarded the dignity of others and my superiors and subordinates. I went so far as to criticize the public, saying that the late emperor was willing to have fun and had no interest in the world. He enriched his personal pockets, harmed the country and bullied the public. The late emperor was too magnanimous to demote me."
"Now that I'm here again, I've just witnessed His Majesty's actions, and recalling all the vague events, I can't help but feel sad and shed tears."
After saying these words, the officials could not help but think of the days when the treasury was empty and the late emperor still reached out for money.
He glanced at the person on the throne without leaving any trace.
I had a lot of thoughts at once.
Zhu Yijun naturally wouldn't blame Chen Wude when he saw him like this.
He motioned for this virtuous man to return to his seat, stretched out his hand and pressed it softly: "Let's continue talking about business."
"Zhu Qing, since the money has been released, not to mention the duties of the ministers and supervisors, as well as the shipping routes, geography, hydrology, engineering and other related files, including engravings, must be given to the inner court and the National History Museum.
Cabinet, tripartite filing.”
The information for such a large-scale project must be filed in various ways.
Why was it that Zheng He's treasure ship was built during the Yongle period, but now it is so difficult to sail out to sea?
It’s not because the project data are not preserved and are often burned and hidden.
You said that the great seal of Wenyuan Pavilion, the golden statue of the Youguo Palace, and the imperial pearl robe were stolen. It is common for everyone to steal these scientific research materials. I don’t know why they were stolen, so that even archaeological research is now difficult.
.
Zhu Heng was happy to see this come to fruition. Let alone the emperor's payment of two hundred thousand, even if the emperor could not pay a penny, he had no reason to refuse such a thing.
He patted his chest and said, "I will make sure it is accurate to every word and send it to the three parties."
Zhu Yijun nodded and asked another question: "How is the progress of shipbuilding now?"
Zhu Yijun has not paid much attention to shipbuilding this year. After all, the progress will definitely not be rapid.
Sea-going ships are different from canal ships.
The peak of Ming Dynasty's sea-going shipbuilding was in the early years of Yongle. The highest output in one year was 249 coastal shipping ships, and Zheng He's treasure ship was the pinnacle.
After that, I started to build again and again, and then stopped again.
In the twelfth year of Yongle's reign, maritime transport was discussed, but was not allowed. It was discussed again in the nineteenth year, with hidden reductions.
In the first year of Zhengtong, "all fabrications ceased" until a few years later when the Yingzong pro-government resumed its creation.
Of course, there was no need to think about the distant sea, and we could only run coastal shipping. Several shipyards were rebuilt again. "In the seventh year of orthodoxy, Nanjing was ordered to build 350 ocean-going ships." It took three years, but at least they were built.
But before and after the Civil Engineering Revolution, things were no longer possible. Shipping was stopped first, and then production was reduced, "only 18 remained." Shipping was in name only.
In the sixteenth year of Hongzhi, four more were reduced. In the fourth year of Zhengde, all the ships in front were abandoned. In the fifth year, it was discussed that they should be rebuilt. Not long after, the third year of Jiajing was completed.
By the time the sea opened again in the fifth year of Longqing, it had essentially stopped for a hundred years. It could only "spend 15,000 taels of silver from the Treasury and collect 15,000 taels of commercial tax money from Huaiyang", and go to the private sector to "employ money".
Use strong ships."
Therefore, from the fifth year of Longqing's reign to this year, the sea-transportation ships tested were all ships collected from the private sector and "completely repaired and loaded with grain."
As for the government-built shipping ships? Isn’t this still under archaeological research?
Even though they knew that the situation was so difficult, the officials still said that "sea ships are not stable and may capsize" - it is not that the technology is not good, but that the shipping itself is not good.
In fact, last year, Emperor Wanli did not stop Wang Zongmu from being impeached and capsized his ship, and once again "stopped shipping and building ships."
Its resistance is evident.
Zhu Heng thought for a moment and replied: "Your Majesty, the model ship for coastal transportation has been made and repaired. Now it has been sent to the Qingjiang Du Shipyard and Yizhen Factory affiliated to the Caoyun Yamen. It should be able to continue production in the next two years.
Already."
"According to the old rules, Qingjiang will be given 250 taels of silver for each of them, and Yizhen will be given 290 taels of silver for each of them. It is expected that they will give birth to 140 taels first."
"As for ocean-going ships, the manufacturing process is complicated and the craftsmanship is exquisite. Well...it will take some time to study. This year, the Ministry of Industry invested 60,000 taels in it last year, but it has not yet yielded results."
This guy really doesn't care about money at all.
Zhu Yijun couldn't help but curse.
Immediately, he fell into deep thought again. The progress of this ocean-going treasure ship was a little slow.
But it makes sense.
Although the ships along the coast and out to sea are all sea-going ships, the shipping ships along the coast are always in the mainland. Fortunately, they are safe and have the advantage of frequent ports. The hull is about 8 feet and 2 feet long. The cost of trial and error is low, and archaeological research is also possible.
quick.
Ocean-going ships are different. They have to withstand storms, replenish supplies, and ship-borne weapons. If they are small, they will not be able to sail across the ocean.
Almost all of them are more than ten feet long - regardless of the Zheng He treasure ship that no longer has technical data, the largest sea-going ship for which technical data is currently available is the "Enshrinement Boat", with a length of fifteen feet (about forty-seven meters) and a width of two feet and sixty feet.
It is one foot and three feet deep, divided into twenty-three cabins, with five large masts erected in the front and rear, seven feet and two feet in length, and six feet and five inches in circumference.
The ship has doubled in size, so the manufacturing difficulty is naturally not the same. It is difficult to choose the wood alone.
But the situation is the situation, and the mood is the mood - all the nobles and relatives are still waiting for the treasure ship to go out to sea for trade.
Zhu Yijun pondered for a long time without saying anything.
All the ministers were silent. The ocean-going treasure ship was a project strongly promoted by the emperor, and the enthusiasm of various ministries and yamen was actually not high.
After a while, Zhu Yijun looked at Zhu Heng and asked, "How long will it take for an ocean-going treasure ship to be built?"
Zhu Heng quickly replied: "There are still some old craftsmen in the old Longjiangguan factory in Nanjing, and there are also files on the canonization ships during the Jiajing period. There will definitely be results within three to five years!"
The Longjiang Shipyard was also glorious in its early days. Most of the ships of Zheng He's fleet were built here. The craftsmen in the factory have been passed down from generation to generation and their craftsmanship is very high.
It's a pity that it gradually declined after that, and now there are only a few dozen families of craftsmen left among the 400 families, otherwise it wouldn't be called the old factory.
Zhu Yijun nodded and stopped asking. He just told: "As mentioned before, the drawings and case files should be filed by all three parties."
Zhu Heng hurriedly responded.
As soon as Zhu Heng withdrew, Shi Maohua, Minister of War, felt the emperor's eyes looking towards him.
I knew in my heart that we were going to discuss the use of troops against Duoyanwei after the new year.
He repeatedly recalled the case files compiled by the Ministry of War in his mind, carefully weighed his words, and was mentally prepared for the emperor's questions.
As expected.
Just listen to the emperor's voice: "Mr. Wangge, has the Ministry of War drafted the regulations for sending troops to Duoyan Guard?"
Wang Chonggu immediately answered: "I am about to discuss this matter with Your Majesty!"
After that, he thoughtfully presented a map to the emperor, so that the emperor, who was staying at home, could clearly distinguish one thing from another.
Shi Maohua, who was sitting next to Wang Chonggu, opened his mouth but made no sound.
He glanced back and forth at the eager emperor and Wang Chonggu who looked excited. Finally, he twisted his neck in embarrassment and quietly closed his mouth.
This is the result of inferior status within the party, inferior prestige within the ministry, and inferior official status.
Shi Maohua silently gave up the right to play the right match to Wang Chonggu.
Wang Chonggu was too far forward and did not notice Shi Maohua's movements at all. He concentrated on replying to the emperor's words: "Your Majesty, according to King Shunyi's estimation, and using the memorials of Liu Yingjie and Qi Jiguang as confirmation, the Duoyan Guard Headquarters and Gongwei tribes and tribesmen
There should be 60,000 men, 11,000 young men, and about 4,000 cavalry."
Zhu Yijun resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Wang Chonggu.
Last time, this guy said that there were less than 30,000 troops, 4,000 young men, and 1,000 cavalry.
Just listen to Wang Chonggu continue to say: "According to the plan decided by the last court meeting, it is aimed at killing the culprit Dong Fox, and the Ministry of War has a plan..."
"Send out 23,000 troops, including 10,000 horsemen and 13,000 foot soldiers."
Zhu Yijun frowned after hearing this.
How can we only spend more than 20,000 yuan? Jizhen's military salary is 426,871 liang and two cents a year, but there is no shortage of soldiers.
According to his safe idea of ​​building a stronghold and fighting a dull battle, he would have to send at least a hundred thousand troops to push through.
Otherwise, what if the car overturns?
What to save when you want to win?
Fortunately, the emperor was not the only one who was incapable of fighting.
Gao Yi, who was first on the right column, questioned reservedly: "Mr. Wangge, is he looking down on the Tatars? Twenty-three thousand is not necessarily safe, right? Doesn't it mean that the Duoyanwei tribe has sixty thousand?"
Wang Chonggu bowed his hands to Gao Yi, who was sitting next to him, then looked around at everyone and patiently explained: "You can rest assured, it is because of careful consideration that we have planned this."
"You need to know that Duoyanwei is not just Duoyanwei."
"It is controlled by the tribes on the left wing. The Tuotuohai tribe of Chahar tribe has five thousand cavalry and nomads on the side, monitoring Duoyan guard day and night."
"Duoyanwei is also married to the tribes on the right wing, and has an ambiguous relationship with the Karaqin tribe. Duer Taiji, the Qing Dynasty, is regarded as Chang'ang's father-in-law, with tens of thousands of horses, and he and the left wing are in check. They may not sit back and watch our government do whatever they want.
.”
"If we advance slowly and steadily for the sake of stability, when the left and right wings react, they will definitely contain our army. If we don't talk about it for a long time, we are afraid of triggering a war!"
"That's why, the three main points of this battle are quickness! Quickness! Speed!"
"We focused on the elite, quickly defeated the Duoyan Guards and beheaded the leader of the thieves without disturbing the left and right wings."
"Especially when fighting outside the fortress, it is not about attacking a city. As long as the cavalry forms a crushing force, the number of young and strong infantry is actually secondary."
Seeing the emperor's doubtful expression, Wang Chonggu added: "Not only the Ministry of War, this is also the consensus of Gu Huan, the governor of Jingying, Liu Yingjie, the governor of Jiliao, and Qi Jiguang, the governor of the left."
After that, he presented the three people's replies on the matter to the emperor - this is the benefit of the emperor guarding the country. Jizhen is two hundred miles away from the capital. If you need anything, you can go back and forth in three or four days.
After Zhu Yijun symbolically flipped through the letters from the two people behind him and returned them to the Ministry of War, he immediately nodded to Wang Chonggu and said cheerfully: "Having said that, how much salary does the Ministry of War expect to receive this time?"
When the cavalry is marching, money will be given as soon as it starts to move. "If you are dispatched a hundred miles away, the whole branch will be provided with food and grass. If you are within fifty miles away, check according to the original title to see if there are any guards posted day and night to confront the thieves, and provide them separately."
Although firearms and armor are stored in the treasury, the money must be calculated, especially for consumables such as gunpowder. It is not surprising that it costs one hundred thousand taels.
If a fight breaks out, another reward of silver will be given. "If you fight against each other, you will be rewarded with money ingots, pepper, hematoxylin, copper coins, taels of silver, clothes, etc."
If you win, the money will be calculated based on military merit.
This is also the reason why national wars cannot be fought easily and only small-scale wars can be fought.
If an army of hundreds of thousands were to fight for seven or eight months, it would cost tens of millions of taels of silver.
Wang Chonggu had already prepared a plan, and he immediately said: "Your Majesty, before setting off, we will advance provisions, clothing, weapons, rewards, and silver in total of 230,000 taels."
"After the war, we will discuss rewards and pensions. It is estimated... another two hundred and fifty thousand taels!"
Four hundred and eighty thousand taels...
Work on projects and fight small battles, and in the blink of an eye, more than a million dollars will go out.
Zhu Yijun was inevitably a little distressed because the money hadn't warmed up yet.
He sighed in his heart, looked at Wang Chonggu, pondered for a moment and said: "Wang Qing, I don't favor one over the other. The silver rewards and pensions for the soldiers in this battle were paid from within."
It’s about two hundred thousand taels.
However, money is meant to be spent.
The emperor's annual pocket money is 1.2 million taels anyway. What would he do if he doesn't spend it? Isn't it possible for him to make money?
Wang Chonggu immediately stood up and saluted: "Your Majesty is kind and virtuous!"
Zhu Yijun shook his head: "But I have something to say. This money must be collected by Qi Jiguang. Since it is money from my private treasury, I must personally hand it over to the general."
There will be another chapter later.
I originally wanted to post a map, but the clear map is too big to insert.
Let’s talk about the size of Zheng He’s ship. It’s an old habit among scholars to exaggerate. The size is often “sixty feet long and twenty feet wide”, the range is often “missing within fifty miles,” and the power is often “missing the vegetation within ten miles.”
"There is no rebirth of humans and animals", which cannot be believed at all, Zheng He Treasure Ship 44
It is definitely not trustworthy. According to reliable data calculations in "East and West Yang Kao" and "Longjiang Shipyard Chronicles", Zheng He's treasure ship should be 22 feet, which is 70 meters. This research result is consistent with the "New Dimensions of Zheng He's Treasure Ship"
"Kao" is similar, but there is no decisive case, so it is not mentioned in the article.
Similarly, there is the case of the burning of Zheng He's treasure ship information, which is said to be done by Liu Daxia, but there is no definite evidence. This theory first came from the book "Shuyu Zhouzilu" written by Yan Congjian, and later Gu
Qi Yuan's "Guest Words" claims that "Yin Sui"
"It was written by his own hand and was originally incoherent", so it is unreliable. The original statement, the specific source of the information has not been found, and it is even more likely that it came from Liu Daxia's hiding of the files of Yongle's expedition to Annan. So the article only said that it was lost, and how it was lost.
, who did it, I can’t tell clearly.
Chapter completed!