After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the weather in the north becomes cooler. Although the autumn tiger looks back from time to time, it has finally come to the season of crisp autumn air.
Tingtao Pavilion is built at a small waterfall, and the sound of pouring water does not stop day and night.
On the railing on the second floor, there is a Hunan Yiyang bamboo mat. It is as thin as paper, as bright as jade, as flat as water, and as soft as silk. It has become a tribute over the years, and one piece is sold for more than dozens of yuan.
Wang Yingxiong, the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, knelt down on the mat, feeling the coolness of the tributes. The sound of the waterfall came to his ears, and his face was covered with water mist. He calmed down unconsciously.
"Drink tea!"
Suddenly, a cup of tea was placed in front of him, and the emperor's appearance magnified in front of his eyes.
In a few years, the emperor changed from youthful to mature, and his eyes were like clear springs, making it impossible to see the depth.
The clean chin in the past has long since grown into a short beard. He sits cross-legged with a pair of long legs and has a lazy look on his face.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Wang Yingxiong came back to his senses. He was not polite and drank the tea in front of him in one gulp.
The emperor glanced at him and saw that his legs were trembling, and he couldn't help but said: "Sit cross-legged like you do. It's hard to be a human being when you kneel down."
"yes!"
Wang Yingxiong breathed a sigh of relief, and his whole body felt like it was about to fall apart.
At this time, Wang Yingxiong was already in his sixties and had already reached the age of becoming an official. However, firstly, he felt that he could persevere, and secondly, the emperor did not want to break the balance in the court, so his position as minister was as stable as Mount Tai.
"Your Majesty, most of the summer taxes from Jiangnan have been put into the treasury. Only inland areas such as Sichuan are still being transported. They will definitely arrive by the end of September."
Wang Yingxiong sighed: "How fast is water transport?"
This is true. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the transportation time limit for summer tax and autumn tax was only about three or four months.
That is to say, when the rice is ripe in June, it must be collected by the end of August and then transported to Beijing before the end of the year. In the past, it was carried out by the people (grain chief system), and in the later period, it was changed to the official movement after the one-whip method.
But the most fundamental thing is the smooth flow of sea transportation.
Even in Guangdong, it only takes more than a month to travel from south to north, which is very fast.
For the imperial court, the rapid flow of a large amount of money into the capital was enough to greatly improve the finances, and Yin and Mao Liang had to have enough food to eat.
"Although water transportation is good, the Ming Dynasty has a vast territory, and not everywhere is suitable for water transportation."
Zhu Yixi was noncommittal.
The smooth flow of sea transportation has long been known to everyone, but there are still some old diehards in the court who are stubborn and say that sea transportation is unsafe.
He treated these words as pure farts.
However, in the north, the Yellow River is semi-impaired, and land transportation is the main thing.
If you want to build a road before getting rich, it will be familiar to later generations. The extent of the territory controlled by the court today depends on how far the official road can reach.
In this regard, Wang Yingxiong, the Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs, had something to say: "Last year alone, the imperial court spent one million dan of grain, 500,000 yuan of silver, and recruited more than 100,000 people. From Shuntian Prefecture to Datong, and up and down Hebei, the officialdom was nearly a thousand miles long.
The roads have all been repaired."
"Since the Apocalypse, the world has been in chaos, and the official system has been in disrepair for a long time. If we repair the entire Northland, I am afraid that it will cost tens of millions of dollars, and it will take ten years to complete the work."
On average, it costs at least one million every year, which is definitely a huge burden on the finances.
You must know that the northern provinces are still half-taxed, and the whole world still relies on the south to support itself, and there are too many aspects of expenditure.
The annual cost of relocating immigrants in Huguang and Henan alone exceeds one million, and blood transfusions are still ongoing.
Thinking of immigration, Wang Yingxiong suddenly realized that this was exactly what he wanted to say. He said excitedly:
"Your Majesty, the recruitment of soldiers in Jilin will be limited to five years, and then the land will be released. In this way, the women and children will follow the strong men, and it will be cheaper to move than to move the family..."
The relocation of the imperial court was compulsory. It was difficult to leave the homeland when entire families and entire villages were relocated. The family was worth tens of thousands of dollars, and delays were common. The relocation also caused a lot of trouble in the local area.
For example, how much are the land and houses worth, how do local governments use public services for private purposes, include people who should not be relocated, etc.
Recruiting soldiers, on the other hand, is a selective migration that leads to people leaving willingly.
"Do you mean to do it the way Jilin Dusi did?"
"I think this should be the case."
Wang Yingxiong's beard trembled, and he was very excited: "You can first recruit young men to join the army, and then work in the fields for two or three years. The land will be familiar, and then reward them and allow them to move home. Although it is a little slower, it will be a matter of course, and the army and the people will be better."
What a joy."
"Can--"
The emperor felt good, and the idea of recruiting soldiers and immigrating was indeed a good idea.
Suddenly, inspiration burst out in his brain and he blurted out: "Construction Corps."
"Your Majesty?" Wang Yingxiong cast a doubtful look.
"Actually, not only can immigrants recruit soldiers, but they can also be used to build officialdom."
Zhu Yixi said excitedly: "Tens of thousands of people can be recruited to repair official roads, fill ditches and canals, and build bridges and dams."
"First of all, there are specializations in the art. If these people cooperate more, they will be more skilled and faster."
"Secondly, it saves the people the suffering of corvee work and can build roads all year round. Wouldn't it be nice?"
"Wonderful." Wang Yingxiong praised: "Just like the Xiang soldiers in the Song Dynasty, they are cheaper and easier to use than the Beijing camp. They can also recruit people during natural disasters and avoid civil unrest. It is really good."
The next day, the Ministry of War received instructions to go to the barren countryside to recruit engineers. The monthly salary was only half that of the Beijing camp, but there was no need to fight.
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What's more important is that you only have five years before you can retire and return home.
There was no need for soldiers to fight. Such a rare thing was immediately spread to all parts of the world through a communiqué.
As the mouthpiece of the imperial court and a powerful tool to control public opinion, the Ming Dynasty Gazette is now published as a weekly magazine. One issue is sold, and when it is reproduced in various places, the total scale can reach one million.
In almost every county, there will be a communiqué.
There is no way around it. County governments in various places have made it compulsory to subscribe. No one can delay parents and officials from understanding the meaning.
For example, if the communique promotes engineers and soldiers, then recruiting engineers and soldiers is a big deal. If you do well, you may not be promoted, but if you do poorly, you will definitely be punished.
The method of taking the exam is not a vegetarian one.
This is the key for readers to understand current affairs, and the public also joins in the fun. Every issue can stir up public opinion and open people's eyes.
However, for the emperor, the influence of the communique was destined. It was the only remaining newspaper besides the military newspaper. It was authoritative and guiding. Even if tens of millions of copies were issued, he would not be surprised.
As for liberalizing public opinion, blocking is worse than sparing. This is pure nonsense in a feudal society.
Freeing up newspapers is tantamount to making them regional. Once newspapers become regional, the gentry will usurp the dominance of public opinion. When the sky is high and the water is long, people will edit it. Even if they are remedied, it will be too late.
Newspapers, in the hands of the imperial power, are just a means for the emperor to seize the position of public opinion. Uniqueness is the best.