I asked the Minister of Civil Affairs about the financial and taxation methods, and I have to say that they are really weird.
But weird things have weird reasons.
Ever since Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the prime minister and divided the power into six ministries, the ministers of each ministry have gained astonishing power.
After Zhu Di ascended the throne, he established a cabinet only for consultation.
When Xu Jingchang was appointed as the Secretary of General Affairs, he was still able to contain the six ministries, but after Xie Jin took over, the situation fell far behind and he could not sustain the situation at all.
Among the six ministries, in terms of authority, the Shangshu of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, who has the power of personnel, the Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue, who has the power of finance and taxation, and the Shangshu of the Ministry of War, who has the power of the military, are the three most powerful ministries.
Due to the special power of the military, the presence of nobles, and the Governor's Office of the Fifth Army, the Minister of War could only get less than half of the share. Therefore, he could not compete with those two.
If Jian Yi and Xia Yuanji find a rainy day to have a drink and talk and laugh, they can say to each other that the only heroes in the world are you and me.
It is precisely because of this that both parties know each other's details best.
Xia Yuanji was able to hold Jian Yi's handle, and Jian Yi also knew what Xia Yuanji was most afraid of.
As long as you provoke a fight between these two people, things will be easier to handle.
But who is qualified to interfere between these two people? Who has the means to make them do evil things to each other?
After all, these are top civil servants, not so easy to manipulate.
It has to be someone with enough status but not that serious to be able to instigate both sides.
This candidate was naturally the Duke of Ding, Xu Jingchang, who was full of bad ideas and had been beaten in nine out of ten places.
"Cousin, to be honest, you are the one everyone expects. There is no one else but you. Xia Shangshu seems to really hate Jian Tianguan. Otherwise, how could he tell you all that kind of thing?" Zhu Gaochi sighed.
Xu Jingchang smiled faintly and suddenly said: "Do you think it was also Xia Shangshu who told me?"
"Isn't it? It's from the Hongwu Dynasty. At that time, you were still wearing crotchless pants, right?"
Xu Jingchang smiled lightly, "If Xia Yuanji is really so impatient, he won't be able to sit down as Minister of the Ministry of Finance."
Zhu Gaochi was shocked. The reason for Jian Yi's first entry into the officialdom was not from Xia Yuanji. Where did it come from? Don't tell me, it was found out. Zhu Gaochi was almost beaten. He didn't even know...
"If your Highness has the time, go and have a look at the Jin Yiwei's secret files. Maybe you can open your eyes."
Zhu Gaochi was puzzled, "Jin Yiwei's secret files? What's the meaning?"
Xu Jingchang smiled and said: "Your Highness, if you want to have some fun, I suggest you go and have a look. I guarantee it will make you happy for several days."
Zhu Gaochi was shocked. He couldn't help but read it.
Zhu Gaochi couldn't wait and went there in the afternoon, and then he almost burst out laughing... Jin Yiwei's secret files are really a huge treasure trove.
Zhu Yuanzhang set up a royal guard to monitor all officials, and every move, word and deed was reported in detail.
It is said that some officials met some friends, what food they ate together, what wine they drank... Jinyiwei recorded everything in detail. Zhu Yuanzhang even asked the officials about this. If they told the truth, they naturally didn't tell it. If they told lies, then they would be punished.
Weigh the head on your neck.
Zhu Gaochi thought it was bragging, but when he actually opened the secret file, he found that there were quite a few... even the whispers between husband and wife were there, which seemed more like a joke than a joke.
For example, there was a doctor who was very proud of his ability to serve as a minister and became a third-rank official. His wife teased him, saying, "What if the official position is high? If you can't do it, you can't do it."
This righteous retort is that as the official position increases, it will naturally become bigger.
The lady didn't believe it, so she immediately experimented and then yelled that she was a liar.
The minister took his time and said four words, "We will grow up together with you."
But when he saw these four words, Zhu Gaochi really wanted to burst into tears... Couldn't this Lord Minister be Lao Xia?
When he looked around, he had to admit that it was all fun. But he was also very depressed. Why are all the officials in the court like this?
Is there no one who is impeccable?
"Your Highness, what you are looking for are people who do things, not morally perfect people and eternal saints. What you need are tens of thousands of officials who do things. You need to fill those vacant positions with people, and you need these people to give you
It’s good to have both ability and political integrity when doing things, but if you can’t get so much together in a short time, will the government just leave it alone?”
Zhu Gaochi sighed helplessly, it was true what Xu Jingchang said made sense.
In fact, he is quite helpless. You said Zhu Gaochi is almost 30 years old. Now that he is allowed to succeed, how many confidants can he have?
In addition to the master who taught him, relatives like Xu Jingchang, and the courtiers he was familiar with during his time in prison, how many people could there be?
When he ascends the throne, he needs to fill various important positions with these people according to their grade, ability, virtue, and qualifications... If they can fill them, it will be considered a good thing.
Use it even if there is something wrong with it. As long as it is not a treacherous or evil thing, it should be burned with high incense.
Do you think this is nepotism?
Of course!
But what can be done if nepotism is not used?
Is it really easy to see what the people below are thinking?
Just like what happened this time, Xu Jingchang learned about Jian Yi's background from Jin Yiwei's secret files, and decisively revealed it, leading Jian Yi to reveal the weaknesses of the Hubu.
After all, in Jian Yi's view, Xia Yuanji was unkind and unjust, and he deserved this retribution... But speaking of it, is Lao Xia really that innocent?
He didn't want to encourage Xu Jingchang to deal with Jian Yi?
All in all, everyone is just a fox in the mountains, and there is no need to fool anyone.
Therefore, when employing people, they must be reliable. This is the first priority.
"Cousin, you have made them fight with each other, and you are reaping the benefits. Let me ask you, what are you going to do next?" Zhu Gaochi asked curiously.
This matter has indeed reached a critical moment. How we need to rectify finance and taxation depends entirely on the next step.
"Your Highness, I have considered Jian Yi's suggestion and plan to establish eight governor-general districts to collect taxes."
Zhu Gaochi thought for a while, leaned forward and said seriously: "What's the plan?"
Xu Jingchang said: "First of all, the first governor-general is in Beiping, which governs Shuntian Prefecture, Liaodong Dusi, Daning Dusi, Jizhen, Xuanfu, including Tianjin Port and Changlu Salt Field."
Zhu Gaochi was shocked, because the scale of this governor-general was the same as the Peking area that Xu Jingchang operated during this period, and it contributed more than 10 million taels of tax, which was quite important.
Moreover, Xu Jingchang obviously wants to transfer the salt tax to the Peking Governor-General, which involves the Salt Law!
"Brother, are you serious?"
Xu Jingchang said: "These places are a complete system. For example, Changlu produces salt, and Daning has a foraging field. The grassland tribes have to go to Daning to buy salt. The mutton they send must also be salted and then shipped through.
Tianjin Port was sent to the south. A governor's district is too small. Not to mention adding more officials, it will affect the flow of goods and hinder commercial development. We want leek leaves, not to dig up the roots, but to continue to deplete the lake for fishing.
"
Zhu Gaochi laughed at the comment, "What about the other governor-general districts?"
"The second governor-general is Shandong and Henan. This part belongs to the Central Plains area and is connected by the Yellow River and the canal. Food products from the Central Plains can be transported from north to south through the canal. Therefore, the key to this section is water transportation. The tax revenue is not necessarily high.
But when it comes to the stability of the Central Plains, we must not be careless. In addition to taxation, we must also develop commerce and pay attention to people's livelihood. If it is convenient, I will ask the King of Zhou and others to invest more in the Central Plains and set up workshops."
"The third governor-general is Yingtianfu and the entire Zhili. This part of the country is prosperous in commerce and is a land of plenty. Suzhou's silk and Songjiang's cotton are both world-famous. Especially the starting point of the Western voyages is the Liu family
As long as Hong Kong is slightly rectified, its tax revenue will definitely be able to compete with that of Peking, or even exceed it."
Zhu Gaochi said that you are right, the potential of South Zhili is too great.
This area has canals, the Yangtze River, silk textiles, and salt from the Huaihe River. It is the most prosperous place in the world both externally and internally.
If Peiping can squeeze out so much oil and water, there is no reason why Nanzhili cannot.
The fourth governor-general is Fujian and Zhejiang, which includes traditional overseas trade centers such as Hangzhou and Quanzhou. During the Yuan Dynasty, Quanzhou was the number one port in the world. Needless to say.
The fifth one is Guangdong and Guangxi, mainly the Lingnan region, which also has overseas trade traditions.
The sixth governor-general was located in Huguang and Jiangxi... There is nothing much to say about this area. It is regarded as the rear area and an important grain-producing area. In addition to Jingdezhen's porcelain, Huguang is well-known and has enough in the world. It can be regarded as providing logistics for Southern Zhili.
The seventh governor-general is the southwest region of Yunnan, Guizhou and Bashu.
The eighth governor-general was placed in Xi'an, and the entire northwest, including Shanxi and the Hexi Corridor, was included in it.
Xu Jingchang concluded with a smile: "The eight governor-general regions also have their own priorities...Beiping, Southern Zhili, Fujian and Zhejiang, and Guangxi and Guangxi, these four are important trade areas with a bright future. They are the main source of the country's finances and taxes, so they cannot be careless."
"As for the Governor-General of Shandong and the Governor-General of Huguang, there are four provinces in total. They are all important grain-producing areas and the heart of the Central Plains. They need to be carefully maintained. The two major regions of Southwest and Northwest require some subsidies, otherwise they will not be able to operate normally.
"
"Even in the first four governor-general areas, the situation is different. Nanzhi is relatively mature and can collect money smoothly as long as it changes the direction slightly. Peking is a bit precocious. Although the framework is in place, it still needs time to develop and grow.
.For the same reason, Guangdong and Guangxi need a capable official to run everything."
Xu Jingchang finished speaking with a smile, and then looked at Zhu Gaochi, "Your Highness, after I have said this, do you have anyone in mind?"
Zhu Gaochi thought carefully for a long time and finally nodded.
"Someone has been selected, but I want to wait for Minister Jian's nomination."
Xu Jingchang laughed loudly, "His Highness has indeed mastered the three tastes and made rapid progress!"
"It's impossible not to make progress if I get together with you!" Zhu Gaochi sighed with a smile.
A few days later, Jian Yi sent a list of eight governors...
Zhu Gaochi unfolded with a smile and looked at the candidates above. The Governor of Peking was replaced by Yuan Gang, the governor of Shandong, and was promoted to Minister of Household Affairs.
The governor-general of Fujian and Zhejiang was succeeded by Wu Shan.
Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi was succeeded by Huang Xiaoru.
As for the Governor of South Zhili, because he is located in the capital and has a higher position, Xie Jin, the former general envoy, was transferred to the position of Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs and Governor of the South Zhili Taxation Area!
