"How much does the emperor spend?" Li Jinglong was stunned subconsciously and asked in confusion, "The emperor didn't spend much money? Firstly, he didn't build the palace, secondly, he didn't build the Great Wall, and thirdly, he didn't go on patrol, so what did he spend? Even his daily diet was not enough. It’s just two or three dishes for a meal.”
Deng Ping said nothing and nodded silently.
They all say that the Supreme Emperor is diligent and frugal, but people around him know that this emperor is even more frugal than the Supreme Emperor in terms of food and use.
"What should I ask you?" Li Jinglong asked.
"Ah? What are you asking me about?" Deng Ping wondered, "What are you asking for?"
"What about the emperor spending money?" Li Jinglong said angrily.
"I only listened to it, and you didn't even know where I was going?" Deng Ping said with a smile.
Hearing this, Li Jinglong glanced at him, "Huh, you don't know what you should know, and you know better than anyone else what you shouldn't know!"
~~
"Your Majesty, you spend too much money!"
In the Nuan Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace, Zhang Wei, the Minister of Household Affairs, shook his head and sighed, "The Ming Dynasty has just saved some money in the past few years. Isn't this how you use it?"
The Xiaochao meeting was going on, and Zhu Yunxi summoned six ministers to discuss the war in Yunnan. As soon as money was mentioned, Zhang Zhen said this to him.
"Where did I spend the money?" Zhu Yunxi looked worried, "Please explain clearly!"
"When Wei Chen took over the Ministry of Accounts, it was just in time for this year's money and grain to be put into the treasury." Zhang Yan said, picking up a ledger from his hand, "Before the money in the Ministry of Accounts' treasury has been counted clearly, you will give Songjiang, Guangzhou, Wenzhou, Quanzhou, Fuzhou five The shipyard has been allocated 1.5 million silver dollars, right?"
Zhu Yunxi picked up the tea cup and nodded. Shipbuilding was not only to build warships for the Jing Navy, but also private merchant ships. They would be built first, and they would be sold to private maritime merchants when the new policy of opening up seas was implemented in two years.
However, this kind of investment cannot see returns in a short period of time, and it cannot be told to others.
"The border troops from all over the country also received winter clothes from the Beijing camp, and you gave me another two million with a wave of your hand!" Zhang Yan continued.
"Is it possible for the border soldiers to have a miserable winter?" Zhu Yunxi put down the tea cup, "Shouldn't we spend flowers? No one is bleeding desperately on the front line, how could the Ming Dynasty be so clear and beautiful?"
"But there is no such precedent in the country!" Zhang Yan said, "In the past, winter clothes were given directly to cotton instead of ready-made clothes. The military pay was also converted into grain, beans, salt and tea. What you gave is real money!"
Zhang Yan continued, "There are also the Firearms Manufacturing Bureau under the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion and the Gunpowder Bureau of the Ministry of War and Industry. You have given a total of 738,267 silver dollars this year."
As he said that, he shook the account book in his hand and said, "You can just give it to me, but the account books of these three places where money was spent were not handed over to the Ministry of Accounts. I sent someone to check the accounts, and the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion came back!"
Zhu Yunxi knew this, and it was not yet time for people from the Ministry of Household Affairs to check these accounts, because in addition to the Ming Dynasty's own consumption of the firearms produced, many of them had to be sold to Japan.
When he thought of this, his thoughts suddenly drifted away.
"Zhu Gaochi has been in Japan for almost a month, why is there no movement at all?"
According to Jinyiwei's secret report, Zhu Gaochi spent these days in Japan wandering around among the famous princes in Japan, eating, drinking and having fun, acting like an envoy from the Celestial Dynasty, but he never talked about serious business and never gave away anything he should give to others.
"What evil intentions is this kid holding back?" Zhu Yunxi thought to himself.
"There is also the official school in the world. You also approved 1.2 million silver..." After saying that, Zhang Yan paused and quickly turned over this article, "The official school should be repaired!"
"You also asked the Ministry of Accounts to prepare four million in banknotes, saying it is money for future planning officials to support their integrity!" Zhang Yan looked at the account book and continued, "In addition, a few days ago, you issued an imperial edict to repair books, and you allocated two more
One million and ten thousand will be used to hire great scholars and build the printing shop of the Ministry of Industry."
"And to promote Hongshu, you also allocated 630,000!"
"Your Majesty, please calculate your year..." At this point, Zhang Yan sighed, "As the saying goes, if a family has more than enough food, they don't have to panic. If the Ministry of Household Affairs has no money to keep warm, you are allowed to go out.
Now. Our Ming Dynasty is so big, we can’t live on the same foot every year, right?”
After the words fell, several other ministers nodded in agreement.
They have all experienced hardship since the founding of the People's Republic of China. Seeing that the Ming Dynasty's finances have become better in recent years, the emperor spends money like water.
Moreover, the money spent was still cash from the Treasury of the Ministry of Revenue.
In their understanding, money is saved, but Zhu Yunxi believes that money can only be circulated when it is spent.
"Don't complain to me!" Zhu Yunxi said, "I asked you to be in charge of the household department, and it is your responsibility to raise military expenses. Besides, I don't believe that the two million in the treasury can't be used!"
"It can be taken out!" Zhang Yan said, "What about next year? When the spring is slow next year, if there is a disaster somewhere, what kind of relief will be provided?"
After he finished speaking, Rujun, the Minister of War, also said, "I know that the emperor has a kind heart, but for the war in Yunnan, we cannot ask for as much as the frontline requires, so we will give it as much as we can, in case the generals at the front end adopt this habit..."
"The soldiers and horses have to go ahead with food and fodder before they move. Don't you, the Minister of War, understand?" Zhu Yunxi said angrily, "It is better to have more military supplies than less. You should be aware of the difficulties of fighting in Yunnan."
The most important thing in the war is logistics. For the war in Yunnan and Myanmar, logistics and transportation are far more difficult than for the Tatars outside the Great Wall. Moreover, this war will not end in a year and a half. Not to mention annihilation and annexation, it will always be
Once and for all.
Zhu Yunxi remembers the lessons of history. In history, because the Ming Dynasty did not eliminate future troubles once and for all, it spent more than tens of millions on military expenditures in the southwest since the Yingzong era. People who do not have long-term concerns must have short-term worries.
"It is precisely because I know that I think..." Rujun said, looking at Zhu Yunxi, "Your Majesty, give as much as you want to cultivate the arrogance and depravity of the soldiers. Is it possible that in the future, if the money and food are not in place, we will not
There was a war?”
"Besides, the war between the country and the dynasty has long been established...it can be solved on the spot!" As he said this, Chang Ru, a Confucian-born minister of the Ministry of War, might also feel a little embarrassed.
"Ha! I know we can solve it on the spot!" Zhu Yunxi sneered, "Where can we grab that poor place in Myanmar?"
As he spoke, he sighed and said, "Victory is won by money. Muchun told me in his excerpt that if we want to avoid Myanmar's border troubles and make it sluggish, the only way is to have the power of a thunderous army!"
Immediately, he looked around the week again, "How can I allow others to sleep soundly under the couch? It is obvious that Myanmar covets the Yunnan frontier, and the Yunnan chieftain is wavering in dissatisfaction with Wang Hua. If we don't solve this difficult problem today, will we leave it to future generations?"
?”
"The emperor clearly saw that what Wan Li said was true!" Wei Guogong Xu Huizu looked at the civil servants and said, "My lords, you may have a slight prejudice against the border areas and think that the wild lands are insignificant. But if there are changes in Yunnan, the southwest will be unstable.
."
"It's so difficult to go to court, so even if you tighten your belt, you have to go to Yunnan. This is exactly the reason!"
"As for the military expenses of the Ming Dynasty, I can guarantee it. As soon as the war is over, I will return to Beijing immediately for verification, and all the accounts and rosters will be submitted to the Ministry of Accounts for verification."
His words hit the key point. That is, in the hearts of these civil servants, they actually don't think much of those wild places. Again, in their eyes, places where crops cannot be grown, taxes cannot be collected, and there are few people, not only
It's useless and it's still a burden to Ming Dynasty.
"Two million military supplies must not only be provided!" Zhu Yunxi looked at the ministers and slowly said, "but they must also be provided in full. Let me put it here, no matter how much supplies are transported to the front line, no less."
The ministers looked at each other silently. Zheng Yi, the Minister of Rites, hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, if the national treasury is really stretched, I have an idea."