Chapter 205: General Assistance and Disaster Relief
Zhu Youxiao also agreed with Wang Zaijin's point of view. Although Lin Dan Khan had advantages in numbers and location, his Mongolian cavalry was far from the opponent of Jiannu.
In fact, during the period of Lao Nu and Huang Taiji, the first two generations of Jiannu still had some fighting strength. It was difficult for the surrounding Ming, Mongolian, and Korean troops to defeat the slave soldiers head-on.
But it's just a comparison within this small circle. To put it bluntly, the late Ming Dynasty was a relatively bad era, but the Ming army was the worst and most corrupt.
Although Wang Xiangqian had been governor of border towns for decades, he was already old. He had only dealt with Mongolian cavalry back then and had never fought against Jiannu. His knowledge of Jiannu was limited.
What he doesn't know is that the combat effectiveness of the Mongolians today has dropped by another level compared to the Mongolian cavalry decades ago.
This does not mean that he is not as good as Wang Zaijin, but it is caused by his age. People will not be able to do many things as they get older.
People as talented and resourceful as Emperor Xiaowu of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty would inevitably become confused when they got old.
Wang Zaijin's rebuttal did not make Wang Xiangqian angry, but he accepted it humbly. This is what Zhu Youxiao values about him.
The cabinet he needs is not a fighting arena where you impeach me and I impeach you.
"I also thought that Jian Nu would win this battle. Lin Dan Khan's military morale was already unstable. This time he was defeated by Lao Nu. His situation will only become more difficult. I wonder whether the position of the Great Khan of Mongolia will be after this battle. Will replace people."
The two cabinet ministers also followed the emperor's words and started joking. Naturally, they were happy to see the Mongols and Jiannu fight.
Zhu Youxiao and the two cabinet ministers discussed for a long time. Cheng Guoxiang and Ni Wenhuan arrived belatedly. As soon as they entered the palace gate, they trotted all the way to the inner hall.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time, and finally I'm here, please forgive me!"
Cheng Guoxiang and Ni Wenhuan, who were bowing and saluting below, thanked them and then stepped aside.
Zhu Youxiao picked up the memorial submitted by Wang Xiangqian on the imperial case and handed it to Wang Chaofu and said:
"Da Situ, please take a good look at this memorial!"
Cheng Guoxiang quickly flipped through the memorial and stepped forward and said:
"Your Majesty, I agree with this request. The disaster is like a wolf, tiger, and leopard. It cannot be delayed to cause greater disaster. Since the disaster has already occurred in Shandong, relief money and food should be sent out quickly."
Zhu Youxiao nodded and said:
"Well, that's what I meant, so I announced you to the palace overnight. Countless people have died in disasters in the past dynasties. I don't want to see or hear the words "The land is thousands of miles away, and the fields are starved to death."
In this era of extremely backward transportation and information, a disaster will really affect the national destiny and governance.
How did the rebel army come? It was caused by the hunger of the people who had no food to eat. They could only survive by staying away from their hometowns and looting everywhere. But how could people who were used to the life of the Mountain King live in mud again? What about life?
Especially since the Ming Dynasty was full of crises, Zhu Youxiao certainly had to pay great attention to it.
Especially in the Ming Dynasty, there was the White Lotus Sect, a professional rebel sect that lasted for hundreds of years. Their home base was in Shandong. This disaster was a God-given opportunity for them.
"But disaster relief must have a charter. If you just distribute money and food blindly, it will not be relieving the people, but relieving the corrupt officials and landlords. These people have a huge appetite. They can eat whatever you give them. How much."
Cheng Guoxiang immediately replied:
"What your Majesty said is absolutely true. During times of disaster, for the local corrupt officials, it is a time for them to make a fortune. They will not let go of such a good opportunity."
It seems that Cheng Guoxiang, the Minister of Household Affairs, did not work in vain. He is now very knowledgeable about official affairs.
"My dear friend, please take out the text I wrote and show it to all of you, dear friends, to take a good look at it."
Wang Chaofu, who was standing aside like a statue, heard the emperor's summons and immediately said flatteringly:
"Slave, go now!"
Not long after, Chao Fu came out of Nuan Pavilion holding a text in both hands and handed it to Wang Xiangqian.
"Everyone, please take a look. This is the disaster relief charter I drafted some time ago. If you have any suggestions or questions, please feel free to speak directly."
The ministers quickly gathered around Wang Xiangqian and read the contents of the text attentively.
The disaster relief system established by Zhu Youxiao is very different from the past.
First, an official responsible for disaster relief will be appointed. Zhu Youxiao also opened a new official position, the Minister of General Counseling and Disaster Relief, who will directly handle all affairs with the cabinet.
Of course, this is only on the surface. According to Emperor Zhu's character and method of doing things, how could it be possible for one person to monopolize power? That would not be a low-level mistake.
These spies from Jinyiwei and Dongchang must be put to good use.
Local officials must truthfully report the local disaster situation, number of people and areas to the general disaster relief minister, who will then report it to the court and the emperor.
The people responsible for transporting and guarding food are no longer the local officers and officials, but the Yulin Army and Jinyiwei, as well as a censor from the Metropolitan Procuratorate. The three parties are responsible. If there is no food for no reason during the transportation or during the disaster relief period, then there will be Sit together.
When the grain is escorted to the local area, it will be guarded by the Yulin Army and the Jinyi Guards without passing through the hands of local officials and gentry. No grain of grain is allowed to be released without a grain release order from the Minister of General Soothing and Disaster Relief.
This warrant cannot be issued at will, it must be stamped with the seal of the cabinet.
The Cabinet Department of Household Affairs will calculate the approximate number of people in the local area from the household register in advance, and then calculate how many people eat how much grain every day. After these things are completed, a one-and-a-half-month grain release warrant will be drawn up, stamped in advance, and taken away.
During this period, the imperial court will send officials to the local area to conduct detailed investigations. After a month and a half, the next batch of warrants will be drafted and stamped based on the investigation results and the report of the Minister of General Prosecution and Disaster Relief.
In order to prevent anyone from committing fraud, the specific date will be written on the warrant, and the grain for which day will be released on which day.
Moreover, these warrants must be recovered by the Jin Yiwei, and the Ministry of Household Affairs must conduct final verification. If something is wrong, the Chief Minister of Disaster Relief will be brought back to the capital for interrogation.
This forms an effective cycle, which can greatly ensure that disaster relief food will not be empty as soon as it lands.
The specific follow-up disaster relief will still be left to local officials and missionaries. It is impossible for him to hold on to this kind of thing and not let go. If he does not delegate authority even to such small matters, there will definitely be a rebound.
Relieving the people is important, but maintaining rule is the most important. Even if rule is gone, even if you worry about it every day, you are just incompetent.
There is a line in a TV series in later generations that is very good. This kind of thing has to be handled by officials of all sizes. Only when it is profitable for them will they pay a little attention, and only they have the ability.
Get these errands done in a short period of time.
This is an opportunity given to them by Zhu Youxiao. Being a petty thief, I agree, but it cannot be too excessive. I will let you control this limit first.
Besides, he doesn’t have so many manpower, and even if he does, he may not be able to handle this matter well. After all, foreigners can’t compare to local ones for this kind of thing.