Chapter 1,284 I owe everything to you for what I am today
Chapter 1292 I owe everything to you for what I am today
Looking at the account books piled up like a hill in the Chui Gong Hall, the official family was also overwhelmed.
There is nothing the officials can do to deal with Cai Que. Now everything in the court depends on "money". He is now pointing at Zhang Yue to make money.
When should we rely on ministers like Zhong Zhang Yue who are responsible for doing things, and when should we rely on ministers like Cai Que who maintain imperial power and rule.
The heart of an official is like a bright mirror.
When his ambitions were not yet fulfilled, and before he could achieve an imperial legacy like Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, he had no choice but to feel wronged by Cai Que.
After watching Cai Que retreat from the palace with a pale face, the official sat on the throne with an expressionless expression.
Watching Cai Que and other officials leave, Zhang Yue turned his eyes away for a moment and then returned to the emperor.
At this moment, the official's brows were furrowed, and he said to Zhang Yue: "I don't understand. After Xining and Yuanfeng, the imperial court received a lot of financial resources, and its annual income increased a lot, but why the annual expenses are still so large that it cannot make ends meet."
"Taizu's founding income was only 17 million guan. In the second year of Zhiping, his annual income was 43 million guan."
"By the ninth year of Xining, it had increased to 60 million (the original figure was 59 million)!"
"Now in the sixth year of Yuanfeng, the Ministry of Household Affairs estimates that it can increase to 70-2 million guan (the original figure is about 70 million guan)! Why is it still not enough?"
This data counts net income, excluding income other than copper coins, grain, silk, cloth, charcoal, fodder, etc. Taking into account the financial variables of Zhangyue's reform, the income is only slightly higher than in history. Historically, the fiscal revenue of free money is the largest part, and in the last years of Yuanfeng
It reached 18 million yuan a year, and Zhang Yue exempted fifth-class households, female households, etc. from the service fee, so this income dropped to less than 9 million. By the time of Yuanyou, Sima Guang abolished the exemption law and other new laws, and the central finance
Revenue plummeted to less than 50 million yuan.
Taking the seven years of Yuanfeng in history as an example, the income of Youcao of the Ministry of Revenue (Sinong Temple) alone reached 23 million guan.
The exemption money is 18,729,300, the field service money is 5,590,000, and the grain, silk, stone, and horse are 976,570,000.
In addition, Qingmiao has more than 3 million yuan.
As for Yiqian, although it can earn a lot of interest money, it also has a lot of bad debts, so it would be good if it can protect capital.
In other words, the income of the Right Cao of the Ministry of Revenue is about 27 million yuan. It can be said that the majority of the income from Wang Anshi's reform came from the exemption from service.
The official said to Zhang Yue: "The imperial court's financial income is increasing day by day, but its expenditure is increasingly unable to make ends meet. What can I do?"
Where did the money go?
This is a long-standing problem.
Zhang Yue said: "They are all supported by the supporting army!"
Yes, military spending will always be large, and it will be huge.
The official nodded and said: "Xihe Road now has an annual income of two million guan (historically it was 4 million guan). After conquering Liangzhou, another million guan was added."
Zhang Yue said: "Because of the loss of this minister, there are currently 100,000 troops standing on Xihe Road, and another 200,000 Fanhan soldiers who work on the farm every day, totaling 300,000."
A forbidden soldier costs 50 guan, and a guard soldier costs 30 guan. In peacetime, the imperial military expenditure is 48 million guan.
By the time of Xining and Yuanfeng, a forbidden soldier required sixty guans, and a Xiang soldier required 33 guan.
Zhang Yue once planned to use the benefits of Silk Road trade after opening up Liangzhou to allow the imperial court to achieve self-sufficiency in the direction of Xihe Road.
However, Sun Lu and Wang Hou kept asking the court for more troops and generals, and at the same time recruiting local soldiers into the army, which was also an effective way to stabilize the place.
In the end, the Xihe Road budget could not be reduced.
As for the construction costs of various roads in Shaanxi, as well as the initial attack on Liangzhou and the battle of Pingxia City, it was also an astronomical figure. This almost all the money after Zhangyue's salt banknote reform was posted, causing the court to still owe
The local government is in debt.
But the good thing is that at this point in history, the local people have already been overwhelmed. Especially in Shaanxi Province, after the five-pronged expedition to the Xia Dynasty in history, the officials sent Li Shunju to the local area to inquire. He was rewarded and said that if the attack continued, the entire Guanzhong would be destroyed.
Rebelled.
In fact, taking Xining and Yuanfeng as an example, although people in the Song Dynasty did not resist annexation, their lives were still better than those in many dynasties.
At this time, the common people were generally able to have enough food and clothing. It was also at this time that the habit of three meals a day began to be implemented from top to bottom. This was something that many dynasties in ancient and modern times could not do.
Even in the late Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, as the population increased to 400 million, the contradiction between man and land intensified. Many places went back to two meals a day.
Zhang Yue is at least still maintaining the living standards of the people at the beginning of Xining.
The official said: "I don't mean to blame you. The imperial court's military expenses are very high. The cost of minting is only more than a million guan. Counting the profits from Goryeo's sea trade, it is only a few hundred thousand guan a year."
"Right now, both Hebei and Hedong need money, and this is nothing compared to military spending."
Zhang Yue thought to himself that war is a waste of money.
Raising troops in daily life is an expense, and war is another expense.
Zhang Yue tried his best. When he was in power, he fought three major battles with Dang Xiang in Lanzhou, Liangzhou, and Pingxia City. He had exhausted all his methods and managed to keep the finances from collapsing.
After all, Zhang Yue is now 30 years ahead of schedule, and he has also recovered Liangzhou, which the Northern Song Dynasty was never able to recover.
Historically, after Zhang Kai fought the Battle of Pingxia City in the Yuanfu Year, he took the initiative to ask the court to negotiate a peace with Xixia and cease the war, because all the savings he had managed to accumulate after the Yuanyou Year were wiped out.
However, Zhang Dun, who was in power, refused and insisted on fighting Xixia.
In the final analysis, governing a country and ensuring peace is all about money. Without money, nothing can be done. A clever woman cannot make a meal without rice.
Zhang Yue said: "Your Majesty, since the salt banknotes were handed over to the emperor, the money shortage in the court has been alleviated in recent years."
"Take Qingli as an example, one tael of silver and one piece of silk were originally exchanged for two thousand Wen, but at the beginning of Xining they were exchanged for one thousand two hundred Wen."
"But now the money shortage has arisen again, and the local surplus has dried up again. Now we should keep quiet, and it will not be easy to cause trouble with the Liao Kingdom again."
The official said: "But if the Liao Kingdom does not withdraw its troops from Hedong and Hebei, how can I free my hands to use troops against Dangxiang?"
"I think the expedient solution now is to either collect money from the fifth-class households for exemption from military service, or the court will print more salt banknotes."
Zhang Yue thought to himself that the officials were returning to the line of suffering for the common people. Previously, they asked Mencius to accompany him in worshiping Confucius Temple, promoted Mencius to the title of Confucian Classic, and strongly praised the word "people-oriented".
You changed your tune so quickly. Aren't you a slap in my face?
The official looked at Zhang Yue and asked, "Is it difficult for you to agree?"
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Zhang Yue thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, what do you think of my appearance?"
The officials heard this.???
Are you serious?
Zhang Yue said: "My appearance was quite good when I was young! I have attracted the favor of many women, many of whom are also women with considerable wealth."
"Even later, when I was studying at Taixue, I was favored by Lao Taishan and chose me, a young man from a poor family, as his son-in-law. He refused to abandon me and married my beloved daughter to me."
When the official heard this, he smiled and said, "I have heard it."
Zhang Yue said: "Your Majesty, I declined the offer later and had to wait until I won the Jinshi Scholarship before getting married."
The official nodded.
Zhang Yue said: "There is something else that your Majesty doesn't know. When I was not yet studying in the county, I was favored by my fellow countryman Chen Shengzhi and was called to be a scholar. Not to mention that I didn't know that Chen Shengzhi would become the prime minister in the future. At that time, I almost didn't even write a letter.
Even though I couldn’t afford it, Chen Shengzhi gave me a way to study.”
"But I didn't agree at that time."
Zhang Yue said: "Your Majesty, I have never chosen the path that seems to be the most advantageous and the shortest way since I was a child."
"Instead, we have to take the most difficult, farthest and most arduous road."
"I call this a way of not following the road! Because this road seems to be a way but not a way, I always insist on doing things that seem to have no short-term benefits and will not be induced by benefits."
"Obviously I have such a good marriage, but I am immersed in studying in Imperial College. I am not a person with lofty ambitions, nor a popular scholar, nor do I know that I will definitely win the number one scholar in the future and become an official.
It’s not that I don’t love fame and fortune, it’s just that I never want to wrong myself in the face of fame and fortune.”
"I am still a minister to this day. I can't be kind to others, but I have never been ashamed of myself!"
The official praised him and said, "I understand. Your conduct as a human being can shine upon the sky, the earth, the sun and the moon."
Zhang Yue said: "I am ashamed of your Majesty's words. I lack courage and responsibility. During the Xining period, the scholarly conduct was conservative and officials followed the old ways. If you want to reform, you must go too far and demolish the house and rebuild. You don't have to have great courage and skill to do it."
Those who are concerned about the right and wrong of the world cannot do this."
"In this case, I am not as good as Wang Anshi, so I recommended him to your majesty, and thus gained the benefits of Xining's reform. Now in the reign of Yuanfeng, I correct Xining's impatience and rashness in the reform, so as to avoid the disadvantages of being too hard and easy to break."
"I have always believed that governing a country is the same as being a human being. You have to walk the long road, enter the narrow gate, and plow the thin fields. Sometimes the fastest is the slowest. And the slowest is the fastest."
"There is a saying in the Tao Te Ching that allows me to know clearly and walk on the great road, but only with fear. The great road is very rough, but people like it."
What this means is, if I can understand the truth, I should walk on the high road. But the high road is too flat, and everyone likes to take shortcuts.
"For example, collecting free money from the fifth-class households, and printing more salt banknotes and handouts are all simple things for Renjun, but really because of such shortcuts and benefits, there are hidden secrets behind them.
A big disaster. I am afraid that Your Majesty will obey him too easily and act like him."
"Coveting for temporary gain will sow long-term harm."
The official said: "This is a golden and good advice for governing the country, but how can the Liao Kingdom control it without money?"
Zhang Yue said sternly: "Your Majesty, the Liao Kingdom has already become a foreign power and a powerful country!"
The official looked shocked and asked, "Is this true?"
Zhang Yue replied: "Have your Majesty heard from where the Liao Kingdom expanded its territory over the years? I just heard that he blindly suppressed the rebellion."
"Since ancient times, Hu has had no luck for a hundred years. Why has the Liao Kingdom been able to maintain it for nearly two hundred years now? It is because we have the land of Youyan, use our Han system in the south, and have the tribute coins imported from this country."
"But because of this, the Han did not follow the Han system, and did not think carefully about the essence of our Han system, the national power can only decline day by day, so sooner or later there will still be civil strife. The Liao Kingdom has millions of soldiers, but what? Can only make false threats.
It's up to me. Otherwise, why don't we advance in Hedong and Hebei, and retreat but not retreat? Your Majesty, as long as you have patience, hold on for years, and wait for the day when there is a change in the Liao Kingdom, it will be the day when you raise millions of troops to march westward.
!”
The official stood up and said, "What you said is truly insightful!"
The official walked down the imperial steps and said, "I owe everything to your good plan to be where I am today! You are both my Xiao He and my Zhang Liang!"