The Forbidden City, Wenhua Hall.
Zhu Yijun looked at the memorial in his hand with a complicated expression. He didn't know if he was disappointed or gratified.
He was gratified because his years of planning had finally paid off. After the business tax was over, his control over the Daming had reached an unprecedented level.
From this moment on, the fetters of the Daming were basically eliminated.
He was disappointed because this time he wanted to do something big, but they didn't give him the chance. Before he did anything, they were afraid. It was as if he had punched the air.
Zhu Yijun only remembered that Wanli's mining supervisor was abolished and the tax commissioner was killed.
But in fact, in the early days, things didn't develop to that point. In the early days, everyone didn't stand up to resist.
It was just that the drawbacks of the eunuchs' taxation were so great that the officials couldn't stand it.
When the officials went to the place, they weren't people who followed the rules.
They did things very simply. There was only one thing, and that was to make money.
Part of the money they made was sent to the palace to stabilize their positions so that they could continue to make money.
The other part was their own corruption.
The way to make money was even simpler. Basically, it was how to make money.
The simplest way was to set up checkpoints. There were many checkpoints along the rivers, roads, and bridges to collect taxes, and the more the better.
The numerous taxes made it impossible for the merchants to make a profit. They all stopped production and the economy almost came to a standstill.
After the eunuchs and their entourage became mining envoys, they often colluded with local ruffians to bully the local officials and people, rob the rich, and do evil.
They also privately intercepted the huge amount of tax they plundered and filled their own pockets.
Some people calculated that from the 20th to 33rd years of Wanli, the mining envoys paid three million taels of silver to the national treasury, and privately intercepted eight or nine times the amount paid.
The result of this was that the rich were no longer operating, production came to a standstill, and workers lost their jobs.
It should be known that at this time in the Daming, land annexation was very serious. Many people who didn't have land chose to work in the cities, and working in the cities was indeed a new way for people to make a living.
In the Jiangnan area, this situation was even more serious. Big cities with a population of more than 500,000 to a million were everywhere in the Daming.
Big cities like Yangzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing, and the capital all had a population of more than three million.
Of course, there were certainly cases of officials and merchants taking the opportunity to force the court.
But more of the reason was the simple and crude tax policy. The tax could be collected, but there had to be a limit.
While collecting taxes, they had to develop new industries so that they could earn money.
The most important thing was that once the workers lost their jobs, they had to find new ways to earn a living.
In fact, Zhu Yijun had already made arrangements for these aspects.
First, the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The existence of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The existence of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs were guaranteed. The Ministry Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and could Ming.
In addition, they would collect the land tax first. Once they had money, they would use the land tax money to stimulate domestic demand.
One had to know that after the Imperial Court changed the military household system to a recruitment system, the amount of money needed to raise soldiers every year would be huge.
Every year, the military procurement was a big order that all kinds of businessmen fought over.
Merchant group. t. Merchant group.'T Yang Yang group.. Every year, Yang group was the Ming Dynasty was the military.
Zhu Yijun had built a large group of merchants around the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Yang Kingdom.
The best way Zhu Yijun could think of to deal with the Great Ming Dynasty's system was crony capitalism.
He was the Emperor. If he did not play Crony Capitalism, no one would be able to deal with him.
As for whether there would be a capitalist revolution, Zhu Yijun did not think he would be able to see it in this lifetime.
Of course, Zhu Yijun thought that the difficulty of Crony Capitalism was the solidification of the social classes. If the people at the bottom could find a way to become rich and powerful, the system would be much better.
Becoming rich and powerful through the military and imperial examinations was the path Zhu Yijun had arranged. He had to try it!
If Zhu Yijun were to start a people's democratic revolution, then his brain would be in trouble.
With the support of the rich and powerful, the matter of business taxes was actually much simpler. For example, the relatives of the nobles, or the local officials and businessmen, they were all willing to maintain this system.
Not to mention others, just the orders from the Ministry of Internal Affairs alone were not simple. Basically, they were all the capital of the rich and powerful.
Many officials made a lot of profits from this, much more than their tax-free profits.
Just the purchase of grain and cloth from the northwest and Jiliao every year, more than half of the merchants in Jiangnan were pulled over.
The military orders were getting bigger every year. Who would be stupid enough to fall out with the Ministry of Internal Affairs at this time?
It was only 30% tax. It was no big deal.
In short, Zhu Yijun had the bigger fist now. There were many benefits for him to work for the Emperor.
Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Jing and said slowly, "How was Duke Wei's Residence this time?"
"Your Imperial Highness, the Duke of Wei Manor was very cooperative this time. Not only did they send people to cooperate with the Department of Taxation and the Department of Internal Affairs, the Duke of Wei Manor's industries also cooperated with the court's commercial tax at the first instance."
"At the same time, Duke Wei's Residence also released news that those who don't support the business tax and don't pay the tax on time will no longer cooperate with them."
Zhu Yijun let out a sigh. Ever since the establishment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Duke of Wei's Residence had definitely taken up one-third of the big procurement orders in Jiangnan, if not two-thirds.
Now Duke Wei's Residence had their eyes on the military reform in Nanjing.
Once the military reform in Nanjing started, Duke Wei's Residence would have another chance to make a fortune.
Embezzling military funds was child's play. Just the military supplies alone was enough for Duke Wei's Residence to make a lot of money.
Could anyone compete with Duke Wei's Residence in this area?
No one at all!
Buying military equipment, grain, and vegetables was all money. Duke Wei's Residence probably had cramps from counting the money.
Zhu Yijun sat on the dragon throne and shook his head with a bitter smile. In fact, he didn't know if he was doing the right thing or what unpredictable consequences it would cause.
However, Zhu Yijun knew that he was the emperor, the monarch, and the Great Ming Dynasty was a feudal monarchy.
Under such a system, crony capitalism was definitely the most suitable.
As for the drawbacks of crony capitalism, it was actually very easy to solve. That was to shift the conflict to foreign countries.
Under the background of this global colonization, there would basically be no problem with plundering the global support for a few years.
As for whether there would be other problems in the future, it was none of Zhu Yijun's business. It was estimated that even if there were to be other problems, it would probably be three or five hundred years later. By then, his bones should have rotted away.
"In that case, let's shift the wave of conflict outside!"
With a smile in his eyes, Zhu Yijun turned to Zhang Jing and said, "Come, summon the Cabinet Grand Secretary and the Six Ministers to the palace tomorrow morning. I want to hold a court meeting. Let them all come."
After the news of the court meeting spread out, the ministers outside were a little confused.
The court meeting was not a big deal, and the ministers were used to it. But this was not the case for their Emperor.
Every time they held a court meeting, the results would be earth-shattering.
But there had been nothing big recently!
The collection of commercial taxes was going smoothly, and the national treasury was also very abundant. At this time, there was a problem with such a large number of people holding a court meeting.
If the Cabinet Grand Secretary was summoned, perhaps there would be less worry.
But if the people of the Six Ministries were summoned, then it was not a small matter.
But something unexpected happened again. At night, another news came that the Emperor had summoned the people from the Commander-in-Chief's Office of the Five Armies.
Duke of England Zhang Yong, Duke of Dingguo Xu Wenbi, Marquis Dingbei Qi Jiguang, Marquis Linhuai Li Yangong, and others were also present.
The ministers instantly understood that the Emperor was going to war!
Looking at this posture, it was not a small fight, but a big one!
When the Emperor fought against the Northwest Walla, he did not make such a scene. Was the Emperor going to launch a northern expedition?
At the thought of the northern expedition, the ministers were in a bad mood. The lesson of the Tumu Castle incident was really too deep.
Now that the situation at the Daming Castle was better, the treasury was full, and the army was ready, how could they fight a war at this time!
Of course, at this time, no one said that it was a barbarian and remote place, and there were not many benefits from conquering it. In the past two years, the Northwest had almost become an oil depot.
Everyone ran there like crazy, all aiming to make money.
The civil ministers reached a tacit understanding without any discussion. The first goal was to stop the Emperor from launching a northern expedition. They could not let the Emperor do this.
The second goal was not to let the Emperor personally lead the army. They could also fight, but they could let Qi Jiguang do it.
As for Qi Jiguang, all the civil and military officials trusted him. His achievements were really too brilliant.
After so many years, he had never lost a battle. Ever since the newspapers announced that Qi Jiguang was already an existence at the level of a god of war.
If Qi Jiguang went to fight, even if he could not win, he would not lose. In any case, it was impossible for the Emperor to personally lead the army.
Of course, this was the officials thinking too much. Zhu Yijun did not want to personally lead the army.
Firstly, he was not good at fighting a war, nor was he good at commanding troops. If this was a strategic game, he should play a chaotic strategy.
Playing logistics, playing the economy, and then a chaotic strategy. With the capital of the Daming Castle, he could play a chaotic strategy.
Besides, fighting a war was too dangerous. Although the Emperor could leave first at a critical moment, the journey would be tiring. If he fell sick and died, wouldn't it be a big loss?
Of course, the civil ministers also knew that if the Emperor wanted to fight, it would not be easy to stop him.
However, it was possible to stop the emperor from personally leading the army, because if they didn't fight, the nobles wouldn't agree. Didn't they see that the emperor had even called the Marquis of Linhuai, Li Yangong? Speaking of Li Yangong, he was also a legendary figure.
His ancestor was the founding hero of the Daming Castle, Li Wenzhong. Li Wenzhong was the nephew of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang.
He was Zhu Yuanzhang's famous general, strategist, and the third hero in the founding of the Ming Dynasty.
When Li Wenzhong was twelve, his mother, the Princess Royal of the State of Cao, passed away.
His father, Li Zhen, had brought him through the chaos of the army and was on the verge of death many times.
Two years later, he met his uncle, Zhu Yuanzhang, in Chuzhou.
When Zhu Yuanzhang saw Li Wenzhong, he was very fond of him. He adopted him as his son and gave him the surname Zhu.
At the age of nineteen, Li Wenzhong led his personal army as a Samaritan, following the army to support Chizhou and defeating the Tian Wan Army. He was brave and skillful in battle, becoming the leader of all the generals.
Zhu Yuanzhang was very fond of Li Wenzhong and often sent him to supervise the army and accompany the generals into battle.
Li Wenzhong fought on the battlefield and was promoted to Ronglu Daifu, Zhejiang Province's Ping Zhang, surnamed Li.
After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, Li Wenzhong repeatedly led troops to conquer the remnants of the Yuan army. Due to his outstanding military service, he was conferred the title of Duke of Cao.
In the 17th year of Hongwu, Li Wenzhong died of illness and was posthumously conferred the title of Prince Qiyang with the title of Wu Jing. He was given the title of Prince Qiyang and was given the title of Prince Wujing. His portrait was hung in the Temple of Meritorious Officials and was ranked third.
Such a meritorious minister would naturally be a Daming Minister. His status would definitely not be lower than that of the British Dukedom. In fact, he might even be much higher.
In fact, the Duke of Cao's noble title was also well-known in Daming.
Of course, the second generation Duke of Cao covered up Li Wenzhong's reputation because the second generation Duke of Cao was called Li Jinglong.
In the first year of Jianwen, the Prince of Yan, Zhu Di, mobilized his troops to quell the rebellion and defeated the Marquis of Changxing, Geng Bingwen, at Zhending.
Huang Zicheng recommended Li Jinglong to the Emperor and suggested that he replace Geng Bingwen.
In August, the Emperor appointed Li Jinglong as the Grand General.
He ordered him to lead 500,000 troops on a northern expedition and personally gave him a farewell dinner by the river, giving him the right to act at his own discretion.
In the end, he was defeated by the Yan army at Zhengcun Dam and Baigou River. Hundreds of thousands of troops were lost and the situation was reversed. In the end, he was recalled.
In fact, if someone said that Li Jinglong was a spy for the Prince of Yan, Zhu Yijun would believe it.
This was because another incident happened later. In the fourth year of Jianwen, the Yan army crossed the Yangtze River and directly approached Nanjing. The Emperor was very worried.
Fang Xiaoru once again sent a memorial to ask for Li Jinglong's execution.
The Emperor did not agree and instead ordered Li Jinglong, the Minister of War Ru Chi, and Governor Wang Zuo to go to the Yan camp to ask for peace.
Not long after, the Yan army arrived at Jinchuan Gate.
Li Jinglong and the Prince of Gu Zhu Ao opened the gate and surrendered. The Yan army entered the city and Nanjing fell.
Not only did he lose, he also had no integrity. It would be strange if such a person was favored by Zhu Di. However, in order to win over the surrendered officials and reassure the people, Zhu Di put Li Jinglong on a pedestal.
The Prince of Yan, Zhu Di, became the Emperor and became the Emperor.
Because of Li Jinglong's' ability to silently manage affairs', he was conferred the title of 'Fengtian Fu Yun Pu Cheng Xuan Li Military Minister', 'Specially Jin Guanglu Daifu', 'Left Pillar of the State', was conferred the title of Crown Prince's Grand Preceptor, and his annual salary was increased by a thousand stones.
At that time, Li Jinglong was always at the top of the list when the court discussed important matters.
Of course, it was more likely that he was there as a decoration. In the second year of Yongle, the Prince of Zhou, Zhu Ao, wrote a memorial to expose Li Jinglong, saying that during the Jianwen era, he had been "tortured".
The Minister of Justice, Zheng Ci, also accused Li Jinglong of "harboring evil intentions, keeping fugitives, and conspiring against the law."
The Emperor did not pursue the matter. Later, the Duke of Cheng, Zhu Neng, the Minister of Appointments, Jian Yi, the Minister of the Sixth Division, Zhang Xin, and other ministers impeached Li Jinglong again, saying that he and his younger brother Li Zengzhi conspired to rebel.
The Emperor stripped Li Jinglong of his title as a meritorious minister and did not allow him to appear before the Emperor, leaving him idle at home with the title of Duke.
Not long after, the Minister of Rites, Li Zhigang, wrote a memorial: "Li Jinglong accepted the worship of his family at home, as if he was a minister, which was disgraceful.
Li Zengzhi built many fields and kept hundreds of servants, his intentions were unfathomable. "
The Emperor stripped Li Jinglong of his title, putting him, Li Zengzhi, his wife, and dozens of children under house arrest, and confiscated their property.
Li Jinglong went on a hunger strike for ten days, but he did not die until the last year of Yongle.
From then on, the Li family declined and wandered to Nanjing, living a miserable life.
However, the Li family also had a ruthless person. During the Zhengtong era, the court allowed the Li family to rebuild their family status. During the Hongzhi era, Li Xuan became the Commander of the Nanjing Imperial Bodyguard. After two generations of hard work, in the eleventh year of Jiajing, he was conferred the title of Marquis of Linhuai.
The next two generations were also put in important positions, repeatedly in the General's Office, commanding the river, wearing the seal of the Pacifying Barbarians, and guarding Huguang.
When it reached this generation's Marquis of Linhuai, Li Yangong, he guarded Nanjing, entered the Military Camp, and was given the title of Junior Protector.
Marquis of Linhuai's son, Li Xichao, graduated from the Imperial Martial Arts Lecture Hall and was an old member of the Imperial Academy. He participated in the northwest war against Wala and was one of the leading figures of the New Eagle Faction.
Marquis of Linhuai was also one of the pro-war faction. Li Xichao proudly declared that he would be punished for his crimes.
He would immediately be conferred the title of Marquis, bring glory to his family, and take back the title of Duke of the Li family.
This time, the Emperor summoned Marquis of Linhuai to the palace to participate in the court discussion.