"How about the others?"
After talking about Ma Gui, seeing that Wei Guangde did not continue, Tan Lun asked again.
Ma Gui was actually a general that Tan Lun was more optimistic about. Although Ma Gui had never served under his command, when he was stationed in Ji and Liao, he was no stranger to the generals in the border towns.
Jizhen is different. In order to protect the safety of the capital, it is necessary to mobilize the most powerful generals in the world to guard it.
"Liu Yu, I want to send him to Liaodong. He is just a garrison commander now. Although he is brave in battle, a general needs strategy.
Let him go to Qi Jiguang to gain some experience first. He is still young now, and if he can learn the art of training from Yuan Jing, it will be of great benefit to him throughout his life."
Wei Guangde said after thinking for a moment.
Although he didn't remember what Liu 𬘩 was, Wei Guangde felt that he had seen this name before.
Again, if his name is recorded in history, he must have done something.
Maybe it's a good thing, maybe it's a bad thing, but it's definitely something.
Otherwise, among so many generals in the Ming Dynasty, why would his name be remembered?
What's more, the Ming Dynasty at that time really valued bloodline. Just like Wei Guangde, who was born into a military family, once he was noticed by a nobleman, he would rise to a high position.
This Liu Xian is a man of heroic character. His father, Liu Xian, was also a general who fought against Japanese pirates during the Jiajing period. He participated in suppressing the Japanese pirates in the southeast under the command of Yu Dayou.
In the middle and late stages, because of rebellions in Guangdong, Liu Xian moved his troops from Zhejiang to Guangdong and gradually withdrew from the anti-Japanese war.
In those years, there were not many Japanese pirates in Guangdong. Most of them were active in Zhejiang and Fujian. It was only in the later period, when they were frightened by Qi Jiguang, that they began to move south to Guangdong to harass and plunder.
Liu Xu was promoted and rewarded for his military achievements at such a young age, so he naturally had a bright future.
In fact, the reason why Wei Guangde in later generations could see the name Liu Yu was probably because of the Wanli Dynasty's war to aid Korea and resist Japanese pirates. Liu Yu led troops in both wars and made great contributions.
However, Wei Guangde couldn't remember where he saw the record, so he only vaguely remembered the name.
Therefore, Wei Guangde ignored all these and transferred Liu Yu from Nanjing to Liaodong first.
Maybe after a few years of experience, he can become a general who can stand on his own.
After hearing Wei Guangde's suggestion, Tan Lun was silent for a moment before nodding and saying with a smile, "Speaking of the Liu family, they are not outsiders. Their family is originally from the Gong family of Nanchang Prefecture. It was just by chance that they went to Sichuan to participate in the military examination and then joined the army.
He fled to Sichuan and changed his surname to Liu, but after the incident, he was appreciated by Zhang Ao, the governor of Sichuan, and was promoted for his military merits.
"Zhang Ao? Mr. Meng Xi?"
Wei Guangde asked in surprise.
Tan Lun nodded amiably and said with a smile, "It is no small matter to take the exam under a false name. At that time, I guess Lord Zhang let Liu Xian off because of our hometown relationship. I didn't expect Liu Xian to become such a big shot."
Zhang Ao was a senior of Wei Guangde and others in the imperial examinations in Jiangxi. He was a Jinshi in the fifth year of Jiajing and served in many places, especially as governor in Sichuan, where he suppressed the rebellion. Later, he served as the Minister of War in Nanjing during the Anti-Japanese War. He was one of the civil servants who had the closest relationship with the military.
Wei Guangde naturally knew such a big shot.
Impersonation is no small matter, but Zhang Ao let it go easily when it came to impersonation in the martial arts exam. Only their hometown relationship could explain the whole thing.
As I said before, transportation was inconvenient in ancient times, and officials who went out to work often saw few of their fellow villagers for years. So when Zhang Ao saw a fellow villager in Sichuan, he would naturally find ways to take care of him.
"Last year, Liu Yu and Zhang Ao's daughter got married, and they sent out invitations widely. Almost all the retired and serving officials in their hometown received them."
Tan Lun brought up the matter of these two families again, naturally in order to let Wei Guangde have a deeper understanding and pay more attention to them in the future. "Your father also went to Nanchang Prefecture. I asked my son to go over and congratulate him."
Wei Guangde had no impression of this incident. After all, he was in the capital, so he naturally would not receive an invitation.
"hehe."
Wei Guangde chuckled, then looked at Tan Lun and said, "Let's settle this for now. Ma Gui will go to Xuanfu to follow Ma Fang, and Liu Yu will be transferred to Liaodong to follow Qi Jiguang. I just don't know if Mr. Mengxi will scold us for transferring his good son-in-law to Liaodong and away from the glamorous world of Nanjing.
Well, you will retire in two years and be scolded when you return.
As for me, I guess he doesn’t have the chance.”
Wei Guangde said happily that he was still young and could stay in the capital for another 20 years without any problem.
Zhang Ao, I don’t think he will survive more than a few more years.
"I'll make arrangements with the Ministry of War."
Tan Lun didn't take it seriously and agreed immediately. "By the way, I heard that Jiang Zhi has run out of money in the Ministry of Works this year and is asking the Ministry of Revenue for more money. Do you know about this?"
"Ministry of Industry? Because of flood control?"
Wei Guangde frowned slightly and said, "Neither the Ministry of Works nor the Ministry of Revenue have submitted a memorial. I really don't know about this."
"The excavation of the Jiajing Canal is nearing completion. Two months ago, the Yellow River in Xuzhou burst its banks again. The Ministry of Works is already short of money and grain, and has no money to support the river works."
Tan Lun said.
In fact, as soon as he mentioned this, Wei Guangde roughly guessed what was going on.
In ancient dynasties, it was very difficult to support a river engineer, and it often took several years to prepare money and food. In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, problems occurred in the Yellow River every now and then, which became the biggest culprit for draining the national treasury.
Of course, if all the money was used for river works, it could barely cover the cost, but there are still a lot of adults who need to be supported.
Then it disappeared layer by layer and became what it is now, with no money left.
As for rectifying the administration of officials, it will affect the entire body, and the unspoken rules cannot be broken without great perseverance.
Wei Guangde didn't want to become the target of public criticism, so he naturally wouldn't get involved.
The key point is still that the root problem exists. Even if the corrupt officials are removed, the new ones will continue to do the same thing, and the final settlement will be the same, which will delay things.
Therefore, Zhang Juzheng did not adopt Gao Gong's political proposition to clean up corrupt officials, but demanded efficiency and practical work.
You can take the money, but you have to get the job done for me.
If you can't do things well, then you shouldn't stay in officialdom and get out as soon as possible.
Wei Guangde also tends to be this way, perhaps influenced by some later generations.
Dealing with a corrupt official was a small matter for Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, but it was a big matter for the people below.
"Let's wait. If the problem can't be solved, they will naturally come to the cabinet to discuss this matter."
Wei Guangde was not shirking his responsibility. He was not clear about the current situation of the Ministry of Revenue. If there was a dispute between the two departments, it would be very troublesome.
The Ministry of Works’ affairs are big matters, but isn’t the Ministry of Revenue’s affairs also big matters?
If the Ministry of Revenue stops operating, the entire court will probably come to a standstill.
The . government shuts down from time to time, either because the two parties are arguing over the government budget for the new year before and after the New Year, or because the national debt has reached the ceiling and the debt limit needs to be increased.
"National debt?"
The Ming Dynasty, or the central court of all dynasties, seems to have never done so.
When the imperial court ran out of money, it asked local people for money, which was later called "exorbitant taxation."
After seeing Tan Lun off, Wei Guangde did not go back to the backyard to rest, but returned to the study to continue thinking about this matter.
If the Ming Dynasty encountered short-term financial problems, could it use national debt to get through the difficult times?
As long as the land survey is done and taxes are collected, everything should be fine.
Wei Guangde thought the idea was good, so he kept it in mind and planned to think about it carefully and discuss it with Zhang Juzheng when he returned.
However, on the afternoon of the second day, just after lunch, Wei Guangde was still resting in the duty room when Lu Bu came in to report that the Minister of Revenue Zhang Xueyan and the Minister of Works Jiang Zhi had arrived.
When he heard these two people coming, Tan Lun's words yesterday were still ringing in his ears, so he naturally knew what was going on.
Soon, the two were welcomed in. After they sat down, they skipped the small talk and got straight to the point.
"The river work cannot stop. It has already begun and must not be interrupted."
After listening to Jiang Zhi's narration, Wei Guangde immediately expressed his opinion.
This is a decision made by the cabinet. The project cannot be stopped as long as the government remains in power. Otherwise, once the plan is changed, it will be difficult to restart it in the future.
The previous investment will also be wasted.
The reason is actually very simple. The project can be stopped today due to lack of money, and the same will apply tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. The Ming Dynasty court has never been wealthy.
"The Ministry of Revenue has no more money."
Zhang Xueyan had actually expected Wei Guangde to answer like this, and he immediately responded, "Although there is still million taels of silver in Taicang, 970,000 taels are the military pay that the Ministry of War will take away at the end of this month.
The remaining 100,000 taels of silver are the salaries of the officials in Beijing for the next two months. I will give the silver to whoever can guarantee to solve these two problems."
"Of the three hundred thousand taels of silver, pay one hundred thousand taels first so that the project can continue.
Could it be that the various banknote-exchange offices and Yuegang cannot even raise 100,000 taels of silver in the past two months?"
Jiang Zhi said dissatisfiedly.
Wei Guangde actually knew why the Ministry of Works was short of silver. In fact, it was the Ministry of Works that was helping the Ministry of War to cover the expenses. The shipyards in Jiangnan were now running at full capacity to build sea vessels, and the silver was all supported by the Ministry of Works.
In the end, this money would naturally have to be paid by the Ministry of War, and ultimately fall to the Ministry of Revenue.
"Why does the Ministry of Revenue only have so little money?"
Wei Guangde was a little puzzled.
There are only a little over one million taels of silver in Taicang, but considering the amounts delivered to various places and the money made into coins, as well as the surplus silver from last year, it shouldn't be that little no matter how you calculate it.
"Lord Wei, the money that went into the warehouse has a basis, and every single one of them can be verified."
Zhang Xueyan said immediately.
"In addition to normal expenses, what new expenses have occurred since the beginning of the year?"
Wei Guangde asked.
Wei Guangde didn't want to ask about the use of the Ministry of War because it was too complicated and responsible.
In fact, he had tried his best to cut down on the expenditure of the Ministry of War. Except for the military salaries and weapons procurement expenses, Wei Guangde had stopped the construction of the border wall in Jizhen, and only the construction in the northwest and Liaozhen was still continuing.
Wei Guangde planned to cancel the repair of the border wall once the plan to weaken Mongolia was implemented.
The Tang Dynasty is still better. Why bother building the Great Wall? It would be better to give the money directly to the army and let them fight.
The Great Wall will only become a stumbling block to China's external expansion and cannot be continued.
It is like a prison that binds the Chinese people and makes them dare not yearn for the sky outside.
However, stopping the construction of the Great Wall has to be done slowly. After all, it has gone through several emperors, and it cannot be stopped all at once without sufficient reasons.
Since we are still spending money now, we might as well leave a tourist attraction for future generations.
Then, Zhang Xueyan roughly reviewed the Ministry of Revenue’s expenses from the beginning of the year to now.
"Wait, you said that the inner court of the Aoshan Lantern Festival asked the Ministry of Revenue for 200,000 taels of silver? How come I didn't know that?
I remember that the Ministry of Revenue gave 100,000 taels of silver for the Aoshan Lantern Festival last year, saying that it was not enough for the inner court to subsidize. How come it became the Ministry of Revenue that paid the silver?"
Soon, Wei Guangde heard about an expense and he began to question it.
According to this figure, the imperial court spent 300,000 taels of silver on the Lantern Festival at the beginning of this year.
You should know that the largest Aoshan Lantern Festival during the Longqing period only cost 170,000 or 180,000 taels of silver, and that was because Emperor Longqing liked to watch lanterns.
At this time, Zhang Xueyan's face looked a little ugly, obviously there was something that Wei Guangde didn't know.
Wei Guangde didn't say anything, and Jiang Zhi on the side naturally didn't say anything either. They were both waiting for Zhang Xueyan to explain.
After a long while, Zhang Xueyan finally spoke: "Last year, the Prime Minister wrote me a note saying that the inner court was short of funds and asked the Ministry of Revenue to give 200,000 taels of silver to prepare for the Aoshan Lantern Festival.
All in all, the Ministry of Revenue paid out a total of 300,000 taels of silver."
Zhang Xueyan pushed the blame onto Zhang Juzheng, and Wei Guangde roughly guessed what was going on.
Needless to say, the palace must have overspent during the New Year holidays and used up the money originally reserved for the lanterns, and then Feng Bao went to Zhang Juzheng to solve the problem.
Zhang Juzheng also wrote a note directly to the Ministry of Revenue and paid the money out without telling other people in the cabinet.
"What about the Ministry of Revenue's account last year?"
Wei Guangde suddenly asked.
Last year, the Ministry of Revenue's account books were submitted to the Cabinet, and the surplus was over 100,000 taels of silver.
"I took it away on the second day of the Chinese New Year."
Zhang Xueyan was also very honest and directly told the time when someone from the inner court would come to take away the silver.
Well, this account can only be seen at the end of this year, so what if I see it then?
Maybe, for the next Aoshan Lantern Festival, the money will be allocated directly on the scale of this year, which means three hundred thousand taels will be spent in one go.
"call"
Wei Guangde let out a long sigh, not knowing what to say.
"No wonder the entire Chang'an Avenue is filled with lanterns this year. It turns out so much money was spent."
Jiang Zhi finally exclaimed.
"Yes, it is said that the Empress Dowager and the Emperor like to watch the lanterns, so the scale was made larger, and as time went on, it exceeded the scale."
Zhang Xueyan said in a low voice.
He knew that this was a bit too much, but he had to do as the Prime Minister wished.
"What should we do now? We can't delay the Ministry of Industry."
Wei Guangde spoke up.
As long as there is no money and the project is stopped, it will basically be over.
“If you really need it, you can only borrow from Changying Treasury first.
The Baoyuan Bureau just pulled out 400,000 taels of silver from the Changying Treasury to mint Tongbao coins. They can make 300,000 taels of silver to pay the Ministry of Industry first, but it’s hard to say when they will return it to the treasury.”
Zhang Xueyan suggested.
Only the Cabinet could embezzle the silver from the Changying Treasury, and he could not propose any method he thought of in the Ministry of Revenue.
I should have said this in front of Zhang Juzheng, but he hasn't come back yet.
"How is the Ministry of Revenue going to pay it back?"
Wei Guangde did not express his opinion, but asked further questions.
Borrowing silver from Changyingku is not a big deal, but Your Majesty must specify the source and time of returning the silver.
Zhang Xueyan fell silent when he heard Wei Guangde ask this. (End of this chapter)
After talking about Ma Gui, seeing that Wei Guangde did not continue, Tan Lun asked again.
Ma Gui was actually a general that Tan Lun was more optimistic about. Although Ma Gui had never served under his command, when he was stationed in Ji and Liao, he was no stranger to the generals in the border towns.
Jizhen is different. In order to protect the safety of the capital, it is necessary to mobilize the most powerful generals in the world to guard it.
"Liu Yu, I want to send him to Liaodong. He is just a garrison commander now. Although he is brave in battle, a general needs strategy.
Let him go to Qi Jiguang to gain some experience first. He is still young now, and if he can learn the art of training from Yuan Jing, it will be of great benefit to him throughout his life."
Wei Guangde said after thinking for a moment.
Although he didn't remember what Liu 𬘩 was, Wei Guangde felt that he had seen this name before.
Again, if his name is recorded in history, he must have done something.
Maybe it's a good thing, maybe it's a bad thing, but it's definitely something.
Otherwise, among so many generals in the Ming Dynasty, why would his name be remembered?
What's more, the Ming Dynasty at that time really valued bloodline. Just like Wei Guangde, who was born into a military family, once he was noticed by a nobleman, he would rise to a high position.
This Liu Xian is a man of heroic character. His father, Liu Xian, was also a general who fought against Japanese pirates during the Jiajing period. He participated in suppressing the Japanese pirates in the southeast under the command of Yu Dayou.
In the middle and late stages, because of rebellions in Guangdong, Liu Xian moved his troops from Zhejiang to Guangdong and gradually withdrew from the anti-Japanese war.
In those years, there were not many Japanese pirates in Guangdong. Most of them were active in Zhejiang and Fujian. It was only in the later period, when they were frightened by Qi Jiguang, that they began to move south to Guangdong to harass and plunder.
Liu Xu was promoted and rewarded for his military achievements at such a young age, so he naturally had a bright future.
In fact, the reason why Wei Guangde in later generations could see the name Liu Yu was probably because of the Wanli Dynasty's war to aid Korea and resist Japanese pirates. Liu Yu led troops in both wars and made great contributions.
However, Wei Guangde couldn't remember where he saw the record, so he only vaguely remembered the name.
Therefore, Wei Guangde ignored all these and transferred Liu Yu from Nanjing to Liaodong first.
Maybe after a few years of experience, he can become a general who can stand on his own.
After hearing Wei Guangde's suggestion, Tan Lun was silent for a moment before nodding and saying with a smile, "Speaking of the Liu family, they are not outsiders. Their family is originally from the Gong family of Nanchang Prefecture. It was just by chance that they went to Sichuan to participate in the military examination and then joined the army.
He fled to Sichuan and changed his surname to Liu, but after the incident, he was appreciated by Zhang Ao, the governor of Sichuan, and was promoted for his military merits.
"Zhang Ao? Mr. Meng Xi?"
Wei Guangde asked in surprise.
Tan Lun nodded amiably and said with a smile, "It is no small matter to take the exam under a false name. At that time, I guess Lord Zhang let Liu Xian off because of our hometown relationship. I didn't expect Liu Xian to become such a big shot."
Zhang Ao was a senior of Wei Guangde and others in the imperial examinations in Jiangxi. He was a Jinshi in the fifth year of Jiajing and served in many places, especially as governor in Sichuan, where he suppressed the rebellion. Later, he served as the Minister of War in Nanjing during the Anti-Japanese War. He was one of the civil servants who had the closest relationship with the military.
Wei Guangde naturally knew such a big shot.
Impersonation is no small matter, but Zhang Ao let it go easily when it came to impersonation in the martial arts exam. Only their hometown relationship could explain the whole thing.
As I said before, transportation was inconvenient in ancient times, and officials who went out to work often saw few of their fellow villagers for years. So when Zhang Ao saw a fellow villager in Sichuan, he would naturally find ways to take care of him.
"Last year, Liu Yu and Zhang Ao's daughter got married, and they sent out invitations widely. Almost all the retired and serving officials in their hometown received them."
Tan Lun brought up the matter of these two families again, naturally in order to let Wei Guangde have a deeper understanding and pay more attention to them in the future. "Your father also went to Nanchang Prefecture. I asked my son to go over and congratulate him."
Wei Guangde had no impression of this incident. After all, he was in the capital, so he naturally would not receive an invitation.
"hehe."
Wei Guangde chuckled, then looked at Tan Lun and said, "Let's settle this for now. Ma Gui will go to Xuanfu to follow Ma Fang, and Liu Yu will be transferred to Liaodong to follow Qi Jiguang. I just don't know if Mr. Mengxi will scold us for transferring his good son-in-law to Liaodong and away from the glamorous world of Nanjing.
Well, you will retire in two years and be scolded when you return.
As for me, I guess he doesn’t have the chance.”
Wei Guangde said happily that he was still young and could stay in the capital for another 20 years without any problem.
Zhang Ao, I don’t think he will survive more than a few more years.
"I'll make arrangements with the Ministry of War."
Tan Lun didn't take it seriously and agreed immediately. "By the way, I heard that Jiang Zhi has run out of money in the Ministry of Works this year and is asking the Ministry of Revenue for more money. Do you know about this?"
"Ministry of Industry? Because of flood control?"
Wei Guangde frowned slightly and said, "Neither the Ministry of Works nor the Ministry of Revenue have submitted a memorial. I really don't know about this."
"The excavation of the Jiajing Canal is nearing completion. Two months ago, the Yellow River in Xuzhou burst its banks again. The Ministry of Works is already short of money and grain, and has no money to support the river works."
Tan Lun said.
In fact, as soon as he mentioned this, Wei Guangde roughly guessed what was going on.
In ancient dynasties, it was very difficult to support a river engineer, and it often took several years to prepare money and food. In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, problems occurred in the Yellow River every now and then, which became the biggest culprit for draining the national treasury.
Of course, if all the money was used for river works, it could barely cover the cost, but there are still a lot of adults who need to be supported.
Then it disappeared layer by layer and became what it is now, with no money left.
As for rectifying the administration of officials, it will affect the entire body, and the unspoken rules cannot be broken without great perseverance.
Wei Guangde didn't want to become the target of public criticism, so he naturally wouldn't get involved.
The key point is still that the root problem exists. Even if the corrupt officials are removed, the new ones will continue to do the same thing, and the final settlement will be the same, which will delay things.
Therefore, Zhang Juzheng did not adopt Gao Gong's political proposition to clean up corrupt officials, but demanded efficiency and practical work.
You can take the money, but you have to get the job done for me.
If you can't do things well, then you shouldn't stay in officialdom and get out as soon as possible.
Wei Guangde also tends to be this way, perhaps influenced by some later generations.
Dealing with a corrupt official was a small matter for Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, but it was a big matter for the people below.
"Let's wait. If the problem can't be solved, they will naturally come to the cabinet to discuss this matter."
Wei Guangde was not shirking his responsibility. He was not clear about the current situation of the Ministry of Revenue. If there was a dispute between the two departments, it would be very troublesome.
The Ministry of Works’ affairs are big matters, but isn’t the Ministry of Revenue’s affairs also big matters?
If the Ministry of Revenue stops operating, the entire court will probably come to a standstill.
The . government shuts down from time to time, either because the two parties are arguing over the government budget for the new year before and after the New Year, or because the national debt has reached the ceiling and the debt limit needs to be increased.
"National debt?"
The Ming Dynasty, or the central court of all dynasties, seems to have never done so.
When the imperial court ran out of money, it asked local people for money, which was later called "exorbitant taxation."
After seeing Tan Lun off, Wei Guangde did not go back to the backyard to rest, but returned to the study to continue thinking about this matter.
If the Ming Dynasty encountered short-term financial problems, could it use national debt to get through the difficult times?
As long as the land survey is done and taxes are collected, everything should be fine.
Wei Guangde thought the idea was good, so he kept it in mind and planned to think about it carefully and discuss it with Zhang Juzheng when he returned.
However, on the afternoon of the second day, just after lunch, Wei Guangde was still resting in the duty room when Lu Bu came in to report that the Minister of Revenue Zhang Xueyan and the Minister of Works Jiang Zhi had arrived.
When he heard these two people coming, Tan Lun's words yesterday were still ringing in his ears, so he naturally knew what was going on.
Soon, the two were welcomed in. After they sat down, they skipped the small talk and got straight to the point.
"The river work cannot stop. It has already begun and must not be interrupted."
After listening to Jiang Zhi's narration, Wei Guangde immediately expressed his opinion.
This is a decision made by the cabinet. The project cannot be stopped as long as the government remains in power. Otherwise, once the plan is changed, it will be difficult to restart it in the future.
The previous investment will also be wasted.
The reason is actually very simple. The project can be stopped today due to lack of money, and the same will apply tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. The Ming Dynasty court has never been wealthy.
"The Ministry of Revenue has no more money."
Zhang Xueyan had actually expected Wei Guangde to answer like this, and he immediately responded, "Although there is still million taels of silver in Taicang, 970,000 taels are the military pay that the Ministry of War will take away at the end of this month.
The remaining 100,000 taels of silver are the salaries of the officials in Beijing for the next two months. I will give the silver to whoever can guarantee to solve these two problems."
"Of the three hundred thousand taels of silver, pay one hundred thousand taels first so that the project can continue.
Could it be that the various banknote-exchange offices and Yuegang cannot even raise 100,000 taels of silver in the past two months?"
Jiang Zhi said dissatisfiedly.
Wei Guangde actually knew why the Ministry of Works was short of silver. In fact, it was the Ministry of Works that was helping the Ministry of War to cover the expenses. The shipyards in Jiangnan were now running at full capacity to build sea vessels, and the silver was all supported by the Ministry of Works.
In the end, this money would naturally have to be paid by the Ministry of War, and ultimately fall to the Ministry of Revenue.
"Why does the Ministry of Revenue only have so little money?"
Wei Guangde was a little puzzled.
There are only a little over one million taels of silver in Taicang, but considering the amounts delivered to various places and the money made into coins, as well as the surplus silver from last year, it shouldn't be that little no matter how you calculate it.
"Lord Wei, the money that went into the warehouse has a basis, and every single one of them can be verified."
Zhang Xueyan said immediately.
"In addition to normal expenses, what new expenses have occurred since the beginning of the year?"
Wei Guangde asked.
Wei Guangde didn't want to ask about the use of the Ministry of War because it was too complicated and responsible.
In fact, he had tried his best to cut down on the expenditure of the Ministry of War. Except for the military salaries and weapons procurement expenses, Wei Guangde had stopped the construction of the border wall in Jizhen, and only the construction in the northwest and Liaozhen was still continuing.
Wei Guangde planned to cancel the repair of the border wall once the plan to weaken Mongolia was implemented.
The Tang Dynasty is still better. Why bother building the Great Wall? It would be better to give the money directly to the army and let them fight.
The Great Wall will only become a stumbling block to China's external expansion and cannot be continued.
It is like a prison that binds the Chinese people and makes them dare not yearn for the sky outside.
However, stopping the construction of the Great Wall has to be done slowly. After all, it has gone through several emperors, and it cannot be stopped all at once without sufficient reasons.
Since we are still spending money now, we might as well leave a tourist attraction for future generations.
Then, Zhang Xueyan roughly reviewed the Ministry of Revenue’s expenses from the beginning of the year to now.
"Wait, you said that the inner court of the Aoshan Lantern Festival asked the Ministry of Revenue for 200,000 taels of silver? How come I didn't know that?
I remember that the Ministry of Revenue gave 100,000 taels of silver for the Aoshan Lantern Festival last year, saying that it was not enough for the inner court to subsidize. How come it became the Ministry of Revenue that paid the silver?"
Soon, Wei Guangde heard about an expense and he began to question it.
According to this figure, the imperial court spent 300,000 taels of silver on the Lantern Festival at the beginning of this year.
You should know that the largest Aoshan Lantern Festival during the Longqing period only cost 170,000 or 180,000 taels of silver, and that was because Emperor Longqing liked to watch lanterns.
At this time, Zhang Xueyan's face looked a little ugly, obviously there was something that Wei Guangde didn't know.
Wei Guangde didn't say anything, and Jiang Zhi on the side naturally didn't say anything either. They were both waiting for Zhang Xueyan to explain.
After a long while, Zhang Xueyan finally spoke: "Last year, the Prime Minister wrote me a note saying that the inner court was short of funds and asked the Ministry of Revenue to give 200,000 taels of silver to prepare for the Aoshan Lantern Festival.
All in all, the Ministry of Revenue paid out a total of 300,000 taels of silver."
Zhang Xueyan pushed the blame onto Zhang Juzheng, and Wei Guangde roughly guessed what was going on.
Needless to say, the palace must have overspent during the New Year holidays and used up the money originally reserved for the lanterns, and then Feng Bao went to Zhang Juzheng to solve the problem.
Zhang Juzheng also wrote a note directly to the Ministry of Revenue and paid the money out without telling other people in the cabinet.
"What about the Ministry of Revenue's account last year?"
Wei Guangde suddenly asked.
Last year, the Ministry of Revenue's account books were submitted to the Cabinet, and the surplus was over 100,000 taels of silver.
"I took it away on the second day of the Chinese New Year."
Zhang Xueyan was also very honest and directly told the time when someone from the inner court would come to take away the silver.
Well, this account can only be seen at the end of this year, so what if I see it then?
Maybe, for the next Aoshan Lantern Festival, the money will be allocated directly on the scale of this year, which means three hundred thousand taels will be spent in one go.
"call"
Wei Guangde let out a long sigh, not knowing what to say.
"No wonder the entire Chang'an Avenue is filled with lanterns this year. It turns out so much money was spent."
Jiang Zhi finally exclaimed.
"Yes, it is said that the Empress Dowager and the Emperor like to watch the lanterns, so the scale was made larger, and as time went on, it exceeded the scale."
Zhang Xueyan said in a low voice.
He knew that this was a bit too much, but he had to do as the Prime Minister wished.
"What should we do now? We can't delay the Ministry of Industry."
Wei Guangde spoke up.
As long as there is no money and the project is stopped, it will basically be over.
“If you really need it, you can only borrow from Changying Treasury first.
The Baoyuan Bureau just pulled out 400,000 taels of silver from the Changying Treasury to mint Tongbao coins. They can make 300,000 taels of silver to pay the Ministry of Industry first, but it’s hard to say when they will return it to the treasury.”
Zhang Xueyan suggested.
Only the Cabinet could embezzle the silver from the Changying Treasury, and he could not propose any method he thought of in the Ministry of Revenue.
I should have said this in front of Zhang Juzheng, but he hasn't come back yet.
"How is the Ministry of Revenue going to pay it back?"
Wei Guangde did not express his opinion, but asked further questions.
Borrowing silver from Changyingku is not a big deal, but Your Majesty must specify the source and time of returning the silver.
Zhang Xueyan fell silent when he heard Wei Guangde ask this. (End of this chapter)
