Chapter 103: Luo Yujiao's Decision

The news of Zhang Zhen's accident reached Luo Yujiao's ears, and Luo Yujiao attached great importance to it, and went to see Zhang Zhen in person the next day.

Ask Dr. Li how he is doing.

Doctor Li said: "Your Highness, there is nothing you can do, Weichen has already said before that Zhang Shoufu is too tired and wants him to pay attention to rest." It's just that Zhang Xiang refused. ”

"Now we can only look at the destiny of heaven."

When Luo Yujiao heard this, she knew that Zhang Zhen couldn't support this situation.

Luo Yujiao paused slightly, and said: "Zhang Xiangnai is a national meritorious hero. It must be preserved, what medicine is needed, only those in the palace are taken out, and there is no need to ask me for instructions. ”

"Yes." Doctor Li said.

After Luo Yujiao left Zhang's mansion, she returned to the palace. After thinking for a while, he changed his clothes, but he was dressed in a military uniform, and with the prince, he rang the bells and drums in the palace.

For a while, the ministers all knew that they were going to court.

It's just that they are full of doubts, Zhang Xuanyuan is in Luoyang, who will go to the court.

It was only after they stood up that they found that it was Luo Yujiao who went to court.

Luo Yujiao generously took the hand of the crown prince Zhang An, sat on the dragon chair, and said straight to the point: "Zhang Xiang can't be a director now, you don't need to panic, there are all difficult things to solve, just solve them here." ”

"Hongu is just watching."

"Mr. Yao, you can temporarily take the position of first assistant."

Yao Qisheng immediately said: "The minister obeys the order." ”

Immediately, Yao Qisheng began to deal with political affairs.

There is only one political matter at hand, and that is to support the front line.

The front line spends money like water, there is no moderation at all, and the savings before the imperial court, the treasury bonds of 20 million silver, which have been borrowed, have been almost used.

Even if a lot of it didn't work, now it's in the army.

Because there is soon a big expense in the army, which is a reward.

Everyone knows that the big war has reached this point. It's come to an end. The reward is not overdue, it has always been the art of war, so in order to reward the whole army, the Nanjing treasury is even more empty.

But that doesn't mean the reward is over.

Even after the war is over, the pension, the disaster relief in various parts of the north, the people, etc., this matter is not over at all. For these things, the court should also think about the front.

Otherwise, before the event, you can't come up with the money, and there will be problems.

But how to raise money?

The autumn tax was collected, totaling tens of millions of stone grain, which did not enter the Nanjing treasury at all, and went directly to the front line, as for the mint, it has also stopped now.

Not to mention, a large amount of currency has been released, there is a kind of deformed prosperity in the world, many workshops related to military supplies have made a fortune, but the people are not doing well, and everything is high, especially grain, which has tripled compared with last year.

This is still what Zhang Zhen has been suppressing, if it gets out of control,

Ten times is not much.

It's just that in this way, the people in many places will have to make a living, especially in Nanjing and Suzhou.

The two cities with the most workshops today are Nanjing and Suzhou.

Suzhou is the world of looms, and no place can compare. However, Nanjing was developed after Zhang Xuanxiajun became the owner, and there were shipyards, manufacturing bureaus, mint bureaus, and even a large number of government-run and private related workshops.

Most of these workers working in the workshops do not farm. If food is high, the two cities simply cannot sustain themselves.

Although the excess of money is only one of the reasons for the high price of grain, the real reason is that a large amount of grain is directly conscripted into military rations and cannot be put on the market.

It's just that the main reason is that it is impossible to change, and you can only limit the amount of silver coins you can put in.

Of course, the most important reason is that there is not enough silver.

Almost all the silver in the hands of the imperial court is silver dollars.

The three major expenses of the imperial court, coinage, normal taxation, and the national debt. There is no way for the first two, Zhang Xuan has already explained, and the tax increase can only be a last resort.

The trivial matters in front were all arranged one by one under Yao Qisheng's arrangement.

The contradiction that really divides the ministers is the increase in taxes and the continued apportionment of the national debt.

This made the ministers almost fight each other.

Although Zhang Xuan has been saying that the imperial court will definitely repay the debt, most civil officials regard the matter of national debt as the white deer coin of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.

It was Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty who cut a piece of skin from the white deer in the mountain forest garden, and directly priced it at one pound of gold. And the imperial court just made a blank slip, saying that it would pay it back, and it collected as much as 20 million taels from the people.

This efficiency is much faster than that of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.

If it was just at the beginning, these people thought that the emperor would probably be able to pay it back, but now most people have no hope that the emperor can repay the money.

Twenty million taels is not a small amount.

Not to mention anything else, I'm afraid that the imperial court's annual taxes may not be much more than this, and the imperial court has so many things to do. You can't help but give the official a salary, but pay back the money.

As a result, the difficulty of collecting national debt has increased exponentially. In addition, the rich families everywhere are almost scraped, and the court officials are not bandits, so they can't really rob it.

And the rich everywhere, which one has nothing to do with officials. These officials are reluctant to cut their own flesh.

Therefore, the ministers of civil and military affairs were divided into two factions.

One is dominated by Yao Qisheng, and he strongly advocates the relevancy of national bonds, 5 million taels.

The other is mainly Wu Weiye, and they have a plan to raise taxes, which can probably levy fifteen or six million taels. It can solve the urgent needs of the imperial court.

This tax increase plan is to pre-levy taxes for next year.

"Ahem." Luo Yujiao coughed twice and said, "Since you can't fight for one, let Ben go."

Let's decide. ”

Luo Yujiao slowly got up from the throne, walked step by step between the ministers, and said: "Emperor Taizu started between the people, and the palace often follows the righteous army to go around, and he understands one thing best. If the court says one above, the people below can do ten. ”

"The Ming Dynasty only had Chongzhen for 17 years, but all localities called taxes to Chongzhen for 23 years, Chongzhen for 33 years, and even Chongzhen for 53 years?"

"I don't know, I really think that Chongzhen Lao'er has a long life."

"The result?"

Wu Weiye immediately stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, the ministers have a performance." ”

Luo Yujiao said: "Say." ”

Wu Weiye said: "Your Majesty's words, the ministers empathize, and the court borrows them, but the officials of the prefectures and counties below are like wolves and tigers, destroying people in every possible way, making people ruined, and giving them a piece of paper." ”

"There was chaos in Suzhou and Hangzhou before, and the minister thought that if he didn't change his course, I was afraid that the world would collapse and smoke would rise, and it would be in front of him."

Luo Yujiao said: "Yes, Wu Meicun, tell me, who did this?" ”

Wu Weiye heard Luo Yujiao say this, and immediately said: "It's Liang Hong, the magistrate of Shanghai. ”

Luo Yujiao has no impression of Liang Hong, the magistrate of Shanghai, but Hu Tang does. He couldn't help frowning, and said, "Your Majesty, Liang Hong is a shameless person. When Guangzhou was broken, he and Su Guansheng were scheduled to die together, but Su Guansheng committed suicide, but he wanted Su Guansheng to dedicate himself to the imperial court. ”

"So I don't need it now, but I don't know when he actually became the magistrate of Shanghai."

"This is the fault of the officials."

The official department has always been Zhang Qian's person, and now Zhang Zhen is sick, he has no backer, but just came out and said: "In the first year of Zhaowu, the court lacked officials, and the fame of the previous dynasty was retained. ”

Luo Yujiao smiled faintly and said, "If so, let's promote Liang Hong to the prefect of Suzhou." ”

As soon as these words came out, the ministers were shocked. Don't know what to do for a while?

Wu Weiye immediately said: "Your Majesty, this is absolutely impossible, this is against the emperor's will." ”

Luo Yujiao said: "Zhang Lang said before that he would never raise taxes as a last resort, why didn't you comply?" ”

Wu Weiye said: "At this time and at that time, the emperor is far away in Luoyang. I don't understand the situation in the south. ”

Luo Yujiao said: "It is this time and that time, what this palace does, this palace dares to bear, if Zhang Lang comes back, blame me." ”

"Liang Hong is shameless or not shameless, it doesn't matter, as long as he can do a good job of the things explained by the court, he is a good official."

As soon as these words came out, not only Wu Weiye couldn't sit still, but many people couldn't sit still. Wu Weiye knelt down and said: "This matter must not be allowed, Your Majesty is so perverse, Jiangnan will be chaotic." Is Your Majesty just like this to explain to the emperor? ”

"Your Majesty, please think twice."