Just when Hongmen was developing vigorously, the Ming Dynasty was already in tatters and crumbling.

The 72nd battalion of peasant troops led by Gao Yingxiang has not been able to exterminate any of them until now, but there was a sudden report from the border of Ningxia that because there was no food and salary for a long time, the local starvation soldiers mutinied, and they were killed on the grounds that the governor Wang Wei could not take care of the salary.

The governor of the Tang and Tang dynasties was killed by hungry soldiers, which means that this mutinous army can no longer accommodate the current dynasty, and the result waiting for them can only be to go to the dark on one road, raising the banner of rebellion and echoing the peasant rebel army in the east.

Where can the imperial court still pay for food!

Even the local government headed by Lu Xiangsheng and Hong Chengchou has not paid salaries for a long time since the local government strangled the main army of the peasant army, which can also be said to be one of the reasons why the combat effectiveness of the government army has been unsatisfactory so far.

The Ming household department is in charge of the Ming treasury, the walls are empty, and the rats can starve to death and escape into the ground, even the Ming Emperor Chongzhen's private treasury, which has very little money, and it is very difficult to buy some lines for the concubines and princes.

Emperor Chongzhen asked the courtiers to help him several times, but there were few responders, and the money and property obtained were just a drop in the bucket.

I heard that Li Tianyang Hongmen was wealthy, and since he ascended the throne, he gradually became estranged from Li Tianyang's Emperor Chongzhen, and even privately sent people to bring letters, detailing the past of the year.

Li Tianyang has never had a good impression of this little emperor who doesn't recognize people when he turns his face, whether it is investing tens of thousands of yuan to support his palace expenses, or spending money to help him up and down afterwards, Li Tianyang's contribution is indeed not too small.

But in exchange for what?

It's just that Emperor Chongzhen thinks that he is open to the net, and does not regard him as one with the eunuch Wei Wei and his group, so as to avoid being implicated by Wei Wei.

Emperor Chongzhen's suspicion and selfishness can be imagined from this, but Li Tianyang, who is nominally an officialdom of the Ming Dynasty, still has to give the face of the biggest leader of the officialdom, and in private he presented 10,000 taels of silver to Emperor Chongzhen with an unparalleled attitude of loyalty and filial piety.

Who would have wanted to turn his head Chongzhen, the bastard emperor, sent his 10,000 taels of silver to the head of the household as a donation, making Li Tianyang suddenly the target of the officialdom.

There are countless people who are extremely rich in the officialdom, why are there so few people who have responded to this proposal since Nan Juyi proposed to donate money?

Guy is a smart person, who can not know the financial situation in the Ming Dynasty, it is not that they can donate tens of thousands of taels of silver to solve the land, but if they are allowed to bankrupt and donate tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, not to mention whether they can solve the current erosion situation, I am afraid that the first thing they have to face is the accountability from the royal family and the imperial historians: Why are you so rich, is it not corruption and perversion of the law?

What's more, the vast majority of these bureaucrats really don't really have any loyalty, at most they just make a fortune by using their official positions, where do they remember the Confucian foundation of loyalty to the monarch and patriotism!

Therefore, when Emperor Chongzhen took out the silver donated by Li Tianyang's private donation openly, he originally hoped to take the lead through Li Tianyang's first donation, but in the end, Li Tian cultivated this early rafter, and was secretly slandered by many officials.

However, there are still some places where the effect is, and every local military attache has donated more than 10,000 taels, how can these dignitaries and dignitaries in the Beijing division not show one or two!

In addition, Emperor Chongzhen at least has a lot of sincerity in his words, and as an emperor, he can say many words that are almost pleading, even if these officials try to spare their lives and money, they can't be indifferent!

Chongzhen's donation in the early spring of the ninth year was half a year ahead of schedule, but it was also the largest number of donations in these years, raising a total of more than 500,000 taels of silver for the imperial court.

More than 500,000 taels of silver in the hands of individuals and families is a shocking amount of wealth, but how much can it be helped by falling on the head of the country, and even the arrears of the officers and soldiers in Shanxi are not evenly distributed.

Fortunately, Li Tianyang is not without a little gain, he spent 10,000 taels of silver on the face of the little emperor Chongzhen, and the team doctor was rich and wealthy at this time, but it was just a drop in the bucket, but it also reminded Chongzhen that when he was still the prince, people asked for warmth and raised for themselves, and this time he was even more yin, if there was no point to express, I am afraid that it will also chill the hearts of these loyal people!

Li Tianyang's title was promoted from the county man to the county, and his fief turned out to be Li Tianyang's own Bengang County, although it was a reward in name, but everyone knew that in fact, Bengang County was in their own hands, and no one could interfere.

In this regard, Li Tianyang has nothing left except hehe, the only thing that makes Li Tianyang feel a little relieved is that Emperor Chongzhen may have learned about Li Tianyang's power in the South China Sea from the mouths of Jinyiwei and the spies of the East and West Factory, and finally delegated the right to tax Yuegang into his hands, and Li Tianyang collected the past business taxes.

In private, Chongzhen also made it clear that Che Ma had a showdown with Li Tianyang, and issued an edict telling Li Tianyang that he must collect at least 200,000 taels of taxes for him every year, and he was not responsible for the rest.

During the Wanli period, Yuegang also set up a tax supervisor, but its chief was a eunuch from the palace, relying on the relationship between the palace and these eunuchs after the decentralization of the place is naturally a variety of enjoyment, as a prestige and blessing, plus eating and taking cards, in fact, the annual tax paid is less than 50,000 taels.

This is a very incredible number, even the Nanyang Manila Castle, when it was in the hands of Spain, the amount of taxes alone was not less than 500,000 taels a year, not to mention such a huge Ming Dynasty!

It is conceivable how corrupt these officials are in office, but it also makes Emperor Chongzhen, who is in the deep palace, think that it is difficult to be a strong man, and the task given to Li Tianyang is arduous.

But how did Emperor Chongzhen know how prosperous the maritime trade of the Ming Dynasty was now, not to mention a mere 200,000 taels, I am afraid that this number will be doubled, and Li Tianyang is also fully sure that he can make a large surplus after completing the task.

(End of chapter)