Chongzhen's speech at the first meeting of the Navy General Staff Headquarters gave a grand blueprint to the young staff officers who had just walked out of the school gate, and the enthusiasm of these young people was immediately stimulated.

Compared with the Army General Staff, which has important ministers like Sun Chengzong, the Navy General Staff Headquarters is completely young people's world, so the atmosphere here is more lively and enthusiastic.

Before leaving, Chongzhen left a task for the Navy Staff Headquarters: how to make Japan submit to the Ming Dynasty, and become the defender of the Ming Dynasty to establish a new order, and assist the Ming Dynasty in fighting against Christianity and Tianfang civilization.

This was the first assignment he left for the Naval Staff Headquarters, and of course it didn't seem simple. After all, with the current naval combat strength of the Ming Dynasty, if you want to use force to bring Japan to its knees, I am afraid you will have to pay a great price.

However, the young naval staff officers did not feel that this was a difficult task, but thought that this was an examination for them by the emperor to test whether they could take on the heavy responsibility of naval staff officers.

Therefore, the young staff officers all agreed to the emperor with enthusiasm, completely oblivious to how ugly their teacher's face was. When Yu Zhigao led everyone out to see the emperor off, Zhang Xie just watched the emperor leave at the door, then turned around and walked to the world map hanging on the north wall, and began to seriously study the sphere of influence of Christianity and Tianfang Sect that Chongzhen said.

"Teacher, you don't seem to be so resolute in your opposition to Your Majesty's proposition. Do you also think that it is a good thing that the newly established navy has shown such an aggressive and aggressive posture? If people outside heard the Navy's plan today, would they think that the Navy was too arrogant? Maybe this will attract a lot of bad reviews. ”

Zhang Xie slowly turned around, and found that the voice behind him was Yang Wancheng, his newly recruited disciple after going north. This young man, who was born in a merchant in Baoding, was forced to be admitted to the Naval Academy because his father wanted to join the Maritime Association.

Although Yang Wancheng didn't want to join the army before, Zhang Xie loved Zhang Xie's talent for natural science that he showed at the Naval Officer Academy, and finally accepted him as his own disciple.

Yang Wancheng's temperament is relatively out-of-the-box, while Zhang Xie is strict when coaching, but he is very easy to get along with in private. Therefore, Yang Wancheng has developed the habit of saying something in front of the teacher on weekdays.

Zhang Xie glared at his disciple, then turned his head back to look at the map, and said: "Your master is a native of southern Fujian, most of the Chinese who were slaughtered in Manila back then were my fellow villagers in southern Fujian, and the new order of the Ming Dynasty was rebuilt in the East and West, how could I oppose it?"

I was just worried that Your Majesty would be overjoyed and blindly start a war. My Ming Dynasty is already an eventful season now, and even the Wanli Dynasty has no spare strength to teach those Spaniards a lesson, so what strength does this Dynasty rely on to establish a new maritime order?

However, what His Majesty talked about later was obviously not a risky move that was put forward without thinking, and since His Majesty was confident, I naturally wanted to take a look at it. If His Majesty's plan is not feasible, he must always give it a try. If you try to stop it now, it may become a move to add fuel to the fire.

Then again, Your Majesty believes that the most important thing in the navy is money, which is quite similar to the point of view in one of your previous texts, why didn't you bring it up just now? ”

Yang Wancheng said curtly: "The teacher said that the previous text of the student is too far from what His Majesty said today.

The students just said that every move of the navy costs money, so the navy ships must have a plan and purpose when they go to sea, and they cannot go out and wander around and waste money in vain.

The students did not associate the overseas trade order with the navy, and in this respect, the student pattern was still smaller. How dare a student take such a shallow idea and vote for His Majesty's favor.

However, teacher, the students can still understand the content of the first half of His Majesty's conversation. But is this Christianity, Celestial Religion, and Chinese civilization competing for resources, population, and spheres of influence in the new world real, or is it a fantasy? ”

Regarding the disciple's question, Zhang Xie was also silent for a long time before shaking his head and replying: "The examples given by Your Majesty are basically true. But I can't be sure about the division of the whole new world. However, as a navy, as long as we go beyond the scope of the East and the West, the new world that Your Majesty spoke of will sooner or later be able to unfold in front of us one by one..."

In the first assistant duty room of the Wenhua Palace, Huang Liji was looking at the documents handed to him by Guo Yunhou, the head of the household department.

As he watched, he muttered: "The annual salary of the new army officers, 120 yuan for the second lieutenant, 150 yuan for the lieutenant, 180 yuan for the captain, 240 yuan for the major, 360 yuan for the lieutenant colonel, 480 yuan for the colonel, 900 yuan for the major general, 1,500 yuan for the lieutenant general, 2,500 yuan for the general, 4,000 yuan for the general, and 6,000 yuan for the marshal." ”

Huang Liji dropped the document, looked at Guo Yunhou, who was sitting on the side drinking tea, and said with some dissatisfaction: "Although Your Majesty's idea of appeasing the martial artists is not wrong, but is it too much to increase the treatment of these military attaches so much at once?" ”

Guo Yunhou put down the tea cup in his hand and replied with a smile: "Does my brother Fan think that the force of the new army is not worthy of such a reward?" After all, the tiger is different from the dog that guards the household, if it is not fed, it will eat people. ”

Huang Liji sighed and said, "If there are a few more tigers like this, I'm afraid my Ming family's family will be empty."

Anyway, I won't mention the matter of the New Army's annual salary. But what is the matter with this official annual salary adjustment plan? Is there too much money in the household to spend it? ”

Regarding the ridicule in Shoufu's words, Guo Yunhou pretended not to hear it, and still replied with a smile: "This official's salary has not been adjusted since the founding of the country, and he has studied hard for ten years, and after being admitted to the Jinshi, the annual salary of becoming a seven-grade county official is only 45 taels, how can this make people support their families?"

We shout every day that we want officials to be clean officials and love the people like children, but how many Haigang Peaks can there be in the world? Although His Majesty acts a little Meng Lang on weekdays, some things are still good.

Rather than allowing these officials to unscrupulously corrupt and corrupt the atmosphere, it is better to increase their profits, rectify the rule of officials, and put the world style first. ”

Huang Liji picked up the document on the side again, looked at it for a while, and said: "That being said, it's good, but the annual salary of the seventh product is 150 yuan, 200 yuan from the sixth product, 300 yuan from the sixth product, 400 yuan from the fifth product, 600 yuan from the fifth product, 800 yuan from the fourth product, 1200 yuan from the fourth product, 1600 yuan from the third product, and 2000 yuan from the third product...

Wanyu, are you too high? My Prince of Daming's annual salary for a year is only 10,000 stone white rice, which is equivalent to 7,500 yuan in Daming Yuan. Now the ministers are about to catch up with the prince, and if this is spread, I am afraid that we will not be able to escape the infamy of a fake public and private servant.

And it is impossible for the treasury to pay for it, so many officials have added to the year. Rather than being scolded for not being able to pay at that time, I think you should take it back and reconsider it. ”

Guo Yunhou looked at him and said: "My brother Fan, this government reform has been changed to the present, and we, the cabinet ministers who support the reform, have been scolded a lot. Now the officials below are full of grievances, but our reforms will continue. At such a moment, it is always necessary to give the people below a little benefit, so that they can work hard.

As for these increased salaries, it is indeed difficult for the state treasury to pay them, but my brother Fan doesn't think that the customs revenue under the name of the prime minister's yamen has increased too fast? In the past, when the customs was still called the Governor's Office, although it was under the control of the Inner Government, the annual income was only 3 or 400,000 taels a year, even if it was included in the Inner Treasury by the Son of Heaven, it was nothing.

But now, last year's customs revenue was close to 5 million yuan, and this year's customs revenue has exceeded 5 million yuan. If customs revenue can be guaranteed to grow at the current rate, it may exceed 10 million yuan in ten years, which is pure cash income. The cash income of my Daming household department is less than 8 million yuan a year.

We can't sit idly by and watch His Majesty hide such a large sum of income in the inner treasury, right? If there is more silver in the treasury than the national treasury, can the household department of the Ming Dynasty still be called the household department? What's more, His Majesty says every day that taxes are taken from the people and used by the people. You can't just talk about it, right? ”

Huang Liji pondered for a long time before he said to Guo Yunhou: "What you said is not unreasonable, but will Your Majesty agree to take out the money bag of the Prime Minister's Yamen to fill the gap in officials?" ”

Guo Yunhou said confidently: "If it is to promote the implementation of the reform policy, Your Majesty will not allow it." His Majesty is also very interested in this kind of invitation to buy people's hearts. ”

Huang Liji hooked his fingers and tapped on the document a few times, and finally continued: "If you want me to sign this document, then please take it back and revise it again." ”

"Oh, how does my brother Fan want to modify it?"

"Adjust the upper limit of the minister's annual salary to 3,500 yuan, and in addition, in addition to His Majesty's special reward, the total annual salary of the minister and the position shall not exceed 4,500 yuan..."

Guo Yunhou only thought for a moment, then replied with a smile: "Since my brother Fan is so insistent, I naturally have to obey my fate." ”

Outside the gate of Fucheng, a four-wheeled carriage slowly drove into the city, and the four-wheeled carriage, which was rare two years ago, is already a common thing near the current Gyeonggi City. Therefore, when this simply decorated carriage entered the city, it did not attract the attention of passers-by.

As the carriage approached the city gate, a short-bearded scribe in a blue cloth shirt also lifted the curtain and looked out, looking at the majestic capital in his eyes, and there was no special expression on his face. This is the governor of Shanxi, Hong Chengchou, who rushed back to the capital after receiving the imperial edict.