Zhang Juzheng was a little surprised when he saw that Yan Hongxian did not say anything about the good or bad of this official, but instead made a big sigh of emotion. He didn't know that this was a necessary routine for interviews hundreds of years later, first wearing a big hat, talking about macro meaning, and then peeling back the cocoon.

Yan Hong said again: "This guy is in charge of the banknotes, and he doesn't need to scavenge the land and squeeze the people's fat and cream; It is only right to use him to collect positive taxes according to the law. The money received was put into the treasury of the kingdom for the use of the whole world, and not for his own personal use. In this case, what right does he have to let people go? Take the silver of the court to fill his personal generosity. To put it mildly, it is not divided into priorities, law enforcement is violated, and to put it more seriously, it is the root of harming the world, and it is a false name of a person, and it can be killed, and it can be killed! ”

Zhang Juzheng looked at Yan Hong's righteous and strict appearance, and couldn't help but smile. Don't interject, wait for him to follow.

Yan Hong continued: "The quota has been collected in the past three months, which shows that there are many people who come and go here, and it is a major source of income for the imperial court. In the next nine months, it was time to continue to show his strength and levy more silver taels for the imperial court, so that the imperial court could have enough money. If you really have the heart to do some good deeds in this office, then the first is to send capable people to carefully investigate the reasons for the abundance of taxes here. Is it that the standards of the past have been set low, or is it just an extraordinary time when business travel has increased? Where are the most business trips going along the way? What is the majority of goods sold? After sorting out this information one by one, report it to the Shangguan and communicate with other banknotes, so that the relevant laws of the imperial court can be more reliable. In addition, he could also report to the Shangguan that a part of the tax revenue for the next nine months should be allocated to build some facilities to facilitate business travel or benefit the country, such as setting up a shed on the roadside to provide hot water for business travelers, or renting chariots and horses, so as to promote money with money, make the money customs more prosperous, and the treasury will increase day by day. As a result, this guy is good, and he doesn't do a lot of merit and comes up with this bastard idea. If everyone is like him, then where will the court get the money to use! The treasury is insufficient, and it is not the people of the world who suffer the most! ”

Zhang Juzheng listened and was silent.

Yan Hong said again: "Take 10,000 steps back and say, even if this official finds that the previous taxes were too heavy and wants to reduce the burden on the people, he should list the details and the reasons for reducing the burden in detail and report it, and wait for the approval of the imperial court." But how can he make an assertion and break the law of the court! It is light to remove him, and according to the original intention of the disciple, he should be punished for being assigned to the army, and he should be punished for hard labor and return the money. Qingguan Qingguan, I think he is a big dumb official dog! ”

Yan Hong's previous life had a deep understanding of the importance of money, coupled with the fact that he came from the 21st century, and his understanding of the importance of taxation was naturally far more practical than that of the Ming Dynasty people who were generally deeply influenced by Confucian science and teachings and "gentlemen do not speak of profit".

Zhang Juzheng listened to Yan Hong's words, and did not say anything, but threw out another question: "Some people in the DPRK say that the way to govern the country lies first in virtue, and the Son of Heaven should set an example by emphasizing virtue over profit, and teach the people to produce with peace of mind, not profit-seeking." As for the border soldiers, they should be taught the way of loyalty and patriotism, and the three armies will naturally work together and fight to the death. As for the foreign barbarians, they should be based on softness, taught by kings, subdued by virtue, and naturally subdued by the four people, and all countries came to the court, and the so-called Rouyuan people returned to it in all directions. What do you think of this? ”

When Yan Hong heard this, he was angry, and opened his mouth and said: "If someone really talks to students like this, I will let him roll to the border pass and tell those border soldiers to see, the Tartars are coming, you don't want military salaries, and don't take knives and guns, as long as you are loyal and patriotic, benevolent and moral, the Tartar soldiers will naturally be tendered by you." Don't move, don't move, let them cut, they will be naturalized when they are tired! ”

Zhang Ju Zhengrao is a serious person, and he can't help but laugh. Yan Hong said again: "It is true and important to be loyal to the monarch and love the country. If the officers and men of the army understand the principle of loyalty to the monarch and patriotism, they can indeed enhance their combat effectiveness. But at the same time, it is also essential to eat food and become a soldier. Those who are soldiers can't get military salaries, and any education is nonsense! Using moral education instead of preparing for military salaries and food is like listening to music when you are hungry. ”

In his previous life, he had heard the ancient fat man tell about the history of the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty, and the demise of the Ming Dynasty was not due to the lack of equipment, not to the lack of combat effectiveness of any troops, and one of the many factors of its demise was the lack of money! The border army mutinied without receiving military salaries, and the troops refused to advance and fight without receiving military salaries, which finally led to the complete defeat and complete destruction of the Ming Dynasty.

The so-called ideological construction is to temper the military soul, which can only be said to be the idea of patting the head. For those border troops in the feudal era, only the military salary is real, and everything else is nonsense. The economic foundation determines the superstructure, and the monthly food and salary of the officers and men of the border army, and the two meals a day, are the economic foundation and the prerequisite for all military souls. If there is any devil training to be carried out on the premise of not guaranteeing the supply of money and food, it can only force the soldiers to mutiny.

As for leading by example and sharing weal and woe, it is also necessary to have sufficient salary as a backup. Under the temporary shortage, the coach is willing to work hard, and he is indeed more able to persist for a while than the coach. But if you are in arrears for a long time, what good will it be for your commander to starve with the soldiers?

Yan Hong continued: "As for Huairou Yuanren, this is a good idea. But the fundamental reason for this is that my Ming Dynasty is now unable to go to war with the enemy. When we became the emperor, we chased the Mongolian Tatars to fight, but now, we have to guard against the Mongolian Tatars coming to Koubian every year. Most of the guards outside the nine sides are in ruins, even if we want to talk about fighting, we have to fight it. In the eyes of the students, it is precisely because of the saying that the officials do not try to find ways to make money for the state, but instead win false fame and reputation one by one, leaving the treasury empty, the court has no money to use, and it is difficult for the army to maintain its combat effectiveness. Otherwise, it is not us who are far away, but those barbarians who want to take the initiative to beg us to show their tenderness! Therefore, as long as we have money, if the Tatars dare to come to Koubian, they will have to face elite border troops and excellent firearms. We have more people than the Mongols, three lives for one, we can change it, but the Tatars can't afford it! As for the Japanese who killed people and set fires, this is even more so. As long as there is money, there is no need to worry about the southern and northern captives! ”

is also in the face of this generation of reform celebrities who have left a name in history, Yan Hong was a little excited, and his speech became more and more open. What I wouldn't say if I was killed on weekdays, I poured it out today, regardless of the consequences.

Zhang Juzheng was also very surprised when he heard this, he knew the current situation of the Ming Dynasty very well in his heart, and naturally he was also worried about the future of the dynasty. It's just that people are soft-spoken, and they have no room to play, so they can only talk on paper in this room.

When Zhang Juzheng was thinking about the shortcomings of the Ming Dynasty and how to correct them, the focus was not on money. When he heard Yan Hong's idea of attributing all problems to money, although he felt a little superficial, he felt that this idea, which was full of the smell of philistine copper, inadvertently opened a window with a different scenery for his own system.

Zhang Juzheng simply asked: "According to your statement, as long as you have money, everything is feasible, which is not in line with the way of a sage." ”

Yan Hong shook his head and said, "What is the way of a saint, but the students don't understand. I only know that the hustle and bustle of the world is for profit, and the hustle and bustle of the world is for profit, and the emperor is not short of hungry soldiers. As small as one person, as big as a country, it is difficult to move an inch without money. It is these so-called ways of sages that harm our Ming Dynasty is now underutilized and the treasury is empty, and those adults who are full of sage ways themselves still have to find ways to evade taxes and dig flesh and suck blood from the country. ”

Zhang Juzheng sneered in his stomach, he wanted to say, isn't your Yan family also a member of this blood-sucking army? And it's a mainstay. Where do you think your Yan Hong's own brocade clothes and jade food came from? But think about it, don't say it, it's another matter in front of you, if it falls into Yan Shifan's ears, it will add a lot of trouble.

So Zhang Juzheng changed the question and said: "Then if I just said that the official and another corrupt official are the same candidates, who should you use to collect taxes on the banknotes?" ”

Yan Hong said: "It depends on how much they hand over." If a corrupt official can collect 100,000 yuan in taxes and put it into the treasury without arbitrarily imposing levies and provoking popular uprisings, then the Qing officials will only collect 50,000 yuan and let people go freely, and I will naturally appoint this corrupt official to do things. As for how much the corrupt officials took out of it, it has nothing to do with me, I only know that if Lu Dao uses this clean official, the treasury will lose 50,000 taels of income. Therefore, the student's point of view is to expel the Qing officials and appoint capable people! ”

When Zhang Juzheng heard these eight words, although his face was still normal, his heart moved slightly. In fact, the Jiangling Party members in later generations were not morally perfect, and there were not a few people who were greedy for money and lustful, but they could become Zhang Juzheng's wings precisely because they had a common characteristic, capable!

Although Zhang Juzheng was just an ordinary Guozijian at this time, he already had his own standards for employing people in his heart. Only look at ability, not morality. Corruption and bribery, lust and frivolity, these are not problems, as long as you can do things, you are the person I recognize, your moral problems, I will find another way to restrain and standardize. On the other hand, if you can't do things, even if you are clean and there is nothing wrong with you, I will not use it. I use officials to do things, not to be the emperor of morality.

It is precisely because of this that Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong actually have a lot of differences in their views on Yan Hong. In the eyes of Zhang Juzheng, the despicable and shameless methods in Gao Gong's eyes are not only not a fault, but worthy of praise and praise. Touching porcelain tricks to get rid of Zheng Guoqi, indirectly fighting Zheng Xiao, looking at the country, how many people can do it? Although this is inseparable from the help of Lu Bing and Yan Jiashi, it is an ability to make good use of help.

On the contrary, blindly paying attention to the demeanor of a gentleman, or pursuing fairness and integrity, and not being able to achieve things, is meaningless in Zhang Juzheng's view. In the same year, Yang Jisheng impassionedly launched a charge against Yan Song's party and was brutally executed.