Chapter 29: The Battle of Wits between Ruler and Minister (Three)
"Yue Fei, styled Pengju. From Tangyin, Xiangzhou... In the first year of Jingkang, he joined Liu Hao's army in Xiangzhou... He was killed on December 29th of the eleventh year of Shaoxing... In the fifth year of Chunxi, he was posthumously titled Wumu... The teacher gave a brief introduction to Yue Fei's life."
"Hmm, why did he die?"
"I beg to report to Your Majesty, it was the treacherous Qin Hui who did the harm," said the lecturer.
"What harm has this scoundrel caused? What do you all think, my dear sirs?"
One minister stepped forward and reported: "I beg to report to Your Majesty, it was indeed the treacherous official Qin Hui who brought harm. With a fabricated crime, he killed Yue Fei at Wind and Wave Pavilion, which is actually the greatest loss for Southern Song Dynasty, resulting in the failure of the northern expedition. In the end, the entire Song Dynasty disappeared like smoke and clouds."
"What harm did Qin Hui do? The failure of the Northern Expedition? I thought I heard that he was recalled by the Twelve Golden Plaques! How could Qin Hui also have a golden plaque to recall Yue Fei?" As for those things about Yue Fei and Qin Hui, Yang reform has seen others discuss them countless times on the internet. The conclusion is that the emperor wanted to kill Yue Fei, and Qin Hui came out to operate and serve as a scapegoat. Of course, Qin Hui was still undoubtedly a treacherous minister. His crime as a treacherous minister cannot be washed away.
"I beg to report to Your Majesty, the golden plaque can only be issued by the Emperor himself, Qin Hui cannot issue a golden plaque... However, a treacherous person can deceive the Emperor into issuing a golden plaque." The minister thought for a moment and replied in this way.
"Haha, is the emperor being deceived? Doesn't he have any brains at all? Is he allowing a minister to deceive him into recalling the northern expeditionary army with twelve golden plaques?"
"This..." The minister was speechless and didn't know how to continue.
"This matter is probably also related to Yue Fei himself. Yue Fei's intention to launch a northern campaign was originally a good thing, but unfortunately, he also wanted to welcome back the two emperors. How could this be acceptable to Emperor Gaozong of Song, Zhao Gou? If the two emperors returned, how could he still be emperor? He would either be poisoned to death or imprisoned. It's definitely not a good outcome, so that's why Emperor Gaozong used the Twelve Golden Plaques to call off the northern campaign and then killed Yue Fei, right?"
Yang's reform words and theories all came from the 21st century forum, and when they reached the ears of the Ming dynasty elite, it was like a thunderclap. These words were tantamount to killing intent, and the officials present felt uneasy in their hearts, sweating on their foreheads, thinking that the emperor really had ideas and could stir up trouble. They began to regret pressuring the emperor to hold the imperial lecture, fearing they would not know how they died after hearing the emperor talk about such things. As a subject, what is most feared is getting involved in these struggles for the throne.
"I am terrified, I deserve to die..." The lecturer was at a loss for words, scared to death by Yang's shocking remarks, kneeling on the ground and not daring to get up, only repeatedly claiming guilt. The other officials were also stunned, feeling extremely unbearable.
Yang saw the awkward look on the faces of the officials and felt a little pleased. He said, "As history has shown, our dynasty also had similar incidents, such as the Tumu Crisis, and later the restoration of Emperor Yingzong, which resulted in the 'Door-stealing Incident'. Hmph, isn't that so?..."
Yang's reform speech was as cold as absolute zero. All the officials were "frozen" to death. Is this also being discussed here? Taboo! This is absolutely a taboo for the imperial family, and now Yang Reform has dug it up without leaving any emotions, comparing it with the Jingkang disaster.
Many officials only wanted to plug their ears, regretting that they had allowed the emperor to hold a grand ceremony. If this conversation were to spread and the emperor were to remember it later, being misled by others, it would not be as simple as just having no good outcome.
Yang reformed this 21st-century otaku, without any scruples, didn't think that discussing the imperial family's "family affairs" would be so taboo, making these officials uneasy. A person was there talking endlessly and spreading their own "insights" with saliva.
Quiet!
Yang Reform felt something was off! Haha, it turned out that the people who were just kneeling on the ground, had been very arrogant just a moment before, and all of them were now lying on the ground, not daring to push Yang Reform onto the "right path".
Haha! Bring it on! Let me show you the fighting power of an otaku. I'm a 21st-century otaku with "Baidu in hand, the world at my command". You bunch of useless scholars think you can take me down? You're not even in the same league as me!
……
"Get up and continue!" Yang Gaoyi shouted proudly. Yang Gaoyi started to like this banquet.
The high-ranking official on the ground thanked him and got up again. Trembling with fear, he asked if he should continue to listen to the lecture. He was afraid that his life would be gone.
An old minister stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, I beg to differ. Discussing this matter in such a way is really not suitable for us ministers."
The old minister's face was saved, and Yang's reform went smoothly.
"Let's change the subject then, and not talk about 'Tumu Fortress Incident'. Nowadays, our Ming Dynasty is facing financial difficulties. Let's discuss this financial issue, it's a serious matter, and we can also learn some lessons from history." Yang reform was very confident, and began to speak eloquently in the imperial court, as if he was going to win over all the officials with his words. He relied on what he had previously seen in the forum discussions.
"Your Majesty is wise." The ministers on the ground knelt again, and finally didn't have to listen to that damn imperial taboo anymore.
"Well, since we've mentioned the Southern Song Dynasty today, let's discuss it based on its financial situation and find some lessons from history. What do you gentlemen think?" Yang Reform "deliberately" chose the Southern Song Dynasty.
Among the loud "good" of all the ministers, the banquet began again.
This time, another lecturer was changed, and after waiting for a while, the lecture finally started. I guess it's about Southern Song Dynasty materials.
"When crossing the river for the first time, the annual revenue of the southeastern provinces was less than 10 million, with a regular tax of 2 million... At the end of the Shaoxing period, the total revenue from tea, salt, wine, and other taxes reached over 60 million... During the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Southern Song, the annual revenue reached 100 million guan, and during the reign of Emperor Xiaozong, despite the decline in finances, the annual revenue still reached 65 million guan... This lecturer is more like reading materials than "educating" the emperor, probably also intimidated by the emperor's previous remarks. Always using taboos to discuss matters. Who dares to talk to this emperor?"
……
"How can there be so much money? Over 60 million? One hundred million guan? What is the annual revenue of our great Ming dynasty?" Yang asked.
One of the attendants stepped forward and reported: "I report to Your Majesty, our dynasty's annual revenue in white silver is nearly three million taels." He was probably from the Ministry of Revenue, who was more familiar with money matters.
"How can it be only 30 million taels? Is this too little?" Yang Reform had no concept of the income of this great Ming dynasty, he only knew that there was not enough money. He did not expect that the entire country's annual revenue would be only 30 million taels. This is somewhat unacceptable.
"I humbly report to Your Majesty that this is only the silver tax revenue, and there are other items totaling approximately 24 million taels." The minister continued to memorialize.
"Is it all just 24 million taels?" Yang asked in surprise.
"I report to Your Majesty, 30 million taels of white silver, land taxes and other levies totaling approximately 240 million taels, altogether no more than 270 million taels."
"Less than 30 million taels? How can you separate the silver from other things? Looking at my Great Ming Dynasty, it seems that only a few million taels of silver are collected each year." Yang Reform was puzzled and couldn't understand how the finances of this dynasty worked.
"I report to Your Majesty, in our dynasty the land tax is collected based on actual output, whatever is grown is paid in kind, and can be commuted into silver. Apart from this, tea, salt, wine, arithmetic, mining, taxation of goods, and purchases are generally all paid in silver."
"What you plant is what you reap?"…… "Pffft"…… Yang Reform spat out a mouthful of tea, almost laughing, "What you plant is what you reap? So if I plant a few blocks of radish land, can't I just hand over a few radishes? When the tax collector comes, won't that be enough to settle the bill?" It seems quite ridiculous.
"Your Majesty, please..." The lecturer was quite responsible and was just about to remind Yang Reform to pay attention to his image. Yang Reform had already returned to normal.
"Hmm, go on?" Yang Gaofei felt that the complexity of this Ming dynasty's finances far exceeded his imagination.
……
"Our dynasty's salt tax..."
……
Tea tax...
……
"Vessel Taxation..."
……
The lecturer talked a lot, but Yang only got one feeling from the reform: the tax collection in Ming Dynasty was very chaotic, and his own brain seemed even more chaotic.
"Why is there such a great difference between our dynasty and the Song Dynasty? Which of you, my dear officials, can enlighten me?" Yang's head throbbed with frustration.
……
A dead silence, with no minister daring to utter a word.
"Which is bigger, our dynasty or Southern Song?"
"Replying to Your Majesty, our dynasty far surpasses the Southern Song."
"How does our dynasty's population compare to Southern Song?"
"Your Majesty, our dynasty's population has been recovering and growing for over 200 years, also far surpassing that of Southern Song."
"Since our dynasty is larger in area and population than Southern Song, why are tax revenues only less than 30% of those of the Southern Song?"
"This..." The lecturer did not know how to answer the emperor's words. After thinking for a moment, he said: "I beg to report to Your Majesty, our dynasty has very low taxes, and the great ancestor emperor implemented the policy of storing wealth among the people, so the tax revenue is not as good as that of Southern Song."
Were taxes low in the Ming dynasty? Yang's reforms are puzzling. Didn't history class say that the Ming dynasty was very dark and that excessive taxation led to peasant uprisings? How did it become that the Ming dynasty itself says its taxes were low?
"Since our dynasty's taxes are so low and the imperial court is now in urgent need of funds, can't we increase taxes?"
"Your Majesty, it is not possible." The lecturer hastily negated.
"Why can't it be done? Our dynasty's taxes are very low, and the wealth is hidden among the people. After more than 200 years of accumulation, now is the time for the court to use money, can't they just take out some to relieve the urgent situation?"
"Your Majesty, this..." This lecturer is having a hard time speaking out! Can it be said clearly? If said clearly, these ministers will turn around and cut their own throats.
"Which of you can enlighten me?" Yang looked at the officials again.
This matter is actually very simple, the tax will definitely not be added to the heads of these Ming dynasty elites, and it has nothing to do with the elites. It's all added to the common people. When the emperor says add one cent, it becomes five cents when it reaches the farmers, why? Because of corruption! The land in the world is in the hands of the elites, and the ministers also know that the taxes will eventually be added there. What if they persuade the emperor to increase taxes now, what if there's a "rebellion" one day? These ministers can't afford to take responsibility for this, so why bother stirring up trouble? Drinking sparrow saliva is the best description of taxation, and the ministers all understand, but can they say anything? No. They can only remain silent.
……
The ministers remained silent, this matter cannot be spoken of. To explain the taxes of the previous dynasty, they were indeed not heavy, but being not heavy does not mean that people do not want to pay them. Typically, the people are rich while the country is poor, more vividly put as "both ends thin, middle fat". The middle fat part never thought that one day the dynasty would collapse, and waiting for them was the butcher's knife of wild boar skin. They were the pigs and sheep sharpening their knives towards other pigs and sheep.
……
In the midst of silence, this Buddhist lecture ended in an unpleasant way. The ministers did not give Yang a "political lesson". Yang also did not give the ministers an "anti-brainwashing" lesson. Yang saw some problems from this lecture.
I don't have the time and energy to bicker with these Ming dynasty elites. It's harder to collect taxes from them than it is to kill them. The wild boar skin is about to be smuggled in, and I'll have to think of a way myself. Silver, grain, and troops - these three things are like the noose hanging around my neck! They're tightening every day.
Money! Money!! Where is the money? Yang Gaoli's loud and frantic cry!
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