Chapter 611 The Horn of Counterattack
Xu Wei and Hu Zongxian discussed for a long time and drank for a long time.
In the early morning of the next day, Xu Wei got up late and hurried to look for Jiang Qingzhi, but found out that Jiang Qingzhi had gone out.
"There is a court meeting today, and my uncle said that we should go and see the power of Lu Song." Fu Cheng was holding a large piece of beef in his hand, preparing to make jerky for Sun Chonglou.
Xu Wei hurried to chase him, and when he finally got outside the palace, Jiang Qingzhi had already gone in.
His anxious look was seen by others and immediately caused laughter.
"What brilliant idea did you come up with? You've come here in a hurry to report it. It's too late!"
"Hahahaha!"
Xu Wei turned around, thinking about the method he discussed with Hu Zongxian last night, and a fierce look flashed in his eyes.
—— Jiang Qingzhi built a biogas digester, which increased farmers’ income by more than 10% every year. And the more farmers’ income increased, the less likely they were to evade taxes or fail to pay them, so the Ministry of Revenue would have a lot more income.
Is this the achievement of Mohism?
Since you, Lu Song, want to destroy my Mohist school, that's easy. Shouldn't you share some of the profits from the increased taxes?
Of course, this profit share is not given to Jiang Qingzhi and the Mo family, but to...Dao Ye!
The money and grain went into the Taoist's private treasury, and Jiang Qingzhi was able to profit from it.
With money and food, the Mohists could hire craftsmen at a high price, or even turn to the Armory Bureau to get craftsmen from there... The Armory Bureau is an inner court agency, if you, Lu Song, have the guts, try impeaching one.
Hu Zongxian was worried that this would trigger a war between the emperor and his ministers.
There are rules on how to divide and isolate the emperor's private treasury from the public treasury of the Ministry of Revenue. The ministers have always been most worried about the emperor getting rich overnight.
The idea of giving the increased tax revenue to Emperor Jiajing as an introduction is not right in terms of both reason and emotion. It is pure nonsense and unreasonable. The Ministry of Revenue will certainly not agree to it, and it can refute it with righteous words. But it is also just an introduction.
It was a foregone conclusion that this matter would be rejected, and even Zhu Xizhong didn't have the face to agree to it.
The result of the discussion between Xu Wei and Hu Zongxian was that on this basis, Jiang Qingzhi and Emperor Jiajing joined forces to integrate the Mohist school with the royal family.
Jiang Qingzhi had a lot of good things in his mind, and he cashed them in and turned them into countless money and grain.
With money and food in hand, the emperor could support the army, support craftsmen... The Mohist School continued to expand. When the Mohist School successfully replaced the Ministry of Works and the profits made the Ministry of Revenue regret it, the situation in the court changed.
Junqiang!
I am weak!
At that time, according to Xu Wei, all disobedient officials should be expelled. If you don't do it, there are plenty of people who will.
With money and food in hand, craftsmen who forged magic weapons in hand, and elite guards in hand...
Looking at this world, who can defeat us?
The scholars and officials had no choice but to bow their heads and compromise.
Only at this point could Jiang Qingzhi's long-term visions be realized one by one.
But where is the real owner?
Xu Wei looked at the palace angrily. He knew that Lu Song came prepared and had even made various preparations to deal with the situation.
What can Jiang Qingzhi do?
Xu Wei ignored the ridicule and silently lowered his head to think...
His face became increasingly ugly.
Jiang Qingzhi has already arrived in the hall.
He saw Lu Song, who was talking to several officials. Someone pointed at Jiang Qingzhi. Lu Song turned around and saw that it was Jiang Qingzhi. His eyes turned slightly cold and he nodded.
Jiang Qingzhi nodded, and someone on the other side asked, "Does Chang Wei Bo have another treasure that will benefit the country and the people?"
Jiang Qingzhi's last counterattack was achieved with a flintlock rifle. The man's words were meant to mock him for being squeezed out by Lu Song and having no other options but to use his most valuable weapon to resist.
"You are biased." Someone said with a smile: "At least it is beneficial to the country and the people."
"Where can there be so many treasures that benefit the country and the people? Do you think they are just common things?" the official mocked.
Jiang Qingzhi naturally wouldn't argue with these scumbags, but his father-in-law couldn't help but take action, "Do you have something like this that's everywhere?"
The official was stunned. Li Huan scolded him, "With just a musket, my son-in-law can be famous in history. How can you, an incompetent official, criticize him?"
Li Huan has been enjoying a second spring recently, and has been speaking out frequently in the court. Each time, it is related to the Mohist school or Jiang Qingzhi.
The official was hesitant and obviously couldn't compete with Jiang Qingzhi on this. What he was worried about was that Zhu Xizhong was watching closely and once the war started, the old playboy would like to brag about his younger brother's glorious years.
——Come, build a Jingguan for our prince. It doesn’t matter whose it is, it can be from the Japanese pirates, or even from the Burmese, go and build one.
Who dares to challenge this?
Seeing that the other side had stopped attacking, Li Huan was about to pursue the victory when the Taoist priest arrived.
Amid the sound of whips, Emperor Jiajing saw Jiang Qingzhi.
He frowned slightly, feeling that Jiang Qingzhi's timing was wrong.
Emperor Jiajing had two purposes in letting Yan Song investigate the corruption in the Ministry of Revenue. The first was to let Yan's party fight against Lu Song, and the second was to expose Yan's party and divert the Confucians' attention.
The Yan Party is quite powerful. Once they make a full effort, the pressure on Jiang Qingzhi will be greatly reduced.
Young people!
Always impatient!
Emperor Jiajing held the jade awl in his hand and thought of the joke that Concubine Lu told him when he went to the harem yesterday.
"I heard that Lord Wilbur is now thinking about making things for the unborn child all day long, from clothes to enlightenment stories, and he even personally supervised people making cradles and other things. He doesn't look like an important official at all, but clearly an old man who enjoys playing with his grandchildren."
But Emperor Jiajing felt that this was his cousin.
He was a man who valued love. If it weren't for the decree that two dragons should not meet each other, his two sons would not have been hanging around in the palace like they had lost their father.
Today, this kid Guazi is here, and he is definitely going to fight against Lu Song.
What can he do?
Emperor Jiajing glanced at Yan Song. Yesterday, he had called a meeting of his close ministers to discuss matters. During the meeting, he mentioned this matter, and Yan Song said that it was difficult to handle. Even under his dissatisfied gaze, Yan Song still smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying that the Ministry of Revenue had a hard time, and Lu Song had become more and more stingy in recent years, which ensured that there would be no famine at the end of each year.
Lu Song had made great contributions in this regard, so Emperor Jiajing could not replace him without reason.
Lü Song proposed a theory of redundant expenses, and under the current financial background of the Ming Dynasty, no one could refute it, which shows his great talent. Emperor Jiajing even thought of recruiting him, but Rui Jingxian reported that Lü Song was a die-hard scholar-official who recognized Confucianism in his heart. During the Great Ceremony Debate, he firmly supported Yang Tinghe's faction.
When Emperor Jiajing heard this, all interest disappeared.
There was an eerie silence in the hall.
Everyone knew that Jiang Qingzhi had come here with ill intentions today.
And Lu Song looked calm and composed, which showed that he was well prepared.
Who will win this battle?
Lu Song!
Zhao Wenhua glanced at Jiang Qingzhi and thought that this man was a bit stupid.
He saw that Emperor Jiajing was going to launch the Yan Party to counter the Confucianists, so that Jiang Qingzhi could rest in peace. However, Jiang Qingzhi not only did not appreciate it, but instead came to the court to retaliate aggressively.
That’s right, in Zhao Wenhua’s eyes, Jiang Qingzhi came here for revenge.
How each person sees the world has nothing to do with the world. It is just the external projection of his inner world.
In Zhao Wenhua's mind, Lu Song gave Jiang's party a severe beating yesterday. If it were him, his most urgent thought would be revenge.
When he saw Jiang Qingzhi move, he couldn't help but sneer in his heart.
coming.
Zhao Wenhua glanced at Yan Song and his son.
Yan Song stood at the top of the civil servants, his eyes on the nose and his nose on the heart.
Yan Shifan, however, looked at Jiang Qingzhi unscrupulously, with admiration and ridicule in his eyes.
——Young and energetic!
Jiang Qingzhi walked out and saluted to the Taoist priest first.
The Taoist glanced at him and felt that this kid was still not steady enough.
It's obvious that life is too comfortable. If the backyard is busier... for example, there are a group of monkeys.
Emperor Jiajing inexplicably thought of the chaos in his harem, and was so overwhelmed that he could not even take care of the affairs of the previous dynasty.
"I heard someone at home mention the redundant officials and waste in the former Song Dynasty, and compared it with the current Ming Dynasty and the current Mohist school. Is this true?"
Jiang Qingzhi looked at Lu Song without hiding his sharpness.
Lu Song nodded, "That's right. Chang Wei Bo, why can't the forging of muskets be handed over to the Armory?"
"I need to correct you on one thing first." Jiang Qingzhi said slowly.
Zhu Xizhong also had a debate with Lu Song in the court. Looking back, he felt that he seemed to be inferior to his younger brother in some way, but he couldn't think of what it was.
"I'm all ears!" Lu Song said lightly.
"The excessive number of officials and excessive expenses in the early Song Dynasty was the general trend. At that time, each imperial examination admitted a number of people, and these people had to be given places to work! They had to be paid and fed every month. In addition, there were many officials recruited through family connections, and the number of officials increased every year. Over time, the expenses were staggering."
Lu Song nodded slowly, indicating that he agreed with this point of view.
"The Ming Dynasty is facing financial difficulties right now. I think Minister Lu knows the reason better than me." Jiang Qingzhi seemed to praise Lu Song, but there was more vigilance in Lu Song's eyes.
This is what I lack... Zhu Xizhong thought about the last time he had an argument with Lu Song. Lu Song was relaxed throughout the whole process, while he just said some common sense that all officials knew, but Lu Song acted as if he was facing a powerful enemy.
"First, it is still the imperial examination. How many people are admitted for each imperial examination? Hundreds. How much money and grain does it cost for these hundreds of people every year? Hundreds a year, thousands in ten years. In addition to other officials..."
Damn it!
Isn’t this the old path of the former Song Dynasty?
"Relatively speaking, the Ming Dynasty has fewer relatives, so the finances can still be maintained." Jiang Qingzhi smiled and said, "Is what I said wrong?"
Lu Song nodded, which surprised Jiang Qingzhi.
Jiang Qingzhi had long been accustomed to the Confucianists' sophistry, but he did not expect that Lu Song would choose to acquiesce. He glanced at the ministers, and many of them looked at Lu Song with some disapproval, even confusion.
As expected, those bastards are a bunch of shameless people!
Jiang Qingzhi continued, "The money to support the people of the Mohist School outside the city comes from me. So, may I ask Minister Lu, where does this unnecessary expense come from?"
Without waiting for Lu Song to speak, Jiang Qingzhi raised his eyebrows, and immediately the familiar breath of Zhu Xizhong came out.
When he was in Kunming, Jiang Qingzhi had this expression at the moment he made the decision.
Then Mu Chaobi got into trouble.
"I want to ask, are the officials recruited through the imperial examination every year the main source of unnecessary expenses?"
Jiang Qingzhi stared at Lu Song, "Yes or no?"
Lu Song nodded silently, but there was coldness in his eyes, showing that he had means to fight back.
Jiang Qingzhi nodded, "Then, I want to ask, why do we have to hold the imperial examinations so frequently?"
"Why do we need to recruit those officials every year? Are they Confucianists or Mohists? Are the Confucians redundant, or are we Mohists redundant?"
"It's only natural to study and become an official!" someone counterattacked.
This is a thousand-year-old rule!
"Who decided this?" Jiang Qingzhi looked at the man with sharp eyes, "Why should those people be appointed as officials? From your words, can I draw a conclusion? That is..."
Jiang Qingzhi pointed at the officials and said, "Studying is for the purpose of becoming an official!"
Boom.
The atmosphere in the hall exploded.
This is a fucking counterattack!
Instead of accepting the challenge, he slapped Confucianism in the face in his own way!
Zhu Xizhong's face was flushed.
The father-in-law clenched his fists, trying his best to resist the urge to blow up his son-in-law...
(End of this chapter)
