Chapter 840: The officials are shocked
"Long live!"
"Long live!"
"Long live!"
Amid the cheers, Yan Song walked to Jiang Qingzhi's side and whispered, "Your Majesty, have you told us how to deal with Altan next?"
Jiang Qingzhi shook his head, "No."
Yan Song sighed, "Forget it. This great victory will at least bring peace to the northern part of the Ming Dynasty for ten years."
"Haha!" Jiang Qingzhi smiled, and Yan Song went back immediately.
Yan Shifan asked: "Can Jiang Qingzhi speak?"
Yan Song shook his head. "You didn't go to the banquet at Xin'an Lane this time, which was an ambiguous gesture to Jiang Qingzhi. He is not a pushover, so he will naturally not make things difficult for me."
After the great victory, Yan Song judged that the next focus of the court would be to study how to deal with Altan.
It is better to use the remaining courage to pursue the enemy. This was said by Jiang Qingzhi.
Yan Song had just escaped death and was worried that his incorrect response would trigger a second wave of the emperor's anger, so he went to find Jiang Qingzhi to inquire.
But Jiang Qingzhi was not a fool and just dismissed him with a chuckle.
"Without the cooperation of my adoptive father, it would be so difficult for Jiang Qingzhi to lead his troops calmly this time. This man is ungrateful!" Zhao Wenhua sneered.
"You can't say that." Yan Song stroked his beard as he watched the captives approach. "I have also gained a reputation in the army because of this. This is not a favor, but mutual benefit and mutual assistance."
Another word: take advantage of each other!
This was the first time in many years that the capital of the Ming Dynasty had seen such a large number of foreign captives. Emperor Jiajing looked around and could not see the end of them.
"Too many." said a minister.
Xu Jie narrowed his eyes and looked at Emperor Jiajing, trying to discern something from the emperor's expression.
New policies are coming.
As the second-in-command and the leader surrounded by officials who hold Confucian views, where will he go?
Xu Jie thought about the attitudes of those people.
——We once asked Your Majesty to retreat to the Western Garden. Can’t we do the same now?
Now it depends on how Emperor Jiajing will react. If he cuts too much losses, it will inevitably trigger a backlash.
If the Zuo Shunmen Incident can happen once, it can happen many times.
Even...Xu Jie thought of the several crises that Daoye had encountered in the past, arson, palace maids killing the king...
Xu Jie's eyes were complicated. He knew that if the new policy was too harsh, such a thing might happen again.
There might even be a war.
"This Ming Dynasty!" Xu Jie felt like he was standing in the middle of a crossroads. On the left was the emperor and the Ming Dynasty. On the right was a group of scholars holding ancient books.
"Left or right?"
"Who is Ming? Is it His Majesty, or... them?"
"What should I do, old man?"
"Lord, Lord Xu?!"
Someone was calling him in a low voice, and Xu Jie suddenly woke up.
Lu Song pointed at his face and said, "Be careful not to catch a cold."
Only then did Xu Jie realize that his face was covered with sweat.
In just a short moment, he seemed to have exhausted all his energy.
Where to go!
All this depends on the methods used by Emperor Jiajing.
Emperor Jiajing had a relaxed smile on his face. He leaned his hand on the battlement and watched the captives slowly walk by.
Suddenly, the captives stopped.
Someone shouted: "Greetings to the Holy Emperor!"
The crowd of captives slowly knelt down, like heavy ears of rice.
"Greetings to Your Majesty!"
This sound was different from the shouts of the soldiers and civilians before, which were cheers. This sound was low, with frustration and despair.
A civil servant said: "Your Majesty, you can pardon some people to show your mercy."
It was customary for some captives to be released to demonstrate the mercy of the Ming Emperor.
These people will then return to the grassland and bring the goodwill of the Ming Dynasty.
Jiang Qingzhi glanced at the man and said coldly: "Mercy should not be shown to foreigners!"
The official was stunned. “Benevolence can show your majesty’s benevolence, and benevolence can resolve hatred and bring lasting peace.”
"Conquer people with virtue?" Jiang Qingzhi shook his head and sighed, "Since thousands of years ago, the Central Plains has been fighting with the grassland tribes. Every time the grassland tribes were beaten to their knees and shouted "Heavenly Khan", it would not be long before they would rush into the Central Plains to burn, kill, plunder, and do whatever they wanted. What did kindness bring? It brought ridicule, mockery, and killing."
The official's face flushed, "Those who love war will perish! Emperor Wu of the Former Han Dynasty was aggressive and spent all the savings of Emperors Wen and Jing, which led to crises in the Former Han Dynasty..."
"If Emperor Wu had not fought back against the Huns, how long do you think the Western Han Dynasty could have remained peaceful?" Jiang Qingzhi asked in return.
Uh!
Looking at the situation from this perspective is fascinating.
At least the civil servant was stunned.
"The Xiongnu will become more powerful. Besides, defense is passive. No matter how strong the defense is, it will be full of loopholes over time. Once the Xiongnu rush in, what will happen to the Former Han Dynasty?"
Jiang Qingzhi looked at the speechless official, then slowly turned to the others, "I think that whoever bared his teeth at the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty can do is to smash his teeth and cut off his claws!"
Emperor Jiajing glanced over here and said calmly: "I have the Tiger Guards in my hands. I should show mercy to my people, not to those foreigners who covet the Ming Dynasty!"
This is the true side of Dao Ye!
This is the enterprising emperor of that time!
The ministers were stunned, obviously surprised by the aggressiveness and sharpness of Emperor Jiajing.
Jiang Qingzhi wanted to laugh, to laugh out loud.
Zhu Xizhong came over and said with deep emotion: "When your majesty ascended the throne that year, he discussed with Yang Tinghe and others and proposed many reforms. From the royal family to the administration of officials, to taxes, everything was covered. Just on the way from Anlu to the capital, your majesty had a strategy to reform the Ming Dynasty. I thought I would never see such a sharp idea again. Who would have thought..." "Crying?"
"Who said I cried?" Zhu Xizhong touched his face subconsciously and found that he was deceived, but the old playboy was still an old playboy. He raised his eyebrows and said, "The emperor is determined to make progress, so we can also follow suit and make history, right?"
"Have you ever thought about failure?" Jiang Qingzhi said with a smile.
"I have thought about it." Zhu Xizhong said.
"Have you ever thought of backing down? This is not your character, Old Zhu." Jiang Qingzhi looked at Zhu Xizhong suspiciously. According to the usual style of the Chengguo Mansion, being impartial in the new policy is the right thing to do.
At least not actively.
Zhu Xizhong said calmly: "If it weren't for you, I would have found a way to protect myself."
Jiang Qingzhi's heart was shocked, and Zhu Xizhong scolded: "Don't act like a child, you're disgusting me!"
Jiang Qingzhi put his arm around his shoulders and asked, "Let's have a drink later?"
"Baiyun Tower, at least three girls!"
"Can your waist hold up?"
"Ever since you and Shi Tai went north, your sister-in-law and I have been worried day and night. I have been vegetative for several months. Now even that old dog Yan Song looks handsome in my eyes."
Jiang Qingzhi vomited violently.
After the grand triumphal ceremony, there was a celebration banquet.
Apart from the officials and dignitaries, those who were qualified to attend were those who had made contributions in this battle.
It was Ma Fang's first time to attend such an event and she felt a little awkward.
Du He said carelessly: "Just eat and drink in peace."
"Has the Marquis been here?" Ma Fang asked.
Du He nodded and sighed, "I've been here a few times, but when I came back then, I could only stand in the corner, watching those dignitaries raise their glasses to invite them to drink, and I didn't even have a chance to speak. Today..." He raised his eyebrows, "We are sitting in the front row."
Du He turned around and grinned at those powerful people whom he once envied and jealous.
"It's worth it to follow Uncle!"
Jiang Qingzhi was sitting at the front, and Yan Song was also there. The two were raising their glasses to congratulate Emperor Jiajing.
"After this battle, Altan will flee to the grasslands, and the north will usher in a rare peace." Emperor Jiajing drank some wine and said slowly, "I originally intended to send a large army to the border to defeat the enemy. But the money and food are not in hand."
coming!
coming!
When everyone heard the word "money and food", they subconsciously looked at Lu Song.
Lu Song's face was calm, but his heart was turbulent.
He knew that the moment he wanted to see but didn't want to see had finally arrived.
"Mr. Lu!" The first person Emperor Jiajing mentioned was this Confucian general.
Lu Song stood up, took a deep breath, and spoke amid those expectant gazes:
"It was quite difficult for the Ministry of Revenue to raise money and food for this war. Needless to say, it's almost the end of the year, and I'm afraid that the many rewards will be stretched..."
There was a sound of people sucking in air, but it was not because they were scared by the financial situation of the Ming Dynasty, but because they were shocked by Lu Song's position.
Everyone knows the meaning of Emperor Jiajing's mention of money and grain. This is a test of the waters. If there is not much resistance, new policies will follow.
Lu Song actually agreed with Emperor Jiajing!
"As for food, the consumption this time is huge. The South is suffering, and the North is not doing well either. This year..." Lu Song slowly looked at everyone, "I suggest that you all set an example this year... reduce the money and food by half."
This is not only agreeing, but also aiding and abetting the evil!
Suddenly those eyes became as sharp as knives.
Old Lu!
Jiang Qingzhi glanced at Emperor Jiajing, and the emperor and his subject smiled slightly.
This nail was successfully installed.
The Confucian generals spoke out in favor of the new policy, leaving those people speechless and unable to oppose.
The flexibility of Dao Ye's skills amazed Jiang Qingzhi.
He used the momentum of the great victory to propose new laws, and used Lü Song's position to silence the ministers...
Jiang Qingzhi felt that if Daoye joined the army, he would most likely become one of the most famous generals.
He understands people's hearts too deeply.
"Lü Song!" A civil servant stood up suddenly, pointed his halberd at Lü Song, and was then dragged away.
There was a flash of hesitation in Lu Song's eyes, and he said slowly: "But we can always get through it. After this year, should we reduce the number of troops stationed in the north? That way, the Ministry of Revenue can get more money and grain..."
This was a compromise plan, which gave Emperor Jiajing an excuse to implement new policies, but also put pressure on him...the financial crisis was not serious.
But what kind of person is Emperor Jiajing? He immediately said, "Since the last emperor, the money and grain expenditure of the court has been getting worse and worse. In recent years, the Ministry of Revenue has been in lawsuits with various places every year. There is a shortage of money and grain. I can see the local governments and the court complaining every day. We can endure it, but how many years can we endure it?"
Emperor Jiajing slowly looked at his ministers, "We survived this year, but next year we may have to endure more suffering? Taxes are decreasing, but expenses are increasing dramatically every year. What will happen if we can't survive this?"
"The only thing we can do is to increase taxes on the people who are already suffering and overwhelmed. That will cause wars all over the world! I can't! I dare not, and I don't want to!"
——Raising taxes is the government forcing the people to rebel!
Cut off this road first.
This is a group of clear ideas.
"Then where will we make up for the huge money and grain deficit?"
Everyone put down their chopsticks and looked at Emperor Jiajing with serious expressions.
They had a feeling that the Ming Dynasty would move towards an unknown path starting from the next words of Emperor Jiajing.
Emperor Jiajing sat at the top, looking at his ministers.
Opening:
"tax!"
Boom!
These two words were like thunder.
The ministers were all shocked!
(End of this chapter)
