Chapter 10 Section 2 Do you want to pay the soldiers?

To be honest, Chongzhen has been confused by Yuan Chonghuan. Not long ago, Yuan Chonghuan told him boldly that the mutiny in Ningyuan had subsided, and he did not spend a tael of silver from the court.Chongzhen was secretly rejoicing that he used Yuan Chonghuan correctly: he was capable of handling affairs and did not add a burden to the court.But within a few days, the mutiny came one after another, and he was asked for military pay. Doesn't this increase the burden on the court?Didn't I give you discretionary power on the fly?Why not? Chongzhen wanted to throw away the memorial, but thinking about the Ningyuan mutiny that was about to break out in the third year of junior high school, he thought it was better to discuss this matter.Alas, used Chonghuan more.On the second day of July, Emperor Chongzhen went to court with a complicated mood.Last night was another sleepless night, and the grand blueprint has been changed and changed beyond recognition.The few newly promoted officials who stayed up late with Chongzhen were already absent-minded, and their enthusiasm for reform was greatly reduced.Chongzhen himself was obviously lacking in confidence. Looking at Yuan Chonghuan's memoirs one after another, Chongzhen became angry: money, money, money, I knew I was asking for money, and the money was given to you, and this blueprint would become a piece of waste paper.

Looking at Chongzhen's blue-gray face, the officials knew that he must be in a bad mood today.In fact, Chongzhen was really in a bad mood when he saw the timid and timid officials: all of them were fat-headed and big-eared, full of bloody food and wine, and none of them could take care of the country. The topic of today's court discussion is very clear: Do you want to pay the soldiers?If so, where does the fee come from?This issue is too sensitive, all the officials know that the household department has no money, but they have to pay the soldiers, but if they really want to pay, they can only be paid from the emperor's inner palace.Seven hundred and eighty thousand taels, this is not a small amount, why the emperor took it out of his pocket.

The head of the Ministry of War answered this question ingeniously.As soon as he came up, he first reviewed the long-standing unhealthy trend in the army: pretending to be paid.In fact, the problem of counterfeiting military pay did exist in the Ming Dynasty.Due to the pitifully low military pay, the commanders at all levels of the army have long acquiesced and even personally fabricated their military registrations to claim their military pay. Obviously, an army establishment of 5,000 people can give you 8,000 or even 10,000.After colluding with each other, they can successfully receive the false military salary without telling the court and then divide it privately.The imperial court became aware of this problem later, but found no real evidence, so they thought of a way: only pay 60%-80% of the required military salary each time, and whether there is more.This method saved some money for the court at the beginning, but later it became the root cause of the phenomenon of counterfeit military pay everywhere: no one wants to receive less military pay, and the troops who did not practice fraud are also "forced" to cheat.The issue of counterfeit military pay eventually emptied the national treasury—except for guaranteeing the salaries of officials, the national treasury could no longer afford to pay soldiers.Therefore, the head of the Ministry of War suggested that, taking advantage of the troubles in Ningyuan this time, thoroughly investigate the phenomenon of false military pay.After the head of the Ministry of War made his proposal, he proudly raised his head to look at Chongzhen, as if to invite credit and receive a reward.Chongzhen's face was still gray, but in his heart he had already greeted the eighteenth generation of ancestors who were in charge of the Ministry of War: Damn, at this time, you're being nice to me, aren't you courting death?What kind of soldiers are Ning Yuan's soldiers? They are all tiger and wolf divisions!It is cooked, it is my watchdog of the Ming Dynasty; if you are accidentally hungry, then turn your head and rush towards me Chongzhen!Thoroughly investigate the phenomenon of false military pay?Is now the time to look this up? !Why don't you usually check it out, and wait until things get so out of hand before bringing it up?Besides, as long as everyone understands that persimmons should be picked softly, do you really think that Ning Yuan's soldiers are all persimmons?

In fact, the hardest emperors in a dynasty are two—the founding emperor and the subjugated emperor.Needless to say, the founding emperor, from conquering the country to sitting on the country, which thing does not require hard work and personal experience?However, the subjugated emperor is in the end of the world, sailing against the current everywhere, struggling to cope with it all the time, unable to turn the tide, and dying with hatred. So, is Chongzhen the subjugated emperor?Chongzhen didn't dare to think too much.The grand blueprint of the Ming Dynasty is still in his heart, and he still has to work hard to make a difference.

Of course, the most urgent thing right now is how to solve the problem of military pay. Chongzhen thought for a while, and then expressed this meaning to the officials: a mutiny is about to happen in the third grade of junior high school, and today is the second grade of junior high school, and even if the soldiers' salaries are sent over now, it will be too late.I was wondering, why do our soldiers in Ming Dynasty look at money in everything?In this world, is money really that important?Don't fight without money?Not defending the country?But in the final analysis of this matter, there is still a problem with our high-level generals.They are divorced from the masses, and they are superior.Generals do not love soldiers, how can soldiers protect generals?How could that Bi Zisu, the dignified governor of Liaodong, be kidnapped by our own soldiers?There is also Yuan Chonghuan, who is good at fighting, but he is far from convincing people!The Jinzhou mutiny, the Ningyuan mutiny... How can Liao be pacified in five years if this continues?So, if you want me to say, the relationship between Jiang and Bing is like father and son in a family.Only when the father is kind can the son be filial.When the father is in place, the son dares not betray and cannot bear to betray; the father is unrighteous, so the son is able to kidnap his father.In fact, I'm really not stingy, it's not that I'm reluctant to pay the soldiers, this money is originally taken from the people and used by the people.Regardless of whether it is from the treasury or from the inner government, it can be used as military pay. I am just heartbroken. The army has become so chaotic, and the military style is so corrupt.

At the end of Chongzhen's speech, he was so moved by himself that he burst into tears on the spot.The officials also felt that it was not easy for the emperor, so they all knelt down and cried bitterly with him.The Ming Dynasty was crying for a while, Chongzhen suddenly felt that this was an ominous omen, the crying stopped abruptly, and the officials also instinctively braked, looking up at Chongzhen and waiting for him to make up his mind. Bi Ziyan didn't look up.He had already heard the meaning of giving money from Chongzhen's words.Yes, no one is a fool. If the Ningyuan mutiny is not stopped immediately, the consequences will be very serious.The emperor must know that at this point, it is impossible not to give money.The relationship between father and son is just a self-deception.According to the emperor's intention, the military pay is to be shared by the inner government and the household department.However, Bi Ziyan really didn't know how much the inner government would pay for the soldiers, and how much the household department should pay for the soldiers.Alas, some haggling is inevitable.Bi Ziyan decided to continue crying for poverty to the end, and the Ministry of Households will pay less if it can pay less.You know, how many pairs of eyes are staring at this little money in the treasury.

Before Bi Ziyan could finish his calculations, Zhou Yanru, the right servant of the Ministry of Rites, spoke up.Zhou Yanru heard Chongzhen's reluctance and reluctance to send troops to pay, so he hurriedly climbed up the monkey.He said that the emperor is really kind-hearted. During the previous mutiny in Ningyuan, Yuan Chonghuan took out the money from the local finances in a hurry, and not only did not deal with the mutiny, but blindly condoned it. It set a very bad precedent. Rod Climbing Monkey, trying to get Ouchi to pay.Your Majesty, the eunuch must not pay.Think about it, the emperor, if the big nephew pays this time, what should other frontier defense ministries follow Yuan Chonghuan's approach in the future?If things go on like this, no... won't it become a bottomless pit?

Chongzhen was startled when he heard the words "bottomless pit", and hurriedly asked Zhou Yanru: Then tell me, is there any good way? Zhou Yanru felt that it was difficult to speak out for a while.Yes, the financial crisis is a long-standing problem, and the arrears of military pay is only a superficial phenomenon.Historical records: The Ming Dynasty has been trapped in financial crisis since the middle period.Since the forty-sixth year of Wanli, the money has not been enough. "The military affairs in Liaodong are booming, and it is strange to increase the amount of 5.2 million."However, the addition of Pai did not alleviate the financial crisis of the Ming Dynasty, but deepened the crisis.In the first year of Chongzhen, all parties owed more than 5.2 million taels of payment, "Ningxia owed four out of ten, Gansu owed six out of ten, and Shanxi owed seven out of ten."Undoubtedly, once Yuan Chonghuan's Liaodong garrisons receive full payment, the garrisons in Ningxia, Gansu, Shanxi and other places will immediately set off a vigorous campaign to collect the owed soldiers' wages. There is no day of peace in the country - it is not only the day of no peace in the country, if it is not done well, the Ming Dynasty will be overthrown by his grandma.More than 5.2 million taels, that's all the soldiers' life-saving money. If Chongzhen didn't give it, I'm afraid the soldiers would take out the Forbidden City to pawn.

Zhou Yanru finally murmured two meanings: if it is a temporary solution, Liaodong soldiers must be paid; but if it is a permanent solution, a long-term strategy needs to be considered. Bi Ziyan suddenly had an idea.He opened his mouth to speak: Your majesty, it seems that the only thing to do is to increase taxes.Not too much, only 3% per mu of land across the country.In this way, our annual fiscal revenue can increase by 1.65 million taels, and the problem of military pay can naturally be gradually solved. It was as if a new continent had been discovered suddenly, and all the civil and military officials in the dynasty were excited.Yes, such a simple question, why didn't I think of it?Damn it, Lao Bi snatched the credit for nothing.

Just when all the officials were comparing each other, Chongzhen was in a dilemma.Now the country's land tax is already as high as it can be.As early as the Wanli period, a tax of 9% per mu of land had been added, and most of the farmers rolled their eyes. If an additional 3% was added to this, it would be another matter of whether the income would be paid. I am afraid that the farmers would even riot. I have my heart.But if there is no tax increase, what will happen to the military pay?If the issue of military pay is not resolved, the army may riot.In fact, the army has risen to riot. Isn't there a meeting now to solve the problem of suppressing the violence?

Chongzhen fell into a dilemma. Alas, life is a dilemma, tossing back and forth between one hot potato and another hot potato.It was hoped that a sweet potato would cool down and be able to be eaten after many times of hand-offs, but Chongzhen spent his entire life doing only the work of betraying the master.This point, at today's court meeting, Chongzhen had already faintly felt it. But what can be done?The mutiny is imminent, and if it is not resolved, it will become a prairie fire.In desperation, Chongzhen made two decisions: 1. Liaodong’s military pay would still be paid, but instead of the 780,000 taels that Yuan Chonghuan said, it was only 300,000 taels, a 40% discount; 2. The national land tax From next year, the tax will be increased by 3% per mu, which will be used for Liao pay.After Ping Liao, the tax increase stopped immediately. Take one step at a time.That night, for the first time, the depressed Chongzhen did not work overtime by himself, and the grand blueprint of the Ming Dynasty was received coldly from then on.Chongzhen, the sixteenth emperor of the Ming Dynasty, finally understood that he was born in the wrong era.The stage for singing has long been removed, and now he can only indulge in firefighting performances, which is not his specialty.But the historical plot has turned to this scene, and the spectators are stretching their necks eagerly waiting for his breakout performance, so he can only continue to act in spite of his talent.Everything will be presented one by one, and he is just an actor. But he didn't expect that the following plot would be so tragic, which made him dejected.