Chapter 22 Section 6 Cutting the post station is a life and death

During the incident, Liu Mao told Chongzhen solemnly that corruption in the post station had blossomed again. Human hearts are unreliable. The system is unreliable. Only by adopting a method of reduction can the burden of the Li people be reduced, and corruption in the Ming Dynasty can be curbed to the greatest extent. Chongzhen looked at him and didn't speak for a long time. He is considering whether to use this person. He once broke his heart in employing people. But to do things, you must employ people. To use people, there is a question of whether to use them correctly. In this regard, Chongzhen learned a lot.

He didn't know anything about this criminal department called Liu Mao. So what if you know it?People change. Using Liu Mao is betting on luck; using other people is also betting on luck. Life is actually a gamble on luck. In fact, except for Liu Mao, Chongzhen has no one available. Because downsizing post stations is a matter of life and death. The purpose of reducing post stations is to reduce the burden on the common people, but at the same time, it is also cutting flesh on the officials. Without skin, there will be no hair attached.With the post station gone, the benefits of the officials are also gone.

Therefore, those who propose to cut down the station are looking for death, and those who dare to cut down the station are going to die. Isn't Liu Mao afraid of death?Or do you not hesitate to fight to the death just to claim credit? Chongzhen sighed. You, don't do it when the criminal department gives you a job. Not suitable. Liu Mao was expressionless. It is said that the Holy God is unpredictable, and thunder, rain and dew are all in one thought.Sure enough. Chongzhen hesitated: You - don't you regret it? regret what? What do you say? Liu Mao thought about it, and when things were like this, there was nothing to regret.He shook his head, expressing no regrets.

Chongzhen said decisively: Then you can go to the Ministry of Military Affairs to take charge of the rectification of the station.From then on, you are on the tip of the knife.All post station passes issued by the Ministry of War must be registered with you to be valid; and the post station passes used by the governors when they entered Beijing must also come to you for verification.The success or failure of the station rectification depends entirely on what you do. From the criminal department to the military department, the officer has not been promoted by half a level, but the trouble is n times more.

Liu Mao knew that his life would be in crisis from now on. This Shanxi Lintong Jinshi in the 41st year of Wanli is really not a speculator.He just wanted to do something for the court in a down-to-earth manner. A few days later, Liu Mao published an investigation report on the station's long-standing abuses.According to the report, about seven or eight out of ten people in the prefectures and counties of the world are trapped in post stations, but only two tenths of post stations are used for official business, and eight out of ten are used for private affairs; Four tenths, six tenths come from the provincial yamen; three tenths come from the provincial governor's office, and seven tenths come from the central government...

After Chongzhen read Liu Mao's investigation report, he called several ministers of the cabinet together and wanted to hear their opinions. In his heart, Chongzhen disapproved of these ministers.They stick to the established law in everything, and they fail to achieve more than they fail.However, if the rectification of the post station bypassed them and only Liu Mao, a small military department, took care of it, then one can imagine the resistance encountered below. Therefore, Chongzhen had to rely on them for everything. Sometimes life is like this, you have to put some things on some unreliable people, and all the success or failure has to be borne by yourself.

That's all. That's all there is to life. Even if you are an emperor, even if you have a wide network, there is no exception. Han Yu and other ministers read Liu Mao's investigation report very seriously. But things in the world are often not what they appear to be. The more serious, the more suspicious. Because a person is serious only in his outward gestures.If he strengthened his posture too much, then he must be hiding something in his heart. That's right, Han Yu is hiding his inner anger. This Liu Mao has been in Shizhong for more than ten years, so why doesn't he know the depth of the court?

What is not easy to touch, why do you want to touch this inn? The emperor is young and prone to impulsiveness. We courtiers must take care of him, and we must not add fuel to the flames. However, this investigation report is really shocking, and the officials are really shameless when they become corrupt—what should we do?what to do?If the post is cut, the officials will fight among themselves; if the post is not cut, the emperor will scold his mother-this assistant minister is really not human.Han Yu raised his head and glanced at Liu Mao, but his face was full of passionate years.Han Yu slapped Liu Maojiujiujiu81 hard in his heart: It's almost death, why are you still so excited?

How about it, everyone express their opinions.This cutting post is a big deal! After all, Chongzhen was young and couldn't stand it any longer.He thought that Han Yu and other ministers must be unhappy after reading Liu Mao's investigation report, and he couldn't give them too much time to think about it. Han Yu's winding path leads to seclusion: The Ministry of War also typed up a report yesterday. I wonder if the emperor has read it? Chongzhen breathed through his nostrils, expressing his disdain. The Ministry of War's report at this time is obviously against the Caiyi.The report of the Ministry of War discussed the extreme importance of post stations for national defense and military work such as reporting military information and transferring military supplies.What particularly annoyed Chongzhen was that in this report, bloody handprints appeared, including the bloody handprints of eight frontier generals and the signatures of two former Ministers of the Ministry of War.What's the meaning?If I cut the post, do you eight frontier generals want to give me a carbine?And those two retired Ministers of the Ministry of War, who are not at home to take care of their old age, why join in the fun at this sensitive moment?corruption!There is definitely corruption in this!If these ten people did not have the silver support of Baiguan, they would not take the risk of killing them.Chongzhen had almost expected that if he used these ten people to act, the army would say otherwise, and the officials would not agree.Who the hell are these people!I rely on!

And this Han Yu, also an old fox, used the report from the Ministry of War to prevaricate, so couldn't he express his own point of view? Come have a good time and tell me your real thoughts. You will never say that you drafted the report of the Ministry of War, and the above opinions are your opinions? Chongzhen was already speaking with sarcasm. On the other hand, Han Yu is neither humble nor overbearing, and looks like a seasoned seeker of the country.He told Chongzhen that the Ministry of War is the Ministry of War of the country, his Ministry of War of Chongzhen, not his Ministry of War of Han Yu.He has no personal relationship with anyone in the Ministry of War who has selfish thoughts.He just hoped that Chongzhen would carefully consider the matter of layoffs, because the layoffs may lead to three outcomes: result one, corruption will be greatly reduced; result two, the foundation of national defense and military work will be severely weakened; result three, after the layoffs, the number of unemployed people will increase, Hundreds of thousands of unemployed civilians will become a new factor of social instability.If the purpose of laying off the post is only to fight corruption, then the loss outweighs the gain.Corruption is to be fought against, but the fields involved in corruption are too numerous to count. If the anti-corruption always imitates the actions of laying off post offices, then the Ministry of Industry should also be laid off, because the Ministry of Industry’s kickbacks have been banned repeatedly...

presumptuous! Chongzhen slapped the table viciously, but he had nothing to say after the slap was over.Needless to say, Han Yu's words were harsh, but they were also thought-provoking. "After the layoffs, the number of unemployed people will increase, and hundreds of thousands of unemployed civilians will become a new factor of social instability" - once this situation occurs, it will be much more serious than corruption. "The foundation of national defense and military work has been seriously weakened" and so on, that is a grandiose rhetoric, which should be ignored.But after laying off the post, it is a foreseeable fact that the officials will be dissatisfied and the soldiers will scold their mothers.Could it be that there is really a problem with Caiyi? Liu Mao, give me an explanation. Chongzhen glanced suspiciously at Liu Mao.He began to wonder in his heart: Is it wrong to use this person? Liu Mao is full of confidence.He told Chongzhen that "after the layoffs, the number of unemployed people will increase" is a false proposition, because this group of people can be transferred and resettled for employment. Where does the resettlement money come from?Therefore, this is a virtuous circle, which can not only eliminate corruption, but also promote employment.It can be said to kill two birds with one stone. Chongzhen slapped his thigh: okay, okay, I want this to kill two birds with one stone. Han Yu: What about military affairs? Liu Mao rolled his eyes: There is a lot of moisture in military affairs.Now that everyone is here today, you might as well put your words on the table.I thought that the current corruption of the imperial court was the corruption of the army! Han Yu: Presumptuous!How can you spout blood like this in a small military department? Chongzhen waved his hand coldly: You let him continue talking. Liu Mao said sadly: My hometown is in Lintong, Shaanxi. This is a poor place!But who of you would have thought that the cost of a horse at the Lintong post station would cost one hundred and sixty taels of ICBC! Chongzhen was shocked: how is this possible?One hundred and sixty taels of ICBC and I can use ten eunuchs! Han Yu opened his mouth, but couldn't speak. Liu Mao: This is just the situation in my hometown. Other rich counties even spend two or three hundred taels of silver as ICBC for a horse.But even so, the couriers still complained and fled one after another! Chongzhen was confused: what's going on? Liu Maoyi cupped his hands: I think the reason for this is better than me. Chongzhen turned to Han Yu: Say it. Han Yu pretended to be deaf and dumb, but Li Biao, the assistant minister, said bluntly: There are too many servants, it is really overwhelmed... Liu Mao fell to his knees: Your Majesty, there are too many servants, most of which are caused by the so-called military affairs.Now the army welcomes and sends them off, there are too many people, and official documents travel, which is a grand sight.Everyone is content to make superficial articles, and everyone cares about the specifications and etiquette. How much is really used for military affairs?According to my observation, ten is only one or two.There are also local officials who pretend to be military affairs, those who waste national power in extravagance, and those who use postal services for other purposes for public benefit, the list goes on and on.If you use the power of the whole country to satisfy your own selfishness, let alone two or three hundred taels of silver, if you raise a horse with two or three thousand taels of silver, the horse will be exhausted to death, and the couriers will also be tortured to death! enough! Chongzhen slapped the table and stood up abruptly—that really made a man furious!He stretched out a finger and waved it in front of his eyes for a long time: Just cut a word, don't ask me why.Cut only one word, don't ask me why... Han Yu, do you have anything else to say? Han Yu fell to his knees all of a sudden, with a melancholy expression: Your Majesty, think twice, although laying off the couriers can be a pleasure for a while, but there will be endless troubles... Once the couriers are not settled well, there will be great changes! Chongzhen said disdainfully: The couriers are not well settled, causing great changes, I only ask you!I said that you are a majestic minister, fearful of things like a tiger, and fearful of everything, how can you set an example for all officials?You...you are not as courageous as a military department! Han Yu thought for a while, then slowly took off his official hat and put it in his hands: Since the emperor said so, it must be that the old minister is incompetent.Ask the emperor to grant the position of assistant minister to Liu Mao in Shizhong, who is much more successful than the old minister. Chongzhen was shocked. The world is messed up, all messed up. Han Yu, who loves officials like his life, wants to dismiss him. Is it a threat, or does it have other meanings? The threat is unlikely.Han Yu is not Wei Zheng, so he is unlikely to be able to let go.He's still basically a cautious guy. A cautious person suddenly becomes careless, which can only mean two things. One, he was irritated. Two, some irresistible force or event has arisen that overwhelms him. Could it be that my harsh words just now stimulated him? No, I often irritate officials with similar words, they are used to it. If he didn't have this kind of effort, he would either be scolded to death or die of shame as an official in Daming. But they didn't, one by one lived well. Live out fatty liver, live out hyperlipidemia, live out gastroptosis. All in all, life is very nourishing. But now, why is this Han Yu so impatient? The second must have occurred—some irresistible force or event overwhelmed him. what did he seeIt's nothing more than the mess after laying off the post, it's nothing more than the fact that the officials have nowhere to blame him for corruption, and it's nothing more than fear that I, Chongzhen, will find him to settle the score again. Hehe, he is planning ahead. The old man wants to run away after he has had enough of the word "flash"?How can there be such a cheap thing in the world. Nourish an official for a thousand days, and use an official for a while. When I want to use you, you must never dodge. Chongzhen approached him with a sinister smile: Do you feel that I am very angry now, wishing to fire you immediately, and then you can comfortably go home with tens of millions of assets of unknown origin to take care of yourself?Do you think that your official career will be safe and sound after all?wrong!You can't go, never go.You have to stay and make things last.Now that you're gone, who's going to clean up the mess?Is it Chongzhen?Or is he Liu Mao, a soldier in the military department?Do you think it's easy to be an official in Ming Dynasty? ! Han Yu's expression was complicated, and the pain on his face was abnormal: Your Majesty, it's not that the minister is shirking responsibility, but that it's impossible to cut off the post! ...I, I am thinking about the country and society of Daming! Chongzhen interrupted him roughly: Wrong!You are always thinking of yourself!It is imperative to cut the station!Two or three hundred taels of silver to raise a horse, how can there be such a post in the world?How can there be such an expensive inn throughout the ages?Do you think Chongzhen is a fool?Do you think I'm fat and oily?Open your precious eyes and take a good look, can you find anyone thinner than me among all the officials in the court?I work day and night for state affairs, eat less than two or two meters a day, and sleep less than two hours a day. I am so skinny... two or three hundred taels of silver can raise a horse, Do you know how many Chongzhens I can support with two silver coins? The assistant ministers present and Liu Mao fell to their knees in tears: Take care of the dragon body, Your Majesty! Chongzhen continued: The pain of being an emperor should not have been told to you. This is my fate and has nothing to do with you.But there is one thing you have to remember. As a minister, you can retreat at any time. You can retire when you are old.But the emperor can't.The emperor is destined to have no retreat.When he encounters difficulties, he can't ignore them, and he has to bear even the greatest difficulties.He has no place to complain, and he cannot complain, because he is the emperor.He cannot retire, live forever, and work hard.His whole life was destined to be tied to the country. When the dynasty changed, he had to pay for the country.This—is the emperor.Everyone in the world fears the emperor who everyone yearns for but is extremely boring. emperor…… The relationship between me and you is the relationship between fish and water, and also the relationship between cat and mouse.You are afraid of me, but you have to help me.You can help me sincerely, or you can perfunctory me.Sometimes I see it clearly, but I can only do nothing about it.why?Because I am afraid of you, I am really afraid of you.There are so many of you, and if you hold together, you can remake the universe and change the color of the country.I am alone.Alone and alone, no matter how high my IQ is, no matter how scheming I am, I can't beat you.No matter how big the cat is, it’s just one cat, no matter how small the mouse is, it’s thousands of them, so I shouldn’t fight with you, and you don’t have to think about your own calculations all the time.help me, huh?help me, please... emperor…… Chongzhen stared at Han Yu: Tell me, do you want to slap your ass and leave?Or stay and fight corruption with me? Han Yu sighed lightly: old minister...willing to share the emperor's worries.only…… Seeing that Han Yu was not on the road, Li Biao immediately stopped him loudly and said: "All the ministers are willing to share the emperor's worries." Chongzhen was moved: Well, now I feel that our relationship is that of fish and water again. A year later, Liu Mao finally found out that his life was coming to an end. His act of cutting the post was like brandishing a knife from the palace. He is stern and selfless, decisive in killing and attacking, and he strictly forbids the post to be used for other matters except for military reports, imperial envoys, and bureaucrats returning to their hometowns after retirement.He reduced the ancestral fifty-one regulations on post delivery to twelve, and at the same time imposed strict restrictions on the number of men, horses, and boats for each.As a result, the interests of the officials were seriously damaged, and they went on to the ground one after another, taking it as a pleasure to participate in the defeat of Liu Mao. But fortunately, Chongzhen was extremely firm this time, and waited for the final result of the layoff under pressure. The result is gratifying: after one year of layoffs, the provinces have accumulated more than 685,000 taels of silver. On the one hand, anti-corruption was fought, and on the other hand, there was a surplus. Chongzhen thought from the bottom of his heart: Daming's anti-corruption campaign won the first battle. But he did not receive the cut silver. He was destined not to receive it. Because the local governments have borrowed it out, and basically re-used it for eating and drinking. As for Liu Mao's suggestion of using cuts to transfer employment, no one has mentioned it anymore. Liu Mao has already betrayed his relatives. And he inadvertently brought a fatal bane to Ming Dynasty: after tens of thousands of postmen lost their jobs, they formed a new force to rebel against Ming Dynasty. An unemployed postman named Li Zicheng later became the leader of this army. Han Yu looked up to the sky and sighed fiercely and helplessly: when he opposed the layoff, he understood that layoff is easy, but placement is difficult.The suggestion of job placement with cuts and silver transfers can only be a wonderful fantasy. Because it does not conform to the reality of Daming's officialdom, it is destined to die in light of the light. After all, cutting silver is silver. As long as it is silver, how can Ming officials not be greedy? Transfer placement?First transfer it to your pocket and place it. But Han Kuo couldn't explain this meaning clearly to Chongzhen on the spot. Because this fact is too cruel. And the emperor is extremely fragile. If it is said that Daming's officialdom is pitch black and there is no light, how can the emperor survive until tomorrow? Alas, Liu Mao is ignorant, ignorant! He poked a hole in Daming's sky, but now there is no one to patch it up. Not Chongzhen, nor Han Yu. If Yuan Chonghuan is here? Also mention what Yuan Chonghuan is doing, don't mention the past again. Liu Mao proposed to resign and go home after Chongzhen strongly praised him. He has experienced the darkness of this officialdom one by one. Those whose interests have been harmed can't wait to eat his flesh and drink his blood, how can he have a foothold? And once the tens of thousands of unemployed postman workers get into trouble, it will become a time bomb for his official career, which will detonate at any time. Now the emperor doesn't know about this matter, if he knows, how should he comment on the merits and demerits? Although it is the local governments that cut off the cutting money, it is Liu Mao who suggested using the cutting money to transfer and resettle employment!It was Liu Mao who first proposed to lay off the station! When the situation gets out of hand one day, the officials will drown him with snowflake-like memorials and rivers of saliva. At that time, the situation will be critical, the crowd will be raging, and the suspicious emperor will choose the officials, or choose him who has caused countless troubles? Everything is full of variables.Liu Mao dare not imagine. It's no wonder that in the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty, those who do things are not as good as those who talk about things.Everyone is a political commentator, and everyone is a bricklayer.In the audition scene in the Forbidden City, the best singers are always the ones who get PKed out. Look at other people's eyes, think about who you are, and then play your role well.As an official in Ming Dynasty, the three-color principle cannot be lost for a moment. But at this moment, for Liu Mao, it is impossible not to lose it. Because in the officialdom, he is a person with no future. It is better to leave early than late. Liu Mao went back and forth. But he did not make it back to his hometown in Lintong alive. Because halfway he was pissed off. Many people gnashed their teeth and scolded him as he walked, and even burned his portrait to see him off. There are not only officials, but also unemployed postmen. The reform touched the interests of all parties, but the adjustment and redistribution of interests did not keep up with it in time. Liu Mao became a victim of the era of unbalanced interests. He finally found out painfully that with the greatness of Daming, there is no place for him to live.Officials can't wait, folks can't wait, and his hometown—can he still own his hometown, and can he go back to his hometown alive? Liu Mao finally fell down. Fallen on a cursed return journey. He is forever. But he didn't ascend to heaven, nor did he fall into hell. Because his coffin will stay in Shandong forever, no one is willing to carry it for him. He was not buried in the end, and his body rotted in a small hotel in Shandong. No one knows what happened to him in the end. Chongzhen knew about Liu Maozhi's death later, but Chongzhen didn't know anything about the tragedy of his death. In Chongzhen's eyes, Liu Mao was a weirdo. In fact, in every dynasty, there are several such weird people. They are half destined to practice Taoism and half destined to be kings, half to join the world and half to leave the world. But why can't he be loyal to the country like Kong Ming? What's the point of doing half-baked projects?My Ming Dynasty needs officials to do too many things. There is no need to make a fuss about retiring as soon as one thing is done.Alas, as I said earlier, a minister has a way out at any time, but the emperor can't.The emperor is destined to have no retreat.He encountered a difficult situation, and he could not ignore it. On the one hand, Chongzhen thought this way, on the other hand, he felt a sense of tragedy in his heart: anti-corruption, Liu Mao is going to fight, and Liu Mao is not there.You corrupt people, just come, I, Chongzhen, are not afraid of you!I'm ready, even if I offend the civil and military forces of the court, even if I end up betraying my relatives, I will fight to the end!For the great Ming Dynasty, I, Chongzhen, am willing to be a sacrificial object for anti-corruption!