Ming Dynasty: Pick up attributes from the battlefield to create the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 357 Inside the Fengtian Hall! Zhu Yuanzhang was deeply worried!

Inside Beiping City!

The former Prince Yan's residence.

The plaque has now been removed, and the title of king is no more.

This was the best possible outcome for Zhu Di; at least Zhu Ying did not cause Zhu Biao's lineage to die out, unlike how Zhu Di had treated Zhu Biao's descendants.

The royal family is ruthless.

That's just how power struggles are.

"Your Highness."

“The servants in the Prince’s mansion were never dismissed.”

"There are many secret rooms beneath the Prince's mansion, and they have all been opened now."

Inside the main hall of the former Prince's Mansion, Guo Zi and Zhang Yu reported nervously.

Regarding this Crown Prince...

Guo Zi had only heard of him, but had never seen him.

For Zhang Yu, the northern frontier was very familiar, but he never imagined that the general who had made countless military achievements in the northern frontier was the eldest grandson of the Ming Dynasty, and now he had become the crown prince and the heir apparent.

This was their first meeting in nearly two years, which made Zhang Yu very nervous.

After all, news of the Prince of Yan's rebellion had spread throughout the land, and no one knew what fate awaited him, a general whom Zhu Di had personally promoted.

This is also true.

In the past two years, although Zhang Yu has not been removed from his official position, some people who were once close to him have gradually distanced themselves from him.

After all, everyone in Beiping knew that Zhang Yu's position as commander of the guards was promoted by Zhu Di.

As a general promoted by a rebellious prince, his future fate is uncertain.

Getting close to him might implicate the entire clan.

"Dismiss all the servants of the Prince of Yan's residence."

"This time I have come to Beiping with all my guards and servants," Zhu Ying said to Guo Zi.

"Your subject obeys." Guo Zi dared not utter a word of dissent.

"General Zhang."

"It's only been a short time since we last met, why are you so reserved?"

"Back then, I was drinking and eating meat with you in the army," Zhu Ying said with a smile, looking at the reserved Zhang Yu beside him.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty dares not," Zhang Yu replied hesitantly, bowing deeply, utterly terrified.

Zhu Ying was naturally aware of Zhang Yu's behavior.

"Zhu Di is Zhu Di, and you are you."

"Although your official position was promoted by Zhu Di, it was based on your military merits."

"I will not treat you any differently because of Zhu Di, and the court will not treat you any differently either."

“If I wanted to, I would have dismissed you from your post long ago before imprisoning Zhu Di in the Imperial Clan Court. This position of Commander of the Guards is rightfully yours,” Zhu Ying said directly.

He dispelled Zhang Yu's worries with practical words.

Hear this!

Zhang Yu felt a tremor in his heart, and an indescribable excitement welled up within him.

He immediately knelt down: "Your subject thanks Your Highness the Crown Prince for your kindness."

"This time I have come to Beiping alone."

"The six ministries were all transferred to the position of vice minister. In addition, the royal industry, banking, defense, and armory were all brought along! The entire team from Yingtian was also brought."

"Beiping will be the secondary capital of our Great Ming Dynasty, and also the future capital."

"Regarding matters concerning the construction of Beiping as the capital, we still need the full cooperation of Governor Guo," Zhu Ying said to Guo Zi.

"It is my duty to do so," Guo Zi replied immediately.

"Other."

"Besides establishing a new capital, I came to the northern frontier to reorganize the military system and rebuild a new army."

"The border troops in Liaodong, Daning, Beiping, Shaanxi and other places will be recruited in batches and reorganized."

"These things will be implemented gradually."

Zhu Ying slowly began to speak.

Guo Zi and Zhang Yu were greatly shocked upon hearing this.

I originally thought that building a new capital was already a big deal, but I never expected that there would also be a reorganization of the military system.

This was something they hadn't expected at all.

"All right."

"Guo Qing."

"Go and prepare the government offices for the officials of the Six Ministries to handle government affairs. As for the generals who came with me, they can reside directly in the military camp."

"If anything happens, come directly to me," Zhu Ying instructed.

"Your subject accepts the imperial edict." Guo Zi gladly accepted the order.

After the two men left.

"Build a new capital and reorganize the military system."

"The task is arduous and the road ahead is long."

"However, from this moment on, we can begin to prepare for unifying the world and expanding our territory."

"Military, weapons, people, and things."

Zhu Ying thought to himself, his ambitions were boundless.

……

Time passed gradually.

For the Ming Dynasty

After the new taxes were implemented, the first autumn harvest came to a complete end.

Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony!

When the tax revenues from various prefectures and regions were submitted, they were all six or seven times higher than usual.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao had smiles on their faces the whole time.

The officials in the main hall were also shocked by the collection of this land tax, which completely suppressed the resentment of many people, making them dare not mention it again.

If the land tax under this new system of merging poll tax and land tax is not as effective as before, then powerful and wealthy officials in the court will surely clamor for the restoration of the old poll tax. After all, many powerful and wealthy officials and landlords are still stubbornly holding onto a lot of land, just waiting for the court to change the national tax policy so that they can once again amass wealth through land.

only.

This tax revenue result was absolutely disappointing for them.

The moment the Minister of Revenue presented the results of tax collection.

The entire court was silent.

After continuing for a while.

"Your Majesty."

"What are your thoughts on the national policy of merging the poll tax into the land tax, which was established by our grandson?"

Zhu Yuanzhang surveyed the court and asked with an air of authority.

Face this question.

The ministers in the imperial court looked at each other in bewilderment.

but.

no doubt.

This time, under the leadership of Zhu Yuanzhang and his two grandsons, they won.

Although no one could stop the implementation of the land tax reform, countless people tried to obstruct it during the process, but they dared not go too far because of the army and the pressure from Zhu Yuanzhang.

Many people originally wanted to see the "equalization of poll tax and land tax" become a joke, with the final tax revenue being less than the previous poll tax. But now, it's Zhu Yuanzhang's turn to shine.

no doubt.

This is a slap in the face to all the powerful and wealthy.

In any dynasty, unless it was a founding emperor with the boldness and vision of Zhu Yuanzhang, the implementation of the land tax reform would have caused a huge uproar and could not have lasted long.

"The Crown Prince is wise enough to have thought of a national policy like the land tax reform."

"This year's national tax revenue is more than seven times that of previous years, which is a testament to the effectiveness of this national policy."

"The national policy of merging the poll tax into the land tax should continue to be used and should not be changed."

Yu Xin, the Minister of Revenue, stepped forward and spoke loudly.

This statement also demonstrates Yu Xin's attitude: full support.

When Zhao Mian was in power, there were too many vested interests in the court, and he couldn't openly support anyone directly because the interests involved were too great. Perhaps the reason why Zhao Mian volunteered to take a position at the Royal Bank was to find an excuse to leave the turbulent court.

As Yu Xin began to speak.

The officials in the court dared not raise any objections and all spoke up, saying, "Your Majesty, we offer our congratulations."

Amidst the congratulations, Zhu Yuanzhang knew that this time, he had won completely.

"Convey our will."

Zhu Yuanzhang shouted loudly.

The imperial censor and the Grand Secretary, who were responsible for recording the imperial edicts in the main hall, immediately picked up their pens.

"The policy of merging the poll tax into the land tax is firmly established as a national policy and cannot be changed."

"Anyone who dares to question this national policy, anyone who opposes this national policy, shall be punished as a traitor," Zhu Yuanzhang declared loudly.

From this moment on.

The national policy of merging land tax and poll tax.

It's completely a thing of the past.

"The Emperor's Holy Might."

Although some officials were unwilling, at this point, everything was settled, and no one could question it anymore.

"in addition."

"Before our grandson went north, he left us two national policies, which can be implemented once the land tax reform policy is perfected."

"It also concerns the country's taxes."

Zhu Yuanzhang then spoke slowly.

Listen to this.

The officials in the hall couldn't help but feel nervous.

The policy of converting land tax into poll tax nearly killed them; what national policy has Zhu Ying left behind now?

"Prince."

Zhu Yuanzhang did not explain himself, but instead looked at Zhu Biao.

Under the watchful eyes of the assembled officials.

Zhu Biao spoke slowly, glanced around, and said, "The Crown Prince left two supplementary national policies for me and Father Emperor."

"One is to collect losses from tax payments."

"Secondly, commercial tax reform."

"First, the fire loss shall be returned to the public."

"From now on, all taxes and silver collected by local governments shall not be privately minted. After collection and accounting, they shall be sent directly to the prefectures and cities of various regions, without the need for local governments to melt them down into official silver."

"Second, commercial tax reform."

"From now on."

"All subjects within the territory of our Great Ming Dynasty who own property, workshops, restaurants, or other businesses must pay taxes according to the new commercial tax. The tax rate is as high as 20% and as low as 1%."

"In the future, the Ministry of Revenue will also issue detailed rules on commercial taxes to all prefectures and government offices throughout the country."

"The more taxes paid, the greater the support from the imperial court and government; the more taxes paid, the more the decree prohibiting merchants from wearing fine clothes can be repealed."

"If anyone evades taxes, they will be imprisoned for minor offenses and executed for serious offenses."

Zhu Biao slowly opened his mouth and directly stated the two latest national policies.

The words fell.

The expressions of countless ministers in the imperial court changed drastically.

Regarding commercial taxes.

Perhaps the detailed rules have not yet been announced, and the officials have not yet seen much of them.

But this fire loss shall be returned to the public treasury!
That is very obvious.

To know.

In addition to the actual grain tax, taxes were also collected in silver tax, which was a grain tax of equal value to the grain itself.

You can pay grain directly, or you can pay silver of equal value.

However, the silver was collected by local governments. If it was to be handed over to the central government, it had to be recast into full-weight official silver. After all, most of the silver used by the people was broken pieces, which all needed to be melted down.

Smelting naturally involves losses.

Moreover, when local officials collect taxes, they inevitably try to exploit the losses suffered by ordinary people. The losses from the silver coinage were naturally attributed to the people, which presented a great opportunity for local officials to obtain illicit wealth.

"emperor."

"The idea of ​​returning the fire tax to the public sounds like a good one."

"But what is being transported from local governments are all loose silver and copper coins. If we hand them all over to our imperial court to be melted down, won't that waste manpower?"

A minister stepped forward and spoke.

"Compared to the pointless losses and the harsh treatment of the people by local authorities, what do these manpower losses amount to?"

"Small pieces of silver and copper coins are not unusable."

"Now the power to recast and issue coins rests with the Royal Bank. In the future, all tax money from counties will be transported to banks in the respective prefectures and stored there. After the banks have counted the money, it will be registered and melted down."

"As for the prefectures without banks, they should be opened as soon as possible. The prefectures should collect the funds and transport them directly to Yingtian. The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War should coordinate this," Zhu Yuanzhang said immediately.

Obviously.

Once this policy is announced, it will not be changed.

"These two national policies."

"My father and I have already made the decision. If any of you have any objections, you may speak now."

"If there are no other matters, these two national policies shall be implemented from today."

Zhu Biao spoke up at this moment, his gaze sweeping around.

But as soon as he finished speaking...

Not a single official in the court spoke.

Obviously.

In this era of absolute imperial power, the emperor had absolute control over the implementation of national policies, especially founding emperors like Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Since none of you have any objections, then this matter is settled."

"The Wenyuan Pavilion will draft an edict, which will be handed over to the Ministry of Revenue for implementation, with the Ministry of Personnel cooperating in distributing it to all prefectures and regions." Zhu Yuanzhang made the decision directly.

"I accept the decree."

The two ministers of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel immediately received the imperial decree.

The meeting dispersed.

Inside Wenyuan Pavilion.

"Hahaha."

"This time they really got a taste of their own medicine."

"Originally, many people wanted to see us fail, thinking that the land tax reform could not be implemented. But now the taxes for the whole country have been released, and no prefecture has a tax rate that is less than six times that of last year. Now the national treasury of our Great Ming Dynasty has a surplus of seven times compared to previous years."

"Many things can now be done," Zhu Yuanzhang said with a hearty laugh.

"Not only that."

“Once the policy of abolition of the fire tax is implemented, there will be little loss in tax collection, and at least 90% of the taxes will be collected and returned to the national treasury.” Zhu Biao smiled with great emotion.

"I just don't know what kind of tax revenue this commercial tax will bring to our Great Ming Dynasty."

"That kid Xiong Ying said that commercial taxes will be higher than land taxes in the future. I wonder if it's true or not," Zhu Yuanzhang said with some curiosity.

“Every national policy that Xiong Ying proposed has yielded great results; what he said cannot be false.”

"Now that he's made the decision, we should just do our best to implement it," Zhu Biao said with a smile.

Hear this!

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded: "That kid has been away from Yingtian for almost four months now, I wonder how he is doing?"

Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang's worried expression, Zhu Biao smiled helplessly: "Father, you are worrying too much. Xiong Ying has accomplished a lot in Beiping. Originally, there were no banks in the north, but now there are banks in every prefecture in the north. The royal industry is also expanding in a timely manner. Even the military reform is underway, and the reorganized army has exceeded 100,000. Perhaps in a few months, Xiong Ying will be able to accomplish what it wants."

Obviously.

Even after Zhu Ying went to Beiping, he still sent people to Yingtian to deliver messages as usual.

"It would be impossible to complete the construction of the new capital in less than one or two years."

"As for military reform, let him do it. Let's see what he can turn the army into." Zhu Yuanzhang smiled.

"correct."

Yunyu is already more than five months pregnant.

“Although she has not yet married Yunhuo, she is still of royal blood and it is only right that we take care of her,” Zhu Biao suddenly said.

“Your daughter-in-law is more forward-thinking than you are. Yesterday, Yu’er had someone bring Yunyu to the manor to take care of her, so you can rest assured,” Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile, glancing at her.

"It's fine as long as Yu'er and the others take care of us."

"It wouldn't be bad if Yunhuo had his own offspring when he returned," Zhu Biao smiled.

"That kid Xiong Ying, he really is willing to let Yun Tong go to the northern frontier."

"Ugh."

……

(End of this chapter)