My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 361 Zhang Juzheng's Concession

In a letter to Zhang Juzheng, Zhang Jingxiu mentioned several things about the naval academy.

One of the issues was with the artillery department.

Zhang Jingxiu complained to Zhang Juzheng that the quality of the gunpowder provided by the Ministry of Works was getting worse and worse, and that the gunpowder often misfired.

The most serious incident occurred when an instructor in the artillery department of the naval academy was demonstrating a cannon to the new students. The gunpowder misfired and then suddenly exploded, nearly riddling the instructor with bullets.

After this incident, Zhang Jingxiu strictly prohibited live-fire shooting of firearms on the school grounds and moved the shooting range to the coast of Penglai Island.

Zhang Jingxiu later organized the instructors to analyze the gunpowder, and the final conclusion was that the saltpeter in the gunpowder was of insufficient quality.

For this reason, Zhang Jingxiu had written to higher authorities, but they only gave perfunctory replies when they saw him as just a minor instructor at the naval academy. Some government departments would simply reply to indicate that they had received the letter, and then there would be no further follow-up.

After reading his son's letter, Zhang Juzheng was not in a good mood.

Since the war against Japanese pirates, it has become a consensus among both civil and military officials that firearms are of paramount importance to the nation.

In several combat summaries of the Ming Dynasty navy, the role of firearms in naval warfare was emphasized.

Therefore, both the Military Supervisory Office and the Naval Academy established artillery departments to specifically train in the use of firearms.

Such an important weapon was facing problems with the supply of gunpowder, which naturally worried Zhang Juzheng.

After Zhang Juzheng finished reading the letter, he originally wanted to take it back to his study to read it again, but looking at his second son Zhang Sixiu who was eagerly waiting to read it, Zhang Juzheng finally handed the letter to his second son.
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The next day, before going to the cabinet, Zhang Juzheng went to the Ministry of Revenue and found Cai Lixing, the chief official in charge of saltpeter in Sichuan.

The head of the Sichuan Division was also a veteran of the Ministry of Revenue and had a good reputation among his colleagues.

However, when Zhang Juzheng asked Cai, the chief clerk, several questions about the Ministry of Revenue's unified purchase of saltpeter, Cai knew nothing about them.

Seeing Zhang Juzheng's increasingly gloomy expression, Chief Inspector Cai began to shift the blame onto Su Ze.

"Your Excellency, the root cause of the saltpeter problem is that Hanlin Su submitted a memorial to abolish the lowly status, causing saltpeter farmers to flee and making it impossible for the imperial saltpeter fields to operate normally. It has nothing to do with our Ministry of Revenue!"

After Cai Lixing finished speaking, Zhang Juzheng's expression turned even uglier.

For pragmatic officials like Zhang Juzheng, making mistakes was not a big deal.

The Sichuan Division of the Ministry of Revenue had a lot of work to do, and it wasn't specifically focused on saltpeter, so it was normal for some problems to arise.

However, Zhang Juzheng was very unhappy that Cai Lixing was shifting the blame to others.

Zhang Shouzhi, the Vice Minister of Revenue who was accompanying Zhang Juzheng, knew Zhang Juzheng's temperament best, and he quickly said:

"Shut up! The abolition of the lowly status is the result of His Majesty's imperial approval and the court's public discussion! How dare you interfere!"

Hearing Zhang Shouzhi's rebuke, Cai Lixing realized he had made a mistake and shouldn't have attacked Su Ze. He quickly added:

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency! Our Ministry of Revenue is only responsible for purchasing saltpeter. We don't know anything about the quality of saltpeter."

This calmed Zhang Juzheng down. He didn't continue to argue with Cai Lixing and let him leave.

Zhang Shouzhi was filled with shame.

"Your Excellency, it is my fault for not managing my subordinates properly."

Zhang Juzheng waved his hand and said:
"This is not Zhang Shilang's fault, nor is it Cai Lixing's problem alone."

Zhang Juzheng said:
"In recent years, the Ministry of Revenue has expanded its power, and the imperial court's revenue has increased significantly, which has led to a disregard for the affairs of the court among the officials of the Ministry of Revenue. This is not something that Cai Lixing alone has done."

"With so much public money passing through their hands, anyone would become arrogant. Saltpeter is just a small part of the Sichuan Department's business, and I'm afraid Cai Lixing wouldn't even bother with its daily operations."

Zhang Shouzhi also lowered his head. The Grand Secretary was indeed a Grand Secretary; his perspective on issues was truly different.

But Zhang Juzheng was right.

The Ministry of Revenue had numerous responsibilities, encompassing virtually all economic activities of the entire Ming Dynasty.

The Thirteen Offices of the Ministry of Revenue were not only responsible for the financial affairs of their respective provinces, but also had to take charge of other specialized tasks.

But how many people are in a Qingli Division?
The chief official (主司) consisted of one physician (郎中), one assistant physician (员外郎), and three to nine assistant clerks (主事).

This was a powerful Qingli Division, with a large number of officials holding official ranks.

The Sichuan Provincial Administration Commission had the fewest personnel, with only five officials of the official rank.

Of course, a few people alone cannot keep an office running.

Each Qingli Division had a large number of clerks who were responsible for various basic tasks.

Zhang Juzheng said:
“But he still has to be punished for his mistakes. Cai Lixing has been working in the Ministry of Revenue for many years, hasn’t he? Let’s transfer him to another post.”

When Zhang Juzheng spoke, Zhang Shouzhi naturally agreed.

And just like that, the future and fate of a fifth-rank official who had just taken charge of the finances of Sichuan in the Ming Dynasty were decided.

Zhang Juzheng added, “Cai Lixing’s dereliction of duty should also be reported to other Qingli Offices. Each Qingli Office should also review its own concurrent responsibilities. If any Qingli Office has an excessively heavy workload, a document should be sent to me, the Grand Secretary.”

Zhang Shouzhi understood that Zhang Juzheng was considering streamlining the powers of the Ministry of Revenue.

When a department has been operating for a long time, it will naturally have a lot of redundant tasks.

Zhang Shouzhi agreed, and Zhang Juzheng then left the Ministry of Revenue.

When Zhang Juzheng returned to the cabinet, he happened to meet Li Yiyuan, the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, who was bringing a memorial to the throne.

Not long after, Grand Secretary Gao Gong spoke up: "Gentlemen, please take a look at Su Zilin's memorial."

Upon hearing the name Su Zilin, all the cabinet ministers present put down their official duties.

All of Su Ze's memorials were personally reviewed by the Grand Secretaries several times, a practice that had become a habit among the Grand Secretaries.

Moreover, this memorial not only bears Su Ze's signature but also the Crown Prince's.

After reading it, Zhang Juzheng was even more satisfied with Su Ze.

During the last negotiation with Su Ze, the proposal to convert tribute taxes into silver was put forward, which coincided with Zhang Juzheng's idea of ​​fiscal reform!

The Single Whip Tax System was not Zhang Juzheng's original idea. Taxation in silver had been implemented in many regions and for many types of taxes in the Ming Dynasty for a long time, and almost all financial officials knew about it.

However, comprehensive tax reform had always been Zhang Juzheng's political ideal.

Of course, the Single Whip Law did not only advocate taxation in silver.

Taxation in silver facilitated the accounting of money and grain, reduced corruption associated with taxation in kind, and was a manifestation of the Single Whip Tax System.

However, the most important proposition of the Single Whip Law was to unify corvée labor and miscellaneous taxes into the tax system, thereby reducing the exploitation of the people by corvée labor.

This was Zhang Juzheng's political ideal, which he ultimately formed after traveling to many places in his youth.

For ordinary people, taxes are not the heaviest burden.

What truly bankrupts ordinary people is the endless forced labor imposed by the government.

In some places, local officials, in pursuit of political achievements, endlessly conscript laborers. Ordinary people have to deal with these meaningless projects and also face the exploitation of land rent and taxes.

When a male member of a household is conscripted for corvée labor, the family loses its labor force. Moreover, given the conditions of corvée labor construction in the Ming Dynasty, there is no compensation if the laborer dies or is injured, and the family will collapse.

In the prosperous Jiangnan region, many middle-class farmers would pay others to take their place in corvée labor. This was because the government's corvée labor system exploited the people and wasted their time.

But this is also why officials strongly oppose the Single Whip Law.

Given the local financial situation of the Ming Dynasty, if local officials wanted to achieve political success, imposing large-scale corvée labor was almost the only option.

Moreover, some corvée labor was not conscripted by local governments. For example, the core and most of the water conservancy projects planned by the Ministry of Works were naturally completed by craftsmen, but the more manual labor still required the conscription of laborers along the route.

In addition, during wartime, it was necessary to conscript laborers from the rear to escort military supplies.

It can be said that corvée labor was a hidden tax of the Ming Dynasty, and there was great resistance to abolishing it.

However, Su Ze's abolition of the in-kind tribute tax this time gave Zhang Juzheng an inspiration.

The time is not yet ripe for a full-scale rollout, so we can start step by step, beginning with areas that are easier to reform.

This is also why he asked Zhang Shouzhi to sort out the powers of the Ministry of Revenue. He needed the Ministry of Revenue to compile statistics on which tax systems could be reformed first.

And this memorial today is exactly what Zhang Juzheng wanted.

He had just received a letter from his eldest son expressing his concerns about the saltpeter problem, and Su Ze immediately proposed a solution.

Zhang Juzheng glanced at Gao Gong again.

Even if I come to power one day, Su Zilin must stay!
Gao Gong cleared his throat and said:
"Please feel free to share your thoughts."

Just as Zhang Juzheng was about to speak, Lei Li, the Minister of Water Conservancy and Railways, spoke first:

"Prime Minister, I believe that Su Zilin's memorial is to the point of addressing the current problems. Saltpeter is related to firearms and is the lifeblood of the country. It must be strictly managed."

"In my opinion, a Saltpeter Monopoly Bureau should be established under the Ministry of Works, and the saltpeter monopoly should be placed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Works."

As soon as Lei Li finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to Zhang Juzheng.

The term "榷卖" (que mai) immediately suggests that it falls within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue.

Zhang Juzheng was very powerful in the cabinet, and he did not allow anyone else to interfere in anything related to the Ministry of Revenue.

Now that Lei Li has proposed to establish a monopoly bureau in the Ministry of Works, isn't this a slap in the face to the Ministry of Revenue?
Even Gao Gong, the chief minister, looked at Zhang Juzheng.

In Gao Gong's view, it was a good thing for him, the Grand Secretary, to have Lei Li step forward and challenge Zhang Juzheng.

In recent days, Zhang Juzheng has repeatedly used the Ministry of Revenue's budget to pressure other cabinet ministers into complying with his opinions.

Although Zhang Juzheng was only addressing the issues at hand, the atmosphere within the cabinet was becoming increasingly tense.

As the Grand Secretary, Gao Gong naturally did not want Zhang Juzheng to benefit the Ministry of Personnel and affect all national affairs. Otherwise, who would be the Grand Secretary?

Zhang Juzheng instinctively wanted to object.

But as soon as he opened his mouth, he closed it again.

If Zhang Juzheng hadn't visited the Ministry of Revenue today and seen what the Sichuan Department looked like, he certainly wouldn't have minded adding another authority to the Ministry of Revenue.

However, what Zhang Juzheng saw today made him doubt the capabilities of the Ministry of Revenue.

What if this monopoly bureau is handed over to the Ministry of Revenue, and it still can't be managed well in the end?
As Cai Lixing said, the Ministry of Revenue officials did not understand saltpeter, and there was a shortage of manpower. What should be done if this affected saltpeter production?
Therefore, Zhang Juzheng did not speak this time.

Since Zhang Juzheng did not express his opinion, the other cabinet ministers naturally agreed with Lei Li's opinion.

When the final draft was being voted on, Zhang Juzheng also signed his support statement.

Even Grand Secretary Gao Gong was quite puzzled. Had Grand Secretary Zhang changed his ways today?
However, since the cabinet had reached a consensus and it was a memorial submitted by Su Ze and the Crown Prince, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs naturally had no other opinions, and the Longqing Emperor decisively approved the memorial.
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The memorial requesting a monopoly on the sale of saltpeter was passed.

The Saltpeter Monopoly Bureau under the Ministry of Works was established, and saltpeter workshops sprang up throughout the country.

The formalized saltpeter monopoly system boosted merchants' enthusiasm for investing in saltpeter plants, and more new technologies were applied to saltpeter production, with methods such as "cellar soil saltpeter cultivation" and "cave saltpeter cultivation" emerging one after another.

Progress has also been made in saltpeter purification technology, with improvements to the leaching method leading to further increases in saltpeter purity.

Both the quantity and quality of saltpeter produced in the Ming Dynasty saw an increase.

However, the vested interests formed under the saltpeter monopoly later prevented the import of South American saltpeter after its discovery.

The dynasty's fate remains unchanged.

[Prestige Value +200]

[Remaining Prestige: 1260]

Indeed, any group, once its interests are firmly established, will use its monopoly position to suppress new productivity.

South American nitrate mines are the most convenient source of nitrate.

It seems that once we unlock the technology for long-distance trade, we'll need to send our fleet to South America to mine, at which point we can abolish the saltpeter monopoly.
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At the end of September, the Crown Prince saw off Li Wenquan, the heir of the Earl of Wuqing, at the Eastern Palace.

Li Wenquan is about to travel to Laizhou to lead the Woyin Company's caravan to Japan.

On this voyage, Li Wenquan loaded the fleet with a full load of cargo.

Fangshan's glass products, popular European black tea, various inexpensive iron products, popular grassland sugarcane wine, and high-end soaps.

There are also traditional specialties of the Ming Dynasty, such as silk, cotton cloth, and porcelain.

Saltpeter, arquebuses, and breech-loading cannons were produced under a special license granted by the imperial court.

This time, Li Wenquan even brought a batch of Japanese swords with him.

In the past, Japanese swords were exported from Japan to the Ming Dynasty. However, after the rapid development of steelmaking technology, Ming Dynasty craftsmen discovered that making Japanese swords was actually very easy.

High-quality steel doesn't actually require much forging to naturally produce good weapons.

Japanese swords were a luxury item and were in demand in the Ming Dynasty, so craftsmen in the capital region began to imitate them.

Despite being works by Ming Dynasty craftsmen, they were labeled as Japanese swords and were able to sell for high prices.

The story later turned out to be quite funny.

A nobleman who had bought a "Ming Dynasty Japanese sword" showed it off to another nobleman who possessed a genuine Japanese sword.

The two agreed to a sword duel, and in the end, the Ming Dynasty's steel sword actually cut through the real Japanese sword!

The nobleman who possessed the genuine Japanese sword was indignant upon learning the truth and reported it directly to the police, which led to the closure of the workshop that produced the fake swords.

After receiving the news, Li Wenquan found the workshop and had them forge 200 Japanese swords.

Anyway, steel was cheap in the Ming Dynasty, so the cost of this batch of Japanese swords was very low.

If they just can't be sold, then they can go to Japan for a spin and come back as genuine Japanese swords.

Of course, it would be best if this batch of Japanese swords could be successfully exported.

The Japanese have been selling Ming Dynasty swords for so many years; it's time they got their money back.

Little Fatty Jun was very reluctant to part with his uncle, who always brought back many new and interesting stories every time he came back. In the end, Li Wenquan promised to write back often, and only then did Little Fatty Jun feel willing to say goodbye.

(End of this chapter)