The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 280 Deceiving Foreigners
Wang Chengbi's brows remained furrowed after hearing Jiang Han's words, clearly still worried.

He leaned closer and lowered his voice:
"Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, we should still be careful of what these missionaries might do behind the scenes."

"What if these people secretly recruit followers and become too powerful to control?"

He looked up, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.
"The example of the White Lotus Sect is still fresh in our minds."

Jiang Han wasn't particularly worried about the issue of Western missionaries.

The people of the Ming Dynasty were not like the primitive tribes and savages of Africa and the Americas.

A civilization that has been passed down for thousands of years has its own foundation and resilience.

In terms of transcending the world, Buddhism and Taoism have deeply penetrated people's hearts; in terms of engaging with the world, Confucianism has permeated the very fabric of this great Eastern nation.

How easy would it be for a Western religious sect from thousands of miles away to take root in this land without undergoing a complete transformation?

Even in later times, churches had to rely on giving away eggs and milk to barely attract some bargain hunters from the common people.

Once you've got the benefits, who'll still listen to your ramblings about the gospel and the holy religion?
However, Wang Chengbi's words were not entirely wrong. We should indeed be wary of those with ulterior motives who use the name of foreign religious sects to distort doctrines and create trouble.

Your concerns are not unfounded.

Jiang Han tapped his fingers lightly on the table and pondered for a moment,

“These devout believers often do not engage in production and act in an extreme manner. They need to be properly disciplined.”

He pondered for a moment, then summoned the eunuch who was standing nearby.

"Get a pen and paper!"

Soon, a young eunuch dressed in a blue robe strode in, holding paper and pen in his hands, and bowed as he waited.

"I said, you remember."

"After you finish writing it down, immediately send it to Chief Clerk Zhao of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Rites."

The young eunuch nodded, quickly picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and held his breath in concentration.

Jiang Han leaned back in his chair, listing the orders one by one:

"The Ministry of Rites is hereby ordered to integrate the existing Buddhist and Taoist Registries into a single new government office, effective immediately."

"The new government office will be called the Zongyi Academy, which will be in charge of all religious affairs."

"Whether they worship Buddha, practice Taoism, or believe in the Western God, all monks and priests must be registered and placed under the jurisdiction of the Religious Affairs Institute."

"Furthermore, these people also need to be taxed, and I want them to be taxed heavily!"

“All religious personnel are not allowed to preach without a certificate of ordination from the Zongyi Academy, and they are not even allowed to wear monk’s robes or Taoist robes.”

"Anyone who dares to wear this without permission will be punished as an usurper!"

"Furthermore, we need to make the Cult of the Rites consciously reduce the number of believers in those Western sects and find ways to create obstacles for them."

"For example, we could impose a 10% religious tax on these believers, or simply restrict their entry into officialdom through the imperial examinations... These kinds of measures require macro-level policy control."

"Alright, that's all for now. Let's leave it to Manager Zhao to handle."

The young eunuch finished recording everything word for word, bowed to accept the order, and quickly left the Cunxin Hall, his figure disappearing swiftly into the depths of the corridor.

Jiang Han nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Wang Chengbi:

"The Western countries have sent their best people to the East to spread Christianity, so we might as well make good use of them."

“We need to squeeze every last drop of talent out of these people, so that they always feel that with a little more effort they can build a church and with a little more effort they can gain a large number of believers.”

"This way they will continuously bring over new knowledge and new technologies."

Wang Chengbi carefully considered Jiang Han's series of arrangements and then suddenly realized what was going on.

The King of Han was not condoning missionary work at all; he was clearly treating these missionaries as a granary for storing knowledge, and would go and harass them whenever he had a chance.

Only if these missionaries always hold onto hope will they willingly bring the knowledge and technology of Western countries to Sichuan.

As long as the Western armies cannot cross the sea and overwhelm the Han army by force, they will never be able to truly spread their religion freely.

As for the King of Han, he only needed to issue a few decrees, such as using taxation to restrict the lower-level believers and using the prospect of passing the imperial examination to threaten the middle-level scholar-officials.

In this way, Catholicism would be like a rootless duckweed, never able to expand on a large scale, and could only beg for survival under the nose of the Han King.

To be honest, Wang Chengbi didn't understand these Western elites at all.

These people are all outstanding individuals, and for the sake of so-called missionary work, they have gone to great lengths, even crossing oceans to come to the Ming Dynasty to spread their faith.

does it worth?
As he was pondering this, a report suddenly came from outside the hall:

"Your Majesty, Chief Clerk Zhao from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Rites, Chief Clerk Li from the Grain Tax Office, and Master Craftsman Zhuang from the Ministry of Works are waiting to see you outside the palace."

Upon hearing the sound, Wang Chengbi immediately and tactfully stood up:
"Since Your Majesty has other important matters to attend to, I will take my leave now."

Jiang Han nodded, got up and personally escorted him to the palace gate, and then welcomed Zhao Sheng, Li Liyuan and Zhuang Qirong in.

Upon seeing that the King of Han personally greeted and saw them off, the three were flattered and immediately bowed in respect.

Jiang Han didn't exchange many pleasantries and went straight to the point.

He first looked at Li Liyuan and instructed him:

"Master Li, now that Sichuan has been pacified, your primary task is to clarify taxes and replenish the treasury."

"The size of your grain tax office must also be expanded."

"The original structure of two departments and one battalion will remain unchanged, but subordinate agencies of the Grain Tax Office will be set up at each level in various prefectures, states, and counties to ensure that taxes can be directly collected by the central government."

"The auditors of higher-level departments must strictly supervise the accounts of lower-level departments. All income and expenditure must be clear and traceable; otherwise, they will be punished for corruption!"

"The final compiled accounts must be submitted to me, and a copy must be sent to the Ministry of Revenue for verification."

"The document can only be archived after both parties have verified that there are no errors."

Li Liyuan's expression hardened, and he solemnly replied:

"Your Majesty, I understand! I will certainly not fail in your trust!"

After instructing the Grain Tax Bureau, Jiang Han turned his gaze to Zhao Sheng, who was concurrently in charge of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Rites:
“Master Zhao, you hold two ministries in your capacity. The Ministry of Rites can be put aside for now, but the powers of the Ministry of Revenue need to be clarified again.”

"I have entrusted the matter of taxation to the Grain Tax Bureau, so you don't need to worry about it."

"Your Ministry of Revenue only needs to be responsible for supervision and auditing, and keep a close eye on things for me."

"Furthermore, your Ministry of Revenue must have a thorough understanding of core data such as household registration and land area, and must re-verify them at least every five years without any errors!"

He paused and added:

"As the core department in charge of money and grain, my expectation for the Ministry of Revenue is to gradually transform it into a government office that can make money and spend it wisely."

"From now on, all other departments must prepare a budget in advance for any task they need to undertake, submit it to your Ministry of Revenue for verification, and then submit it to me for final approval."

"Besides that, the most important thing is making money."

Jiang Han turned to look at Zhuang Qirong beside him and explained,
"That's why I called you two here together today."

"We need to have a good discussion about how to increase our income in the future."

"My initial idea is that the Ministry of Works should establish an independent department to specialize in making exquisite objects and then selling them to wealthy people in various places."

“Previously, I confiscated a lot of Western clocks from the Shu Prince’s Mansion. You can try to imitate them, or consult missionaries from the West.”

“Once I can replicate it, I can immediately have caravans bring the Western clocks to the snowy region and sell them to the nobles on the plateau.”

Zhuang Qirong nodded after listening. As long as it wasn't something too complicated, it wouldn't be difficult for the skilled craftsmen in his Ministry of Works.

After a moment's thought, Zhao Sheng added:
"Your Majesty, in my opinion, now that Sichuan has been pacified, we must firmly grasp the monopoly on salt and iron."

"Well salt is prevalent in the Sichuan area. It should all be brought under government control, salt officials should be appointed to manage its sale, and private salt dealers should be severely punished."

"As for ironware, that depends on the master craftsmen of the Ministry of Works."

Jiang Han nodded in agreement.
“That makes sense. The salt and iron monopoly is necessary, and it has been the case in every dynasty.”

"However, the price must be set reasonably, because it would be a problem if ordinary people couldn't afford salt."

"Go back and do the math, then set a uniform price."

After settling the matter, Jiang Han looked at Zhuang Qirong and asked:
"Master Craftsman Zhuang, how many craftsmen does your Ministry of Works currently employ?"

What is the production capacity of each type of workshop?

Zhuang Qirong quickly cupped his hands in response, his voice booming:

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Works currently has over 8,400 registered artisans and over 2,000 apprentices."

"Among them, the Iron and Steel Bureau alone had four thousand blacksmiths, the Weaving Bureau had two thousand weavers and dyers, and the newly established Glass Workshop had more than three hundred people."

"The rest, such as carpenters, wheelwrights, and potters, total more than two thousand people."

Jiang Han was still somewhat dissatisfied after hearing this and shook his head:
"This quantity is still too small for a province."

“I have already ordered the Ministry of Education to recruit all kinds of artisans throughout Sichuan, and I have also abolished the Ming Dynasty’s system of artisan households.”

"The craftsmen recruited later will be assessed and screened by your Ministry of Works, and the best candidates will be selected. We must expand the scale of craftsmen as soon as possible."

"One more thing, the master craftsmen in your Ministry of Works are all highly skilled and experienced."

"However, having a special skill is not enough."

Jiang Han changed the subject,
"I hope that you can not only 'know what', but also 'understand why'."

"Don't just blindly forge iron and make tools; it's best to summarize the underlying principles, understand why you do it this way, and what the underlying reasons are." "This is called practicing and studying in parallel."

"Director Wang of the Academy is currently overseeing the compilation of new textbooks. I hope that you craftsmen will also lend a hand."

"If a reliable set of principles can be summarized, I will reward you handsomely, and I will also compile it into a book and include it in textbooks."

Zhuang Qirong was stunned. He subconsciously scratched his head, looking embarrassed.
"Your Majesty...you've really put me in a difficult position."

“We craftsmen have only passed down our skills from generation to generation. We can’t even read many characters, so how can we explain any principles?”

Seeing Zhuang Qirong's expression, Jiang Han realized that he had indeed been asking a difficult question.

After all, craftsmen throughout history have always been like this; without education, they simply cannot record their experience and compile it into books.

Secondly, masters are also afraid that their apprentices will take away their jobs, so they always try to keep some skills to themselves, resulting in many skills being lost as they are passed down.
The most crucial factor was the imperial court. The court only cared about whether the things they produced were usable, and never inquired about the details.

Bureaucrats and scholars deeply influenced by Confucianism would only think these were all ingenious tricks and frivolous skills, not worthy of serious consideration, and would never delve into the underlying principles.
Emphasizing practice over theory has been a weakness of artisans throughout history, and it is difficult to change in a short time.

Jiang Han didn't have a good solution to this either.

He pondered that perhaps he should personally take charge, first compiling some basic mathematics and physics textbooks, submitting them to the faculty, and forcefully promoting science education.

However, this is not a long-term solution.

Apart from Jiang Han, it's likely that no one else could understand these textbooks at all.

Without adequate teaching staff, even if Jiang Han worked himself to death, he wouldn't be able to produce many scientifically competent individuals.

Ten years of trees, a hundred years of trees.

This matter cannot be rushed; we can only proceed step by step.

As they chatted, they didn't realize that it had already gotten dark outside the window.

Suddenly, a report came from outside the hall:

"The Princess Consort has arrived!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Wang Yiying, accompanied by her maid, gracefully stepped into the hall.

She glanced at the candlelight in the hall, then at the tired faces of the people, and sighed helplessly:
"It's so late. Even if Your Majesty is made of iron, shouldn't you let your ministers rest?"

"Although national affairs are important, we still need to maintain a balance between tension and relaxation."

Jiang Han then looked up and saw a full moon hanging outside the window, the candlelight already half an inch long.

"Why has the Princess Consort come? What time is it now?"

Wang Yiying placed a warm cup of ginseng tea in front of Jiang Han and said helplessly:
"It's already past 11 PM."

"You've forgotten the time. The gentlemen are probably already starving and exhausted."

Jiang Han looked around at Zhao Sheng and the others, and sure enough, they looked tired, but they seemed to be forcing themselves to stay awake.

He couldn't help but chuckle, then let out a long sigh of relief:

"I was negligent."

"Alright, that's enough for today. Everyone, go back and get some rest."

"When you get back, remember to make sure things are done properly, and report any problems immediately."

The group felt as if they had been granted a pardon and quickly got up to take their leave.

But Wang Yiying called them back:

"My lords, please wait."

"Thank you all for your hard work. These are some snacks that were just made in the Prince's residence. They're just to tide you over. If you don't mind, please take them back for your families to try."

After saying this, she gestured to the maids behind her to hand several exquisite food boxes to the three ministers.

The group quickly bowed and accepted the gifts, expressing their gratitude:
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness!"

"We will take our leave now."

Jiang Han waved his hand: "Go back, everyone."

After the officials left one after another, Wang Yiying invited a eunuch into the hall and brought several plates of hot dishes to be placed on the table.

A bowl of stewed meat, a plate of stir-fried vegetables, and a bowl of chicken soup—it wasn't a lavish meal, but at least it filled my stomach.

Feng Chengxuan, the captain of the personal guards on duty outside the palace, couldn't help but sigh as he watched this scene.

Back in the military, reminding Jiang Han to eat and rest was his job, but now the princess has taken it all away. Who can he complain to?

Jiang Han ate to his heart's content, wiped his mouth, took Wang Yiying's hand, and chuckled:
"We're full and have the energy, let's go back to the inner courtyard!"

Wang Yiying's cheeks flushed slightly as she let him pull her along, and she quickly walked out.

Once Jiang Han issued the order, all departments immediately took action in accordance with the instructions.

Li Xinghuai from the Ministry of Agriculture personally led a group of people by boat to Laojun Mountain Salt Cave in Jiangyou.

He used both soft and hard tactics to deal with the saltpeter craftsmen who were mostly hidden deep in the mountains.

On the one hand, he announced the new policies of the King of Han, informing the saltpeter craftsmen of the abolition of their craftsman status and promising to purchase saltpeter fairly at the official price. On the other hand, he also vigorously recruited them to join the government-run workshops, providing them with monthly wages and rations and rewards based on their work.
On the other hand, he joined forces with the troops transferred from Jianzhou to block several major exits of the nitrate caves, making it appear as if he were conducting a large-scale search and arrest operation in the mountains.

Tempted by money and threatened by weapons, the saltpeter makers in the deep mountains weighed the pros and cons, and some of them began to venture out of their caves and make contact with the government.

Taking advantage of the momentum, Li Xinghuai immediately submitted a memorial to Jiang Han, establishing a saltpeter production plant in Jiangyou County, directly under the Ministry of Works, specifically responsible for the mining, purchasing, and crude refining of saltpeter.

As for the "fertilizer" that Jiang Han had vaguely mentioned, Li Xinghuai racked his brains but still couldn't figure it out.

Left with no other choice, he could only temporarily record it separately, waiting for Jiang Han to make a decision on it later.

After dealing with the nitrate cave matter in Jiangyou, Li Xinghuai rushed to various places to supervise the implementation of the "government-run composting" policy in various prefectures and counties.

Local government offices organized personnel to set up "cleaning societies" in the city to collect excrement and filth, and set up large-scale government-run composting sites in low-lying areas outside the city for centralized composting and fermentation.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the dry season in winter, the Ministry of Agriculture recruited a large number of laborers during the off-season to dredge river channels and ditches and excavate silt from the riverbed.

These silt piles in the fields can be used directly as high-quality river mud fertilizer after being dried for a period of time.

For a time, the surrounding areas of towns and cities in Sichuan were filled with a strong, sour smell of fermenting feces and silt.

On the other hand, after returning to his office, Wang Chengbi, the principal of the Ministry of Education, immediately sent documents to the schools of all prefectures, states, and counties in Sichuan, posted notices, and informed all the scholars in Sichuan.

In the notice, he set the date for the imperial examination on the tenth day of the ninth month and announced the general scope of the examination and the list of reference books.

In addition to traditional classics, it also includes books such as Xu Guangqi's "Complete Treatise on Agriculture", Jia Sixie's "Essential Techniques for the Common People", as well as "The Arithmetic Classic of the Zhoubi" and "The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art".

This book list, once published, caused a huge stir among the scholars in Sichuan.

Looking at this list, these students who had spent years burying themselves in the Four Books and Five Classics and pondering the eight-legged essay appeared quite bewildered.

Many of them had never even heard of these books, let alone studied or mastered them.

Although there had been some rumors about the imperial examination reform in Baoning Prefecture, most people did not take it seriously, thinking it was just a minor undertaking in a prefecture.

But now that Sichuan has changed hands, new policies have clearly begun.

These students suddenly realized that the imperial examination system, which had been in place for more than two hundred years, could actually be changed just like that.

Some old-fashioned scholars and self-important candidates scoffed at this, publicly expressing their opposition to this "incongruous" new imperial examination system.

But many more astute readers glimpsed the signs of a changing era in it.

This may be a new and smooth path to advancement.

As a result, students from all over Sichuan rushed to buy and try to study exam books in advance.

If they couldn't buy it, they would copy it themselves, which even led to the bizarre phenomenon of paper becoming scarce in Sichuan.

Wang Chengbi himself personally oversaw the compilation of new teaching materials in Chengdu.

Among the most active were two Western missionaries, Fipinto and Giovanni.

They not only devoted all their efforts to compiling knowledge of navigation, astronomy, geography, geometry, and other subjects into written form;

He even wrote a letter overnight and entrusted his colleagues in the church to carry the letter to Macau as quickly as possible.

In the letter, they went to great lengths to describe Jiang Han, praising him as "an enlightened and wise ruler unlike any seen in the East" and claiming that they had encountered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spread their faith.

"Don't miss this opportunity!"

They wrote in the letter,
"Fellow members of our sect, in the distant and mysterious southwest of the Ming Dynasty, we have encountered a truly wise and enlightened monarch—His Highness the Prince of Han!"

"The King of Han not only treated us missionaries with courtesy, but also showed a deep interest in and remarkable insight into Western learning during our conversations."

“Now, Father João and I have been honored to be hired as textbook editors for the highest institution of learning in Sichuan.”

"His Highness the Prince of Han has personally promised that if we perform outstandingly, he will grant our church permission to build churches in Sichuan and spread the gospel!"

"Furthermore, the King of Han mentioned that outstanding individuals would be granted official positions to participate in governing this vast land!"

"Father Giovanni and I are keenly aware of our limited knowledge, and therefore earnestly request that you learned colleagues set off for Chengdu as soon as possible."

"Please be sure to inform our colleagues in Goa, Malacca, Luzon, and other countries of the church."

"This vast land in the East is opening its doors to us."

"Please be sure to bring all the advanced knowledge and technology His Highness the Han King needs, including navigation, cartography, astronomy, geography, and firearms, to the East!"

(End of this chapter)