Chapter 271: His Majesty has finished speaking; does anyone have any objections?

Just how many deep-seated abuses Emperor Yingzong left behind, Zhu Yijun did not know, nor did Wan Shihe, who was well-versed in historical records. Even if one were to ask Emperor Yingzong himself, it is estimated that he would not know when these "Righteous Officials" of the Great Ming Dynasty actually appeared.

Terms like "Transferred Officials" and "Righteous Officials" were merely synonyms for selling offices and trading titles.

When Wu Di of Han first began selling offices and trading titles, he sold titles that were famous in name but empty in reality, representing only social status. Later, he began selling clerkships, and from clerkships to official positions, every post was clearly priced. Once officials held power, every investment became worthwhile, as it could all be extorted back from the land and the common people.

Wu Di of Han sold offices to fund the decisive battle against the Xiongnu. As for Emperor Yingzong, what was it for? Likely for nothing at all; it was just that the court officials spoke of it so often that he simply agreed.

Selling offices and trading titles would cause systematic and severe damage to the Great Ming's civil service, but if you were to explain the dangers to Emperor Yingzong, Zhu Qizhen, he likely would not understand.

Selling offices and trading titles was considered a sign of a nation's downfall and had been condemned by scholars for many years. Yet, from the Zhengtong era to the Wanli era, over a hundred years, no one had the determination to abolish this system. The reasons behind this naturally included the fact that the ancestral laws could not be violated, as well as the tacit inaction of the court officials.

It was only the common people who suffered, not those whose own interests were damaged. Moreover, one could seek private gain from it—how could it not be wonderful?

Tightening the entry for official selection was the core of this year's civil service reform. Once passed by the court, from then on, the Great Ming court would no longer grant official status to "Righteous Officials." This would be extremely beneficial for the integrity of the Great Ming's civil service.

"I am rather opposed to this 'one-size-fits-all' approach," Wang Cifu Wang Chonggu suddenly spoke up, stating his position.

Hence Hai Rui fell silent for a moment, looking at Wang Chonggu with a furrowed brow. After a brief moment of contemplation, his brow gradually smoothed out, and he echoed, "I also oppose abolishing them altogether."

"His Majesty and the Earl of Yicheng once discussed in the lecture hall that a policy not only has benefits but also drawbacks. One must discuss its costs; otherwise, one must oppose it. What is the cost of cutting off the 'Righteous Officials' in one stroke?"

"'Righteous Officials' have their necessity in Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, and Qiongzhou."

These places have a large number of hereditary chieftains, and the subtle process of "replacing chieftains with appointed officials" in these areas also requires these "Righteous Officials." Those who pass the imperial examinations disdain to fill such posts. Even if a successful candidate from the examinations is a provincial graduate, they might be promoted to a high official, but the result of filling a 'Righteous Official' post is at most becoming a clerk with official status; the ceiling is very low.

Hence Hai Rui was from Hainan, and the replacement of chieftains with appointed officials in Qiongzhou was all done using "Righteous Officials."

Wan Shihe shook his head and said, "An official status costs forty taels of silver. In one county, over three hundred people are appointed in a dozen years. These people shield each other and engage in corruption. Even when a court-appointed official arrives, they still have to look at their faces. Where is the majesty of the court? Where is the ritual law? The Ministry of Personnel is not looking for trouble; it is a practical necessity."

"The 'Method of Examination' has tightened the assessments. If this pocket for selecting officials is not sewn shut, no matter how many leaks you plug, you won't be able to stop the drain."

"Replacing chieftains with appointed officials—changing chieftains to be managed by court-appointed officials—is the process of the court turning areas into counties. This process is naturally inevitable. After cutting off the 'Righteous Officials' in one stroke, if it affects the replacement process, we can think of other ways. The Great Ming has no shortage of anything else, but scholars with two legs are everywhere. Those willing to serve as appointed officials can be granted the status of 'Presented Scholar' through special imperial examinations."

Lu Diaoyang coughed lightly; the gunpowder smell of this court discussion was truly too heavy.

Wan Shihe was engaging in a bit of personal attack here. His words sounded like he was saying Hence Hai Rui's background was poor, being only a provincial graduate. After all, the special imperial examination 'Presented Scholar' status was for provincial graduates, and it was only because Hence Hai Rui received this status that he could rank among the court officials and become one of the high officials.

Wan Shihe's meaning was that replacing chieftains was a minor evil, while selling offices was a major evil, but in his words, he attacked Hence Hai Rui, who was a provincial graduate.

Hence Hai Rui did not refute him. His background was indeed poor; he was just a provincial graduate. Since Wan Shihe was being so snide and sharp, Hence Hai Rui could not refute him, so he chose not to.

"Grand Minister Wan," Zhu Yijun spoke up. He looked at Wan Shihe and said, "Background is just background. Grand Censor Hai began serving as the Magistrate of Chunan in the 37th year of Jiajing. As soon as he took office, he began measuring land. In those days, who dared to measure land? It wasn't like now, but Grand Censor Hai dared to be the first in the world back then."

"After the land measurement, the people of Chunan began to return, increasing by three Battalion Commander in one year. This was the merit of measuring land and equalizing taxes. Later, he promoted the 'Baojia' system, and within a few years, he wiped out mountain bandits and outlaws. He established community schools, and five out of ten households in Chunan became literate."

The 'Baojia' system was not actually a new method; it was organizing militias and local braves. In three years, he wiped out the mountain bandits and outlaws within Chunan. While serving as Magistrate of Chunan, Hence Hai Rui also established community schools. Community schools were one of the policies promoted by the Founding Emperor, which was primary education.

Zhu Yijun continued, "The son of Minister Hu Zongxian passed through Chunan County. The county post-station runner angered Minister Hu's son, who hung the runner upside down and wanted to whip him. Grand Censor Hai arrested Minister Hu's son and reported the matter to Hu Zongxian. Hu Zongxian did not punish him, but instead scolded his own son for being harsh to the common people."

"This is Grand Censor Hai's lack of fear of power."

Hence Hai Rui arresting Hu Zongxian's son and Hu Zongxian's reaction fulfilled both of their reputations. If Hu Zongxian had punished Hence Hai Rui, both would have suffered. Hu Zongxian was never a petty person; he did indeed serve Yan Song and Yan Shifan, but that was for the sake of the grand plan to pacify the Japanese pirates, a necessity.

Rehabilitating Hu Zongxian was a trend after Xu Jie fell from power in the second year of Longqing. Zhu Yijun had also very seriously examined Hu Zongxian's character and conduct. Based solely on his merit in pacifying the Japanese pirates, it was enough to clear his name. After a detailed understanding, in terms of private morality, Hu Zongxian was also a very good person.

Minister Hu's own son was arrested by a small magistrate, yet he did not seek trouble for the magistrate, but instead sought trouble for his own son.

"Your Majesty, Minister Hu originally replied to my letter, only saying that he had not restrained his family strictly, and did not lecture me a single word." Hence Hai Rui spoke of the past, an old story that His Majesty actually knew. Hu Zongxian did not shield his own family.

Hu Zongxian was indeed not upright enough, because it could be verified that Hu Zongxian was indeed corrupt. Every year, he gave Yan Song and Yan Shifan large amounts of silver, accumulating countless wealth through the salt taxes of Zhejiang, earning the nickname "Viceroy of the Bai Yin Mountain." Part of this silver flowed into the pockets of Yan Song and Yan Shifan, part was used to pacify the Japanese pirates, part was used to recruit desperate people, such as the pirate Wang Zhi, and part was used to support his own staff.

These were Hu Zongxian's definite crimes, but the reason the Emperor rehabilitated Hu Zongxian was that his merits outweighed his faults.

"Grand Minister Wan, a poor background is not a problem." Zhu Yijun looked at Wan Shihe, his tone very calm, but the meaning of the lesson in his words was self-evident.

Wan Shihe was shocked. His Majesty was not criticizing him because he spoke about Hence Hai Rui—one shouldn't expose others' shortcomings when scolding—so why scold him? Everyone arguing back and forth over a policy was very common.

His Majesty was blaming him for valuing background more than the person, just like Wang Shizhen of a noble family scolding Zhang Juzheng for his military household background, saying he hadn't washed the mud off his legs.

"Your subject will respectfully follow the holy instruction." Wan Shihe hurriedly bowed his head. Wan Shihe discovered that he was really not suited for the Ministry of Personnel; the Ministry of Rites suited him better.

"When the 'Righteous Officials' system was first promoted in the early Zhengtong era, it was also promoted in Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Qiongzhou, and other places. However, after a while, it became what it is now." Wan Shihe further explained his thoughts. His Majesty lectured him, but he still wanted to cut it off in one stroke and investigate old cases. Wan Shihe discovered that the original purpose of this policy was to replace chieftains with appointed officials. Once this opening was made, it immediately spread from Yunnan and Guizhou to the whole world, with endless poison.

Wan Shihe still insisted on cutting it off in one stroke. This was the result of the Ministry of Personnel's discussion. As a high official of the Ministry of Personnel, he had to stand up for this matter.

Zhu Yijun looked at Wan Shihe and said, "The Master once said, 'To correct a wrong, one must go beyond the right.' I believe that to eradicate deep-seated abuses, the appointment of 'Righteous Officials' should be abolished entirely. For the replacement of chieftains with appointed officials, use the method mentioned by Grand Minister Wan. After nine years of service, grant the status of 'Presented Scholar' through special imperial examinations."

Zhang Juzheng once submitted a memorial called "Memorial on Six Matters." This memorial was the programmatic document for Zhang Juzheng's new policies, and the phrase "To correct a wrong, one must go beyond the right" came from Zhang Juzheng's discussion on self-reflection.

The first matter of the "Memorial on Six Matters" was to consolidate the foundation of the nation, saying: "However, your subject humbly believes that those who correct a wrong must go beyond the right. When the people are poor and wealth is exhausted, if we do not painfully save and economize, I fear we cannot be saved. I hope Your Majesty will sympathize with the poverty of the people, grant grace to the foundation of the nation, and stop and exempt all non-urgent projects and useless levies, promoting frugality to be the first in the world."

Zhang Juzheng clearly demanded frugality from the Emperor. This boomerang had already hit Zhang Juzheng. How could there be an Emperor who secretly hid in the Zhao Wenhua Hall to watch the excitement with a telescope just to avoid giving silver rewards!

Zhu Yijun did not like Wan Shihe judging people by their background. After all, under the current Great Ming 'Method of Examination,' even clerks could obtain official status. Officials and clerks had been people from two different worlds since ancient times. Zhang Juzheng used ancestral laws as an excuse to break the path of upward mobility.

This one sentence from Wan Shihe was going to offend quite a few people.

However, Zhu Yijun still agreed with Wan Shihe's idea: cut it off in one stroke, first eradicate the deep-seated abuses, and abolish this selling of offices and trading of titles. If it affects the replacement of chieftains, use special imperial examinations to grant 'Presented Scholar' status to reward and punish, and continue to promote it.

Solving one contradiction will lead to new ones; this is inevitable. Selling offices and trading titles had already developed to the point of taking loans to pay for the price of 'Righteous Officials' and then extorting from the common people.

Moreover, this account did not pass through the court's accounts, which meant it could not be audited. Even in the local areas, it was a mess of bad accounts. This had reached the point where it had to be done and was imperative.

"Your subjects will obey the decree." Lu Diaoyang saw that His Majesty had synthesized everyone's words and still wanted to eradicate the deep-seated abuses, so stopping the official status of 'Righteous Officials' was fine. The seals and headwear of official status came from the court. If the court tightened its pocket, it could indeed purge the trend of selling offices and trading titles.

Lu Diaoyang summarized the Ministry of Personnel's memorial and wrote it on a floating note. Zhu Yijun picked up the Wanli Seal and stamped it on the memorial. The Wenyuange would draft the decree and pass it to all four directions.

Only by giving up can one gain.

The early Wanli era was not the late Ming. The Emperor's imperial edicts and the court's regulations still had great administrative power. After the 13th year of Wanli, administrative power began to fall off a cliff, eventually losing the ability to control the world.

Military power, financial power, and personnel power were three very important explicit powers. The Wanli Emperor exiled Qi Jiguang to Guangzhou and then dismissed him. The 120,000 Beijing troops left by Zhang Juzheng for the Wanli Emperor began to have their pay in arrears, and many Beijing soldiers deserted. This was the loss of military power. Abolishing the 'Single Whip Law' and the results of measuring land and returning it to the people was the loss of financial power. Abolishing the 'Method of Examination,' the 'Grass List,' and the 'Bottom Register' was the abolition of personnel power.

"Minister of Rites Ma Ziqiang submitted a memorial requesting the selection of officials and the examination of educational officials on the 'Contradiction Theory' and mathematics." Lu Diaoyang held a memorial, continuing to tighten the pocket and the threshold for selecting officials and appointing personnel.

"Who will set the exam questions?" Wang Chonggu reached forward and said, "No matter who sets them, they must be approved by His Majesty's vermilion brush."

"Currently, it is tentatively decided that His Majesty will set the questions." Lu Diaoyang answered Wang Chonggu's key question. Where the exam papers for the 'Contradiction Theory' and mathematics for selecting officials and educational officials came from, and who would supervise them, became a problem.

Zhu Yijun said with great regret, "If the Master were still in court, naturally the Master would lead the Imperial Academy and the Hanlin Academy to set and print the papers, and I would review them, just like the imperial examinations. But the Master is not in the court, and I am young and inexperienced, so it can only be like this. Everyone, do not worry; it will not come from the inner office, but from the Royal Academy of Investigation of Things."

The Emperor sets the questions, the Emperor reviews them, the Royal Academy of Investigation of Things is responsible for printing the papers and organizing the exams, the Beijing troops are responsible for security, and the Emperor sends people to grade the papers.

This was the process given by Ma Ziqiang. If Zhang Juzheng were here, the Wenyuange, Hanlin Academy, and Imperial Academy would set and print the papers, and the Imperial Academy and Hanlin Academy would organize the exams. The Royal Academy of Investigation of Things would have nothing to do with it. But in the current situation, the Emperor does not trust the officials, and Zhang Juzheng is not in court, so it can only be done this way.

This is because the Emperor has a knot in his heart that cannot be untied. The assassination attempt on the Emperor was the beginning of the Emperor's invigoration, and the fire set by Zhang Siwei that burned the palace burned away the Emperor's last trust in the court officials. Then, with the ambush at Xishan, the Emperor's attitude toward the court officials had completely turned into suspicion.

Blame the Emperor for being narrow-minded? Why not blame this gang of thieves for not having a submissive heart? This is the Great Ming Dynasty under imperial rule. Political faith should first be loyalty to the monarch. Under such a system, so many strange things happened; who to blame?

"His Majesty has finished speaking; does anyone have any objections?" Lu Diaoyang looked around, and after no one opposed, this proposal passed the court discussion.

Important matters must pass through court discussion; this was the rein Zhang Juzheng put on himself in the "Memorial on Five Matters." Now, this was Zhang Juzheng's important political legacy. As for Ma Ziqiang's memorial to examine the 'Contradiction Theory' and mathematics, in the past, His Majesty could have bypassed the court officials to promote it. Now, he let the court officials know in advance.

"'Wang Chonggu has the son of a murderer below, and serves a monarch who flatters and gathers wealth above. He seeks favor and holds his position, blowing bubbles in a scorched pot and licking the remaining grease from a fierce blade.' Censor Chen Yanping impeached Wang Cifu Wang Chonggu for gathering wealth and seeking profit, and shielding his family's illegal acts." Lu Diaoyang held a memorial in his hand and asked suspiciously, "The son of a murderer? Doesn't the Wang Cifu only have one son, Wang Qian?"

"Yes, just that one son, and a daughter. My wife passed away and I did not remarry, and I have no concubines." Wang Chonggu scratched his head and said helplessly.

Wang Chonggu had only one son and one daughter, and no children born of concubines. His family structure was very simple. His daughter married Yang Bo's son, and even caused the matter of usurping the golden title. Wang Chonggu was almost indulgent toward his children.

"What does this 'son of a murderer' mean?" Lu Diaoyang did not understand at all what this Chen Yanping was impeaching. The key was that Chen Yanping's words were unclear; he didn't write it clearly in the memorial, just saying that Wang Chonggu had a son who committed murder.

"Sigh." Wang Chonggu let out a heavy sigh, thought about it, and said helplessly, "Isn't this the matter that Zhang Siwei caused back then? My son bribed Zhang Siwei's attendant to poison Zhang Siwei. That time Zhang Siwei was carried to the Dissection Institute. Chen Yanping didn't know where he found out, but before the impeachment, he had already come to ask me."

Zhang Siwei was still alive, alive in the Dissection Institute, the kind that would never come out again.

"Ah?!" Lu Diaoyang's eyes widened, and the court officials' gazes all fell on Wang Chonggu, their eyes full of shock!

"This!" Hence Hai Rui had always known that Wang Qian was wicked. Wang Qian's way of fighting corruption was really too wild, bribing everywhere.

So it wasn't Chen Yanping making a false accusation; Wang Chonggu's son really hired a killer! The key was that he killed Zhang Siwei. One must know that Zhang Siwei was Wang Chonggu's own nephew. This was truly ruthless.

If you want people not to know, you shouldn't do it.

Wang Qian hiring a killer to poison Zhang Siwei had always been an unsolved case. Because of Zhang Siwei's status as a traitor, there was not much investigation. In fact, many court officials guessed that the Emperor had poisoned him directly, but logically it didn't make sense. Since Zhang Siwei was carried to the Dissection Institute, the Emperor only needed to signal the Dissection Institute to let him die, but the result was that Zhang Siwei was saved.

Chen Yanping finding out about this was purely a coincidence. The person Wang Qian bribed happened to be Chen Yanping's fellow villager.

"Yang Bo told me that Zhang Siwei was wavering, fearing he would harm the Jin Party, and had many crazy and evil theories. Under my instruction, my son wanted to solve the hidden danger once and for all." Wang Chonggu chose to bear this infamy himself. This matter was done by Wang Qian, but he took the blame.

Zhu Yijun looked at the stunned expressions of the officials and said, "I knew about this matter."

This bombshell exploded, leaving the officials in a daze. So the Emperor also knew. This case was truly too explosive; the officials all had to slow down to accept it.

Zhang Siwei overturned the Jin Party. The court was actually a bit wary of the Jin Party. Plus, Wang Chonggu went back and plugged the hole in the Great Wall's construction, settling 190,000 displaced tenant farmers. Zhu Yijun could also tolerate the existence of the Jin Party. But then a Zhang Siwei appeared, intensifying the contradiction between the Emperor and the Jin Party to an irreconcilable point.

At that time, the Jin Party faced a choice: follow Zhang Siwei in committing a great rebellion, or kill Zhang Siwei, this black sheep.

Rebellion is a matter that cannot bypass one problem, and that is Qi Jiguang. Qi Jiguang led 100,000 elite troops guarding the Jimen Pass. To rebel, one had to face Qi Jiguang and his 100,000 mighty troops.

The Emperor knew about this but did not investigate. So, should this case be investigated or not?

From the perspective of criminal law, hiring a killer to commit murder is a great crime. But from the perspective of the court, this matter cannot be looked at that way at all. If Wang Qian's responsibility were to be pursued, wouldn't that mean sympathizing with Zhang Siwei?

Why didn't Chen Yanping make it clear? He didn't want to impeach Wang Chonggu and bear the infamy of sympathizing with Zhang Siwei.

Zhang Siwei's reputation was foul. Even the Restorationists felt that Zhang Siwei's fighting methods were too childish. Burning the palace was simply not advisable. The Great Ming was of the Fire Virtue; the Emperor was not afraid of fire at all. Emperor Chengzu moved to his new residence for four months, and the three great halls were burned. Emperor Wuzong even personally lit the Qianqing Palace. Emperor Shizong, the Daoist, experienced two fires.

The Great Ming was of the Fire Virtue; burning cannot kill the Emperor. One must drown him.

The court officials were suddenly stunned and could not deal with it at all.

"Your subject did not restrain his family strictly, I beg to resign and return to my hometown." Wang Chonggu chose to be decent. Since this matter was already known, he might as well resign. Now there was plenty of surplus wealth at home, so much that Wang Chonggu was a little frightened. He would just resign and return to his hometown, traveling through mountains and rivers, pouring his feelings into the landscape.

"Not allowed. At that time, Zhang Siwei didn't die. This matter need not be discussed further." Zhu Yijun made a disposal. This matter stopped at the Zhao Wenhua Hall and didn't need to be discussed anymore. If it were discussed further, Zhu Yijun would say that he had long ago sensed Zhang Siwei's rebellious heart and instructed Wang Qian to do it. He wanted to see how the court officials would respond.

Some things are indeed not suitable for getting to the bottom of. Wang Qian's attempt to poison Zhang Siwei and Gao Qiyu's exam question "Shun also used Yu" in the Nanya Yingtian Prefecture provincial examination were both problems that could not be deeply investigated. Some things could only be muddled through like this.

Not everything can be investigated; what if something is found?

Impeaching Wang Qian for poisoning Zhang Siwei is not as good as impeaching Wang Chonggu for secretly colluding with the barbarians. After all, Wang Chonggu's relationship with the Three Ladies was really good.

This matter came to an abrupt end. Chen Yanping was not making a false accusation, so naturally, there would be no counter-punishment for false accusation. Wang Chonggu's resignation was naturally not allowed. As for what Wang Qian did, everyone just knew Wang Qian was that kind of person. Zhang Siwei did a great rebellious deed, and Wang Qian was also for the sake of his own nine generations' heads.

Hence Hai Rui submitted a memorial requesting to fight corruption, and it was a normalized anti-corruption and seizure of stolen goods. According to Zhu Yijun's idea, he would directly launch a "Great Denunciation" to fight corruption, which was father denouncing son, son denouncing father. Any valuable clue, as long as it was provided to the court, could receive a reward. However, the Emperor's chaotic order was rejected by Hence Hai Rui.

"Great Denunciation" is actually very difficult to use because it leads to a trend of false accusations. It can indeed find these worms, but it is also easy to mistakenly hurt the good. Moreover, this method will be widely used in officialdom infighting. The court is already rigid and inefficient. Increasing internal friction in infighting will make efficiency even lower, which is not worth the loss.

At this time, Wang Qian, who is unscrupulous and good at bribing, is a very suitable person. Even if it is using a cruel official, it is better than the bad influence caused by "Great Denunciation."

Zhu Yijun finally accepted Hence Hai Rui's statement.

Gao Gong submitted a memorial. Gao Gong was sick, and very sick. He survived the last winter, but his life was not long. Gao Gong submitted a memorial about anti-corruption. Gao Gong's greatest political achievement was anti-corruption. Gao Gong wrote his anti-corruption experience into a memorial and submitted it to the court.

Gao Gong was still that stubborn old man. He clearly told the Emperor that he wanted to abolish the Directorate of Ceremonial in the sixth year of Longqing, entirely because he saw the Emperor was useless. Fortunately, the Emperor turned back from the wrong path, and the Great Ming had hope of revival.

The Wanli Emperor had already started studying in the cabinet in the fourth year of Longqing. Apart from literacy, other progress was worrying. Gao Gong was already seriously ill, but he still looked down on the Wanli Emperor at that time, a weak coward who was neither broad-minded nor firm.

He still did not think that Zhang Juzheng's "Method of Examination" to eliminate the abuse of indulgence was effective. Indeed, the promotion of the court no longer relied on personal relationships, but the current promotion entirely depended on Zhang Juzheng's face. If you are a Zhang Party member, you get promoted; if you are not a Zhang Party member, you cannot get promoted.

The former First Assistant felt that Zhang Juzheng had not eliminated the abuse of indulgence. Like his shielding of the Jin Party, Zhang Juzheng was shielding the Zhang Party. In the future, the Zhang Party would likely be like the Jin Party, usurping the power and prestige of the monarch. I hope the Emperor will pay attention to this matter.

Zhu Yijun finished reading Gao Gong's memorial and looked at Lu Diaoyang, saying, "I know why the Master would rather abandon me and go to Xishan to observe mourning. The Master feared that what Gao Gong said would happen, so he insisted on observing mourning."

The Emperor's vermilion comment on Gao Gong's memorial also meant this: "What you said, the Master also worried about, so he insisted on observing mourning and resigning to avoid it. You should rest well. I will send a great physician. The great physician has superb medical skills. Let's see the Great Ming revive again."

Gao Gong was not a sycophant, but Zhu Yijun just didn't like this stubborn old man.

Gao Gong could not die yet. He had to watch, watch the Great Ming revive, watch the Great Ming get better little by little. Even if he died, he had to die convinced.

Minister of War Tan Lun submitted a memorial. The content was a bit strange, talking about a matter on the border, called "sleeping on weapons and waiting for dawn," which was sleeping on weapons in the physical sense.

When sleeping at night, do not take off your armor, and remember to put your weapons in a place where you can reach them easily.

This was a sentence that old soldiers of the Nine Borders would say to new soldiers, because it was really dangerous.

"Border defense is corrupt, people's hearts have been playing around for a long time, funds are scarce, and they still use empty words to deal with it. Its corruption is not accumulated in a day or night, and eliminating its abuses is not a day's work."

Tan Lun's memorial proposed a method, a method and standard for rectifying military equipment. Now the court no longer owes pay. The border promotes with camps and forts, then examines with camps and forts. If effective, reward; if not effective, punish. This will be for a few years to seek the invigoration of military equipment.

Opening the border, the battle line, is the examination standard for rewards and punishments given by the court. Camps and forts advance, step by step. The Nine Borders military towns use camps and forts to farm and fight. They don't require killing many enemies, only requiring the promotion of military farming and guard stations.

The battle line will not lie after all.

Zhu Yijun talked with Tan Lun for a long time, and finally decided to examine the Nine Borders with this. The Beijing troops expanded the territory by 800 miles, and the border troops expanded the territory by 10 miles a year. The evaluation is top-tier, 5 miles is medium, and losing ground is bottom-tier, holding accountable for defeat.

Blood flows into the sea at the border, and the Wu Di's intention to open the border has not yet stopped.

This policy is a lazy policy that ignores the contradiction between the local area and the barbarians. It is the Emperor's militarism, and it is also the best method the court can come up with at present to invigorate the border troops. Even if there is no great merit in pioneering, there must be the ability to fight and defend, rather than hiding in the camps and forts as soon as the enemy comes, without any heart to fight and defend. And Tan Lun did not blame the border troops in the memorial. Before, the court's funds were scarce, and pay was seriously in arrears. Not a single tael of silver or grain was given. Shooting three arrows at the sky before the battle was already worthy of the Emperor.

If you don't have rice in your hand, even if you call the chicken, it won't respond.

Tan Lun really didn't like others defining Wang Chonggu as a minister who gathers wealth and seeks profit, but changed it to a neutral term, "shouldering the strategy of economy."

Maintaining the operation of the court requires real gold and silver, and material foundations such as rice, flour, grain, and oil, not empty words. Empty words cannot make the soldiers on the front line sell their lives.

Enriching the country and strengthening the army, promoting culture and invigorating martial arts, are the two core threads of the Great Ming Wanli New Policy.

"Is the Grand Minister going to resign again? Is he sick?" Zhu Yijun asked with some doubt. Tan Lun wanted to resign again, but the great physician said Tan Lun was in good health and had no abnormalities.

"Heart disease." Tan Lun said with some annoyance, "The front line won a great victory, and it has nothing to do with your subject. But the generals on the front line are flattering, and His Majesty's rewards are constant. Your subject is really ashamed to receive them, so I resign!"

Not letting him go to the front line to fight is fine, but this great victory at the border, he still has to be humiliated in various ways, saying he has great achievements. This life cannot be lived!

Ask for monthly tickets, Aowu!!!!!!!!! The medal for 10,000 subscriptions has arrived, hehe.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 272 =====