Chapter 478: The Era of the Benevolent Emperor

History is a circle, turning around and returning to the situation at the beginning of the country.

After recovering places like Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Qian, in order not to suffer in such poor places, there were no shortage of scholars who abandoned their official careers and refused to go to barren places. Zhu Yuanzhang's solution was to kill them if they did not go.

The resistance to the reform of the land system in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Qian did not only come from the resistance of the chieftains themselves, but also from internal contradictions in the imperial court.

Wan Shihe's face was ugly, and the faces of the Great Ming gentlemen were not much better. The folk customs in Liaodong were fierce, the contradictions and conflicts were intense, and it was very barren, with no oil or water to speak of. It would be a ghost if the pampered scholars were willing to go.

Wan Shihe really wanted to bring out the "Great Ming Ancestral Instructions and Great Laws" to deal with it.

This made people like Hou Yuzhao even more valuable.

The Emperor had good credibility. Since he had promised and said that it would be discussed after the victory, then it would be discussed after the victory. The Ministry of Rites could still bear this sandwich pressure.

Zhu Yuanzhang only had Empress Ma and the children born to Empress Ma as family. Zhu Di did not have another child born after Empress Xu died, nor did he appoint another empress. Zhu Zhanji even deposed the empress and appointed another.

The Kong family in Yanzhou had also fallen.

"I will respectfully follow the holy instructions." This was not the first time Wan Shihe had promised, but he had never changed.

Oda Nobunaga either had to admit defeat or fight to Nagasaki; there was no other choice. Those gold, silver, and copper coins he issued would only be exchanged for precious banknotes for circulation. This was a completely predictable future.

This time, Zhu Yijun's tax exemption was not much, just 30,000 shi, a tax exemption of only 15,000 silver, but it was not a small amount. For the border military guards, it was life-saving grain.

"Further reduce the price. With the imperial road directly connected, with ports and shipyards, barrenness is only temporary. If they are unwilling to go, then exile them." Wang Chonggu brought out the old method: reduce the price, and if that doesn't work, exile them.

Sometimes, Wang Chonggu was also very helpless. He was a treacherous official. When he was at Huxu Pass and the Japanese pirates came, he did not avoid or retreat, but went to sea to fight with Yu Dayou. When he was the Viceroy of Xuan-Da, that was a war zone; didn't he go there too?

Who is afraid of whom!

It was another kind of "the king does not see the king." Both were bosses and both had imperial decrees. Since meeting was awkward, they simply did not meet.

After this confusing mutiny, the southern troops who entered the court to fight were suppressed, the credibility of the Great Ming imperial court slipped again, and the Great Ming was in a mess. Who was right and who was wrong, in the end, the Great Ming lost completely.

On this matter, the imperial court absolutely could not retreat. Retreating one step would lead to others pushing for more.

In addition to the annual tribute, the common people of Japan also had segment taxes, building taxes, and various other taxes. The variety of tricks opened the eyes of Xu Wei, Sun Kehong, and Luo Yinghe.

"Count me in when going to heaven," Luo Yinghe said through gritted teeth. Being with a madman would only lead to madness.

Shandong bandits were the best in the world. With the redistribution of the means of production, there were fewer and fewer Shandong bandits; they were either wiped out or recruited.

The twenty-five years of silver settlement fee looked like a lot, but this money often did not reach the soldiers. At that time, corruption was rampant. This money would be stripped of a layer of meat after passing through hands. Secondly, the guest soldiers were brave and good at fighting, and after long-term fighting, they only knew how to kill. Accustomed to military life, their settlement would also lead to becoming bandits, becoming a hidden danger.

Especially since Japan was in a semi-natural, semi-small-scale peasant economic system, it simply could not withstand the impact of precious banknotes.

Ling Yunyi submitted a memorial to the imperial court, requesting to send 1,500 guest soldiers to the Nagasaki Viceroy's Office. After the imperial court replied, Ling Yunyi transferred 1,500 guest soldiers to Nagasaki. The situation in Shandong had already stabilized, and there was no need for so many guest soldiers. Moreover, the guest soldiers had a very high enthusiasm for killing Japanese pirates.

Zhenwu Corps Assistant Regional Commander Ma Gui submitted a very, very long memorial, complaining a lot.

Xu Wei was not crazy from the beginning. He was crazy after Hu Zongxian died in the heavenly prison, and he was imprisoned for seven years and attempted suicide nine times before being saved. Therefore, his actions in Japan were always bold and unrestrained, constantly stimulating Oda Nobunaga. Once Oda Nobunaga attacked the Nagasaki Viceroy's Office, the Great Ming navy would launch a comprehensive attack on Japan and then completely wipe out the Japanese.

If captured by Japanese pirates, what if one had to sell their body? Wouldn't that be a great shame? Even if one didn't have to sell their body, in the future, that group of scholars in the Central Plains would definitely ask why Luo Yinghe was able to survive? It must have been selling their body!

Benevolent Emperor? Ask Zhang Siwei, ask the Kong family, ask the Yang family of Xindu, even ask Wang Chonggu; none of them would get this "benevolent" word.

Benevolence does not command troops. Most of these captives were vicious people. If Pan Jixun did not use thunderous means, how could he deter them? The captives in these captive camps were all consumables. The most difficult and dangerous work in Suiyuan was all done by these captives.

Only an emperor who does not hold power has a favorite woman who is not the empress!

If it weren't for Emperor Yingzong of Ming being too poor and losing too much imperial power, Emperor Xianzong of Ming's Consort Wan would have long been the empress.

Later, the southern troops led by Hu Huai De returned to Jimen, and the 3,000 guest soldiers recruited had to be disbanded after the war, which eventually led to the mutiny over pay.

Afraid? If you are afraid, why take the imperial examination? If you are afraid, why be an official? Wouldn't it be better to be a landlord at home and be rich for a lifetime? Why must you seek fame, and if you don't dare to take any risks, you still want to climb up? You still want to advance?

The key is that these places cannot be forcibly dispatched. If they are unwilling, they will not do things after arriving at the border, and they will even ruin things.

Qi Jiguang was about to return in triumph. The happiest person was Zhang Juzheng. Now, even if the sky truly fell, there was someone tall to hold it up. If it was truly too noisy, then suppress the rebellion!

"What if he attacks?" Provincial Surveillance Commissioner Luo Yinghe asked with some worry.

A piece of news spread back to the capital, making people call it unbelievable!

People like Hou Yuzhao, who were somewhat brainless and didn't care much about their own gains and losses, were truly too few.

Wan Shihe did not say anything more. In fact, he really wanted to say loudly: With the Emperor's doting on the Empress, which concubine would dare to bully the Empress?

They were indeed all madmen. They could not treat their own lives as lives, but they could not treat other people's lives as not lives. Oda Nobunaga was a local. If they really clashed, the casualties would be heavy. It would be better to retreat and plan for the future.

The captives in the captive camp felt that Pan Jixun, a book-reading scholar, was not to be feared. Under the leadership of seven people, they swore an alliance to gather and make trouble. At the beginning of the clamor, Pan Jixun received the news. He let them clamor, using these seven people as bait to lure out all the captives who had rebellious hearts and were restless, before closing the net.

If he didn't return in triumph, the women chosen at the beginning would all be past the age.

Wan Shihe immediately stood up and bowed his head, saying: "Your Majesty, it is truly pure heavenly virtue, originally without the love for sound, color, and hunting. You serve yourself with simplicity and frugality. Today, you have exempted the border grain again. The era of the Benevolent Emperor's reign is the greatest fortune under heaven!"

When the Japanese pirates attacked Songjiang Prefecture, there were 72 people in the Sun family. When they fled to Suzhou, only 17 remained.

Oda Nobunaga called himself the "Man of the World" and was the most conscientious daimyo in Japan. He was "one public, two people"—one-third of the output of the land was annual tribute, and the rest was for the common people to keep. Moreover, Oda Nobunaga was called a demon king by the Buddhists because Oda Nobunaga destroyed Buddhism, burning statues and destroying temples without mercy.

And now, Zeng Shengwu announced that this problem had been completely solved.

Sun Kehong and Sun Keyi were not free; they were blinded by the hatred of the country and the family, and could only live such a crazy life for a lifetime.

The news of Qi Jiguang's return in triumph was released immediately after the court session. The atmosphere in the capital was immediately solemn. The censors finally stopped saying strange things. Although Qi Jiguang's sword was never turned inward, who knew if the Beijing Camp, which had been fighting outside the Great Wall for a year and had become the Duke of State Feng, was still as gentle and elegant as before.

This was not something that could be done just by returning in triumph. From preparation to returning to the capital, it would take at least until September. This was to finish the final suppression of bandits.

Thanks to the influence of Qi Jiguang's return in triumph, even the recruitment of officials to Liaodong went extremely smoothly. The Emperor had not yet issued a decree to reduce prices, and the six-year promotion and nine-year special imperial examination were still in effect. People signing up were endless, and they were soon recruited full.

(Disclaimer: If you want to talk about rumors, it's the little days themselves who are spreading rumors. This tax rate is indeed outrageous. 【Note 2】)

Boxes upon boxes of precious banknotes, totaling more than 100 million guan in face value, lay quietly in the boxes. Even if exchanged at seven qian of silver per guan, it was 70 million taels of silver. There were too many precious banknotes. Ling Yunyi judged that the Nagasaki Viceroy's Office might be in danger, so he sent guest soldiers to help.

Xu Wei and Sun Keyi looked at each other, thought for a moment, and said: "If we fight, our people will suffer heavy casualties. It would be better to retreat to Ryukyu and wait for the navy. We two will sacrifice to heaven, and you will retreat with us."

Ling Yunyi had put away his killing heart in the past two years. Fearing his past reputation, the wealthy families in Shandong rushed to cooperate with the imperial court, providing people, grain, and effort, for fear of making Ling Yunyi unhappy. A big hat of "not obeying the imperial court's orders and having rebellious hearts" would be put on them, which would be a disaster of extermination.

The salt permit system had already deteriorated to the point of being almost unusable during the Hongzhi years, and salt permits were more used as a supplement to currency.

The smell of ink rushed to his face. The neatly arranged precious banknotes were the ammunition depot provided by the Great Ming to the Nagasaki Viceroy's Office, but it was ammunition in terms of economic loose-rein management.

Zhu Yijun soon received Pan Jixun's memorial; it turned out to be a mutiny.

"When the time comes, blow up the explosives depot. The Japanese pirates want to kill me?! Don't even think about it!" Sun Keyi's eyes flashed with madness. He had already thought of his own way of death.

Nagasaki Viceroy Xu Wei finally waited for the precious banknotes he had been thinking about, as well as 1,500 guest soldiers.

The Great Ming's ballast stone returned to the capital in triumph. No matter how big the waves were, there was no fear of capsizing. Even if the true intention of the land return memorial was discovered by the powerful and wealthy families, the Beijing Camp would be there to suppress the formation, and the powerful and wealthy families would deceive themselves, saying that it was the local gentry in Jiangxi who angered the Emperor, leading to heavenly wrath, and not at all that the Emperor was plotting their land. Does the Emperor lack this little bit?

The powerful and wealthy families would deceive themselves.

Xu Wei patted the precious banknotes, his face showing ferocity, and said loudly: "Good, good, good. When the time comes, we will go on the road together, and it will be company. If Oda Nobunaga is truly a demon king, let him come."

The imperial court had no choice at that time, so they let Yin Zhengmao take 3,000 guest soldiers to Luzon, which was considered seeking a way to survive on their own.

Under the recruitment system, the guest soldiers were strong, but this was a double-edged sword. Because once used up, they would face the time of disbandment. At that time, the best method was to give 25 taels of silver for settlement and let the guest soldiers seek a way to survive on their own. Even so, whenever someone clamored to make trouble, the guest soldiers gathering and mutinying was a headache-inducing major event.

If there was no war to fight, that would be one thing, but receiving the same reward as other infantry camps made them somewhat ashamed.

"I agree." Sun Keyi looked at the precious banknotes in the large box and, after checking the seals, said sincerely.

The reason for such a high tax rate was that the retainers of each daimyo did not have to pay taxes, and Buddhist temples were also tax-exempt. In the country, if you threw a brick, seven out of ten people would not pay taxes. To maintain the war, they could only desperately increase taxes.

The only thing left was to be captured and go to heaven together.

Pan Jixun killed another batch in the Shengzhou Coal Mountain captive camp. This batch was captives who gathered to commit crimes and were caught by Pan Jixun. The captives felt that after leaving Qi Jiguang's control and arriving in the hands of the Shengzhou scholars, they could be somewhat presumptuous. Pan Jixun did not indulge them either. If they dared not to obey, they would all be paraded through the streets and beheaded.

"I won't leave. If I leave, I will be killed by His Majesty when I return to the Great Ming." Luo Yinghe was not stupid. Losing territory was a capital crime. Returning to the Great Ming was also a capital crime that was difficult to forgive.

It was mainly the direction of the attack. The Zhenwu Corps he led attacked the Shengzhou direction, which was all yellow earth, without many bandits, and without any decent resistance forces. It was almost settled by sending a message. The military merit was the same as the Yaowu Corps and Fenwu Corps, but they didn't fight many battles, yet received the same reward, which made him feel somewhat like he was lying down to win. He was afraid that other infantry and cavalry camps would have opinions.

"Exempt all the grain for the military colonies in the three borders and Suiyuan, and never increase it." Zhu Yijun looked at Zeng Shengwu and mentioned a tax reduction policy.

The Kong family in Yanzhou had repeatedly disobeyed the imperial court's orders, repeatedly annoying Zhu Yijun, who invited Ling Yunyi to Shandong.

The court officials looked at each other, then at Wan Shihe, all somewhat disgusted. You, this Grand Secretary, how many sets of words have you prepared? You speak as soon as you open your mouth? It's too proficient, right?

Who would dare to bully Empress Wang?! You, the Emperor, who even brings Empress Wang when you go to the Grand Tutor's house for a meal!

The reason why Yin Zhengmao led Zhang Yuanxun and Deng Zilong to conquer the Luzon colonialists was not only because of the surrender of sea pirates like Lin Afeng, but also because the 3,000 guest soldiers who had finished fighting could not be properly settled. The recruitment of guest soldiers had a long history. During the Jiajing years, in order to deal with the Japanese pirates and the Tatar disaster, when the military colonies and the nine-border border troops were unable to conquer, this method was used.

Construction was sometimes war. In this process, it was also necessary to clear out bandits. Some blind bandits would also bump into the hands of the Engineer Corps.

Minister of War Zeng Shengwu said quite seriously: "The problem of settling guest soldiers has been completely solved."

The Empress Dowager issued an imperial decree for the Emperor to select two concubines to enter the palace, and His Majesty agreed, but the soldiers were risking their lives at the front, and the Emperor was recruiting concubines in the rear. This sounded bad no matter how you listened to it. This matter had been delayed for almost a year. The Beijing Camp did not return, and the Emperor did not recruit concubines. The Ministry of Rites was caught in the middle and was in a dilemma.

"No poison, no husband." It is not the "degree" of measure, but the "poison" of cruelty. 【Note 1】

For a time, the notoriety of being fond of killing fell on Pan Jixun's head.

No one would talk about forgiveness with Xu Wei and the tooth soldiers they led, because this was a blood feud.

Luo Yinghe held his forehead. This Xu Wei was truly a bit crazy.

But when the new Beijing Camp was first built with only 10,000 people, it was clearly defined that the three major corps of the Beijing Camp were a whole. The tasks had difficulties and ease, but no high or low, only different divisions of labor. Military merit was shared equally. The Beijing Camp could do this because the Beijing Camp's military discipline was strict, and most importantly, the Emperor's extra rewards were exceptionally generous.

Heavenly grace is vast, referring to 100,000 catties of gunpowder. The hard battles had already been fought, and the Emperor sent another 100,000 catties of gunpowder. The front line was truly enough. Gunpowder was stockpiled in Wuyuan Prefecture and could be used for mining. It is worth noting that Pan Jixun, who held the imperial decree to act according to circumstances, did not intend to meet Qi Jiguang in Suiyuan.

Ling Yunyi had put away his killing heart in the past two years. The notoriety of being fond of killing fell on Pan Jixun's head.

Luo Yinghe thought about being captured and going to heaven together, and chose the latter.

On the other hand, it was also because the grain production in these border areas was really very small. With few people and little land, if the Emperor took grain again, the phenomenon of soldiers fleeing from the guards would only become more serious.

The Nagasaki Viceroy's Office Oda Nobunaga had confidence in winning, but what about the Great Ming behind the Nagasaki Viceroy's Office? And what about Oda Nobunaga's enemies?

Mōri Terumoto, Chōsokabe Motochika, Uesugi Kagekatsu, Hōjō Ujinao—when Oda Nobunaga completely offended the Great Ming, and the Great Ming possessed a huge navy, how would these four families choose?

Dealing with these four families was already a very difficult thing. Adding a Great Ming, Oda Nobunaga had to consider whether his military talent could allow him to win the hard battles to come.

The news of Qi Jiguang's return to the capital made the court officials breathe a sigh of relief. During the time the Beijing Camp was not in the capital, there was a lack of a lot of sense of security. The happiest person was the Ministry of Rites.

With so many precious banknotes, what could Oda Nobunaga's little large-denomination currency use to fight the Nagasaki Viceroy's Office?

Zhang Juzheng took out a memorial and said with a smile: "General Qi sent a memorial from Wuyuan Prefecture, saying: Relying on heavenly might, the bandits were wiped out. Respectfully stating the aftermath, planning to settle the border, for selection and use, choosing a date to return to the capital in triumph, respectfully thanking for the vast heavenly grace."

If Oda Nobunaga refused to admit defeat, attacking and destroying the Nagasaki Viceroy's Office was the only choice.

Even Emperor Xuan of Han, when he returned to the palace from the folk, could use "old sword deep feeling" to appoint his beloved person as empress.

Xu Wei raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: "Wouldn't that be just right? It would be best if he attacked, and then killed us all. By then, those in the court who oppose destroying Japan would have to shut up. The attack would be as reasonable as water flowing into a channel."

But more precious banknotes poured in. This was deliberately intensifying the contradiction, and the situation immediately became dangerous.

"Your Majesty, the matter of the Empress Dowager's decree to select two concubines to enter the palace has been delayed for a year and a half. Can it be carried out?" As soon as Wan Shihe heard that Qi Jiguang was returning in triumph, he immediately said.

Thinking of being edited like this after death, Luo Yinghe suddenly felt that going to heaven together was a good way to die.

Therefore, when using the minting tax, each daimyo could get fat, which was a means of draining the pond to catch the fish. The difficulty of Oda Nobunaga's attack would increase significantly. Originally, it might take five to ten years to finish the unification war, but now, it became remote and indefinite.

The grain for the military colonies was the real imperial grain. When the national treasury and the inner treasury were separated, the grain for the military colonies belonged to the inner treasury, which was the grain that the nine-border military colony guards needed to pay to the Emperor. Zhu Yijun's exemption was also carefully considered before making such a decision.

Sun Keyi was not crazy from the beginning. His brother's leg was broken by Xu Jie, and their Sun family fell from grace. After trying everything and no one helping, he went crazy. After Xu Jie died, Sun Keyi's great hatred was avenged, and only the hatred of the Japanese pirates remained.

The reason why it became dangerous was not complicated.

The problem of settling guest soldiers was not suddenly raised by Zeng Shengwu; the gentlemen of the imperial court had already forgotten about this matter.

743 people were marked with death cards by Pan Jixun and began to parade through the streets. In front of all the captives, they were all beheaded.

In order to stimulate Oda Nobunaga to use more violent means to solve the problem, Sun Keyi sent a fast boat to Kyoto, Japan, overnight, telling Oda Nobunaga that the Great Ming had arrived with 100 million guan of precious banknotes and wanted to exchange them quickly.

The Great Ming's most numerous guest soldiers were the 100,000 elite soldiers of the Beijing Camp and the 90,000 navy, totaling 190,000. The retirement system for the Beijing Camp and the navy had been extremely perfect. Secondly, there were the guest soldiers under Li Chengliang in Liaodong, with 3,000 registered guest soldiers, plus Li Chengliang's retainers, totaling about 5,000. Thirdly, there were the 3,000 guest soldiers in the hands of Ling Yunyi, the Provincial Governor of Shandong, which was recruited by the Emperor for Ling Yunyi to deal with the Kong family in Yanzhou. Now this guest soldier force was suppressing bandits in Shandong.

Zhu Yijun's mouth twitched, and he said: "Cough, cough, Grand Secretary, there is no need to be so exaggerated in the future."

"No poison, no husband." It is not the "degree" of measure, but the "poison" of cruelty. 【Note 1】

Pan Jixun was killing again, this was the second time this year.

Xu Wei, Sun Keyi, and Luo Yinghe could not be considered good people. The day they asked the Emperor to send precious banknotes, they knew the terrible harm of precious banknotes to Japan.

"We have 1,500 more guest soldiers, plus the tooth soldiers of the Viceroy's Office. Oda Nobunaga is not necessarily our opponent." Luo Yinghe felt that even if Oda Nobunaga attacked, he would not win. These 1,500 guest soldiers could be called timely rain.

This method of settling guest soldiers was a spiral door. A spiral door of returning to where one came from.

Oda Nobunaga was a hero. Xu Wei and the others also recognized this point. Oda Nobunaga saw the terrible harm of precious banknotes, so he minted gold, silver, and copper coins to deal with this crisis.

The Empress Dowager and Consort Liu were also pregnant. The only people serving by the Emperor's side were Empress Wang, Consort Zhou, and Consort Ran.

In the second year of Jingtai, in November, Emperor Jing Zhu Qiyu issued a decree to exempt half of the grain for the Liaodong guards and the Eastern Ning six guards. In March of the following year, he issued another decree to exempt all of it, and never increase it.

Sun Keyi said quite approvingly: "Exactly. Let him come. Whoever is cowardly is a sea turtle!"

This terrifying tax rate was created by the Shimabara Domain's Matsukura clan, while the Shimazu clan, which was pierced by the Great Ming navy commander Chen Lin, was "eight public, two people." "Four people, six public" was the key benevolent policy for the Hōjō clan to dominate Kanto.

The result of precious banknotes that could not be cashed flooding Japan was only one: Japan completely turned into a human purgatory. This was Oda Nobunaga's goal of ruling the world with martial arts—unifying Japan, ending the Warring States period, and letting the Japanese people catch their breath.

The Emperor gave Hou Yuzhao so much grace and promoted him, and even let him sleep enough. It was not without reason.

"Let him come quickly!"

Compared to Suiyuan, Liaodong was much better.

The reason for doing this was that there were too many, too many precious banknotes.

Luo Yinghe put down his hand, his face showing despair. Sun Keyi was also a madman.

Zeng Shengwu introduced the settlement method for guest soldiers in detail. In fact, it was a spiral door. A spiral door of returning to where one came from.

And it had to be fast, because the daimyo who had tasted the sweetness would swarm to exchange precious banknotes after receiving the news.

Oda Nobunaga, since he wanted to be the "Man of the World," had to be the master for the people of Japan. Facing the Great Ming's exploitation, he had to come up with countermeasures.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 479 =====

The result of the massive proliferation of worthless paper currency in Japan could only be one thing: Japan would be thoroughly transformed into a living hell. This was Oda Nobunaga's goal in his quest to unify Japan, end the Warring States period, and allow the Japanese people to finally catch their breath.

There was a reason why His Majesty the Emperor bestowed so much favor and honor upon Hou Yuzhao, even promoting him and ensuring he was well-rested.

"He had better come quickly!"

Compared to Suiyuan, Liaodong was far better.

The reason for doing this was simply that there was far, far too much paper currency.

Luo Yinghe lowered his hands, his face filled with despair; Sun Keyi was a madman too.

Ceng Shengwu gave a detailed introduction to the method for settling the guest troops, which was essentially a revolving door—a revolving door where they returned to wherever they had come from.

And it had to be done quickly, because the daimyo, having already tasted the sweetness, would surely swarm in to exchange their paper currency once they received the news.

Since Oda Nobunaga intended to be the ruler of the realm, he had to take charge for the sake of the Japanese people; in the face of the Great Ming's exploitation, he had to come up with a countermeasure.

(End of chapter)