Chapter 71: Giving

"Good rain knows the season, and it falls when spring comes."

In the early morning of the next day, there was a drizzle. Spring rain is as precious as oil. This spring rain came just in time, allowing the common people to irrigate less, saving effort and avoiding disputes over water.

Inspecting the border and reviewing the construction extended the supervisory power back into the core of the Shanxi Party: the two towns of Xuanfu and Datong.

The court discussion had already begun. The young Emperor was listening to government and reading on the moon platform, while the court officials were arguing noisily below.

The King of Siam, Hua Zhao Song, sent barbarian envoys to pay tribute with local products. The barbarian envoys said that the original seal and tally had been burned when the Eastern Niu Kingdom broke through the city, and requested a replacement. Minister of Rites Lu Shusheng requested an imperial decree to issue a replacement tally.

Envoys from Joseon came to thank the Emperor, and the Ministry of Rites requested an imperial decree to host a banquet.

There was a Censor from the Censorate who requested that Wang Shouren be sacrificed in the Kong Miao. Wang Xijue refuted it, saying it was not that Wang Shouren's learning was not good, but to be precise, many scholars had lost the "unity of knowledge and action" premise in Wang Shouren's "unity of knowledge and action and innate knowledge," leaving only "innate knowledge."

In this way, Wang Shouren's School of Mind seemed to be that as long as there is innate knowledge, everything can be successful. Giving Wang Shouren a place in the sacrificial rites would be a disaster for the world and the human heart.

After a brief debate, Wang Xijue won a great victory in debating the classics. Knowledge is the beginning of action, and action is the completion of knowledge. Cognition and practice complement each other. Only by the unity of knowledge and action can one reach innate knowledge. If only "innate knowledge" remains, as long as one thinks it, it can be done—doesn't that become a heresy like the Fire-Worshipping Sect or the Nestorian Sect?

If they want to elevate Wang Shouren to the Kong Miao, the Confucian scholars cannot just talk about "innate knowledge"; they must talk about the "unity of knowledge and action," talk about practice, instead of talking high and far, and having high eyes but low hands.

The court officials suddenly began to argue noisily. Zhu Yijun raised his head and looked at Minister of Revenue Wang Guoguang, who had triggered the dispute in the court discussion.

Wang Guoguang said quite solemnly, "For military rations, giving 'folded color' (silver) is easy to squander, while giving 'original color' (grain) can yield real benefits. In calculating the redundant expenses of the Nine Towns, it was discovered that the 'fat coat' folded color given as silver did not reach the hands of the soldiers. Instead, giving physical goods allows the soldiers to get some real benefits."

"In the entire Nine Borders, except for the three towns of Jizhou, Yongping, and Shanhai Pass, which can give half rations, the other six towns cannot even get half rations."

Wang Guoguang was cutting off people's wealth.

Giving physical goods might also be embezzled, but these physical goods have to be converted into cash, which requires manpower and material resources to sell. The more people involved, the more likely the matter will be exposed.

Once military supplies flow into the market, the local supervisory censors can supervise one or two, and the Great Ming's error-correction mechanism can still exert some effect. But giving silver doesn't even require selling. In the process of silver flowing from the imperial court to the soldiers, it will be peeled layer by layer. By the time it reaches the soldiers, how much silver can be left?

"The phenomenon of 'silver is expensive and grain is cheap' and 'silver is cheap and grain is expensive' has repeatedly appeared in the hinterland and border areas of the Great Ming." Wang Guoguang said quite definitely, "The border areas are mostly soldiers, and there are very few farmers. There is little grain and high consumption. The more silver there is, the more expensive grain becomes, causing 'silver is cheap and grain is expensive'."

"In the hinterland, because of the implementation of the Single Whip Law, there are many farmers. There is much grain and little silver, so grain is becoming cheaper and cheaper. In the Great Ming hinterland, 'silver is expensive and grain is cheap'."

"The border defense is not peaceful, and the people are not at peace."

"It's too troublesome to say it like this. I drew a picture myself, and everyone will know at a glance."

According to the design, the imperial court collects silver from the Great Ming hinterland, and then the imperial court issues the silver to the border areas in the form of military pay. Merchants transport grain from the hinterland to the border areas, obtain silver through trade, and then bring the silver back to the hinterland.

In terms of system design, this is a complete internal circulation.

However, many, many problems appeared during execution.

The imperial court collecting silver from the Great Ming hinterland produced another terrible institutional corruption—"fire loss."

The imperial court wanted "golden flower silver," which had fewer impurities. Most of the silver collected from the people was "mixed-color silver," which had more impurities. The people used mixed-color silver to pay taxes, so they had to pay an extra part of the "fire loss tax." The fire loss depended entirely on the local tax officials. It should have been one to two percent per tael, but it could reach ten to twenty percent or even more.

And when the imperial court sent military pay to the border areas, this golden flower silver sent from the imperial court to the border areas became mixed-color silver. It would be fine if it became mixed-color silver and reached the soldiers' hands, but often because it could not be supervised, it was as difficult as ascending to heaven for soldiers to receive full pay, let alone half pay.

Qi Jiguang commanded the three towns, and the only thing he could guarantee was that the Zhejiang soldiers who followed him to the north could receive full pay. As for the original garrison soldiers, Qi Jiguang being able to let them receive half pay was already due to the sharpness of Qi Jiguang's knife.

Merchants transported grain from the hinterland to the border areas, and the loss was huge, but this price difference could not make up for the loss along the way, so the merchants were too lazy to transport grain.

Merchants would not bring the silver back to the hinterland either, but would buy border goods nearby and transport them back to the hinterland to earn the price difference.

This led to more and more silver in the border areas, soaring grain prices, and "silver is cheap and grain is expensive."

In the hinterland, because of the high concentration of wealth, silver was concentrated in the hands of a few. The common people had to pay taxes, so they had to exchange grain for silver, which caused "silver is expensive and grain is cheap."

This internal circulation design of the "silver-paying opening-center method" seemed logical and successful, but it was extremely unsuccessful in execution.

The Great Ming originally had an effective plan to solve the border grain problem using internal circulation, which was the "salt-paying opening-center method," that is, salt permits.

Merchants had to bring the salt permits from the border areas back to the Jiangnan region of the Great Ming to obtain salt and make a profit.

To obtain salt permits, merchants had to transport grain to the border areas or engage in "merchant-farming" in the border areas. Merchant-farming meant that merchants hired laborers to farm in the border areas and exchange grain for salt permits on the spot.

And the Great Ming border areas gave soldiers physical goods as military pay, such as rice, grain, salt, oil, and coats. There would also be embezzlement, but the difficulty was much more troublesome than embezzling silver.

This set of "salt-paying opening-center method" was completely destroyed during the Hongzhi reign of the Ming Xiaozong. Ye Qi, as the Minister of Revenue, changed the old system to: merchants paid silver instead of rice, and the silver was handed over to the transport department. Once the silver was delivered to the Taicang, they could exchange it for salt permits. This "merchant-military colony salt permit method" was completely destroyed in one go.

There was more silver in the Taicang, but the border areas were not peaceful.

The salt permit method had been completely ruined, and now, Wang Guoguang just wanted the Great Ming soldiers to be able to eat, not even eat their fill, so he reversed the history of the wheel. Military pay would not be given in silver, but in physical goods.

This was not Wang Guoguang's original initiative. In Hai Rui's *Memorial on Governance*, there was a sentence: "Restore the original color of military colony salt to enrich border storage." Reversing the history of the wheel, the border areas should restore the method of military colony farming and salt permits, and store more grain to enrich the border passes.

"I remind everyone that if the soldiers cannot eat, they will mutiny and roar in the camp." Zhang Juzheng heard Wang Guoguang's statement and opened his mouth to stand up for Wang Guoguang.

Once it was no longer converted to silver and changed to physical military pay, it would mean that the border areas must engage in military colony farming. The imperial court did not have that much grain, so it had to rely on local border towns for military colony farming.

"It is more appropriate to discuss this matter at length. This silver conversion has been going on since the Hongzhi reign. If it is moved lightly, the nation will not be at peace." Wang Chonggu frowned.

Once Wang Guoguang's court discussion was passed, it meant that the imperial court's supervisory power in the border areas would extend from reviewing the Great Wall construction to supervising and checking grain and pay. This was the extension of supervisory power.

"Attach when the power is the same, run toward interests." Once the imperial court had the power to supervise border grain and pay, the military officers in various places would no longer be willing to "exclude those who share the same evil" with the Jin Party's public figures. It would be strange if Wang Chonggu could agree.

Minister of War Tan Lun immediately opened his mouth and said, "Then should we ask General Qi? General Qi governs the three towns of Jizhou, Yongping, and Shanhai Pass, which is one more town than Xuanfu and Datong. Let's see if General Qi agrees with this matter?"

"They are all border generals. If the Earl of Qian'an is willing, why should the two towns of Xuan and Da oppose it?"

"General Qi is a disciple of Yuanfu. If Yuanfu agrees, can General Qi still refuse this matter!" Wang Chonggu said with great dissatisfaction. The one supervising was a Zhang Party member! Of course Qi Jiguang would agree; it wouldn't affect Qi Jiguang continuing to drink soldiers' blood at all!

Wang Chonggu firmly believed that Qi Jiguang and they were the same kind of people; everyone was drinking soldiers' blood!

Zhang Juzheng said with a smile, "Viceroy Wang, be careful with your words. General Qi returned the waist tag of the Quanchu Guild to me outside the Xuanwu Gate. This matter has spread throughout the capital. Everyone knows it, and everyone is aware of it. They all say that I, Zhang Juzheng, have lost the hearts of the people, and even General Qi is unwilling to continue to 'flow in the same filth' with me, being 'jackals from the same lair'."

"Viceroy Wang, General Qi is now the Earl of Qian'an and a military meritocrat. As a civil official, it is not good for me to be too deeply involved with a military meritocrat."

After Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, he looked at Wang Chonggu with a full face of smiles. He dared to cut ties with border generals, and Qi Jiguang dared to return the waist tag to the guild. Do the border generals of Xuanfu and Datong dare not give tribute? Do Wang Chonggu and Zhang Siwei dare to cut ties with border generals? Zhang Juzheng was scolding Wang Chonggu, and Wang Chonggu couldn't refute him at all.

"Then let it be so?" Zhang Juzheng looked at Wang Chonggu, asking for Wang Chonggu's opinion.

Wang Chonggu pondered again and again before saying quite unwillingly, "Then let it be so."

Zhang Juzheng suddenly stood up, bowed his head to the young Emperor on the moon platform, and said, "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present."?

Zhu Yijun stopped his brush. Was there anything for him here?

He was just a ten-year-old human master, a sunny and cheerful child. ===== CHAPTER 72 =====

Yang Bo knew Zhang Juzheng's character all too well; when he was still willing to negotiate, it was best to agree, so that everyone—you, me, and all—would be satisfied.

If one refused to agree, Zhang Juzheng would certainly find a way to get it done anyway.

"Then shall it be so?" Zhang Juzheng looked toward Wang Chonggu, asking for his opinion.

Wang Chonggu deliberated repeatedly before saying, quite reluctantly, "Then let it be so."

Zhang Juzheng suddenly stood up, bowed to the young Emperor on the dais, and said, "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present."

Zhu Yijun stopped his brush. Was there still something here that concerned him?

He was just a ten-year-old ruler, a bright and cheerful little boy.