Chapter 1681: Collect a Few Million in Salt Tax!

What? He wants me to find the money and grain myself? Yuan Chonghuan was rather speechless at Zhu Youjian's words.

He was an incorruptible official with clean sleeves — where was he supposed to find several million in military funds? If he really had that ability, why would he still be Governor of Liaodong? Why not just become Chief Grand Secretary?

"Your Majesty," Sun Chengzong spoke up, "Yuan Chonghuan is a commander, not a Minister of Revenue. How could he raise that much military funding? If Your Majesty is dissatisfied with the amount the Ministry of Revenue has raised, then Your Majesty should replace the Minister of Revenue!"

Zhu Youjian gave a cold smile, thinking: We would indeed like to make that pirate Zheng Yiguan the Minister of Revenue, but would you loyal ministers and treacherous ministers ever agree to that?

"There is no need to replace the Minister of Revenue," Zhu Youjian said, "because We do not know who could raise that much funding either. Moreover, since the forty-sixth year of Wanli, the court has already levied the Liaodong levy three times. The burden on the peasants is very heavy, and in the northwest it has even driven the people to revolt. We do not wish to raise taxes on the peasants again."

What? No new taxes on the peasants?

Sun Chengzong and Yuan Chonghuan were both startled, thinking: If you don't tax the peasants, then whom will you tax? Surely you don't mean to ask the scholar-officials for silver? That would be a grave taboo!

Zhu Youjian looked at Sun Chengzong and Yuan Chonghuan and smiled: "Whether Liaodong is pacified in five years or ten years — even twenty or thirty years — We can accept it. We are young, after all. We have at least several decades left as Son of Heaven. We can afford to wait!"

He was very confident about his own lifespan!

So Zhu Youjian could wait. Wait until Hong Taiji, Dorgon, and Dodo were all dead, and then deal with Fulin and Xuanye — how could he possibly lose then?

Impossible. Zhu Youjian still had his unfilial son, the third, fourth, fifth, and ninth sons! Every one of them was a ruthless man who could expand the realm by ten thousand li!

Zhu Youjian added: "Time is something We have in abundance, but money and grain — those We do not have."

In other words: no money, and don't even think about taking his life!

Zhu Youjian had not finished; he shifted tack again: "However, We do have one avenue for raising money. Perhaps We could have the Censorate, the Governor-General of Ji-Liao, or the Governor of Liaodong jointly administer the salt taxes of Huaiyang, Shandong, Tianjin, and other places! If several million in salt tax could be collected each year, wouldn't the expenses for drilling troops and building fortifications in western Liaoning be covered?"

What? Several million taels in salt tax?

Sun Chengzong and Yuan Chonghuan both felt an urge to turn and walk out. They were loyal and upright men! The loyal and upright men of the Great Ming did not know how to collect taxes. If they collected several million taels in salt tax in a single year, wouldn't they become treacherous ministers?

"Your Majesty," Sun Chengzong hurried to push this hot potato away, "the salt affairs of Huaiyang, Shandong, Tianjin, and other places are already the responsibility of the proper offices, and the tax silver collected has its designated uses. How can they be handed over to the Governor-General of Ji-Liao or the Governor of Liaodong to administer concurrently?"

Zhu Youjian smiled: "Then hand them all to the Censorate for temporary administration! The Censorate already has the post of Salt Inspector, responsible for collecting salt taxes. We can abolish the Salt Distribution Commissions and hand all salt administration authority to the Censorate. And the tax silver collected by the Censorate need not be delivered to the treasury — it can be used directly for military affairs in western Liaoning. If Master Sun finds collecting several million taels of salt tax too troublesome, then let Us simply restore the kaizhong system! If five million shi of grain can be delivered to western Liaoning every year, would We still worry about feeding a hundred thousand battle-worthy elite troops?"

So this was Zhu Youjian's real aim — restoring the kaizhong system. Western Liaoning lacked pay, but it lacked grain even more! The soldiers on the western Liaoning front, together with their families, numbered four to five hundred thousand in total. How could a mere 500,000 mu of military farmland possibly feed them all? So large quantities of grain had to be imported every year.

Most of the pay silver the court issued to the Liaodong troops was also converted into grain to feed their families.

So rather than sending pay to western Liaoning, it would be better to send grain directly!

Because the western Liaoning front had plenty of money but little grain, grain prices had always been very expensive. In peacetime, a single dan of rice was worth three taels; once fighting started, a dan of grain could easily sell for six taels!

With grain prices so exorbitant, the "high pay" of the Liaodong army had in fact depreciated into low wages.

Therefore, restoring the kaizhong system and shipping large quantities of grain to western Liaoning to support the soldiers and civilians was the most practical solution.

But to accomplish this, one would have to offend a great number of powerful nobles. So it would be best if the Donglin gentlemen could be made to carry this black pot!

Zhu Youjian looked at Sun Chengzong: "We know that Master Sun is brave in undertaking duties, and is of lofty virtue and high repute, with clean sleeves — known to all within and without the court. With you in full charge of salt administration, an annual intake of several million shi should be no problem. With several million shi of grain in western Liaoning, Yuan Chonghuan can certainly recover the lost territory. Master Sun, the great enterprise of fulfilling the late emperor's dying wish and recovering the lost lands of Liaodong now rests entirely on you — you must not decline!"

"Your Majesty," Sun Chengzong was so anxious that beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, "the court officials will never agree."

Zhu Youjian said: "As long as Master Sun and Minister Yuan propose it — if you jointly submit a memorial — the court officials will certainly agree! Whoever disagrees is one of Wei Zhongxian's men!"

That was true!

Sun Chengzong was now the hope of all Donglin. The Donglin Faction would not oppose him because he took charge of restoring the kaizhong system. The great profits of the salt industry were fragrant, but one needed power to lay hands on them! The Donglin Faction was currently out of office and could not touch the salt taxes at all, so of course they would not oppose Sun Chengzong supervising the salt administration.

Moreover, Sun Chengzong alone could not manage so many affairs — he would inevitably have to pull in a group of Donglin men to administer it together.

And as for the eunuch faction — they would not dare oppose both Zhu Youjian and Sun Chengzong at the same time!

The Embroidered Uniform Guard was back at work — weren't they afraid?

So the only ones who might actually jump out to oppose the kaizhong system were a group of ennobled merit aristocrats!

But Zhu Youjian had ways to deal with them! And he had to deal with them. Zhu Youjian was now ruling all of China with the Northern Metropolitan Region as his center. So to set the realm in order, he had to start with the Northern Metropolitan Region.

Of course, first came the inner court!

Then Beijing itself.

After Beijing came Shuntian Prefecture and the entire Northern Metropolitan Region.

And what threatened Zhu Youjian's rule in the Northern Metropolitan Region was not the Donglin Faction with its notoriously bad later reputation (this Zhu Youjian had not transmigrated but been reborn, so he did not know how bad the Donglin Faction was), but a group of utterly rotten military merit nobles. For the Donglin Faction was mainly composed of southerners and could not get much profit in the Northern Metropolitan Region.

Zhu Youjian said with a smile: "Master Sun, the court officials will not dare oppose this. The military merit nobles may be displeased, but We have ways to silence them. You need not worry."

"As long as the Censorate can take over the salt affairs and use the kaizhong system to cover the grain and pay of western Liaoning, We will let Yuan Chonghuan remain Governor of Liaodong for a long tenure. No need for five-year or ten-year pacification of Liaodong — just hold the line!"

"As for the defenses of Jizhou, Xuanfu, and Datong — Yuan Chonghuan need not be responsible for those either. We need only draw thirty thousand troops from western Liaoning to arrange them properly. The western Liaoning army roster has over one hundred ten thousand men! Draw away thirty thousand, and there are still over eighty thousand left. Then withdraw the defense of Jinzhou. With over eighty thousand men holding Shanhai Pass and Ningyuan, is that not absolutely secure? With four to five million shi of grain per year to support eighty thousand elite troops, is there any worry they cannot be drilled into shape? Once the troops are well drilled, an army of eighty thousand can march straight on Liaoyang and Shenyang — what need is there to build fortifications? If the troops still cannot be drilled well, then holding one more Jinzhou merely lengthens the battle line and makes it easier for the eastern barbarians to besiege a point and strike at reinforcements."

After hearing Zhu Youjian's persuasive talk, Sun Chengzong and Yuan Chonghuan actually felt that this young Son of Heaven was quite practical — take out the salt administration and exchange it for 5 million shi of grain, all for western Liaoning. And 5 million shi to support 80,000 troops meant, spread evenly, each soldier would have over sixty shi of income per year. As long as Yuan Chonghuan could put fifty shi of that to actual use, the 80,000 troops could at least reach the level of the Eight Banners in equipment and training.

Even if the Liaodong troops were somewhat afraid of death, and Yuan Chonghuan's skill at war was a little lacking — using 80,000 Liaodong troops as 40,000 Eight Banners would still be enough to give Hong Taiji a hard time. Even if defeated, Hong Taiji's side would lose a great many men!

So there was no need at all to build so many useless forts — just march out and fight in the open field.

If they were truly afraid of death, then just hold Ningyuan and Shanhai Pass and muddle through — weren't 80,000 men enough for that?

Zhu Youjian had spoken to this extent. If Sun Chengzong and Yuan Chonghuan still pushed it away, then what were they doing as officials? What kind of loyal ministers were they?

"This subject is willing to take over the salt administration and raise pay and grain for western Liaoning." Sun Chengzong rose to his feet and accepted the hot potato.

Yuan Chonghuan could no longer decline, and also rose: "Give this subject three years, and this subject can drill 80,000 tiger-wolf troops for Your Majesty in western Liaoning!"

(End of Chapter)