Chapter 143: Abolishing the Depot and Guard

Yangzhou Prefecture.

Just receiving the news of the Guangxi rebellion, Li Mu didn't take it to heart.

Peasant uprisings in feudal dynasties never stopped.

More than 90% of the rebellions, the people in the county government could handle, and the guard troops were enough.

Those that could cause big trouble were less than 1%.

Coincidentally, the Guangxi rebellion became this 1%.

Local officials underestimated the social contradictions in Guangxi; after the White Lotus Sect uprising broke out, they didn't pay attention to it in the first time.

Hasty troop dispatch to suppress the rebellion, after three consecutive crushing defeats, they could only ask for help from the imperial court.

The Six Ministries of Nanjing, which received the news first, should have taken measures in the first time.

Because the party struggle in the court was fierce, the lying-flat bureaucrats who didn't want to cause trouble chose to hand over the decision-making power to the capital.

Guangxi was ultimately too far from the capital; when the request for help arrived in the capital, Sichengzhou, which was besieged, had already fallen.

After receiving the request for help, the imperial court didn't make a decision in the first time, but fell into a new round of party struggle.

The Pure Stream Party members headed by Yin and Zuo took the opportunity to attack the Eunuch Party.

The two sides fought to the death, and no one cared about the Guangxi war situation.

Realizing that the Eunuch Party was finished, the regents who originally supported Zuo Guangen in secret turned to kick them while they were down.

It's not that everyone doesn't talk about morality; officialdom struggle is inherently the law of the jungle.

Everyone is a bureaucrat; even if their integrity is slightly higher, the essence is the same.

Knowing that the Eunuch Party was finished, everyone first thought of dividing the benefits.

For a time, a large number of Eunuch Party officials were thrown into prison one after another.

The chaos in the court created favorable conditions for the expansion of the rebel army.

When the news of the Guangxi Provincial Governor's martyrdom arrived, the officials who were high on internal fighting realized that the situation was not good.

At this time, the rebel army had occupied most of Guangxi and began to spread to surrounding provinces.

"Simply playing the piano!"

Li Mu, who received the transfer order, cursed angrily.

In recent days, he had been training the army and didn't care much about court politics.

Coming back to his senses, he found that the bureaucrats in the capital had poked such a big hole.

From the outbreak of the rebellion to now, it had been four months.

During this period, the imperial court had many opportunities to extinguish the rebel army, but in the end, they missed it because of party struggle.

Now the Eunuch Party's crime was indeed nailed down, but the rebel army also grew up because of this.

Seeing the harm of party struggle, Li Mu was deeply disgusted with those who only cared about fighting for power and not about national interests.

"My lord, court matters should not be discussed.

Since you received the transfer order from the Ministry of War, just do a good job of suppressing the rebellion."

Student Lan Linjie advised tactfully.

Ordinary people spraying court politics is fine, but as an imperial official discussing these problems, it is very sensitive.

It seems that the imperial court has returned to normal operation, but party struggle is still continuing.

With Li Mu's status, although he doesn't need to be afraid of things, there is no need to ask for trouble.

"That's all, send an official document to the Six Ministries of Nanjing, saying that the Yangzhou Camp is acting on the imperial edict to land in Guangxi from the sea to suppress the rebellion.

Please ask them to mobilize one hundred large ships within ten days for troop transport.

Secretly release the news, saying that the remnants of the Eunuch Party are unwilling to fail and are trying to obstruct the imperial court from sending troops to suppress the rebellion.

Make up more stories, for example: withholding grain and grass for the suppression army, deliberately setting restrictions to obstruct the army's advance...

The bigger the storm, the better; it must let the officials of the Six Ministries of Nanjing know."

Li Mu said calmly.

Having seen the style of the officials in the capital, he had to be a villain first and a gentleman later.

Without putting pressure on the Six Ministries of Nanjing, heaven knows when those bureaucrats would shirk.

The order given to him by the Ministry of War was to arrive in Guangxi within two months.

In this era, there are no highways, and taking a detour, the actual distance from Yangzhou to Guangxi is afraid to exceed four thousand li.

Plus the time to raise grain and grass, the time cycle is quite tight.

Theoretically, local officials along the way will cooperate, but Li Mu doesn't trust these fellows.

Historical experience tells him that entrusting logistics to others will sooner or later suffer a big loss.

Not wanting to argue with local government offices along the way, he chose to take the sea route.

Great Dayu's maritime technology is already quite mature, and near-sea navigation is completely fine.

Catching up with the opportunity of suppressing the rebellion, he just used the excuse of transporting troops to ask the imperial court for ships.

After transporting troops, he still has to transport grain and grass for the army.

Anyway, the Guangxi war cannot end in a short time.

Even if the rebel army is wiped out, there is still the neighbor to the south to deal with.

In the vacancy period of transportation, lending some ships to the navy for training, he thinks it is also reasonable.

Being urged by naval officers to want ships every day, Li Mu is also under great pressure.

"My lord, it still has to be you who has a way!"

Student Lan Linjie said slowly.

Following Li Mu for a longer time, he feels that his cognition is insufficient.

There are actually many connected people among military generals, but those who dare to handle civil officials are basically concentrated in the Nine Borders.

Military generals in inland areas have to bow their heads and be human.

Coming to Li Mu, all these conventions have been broken.

In the process of dealing with local officials, he has always mastered the initiative.

Capital, Taihe Hall.

"Where have the troops from all over the country gone, and how long will it take to arrive at the battlefield?"

Ji Ji Zhao Shun asked with concern.

As the behind-the-scenes promoter of toppling the eunuchs, Ji Ji Zhao Shun is undoubtedly the big winner of this political struggle.

Not only did he successfully establish prestige in the court, but he also took the Directorate of Ceremonial into his own hands.

The price is that the integrity of bureaucrats has further declined, letting the party struggle of the Great Dayu Dynasty enter a new era, and the Guangxi rebel army also took the opportunity to grow.

The harm of the former cannot be felt for a while.

But the Guangxi rebel army growing up directly made Ji Ji Zhao Shun feel threatened.

"Your Majesty, the troops from Guangdong, Huguang, and Yunnan-Guizhou have all rushed to the front line.

At this moment, they are implementing containment on the rebel army, and the remaining troops from all routes still need a period of time to arrive because of the distance.

If everything goes smoothly, they can be contained within the borders of Guangxi within the year, and the Guangxi rebellion can be quelled next year.

The biggest uncertainty now is the Li Dynasty to the south; the contemporary Annam King is ambitious, has not paid tribute to the imperial court for many years, and often harasses the border.

Before the late Emperor was alive, he had considered using troops against the Li Dynasty to recover the lost Jiaozhi Provincial Administration Commissioner.

Because of the crushing defeat on the Liaodong battlefield last time, he was forced to cancel the plan.

If these people join in, then the Guangxi battlefield is likely to be protracted.

The biggest problem now is that military pay is not allocated in time, and the troops of Yunnan-Guizhou cannot be put into battle in a short time because of the military pay problem.

The remaining reinforcements from all routes, the imperial court only gave 80% of the opening fee.

Marching thousands of li along the way, the expenses required are definitely not small.

If money and grain cannot be allocated in time, soldiers are likely to harass the local area, causing greater chaos."

Jing Guoliang answered seriously.

The current Great Dayu can truly be described as internal and external troubles.

The imperial court not suppressing the Guangxi rebellion in the first time will definitely further stimulate the ambition of the Annam people.

Now they haven't taken action, that is to let the rebel army consume Great Dayu's strength.

When the suppression war enters the later stage, those rebels are very likely to defect to the Annam people.

With a group of guide parties, Great Dayu wanting to recover Guangxi, the price that needs to be paid is definitely not low.

Guangxi connects Guangdong in the east, Yunnan in the west, faces the Beibu Gulf in the south, and borders Hunan and Guizhou in the north; it is a place that must be contested by military strategists.

No matter whether the imperial court is willing or not, this war must be fought.

Having obtained a definite answer, Ji Ji Zhao Shun's face was very ugly, and deep down, the thought of governing personally became stronger.

If it weren't for these regents neglecting their duties, receiving the news of the Guangxi rebellion and immediately sending troops to suppress it, the situation wouldn't have deteriorated to the current point.

"Ministry of Revenue!"

Ji Ji Zhao Shun pointed out unpleasantly.

He hadn't forgotten that the last time the crowd forced the palace, it was the Ministry of Revenue that took the lead.

Now the war in the south is urgent, and the Ministry of Revenue has problems again, simply having no overall view at all.

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue has no money!"

Shangguan Yu answered expressionlessly.

Great Dayu has too many places to spend money now, and he wishes he could spend one copper coin as two.

The war in Guangxi is important and needs money, the war in Liaodong is also important, and it is still asking the Ministry of Revenue for money.

The late Emperor's imperial mausoleum is under construction, and this expenditure definitely cannot be saved.

Various government offices are saying to cut expenses, but when it comes to expenditure accounting, the expenses are not reduced but increased.

The Ministry of Revenue can only bargain with everyone and reduce financial expenditure as much as possible.

In order to save expenses, the proportion of paper money in the officials' salaries last month increased by another 10%, and I don't know how many people below are scolding him.

Even so, the imperial court's financial deficit is still expanding.

"Didn't you just investigate and confiscate a group of corrupt officials, how can the Ministry of Revenue have no money?"

Ji Ji Zhao Shun asked angrily.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the family property of the corrupt officials investigated and confiscated by the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple totals about 1.2 million taels.

Among them, there is less than 300,000 taels of silver, and the rest are mostly real estate, which takes time to cash out.

Compared to the huge expenditure of the imperial court, this little money is just a drop in the bucket."

Shangguan Yu answered calmly.

This is not the responsibility of his Ministry of Revenue; the family property of the corrupt officials handed over is only this much.

Compared to the real corruption figures, these family properties are at most a fraction.

Where the remaining money went, this is a topic that cannot be talked about.

The Pure Stream Party members paid a heavy price to topple the Eunuch Party, and they couldn't work for nothing.

From the moment the Emperor handed the task of confiscating property to the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review, it was destined that the money collected would definitely be heavily discounted.

These money was not only divided by the handlers, but almost every major official in the court had a share.

After spending such a long bitter time in the late Emperor's reign, everyone also needs to find an opportunity to make up for it.

"How can it be only this little?"

Ji Ji Zhao Shun asked in disbelief.

He remembered that in the largest reverse case of the late Emperor's reign, the silver confiscated alone was over 4 million taels, and there were 200,000 taels of gold.

Added to various real estate, the cumulative confiscation income exceeded 10 million taels.

Relying on that huge income, the imperial court quickly walked out of the Liaodong defeat.

And there was still energy to wipe out the Lianghuai salt merchant group, completing the reform of the salt administration.

Subsequent confiscation of rebel remnants also obtained a huge income.

Relying on these incomes, the imperial court began to purchase war horses and expand military strength last year.

By the time he ascended the throne, the Ministry of Revenue alone had over 5 million taels of silver, and the inner treasury also had 8 million taels of silver.

It can be said to be a rare wealthy period of the Great Dayu Dynasty.

Only half a year has passed, and the imperial court's finances have quickly turned from positive to negative.

Since officials are so capable of making money, the Eunuch Party that controls the government should be able to make more money.

According to Ji Ji Zhao Shun's estimate, as long as the Eunuch Party is finished, not only can the financial hole he poked in front be filled, but even recovering Liaodong is easy.

"Your Majesty, the biggest corrupt official of the Eunuch Party is still recuperating!

Sometimes the family property of a giant corrupt official can top the sum of countless people below."

The answer of Left Ding Yushi Lu Zhifan made the officials breathe a sigh of relief.

This excuse is not perfect, but it is enough to fool the new emperor.

It's just that the faces of the regents are very ugly, knowing that the bureaucrats of Great Dayu can be corrupt, but never thought that the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple did it so excessively.

If they had known that the people below were so ruthless, they shouldn't have accepted gifts before.

After an exchange of eyes, several people immediately decided to find an opportunity to replace the officials of the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple.

In the Great Dayu Dynasty, corruption is okay, but it must be moderate.

Fortunately, the new emperor is easy to fool; if it were a shrewd master, today's matter would definitely not be able to end.

Investigating down this problem, several of them would only have to hand over power in advance, and then go home in a gray way.

"That's all, if the elder brother blames, I will take it on my shoulders.

Ministry of Justice, send people to arrest Zuo Guangen and confiscate his family property.

But confiscating the house can only solve the urgent need, do you ministers have a long-term strategy?"

Ji Ji Zhao Shun's words landed.

The officials' faces changed drastically, including the Pure Stream Party members, all showing surprised expressions.

Zuo Guangen is a regent, being so anxious to take people down, the eating appearance is simply too ugly.

The eyes of the crowd turned to the other seven regents, regrettably, there was no change on the faces of these seven old foxes.

The officials wanted to echo the Emperor, but were worried about offending the regents.

Compared to the fallen Zuo Guangen, these few are the ones who truly hold power.

Once hated, whether they can hold on until the Emperor governs personally is an unknown.

The officials looked around, and the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became awkward.

"Your Majesty, I have a strategy that can solve the financial predicament of the imperial court."

Hearing this unexpected answer, the eyes of the officials gathered over.

Solving the financial predicament of the imperial court, this breath is truly too big.

You must know that the financial problems of Great Dayu have always plagued the monarchs of all generations.

During the period, various measures were taken, and they could only barely maintain it.

The most successful reform was still in the late Emperor's reign, appearing the first financial surplus in a hundred years.

"During the late Emperor's reign, the imperial court cut redundant officials, making financial expenditure reduce by 600,000 taels every year.

But that was not enough; if we want to better solve the problem, we must cut more redundant officials.

I, Right Giving-Attendant Qiu Jiaxi, implore Your Majesty to abolish the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Since the establishment of these two agencies, except for following the Eunuch Party to harm the loyal and righteous and harm the country and the people, they have no merit to the country and the people.

Keeping them not only wastes millions of taels of money and grain every year, but also may be used by careerists.

Your Majesty ascended the throne and set things right, sweeping away the Eunuch Party, which is the best for opening a new atmosphere..."

A burst of flattery and shocking remarks made the officials successfully remember Qiu Jiaxi.

Abolishing the Depot and Guard is the common dream of the hundred officials.

As long as they are mixed in the court, no one wants to be monitored.

But for imperial power, the existence of the Depot and Guard has extraordinary significance.

Seeing Ji Ji Zhao Shun not refusing in one bite, but falling into thought, the minds of the crowd changed.

"For the sake of the world, I implore Your Majesty to abolish the Depot and Guard!"

"For the sake of the world, I implore Your Majesty to abolish the Depot and Guard!"

One after another, the call to abolish the Depot and Guard spread throughout the court and the public.

"Good!

I decide to abolish the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard from today, and I trouble the regents to come up with a cut plan!"

Ji Ji Zhao Shun's words stunned the officials.

Everyone was just talking about it, never thinking that the Emperor would actually agree.

The most confused were the seven regents; their brains were buzzing at this time, completely not knowing what the Emperor was thinking.

However, this kind of thing that conforms to the interests of the hundred officials, and the Emperor himself agreed, they certainly couldn't openly oppose it.

"We obey the edict!"

After a short hesitation, the seven answered in unison.

Can't figure out the reason for the Emperor doing this, then simply too lazy to think.

The matter was picked by an inconspicuous censor, and the decision was made by the Emperor; they were just doing it according to the Emperor's meaning.

If they regret it in the future, that is also the Emperor's own business.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 144 =====