Chapter 92

"Commander, rest assured, we will certainly wash away our shame!"

The four Battalion Commanders responded in unison.

The previous failure could be called an accident.

However, in the military, a failure is a failure; no matter how sufficient the excuses, they cannot change the fact that errors were made during the command process.

Background connections merely provide a few more opportunities for trial and error; once it is proven that one is mud that cannot be plastered onto a wall, one will still be abandoned by the forces behind them.

Now that the main force of the rebels has been wiped out, if they cannot even deal with a group of remnants, they have no business staying in the military.

It is evident that Marquis Wuyang is still very capable of manipulating people's hearts. Although the reverse psychology tactic is old-fashioned, its strength lies in its effectiveness.

As a typical example of success, Li Mu wishes he could become invisible on the spot.

"Other people's children" are truly a source of hatred.

Even if everyone's relationship was good in the past, after such an incident, it is inevitable that people will have their own thoughts.

To eliminate this estrangement, either everyone must develop well, or the gap between the two sides must be made large enough.

The drawing of lots ended quickly, and the four who received their missions took their leave one after another.

With a belly full of anger, if it is not vented, it is very easy for something to go wrong.

……

"Battalion Commander Li, how long do you think it will take them to capture Taizhou?"

Marquis Wuyang asked with concern.

It is evident that the accident of letting the rebels escape last time directly affected his confidence in his subordinate generals.

"My Lord, the rebels have just suffered a defeat and are at a moment when their morale is scattered.

Those soldiers who were forcibly conscripted will not risk their lives for them.

The Huang brothers went on a killing spree in Taizhou and deeply offended the gentry group.

Deep-rooted local families are not so easily uprooted.

The rebels have shown signs of decadence, and the residual forces hidden in the shadows by these gentry families will also seize the opportunity to retaliate.

The small groups of rebels they annexed earlier are also no small hidden danger when the rebels fall into a predicament.

The enemy's current situation can be described as internal and external troubles. With just a gentle push, this dilapidated house will collapse with a crash.

Breaking Taizhou is not difficult; it is merely a question of the scale of losses. This subordinate guesses that the rebels can hold out for about three to five days.

In fact, even without launching an attack, just by conducting a siege, it would be difficult for the rebels to last more than two months.

Judging from the intelligence sent by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the enemy missed this year's autumn harvest, and there is not much grain stored in Taizhou City."

Li Mu analyzed objectively.

A ragtag army gathered in a hurry is inherently a mix of fish and dragons.

When fighting a winning battle, they can still be united.

Once they encounter a losing situation, the hidden internal contradictions will all erupt.

Compared to the rebels' previous reckless siege, the Wucheng Military Commission is much better prepared.

Not only was a batch of heavy artillery transferred from Nanjing, but a large number of craftsmen were also mobilized to build siege equipment; in addition, there is the cooperation of the Jiangnan Navy.

Even if the city cannot be breached, they can drag it out until the enemy collapses on their own.

"I understand what you mean. Adopting a siege blockade and dragging it out until the rebels collapse on their own is indeed the most prudent choice.

However, the Battle of Taizhou concerns the face of my Wucheng Military Commission, so this battle must be fought!"

Marquis Wuyang said solemnly.

When working in the imperial court, some things must be insisted upon.

If the Wucheng Military Commission had not achieved any results earlier, then choosing the most prudent siege of the enemy would certainly be the best choice.

Now the situation is exactly the opposite; except for one mistake, the Wucheng Military Commission has performed quite well on the battlefield.

People can accept never having possessed something, but they cannot accept having obtained it and then losing it.

The simplest way to wash away a stain is to win it back quickly.

The rebels of Gaoyou Department splitting their forces to retreat certainly allowed many Wen family disciples to run away, but it also accelerated the speed of the rebels' rout.

There is not much time left for the Wucheng Military Commission; they must capture Taizhou City one step ahead of the Capital Camp wiping out the rebels in Nantong Prefecture.

"Boom—"

The sound of dense artillery fire kicked off the prelude to the siege.

On the city wall, the Huang brothers no longer had their usual arrogance.

Unlike previous failures, this expedition encountered the imperial court's cavalry, and they suffered heavy losses in a confused state.

Especially the losses of the old camp had the greatest impact on the Taizhou righteous army.

In order to stabilize the morale of the army, they had to walk onto the city wall themselves to command the soldiers to defend the city.

"Big Brother, the enemy is very well prepared and is about to cross the moat.

Taizhou falling is only a matter of time; let's find an opportunity to break out quickly!"

Huang Renliang urged anxiously.

He is only in his twenties and still has plenty of time to enjoy life; he is unwilling to die in Taizhou City.

However, in the righteous army, the one with the highest prestige is ultimately Huang Renlong.

Even if they want to run, the boss must agree.

"Second Brother, there is a shortage of grain in the city, so retreating is certain.

However, you have seen the power of the enemy's cavalry.

Encountering that group of killing gods on the plains, we are simply no match.

Even if we want to break out, we must wait until they leave before we can act.

It's a pity that I can't get in touch with the connections in the navy; otherwise, leaving by water would be the best choice!"

Just as Huang Renlong finished sighing, a cannonball flew over.

After a loud "Bang—", the three guards beside him were blown to pieces.

The Huang brothers, who luckily escaped, lost half their souls, and their bodies instinctively ran down the city gate tower.

With the commander taking the lead in running, the nearby defending soldiers blindly chose to follow.

In the blink of an eye, a vacuum of military force actually appeared on the city gate tower.

After coming to his senses, Huang Renlong immediately scolded angrily:

"Why did you come down? Hurry back for me!"

Fortunately, there was the moat to block them; otherwise, the enemy would have captured the city wall during the chaos of the defending soldiers just now.

The soldiers were driven back, but the adverse impact caused could not be wiped away.

From the resentful eyes of the soldiers, it could be seen that their awe of the commander had changed at this moment.

Unable to care about pacifying the morale of the army, at this moment, the Huang brothers' minds were full of how to run away.

Having walked through the gates of hell again, the two of them became increasingly unconfident in the cause of rebellion.

Reason told them that if they didn't run faster, they would stay here forever.

……

Huaian City.

"Left Chancellor, this is the distribution map of the salt fields in the Huai'an region.

We audited the accounts of several salt fields in Huai'an Prefecture, and the content is quite shocking.

According to the imperial court's salt tax laws, the tax that these salt fields alone should contribute annually should be no less than 1.4 million taels.

Based on this calculation, the salt industry tax revenue in the Huai'an region should be between 2.5 million and 3 million taels.

The Huai'an salt industry accounts for about one-third of the national salt industry; taking a compromise figure, theoretically, the national salt tax revenue should be around 8 million taels."

After Gu Yuansong finished speaking, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became heavy.

The imperial court's salt tax revenue last year was 1.3 million taels; compared to 8 million taels, it is completely like heaven and earth.

If this figure reaches the Emperor, who knows how angry Emperor Tianyuan will be.

More than 80% of the tax revenue was carved up by the bureaucratic system and the salt merchant group, clearly bullying the Emperor for his lack of knowledge.

"The outside world says we are corrupt and break the law, but compared to these guys, we really aren't much.

The salt industry is already highly profitable, but these people are still not satisfied.

When the imperial court formulated the tax law, it fully considered the interests of the salt merchants.

The Great Yu Dynasty has a registered population of 80 million; if the real data is doubled, this humble servant thinks it is not excessive.

Everyone needs to eat salt, and the annual consumption of edible salt exceeds 2 billion catties.

Even if only one wen is earned per catty of salt, that is a profit of 2 million taels of silver.

Moreover, besides people, feeding livestock and various workshops cannot do without salt.

The real annual consumption must be 4 to 5 billion catties.

Adding up the total output of salt fields everywhere, it can also match the data.

This humble chancellor has lived for more than half a lifetime and has never heard of salt being unsalable; I suppose it was all sold out.

Just calculating by the minimum, it shouldn't be excessive for the imperial court to collect 10 million taels of salt tax annually, right?"

Once Zuo Guangen's words came out, everyone present was stunned.

Calculating from the data, 10 million taels of salt tax is certainly not excessive, but it is different in actual operation.

The profits of the salt industry are too huge, and all parties cannot help but reach into it.

If the situation is reported truthfully to the Emperor, who knows if Emperor Tianyuan can tolerate this mode of sharing the spoils.

Even if the current Emperor can accept it, what if the later Emperors feel it's not enough and want to share more?

"Left Chancellor, the risk of comprehensively reforming the salt administration is too great.

Just the Huai'an salt industry has caused such a big stir; if it is promoted nationwide, I am afraid the resistance from below will be very great.

It would be better for us to compromise; the imperial court's salt tax will still be collected as usual.

With the example of the Huai'an salt merchants, I suppose that if we verify a collection figure, the local salt administration offices will be able to complete it.

For the shortfall, we can simply let the local salt merchants voluntarily contribute to the imperial court."

Vice Minister of Revenue Pang Chengjie hurriedly spoke to persuade.

Reforming the salt administration is to solve the financial problem, not to overturn the table.

The changes in the Huai'an region have already caused serious damage to the interests of the bureaucratic group.

If it is done nationwide, everyone will not be able to live.

In essence, it is a problem of interest distribution; some people take more, and naturally some people take less.

Under the behemoth of salt administration, the large and small interest groups hidden are truly countless.

The imperial court was able to successfully unfold in the Huai'an region because the seven great families of Huai'an rebelled.

Although they were forced to rebel, rebellion is rebellion, which directly forced the bureaucrats in the imperial court to abandon them.

Similar operations can only be done once.

With prior vigilance, it will not be so simple to play like this next time.

"Vice Minister Pang's proposal is not impossible to consider.

However, for this kind of thing, it won't work if only this humble chancellor is willing; everyone must be willing to cooperate.

If the local salt administration officials are still derelict in their duties and the salt merchants below are still ignorant of life and death, then this humble chancellor has no choice!"

While speaking, Zuo Guangen deliberately spread his hands.

With the precedent of wiping out the seven great families of Huai'an, his awe of the aristocratic families has disappeared without a trace.

The salt merchant interest group, known for its military force, was so vulnerable under the imperial court's military edge.

Other pure literati families, needless to say.

Once they leave the imperial court, these people, apart from their reputation in the literati circle, are just weak scholars.

Anyway, this eunuch leader doesn't need to worry about his reputation.

This change in mentality directly affected Zuo Guangen's decision-making.

"Left Chancellor, there are still more smart people in this world.

If individual idiots cannot understand your kindness, then just send them down!"

Gu Yuansong said with a smile.

The power of the Eunuch Party has risen sharply, and the momentum of the Embroidered Uniform Guard has also risen with the tide.

Realizing the weakness of the civil official group, he, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, also became tough when doing things.

It seems that there are many factors for this trip to the south, but the essential goal is one—to make money!

Whoever can handle this errand well is Emperor Tianyuan's trusted minister.

Whoever hinders the imperial court from making money is the Emperor's thorn in the eye and flesh.

Even Grand Secretary Xu, who represents the Qingliu, did not show the political struggle level that a cabinet minister should have after entering the Huai'an region.

It is not that his ability is not good, but that he had long seen through the essence of the problem.

As a big shot in the imperial court, one must not only consider the interests of one's own faction but also consider the interests of the empire.

When the interests of the two conflict, it is a great test of political wisdom.

The actions of the two Qingliu big shots in the cabinet at the critical moment are successful cases.

The method chosen by Grand Secretary Pang is to feign illness to avoid trouble, while Grand Secretary Xu's response is to feign ignorance.

They kept shouting to overthrow the Eunuch Party, but in actual operation, they deliberately avoided the Eunuch Party.

The Qingliu party members also have their own political aspirations, but they are forced by being in the game and cannot betray their class.

Identity and stance determine that he cannot make money for the imperial court like the Eunuch Party, but it does not mean that Xu Wenyue does not want to solve the imperial court's financial problems.

In the changes in the Huai'an region, the Qingliu party members did not set off a political storm, largely because they were led astray by the two big shots above.

Encountering a shrewd master like Emperor Tianyuan, those officials who only follow factional interests simply cannot enter the cabinet.

……

(End of chapter)