Chapter 626: The Grand Alliance of the Wanli Reform Opposition
Zhu Yijun did not send Xu Zhaode to heaven at the last moment, not entirely because of Wang Chonggu’s advice, but because he was a little impatient and eager to retaliate. But one thing was ignored.
The story behind Li Sanhu’s explosive assassination of the current minister was more complicated than it appeared.
Xu Zhaode confessed his crime too quickly, and the investigation of the entire case was too smooth. Everything was just right and fell into place.
Zhu Yijun, the ten-year-old emperor, has been walking on thin ice since he came to the throne. Everything he has done, but none of it has been so smooth. It is too smooth, as if everything has been arranged. .
Perhaps it can be said that Xu Zhaode’s confession was due to Tiqi arriving too quickly and with overwhelming evidence that Xu Zhaode could not deny;
It may be said that Tiqi’s method of investigating the case was too violent , which allowed the case to come to light so quickly;
Perhaps it can be said that the Xu family lost the chicken that laid golden eggs in Meishikou, and they took the risk out of anger, and raised the dead soldier Li Sanhu in captivity to take the risk;
It can also be said that Xu Zhaode bought short Suiyuan tickets to make up for the loss of Meishikou for huge economic benefits; it can also be said that Xu Zhaode had a fluke mentality, and Li Sanhu attacked with gunpowder, and Li Sanhu was determined not to Possibly alive, but dead without evidence;
This all makes sense.
But when Zhu Yijun saw Wang Chonggu himself, he suddenly thought of something, which might make all of this an excuse to cover up the truth.
Before the bombing and killing, there was a wave of impeachment against Wang Chonggu, which was an internal strife within the Jin Party, criticizing Wang Chonggu for gathering and subjugating officials.
This is a set of combined punches. Starting from stirring up public opinion, Wang Chonggu was first identified as a traitor, and then the layout was launched around Meishikou. It was logical that Xu Zhaode took the risk. In order to vent his anger, the emperor would definitely choose Killing without hesitation.
When Xu Zhaode died, everything was over.
There are two problems in the whole set of boxing combinations. The first problem is that Li Sanhu killed the wrong person.
Zhu Yijun thinks about this issue from a class perspective. Even the Wang family without Tiqi is not so easy to assassinate.
For example, in the Li Sanhu explosion attack this time, he did not figure out which one was Wang Chonggu. He only identified Wang Chonggu's car and pounced on it, killing Wang Chongyi.
The second surprise was that Wang Chonggu came forward to block the remonstrance. Even though Li Sanhu missed the accident, things were still progressing according to the plan. The emperor and ministers in order to safeguard the collective interests of meat eaters , chose to let the emperor do whatever he wanted, and wanted to send the Xu family and Xu Zhaode to heaven together.
Even Hai Rui did not come forward to stop him, because Hai Rui is also a Ming Gong, and Hai Rui also has a family. Hai Rui has offended more people than Zhang Juzheng. If he is not severely punished and deterred, Hai Rui will be the next victim. people.
But Wang Chonggu came forward to stop it. The reason was justice. He did not want to take revenge in the form of lynching, but wanted Xu Zhaode to submit to the law and be dealt with by the national law. Wang Chonggu was the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, and his responsibilities were his.
The scene had been properly arranged, and Xu Zhaode and his family were taken to Fusi Prison in Beizhen, but Zhu Yijun did not give the order for a long time, looking at the Xu family's house thoughtfully.
"Cisuke, you are right to remind me that there is someone behind Xu Zhaode." Zhu Yijun told Wang Chonggu what he was thinking about.
Wang Chonggu was stunned for a moment, and then his expression changed. He was not confused because he was old. When His Majesty said this, Wang Chonggu immediately understood what the emperor meant.
"Your Majesty, these people are still planning to plot the official factory! Damn it! Do you think that if you kill me, the official factory will be theirs? It's a dream!" Wang Chonggu's expression changed several times and became even more angry. He got up, touched his family, and touched his heart. He immediately understood the starting motive of everything, the official factory.
Not every official factory is extremely profitable. For example, the engineering regiment camp building Chidao and the construction of Chidao are a pure loss business, which is to ensure that the coal reaches Xuanfu smoothly and realize the convection of coal and silver. For example, the Jianghuai coal yard is in operational difficulties. Due to various factors such as labor prices and the market, profits are extremely slim and some even cannot make ends meet.
Wang Chonggu already knows why he has become a target, because the two woolen factories and the Xishan Coal Bureau are the majority of the profits of the imperial government factories. They are on an equal footing with the shipyards and slightly inferior to the plantations. This is also the reason why the imperial court The ability of official factories to withstand resistance is the basis for their growing prosperity.
I would say without being self-effacing that the Xishan Coal Bureau of the Woolen Woolen Factory is what it is today entirely because of Wang Chonggu’s efficient management.
If Wang Chonggu dies, will the Woolen Official Factory and Xishan Coal Bureau definitely run into operating difficulties? Not necessarily, but as long as Wang Chonggu is still alive, the Mao Woolen Official Factory and Xishan Coal Bureau will definitely not run into operating difficulties. Without Wang Chonggu, it is extremely important to those who seek official factories.
I still fell in love with the pile of scrap metal that the emperor had created. The more fierce the scolding and the more violent the methods, the more it showed that he was greedy for the huge profits of the official factory.
"Let's light the fire." Zhu Yijun waved his hand, indicating to Zhao Mengyou to light the fire and send the Xu family's home to heaven. The people behind the scenes will discuss it later. The first thing to do is to send the Xu family to heaven.
Rumbling explosions sounded continuously, and the prosperous Xu family collapsed amid the continuous explosions. Tiqi's craftsmanship was so exquisite that it did not even affect any surrounding buildings. This was a The ruins are a scar and a warning.
Zhu Yijun drove back to the palace. He explained it carefully to Zhao Mengyou, outlined several key directions for investigation, and asked Zhao Mengyou to investigate and visit, making sure to clarify the doubts in the emperor's mind.
Zhao Mengyou is a good person in handling cases, but it takes time to figure out these things. It was not until Zhu Yijun met with foreign envoys at the Wenhua Hall that Zhao Mengyou told the emperor what he wanted to know in mid-June. Everything is investigated clearly.
"Xu Youren began to transfer assets overseas in the seventh year of Wanli. In the sixth year of Wanli, the new government officials were selected and wealthy households were relocated. The Xu family began to transfer overseas at that time. After the profits tax decree was issued, Previously, he sold all his property and moved to Luzon. "
"After communicating with the Luzon Governor's Office, I found that Xu Youren did not buy a property in Luzon, but went to the Yuanxu Islands."
"There is not one person behind Xu Youren, but a group of people. Your Majesty is really insightful." Zhao Mengyou said sincerely, this is not a simple revenge case, but a political case.
"Political activities have always been complicated. In many cases, there is just a tacit understanding. Even the people doing it don't know their own party members, and even the parties involved can't explain what happened." Zhu Yijun couldn't help but think of it. The book that Lin Fucheng, a local liberal, brought back from the grassland was filled with scandals about the emperor and his wife.
Political activities are extremely complex, and sometimes even those involved do not know the truth, and political activities never seem to require the truth.
"Xu Youren moved to Beijing in the eighth year of Wanli, but the Xu family moved to Beijing as an empty shell. Xu Youren was the head of the Xu family and could not escape, but Xu Zhaode was not Xu Youren's biological son, but a righteous son. There are twenty-six other families who have moved to empty houses like the Xu family."
"This is the first force behind Xu Youren, and it is Haoyou who has the tendency to defect overseas." Zhao Mengyou first told. Your Majesty, this powerful man who would rather defect to the Ming Dynasty than live under the emperor's nose is not just one of the Xu family, but 26 families.
The Ming Dynasty had a strong concept of relocation, but in the eyes of these people, the Ming Emperor's behavior of relocating wealthy households to enrich the capital was just to destroy the family. If the local people were deeply entrenched and could not be dealt with, they brought them to the capital.
According to Zhao Mengyou’s investigation, these twenty-six families are maritime merchants for generations. They have roots overseas, and their migration overseas is by no means a temporary move. By the time they entered the sea, these twenty-six families were already smugglers.
The sky is high enough for birds to fly, and the sea is wide enough for fish to jump.
Zhu Yijun was silent for a moment and said: "Since we want the huge profits of opening the sea, we must bear the price of opening the sea. These people are a force united with extreme freedom as the core."
< br>After the influx of a large amount of silver and the rise of money worship, such a trend of thought will naturally be born and gain fans. They will never think that they have accumulated money because they lived in the relatively stable environment of the Ming Dynasty. Such wealth will only feel like it is all earned through one's own efforts.
"Your Majesty is wise." Zhao Mengyou said sincerely. His Majesty's judgment is extremely accurate. These twenty-six families are all supporters of the extreme liberals. They advocate extreme freedom and have emigrated out of the country. Ming Dynasty, so his behavior is unscrupulous.
“The second force is a group of worms who want to leave but are unwilling to leave. They set up poetry societies and newspapers but refuse to leave. They stay but are unwilling to accept the imperial court’s orders. According to the decree, these people are Shen Ziyi, Luo Yuren and other fourteen people who created the demon book case and stirred up public opinion." Zhao Mengyou talked about the power of Luo Yuren who created the demon book case when His Majesty was seriously ill.
Why do you want to leave but refuse to leave? Because they have no foundation, not everyone is a maritime merchant or smuggler for generations. They cannot leave the Ming Dynasty and know nothing about overseas. However, they are opposed to the emperor’s excessive control and the migration of rich households to enrich the capital. But as long as they are in the Ming Dynasty, they will always be there. Under the imperial power, one can only endure it while looking for opportunities.
The emperor is seriously ill, and the opportunity comes. The bet is that the emperor will not be able to afford it if he becomes ill.
"They are all traitors who intend to overthrow the Ming Dynasty." Zhu Yijun characterized this group of people. They had no idea of the Ming Dynasty at all, and they did not have the common people from all over the world. In their eyes, they only had one-third of an acre of land. Harvest, Zhu Yijun shook his head and said: "If extreme liberals are man-eating tigers, then these worms who want to leave but refuse to leave are the scoundrels who work for the tigers, and are the wings of the ultra-liberal flag."
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"There are also some people, mainly a group of rural gentry and gentry who oppose the return of land. These rural virtuous and gentry seem to have done nothing, but during the investigation, I still discovered their activities. This purchase They are the large number of so-called retail investors who are in vain. They are the victims of the New Deal, and the abolition of slave status has left them with a knot in their throats." Zhao Mengyou added the last shortcoming of the investigation.
A clear-cut opposition to the Ming Dynasty's New Deal requires financial backers, scholar-bureaucrats who are on the front lines, and a large number of supporters who cooperate with the action.
"The grand alliance of the Wanli Reform opposition." Zhu Yijun laughed instead. After figuring out who the enemy was, the problem became clear.
This big alliance has no entity. If there is one, it is the twenty-six families in the Yuanxun Islands. The others are fish hiding under the water, invisible and intangible, but they really exist.
The rebellious ministers and traitors have jumped out on their own! They are an extreme liberal, a charlatan who is hesitant to look forward and backward, and a virtuous rural gentleman who obeys the imperial decrees.
Zhu Yijun wrote these three forces on paper, looked at them for a long time and then said: "That Xu Zhaode, send him to Jiejuyuan to be neighbors with Zhang Siwei."
"A bunch of clowns. ”
During Zhao Mengyou’s investigation, liberals such as Lin Fucheng and Li Zhi were expelled from their free citizenship and were considered to be admirers of authoritarianism.
Because Lin Fucheng and Li Zhi have completely violated the basic proposition of freedom.
Lin Fucheng, Li Zhi and others once successfully stirred up public opinion, which ultimately led to the implementation of the decree to abolish the status of slaves, freeing people from the forced dependence and slave production relations. Isn’t that freedom? ?
In the eyes of extreme liberals, this is not freedom, there is no freedom to become a slave.
Zhu Yijun discovered that when a concept is divorced from the common people and the majority of people, it will become weird. The Tiqimen arrested a man named Zhao Zining. The arrest of Zhao Zining was completely accidental. Zhao Zining was a man of opinions. When he was arrested, he was scolding the emperor, and he scolded him very fiercely. Criticizing the emperor is still a taboo topic. But Zhao Zining dared to criticize publicly in newspapers.
The content of the scolding was nothing more than the same as the third one. He was too violent, too lenient, and arbitrary. The Tiqi thought that this person was an accomplice of Xu Zhaode, because this person and Xu Zhaode were the same. Compatriots and classmates also scold the emperor and create public opinion. Isn't this what they are from the same party?
After being arrested, after careful investigation, it was discovered that Zhao Zining had no direct or indirect financial dealings with Xu Zhaode and the Xu family, and had no connection at all.
"Let it go. There are so many people scolding me. I'm so worried about it. I don't have to live my life anymore." Zhu Yijun didn't bother to deal with Zhao Zining because this person's speech basically followed the facts. It is a false accusation, but he is indeed violent, indeed very lenient, and indeed arbitrary.
"I obey the decree." Zhao Mengyou knew the emperor's purpose and did not expand it.
The first thing in the struggle is to figure out who is the enemy, who is a passerby, and who is a friend. Obviously Zhao Zining is not yet in the enemy category.
The struggle with the extreme liberals is long-term, because they were raised by the emperor.
"Your Majesty, the First Situ and the Younger Situ are waiting outside the royal study, requesting an audience." Seeing that His Majesty had finished what he was doing, a little Huangmen hurriedly said.
"Xuan."
Wang Guoguang and Zhang Xueyan came hand in hand. Obviously they had something important to say. After the two of them saw the ceremony, they did not talk about it and presented a memorial to the emperor. This is Zhang Juzheng's memorials to his ministers could be presented directly to his assistants, court ministers, and foreign ministers in person, bypassing the cabinet.
Zhang Juzheng only hopes that His Majesty will become a wise king so that Ming Dynasty will no longer slide into the abyss.
When Zhu Yijun opened the memorial, he immediately knew why Wang Guoguang and Zhang Xueyan wanted to bypass the cabinet.
Sichuan and Guangdong and Guangxi are fighting.
Wang Tingzhan, the governor of Sichuan, is from Huguang, a disciple of Zhang Juzheng, and a direct descendant of the Chu Party. The governor of Guangdong and Guangxi is Wang Jiaping, a disciple of Ge Shouli, and a direct descendant of the Jin Party. Sichuan and Guangxi are at loggerheads. This memorial is sparse Naturally, the cabinet must be bypassed, otherwise Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu will fight first.
It’s not that Sichuan and Guangdong and Guangxi rebelled, and when they met with each other, they fought each other, but Wang Tingzhan banned Sichuan silkworm breeding in Sichuan from leaving the province. Sichuan brocade satin, a luxury item among luxury goods, It is a high-end luxury product that has a tax increase of 50%.
The more luxurious things are, the more taxes are increased. The more taxes are increased, the more it can prove one's wealth. Zhu Yijun previously taxed the mansion in Baiwang Mountain, and the 'Hundred Birds Chao Feng Mansion' even Up to 100% luxury tax!
Such a high tax, instead of stopping the enthusiasm of powerful right-wingers, made the sales of Baiwangshan mansion even more popular. As soon as the decree was issued, it was sold out in less than a day.
Certified from the emperor, a true top luxury mansion!
Regarding this result, Zhu Yijun could only scold these people for having money to burn, but the taxes that should be collected still had to be collected.
Sichuan brocade satin is a luxury product, and Sichuan silkworm breeding is the key to it. No one stipulates that Sichuan brocade satin must be woven in Sichuan.
Wang Tingzhan banned the outflow of silkworm seeds in order to protect the local economy. In order to enforce this ban, Wang Tingzhan even mobilized the archers of the Inspection Department to carry out strict inspections, and the main flow of silkworm seeds in Sichuan was One of the places is the Guangdong and Guangxi regions.
Wang Jiaping is not a good person. This business is going well. Why don't you, Wang Tingzhan, say you won't let him do it? With Wang Jiaping's acquiescence, local powerful figures in Guangdong and Guangxi began to smuggle silkworm seeds from Shu, mainly with high kickbacks and escorted by guest soldiers from Guangdong and Guangxi.
This pinched and pinched the real fire. Wang Tingzhan captured 160 guest soldiers smuggling silkworm seeds from Guangdong and Guangxi. Wang Jiaping failed to ask for it, so he sued the court and scolded him. Wang Tingzhan arrested the officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty on certain charges. The guest soldiers were also officers and soldiers who ate the imperial food. Wang Tingzhan arrested the guest soldiers. Isn't this nonsense?
Wang Tingzhan also sued Wang Jiaping, and the reason was very good. Wang Jiaping had crossed the line, and the guest soldiers from Guangzhou went to Sichuan. I knew they were Ming Dynasty officers and soldiers, but I didn’t know but thought they were your Wang Jiaping’s. Where is the servant?
"This is getting angry." Zhu Yijun looked at the memorial and was stunned for a while. He didn't expect that a small silkworm could make such a fuss.
Wang Guoguang said helplessly: "Isn't this all about money? Wang Tingzhan is right, and so is Wang Jiaping."
"Oh? Neither Wang Tingzhan nor Wang Jiaping are right. Wrong, then who was wrong?" Zhu Yijun was stunned. He thought he was going to be the referee, but he didn't expect that Wang Guangguang, who had taken out the memorial, wanted to make peace.
This is muddy and the process is wrong.
If they really wanted to reconcile with Xini, Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu should sit together, discuss a result, and send it to the palace in the form of a floating ticket. However, there is no floating ticket in the memorial, which proves that Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu do not want to fight with Xini. He insisted that the other party was wrong, so he brought it to the emperor and asked him to deal with it.
"The court's fault." Wang Guoguang and Zhang Xueyan looked at each other, and Wang Guoguang revealed the answer.
"They were fighting in the local area, so how could it be that the imperial court was at fault?" Zhu Yijun spread his hands and asked with some confusion, how did the Ministry of Revenue get the result that the imperial court was at fault from the local fight? The imperial court was at fault, Isn't it the emperor Zhu Yijun's fault?
“Let’s talk about it in two parts. Your Majesty, let’s talk about Sichuan first.” Zhang Xueyan said after careful consideration: “Your Majesty, Shu Jinchuan satin does not pay taxes in Sichuan, but these taxes are paid in Songjiang Mansion. The laws of the Ming Dynasty are clear, and business is done There is no tax, and the merchants will draw one out of thirty. "
The foot merchants do not charge taxes. Only the merchants who sell goods will collect taxes. Therefore, Shu Jinchuan satin is produced in Shu, but there is no tax in Shu. Those who did not have the ability to consume these extravagant things were transported to the rich land of Nanya. Now it is Songjiang Prefecture. Xiafei Street is full of extravagant things. It is impossible to distribute even a cent of the taxes collected by Songjiang Prefecture to Sichuan. silver.
Besides Nanya, the second largest outflow direction of Sichuan satin is Guangdong and Guangxi, more precisely Guangzhou.
"Wang Tingzhan did not ask for these taxes, but banned the outflow of silkworm seeds in Shu. This was to protect Sichuan silkworm farmers. If Sichuan silkworms were available everywhere, Sichuan silkworm farmers would not be able to make a living. Wang Tingzhan Tingzhan was already very polite, just for the sake of the livelihood of Sichuan's silkworm farmers, so Wang Tingzhan was right." Zhang Xueyan explained clearly why Wang Tingzhan was right to enact such a local protection decree.
It is true that the whole country is a game of chess, but for either party, Wang Tingzhan still has to work for the benefit of the local people.
“Let’s talk about Guangdong and Guangxi.” Wang Guangguang said: “Wang Jiaping is right. Sichuan silkworm breeding has been a business for not five hundred but three hundred years. It has formed an extremely stable industry and has many businesses in Guangzhou. The ground is waiting for silkworm seeds, just like a clever woman waiting for rice to be cooked. If there is a way, Wang Jiaping will not let the guest soldiers escort them. "
Since the Northern Song Dynasty, Nanhai County has set up mulberry gardens. Wei, Xiqiao, Jiujiang, Shatou and other places are all big sericulture households. The silk produced in these places will be transported to Foshan and processed into silk and satin. Guangzhou Foshan is also one of the largest silk industry centers in the Ming Dynasty. Second only to Nanya.
The silkworm seeds are all on a large piece of paper and can be transported in one roll. There are no silkworm seeds left in Guangzhou.
Oranges grown in Huainan are called tangerines, and those grown in northern Huaibei are called tangerines. The leaves are similar, but the taste is different.
Like oranges, there is also the problem of Huainan and Huaibei. Sichuan silkworm breeds are reserved in Guangzhou, and the quality of the offspring is often far inferior to Sichuan silkworm breeds, so Guangzhou uses Sichuan silkworm breeds.
With Wang Tingzhan’s prohibition, all silkworm-raising places in Guangzhou will be ‘starved of food’.
So Wang Jiaping is right.
The place is right, but the one who is wrong is the court.
"Doesn't Suiyuan and Shanxi also have such a problem? Coal is also going south." Zhu Yijun immediately realized that this was not an individual problem between Sichuan and Guangzhou, but an overall problem of the Ming Dynasty.
Wang Tingzhan’s regional protection will also be the regional protection of Suiyuan, Shanxi, and Liaodong in the future.
"Yes." Wang Guoguang said worriedly: "Your Majesty, from the perspective of goods or commodities, it is indeed the north that is sucking the blood of the south, but in terms of raw materials, it is the south that is sucking the north. The blood of the rich places in the southeast coast is sucking the blood of the poor places in the northwest. "
"Coal from Suiyuan and Shanxi, cotton from Shandong, and silkworm seeds and wood from Sichuan are all raw materials."
The North is poor, the South is rich, and the North sucks the blood of the South. This is also the mainstream view. But in fact, from the perspective of taxation, we find that this is a process of exchange of raw materials and commodities, and there is no question of who sucks the blood of whom.
"Your Majesty, there is another problem here, and that is population migration. Take silkworm seeds as an example. Businessmen in Sichuan who have made money selling silkworm seeds will move to Nanya, Zhejiang, Guangzhou, etc. For example, many Shanxi merchants gathered in Yangzhou and settled down in Yangzhou." Zhang Xueyan reminded His Majesty that this is not simply a tax issue.
"The poor get poorer, and the rich get richer." Zhu Yijun immediately understood what Zhang Xueyan meant. This is also a kind of annexation, where a rich place annexes a poor place.
Population is losing and silver is flowing away. These businessmen will not take the money back with them, but will keep it in the south. The key to coal-silver convection is to keep the silver in the north through commodity trading. , Promote local development, instead of making money in the South, the South wants to take it home.
“In terms of taxation, taxes must be distributed to Sichuan and other places.” Wang Guoguang proposed a solution. The court would be responsible for the adjustment, and the taxes received from wealthy places would be paid to poor places. , which seems to be robbing the rich and giving to the poor.
"There is a huge problem here, that is, poor places cannot do without goods from rich places, but rich places can get rid of raw materials from poor places." Zhu Yijun frowned and said: " Take Songjiang Prefecture, Ningbo in Zhejiang, and Guangzhou in Guangdong as examples. They can completely rely on the inflow of overseas raw materials. "
The exchange of raw materials and commodities was originally the link between the wealthy places on the southeast coast and the poor places in the northwest, but now. This balance was broken by the decree to open the sea.
Rich coastal areas will find that there are more abundant raw materials and cheaper labor overseas. The more they develop navigation technology, the stronger the centrifugal force in the southeastern coastal areas will be.
Zhu Yijun’s fingers kept tapping on the table, with a thoughtful expression on his face. The birth of the opposition force of extreme liberalism was essentially centrifugal force, and the soil for its growth was Kaihai. This is Zhu Yijun Created and spawned by one's own hands, the more prosperous the opening of the sea becomes, the weaker the exchange of raw materials and commodities between the inland and coastal areas will be, the stronger the centrifugal force will be, and the more powerful the opposition will become.
The simplest way is to close the country. The Qing Dynasty has demonstrated that the lazy government of closing the country can neither effectively solve the problem, but also cause bad consequences.
It is difficult to make everyone rich together, but it is indeed easier to make everyone poor together.
“So the key issue is production. If these raw materials can be produced in the place of origin, the problem can be greatly alleviated. However, all assets do not come out of thin air. They need to be accumulated, invested, and Create." Zhu Yijun stopped tapping his fingers. From the fight between Sichuan and Guangxi, and from Wang Tingzhan's local protection decree, Zhu Yijun saw the key to the problem, production.
This cannot be accomplished overnight. Making the Ming Dynasty great again has a long road ahead. When one problem is solved, two problems will arise.
(End of this chapter)