novelAbuy Chapter 205 Integrity-Maintaining Allowance?
Chapter 205 Integrity-Maintaining Allowance?
After Wu Sangui finished speaking, seeing that his generals were still standing there in a daze, he spread his arms and stretched his body.
"Don't worry, I'm in excellent health!"
Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, fearing that Wu Sangui was just having a final burst of energy before death. Ma Bao even knelt down on one knee.
"Your humble servant obeys!"
As long as Wu Sangui lived, everyone felt confident, a sense of reliance that had developed from following Zhen Yao for many years.
Wu Sangui didn't say anything more. He stood up, picked up the crying Wu Shifan, and strode towards the door, finally sitting down by the flower bed.
Then, his gaze turned deep to the north.
Upon hearing that Zhu Jing had committed suicide by self-immolation and that his entire family had been taken to Beijing, Wu Sangui regained consciousness. After hearing Zheng's letter, he was so anxious that he wanted to jump up and down.
Beyond Burma lies the Mughal Empire. Wu Sangui, having guarded Yunnan for so many years, knew all too well that this was a great empire with a population and military strength not much less than that of the Ming Dynasty, yet it was defeated by the Han Dynasty, which only occupied the north.
With the Han court already blockading the coastal areas from Guangxi to Annam, the Great Zhou now faces a shortage of at least 30% of its military supplies.
If things continued like this, the Great Zhou would be defeated without even fighting, which is why he was so anxious and inexplicably managed to withstand the wind disease.
With Wu Sangui's situation stabilized, the entire southwest region became lively again, and elite troops stationed in various places, along with a large number of laborers, were all transferred to Henan.
The Central Plains are about to be engulfed in war once again!
……
In 1677 AD, the 1878th year of the Han Dynasty, three cannon shots rang out from the top of Beijing, and the Chongde Hall welcomed the New Year's Day court assembly. This was also the third New Year's Day in the western year of the founding of the Han Dynasty.
The square outside Chongde Hall is filled with small long tables, on which are placed refrigerated fruits such as lychees, longans, tangerines, and pomelos.
Other items included a copper hot pot, a local specialty dish, a plate of candied fruit, and a pot of imperial wine.
Moreover, next to each table, there was a pretty palace maid who was responsible for pouring wine and serving food.
The fruits were naturally kept in the ice cellar. Liu Mu didn't like to eat alone, and more importantly, he didn't have many concubines, so he couldn't possibly consume them all.
As for these palace maids, they were all selected by Zhao Lie, who made it clear that they were not taken, but rather that the women volunteered.
However, Liu Mu knew that Korea was still under military control and was preparing military supplies to attack the Japanese invaders. The people were living in dire straits, and these women were all first-time prostitutes.
Just then, the imperial guards stationed nearby shouted in unison, "All officials, please take your seats!"
Before long, civil and military officials in the capital, dressed in brand-new court robes and wearing leather coats worth twenty taels of silver, arrived one after another in the square. They were all very excited when they saw the things on the table.
He even sighed inwardly, thinking that the imperial court was now rich enough to give its officials new clothes and prepare New Year's Day food and drinks!
The three veteran officials, Zhou Peigong, Li Guangdi, and Ouyang Jing, sat at the front, all with expressions of pride.
Zhou Peigong picked up a candied fruit, put it in his mouth and chewed it slowly, then chuckled.
"Sweet!"
"With no war for a whole year and the borders stable, tax revenue has surged. And these newly issued official robes are all made of the finest silk!"
Even MC Jin, who usually has a dark expression, was unusually smiling as he ate a candied fruit!
"Absolutely right!"
"I was so sure the imperial court was short of money, but it turns out they didn't even include the revenue from the northern provinces. If I had known this, I wouldn't have bothered to stretch every penny!"
Li Guangdi, as the Minister of Revenue, was in charge of all taxes of the Han Dynasty. Upon hearing this, he smiled and shook his head.
"These garrisons and outposts throughout Heilongjiang are all located in icy and snowy regions. I never imagined that not only would they not need subsidies from the imperial court, but they would also be able to increase taxes by more than three million taels of silver. His Majesty's vision is truly remarkable!"
"If we could quickly defeat Tsarist Russia, or even occupy it, and sell off all those stockpiled furs, wouldn't that bring in tens of millions of taels of silver every year!"
……
The three were talking about the money that had just arrived in Beijing on New Year's Eve, mainly from Heilongjiang and Jilin, from the income they made selling various furs, ginseng, and tiger bones.
Yes, you heard it right!
We're talking about income, not taxes!
After all, in Heilongjiang and Jilin, there were only slaves, exiled criminals, and garrison soldiers, none of whom needed money.
Since the beginning of last winter, Liu Mu has arranged for imperial merchants to sell large quantities of low-grade animal furs, such as fox and mink, to the areas surrounding Nanjing.
Although the wealthy families around Nanshouli were relocated, the city remained a world trade center, and the basic economic foundation of its people was still there. Small merchants could still afford to spend money if they gritted their teeth.
Chinese people value clothing, and who can resist a warm and stylish fur coat?
The key was that the price was 20% lower than during the Qing Dynasty. Business was booming, and in just three months, after deducting costs, the net income was 3.89 million taels.
If those precious furs, such as white fox, black fox, and sable, were sold to the Ottoman Empire, they would fetch astronomical prices. Unfortunately, Tsarist Russia blocked the route, preventing trade from taking place.
This is exactly what Li Guangdi and the other two were talking about.
……
"His Majesty the Emperor has arrived!"
Just then, Zhao Fengnian shouted loudly, and all the officials stood up and bowed.
"Welcome, Your Majesty the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
Because it was the Lunar New Year, many officials were in Beijing, totaling five or six hundred people, which was quite a large number.
The emperor's ceremonial robes were too tiring, so Liu Mu, still in his everyday clothes, plopped down on the dragon throne on the steps of the palace, and then slightly raised his hand to the officials.
Upon seeing this, Zhao Fengnian immediately shouted again.
"sit!"
Upon hearing this, all the officials immediately returned to their original seats.
Liu Mu was also very happy at this moment, just like Li Guangdi and the others, because those three million taels of silver were the net profit of Huang Shang's sales.
In reality, the imperial merchants also earned processing fees and a large amount of scrap materials, which, in total, amounted to nearly one million taels of silver.
Otherwise, how could Liu Mu be so magnanimous?
If I had known that there were only five or six hundred tables of food and wine, worth thirty thousand taels of silver, not to mention the official robes and fur coats they were wearing.
As for why we need to be so clear about these things, it's still the same point: public and private matters must be clearly separated so that the court won't fall into chaos. Once the emperor reaches into the national treasury and spends the tax revenue as if it were his own money, the country will be in great turmoil.
It's not that the emperor spent too much, but rather that he was afraid that if the emperor set an example, the officials would also follow suit.
Soon, after several rounds of drinks and dishes, Liu Mu nodded to Zhao Fengnian, who immediately waved.
Before long, a large number of eunuchs came up carrying trays and stood next to all the officials.
Liu Mu walked down the steps from the steps of the imperial palace, raising his wine cup.
"My lords, people say that officials who travel a thousand miles are only after money. Well then, today, I'm giving you all your money!"
"First-rank official: 300 taels of silver; second-rank official: 200 taels; third-rank official: 150 taels; fourth-rank official: 120 taels; fifth-rank official: 90 taels; sixth-rank official: 70 taels; seventh-rank official: 60 taels; eighth-rank official: 50 taels; ninth-rank official: 38 taels!"
"This amount of silver may not be much, but it's enough to make your whole family rich. Of course, you could have more than this much if you just stretched out your fingers, but watch your heads!"
"Bring him up!"