A year ago, after the border guards' illegal sale of military equipment was exposed, the imperial court investigated and eventually traced the responsibility to the Ministry of War's Armory Department.
Everyone in the Arsenal was held accountable; some were executed, others demoted. Zhang Zhe seized this opportunity to be promoted to Vice Minister of War and take charge of the Arsenal.
This inventory of military equipment was conducted smoothly and efficiently, with clear and accurate records. The maintenance and storage of the equipment were also very thorough, which explains why Zhang Zhe took the initiative to invite him to participate in the inventory.
After visiting the armory, Ye Jingchen suggested that he go see the arsenal where weapons are forged.
Although it was late autumn, the arsenal was sweltering with heat. Dozens of furnaces stood tall, and countless craftsmen moved between them, the sounds of hammering iron filling the air.
The arsenal was also well-organized, though cluttered.
Zhang Zhe is indeed a talented person; it's beneath him to only be a physician. Once Yun Yi is promoted to Minister of War, his official rank can be raised another level.
At that time, with the Zhang family father and son both serving in the imperial court, the Zhang family will be unparalleled in their influence. Regardless of Zhang Li's stance, his past will be thoroughly investigated by those who are jealous of him or hostile to him. There will be no secrets left, and he will no longer need to waste people and time investigating whether he is usable.
The next morning at court, the Vice Minister of Revenue submitted a memorial stating that with the approach of winter, and following past practice, the northern barbarians might raid the border. He suggested that military supplies and weapons should be transported to the northern frontier in advance as a precaution.
Remembering the Pyrrhic victory of the previous year, the emperor dared not be careless and ordered the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue to consult together.
In previous years, a lot of time would be wasted in this step.
The Ministry of War naturally hoped that the soldiers in the northern frontier would have ample military equipment and provisions, the more the better. However, the Ministry of Revenue had to consider the national treasury's revenue and expenditure. If the amount of military equipment and provisions allocated was too large, the national treasury might not be able to support it.
Moreover, transporting supplies from the capital to the northern frontier was also a major problem.
However, this year Ye Jingchen personally discussed the matter with the Ministry of Revenue.
He knew the inventory of the Ministry of War's Armory, the needs of the Northern Frontier Army and the Divine Might Army, and the general situation of the Dayuan National Treasury's annual revenue. At the negotiating table, he decided on the specific amount in just half an hour, and he personally presented it to the emperor.
The emperor was surprised when he saw his memorial.
First, the discussion process was fast.
Secondly, the amount of supplies presented was more than in previous years, and by a full 30%!
"Is this the result of discussions between the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War?" the emperor asked.
Given the Minister of Revenue's stingy nature, how could he be so distrustful?
"Father, don't the memorials end with the signatures and fingerprints of the Minister of Revenue and his two vice ministers? If they disagreed, why would they sign and fingerprint them?" Ye Jingchen asked with a smile.
emperor:......
"There was no such rule as pressing fingerprints on memorials before!" the emperor said with a sneer.
"Father, don't you think this is a good thing? Handwriting can be forged by others, but fingerprints are unique to each person and cannot be faked! They have pressed their fingerprints, which means they approve of the contents of this memorial, and they won't be able to go back on their word later!"
"Father, I think this method should be promoted. All memorials submitted by ministers should be signed and fingerprinted by you before being archived! This means that no matter how many years have passed, they will be responsible for their words and deeds! In this way, the memorials submitted to you will not be so flowery, pretentious and empty!"
"Furthermore, there are ways to deal with those who particularly enjoy singing praises! Have their memorials read aloud in front of all the civil and military officials during the morning court session. Let's see if they still like to flatter after that. If that doesn't work, then display their memorials on the bulletin board in front of the Jingzhao Prefecture, so that all the people in the capital can come and admire their flattery skills. This will also bring the court officials and the people closer together. It's a win-win situation. Isn't that interesting?"
The emperor was initially somewhat angry because the amount of military supplies Ye Jingchen presented far exceeded his expectations. However, upon hearing Ye Jingchen's last two terrible ideas, he couldn't help but laugh.
He was also particularly annoyed by the sycophantic praise and flattery of those courtiers!
They insisted on going on and on about something that could be explained in a single sentence, which was a complete waste of his time!
Although everyone likes to hear nice things, if you hear those exaggerated compliments over and over again for more than ten years, you will never like them again!
Regarding the requirement for signatures and fingerprints, joint petitions already require signatures, but fingerprints are not acceptable—
Although the Crown Prince's words make sense, is it really necessary?
"I may consider adopting your two suggestions, but are you sure that the amount of military supplies to be sent to the northern frontier is this?" the emperor asked Ye Jingchen, his gaze and voice carrying a hint of pressure.
"Your subject believes that the more military supplies sent to the Northern Frontier, the better. Since the Armory has ample reserves and the national treasury is also well-stocked, why not treat the soldiers in the Northern Frontier even better? The battlefield is inherently dangerous and cruel. Sufficient food and supplies will give them the strength to fight the enemy, while armor and weapons will increase their chances of survival!"
Faced with the emperor's probing, Ye Jingchen remained calm and composed.
"Do you know that abundant military supplies can easily breed ambition in generals, allowing them to amass power and become arrogant!"
"Furthermore, the amount of military supplies sent to the northern frontier has increased by 30% this year. What about next year? What about the year after? If it increases this year and then decreases, it will easily destabilize the army! But if this happens every year, the national treasury will not be able to support it! Have you considered these things?" the emperor questioned.
"I did not think these two questions through beforehand, but they are not unsolvable!" Ye Jingchen admitted frankly.
After all, these are issues that shouldn't be his concern in his position. If he were to actually consider them, that would be the problem!
"Then tell me, what is the solution?" the emperor asked, glancing at him sideways.
"Your Majesty, I do have some immature ideas that I need to think about carefully before reporting to you. However, as the saying goes, one person's plan is short, two people's plans are long, and three people can discuss things together. Why don't you test these two issues on my elder sister, younger brother, and younger sister? Perhaps they can come up with better solutions?" Ye Jingchen asked with a smile.
Ultimately, these two issues boil down to two things: how to ensure the loyalty of the soldiers in the northern frontier to the emperor, and how to increase the national treasury's revenue.
Military power and wealth are the foundation for the stability of an imperial dynasty.
Throughout history, the two most troublesome problems for emperors of all dynasties have been nothing more than these two.
These are two questions without standard answers.
Moreover, it was a question that Ye Jingchen couldn't answer alone.
Because if his answer displeases the emperor, the emperor will be disappointed in him.
However, if the emperor is too pleased with the answer, the emperor will become suspicious of him.
That's why he suggested to the emperor that these two questions be used as a test for the princes and princesses.
In this way, everyone answers the question together, and each kid says one or two points. He only needs to be the last one to fill in any gaps.
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