Looking at the scattered snowflakes floating in the air, Zhu Youxiao squinted his eyes under the eaves.
I have the whole world in my heart, and I am not considering the heads of two hundred people, but the lives of thousands, tens of thousands, and even millions of people.
In order to revitalize the Ming Dynasty and to avoid repeating the tragic scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, you died for a good cause!
"Your Majesty." Wang Tigan held up the mink cloak again, "The wind is strong, be careful not to catch a cold."
Zhu Youxiao waved his hand, turned around, walked about ten meters, and stepped into the East Warm Pavilion. In winter, this place was converted into his office.
The pavilion was warm, thanks to underground heating, a rare feature in the imperial palace. While it consumed a lot of coal, the geothermal heat was comforting, without the slightest hint of domestic heat.
"Your Majesty." Li Chengcheng stood up and saluted. "I have calculated it. Do you want to see it now?"
She also enjoyed the good life. Her small desk was moved to the corner, and she became a personal secretary, accountant, poop scooper, and bed warmer...
Zhu Youxiao reached out to take the document, walked to the throne and sat down, flipping through it casually.
Reducing the grain and money taxes for the eight prefectures in Jiangnan next year was an idea that had long been in the works, and Li Qiyuan had dissuaded him from doing so. However, an unexpected event occurred, prompting Zhu Youxiao to bring it up and inform him in advance.
As mentioned before, the taxes and levies in the Jiangnan region were indeed very heavy, and precisely because of this, the phenomenon of concealing and withholding taxes and levies was extremely serious.
For example, students collected money and grain from wealthy families and embezzled it in their own names; for example, gentry forced the common people to make contributions, or concealed the payment of taxes on their land, and passed the taxes on to the common people, etc.
The heavy burden of taxes and labor service made it difficult for the common people to bear, and they had no choice but to seek refuge from the gentry and wealthy families who enjoyed preferential treatment and exemptions.
Therefore, Zhu Youxiao reduced the taxes and levies to give the common people a break. At the same time, it also reduced the number of people who had to pay tribute to the landlords.
In fact, if all places can find out the number of acres of land where taxes and grain are concealed, and then implement Li Qiyuan's suggestion to cancel the preferential treatment for Confucian scholars and other officials, the total amount of taxes that can be collected next year will not only not decrease, but may even increase.
This is great. It reduces the burden on the common people, and the country still collects a lot of taxes and grain. However, the gentry and students will have to pay more.
After reading Li Chengcheng's rough estimate based on the data from the Ministry of Revenue, Zhu Youxiao became more determined in his judgment and became even more disgusted with the greedy and shameless gentry and students in Jiangnan.
The Ministry of Revenue's data wasn't exact, but it gave a rough idea. Once Liu Lishun and other local officials had cleaned up the hidden loopholes, the figures would be more accurate, and the tax revenue they could collect would increase significantly.
I originally wanted to take it easy and have a quiet New Year before talking about it. But these bastards are forcing me to lose my temper!
Zhu Youxiao put down the document in his hand, thinking that after a year at most, he could implement the land-based tax system.
Of course, this land tax system is not quite the same as it was in history. Moreover, it depends on the overall situation, both internally and externally, and should be a comprehensive consideration.
What is more crucial is the result of foreign wars. Continuous victories can not only boost people's morale, but also enhance one's own prestige.
The speed of a train depends entirely on the locomotive!
Without the wise and powerful Emperor, how could the defeat in Liaodong be reversed? Not only did he calm the border guards, but he also suppressed the Eastern Tartars so that they could not move.
The saying "A wise ruler leads to honest ministers" means that a wise ruler comes first, followed by virtuous ministers. The same should be true for the rise and fall of a country, right?
Zhu Youxiao suddenly smiled bitterly. He was afraid that just fabricating the charge of "killing scholars and burying Confucian scholars" would solidify his reputation as a tyrant, and it would be difficult to clear his name!
At this moment, Wang Tigan hurried in and presented the Liaodong military report submitted by Dengzhou Governor Yuan Keli.
Zhu Youxiao quickly opened it and read it, and a happy smile slowly appeared on his face.
The report first talked about the Battle of Lushun. The Ming army repelled the attacks of the two flags of the Jiannu army, built four lines of defense before the freezing weather, achieved deep defense, and basically consolidated the occupation of Lushun.
Then came the combat processes and specific results of the other Dongjiang Army brigades. In addition to rescuing tens of thousands of Liao people, the greatest achievement was Mao Chenglu's task force.
In more than ten battles, large and small, 423 heads were beheaded and 69 men and women of the Zhenyi tribe were captured. They were soon escorted to the capital to be presented to the emperor.
"Let the cabinet discuss the rewards." Zhu Youxiao laughed heartily, handed the report back to Wang Tigan, and said, "We should be able to have a peaceful New Year."
"With this good news, the New Year is even more joyful," Wang Tigan flattered him. "It's all thanks to the Emperor's wisdom. The soldiers on the front lines have no worries about food and pay, so they can fight bravely on the battlefield."
Zhu Youxiao smiled and nodded slightly, thinking that this was the truth and there was nothing to be modest about.
If I hadn't planned and scrambled around, how could I have fully equipped the Dongjiang Army and increased its combat effectiveness in just half a year?
With a land base of more than 100 miles covering most of Jinzhou, we can better contain the Jiannu army and perhaps even make their winter offensive fail!
If we transfer a batch of war horses to the two coalition defenders to enhance their ability to attack quickly, there should be better results, right?
……………………
Lushun, or more accurately, half of Jinzhou. Well, let's call it Luda, was already firmly occupied by the Ming army.
At the narrowest part of Nanguan Island, four trenches and wooden stake defense lines, spaced more than a mile apart, completely blocked the Jiannu's southward advance.
The trench was not very deep, only four or five meters wide; the wooden stakes were not densely packed, and the gaps were wide enough for one person to pass through without even having to turn sideways.
But behind these obstacles were trench breastworks, as well as dense and ferocious muskets, artillery, and grenade launchers.
After losing more than 2,000 troops, Daishan had no choice but to give up and retreat to Jinzhou Weicheng to confront the Ming army.
The pressure of the attack was greatly reduced, but it did not make the Ming army relax.
While the military and civilians continued to strengthen the front line of defense, they dug trenches and erected fences and watchtowers in the east and west coastal areas to prevent the sea from freezing in the severe winter and allowing the Jiannu to take the opportunity to walk on the ice and attack.
A large amount of iron wire was transported to Lushun, and under the guidance of the craftsmen who followed, this new defensive tool, barbed wire, was used in coastal defense lines.
A meter-high wooden stake, with several layers of wire wrapped around it, was twisted with pliers to create barbs, and then stretched out in a continuous line. Together with the trench in front, it formed a formidable and solid line of defense.
Zhang Pan twisted the wire barbs, stretched out his fingers to try them out, and nodded repeatedly with satisfaction.
Such defensive facilities are easy to set up, and for the defenders behind, the muskets have a wider range and are easier to shoot.
It is easy to imagine what kind of fierce attack the enemy would suffer if they were gathered in front of the trenches and barbed wire.
"Sir." The Liao people next to him looked at Zhang Pan, and his eyes moved to the pliers in his hand.
Zhang Pan grinned, returned the pliers, and continued his patrol with a few personal soldiers.
Passive defense certainly couldn't last long. After consolidating the defense line, the next step was to continue pushing north. Only by occupying more territory and expanding the buffer zone could this place become an infallible and permanent foundation.
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