The people's hearts and morale can be used; as for money and food, they can also provide support.
What was once the most difficult financial problem has now been greatly alleviated.
In addition to bank coinage, foreign exchange, the increase in commercial taxes, the income of the Maritime Customs, the profits of mirrors, etc., the confiscation of all property of corrupt officials also played a huge role.
Over the past two years, countless officials have been severely punished and exiled along with their families. Money, houses, and land have all been converted into money and grain to support the rebellion wars in Liaodong and the southwest.
It is no wonder that Zhu Youxiao was ruthless. The Ming Dynasty was plagued by internal and external troubles, and the situation had become a castle in the air. These rats and parasites still didn't know how to restrain themselves. What was the point?
From the imperial court to the localities, the crackdown continued unabated, showing no signs of abating. The Censorate was the primary force, while the Imperial Household Department secretly investigated, provided clues, and apprehended officials one by one.
As the power of the "Emperor's Party" expanded, both newly promoted officials and old officials who changed their stance grasped the emperor's mind and pushed the purge forward.
Not only officials, but also evil gentry, landlords and profiteers were severely punished in the ever-expanding crackdown.
Wei Guangwei worked extremely hard as the governor of Jiangsu, earning him a commendation from the emperor. Regardless of how treacherous and cunning Wei Guangwei was portrayed in history, as long as he was not corrupt and performed his duties with dedication, the emperor was still pleased with him.
Of course, the warning was for sure. Wei Guangwei was also knowledgeable and sensible, not caring about money, but only focusing on satisfying the emperor and getting a promotion.
It is more appropriate to separate the two words "rights" and "profits". If you want both power and profit, will all the good things belong to you?
Wei Guangwei was a smart man. He knew that the emperor would not tolerate any injustice. Power and profit were like fish and bear's paw, and you couldn't have both.
Another clever man was Ni Wenhuan, who succeeded Wei Guangwei as the imperial penman. Ni Wenhuan, like Wei Guangwei, had a keen eye for the emperor's thoughts and could write articles that were highly pleasing to the emperor. He was also about to be appointed Governor of Zhejiang.
The governors of Jiangsu and Zhejiang both started out by publishing newspapers. Newspapers were the emperor's mouthpiece, and Wei Guangwei and Ni Wenhuan were equivalent to the emperor's confidants.
How could Wei and Ni not know Zhu Youxiao's impression of the Jiangnan officials and gentry? It was precisely because they knew the emperor's will that they were able to govern the local areas and rise to prominence.
Many people have seen the emperor's dissatisfaction with the Jiangnan officials and gentry through his actions in the past two years. Appointing a trusted minister to govern Jiangnan can also be speculated to be the beginning of a crackdown on the Jiangnan officials and gentry.
So what if I know? I'm too lazy to beat around the bush. I just don't like you, so I won't pretend!
Zhu Youxiao did not give too many instructions, but only warned Ni Wenhuan not to be corrupt or commit illegal acts, and then let him take his leave.
Having written so many articles for me, how could they not know what I am thinking? With these two people in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the officials and gentry in Jiangnan will have a "good life", right?
Zhu Youxiao leaned back in the imperial chair, squinted his eyes slightly, and enjoyed the palace maid's leisurely fanning. Although he seemed to be enjoying himself, his mind was full of thoughts.
Whether it is the officials who are engaged in endless party struggles or are corrupt, or the gentry who falsely claim and conceal information, or the merchants who evade taxes, don’t they know the principle that if the skin is gone, where will the hair be attached?
If the country is unstable, or even plagued by war or destroyed, can they still live a good life?
Why are they still eroding national treasury to enrich themselves? Why are they only concerned with their own personal gain, regardless of the overall situation?
Think about it, when Li Zicheng was about to attack the city of Beijing, those noble officials were still clinging to their own wealth and were unwilling to spend money to defend their country.
Zhu Youxiao was so cruel that he didn't feel any pity for those bastards who had their properties confiscated and were exiled.
As for the industry and commerce of the Ming Dynasty, they would not be hit or even stagnated because of the increase in commercial taxes and severe punishment of some unscrupulous businessmen.
In Zhu Youxiao's view, a strong country, a stable world and a fair environment are the fertile soil for the safe development of industry and commerce.
The confiscation of property and exile were merely temporary measures Zhu Youxiao used to clean up the bureaucracy and make quick money. The development of industry and commerce was the fundamental basis for the long-term stability of the country's finances.
Indeed, Zhu Youxiao did not consider the land tax, on which the Ming Dynasty was extremely dependent at the time, as its main source of income. Although it had not yet been reduced, it was also due to the war.
Once the rebellion was defeated, the land tax would certainly have been reduced to a fairly low level. This was both a measure to survive the Little Ice Age without causing unrest and in line with the objective laws of human society.
The correct and scientific path of development is for an agricultural country to develop into an industrial country. Zhu Youxiao knew this better than anyone else, and was more certain of it than anyone else.
But without steel and concrete, what kind of industrial society is it? We haven’t even stepped into the threshold, okay?
As he stepped over the threshold, the emperor stroked his forehead and thought that with the help of those crazy people in the Academy of Sciences, it would take who knows when they could figure it out. He would have to show off his golden fingers eventually!
……………………
Although living in an agricultural society, the emperor wanted to go one step further and move towards an industrial society.
But for some people, seeing the level of civilization in agricultural society is already beyond words.
Moreover, this was not the first time that Hailanzhu and Bumbutai were shocked beyond belief.
The boundlessness and vastness of the ocean made the two sisters feel insignificant. They had previously thought that the grasslands were vast and boundless, but compared to the ocean, it was nothing.
Of course, the two sisters and Darhan also suffered. Bumbutai, in particular, vomited bile. On the other hand, Hailanzhu, who seemed fragile, felt much less seasick thanks to the ginger.
After finally landing in Tianjin, the three of them took the documents given by the government when they entered the customs and rested for two days before hiring a car to go to the capital of the Ming Dynasty.
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