In response to the deficit in the national treasury, Minister of Revenue Xie Sanbin had two ways to deal with it.
One is to increase revenue, the other is to reduce expenditure.
but...
All the money that could be collected has been collected, and all the money that could be saved has also been saved.
However, the problem of treasury deficit has not been solved.
Now Chongzhen asked him for money again, and Xie Sanbin was in a difficult situation.
In order to avoid being punished by Chongzhen, Xie Sanbin explained: "Your Majesty! Last year, Fujian and Jiangxi provinces suffered from drought. In order to prevent the people from starving to death, we had to reduce taxes. Add to that the expenses of the army to pacify the Liao Dynasty and the cost of the reform of the Mongolian guards, and the Ministry of Revenue is indeed unable to solve the deficit of the national treasury this year."
In response to Xie Sanbin's complaints, Chongzhen first comforted him, saying, "Under your leadership, the Ministry of Revenue has done a good job in recent years, and you have won my heart."
Xie Sanbin quickly thanked him: "Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty!"
Chongzhen continued, "So, there must be a way. Think about it carefully."
this...
Xie Sanbin felt helpless.
There is no connection between what Chongzhen said before and after.
The first sentence is praising him, while the second sentence is forcing him to make money.
He had ten thousand complaints but dared not say them out loud, and could only bear it silently in his heart.
How to make money?
Xie Sanbin and Chongzhen fell into deep thought together.
After a moment, Xie Sanbin suddenly remembered something and said, "Your Majesty, I heard that the Jiannu had a lot of gold and silver treasures in Hetuala City. They fled in a hurry and only took away a part of it. The rest were buried in various places in the city."
"If we can find and dig out this silver, perhaps we can temporarily solve the deficit in the national treasury."
Chongzhen frowned and asked, "Minister Xie, do you want the Ping Liao army to hand over the money?"
"yes."
"Not appropriate!" Chongzhen shook his head and rejected this idea. "According to the confession of the surrendered general Bolo and the news from the Jinyiwei, after years of fighting, the Jiannu have little silver left, and all of it was taken away by Dorgon when he fled. Not only is there very little silver left in the city, but it has already been divided up by the soldiers."
"Tell them to hand over the money they have in their pockets...Don't even mention that they disagree. Even if they agree, I cannot agree."
Xie Sanbin said with an embarrassed look on his face: "Your Majesty...Your Majesty has a heart of compassion for the soldiers, and I am grateful to them on their behalf."
Then.
The king and his minister fell into silence again.
After a long while, Chongzhen said, "Has Minister Xie not thought of a way to solve the deficit in the national treasury?"
Xie Sanbin said with a sad face: "I have tried all the methods I can think of. I am at my wit's end."
"Haha," Chongzhen smiled faintly and reminded softly: "Has Minister Xie forgotten about the currency reform?"
Currency reform?
It would have been fine if he hadn't mentioned these four words, but when he mentioned them, Xie Sanbin's head started buzzing again.
The reason why he was able to replace Fang Yuegong as the Minister of Revenue of the Ming Dynasty was mainly because Fang Yuegong made slow progress in implementing the currency reform.
Especially several provinces in the south of the Yangtze River.
The gentry there formed an offensive and defensive alliance, and no matter who was sent to implement the policy, they would pretend to obey but actually disobey.
Even if Xie Sanbin went there in person, it would be of no avail.
Now Chongzhen has brought up the currency reform again. Is he trying to use the same method he used against Fang Yuegong against himself?
Xie Sanbin felt a chill on his back.
He is not afraid of being dismissed from office.
After all, anyone who can sit in his position has a strong heart.
Although I cannot remain calm even when faced with a mountain collapse, I can still remain calm and unperturbed by fame or disgrace.
But Xie Sanbin was afraid of death.
In order to please Chongzhen, he offended many officials.
Among them were many members of the Donglin Party.
As the saying goes, it is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge.
Since he was the Minister of Revenue, those people didn't dare to touch him.
Once he stepped down from the position of Minister of Revenue, those people would take revenge on him.
He will die miserably then.
In order to survive, Xie Sanbin had to stay in his position and meet Chongzhen's demands.
Under Chongzhen's cold gaze, Xie Sanbin said humbly: "Your Majesty! The currency reform... has been ongoing, but the progress is a little slow."
"The progress is a little slow?" Chongzhen was so angry that he laughed: "The currency reform was implemented in the 21st year of our dynasty. Now it is June of the 25th year of Chongzhen! Four years have passed, and the policy has not been fully implemented. You call this a little slow?"
"Your Majesty, please calm down. I know my crime."
"If knowing one's guilt was useful, I wouldn't kill anyone."
Xie Sanbin was even more frightened, and quickly knelt down to beg for mercy: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I did try my best to implement the currency reform. But the local gentry and powerful people pretended to obey but secretly disobeyed and refused to take out their family money to exchange for the Ming Yuanbao."
"I have recommended several important officials to go to Jiangnan to solve the problem, but to no avail. We can only delay it slowly, and so...it has been delayed until now."
Chongzhen continued in an angry tone: "How did they solve it?"
Xie Sanbin quickly concluded: "First, we need to reach a consensus within the government, and then the government will work with the local gentry and clans to negotiate and try to get them to support the currency reform."
"Ha!" Chongzhen snorted coldly: "Too weak, too incompetent!"
Xie Sanbin rolled his eyes around his eye sockets and asked, "Your Majesty, do you mean to use tough measures?"
"What else?" Chongzhen asked back: "Since you won't take the soft approach, then I can only use the hard approach."
Xie Sanbin immediately understood what Chongzhen meant.
Chongzhen had previously talked to him about forcibly implementing the currency reform.
He was even asked to release "rumors" in advance, saying that in order to implement currency reform, the court would soon ban the use of ordinary silver and use only Ming Yuanbao.
But due to the situation at the time, it could not be implemented.
Now that Liaodong has been pacified, Chongzhen brought up the old matter again, apparently because he felt the time was ripe.
"But your majesty," Xie Sanbin became worried, "the forced implementation of currency reform will encounter a lot of resistance and trouble, and the first to oppose it are the court officials. Some of them will use various reasons to prevent the policy from being implemented."
"Ministers of the court?" Chongzhen's smile remained unchanged: "With me here, who dares to stop me? Whoever tries to stop me will be sent back home to farm."
"This...I'm afraid..."
"Just say what you want to say, don't be so nagging."
"I'm afraid that won't work," Xie Sanbin lowered his head and glanced at Chongzhen from the corner of his eye. "This policy of plundering the people will be stopped by the cabinet first, especially by Lord Fan himself. If we can't convince him, we can't let Lord Fan go home and farm, right?"
Chongzhen suddenly stepped forward and patted Xie Sanbin on the shoulder: "I have said that anyone who opposes will be sent back home to farm, including the Prime Minister of the Cabinet."
Xie Sanbin suddenly raised his head and looked at Chongzhen.
He saw determination and ruthlessness in the eyes of the forty-year-old emperor.
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