How to make up for the deficit of the 24th year of Chongzhen?
Fan Jingwen, the chief minister of the Ming cabinet, was well prepared.
There are three ways, namely, inspecting salt, donating officials and investigating corruption!
There were six transport offices in the Ming Dynasty. Last year, the main ones inspected were the Changlu Transport Office and the Lianghuai Transport Office.
This year we will investigate Shandong and Liangzhe.
While tax inspections were underway, donations for official positions were also being carried out simultaneously.
If the combined income of these two types of revenue was still not enough to make up for the deficit of the imperial court, he would start investigating corruption and use the money from the investigation to make up for the deficit.
Fan Jingwen is a person who cares a lot about his reputation.
So he would not raid the homes of officials in the name of investigating corruption.
After all, the words in history books were left by literati. If he did that, he would be devalued by history books.
How can we make money without confiscating property?
He has a way.
All dynasties, including the Ming Dynasty, had a system of pardoning criminals.
A sage governs the world with benevolence.
In order to demonstrate the benevolence of the saints, the laws of every dynasty have included a system for reducing or exempting sentences for prisoners such as the elderly, children, and women.
Also known as mercy punishment.
This system originated in the Han Dynasty, with the original intention of caring for the disadvantaged groups.
But things changed when it came to implementation.
Taking the Tang Dynasty as an example, criminals could redeem their sentences with money after committing crimes.
To put it bluntly, it means paying to avoid punishment.
If sentenced to flogging, one pound of copper was required to redeem the sentence.
If sentenced to death, redemption would require 120 kilograms of copper.
(The price of copper varied in different periods of the Tang Dynasty. The government set the price at 120 coins per catty of copper, and in the middle and late periods, the price of a catty of copper was about 700 coins.)
In other words, as long as you are willing to spend money, you can avoid death.
Fan Jingwen's plan was to investigate the corruption of officials first.
Use the money from their redemption to make up for the deficit of the imperial court.
Of course, ransom is only a remission from punishment.
Guilty is guilty, and all officials found guilty will be dismissed.
With this idea as a backup, Fan Jingwen felt as steady as an old dog.
After returning to Wenyuan Pavilion, he first drank a cup of tea and then dealt with the troop mobilization documents that had just been sent by the Ministry of War.
This official document went through layers of approval and was finally sent to Gao Jie and Li Dingguo respectively.
After Li Dingguo settled his infantry, he personally led the cavalry north to Liaodong.
Before he left, Gao Jie also received the news.
"Who should be sent?" Gao Jie hesitated as he looked at the document in his hand.
He has 30,000 soldiers under his command. Although their equipment is not as good as that of the elite border troops, these people are all veterans who have fought in many battles.
Especially the servants around him, they are able to fight ten people at once.
He originally wanted to let his son Gao Yuanjue lead troops to Liaodong to gain military merit, but then he changed his mind and felt that it was inappropriate.
The Jiannu were very powerful and the battles in Liaodong were all tough.
If Gao Yuanjue was defeated by someone else and died in Liaodong, his Gao Jie family would have no descendants.
While he was thinking, Gao Jie's wife, Xing, walked in.
"Master, haven't you decided on the candidate yet?" asked Xing.
"Not yet. I wanted to let Yuan Jue go, but I was afraid that he would be in danger." Gao Jie sighed.
"Why don't you go there yourself, Master?"
"I want to, but the court doesn't agree!" Gao Jie sighed again, "It's just the beginning of spring, and it's the time when the Mongols will invade the border. Once I leave, the border defenses of Jizhou and Miyun will be empty. If the Mongols invade the border at this time, the capital and Your Majesty will be in danger."
"Why don't we let Benshen (Li Benshen) go? He is the master's nephew, and it would be a good thing if he gets military merit." Xing suggested.
"Ben Shen..." Gao Jie thought for a moment, "He is loyal enough, but his command ability is average... I am afraid that he will lose soldiers and generals in vain and will not get any military merit!"
"Why not just assign him a capable assistant?" Xing said with a smile.
"Good idea!" Gao Jie slapped his forehead. "Madam is really smart. I want to thank you tonight."
Xing's face turned red, and she walked away quickly, twisting her waist.
After Xing's figure completely disappeared, Gao Jie slowly withdrew his gaze and shouted loudly: "Someone come."
With a swish, the curtain of the military tent was opened by a personal soldier: "What do you want, General?"
"Let Li Chengdong come over!"
"yes."
Li Chengdong, courtesy name Tingzhen and alias Huzi, was born in the Ningxia Guard of Shaanxi Province in the Ming Dynasty.
In history, Li Chengdong followed Gao Jie in an uprising against the Ming Dynasty in the second year of Chongzhen. Because he persecuted many women, he was nicknamed "Li Hezi".
(Before the Tang Dynasty, women's underwear had two straps on the shoulders. In the Tang Dynasty, a kind of underwear without straps appeared, called "Hezi".)
Later, when Gao Jie surrendered to the Ming court, he also surrendered and was stationed in Xuzhou, serving as the general of Xuzhou.
In the first year of the Hongguang reign, Gao Jie was lured and killed by Xu Dingguo, and Li Chengdong led his troops to surrender to the Qing Dynasty.
After surrendering, he followed Duoduo, Zhang Cunren and Bolo to fight against the Southern Ming Dynasty, and personally participated in the historical "Three Massacres of Jiading".
In the following three years, he killed a large number of Southern Ming civil and military officials as well as countless anti-Qing heroes.
He can be said to be the executioner of the Qing Dynasty.
Later, due to his disagreement with Tong Yangjia, Li Chengdong led his troops to rebel against the Qing Dynasty again, and fell off his horse and drowned while fleeing.
Chongzhen had already noticed this person.
The reason why he agreed to transfer Gao Jie to the Miyun area of Jizhou was that he hoped Gao Jie would send Li Chengdong to the Liaodong battlefield as soon as possible.
Only in this way will we have a chance to kill him with justification.
Soon, heavy footsteps were heard outside the tent.
As the door curtain was lifted, a tall, sturdy-limbed, dark-faced figure appeared at the door.
It was Li Chengdong, the deputy general under Gao Jie.
At this moment he was wearing military uniform, and his eyes revealed ferocity.
The first impression it gives people is brutality, and the second impression is ruthlessness. Ordinary people would be oppressed by this feeling and dare not look it in the eye.
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