Zhu Yijun did a lot of work as soon as he came up and carried out the Lianghuai Salt Administration, but it was not Zhu Yijun's intention to bully honest people.

It is really forced by the situation, and someone must take on this important responsibility.

Short of money!

Let’s break down what Zhu Yijun has to do now.

Official administration, tax system, land transfer, sea opening, re-establishing the Shaofu, promoting the emergence of natural philosophy, splitting up the Southern Zhili, improving the tribute system... and so on.

There is nothing that does not require the backing of solid military power.

Military training always requires a lot of money.

This brings us back to the question - when considering where the money is spent, you must first answer where the money comes from.

How much money each ministry and department had in its treasury was the first thing he needed to explain to Zhang Juzheng after he made him his wife.

Zhang Juzheng didn't want to hide it from him, and gave him some relief as soon as the results came out.

Among them, Guanglu Temple is in the worst condition.

In the seventh month, I asked Hu Keyou to work for Feng Shi, and went to check Guanglu Temple.

The results were obtained in September, and the report stated that Guanglu Temple's revenue and expenditure over the years had not been equal, and there had never been any balance.

That's all. From the time Longqing changed the Yuan Dynasty to the fifth year, a total of 195,200 arrears were found in all provinces.

In other words, not a cent of the Yinzhimao grain was left, and the accounts of each province gradually began to fail to be collected.

Then there is the Treasury of the Ministry of Revenue, which is the treasury.

After Zhang Shouzhi became official, Wang Guoguang took up the post of Minister of Household Affairs and immediately conducted a thorough investigation of Taicang.

The results came out last month.

Taicang Bank, ended at the end of June.

In fact, the various items of silver totaled 2,525,616 taels, 465 taels of gold, and 1,619,480 copper coins.

All converted into silver, even if it is estimated based on the high conversion, it will only be five million taels of silver!

This is the national treasury! The Celestial Empire has only five million taels in stock in the national treasury!

As far back as the second year of Longqing, the annual expenditure was 4.4 million taels, and as recently as last year, more than 3.2 million taels were spent.

In other words, the national treasury only has more than a year's worth of silver. No wonder Gao Gong said that the war should not be started lightly. With this little money, any war would empty the treasury.

Almost all other large and small enterprises, such as the Taipusiku of the Ministry of War, are in this state of struggling to make ends meet.

Internal money is no exception, otherwise the late emperor would not have gone to the Ministry of Household Affairs to ask for money.

Especially after spending 1 million in August, there were only 2.3 million taels left.

Zhu Yijun already had a rough idea of ​​these situations.

So I made plans to open source early.

How to create financial resources?

Whether it's tax law, land acquisition, or sea development, these truly open-source matters require money and long-term preparations.

Therefore, with the first start-up capital, Zhu Yijun set his sights on the salt administration!

There are six departments responsible for transporting salt, namely Lianghuai, Liangzhe, Changlu, Shandong, Fujian, and Hedong.

No matter which well it comes from, it is these six departments that collect it and transport it by water.

However, most of the salt administration in the world will fall on the two rivers and the Huaihe River.

It is said that Changlu Shandong has cheap salt, but Huai salt accounts for half of the world's salt.

However, the salt policy brings in quick money, but it does not mean that the tax revenue is high.

During the Hongwu period, there were 30 salt fields in Lianghuai and Huaihe River, producing 350,000 salts per year, which translates to 140,000 kilograms.

As a result, now, only the unit of measurement has been changed, from 400 jin per yin to 200 jin per yin.

It sounds like there are 700,000 kilograms, but in fact it is still 140,000 kilograms.

Very stable.

Of course, corresponding to this, the number of private salts of unknown origin is increasing day by day, as if it is really sea salt dried by Japanese pirates.

In fact, that's all. If he pays the tax in full, Zhu Yijun can tolerate it for a while.

But what about reality?

Last year, the total amount allocated to the Ministry of Transport, Taichang Temple and other treasury was only one million taels!

This is simply deceiving!

From salt merchants, salt farms, local government, to the transshipment department, water transport yamen, central borers, inside and outside, up and down, I don’t know how much they collected!

That's why he called Hai Rui back.

Even Zhang Juzheng would not necessarily support corruption on this scale.

As long as there is a personal relationship, the overall situation must be considered first.

Especially in the Ming Dynasty, private requests became common practice.

Zhang Juzheng is backed by the Chu Party, has a lot of disciples and old officials, and is entangled in many connections, and he will be dragged away by everyone.

Not to mention the Zhejiang Party and the Jin Party are madly holding back.

It can be said that no one except Hai Rui can handle the salt administration in Huaihe and Huaihe Rivers.

Anyone with an official status will understand the twists and turns here to some extent.

Hai Rui is certainly no exception.

He reacted instantly and asked in silence: "Has the center reached this point?"

The Lianghuai salt policy is much more difficult than exploiting the people.

Now that the Lianghuai salt policy is being launched, it must be because the central situation has become urgent.

Zhu Yijun secretly praised.

This is why he admires Hai Rui.

He is persistent but possesses extraordinary political wisdom.

An honest official is also a capable official.

As long as one can control it, which superior person would not cherish it?

Zhu Yijun nodded and said bluntly: "Hai Qing may not know the extent of the central government's financial losses."

"If we don't take advantage of the fact that we still have some strength to find ways to raise taxes, I'm afraid..."

Zhu Yijun points to the end.

Then he went into detail about the cash deposits of each treasurer.

Hai Rui's face was solemn, and he felt that the situation was shocking.

Zhu Yijun saw Hai Rui listening carefully.

Then he said: "That's all. The tax money collected from various places has been getting smaller and smaller over the years, and there are even arrears."

“When the chief secretaries of many provinces changed their positions, they did not acknowledge the previous one’s account.”

"And the predecessors said they didn't know about the transfer."

“As a result, only 80% of taxes were collected this summer.”

"There was also a matter of military pay that almost caused trouble."

"In July, when the officers and soldiers at home and abroad learned that the late emperor had passed away, they started making noise together and asked the governors of various places to collect back pay, as if they wanted to mutiny."

"In the end, I and the cabinet really had no choice but to make do with it."

"At the August court meeting, 300,000 taels were released from the Taiku of the Ministry of Revenue. The Ministry of War deducted 300,000 taels of silver from the warehouse of Taipu Temple. The Ministry of Works petitioned the mausoleum to lower its regulations and saved 20,000 taels of silver from the Jieshen Treasury.

One hundred thousand taels."

Having said this, Zhu Yijun raised a finger and said in a complicated tone: "I will take out one million taels of my internal funds."

"A total of 1,800,000 taels, including 664,319 internal and external officers and soldiers, and 2 taels of silver each."

"At least I suppressed it."

He looked at Hai Rui: "Hai Qing, I really don't want the Ming Dynasty, so the responsibility lies in my hands."

Hai Rui looked at the young emperor in front of him who was concerned about his country and his people, and was stunned for a moment.

When he came back to life this time and left his hometown, many people said how he could still bear such heavy responsibilities when he was almost 60 years old. They advised him to live a good life at home and serve his mother.

But now I see that this young emperor, with his young and frail body, is carrying the world on his shoulders. Isn't it harder than Hai Rui?

After Zhu Yijun finished talking about the hardships and explaining the necessity, he got to the point: "So, I want you to clarify the tax policy starting from the Lianghuai Salt Administration."

This matter can be said to be extremely difficult.
To be continued...