Chapter 138 When Zhang Gui Mentioned the Harm of the Gentry, Wei Zhongxian Cried!

"You don't want to resign?"

When Zhang Gui heard that many resigned civil servants did not want to resign after the implementation of the resignation investigation system, he felt very funny, and said to the other ministers of the policy department: "But they can't let them!"

"Yeah, it's up to them. If they want to resign and go back to seclusion, they have to leave with a clean sleeve. Even if they have been in office for many years, they should be taken legally. The so-called gentleman loves money, and he takes it in a proper way! How can the state's money and the people's anointing be embezzled? "

Yuan Keli agreed at this time.

But Zhang Gui got up and said: "The officials who did not investigate the problem may not be because they are clean and upright, but because they have not had the opportunity to use their power for personal gain. Let's think about what kind of embezzlement of state funds and people's anointing they have after they resigned." possible?"

"The responsibility of the Policy Department should be to formulate corresponding precautionary regulations for His Majesty in advance. The so-called preventive measures and precautions, the construction of the system cannot be established until the problem is very serious, it may be out of date."

After hearing what Zhang Gui said, Yuan Keli said, "Disturbing the post station is the most likely way for retired officials and gentry to embezzle state funds and people's money!"

"They will harass the post station by obtaining subpoenas from friends who are officials, extort money from the post station for carriages and horses, and even force local people to serve them, even military households!"

Han Yu said at this time: "It is precisely because of the imperial history that the imperial court was requested to abolish the post station, which not only saves state funds, but also prevents the officials and gentry from disturbing the post station, causing a large amount of state funds to be lost and the people to be exploited. "

Zhang Gui suddenly thought of Li Zicheng's rebellion after Chongzhen abolished the post station, and said: "Abolish the post station!"

"Why not?"

Han Yu asked.

Zhang Guidao: "After the abolition of post stations, how will so many post stations be arranged? The imperial court cannot ignore their life and death. The purpose of our reform is to enrich the country, strengthen the army, and at the same time benefit the people. Therefore, even if the post station system is full of problems, we can't be hasty. abolished."

"What's more, the post station does have the functions that the imperial court really needs. The reform can't be done as easily as possible, or as beneficial as possible. It is better to start the reform from the root cause of the excessive cost of the post station and the excessive exploitation of the people."

"Then you can only torment the officials and gentry."

Chen Zizhuang replied.

"Reform is a toss, and we can only toss the officials and gentry. Is it possible that we can also toss the common people? The common people can't stand the toss."

Zhang Gui replied.

Wei Zhongxian interjected: "Then let us do this in Dongchang. Our Dongchang will send officials and schools to inspect various post stations. If anyone is found to be disturbing the post stations, we will arrest them!"

"What about the corruption of Dongchang's own people?"

Yuan Keli asked at this moment.

Wei Zhongxian: "..."

Zhang Gui said at this time: "Then the civil servants will set up patrolling post censors and set them up in districts; the East Factory will also set up Chapost Supervisors and set them up in districts; my West Factory will also set up officials in charge of thousands of households in the West Factory, and set them up in districts. "How about sending an official to each of them to supervise the post administration in the world?"

Wei Zhongxian said with resentment on his face: "Our family has no objection. Since Yuan Zongxian is worried that I will take advantage of the opportunity to do something wrong with the sole authority of the East Factory, then each of the three parties can send an official to supervise each other, so as to save time from being questioned and concealed from the court. , to cover up local officials.”

"This is not bad, but it will increase the number of officials. Generally speaking, the reform is to streamline the organization and abolish redundant staff. Only my Ming Dynasty Reform has been increasing the number of officials."

Chen Zizhuang said at this time.

Zhang Gui smiled and said: "This is also the difference between my Ming Dynasty and the previous dynasties. For example, in the Song Dynasty, there was a major maladministration that was redundant, but this dynasty is just the opposite. The redundant ones are not officials, but subordinates, gentry, and students. Although these people did not cause much direct damage to the imperial court on the surface, they caused great damage to the common people by taking up lawsuits and exploiting the people. , which requires us to add a group of honest and decisive officials to control them, or mobilize the people to resist them."

Gu Yanwu, a famous thinker at the end of the Ming Dynasty, summed up the three major harms that led to the demise of the Ming Dynasty after the death of the Ming Dynasty.

He believed that the three evils were subordinate officials, gentry, and students.

As a son of a gentry and a student with a reputation as a student, he listed the gentry and the student as two of them, which must be said to be courageous.

Wei Zhongxian, who was born at the bottom, felt the same way, saying: "If you say that Uncle Guo's eyes are shining like a torch, if you want to say that the common people are most afraid of the subordinates, gentry, and students, none of them is not a bone-sucking marrow! And basically In the last round, the subordinates went to the countryside to extort money in the name of tax collection, and the gentry collected rent. Then some gentleman said that we stole his things, and he insisted on going to the government to sue us, and some of them took advantage of this to help us with our lawsuit. Asking for money in the name, anyway, these gentlemen are only afraid that the world will not be chaotic! Our family also cut off the root of our descendants and entered the palace because we couldn't stand it."

Wei Zhongxian wiped the corners of his eyes unconsciously as he spoke, as if the old class hatred really had an unforgettable feeling on him.

Zhang Gui patted Wei Zhongxian on the shoulder: "Old Wei, since this is the case, you should speak more for the common people."

"Uncle Guo, don't worry, the people in the palace are from my mother-in-law's family, but the common people are from my mother's family. Can we not speak for them?"

Wei Zhongxian replied.

Zhang Gui didn't know if Wei Zhongxian's words were just on the scene, but in any case, in his opinion, Wei Zhongxian's promise to speak for the common people on the scene is already good.

Then, Zhang Gui said again: "There is a saying in the Han Dynasty, which is called 'Learning the ancients through learning, and seeking truth from facts'. Our reform method is the same, we cannot copy the reform method of the ancients, but also combine it with the reality of this dynasty. I don't know what you think?"

"Study the ancients well and seek truth from facts."

After hearing this, Chen Zizhuang pondered for a moment, then looked at Yuan Keli.

Yuan Keli stood up excitedly and said: "Uncle Guo's words are indeed correct! The problem with my Ming Dynasty is not that there are too many people, but that there are too few officials, more gentry and more people, so that it is difficult to issue government orders and pay taxes. It is also difficult for the country’s funds for disaster relief to reach the mouths of hungry people. Therefore, we can’t play tricks with glue sticks, we have to learn from the ancients to streamline the organization and abolish redundant staff!”

"In fact, even if the Metropolitan Procuratorate, the East Factory, and the West Factory all add a group of officials and schools to inspect post stations, at most the salary and the new fixed silver will be increased by tens of thousands of taels. Even if there are individual corruptions, it is estimated that it will not exceed One hundred thousand taels, but compared to the current catastrophe of the post office, the loss of hundreds of thousands of money from the two countries is nothing, and as long as they can let the post office reduce the excessive expenditure of even one hundred thousand taels of silver every year, the court will increase It is also profitable for so many officials to manage the post administration."

"Maybe it can increase income."

Zhang Gui replied.

"Increase income?"

Others in the planning department looked at Zhang Gui in surprise.

Zhang Gui said with a smile: "All post stations are located on main thoroughfares, and most of them are gathered by merchants. As long as the operation order of various post stations is rectified, commercial tax revenue will naturally increase."

"Most of the rich and powerful officials and gentry are able to operate industries in various post stations. If the imperial court rectifies and collects taxes, I am afraid that this will make the rich and powerful officials and gentry dissatisfied."

Han Yu said.

Zhang Guidao: "If these taxes are easy to collect, why does the imperial court set up the West Factory? Every year, the West Factory selects the most loyal and brave government schools to form a tax police team. What is the reason for? The purpose is to raise the tax! The directly-operated general store will also go to each post station to open a store, are you willing to take a share?"