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Sudden internal and external troubles caused intense turmoil in the newly born Qin Dynasty.
Even the city of Nanjing, which had been singing and dancing for a long time, felt a biting chill.
In the streets and lanes of Gangtou, in restaurants and tea shops, people are talking:
Enemy ships on the sea are like clouds, and the waves are rolling, pressing towards the southeast coast.
The wolf flag in Mobei swept southward with the cold wave from Siberia.
Junggar in the Western Regions, with the power of annihilation, carrying the billowing sand and dust, attacked overwhelmingly.
Gushi Khan of Qinghai took advantage of the fire and robbed him. He was condescending and his powerful troops poured out like the Milky Way.
There is also the chieftain in Guangxi who caused trouble at Xiaoqiang and attacked the city and plundered the pond, which has become a serious harm to his confidants.
From the southeast to the northwest, they were attacked from all sides and blossomed in the middle. The whole country was shocked by the new Qin Dynasty, and people were panicked. Most people were still frightened by the chaotic situation in the late Ming Dynasty, when human lives were as cheap as dogs. The world had just stabilized for half a year, and the clouds of war were rising again, and the smoke was rising. All over the floor.
People looked eagerly at the golden palace, hoping that the Emperor of Qin, who had just swept away the smelly smell all over the place, would regain his glory and restore peace to the world.
People are discussing it hotly and their hearts are in turmoil.
In the court of Qin Dynasty, fierce debates among civil and military officials were also in full swing.
Urgent war reports from all sides came back like a snowflake. The emperor ignored the founding of the country, used troops everywhere, and carried out large-scale construction projects, which caused such a crisis. These policies were also fiercely denounced by the ministers.
A censor named Zhou Qing even banged his head against a pillar and remonstrated with death, asking the emperor to change his foreign policy, cultivate virtues, and treat distant people with gentleness.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Navy and Army Governor's Office, the Ministry of War, and even the Ministry of Industry all came under fierce criticism. In particular, the Navy Commander-in-Chief Di Zhongxing became the target of public criticism at every court meeting and was criticized thoroughly.
The imperial court spent so much money to build a navy, but not only failed to keep the enemy out of the country, but also attracted thieves to the country. This was all caused by the navy's inadequacy of its own capabilities and its border provocations without the approval of the imperial court.
Qin Mu knew that by targeting the navy so relentlessly, the ministers were indirectly criticizing his own maritime policy. Some people even dare to compare him to Qin Shihuang, who died in the second generation.
The Army Governor's Mansion and the Ministry of War were also attacked a lot, especially the case of Guo Ning, the governor of the capital, who impeached the rear army governor Li Dingguo for abandoning the garrison of Shazhou without authorization and allowing the enemy to easily occupy the western end of the Hexi Corridor. It also caused an uproar.
On the one hand, civil servants hated military generals for provoking provocations and provoking wars.
But on the other side, if anyone retreats without a fight and abandons the territory, everyone will gain it and kill him.
Demanded the removal of Li Dingguo from the post of military commander. The sound of being escorted back to Beijing to await punishment filled the court.
There are also many people who impeached Meng Ke, the former military commander. The enemy has strong troops and horses and has invaded Monan. Meng Ke did not want to resist, but even sent troops to Mobei without authorization, further expanding the war and lengthening the battle line, for fear that the Qin Dynasty would be tortured. As if it wasn't enough.
Faced with criticism and doubts from all sides, Qin Mu rarely spoke.
He first summoned the Minister of Hubu and the two ministers to the Huagai Hall. Asking about this year's summer tax revenue, as the saying goes, all wars are fought before the soldiers and horses are moved, food and grass go first. They all need money and food to support them.
Looking at Qin Mu's slightly haggard face, Liu Boquan, the Minister of Household Affairs, felt an inexplicable feeling of palpitations in his heart. Even when he was in Hu Guang, he was surrounded by powerful enemies on all sides. With the future uncertain, Qin Mu had never seen him so haggard.
"Your Majesty, please take care of the dragon body." Liu Boquan didn't get down to business. But he bowed down first and gave an emotional advice.
In addition to the righteousness between monarch and minister, between him and the emperor, there was also the kindness of knowing each other. Qin Mu promoted him to Cao Jie and regarded him as the most trustworthy person in various ministerial books. This kindness cannot be expressed in words.
"I think back then, before the country was established, I just had to focus on the outside world. But now, the Qin Dynasty is established, and I have to take care of both the inside and outside."
Qin Mu sincerely lamented that no matter which dynasty the emperor was in, his enemies were never just external. The pressure on the emperor always came more from within.
Before the establishment of a country, everything could be done expediently and cheaply.
When a country is established, everything has rules and regulations. Even if you are the emperor, you cannot frequently exceed them. Otherwise, if you take the lead and break the rules you have set, do you still want the ministers to abide by them
This is the situation Qin Mu is facing now. The criticisms from the ministers are coming one after another. He cannot completely ignore it. After all, all policies need to be implemented by the ministers. What can you do if Zhou Qing sacrifices his life to remonstrate? manage
Xu Yingjie also came out to comfort him and said, "Your Majesty, although there is chaos on all sides now, our Great Qin Hundred War Army is still there with unyielding iron and its blood has not been lost. I believe that good news will come back soon."
Qin Mu nodded noncommittally. Now he was sure that he needed a big victory and a good report to relieve the pressure, but could the generals at the front understand his difficulties? Can you deliver good news at the right time
"Not to mention these, I have summoned you here today to ask about the summer tax."
"Your Majesty, except for Southern Zhili, the summer taxes of all provinces have not yet been escorted to Beijing. This year the court has spent a lot of money, and there is really not much money and food left in the treasury." Liu Boquan said with a slight guilt.
The summer tax in Da Qin was levied on different dates in the north and south. South of the Yangtze River, taxation begins on June 20th and lasts for forty-five days. To the north of the Yangtze River, the collection started on July 1st, and the start date was one tenth day in the evening.
It is now the sixth day of July. Except for Southern Zhili, even the southern provinces with earlier collection dates are unlikely to escort money and grain to Beijing so quickly.
After listening to Liu Boquan's words, Qin Mu remained calm on the surface, but he was even more anxious in his heart. The military situation is like a fire, money and food have not arrived, and it is difficult for a clever woman to make a living without rice, which is really a headache.
Xu Yingjie thought for a while and said: "Your Majesty, it will always take some time for local governments to collect taxes. After the collection is completed, it will also take some time to escort them to Beijing. This is inevitable. However, the summer grain sold by the people in the south to merchants has long been on the market. Now the price of food in the market has dropped a lot. Your Majesty is in urgent need of money and food..." Xu Yingjie gritted his teeth and said decisively, "If your Majesty is in urgent need of money and food, I can allocate part of the deposit from Huitong Bank. Go to the market to buy food to meet your urgent needs.”
Qin Mu shook his head and objected: "No, this case must not be made, otherwise I may win this war, but destroy the foundation of Great Qin for generations."
It must be made clear that there are large deposits in Huitong Bank, but these funds do not belong to the imperial court, let alone his emperor. Qin Mu has also issued an edict in the form of ancestral precepts not to use Huitong Bank's deposits at will.
If Qin Mu breaks this rule first when encountering difficulties this time, then future generations of monarchs will be even more unscrupulous, treating the deposits in Huitong Bank as their own private property, taking and seizing them, and squandering them wantonly.
"I will come up with a solution for the money matter. You three nobles, I want you to use all possible means to raise three million stones of military rations for me within half a month. Can you do it?"
"Half a month?"
"Half a month."
"Your Majesty, this..."
"If the three Qings can't do it, then they can raise as much as they can."
"I will go and raise money now and try to raise as much as possible for Your Majesty."
"Okay, let's go. I'm not fighting with my back against the wall. I never have. You are always supporting me behind me."
"Your Majesty, I am waiting for ten thousand deaths, ten thousand deaths."
Liu Boquan looked at Qin Mu's haggard expression again, and he, Xu Yingjie, and Yang Chao, with red eyes, bowed and quickly exited the Canopy Hall.
"Han Zanzhou!"
"Nu Bei is here." Han Zanzhou heard the call and immediately stepped forward and bowed: "I wonder what your Majesty's orders are?"
"How much money is left in the inner treasury?"
"Back to Your Majesty, there are still 4,126,120 dragon coins. It's just... Most of them have been designated as special funds for royal elementary education. Your Majesty, once these funds are used, all places will I’m afraid the Royal Elementary School will have to be shut down.”
"You give Liu Boquan one million dragon coins first, don't make it too difficult for them."
"Your Majesty, this... servant obeys your order."
"From now on, all expenses in the palace will be halved. If you have anything valuable in my collection, you should pawn it out of the palace first."
"Your Majesty, how can we do this?" Han Zanzhou knelt down quickly and said, "Your Majesty, the Queen is already restrained, but now she is pregnant with a son, so how can we reduce the cost by half?"
"Well, thanks to you, Old Han, for reminding me, I didn't think about it. There is no need to reduce the fees for the Empress and Lady Song. Everything else should be halved."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
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ps: Every month, the ranking always plummets in the last few days. When I woke up in the morning and saw it, I was really sad that I had fallen to tenth place. The third update the day before yesterday and the fourth update yesterday, I tried my best to update, and even put dog skin plaster on my neck, but it couldn't withstand the tiger's roar, and I was stepped into the mud. To be honest, I feel very uncomfortable, but I have to admit that I am indeed no match for the great god.
Qin Mu is not fighting with his back against the odds, but I am. On the last day, I asked for my monthly ticket again. I was really tired these past two days and I didn’t save any manuscripts. I worked hard to type words during the day and added a chapter at night. Don’t give in until the last moment. Requesting monthly votes! (To be continued...)
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