"General Yagyu Danma, listen up!”After Eunuch Sun left, Zhu Houzhao immediately said to Yagyu Tenma Shoudao.
"Your subject is here!"
"Today, I officially confer you the title of the Japanese Defender General. I order you to immediately head to Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian to attack the Japanese pirates. I will issue an edict to the navy unit, ordering them to listen to your orders.”
"In addition, I will send a vassal to work with you to investigate the people who colluded with the pirates. Anyone who had any connection with the pirates would be exterminated!”
"If you can exterminate the pirates, I will confer you the title of General Ding Yuan! If you can't do it, I want you to bring your head to see me.”
Zhu Houzhao issued an iron-blooded military order. As long as one was involved with the Japanese pirates, not only would they be killed, but their entire family would also be executed.
Because Zhu Houzhao knew that the reason why the pirates were able to wreak havoc in the coastal areas was related to many aristocrats. There were even many aristocrats who directly sent people to impersonate pirates.
It was impossible for their families not to know about it, and it was impossible for them not to enjoy their benefits. Since that was the case, there was no one who was wronged. Thinking about the tragic deaths of countless people and the rape and plunder of the pirates, Zhu Houzhao felt that killing nine families was not an injustice.
Zhu Houzhao had also given Yagyu Danma Shou a generous reward, directly promising General Dingyuan.
The general was only a general of a mixed name, but General Ding Yuan was a real military officer of the third rank.
Don't think that Rank-3 was already considered a high official. One had to know that the six ministers were only second-grade officials. The six assistant ministers were only third-grade.
A third-grade official was already considered a very high-ranking official. It could be seen that Zhu Houzhao had given him a lot of titles, and it could also be seen that Zhu Houzhao hated the Japanese pirates and those who colluded with them.
To be able to make Zhu Houzhao promise to a foreign tribe to eradicate the pirates, he would be granted a third-grade official. The pirates and those who colluded with the pirates were considered capable.
"This minister will not disappoint the emperor! I'm willing to make a military pledge. If I can't eradicate the Japanese pirates, I'll bring my head to see you.”Yagyu Danma Mamoru immediately made a military pledge.
"No need, Zhen believes you! You should go to work now, the imperial edict will be here soon!”Zhu Houzhao said.
"I will take my leave!"
Zhu Houzhao's expression turned vicious as he watched Yagyu Tenma Mamoru leave. This ruthlessness was directed at the pirates and their accomplices.
Although this wasn't true history, he swore that as long as he was alive, he wouldn't allow anyone to bully the Han people.
He wanted the Han people to stand at the top of the world, and he wanted the flag of the Han people to be planted in every corner of the world.
Zhu Houzhao was not afraid of Yagyu but Ma Shou's betrayal, because he would not betray. It wasn't that Yagyu Toruma Mamoru was loyal to him, but that he believed in Yagyu Toruma Mamoru's loyalty to power.
For the sake of power, Yagyu Danma Mamoru would do anything!
"Men, Xuan Wang Ao, come to see me immediately!”After Yagyu Danma Shou left, Zhu Houzhao immediately called Wang Ao.
Wang Ao was the Grand Scholar of the Profound Language Pavilion and the Minister of Revenue. Upon hearing Zhu Houzhao's summons, he immediately went to the Imperial Palace to see Zhu Houzhao.
"I, the Grand Scholar of the Profound Language Pavilion, the Minister of Revenue Wang Ao, pay my respects to the Emperor.”Wang Ao greeted Zhu Houzhao with a clear voice.
"Wang Ao, since you're the Minister of Revenue. Then let me ask you, how many disciples do you have now?”Zhu Houzhao's tone was emotionless, as if he was considering Wang Ao.
"Replying to the emperor, there is a total of five million hectares of land!”As the Minister of Revenue, Wang Ao was aware of this, so he spoke without hesitation.
"Five million hectares, which is five hundred million mu.”Zhu Houzhao nodded but did not speak immediately.
One acre in the Ming Dynasty was 100 mu, and the mu in the Ming Dynasty was calculated according to the pace. A rough estimate was not much different from the current mu. There might be a slight difference in the measurement due to the difference in height, but the difference would not be too big.
In other words, there were only 500 million mu of cultivated land in the Ming Dynasty. Hearing this number, Zhu Houzhao was extremely furious.
Because he knew clearly that Zhu Yuanzhang had done a survey during his reign. The cultivated land of the Ming Dynasty was eight million hectares. This was only real farmland, not land reclamation, small-scale farmland, and mountainous areas.
But now, there were only five million hectares left. Where did the rest go? It went without saying.
There were many reasons for the annexation of land in the Ming Dynasty. Some of them sold their land because they could not survive. Some of them snatched it from the farmers. In order to pay less taxes, some farmers brought their land under the name of people with achievements.
One had to know that the Ming Dynasty gave preferential treatment to scholars. As long as they had an official rank, even if they were just a scholar, they could be exempted from taxes. The squires were also exempted from taxes. This caused some farmers to transfer their land to their names and disappear from the Ministry of Revenue's land register.
Zhu Houzhao didn't mention this point for the time being. The officials, aristocrats, and squires were the main reasons for the decrease in the number of registered land.
"Wang Ao, you are the Minister of Revenue. Everyone says that you are upright and upright. I want to ask you, how much land do you have? I want to ask you, how did the eight million hectares of land during the reign of Emperor Taizu become five million hectares?”
"This…"
Wang Ao's forehead began to sweat. Emperor Taizu had cultivated eight million hectares of land. However, with the development of wasteland, there was actually more and more cultivated land.
But where did the land go? As the Minister of Revenue, he was very clear. But could he say it?
He said that he would cut himself off from all the scholars in the world, from all the officials in the world, and from all the squires in the world.
Even Wang Ao, who had clean hands, had more than a thousand acres of land under his name! Even so, Wang Ao was still considered incorruptible among the officials.
What should he say?
"Wang Ao, you're really spotless. What? You scholars talk about benevolence, righteousness, and morality, but you're full of thieves and prostitutes. To educate others and stand on the moral high ground to point out the country, even the emperor has to give in to you. But ask yourself, how much morality do you have?”Zhu Houzhao almost roared at the end of his sentence.
"All of you are so fat that you keep the land for yourself and keep adding taxes to the people. Where are your morals? Where are your hearts? Where is your benefit to the people? What? Speak! Why don't you say it?" Zhu Houzhao roared furiously as he questioned Wang Ao.
Each word and sentence struck Wang Ao's soul. Wang Ao was trembling, but he didn't say a word.
"Hehehe…You're not talking now? Weren't you quite eloquent when you taught me? You want me to be thrifty, but you are extremely extravagant. If I hadn't come out of the palace personally, I would still be in the dark.”Zhu Houzhao used his departure from the palace as an excuse.
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