For Guo Yunhou's question, Tian Yang was obviously unable to answer. Judging from the past conduct of the Ming officials, it would be a real miracle to say that they would not collude up and down to embezzle travel allowances.

Zhu Youzhen also had a headache about this, of course, he knew that Guo Yunhou didn't really want to oppose the reform of the post station, but as the secretary of the household department, he had to stand up to relieve the pressure on the household department. If the subsidy system is to be implemented, it will obviously shift the burden that was previously placed on the local government to the household ministry, and it will be difficult for the current household ministry to find the amount due that did not exist in the first place.

This is also why, although everyone already knows that the Ming Dynasty has reached the point where reform is indispensable, the officials in power at the time are unwilling to easily change any of the old policies.

Because every time an old policy is changed, not to mention whether it can bring the expected benefits, the first thing is to make a sum of money to cover the cost of changing the old policy. The already overstretched household department is willing to bear such an additional expense, just to reduce the burden on the local government, but it does not get any benefits for itself.

If it was just the idea of a postal department today, Guo Yunhou would have gritted his teeth and survived. But now the Ministry of Posts is just an opening warm-up, if other ministries also come to such a hand, the financial pressure is pushed to the Ministry of Households, and the achievements of reform are taken by themselves, then the Ministry of Households must collapse today.

Looking at the head of the household book, Zhu Youzhen thought about it and said: "Of the 76 post roads, the Ministry of Trade and Postal Affairs has only implemented the reform of 6 post roads this year, which should be said to be quite cautious.

As for what you said, Mr. Guo, whether there will be officials colluding with the top and bottom to embezzle allowances, I don't think this should be a job that the Ministry of International Trade and Postal Affairs should think about. Whether officials are corrupt or not, first, it is necessary for the central government academy to send officials at all levels for continuing education according to the number of years, so as to remind and warn these officials not to be corrupted by power.

Second, it is necessary for the efforts of the imperial court supervision department to formulate a set of effective supervision mechanisms, and not to be a mud bodhisattva in the temple.

Besides, reform is a matter of course, and it will definitely succeed. Instead of arguing 10,000 times now, let's actually try it again. If there is a problem, just change it, I don't believe it, could it be that the restructuring of only six post roads failed, and the sky of the Ming Dynasty fell?

Even if it collapses, it's fine, I'll hold on, so you don't have to worry too much. Although the implementation of the subsidy system will increase the expenses of the imperial court, the six post roads involve dozens of counties. If the reform is successful, nearly 10 million people can benefit from it, and from the overall point of view, the imperial court is actually not at a loss. ”

Guo Yunhou was still embarrassed and said to Chongzhen: "But Your Majesty, after the implementation of the budget system this year, all the expenditures of various ministries have been clearly stipulated. Every budget fund is a radish and a pit, and now Tian Shangshu suddenly dug a new pit out, and the minister can't make a new radish out? Otherwise, let the post road restructuring plan be postponed for a year? Or remove a few post roads and restructure. Wait until next year, when the finances are a little more comfortable? ”

Tian Yang hurriedly objected next to him: "Next year and next year, there will be so much next year." This year, the imperial court is going to issue 35 million yuan of public bonds, and no matter how difficult it is, it is impossible to shorten the funds for this allowance and subsidy. If it comes to next year, dare to ask Guo Shangshu if he can pack a ticket, will the imperial court's finances really be better next year than this year? ”

Regarding Tian Yang's words, Guo Yunhou simply closed his mouth tightly. The 35 million yuan public bond is only an intention, but many people in various ministries have already set their sights on this huge windfall.

Many officials want to pry a hole in the public debt to dig some money out of this public debt and fill the funding hole in their own departments. gave Tian Yang this convenience, so how could he refuse other people's requests? Guo Yunhou dared to open this opening.

Zhu Youzhen interrupted Tian Yang's words and said: "The issuance of public bonds is to solve the urgent needs of the imperial court, and all public bonds must be earmarked and not privately borrowed. If the rules are broken, who will dare to buy the public bonds issued by the imperial court in the future? Isn't this drinking to quench your thirst? ”

Chongzhen resolutely and resolutely expressed his attitude, and finally made Tian Yang shut up, which also disappointed some officials. Zhu Youzhen also didn't want to be unable to proceed because of the problem of funds. If this is the case, officials who are already half-hearted about the status quo of reform will have to argue with him all day long about the issue of funds.

He thought about it for a while, and finally threw out a question that he had been thinking about for a long time. Chongzhen cleared his throat and said, "No matter what, this post road restructuring will continue. In this way, every year, the Jiangnan area will deliver 1 million gold and silver to the palace, and it will be transferred to the household department from this year.

However, the household department has to spend 400,000 taels of silver every year for the brocade guards, the palace guards and the rewards of the nobles, and the rest of the income belongs to the household department. ”

Chongzhen suddenly handed over the gold and silver to the household department, which immediately made the officials in the palace a little dumbfounded, but also made some officials feel ecstatic. For them, this is the exact opposite of Tian Yang's reform plan.

Although the gold and silver were nominally used for the emperor's annual personal consumption, in fact, most of them were spent on the brocade guards, pro-army and nobles, and rewards. Only a tiny fraction was spent on the emperor's personal expenses.

For the officials in Jiangnan, they have long wanted to abolish the expropriation of gold and silver. The gold and silver came from the heavy official fields in the south of the Yangtze River, and the best tax and grain for the lower households, but in this era, most of these fields have fallen into the hands of the Jiangnan gentry. Collecting gold and silver is equivalent to taking money out of their pockets, and they are naturally full of resentment about the collection of gold and silver.

For Guo Yunhou, of course he knew what it meant for the household after the gold and silver were transferred to the household department. Originally, the gold and silver were smeared by the Jiangnan gentry as the emperor's tax for personal consumption, which was nothing more than an attempt to use this name to default on tax resistance.

However, after it is transferred to the Ministry of Household Collection, it becomes a national tax. From a legal point of view, it is to cut off the basis for the arrears of tax payments by Jiangnan tax households. However, de jure it is one thing, and actual expropriation is another.

With the inertia of the gentry and wealthy families in Jiangnan, since they have developed the habit of arrears, it is not an easy task to let them pay taxes in accordance with the laws of the state.

According to the practice of previous years, Jinhuayin can receive 5 or 600,000 taels, which is already quite a good result. However, under the current budget system, there is no such thing as a convention. What Chongzhen handed over to the household was a fixed amount of 1 million gold and silver, which was naturally intended to be used for 1 million taels.

Obviously, because of this windfall, the household department had to match the gentry and landlords who were in arrears of taxes in Jiangnan. This is really a big trouble, Guo Yunhou regrets it a little, he might as well not raise an objection to the allowance system just now.

Zhu Youzhen obviously didn't care about Guo Yunhou's thoughts, he waved his hand, and continued to Tian Yang: "You go on, in addition to this post road reform, what other plans does the Ministry of Trade and Postal Affairs have this year?" ”

Hearing that Chongzhen had even given up Jinhuayin, this suddenly made Tian Yang's somewhat floating heart completely settle down. For him, the most disturbing thing is not whether his reform plan will offend people, but how much enthusiasm the young genius above has for reform.

There is nothing more untrustworthy than a half-hearted emperor, and since Chongzhen's belief in supporting reform is so unwavering, Tian Yang naturally has nothing to worry about.

"The ministers intend to establish a postal network throughout the Ming Dynasty with a period of 10 years. In the inland, the original post station was converted into a postal shuttle bus to transport mail. However, inland waterway shipping from Tianjin to the coastal ports in the south, and from Shanghai to the Yangtze River. Originally, there were no or very few post road facilities, so it was necessary to find another way.

According to the investigation and study conducted by officials of the headquarters last year, it is obviously not cost-effective to rely entirely on the postal departments to purchase ships to transport mail on their own, whether it is north-south shipping or inland waterway shipping on the Yangtze River and Pearl River.

But both coastal and inland shipping companies are now being set up in a big way, and the ships of these companies are staggered to deliver mail to various places, as long as the local post office goes to the dock at a fixed time to receive it.

The minister also sent people to contact these shipping companies, and they agreed to sign a contract according to the freight rate of 1 corner of each heavy mailbox and 1 yuan per month for light parcels.

The standard is no more than 250 kg for heavy mailboxes, and no more than 80 kg for light parcels. However, they hoped that the imperial court would be contractually exempt from the tonnage tax on ships transporting the mail. ”

Zhu Youzhen nodded and said, "Yes, you can discuss this matter with the customs director at that time." Are the rates and stamps of the mail determined? ”

Tian Yang's mood was even more relaxed, and he immediately replied: "For ordinary letters, the postal cost in the province is 5 cents, the coastal provinces are 1 jiao, and the inland provinces are 2 jiao, and the government documents and sergeants' letters are free, and the tariff for registered letters is multiplied by 2. If it is a mailing item, the postage per kilogram in the province is 5 jiao, 1 yuan in the coastal provinces, and 2 yuan in the inland provinces. ”

Zhu Youzhen thought for a while and said: "Taiwan, Palawan, Ambuna Island, Jeju Island, and Vladivostok, which will be developed this year, must be included in the postal network, and mail will be collected and sent according to the coastal tariff.

In addition, postal systems should be set up in Japan, Ryukyu, Korea, Brunei, Siam, and Manila, and the cost can be higher than that in China. Priority should be given to the post office system in these regions and provincial capitals. ”