The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 193 The Ministry of Revenue's Assets
Zhu Yuanzhang handed the intelligence in his hand to his crown prince, Zhu Biao.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao was stunned when he saw the contents above.

Zhu Xiong Ying killed the Japanese envoy in front of all the civil and military officials. He also summoned Marquis Wu Liang of Jiangyin and Marquis Wu Zhen of Jinghai, and ordered Minister of Revenue Yang Siyi to approve a large sum of money for the construction of a naval dock.

This wouldn't have been a big deal in itself, but the problem was that seven docks were borrowed at once, which was something the Ming Dynasty couldn't possibly afford.

"Xiong Ying is really being too reckless. With the current strength of the Ming Dynasty, how could it possibly support the construction of so many docks? Lord Yang is a highly respected senior minister. Xiong Ying is young and doesn't understand, but surely he knows better?"

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, his expression not very pleasant.

"This Yang Siyi is usually so stingy when it comes to getting a little money out of you; you have to pester him for ages!"

"Why are you being so generous this time, handing over so much money? I don't think this matter is as simple as it seems!"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao thought for a moment and then spoke.

“Father, Xiong Ying’s idea is good, but the Ming Dynasty is really not able to hold on right now. If the Northern Yuan jumps out and causes trouble again, we may not have enough money to deal with the situation in the north. I think we should intercept the documents before the Ministry of Revenue issues them. The Ming Dynasty cannot afford such a drain right now!”

"Although nothing bad has happened during the time that U.A. Regent has been in charge, he is still too young, and there are some things he can't handle. I think we should return to Tian as soon as possible!"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

"It's really time to go back. The Ministry of Revenue only has so much wealth. They usually have to borrow from all sides when something happens. We absolutely can't let this kid squander it all!"

Upon hearing this, Mao Xiang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, whispered something to himself.

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue is now much stronger. I've heard that they've been very generous with the funds they're allocating to other departments lately!"

Zhu Yuanzhang: "???"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao had some doubts.

"Are you sure what you're saying is true? Where did the Ministry of Revenue get so much money?"

Zhu Biao had gained a deep understanding of the court's politics over the years, and naturally knew very well the amount of silver collected by the Ministry of Revenue of the Ming Dynasty each year.

The Ming Dynasty is currently in turmoil, and maintaining the troops in various regions requires a large sum of money. Where can we find the funds to provide them?

Could it be that the Ministry of Revenue has unearthed gold ingots? Mao Xiang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, took out a booklet from his pocket.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince, this is a copy of the Ministry of Revenue's revenue records made by the Embroidered Uniform Guards stationed in the capital at my order!"

The two men's expressions changed drastically upon seeing what was written on it.

"Am I seeing things? My Great Ming Dynasty is actually this rich?"

The Ministry of Revenue made a lot of money from various sources, including post stations.

Now that the Secretariat is no longer a constraint, the Ministry of Revenue's business has expanded nationwide, and it receives a steady stream of money from Yingtian Prefecture almost every month.

In addition, the government punished monks and Taoists throughout the country, especially confiscating the property of those who failed the examinations, and thus obtained a considerable amount of money.

Although the two had a rough estimate of the money, the result shocked them greatly.

"These monks really have that much wealth? That's equivalent to several years' worth of revenue for the Ming Dynasty!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression was rather unpleasant.

From the very beginning of the Ming Dynasty, in order to thank the monks at Huangjue Temple for their help, Zhu Yuanzhang treated Buddhists throughout the country with great generosity.

Little did they know that these people had amassed such a vast fortune behind the scenes.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao sighed.

"Buddhism flourished during the Wei, Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties and wielded immense power. It is said that Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty received much help from monks when he was conquering the world. Therefore, the Tang Dynasty treated Buddhism with the utmost favor!"

"During the Song Dynasty, the emperors were devout followers of Taoism, and both Taoism and Buddhism possessed profound cultural heritage!" "After the Yuan Dynasty was established, although it ruthlessly exploited the people of the Central Plains, the cultural heritage of those monks and Taoists remained. In fact, the cultural heritage of those great temples was probably much stronger than that of those aristocratic families!"

Officials, especially those in various regions, are greedy. The more money they embezzle, the more uneasy they feel, and they always think about burning incense and praying to Buddha to seek peace of mind for themselves.

Moreover, the Buddhist community has received many ill-gotten gains from donations, so it's not surprising that it has its current wealth.

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed, his eyes filled with regret.

"If I had known these monks had so much money, I should have dealt with them earlier. If they had that much money, they could have raised so many soldiers. No wonder Xiong Ying mobilized such a large force!"

Before he could finish speaking, a member of the Imperial Guard handed him another letter.

Zhu Yuanzhang and his son were extremely surprised. Why were there so many letters today? Upon closer inspection, they realized that these were letters written to them by Zhu Xiong Ying.

After opening the letter, Zhu Yuanzhang pondered its contents for a long time.

Mao Xiang was extremely curious about Crown Prince Zhu Biao and the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but he did not disturb Zhu Yuanzhang.

When Zhu Yuanzhang finished reading it, his eyes lit up.

"As expected of our grandson, his thoughts are exactly the same as ours!"

"Eldest brother, look at what our grandson wrote for us. If your son continues to act as regent for a while longer, he might just be able to ascend the throne!"

Zhu Biao took the letter and read it carefully.

It contained some of Zhu Xiong Ying's plans, especially regarding the navy.

The reason for building seven docks is that some of them are for commercial and civilian use.

The letter also explained the benefits of opening the seas and mentioned a huge gold mine within the territory of Japan.

This even includes plans to hold military exercises to deter other countries.

After reading all the above content, Crown Prince Zhu Biao remained silent for a while.

It must be said that even he didn't know these things.

It's no wonder that everyone's focus has always been on land; who would have thought that the sea would have so many benefits?

"If what U.A. says is true, then building a navy is imperative!"

"Even when fighting against NATO later, we can lead our troops directly by sea to Liaodong!"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

"You're right. What's more important is this silver mine in Japan. It's such a pity that Japan has such a large mineral deposit but doesn't know how to exploit it!"

"The development of our Great Ming Dynasty requires a large amount of silver, and these resources are being wasted in their hands!"

"What's more, Japan actually secretly supported the Japanese pirates in plundering our Great Ming Dynasty. These people deserve to die!"

A murderous glint flashed in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes.

Mao Xiang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, whispered to himself.

"Your Majesty, shall we go back?"

Zhu Yuanzhang curled his lips.

"Why go back? Come with me to the southeast, let's go see the Quanzhou Prefecture and Songjiang Prefecture area!"

(End of this chapter)