My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 424 One Force Overcomes Ten Skills
The brilliance of Zhang Juzheng's move lay in the location of the checkpoint—Yiling Prefecture in Jingzhou.

All the regions in the Ming Dynasty that were designated as "prefectures" were important military strongholds in the early Ming period.

The reasons for establishing Yiling as a prefecture are very compelling. It is a famous ancient battlefield where Liu Bei, the Emperor Zhaolie of Han during the Three Kingdoms period, had his camp burned by Lu Xun, a general of Eastern Wu, in the Battle of Yiling.

Yiling, which is Yichang in Hubei Province in the original timeline, is the lifeline of the Yangtze River Three Gorges waterway. Its geographical position of "controlling Bashu in the upper reaches and connecting Jingxiang in the lower reaches" made it the core hub of the western canal transport, trade routes and military command of the Ming Dynasty.

The reason why Yiling holds such an important position is the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River.

The Three Gorges is a natural barrier. Ships that can navigate the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River have to switch to smaller boats at Yiling and rely on boat trackers to navigate the treacherous rapids before they can enter the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

Ships traveling on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, specifically in Sichuan, would transfer to larger vessels after reaching Yiling before sailing to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze.

Yiling Prefecture was under the jurisdiction of Jingzhou Prefecture. Zhang Juzheng used a prefecture, or even a state, to control the most important node in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

Once a customs post is established in Yiling, it will be equivalent to the imperial court imposing commercial taxes on the entire upper reaches of the Yangtze River!
Su Ze couldn't help but sigh, Zhang Juzheng's vision was still so ruthless!
The move of controlling the commercial tax revenue of the entire upper reaches of the Yangtze River from just one prefecture is truly brilliant!

But then, a fierce conflict broke out within the cabinet!

Zhao Zhenji is from Sichuan.

Today, the most prosperous region in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River is naturally Sichuan.

This means that Zhang Juzheng was going to levy commercial taxes on the entire Sichuan province from his hometown of Jingzhou!
As a native of Sichuan, how could Zhao Zhenji tolerate this?

This isn't even a question of whether Zhao Zhenji can tolerate it or not. If he doesn't stand up for Sichuan in this matter, then Zhao Zhenji can forget about returning to his hometown to retire in his old age. His fellow villagers will drown him in their spittle!

Zhao Zhenji led Sichuan officials and the people in submitting a petition, resolutely opposing Zhang Juzheng's suggestions. The court, which had just begun to stabilize, was thrown into turmoil once more!
Inside the newspaper office.

Shen Yiguan described it vividly:

"This time, Grand Secretary Zhao is truly enraged; he submitted his resignation yesterday!"

Luo Wanhua was also stunned. Submitting a petition to resign was the greatest threat a minister could pose to the emperor. It could also be seen as Zhao Zhenji using all his political prestige to oppose Zhang Juzheng's policies!
It should be noted that Cho Jung-gil has rarely expressed such strong political views since joining the cabinet.

It seems that Zhang Juzheng has really offended the Sichuan officials this time!
Shen Yiguan looked at Su Ze and asked:
"Brother Zilin, whose side are you on this time?"

Luo Wanhua also looked at Su Ze.

Zhao Zhenji was related to Su Ze by marriage, and Su Ze was regarded as a son-in-law of Sichuan by Sichuan officials in the court.

However, it was Su Ze who proposed the commercial tax, and both of them knew Su Ze's attitude towards the commercial tax. In terms of political stance, Su Ze definitely supported Zhang Juzheng.

Su Ze said without hesitation:
"In this matter, I naturally side with Grand Secretary Zhang."

Luo Wanhua and Shen Yiguan both nodded. Su Ze was indeed Su Ze. He was essentially the same kind of person as Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng. They were people who would do anything for their political ideals and would never change their ways because of external pressure.

Although Shen Yiguan had expected this, he still said:

"Brother Zilin, perhaps you shouldn't get involved in this fight between Grand Secretaries Zhang and Zhao?"

Su Ze shook his head and said:

"I've finally got such a great opportunity, how can I let it slip by?"

Shen Yiguan said nervously:

"What about Brother Zilin's wife?"

Su Ze said dismissively:
“My wife never interferes in politics, and the Zhao family knows this too, so they didn’t send anyone to persuade her, putting her in a difficult position.”

Hearing that Su Ze and his wife did not quarrel because of this, Shen Yiguan breathed a sigh of relief.

His wife and Zhao Lingxian had a very good relationship, and he didn't want the Su family to be fractured because of matters concerning the imperial court.

At this moment, Luo Wanhua asked:

"By the way, Grand Secretary Zhao must have a reason for opposing the collection of commercial taxes in Yiling, right? It can't be that collecting taxes in Yiling is equivalent to collecting taxes from Sichuan, can it?"

Su Ze also looked at Shen Yiguan.

In political matters, there is always a need for a "just cause".

You can't say that just because Sichuan is refusing to pay commercial taxes, Yiling refuses to collect taxes, can you?

Shen Yiguan was well-informed, and he immediately said:
"The dispute raised by Grand Secretary Zhao and officials from Sichuan this time is about 'injustice'."

Luo Wanhua asked in confusion, "Unfair?"

Shen Yiguan said:
"Yes, this time Grand Secretary Zhao's reasoning is quite reasonable."

"Since ancient times, Sichuan has sold more goods to other regions than transported goods from Yiling to Sichuan."

"If a tax checkpoint is set up in Yiling, wouldn't that be targeting Sichuan and specifically levying taxes on Sichuan merchants and people?"

Luo Wanhua nodded and said:

"That makes sense. Grand Secretary Zhao's angle is quite good."

Although the Three Gorges is a natural barrier, and boatmen are still needed to navigate the rapids and whirlpools when entering the middle reaches from the upper reaches, it is generally much easier to transport goods out of Sichuan than to transport goods into Sichuan.

Sichuan has always been a relatively independent geographical unit. In the agricultural era, self-sufficiency was not a disadvantage, but a symbol of regional stability.

Zhao Zhenji's reasoning was indeed reasonable. Setting up tax checkpoints in Yiling was specifically for levying taxes on goods leaving Sichuan, which was truly shameless.

This is no different from forcibly requiring Sichuan to levy commercial taxes, and it also violates Su Ze's original political program on commercial taxes—equal responsibility and rights.

This is not to say that Su Ze is pedantic, but rather that politics can be conducted behind closed doors and in secret, but the political slogans that are publicly proclaimed must be upheld.

If a politician cannot even abide by political slogans, then he loses his foundation, and whatever he does will be opposed by others.

In the original timeline, Zhang Juzheng was just like that.

In the original timeline, Zhang Juzheng constantly promoted filial piety in order to restrain Emperor Wanli.

However, when his own father passed away, he refused to return home to observe the mourning period and even had his students and disciples petition him to sever his mourning.

After this incident, Zhang Juzheng's carefully cultivated political image collapsed, and he soon fell from power.

The principle of equal rights and responsibilities was put forward by Su Ze when he introduced commercial taxes. The voluntary introduction of commercial taxes was also the court's tacit acceptance of commercial taxes.

Zhang Juzheng's move was indeed ingenious, but it was also somewhat unscrupulous and disrupted the original political understanding.

"It seems that Grand Secretary Zhang has miscalculated. Now many local officials have received the news and are also submitting memorials, believing that the taxation in Yiling Prefecture is too unfair and goes against the original intention of the court in setting up commercial taxes."

Su Ze thought for a moment and said:
"So, in the end, the controversy boils down to the issue of navigation on the Yangtze River?"

Shen Yiguan nodded, then shook his head and said:

"This is also where Grand Secretary Zhao's brilliance lies. The hydrology of the Yangtze River is just like this, and it has been like this for thousands of years. By using this as a reason to oppose it, Grand Secretary Zhang was immediately put on the defensive."

Luo Wanhua nodded secretly, thinking that this kind of high-level struggle was indeed sophisticated. It was clearly about fighting for interests, but they could put it into all sorts of high-sounding terms.

Luo Wanhua feels he has made considerable progress in politics recently, but compared to these top players, the gap is still very obvious.

Shen Yiguan was a bit more capable than himself; at least Shen Yiguan could see through the intentions of these high-ranking officials in the court.

In fact, they were already among the best in the officialdom. Many of them had been in the bureaucracy for four or five years but still hadn't figured out the rules of the power struggles. Yet, there was a prodigy like Su Ze present, who was already able to hold his own against the Grand Secretaries.

Shen Yiguan and Luo Wanhua also looked at Su Ze, who smiled and said:
"I thought it was something serious. I'll write a memorial right now to support Grand Secretary Zhang!"

Su Ze took out a blank memorial and quickly finished writing one.

After Su Ze finished writing, Luo Wanhua and Shen Yiguan eagerly took the memorial and began to read it carefully.

"A Memorial Requesting the Establishment of the Yiling Customs House and the Implementation of Tax Collection with Reduced Capacity"

Shen Yiguan looked at Su Ze, who agreed with Zhang Juzheng's memorial to set up tax checkpoints in Yiling, but also proposed to reduce tax collection.

"Minister Zhang previously proposed establishing a customs post in Yiling Prefecture of Jingzhou Prefecture to collect taxes from merchants traveling across the Yangtze River. This is truly a superior policy for enriching the country, benefiting the people, and clarifying the sources of tax revenue."

"I have carefully considered his argument and agree with it. Yiling is the hub of water transport in the world. All the goods from Sichuan that want to go to Jiangzuo, and the products from Jiangzuo that want to enter Sichuan, must rely on this place to change boats and transport goods. Boatmen pull boats to cross the natural treacherous terrain."

"Establishing a customs post here, controlling a vital strategic point, will attract a large influx of merchants and generate abundant tax revenue. This will not only enrich the national treasury but also clarify tax regulations along trade routes, making it a truly ingenious strategy with multiple benefits."

"However, I have heard that some officials from Sichuan may have objections. I have carefully considered their concerns and their situation is pitiful."

"This is because Yiling is a necessary route for Sichuan goods to leave the province. Today, the amount of goods flowing upstream into Sichuan from the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River is indeed less than the amount of Sichuan goods flowing downstream out of the province. If a full tax is suddenly levied, Sichuan merchants will inevitably bear the burden alone, which is not a fair approach by the court."

"To demonstrate the court's compassion for the border provinces and its intention to balance the tax burden, I hereby propose a policy of delaying tax collection:"

"Please allow the establishment of a customs post in Yiling, but the amount of commercial tax levied should be based on the equal volume of goods entering and leaving Sichuan."

"Only when the volume of goods flowing upstream into Sichuan equals and offsets the volume of goods flowing downstream out of Sichuan will the full amount of tax be levied."

Deferred payment?

Shen Yiguan and Luo Wanhua understood Su Ze's plan.

Deferred taxation means reducing taxation based on the difference between the volume of goods entering and leaving Sichuan.

Su Ze also gave an example: nowadays, the amount of goods leaving Sichuan is about five times that entering Sichuan. According to this calculation method, one-fifth of the commercial tax should be levied on the goods leaving Sichuan.

Shen Yiguan frowned; this method wasn't actually that ingenious.

It could even be said to have many loopholes.

However, as a stopgap measure, it is acceptable.

If it were someone else's memorial, Shen Yiguan would probably have praised its ingenuity.

But this is Su Ze's memorial to the throne.

This kind of appeasement memorial was actually written by Su Ze?

However, Su Ze's memorial is indeed a good way to alleviate the current conflicts in the court.

"Brother Zilin, are you really going to submit this memorial?"

Su Ze nodded, and Shen Yiguan said:
“That’s right. Taxing Yiling is indeed a brilliant idea. Such a good opportunity is rare. Let’s set up the tax office first.”

After Shen Yiguan left, Su Ze stuffed the memorial into the "Portable Ming Dynasty Court" app.

——[Simulation Start]——

The memorial entitled "Request to establish the Yiling Customs House and implement a policy of tax collection and reduction" was sent to the Cabinet.

Your memorial, which attempts to "smooth things over," does not serve Gao Gong's interests.

The struggle between Zhang Juzheng and Zhao Zhenji served Gao Gong's interests and weakened Zhang Juzheng's prestige.

However, after careful consideration, Gao Gong supported your memorial in order to promote the commercial taxation of the court.

Zhang Juzheng and Zhao Zhenji each compromised and agreed to your memorial in principle.

The two agreed that the Ministry of Revenue would conduct statistics twice a year, and when the amount of goods entering and leaving Sichuan was equal, the Yiling Customs would cancel the policy of deferring taxation on goods leaving Sichuan and collect taxes on the full amount of goods leaving Sichuan.

The cabinet ministers unanimously agreed, and the emperor approved your memorial.

——[Simulation End]——

[Remaining Prestige: 3040.]

This simulation has passed and does not need to be forced to run.

It passed as expected.

Although Su Ze's memorial seemed like a compromise, a concession to officials from Sichuan, granting preferential treatment to Sichuan goods leaving the province.

But in reality, Su Ze was absolutely certain that the situation in Sichuan, where the amount of goods leaving the province exceeded the amount of goods entering the province, would not last long.

The reason is simple: technological advancements.

Experiments with steam locomotives have begun, and the Ministry of Industry has invested considerable resources in improving the steam engine and increasing its efficiency.

According to Wan Jing, the power of the new steam engine had reached three horsepower, and if cost was not taken into account, the steam engine could replace the horse.

However, the cost of steam locomotives was still too high, and the weight of steam locomotives was also considerable. Wan Jing calculated that the steam engine would need to reach ten horsepower to achieve the transportation efficiency of the current horse-drawn railcars.

But that's not enough. If that's all, it still won't be able to compete with horses. It's necessary to continue increasing the horsepower of the steam engines to carry more carriages in order to reduce the cost of steam trains and put them into actual operation.

After the breakthrough in steam locomotives, Su Ze proposed the idea of ​​steamships to Wan Jing.

In fact, steamships are less technically difficult to manufacture than trains.

Trains have limited space and must also consider their own weight, so the steam engine cannot be too large, and the thermal efficiency of the steam engine must be improved in order to obtain greater power.

Steamships are different.

The ship has plenty of space, so if one steam engine isn't enough, two will do.

In addition, railways have higher stability requirements and more precise transmission devices, while steamships do not have as many problems.

All these factors combined resulted in the steamship project being initiated the latest, but it has already achieved a greater breakthrough than the steam locomotive.

Su Ze knew that once steamships became widespread, the shipping problem on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, which had plagued the region for thousands of years, would no longer be a problem.

Steamships greatly reduced the cost of upstream transportation, and merchants from other provinces had long coveted Sichuan, a major economic and populous province.

Due to the high cost of entering Sichuan, the current situation has been maintained.

As long as shipping costs come down, merchants from other provinces will definitely not let go of such a large market.

The balance of goods entering and leaving Sichuan will be reached soon, and the policy of deferring taxation will be lifted soon.

When that time comes, Sichuan will naturally have to levy commercial taxes in order to protect its local tax revenue.

This is Su Ze's plan. No matter how powerful your methods are, I just need to focus on developing productivity!
One force can overcome ten skills!

(End of this chapter)