Section 52 Debate

He slowly folded and folded the letter neatly, and put it back in the sleeve. With his old age and sophistication in officialdom, there is always a set of ways to prevaricate and delay any tricky government affairs. Anyway, no matter what the big thing is, it can't resist the word "drag". After a few months, God knows what new wind is blowing in the court.

This time, I am afraid that we will not be able to show some achievements in Jinghai. Soon after the emperor ascended the throne, he was working hard - and he learned from the eunuchs around him that the emperor was a very hardworking man. I'm afraid I can't get over it if I try to prevaricate and delay. At that time, Gao Shunqin, a stunned young man, will be very troublesome to come to a bullet stamp.

At the beginning, he offended a lot of people when he was rectifying the rule of the two Guangxi officials, and these people all had old names in the Beijing division in the same year, if he mishandled and lost his sacred heart, then he would hand in the bullet seal, and the end would be known without asking -- losing his official position and leaving his post was already the lightest punishment

And Gao Shunqin's attitude is really difficult to estimate. This person is young and deserves to be an official on the road of speech, and he is inevitably vigorous -- he himself has been a speech official, and he knows the habits of speech officials very well.

Gao Xunji hated the maritime merchants, the Haikou and the Westerners very much. On several occasions he made threats to himself that trade with the Portuguese would be forbidden. I have been vague, listening to the rumors outside, and I seem to be very dissatisfied with myself.

Gao Shunqin hated the Portuguese: it was nothing more than because the Portuguese "towering ships and huge cannons", "no one dared to approach", and also trafficked all kinds of prohibited things. Wang Zunde feels that it is largely because there is such a place on the ground in Guangdong that "does not accept the king".

For Wang Zunde, although the Portuguese have to cause some trouble in the local area from time to time, they are generally interesting. The so-called Zhiqu does not mean that they pay the annual land rent of 500 taels to Xiangshan County on time -- this is just a drop in the bucket for the whole province of Guangdong.

Recently, the Portuguese have repeatedly sent merchants to Canton for activities, and have given them a lot of money in various ways - they have also heard about Gao Shunqin's recent movements, so they are stepping up their activities.

Thinking of the Portuguese hope to join forces with the Ming Dynasty to fight against Liu Laoxiang - the other party said: Liu Laoxiang colluded with the "Helan", which had plundered the coast and occupied Penghu to build a fortress during the Apocalypse, with the intention of being unfavorable to the Ming Dynasty. Whether this statement is true or not, only God knows. Wang Zunde couldn't help but sigh: This sea matter is really complicated, but the government doesn't know anything about this mysterious sea shijie.

He paced in the study, playing with the reflection on the bamboo curtain, and suddenly shouted in a loud voice: "Someone is coming"

A personal servant appeared at the door.

"You go, immediately invite Lu and Li to praise the paintings."

He asked these two people to come to hear their views on the pacification of the Cantonese ocean. He is not in a hurry to see Li Fengjie, and now he goes to see him, this person is just "Mr. Wei's horse head". Of course, the Governor is in charge of military affairs, and it is understandable that he, the governor of civil affairs, is in charge of civil affairs.

As for the other officials of the province, they are all loaches that do not stick to their hands. The ability to blame and pass the buck is greater than the other. Wang Zunde has been an official for many years, and he knows that it is not the case in Liangguang, but everywhere.

If you want to listen to some practical advice, you can only rely on your staff.

These two people are his two henchmen. Lu Yizhong served as a prefect for several terms, and Li Xijue was a jinshi during the Apocalypse, and he had never been awarded an official and had been living at home. Both of them are in their early forties and less than 50 years old, and they are in the prime of life, and they are full of poetry and books, and they have a deep understanding of various practical government affairs.

However, these two admirers could not say any brilliant ideas for a while--strategy is based on intelligence, and without intelligence, even the enemy cannot be confused, and there is no strategy to speak of.

Since the end of Wanli, all kinds of heroes on the sea have swirled and swirled, and there are many names, and there are dozens of large stocks with names left in official documents. However, the government knows very little about their actual situation, and most of them are hearsay.

As for this Liu Laoxiang, it is just a shili that only emerged in the early years of Chongzhen, but it has expanded the fastest recently, and it seems to have become a disaster in the Pearl River Estuary to arouse people's ideas.

Although Lu and Li have the heart to share the worries of the proprietor, they themselves don't necessarily know more about this Haikou than Wang Zunde, so how can they make suggestions? What Li Zanhua came up with was nothing more than the old trick of Hu Zongxian and others to deal with the Japanese invaders. There is nothing new to talk about.

But Lu Yizhong was silent beside him. In his view, Li Zanhua's strategies are all feasible strategies, but they cannot solve the fundamental problem. His own owner had no intention of mass-exhaling the pirates on a large scale, and even if he wanted to, he would not be able to do it.

Whether it is moving to the sea, stepping up the export of goods on the shore, and training the brave ...... of the townships along the coast and rivers All of these measures require time and money. Now the situation of the government is a lack of money. You can't do anything without money.

The government has no money and no time. And Wang Zhengtai felt that there was no time. Lu Yizhong was more clever than others in speculation, and he quickly understood the actual thoughts of the proprietors in light of the recent situation between the government and the opposition and the situation in Guangdong, Guangzhou, and Fujian.

The color of this southeast suppression of Haikou can't be taken off by Xiong Wenhuan. Since Zheng Zhilong's resignation, the giants on the southeast coast, such as Yang Liu, Yang Qi, and Zhucailao, have been wiped out in two years. Xiong Wenhuan's reputation as a "foreigner" has been recognized by the government and the opposition.

In such a situation, Liu Laoxiang, who continues to entrench in Guangdong and even expands, has become an embarrassing comparison. The governor of Liangguang must do something.

Although I know what the owner thinks, it's another thing to come up with an idea. He thought about the situation he was facing: it was not the Jiajing Dynasty at the moment, and the court still had a lot of money and food. Able to build ships and train troops. Now Wang Zunde only has such a big plate, he can't bloom on all sides, and attack in multiple ways, only find a painful one, win a big victory, and capture the bandit leader. Moreover, the sailors of the imperial court have always been ineffective in naval warfare, and they must be able to make contributions in land battles.

"It would be nice to have a place like Shuangyu and Tuen Mun." Lu Yizhong said.

Li Xijue immediately understood what kind of character he was, and nodded his head and said, "Exactly." ”

Of course, Wang Zunde understood what they meant, but they didn't know anything about where Liu Xiang's lair was, let alone other bandits.

Just as he was helpless, Lu Yizhong whispered: "How about Lingao?" ”

The three of them bowed their heads. It's a great place

It is no secret that Australians are building a village in Lingao to defend themselves. Just as it is no secret that the three big purple businesses have Australian backgrounds.

"It should be Bopu, the thief stole it, and it was Bopu. Lingao County did not fall. Li Xijue reminded, "All the money and food should be paid in full." ”

"Yes." Lu Yizhong nodded, "The official army is encircling and suppressing Bopu, and it is going to Lingao to do a harm, which is a great benefit to the country and the people." ”

It's not just a matter of detail, it's also a matter of crux.

If the "pirates entrenched in Lingao" are suppressed, some people in the court will inevitably be critical of Guangdong's failure to report the fall of the county seat. What's more, Lingao did not fall, and this is not a deception of the imperial court.

Thinking of this, Wang Zunde only felt that his mouth suddenly opened, and he felt like he had seen the sun. He nodded repeatedly, but said no more.

Lu Yizhong and Li Xijue knew that he had already approved of this idea, but they still had to weigh the pros and cons. What I need to do now is to implement this matter first. Where did the soldiers, the ships, the grain and the grass come from? How much do I need? How to plan for military salaries and miscellaneous expenses...... These details must be considered one by one, and several sets of plans must be prepared. Wait until the actual implementation time and then choose by the master of the system.

These things can't be done by themselves, but fortunately, there is a large staff team in the governor's palace, from retired officials who have served as prefects to frivolous literati who can only write lyrics and compose music. Although there is a mixture of mud and sand, there are also some capable people.

Lu Yizhong soon gathered more than a dozen of Wang Zunde's most trusted staff to discuss the matter.

But his "brilliant plan" quickly aroused dissent.

"The Lord of Taiwan wants to exterminate the thieves in Lingao, and he is very happy." There is a humanity inside, "I just heard that they have a big inner way, I'm afraid they can't move easily." ”

Another staff member said: "Australians have a deep connection with Gao Ju, and I heard that Gao Ju is related to Yang Gonggong in the palace." I'm afraid this inner joint is not something we can clarify. ”

As soon as they heard that there was an inner prison inside, everyone couldn't help but be silent. The days of eunuch power were not long gone. After the emperor ascended the throne, he went to a nine-thousand-year-old year, but the eunuchs of the palace had to be in power. In case you offend the inexplicable "inner phase" inside. When you get up to the scene, you can get some eye medicine, and everyone can't take it and walk around.

"Out of the way." Lu Yizhong said, "The high-minded backer Yang Gonggong did not come from the palace to be a eunuch from the dragon, and when Wei rebelled to gain power, he asked for his own position in order to avoid trouble. After the emperor ascended the throne, he didn't have much shili in the palace. ”

"Although he is a eunuch, he is still a mouth in the palace. You can't be easily offended. "There are people who still want to be serious.

"No problem." Lu Yizhong said, "The thief has nothing to do with Yang Gonggong, and Gao is Yang Gonggong's person." Australians are just trading with exaltation. Gonggong Yang has always understood righteousness, how can he embarrass the court members for a group of pirates? ”

Gao Ju has a lot of contacts with Australians, and even if there are no Australians, the Gao family is also a well-known "collusion with foreign countries". It was easy to find evidence of his "collusion with pirates". How could Yang Gonggong do such a self-defeating thing

Gonggong Yang doesn't have much shili to speak of in the palace, and the Australian is not over. Since Gao Ju is safe and sound, he should give him the benefits of Yang Gonggong, and he will not dare to be less. Wiped out the Australians, could it be that Gonggong Yang personally went into battle to embarrass Wang Zunde? Wang Zunde is the best member of the imperial court, and he has always had the reputation of being honest and upright. He is not a great eunuch in power, where will he wade into this troubled water.

As long as it doesn't hurt Gao Gao, let the Gao family pass peacefully. Father-in-law Yang naturally wouldn't ask. Lu Yizhong's abacus is here, and when the time comes, he will compensate the Gao family for part of the Australian's property in Guangzhou, and the Gao family will have nothing to say even if they have some complaints--Gao Ju will not be so uninteresting and go against the officialdom in Guangdong.

"Moreover, the Australians built a city in Lingao, which is the old trick of the Francois people to occupy Haojing. At that time, the imperial court promised the Francois people, and now will the Australians be allowed again? Lu Yizhong reminded, "There is always a conclusion to this matter." It's better to be late than early. ”

He analyzed it like this, and everyone felt that it made sense. There is no longer any objection to the thieves.

"But how does this Australian iron ship deal with it?" Someone asked, "I heard that there is a wall as high, higher than the big plywood ships of the red-haired people and the Franco-man, and the sailors have no ships to fight."

"The so-called big iron ship is just a street discussion. It can't be true. Lu Yizhong said, "Even if there is such a huge ship, the officers and soldiers can use fireships to retreat." Moreover, the king's division is based on both land and water. The sea route is only a containment, and the land route is the most important. As long as his Bairen village is broken on land, he has no support on land, so he can only pull out the anchor and go. The king can reap the credit. ”

The idea was actually a "drive away" idea: it was not a show of mercy or friendship, but a correct assessment of the military by local officials. During the apocalypse, the Dutch, who mobilized an army of 70,000 or 80,000 and could only "retreat" a dozen ships with hundreds of warships, are of course even more impossible to completely destroy the Australians now. Of course, the expulsion of Australians who have been entrenched in Lingao for many years can also be regarded as a great merit.

Lu Yizhong's calculation was to try to "force back" the Australians and win a victory with as little loss as possible. The strength of Australians in Lingao, Guangzhou knows more or less.

"The true face of Lingao is only a thousand people." Lu Yizhong said, "The rest are mostly wigs shaved by local traitors. The total number is no less than tens of thousands. However, men and women coexist, old and young, and those who are only attached to Lingao for the small favors of the thieves will never fight to the death for the thieves. As soon as the imperial court heavenly soldiers arrived, the ice naturally disintegrated. ”

"Even if there are only a thousand people, it is not easy to deal with the strength of the ship and the artillery." One of the staff members said, "I heard that they have a big iron ship, and there are also iron clippers and Lianzhu robbers, and they are invincible and should not be underestimated." ”

"I think you can also borrow soldiers. After all, the Australians are strong. There are also iron clippers to help the battle. The man continued, "The Francophiles have always been in demand of me, and they have been deferential to the court, and recently they have offered cannons. If we borrow teachers from them to help suppress them, our army can get twice the result with half the effort. ”

"The Franco-robot is a Hongyi cannon, and there are huge ships with splints. The inferiority of our ship's artillery can be slightly compensated. Many people now agree with this proposal.

"It's better to ask the master of Taiwan to come forward and send Zheng Zhilong to send a partial division to help in the battle. Zheng Zhilong's department has been studying at sea for a long time and can be used as a pioneer. ”

"I'm afraid that Xiong Zhengxian will not will. He relied on Zheng Zhilong for the Great Wall of Minhai, and now Li Kuiqi and others have not yet been awarded, how can he be willing? It's not appropriate. ”

Some people reiterate the old tricks of Yu Dayou and Dong Long when they captured pirates in Humen during the Jiajing period, thinking that they could seduce foreign pirates and promise to cooperate in the attack with heavy profits from ships.

"It's not right." Li Xijue shook his head, "Outsiders can't seduce pirates, otherwise the front will reject the tiger, and the back door will enter the wolf." It's not like it was back then. If you want to borrow a teacher, you can only use Franco. ”

"How about borrowing teachers and Lan people?"

"This generation originally intended to entrench in Penghu and borrow from it, is it allowed to return to Penghu?"

"That's not true." The staff who made this suggestion thought that he had a plan, "At the beginning, the Helan people were willing to retreat to the Dayuan, and this dynasty allowed merchants to go to trade. Let's take this as a conclusion: if the Helan people do not borrow troops to help suppress it, they will forbid the merchants to go to Dayuan ......"

"It's a big fallacy," Li Xijue heard Ruji's high argument, so he had to come out and refute it, "Ban merchant trade? Since Jiajing, the sea ban has been opened, and the ban has been opened. It's never really been forbidden. ”

This method is still somewhat useful against the Portuguese. But the big man is not a mirror - close to Guangzhou. The thousands of miles of coast in Fujian and Guangdong cannot be banned at all. Besides, most of the people who went to Dayuan Trade were Fujian merchants, and Zheng Zhilong was the biggest businessman among them.

Zheng Zhilong would not pay attention to the orders of the governor of Liangguang, and the merchants along the coast of Fujian would not buy it. Xiong Wenhuan is not necessarily willing to give such an order for the sake of Guangdong. So the idea is completely unworkable.

"Regardless of borrowing a teacher, once the troops are mobilized, where will the food and salary come from?"

This is the key to fighting a war. It is not that the imperial court does not have an army, but the army can only be regarded as alive. If you want this gang of armed forces to send Hanako out to fight, the first thing is to pay a salary, and if you can't pay off all the arrears, you must at least pay a part, otherwise the soldiers are unwilling to leave; secondly, as usual, there will be a settling-in allowance and a reward; After the battle, regardless of victory or defeat, you must always compensate for the casualties, and if you win, you must have a reward for military expenses.

As for the grain and grass needed for the operation, it is also necessary to make plans and preparations to stop. Soldiers can be half-starved and half-fed on weekdays, and they can't always be disgraced when they are fighting. The problem of grain and grass is relatively easy to solve in Guangdong, where there are generally two crops a year, and the grain storage in the public treasury is still abundant, and there are many warehouses in Qiongzhou Prefecture that are specially designed to reserve military rations for Beili, and there are tens of thousands of stone of grain that can be transferred nearby all year round.

"As for the bereavement reward, this is a matter for the future, and it can be ignored for the time being. Let's start by raising the cost of the pull-out. Lu Yizhong said.

"Now all the armies are in arrears for nearly half a year. Each soldier's salary is equivalent to two taels per month, which must be repaid for two or three months, and as for the settling-in allowance, each person gets another three taels. The soldiers have not moved, and each soldier will cost at least seven taels, and if 10,000 people are used, they will spend 70,000 yuan before they leave the camp."

"You are too little, there are ministers' miscellaneous expenses for the march, and there are all kinds of expenses. This money cannot be drawn without one or two thousand. Some of the staff members have experience in the army, "As for the repair of artillery and ships, don't you need money?" ”

"You don't have to." Li Xijue said, "During the Apocalypse, Governor Yu expelled the Hongmaoyi of Penghu, and it cost nearly 400,000 taels of the domain. This mobilization will by no means be less than that time. The military budget is at least 300,000 taels. This is still strict, but if it is lenient, it must be doubled. ”