Chapter 256 The staggered state banquet incense

In the third year of the Great Song Dynasty, after the first great court meeting after the beginning of spring, the Son of Heaven gave a banquet.

When today's son has been in the palace for four years, of which the pro-government has been three years, three years ago with a thunderbolt to exile Shi Miyuan, the Son of Heaven has developed a habit, every New Year's Festival and important celebrations, he will feast all the courtiers in the Cloud Palace.

Because of the official business, Chen Guiyi came a little late, when he came to the place assigned to the Ministry of Industry to sit down, not long after was called by the chamberlain, saying that the emperor had summoned him to the side hall to meet him. Chen Guiyi panicked at first, he had not been in office for a long time, and he was not familiar with the style of the Son of Heaven, but he had good qi cultivation skills, and after a while, he calmed down again and walked quickly to the side hall.

In addition to the Son of Heaven in the side hall, there is another person sitting with him, this person is more than forty years old, wearing ordinary clothes, no official robes, quite unkempt. Chen Guiyi glanced at him, convinced that he didn't know him, and after saluting Zhao and Ju, he only bowed to the man slightly.

"Chen Qing, this is the first time you two have met, this is Xiao Bolang, the waiter of your Ministry of Industry."

After Zhao and Ju became pro-government, he attached great importance to this Chen Guiyi, and he had been promoted three times in three years, the more he was like this, the more Chen Guiyi felt that the burden on his shoulders was heavy.

Therefore, he had to be more conscientious.

"It turned out to be Xiao Shilang, Chen was rude." Hearing that this person was Xiao Bolang, Chen Guiyi's expression moved, and he hurriedly surrendered to him. Xiao Bolang also stood up and saluted: "It's the first time that the lower official has come back, and he has never visited Chen Shangshu's mansion, and I ask Lord Shangshu to forgive me." ”

Zhao Heju smiled and said: "After you go back, you two will have a personal friendship, I will call you here, one is to introduce you two to each other, and the other is to discuss something with you two." ”

In Zhao and Ju's view, now the industrial development of the Great Song Dynasty has been put on the track, and the capital and technology from the flow, the local resources and manpower of the Great Song Dynasty have completed the run-in period and are gradually getting better. Therefore, he should concentrate his main energy on the construction of the railway, and as long as there are no major accidents, he hopes that the railway from Lin'an to Huating will be completed within the first half of this year. Judging from the current progress of the project, the problem is not very big, and what really restricts the progress of railway construction is the problem of steel output.

To solve the problem of steel production, it is not enough to build a large-scale smelter in Jinling, but also to cooperate with the iron ore mine in Ma'anshan and the coal mine in Huainan. Therefore, Zhao and Ju deliberately changed the original plan of the second railway, preparing to connect the second railway from Huating Fu to the Yangtze River to Jiankang Fu, and then cross the Yangtze River by train ferry from Jiankang Fu, and then extend to the north, a branch line to Shouchun, to facilitate the transportation of Huainan coal, and the main line in Huaiyuan County also crossed the Huai River by ferry, and continued north through Suzhou to Xuzhou

Although this road is much more complicated than he originally planned, it has several major advantages: first, it connects Lin'an with Suzhou, Changzhou, Zhenjiang and the emerging Huating in the south of the Yangtze River, which will play a great role in promoting the flow of people and commercial trade in the northern part of Zhejiang, which is very developed in commerce. Second, in the north of the Yangtze River, connecting important border towns such as Suzhou and Xuzhou together is of great significance both strategically and tactically. The third is to basically maintain a parallel way with the Yangtze River and the canal, which can relieve the pressure of canal transportation.

If the entire railway were to be completed, the total length would be between 2,500 and 3,000 li, and the investment required would be an astonishing figure. Zhao Youju didn't want to be in such a hurry to come up with this plan, but the effect of raising shares for the Jinling Smelter some time ago inspired him, and the shares of six million guan were actually destroyed within ten days, and the total amount of wealth stored by the people of the Great Song Dynasty really surprised him.

Of course, this wealth is not in the hands of the common people, but in the hands of the big landlords, merchants, bureaucrats, doctors, and royal families. This money is dead in their hands, it is just pure data, if it can be sucked out and turned into living money in the form of shares, it can not only greatly accelerate the construction of the Great Song Dynasty, but also solve the employment problem caused by land annexation.

Of course, there are a lot of money that Liuqiu banks can lend, but compared to the total wealth of wealthy private families, Liuqiu, which has only been in business for more than ten years, is far from enough.

"Your Majesty's plan is far-reaching, but it is a long-term plan." If it is a technical problem, Xiao Bolang can also come out to talk about it, but it involves political strategy, so Xiao Bolang can't speak, and Chen Guiyi praised after finding out the place names mentioned by Zhao Youju on the map one by one.

"Xiao Shilang came this time for the sake of these two railways. Now that the railroad tracks to Huating Province are laid, the Keelung Smelter will suspend the supply of iron tools from other aspects and fully support the railway. But the survey of the second article should also be started, Xiao Shilang brought professional people, and they will complete the planning in the shortest possible time. Zhao Heju said to Qiao Xingjian: "I have something to hand over to you." ”

Chen Guiyi's heart sank, Zhao Heju was so cautious, then this matter handed over to him must be a tricky matter.

"The whole project requires a lot of labor, and I want you to collect labor on the spot and give you a proper remuneration, so as not to disadvantage the people." Zhao and Ju said leisurely: "Within a year, the foundation must be laid, how to lay, the people brought by Xiao Bolang will give guidance, how about the Qingqing?" ”

The roadbed of 2,500 miles was paved in a year, and now he was ordered to recruit manpower, Chen Guiyi swallowed his saliva, muttered slightly, analyzed the news he had obtained, and then nodded affirmatively: "The minister obeys the order, but His Majesty must appoint the army and the army to be used by the minister." ”

"I asked Zhao Shanxiang to cooperate with you, and the guards and troops along the way can only be called." Zhao Heju also estimated in his heart that the total number of guards and garrisons along the way was about 50,000 or 60,000 people, and more than 10,000 people could be transferred to Chen Guiyi without affecting their road protection and postal communication. Then recruit about 100,000 people, and it is not too difficult to complete it in a year.

After the three of them discussed this, Zhao and Ju sent Xiao Bolang to follow Chen Guiyi out, and he would not arrive at the Cloud Hall until a while. It was the first time for Shaw to attend such a formal court banquet, so everything was strange to see. Chen Guiyi knew that he was an old man who believed in the Son of Heaven, and he didn't care about the identities of the two of them, and he was not yet fifty years old, and he had read a lot of books on wisdom and learning in the past few years, so he and Xiao Bolang had a lot of topics to talk about.

Before they were seated, when the two of them passed by the position of the Ministry of Rites, one of them stood up respectfully and saluted Chen Guiyi: "Chen Shangshu." ”

The man spoke a little strangely, and Brook Brown glanced at him, and the tone of his speech was somewhat familiar. Chen Guiyi also saluted the man, and said with a smile: "This is the first time for the prince to participate in my Great Song New Year state banquet, please be polite." ”

"Exactly, if it weren't for His Majesty the Great Song Dynasty's benevolence and benevolence, how could Xiao Wang have the opportunity to see the weather of the kingdom, let alone be able to get Mu Long's grace at such a big banquet." The man said respectfully: "Qiao Shangshu, Xiao Wang's Mansion is thanks to Chen Shangshu's trouble, I don't know when Chen Shangshu will be convenient, Xiao Wang has a little wine to chat to express his gratitude." ”

"Acting on orders, don't dare to take credit, the prince doesn't have to be so polite." Chen Guiyi hugged his fists: "If the prince has nothing else to do, the next official will leave first." ”

The man looked up at Xiao Bolang, and saw that Xiao Bolang was just wearing civilian clothes, and his eyes flashed with surprise, but he was not rude at all, but saluted Xiao Bolang respectfully: "I don't know what kind of position this lord has a big name and holds?" ”

Hearing that he was a prince, Xiao Bolang didn't dare to be rude, and immediately returned the salute: "Xia Guan Xiao Bolang, who is a waiter in the Ministry of Labor, has seen the prince." ”

"It turned out to be Xiao Shilang." The man saluted respectfully again.

Xiao Bolang always felt a little weird, Chen Guiyi pulled him, and after the two said goodbye and left, they could hear the person behind him saluting and greeting another household servant. Although the emperor was a heavy scholar and the prime minister was even above the prince when the court meeting was in class, Xiao Bolang was still puzzled by such a prince who was so polite.

Since Chen Guiyi intended to befriend him, he naturally nodded to him: "That person is the King of Goryeo, who was sent to Lin'an more than a month ago, but he is a person with an active brain who can endure and speak." ”

Although Chen Guiyi said it very implicitly, Xiao Bolang immediately understood that the Goryeo king who was "sent" to Lin'an was not very respected in Lin'an City. Xiao Bolang suddenly realized why he felt that his tone of voice was somewhat familiar, there were still tens of thousands of Goryeo miners, road builders, and even more Goryeo women in Liuqiu, and this was the tone of his speech.

"Your Majesty got him here." Xiao Bolang didn't know anything about the king of Goryeo being taken away from the secret camp, so he didn't know anything about what was going on outside the window, so he couldn't help but ask in surprise.

"The Goryeo minister Choi trapped him on Ganghwa Island, and His Majesty thought that it was really unkind and rude to use his courtiers to oppress the lord, so he rescued him." Chen Guiyi smiled slyly.

Even Xiao Bolang also understood that although Zhao Heju promoted the benevolence and courtesy of the Great Song Dynasty and the way of loyalty, filial piety, righteousness, wisdom and faith, he would not be bored enough to snatch a foreign king who was not in danger of his life. If you think about it carefully, this king was just a puppet when he was in Goryeo, but his reputation among the people in Goryeo was still quite high, and the second generation of the Cui family, although he dared to abolish the move, he did not dare to replace him, and he was in his hands, not afraid that the Cui family would not bow his head.

And now whether it is the Goryeo royal family or the powerful minister Choi, they all have to ask for the Great Song Dynasty, in order to let the Great Song Dynasty help them, and they are afraid that the other party will be used by the Great Song Dynasty, so they naturally inevitably rush to sell the rights of Goryeo in order to curry favor with the Great Song Dynasty monarchs and ministers.

Therefore, it is a matter of course that the Goryeo prince is also respectful to Xiao Bolang, a servant of the ministry. Although as the king of the vassal kingdom, his rank is very high, far better than Xiao Bolang, but when it comes to his status in the heart of the emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, I am afraid that he can't even compare with the gatekeepers of Lin'an City.

After about ten minutes, with the explosion of battle in the main hall, the state banquet was officially started. Zhao Youju got up and gave a drink in high spirits, he didn't say too much nonsense, just thanked the ministers for their loyalty to the country last year, and encouraged the ministers of the Great Song Dynasty to continue to work hard in the new year. Xiao Bolang didn't pay attention to listening, his mind was completely thinking about how to solve the problem of crossing the river by ferry.

Although most of Liuqiu's new inventions were completed under the direct or indirect guidance of Zhao and Ju, in this process, Xiao Bolang, Ou Bama, and Ao Sayang each formed their own strengths. Shaw Brown is good at mechanical, steam engines and other things, and his inventions so far are also related to these. Ou Bama's strength lies in the industrial application of machines, and he has done a better job than Shaw Brown in the improvement and practicalization of the steam engine and other machines. Ao Sayang, on the other hand, was good at refining and weapon manufacturing, and his improved gunpowder formula has now replaced the old black powder and is used in artillery and new gunpowder weapons.

Zhao and Ju did not stay long at this dinner, the ministers could take advantage of this opportunity to relax, but he did not, not long after the banquet, he ordered the vocal and dancing girls in the palace to perform for the ministers, but he retreated to the side hall to check the official documents.

"Your Majesty, this is the news sent by the 'Red Thunder' from Liaoyang, and it has been translated."

Li Yunrui presented a piece of paper in front of him, and Zhao Youju frowned while looking at it: "Isn't it possible to directly contact the 'Red Thunder' at present?" ”

"The rest of the Hosaku we sent had seen him from afar, but out of an abundance of caution, no one had been sent to contact him." Li Yunrui said in a low voice: "The news he came, the minister felt that something was wrong......

"I see it." Zhao Heju frowned after looking at the sentence in the translated message, "There have been several envoys between Menghu and the Jin people, and it is said that the Jin people sent envoys to persuade them to surrender strictly".

If the Jin people sent an envoy to persuade Yan Shi to surrender, how could he be so careless, and it was known by the "Red Thunder", and since it was several exchanges, it was obvious that his persuasion was not successful, why didn't Yan Shi kill the envoy to show his loyalty to Menghu?

"What do we say about our fine work in the Kingdom of Jin?" Zhao Youju put down the paper and asked.

"It is true that there are envoys to persuade Yan Shi to surrender, but our detailed work in the Jin State is Yan Shi who took the initiative to send people to negotiate." Li Yunrui said.

"There must be something wrong with that...... Could it be that Menghu has secretly formed an alliance with the Jin State? Zhao and Ju pondered for a while, and then sneered: "Interesting, Jin Guo's Wanyan Shouxu thinks that he has suffered a lot of losses, and he is unwilling." ”

"This is the information about the Great Yuan Kingdom of Menghu that I have received several times, most of which is provided by Red Lei, and a small part of it comes from the rest of the fine works." After seeing Zhao and Ju finish reading it, Li Yunrui presented another booklet: "I remember the situation of Menghu Pseudo-Yuan Kingdom very carefully, but it is not the core news. ”

Zhao Youju opened the booklet, nodded while reading it, and said, "It's already difficult for him, it's a great risk to go like this, and I already feel that he has made a great contribution to getting this news." ”

Li Yunrui knew that the "he" mentioned by Zhao Heju was referring to the meticulous work codenamed "Red Thunder" that had infiltrated Menghu, because for a long time after Temujin's death, Zhao Heju could not receive direct information from Menghu, and could not analyze what strategy Menghu would adopt next, and could only indirectly obtain some information from Jinguo, so he was very annoyed and sent "Red Thunder". This "Red Thunder" also lived up to his high expectations, and really sent back a lot of information about Menghu, including the division of Menghu into four khanates, the establishment of the Tuolei Khanate as the Great Yuan, and the pseudo-Yuan wantonly Tuntian in Liaoyang to prepare for the opening of the branch and take scholars, etc., and even included the amount of Menghu Liaoyang Tuntian harvested in a year. After Honglei got these messages, he wrote them down on paper with a password, buried them in a predetermined place, and then went to pick them up here, and then sent them back to Lin'an, although it was more time-consuming and labor-intensive, but finally made Zhao and Ju no longer blacken Menghu's situation.