Chapter 423: Compromise

Li Zhi Kankan said: "This expedition, Ben Bo is not very demanding, as long as he can publish a newspaper in Shandong Province. Pen ~ Fun ~ Pavilion www.biquge.info"

Hearing Li Zhi's words, the eunuch surnamed Huang was very embarrassed and said: "Xingguobo, it's not that the Son of Heaven won't let you send a newspaper, it's the gentry everywhere who block the circulation of Xingguobo's newspapers." Even if the Son of Heaven allows you to publish newspapers in Shandong, the scholars in Shandong will destroy your newspapers and smash the newspaper readers in the teahouse tavern. ”

Li Zhi replied: "That's true, so Benbo can't just send newspapers to Shandong, but must station a patrol team in Shandong, just in Jinan." The Son of Heaven wants to give me the power to do cheap things with this patrol team. If a gentry or scoundrel smashed a newspaper, the patrol had the power to enter the city and arrest people. ”

When the eunuch surnamed Huang heard Li Zhi's words, his face turned red with excitement, and he said in a sneer: "The Tianjin General Army is stationed in Jinan, what is this..."

Li Zhi said: "If this matter is not successful, Li Zhi will not be able to raise troops to go to the battle." Trouble Huang Gonggong to convey Benbo's conditions to the Son of Heaven, and see if the Son of Heaven agrees. ”

The eunuch who announced the decree was very embarrassed and said: "Uncle Xingguo, it is the duty of a minister to go on the expedition by order, and bargaining is not a matter of reason..."

Li Zhi Zhengse said: "Just send a report on a trivial matter, I believe the Son of Heaven will agree." Huang Gonggong doesn't need to be embarrassed, he only needs to tell the Son of Heaven the original words, and the task is completed. ”

When the eunuch heard this, he was speechless with a bitter face, and immediately turned around and left with the eunuch behind him, and was about to report to the Son of Heaven.

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In the study room of the Heart Cultivation Palace, Zhu Youzhen, the great son of heaven, heard the report of the eunuch Xuanzhi, and slapped his palm on the round table angrily, making a loud "pop" sound.

"Presumptuous! How can you be so presumptuous? ”

"Does Li Zhi know what the Holy Decree is?"

Zhu Youzhen slapped the table angrily, so frightened that the eunuchs and palace maids in the Heart Cultivation Palace, including the eunuch surnamed Huang, all knelt on the ground, prostrate on the ground and did not dare to speak. Wang Chengen also knelt on the ground in a panic and sang loudly: "The Holy One is angry, the anger hurts the body, the Holy One takes care of the dragon body, don't be angry." ”

Zhu Youzhen couldn't calm down, and scolded: "This Li Zhi is from a businessman, is it true that he can bargain for anything?" I transferred his troops and horses to the battle, and he coveted a province in Shandong, and wanted me to exchange Shandong's public opinion for his efforts? ”

"Is it child's play to close the frontier?"

"Today we want Tianjin, tomorrow we want Shandong. If it goes on like this, it won't be long before he, Li Zhi, is a big prince, and the court has nothing to do with him. The scourge of the former Tang Domain's secession can come back! ”

Zhu Youjian stood up puffed up and walked back and forth in the study.

"The Holy One breathes his wrath..."

After walking for a long time, Zhu Youzhen slowly calmed down. He took a deep breath and sat down on the edge of the round table, speechless.

Wang Chengen looked at the face of the Son of Heaven and said, "Holy Lord, Li Zhi is just issuing a newspaper. Didn't say how to do it in Shandong? Speaking of which, it can be big or small..."

Zhu Youzhen shouted: "Can this matter be small? In Li Zhi's style, the newspaper is sent in today, and tomorrow he will use the newspaper to attack officials who are disrespectful to him. "Tianjin Daily" is so wonderful that it will definitely be a household name when it spreads to Shandong, and then public opinion in Shandong will be completely in the hands of Li Zhi, and Li Zhi will not do whatever he wants..."

"Li Zhi collected commercial taxes in Tianjin, and only paid 100,000 taels to the imperial court. Collected Tian Fu without authorization to add 20%, and these 20% also went into personal pockets. The larger his territory, the more soldiers and horses he can raise. The more soldiers and horses you raise, the more you have to covet new territory. ”

"How can it go on like this..."

Wang Chengen knelt on the ground, not daring to argue with the Son of Heaven on the fire.

Wang Chengen's impression of Li Zhi is not bad. It's not because Li Zhi gave him a thousand taels of silver, but because Li Zhi has really made great contributions to the Son of Heaven over the years. If it weren't for Li Zhi's defeat of Dongnu at Fanjiazhuang and Qingshankou and the heavy damage to the Tartars, maybe the Tartars would have entered the customs again and plundered, destroying countless Gyeonggi counties.

Not to mention Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng. Without Li Zhi, I am afraid that all the prefectures and counties of Sichuan, Huguang and Henan would suffer. If you suffer, you are afraid that the thieves and thieves will snowball.

Zhang Xianzhong rebelled with thousands of soldiers and horses, and in one year it grew to an army of 50,000, carrying more than 100,000 hungry people. Li Zicheng rode into Henan in dozens of months, and carried 30,000 hungry people in a few months. If it weren't for Li Zhi who defeated these two thieves at a critical time, Wang Chengen didn't dare to think about how far these two would have developed.

Although Li Zhi controlled Tianjin, Tianjin's taxes were still shipped and retained, and the tax system of the Ming Dynasty was not destroyed. Even if it was a commercial tax made out of nothing, Li Zhi also paid 100,000 taels to the Son of Heaven. Although Li Zhi set up private courts in various parts of Tianjin, he did not revoke the power of the various yamen to try prisoners.

At least on the bright side, Li Zhi is still a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty. Wang Chengen feels that, at least for now, Li Zhi's harm is much smaller than his contribution.

The reason why the Son of Heaven is so angry is not so much because he cares about public opinion in Shandong, but because the Son of Heaven is afraid of Li Zhi. The Son of Heaven was not angry about Li Zhi's bargaining, but afraid of Li Zhi's momentum of becoming more prosperous day by day.

Li Zhi is too strong, and the Son of Heaven is understandably afraid of Li Zhi. However, today, if Li Zhi's request is not agreed, how can the battle situation outside the customs be reassuring?

Zhu Youzhen was still pacing back and forth in the study, as if trying to calm himself down.

Wang Chengen thought for a while and said, "Holy Lord, as long as Jinzhou wins the first battle, the imperial court will naturally be able to free up its hands to train the new army. When the time comes, train into a new army of 100,000, and there is no need for Li Zhi to conquer the Eastern Slaves and thieves, where will Li Zhi dare to gain an inch? What Li Zhi wants now is just the public opinion of Shandong Province, so why not give it to him? ”

Hearing Wang Chengen's words, Zhu Youzhen was stunned and calmed down suddenly.

Of course Zhu Youzhen knows the truth that Wang Chengen said. It's just that he was angry with Li Zhi's bargaining just now, and he was a little angry for a while, so he didn't think deeply.

Hearing Wang Chengen's words at this time, Zhu Youzhen reacted. Wang Chengen said very reasonably, as long as the recruits are trained, where does Li Zhi dare to be so presumptuous?

Zhu Youzhen sighed, still a little stupid. Li Zhi bargained in front of the holy decree, which really made him too faceless.

After thinking for a long time, he quieted down and closed his eyes.

"The training of the new army is a matter of great importance. Wang Chengen, you are right, if you don't practice according to 50,000 yuan, you will practice according to 100,000 yuan, that is, you will shrink your clothes and diet, and you must save the money for this military training. Tomorrow, let the household department raise money to name the personnel, and let the Beijing camp that did not participate in the war in Jinzhou practice first! ”

"Li Zhi wants Shandong's public opinion, so give it to him, and let him send troops to Jinzhou as soon as possible!"