Chapter 43 The Emperor Protects Zheng Zhilong and talks heart-to-heart on the ship

Emperor Chongzhen is not stupid, he still has not many chess pieces in his hands now, although Zheng Zhilong and Zuo Liangyu are not very obedient, but no matter what, they are also officials and soldiers. Especially that Zuo Liangyu, thinking of him, Emperor Chongzhen couldn't wait to eat his meat. But a politician is like this, he doesn't make decisions because he likes or dislikes, he thinks about how to maximize his own interests. Hearing Zhang Zhimu say that Zheng Zhilong hired people from Qiankun Sect to kill him several times, Emperor Chongzhen mentioned in his heart that this was Zhang Zhimu wanting to deal with Zheng Zhilong. Although Emperor Chongzhen knew that Zheng Zhilong was still far away from Li Zicheng and them, if the people of Yaogang remembered Zheng Zhilong, then Zheng Zhilong's good days would not be far away. Now Emperor Chongzhen doesn't know that the knife of the Yaogang people has been raised and is about to slash at Zheng Zhilong. Emperor Chongzhen didn't expect that Li Zicheng would cooperate with the Yaogang people to kill Zheng Zhilong before leaving. Unexpectedly, the Yaogang people would use the advantage of the naval army to attack Zheng Zhilong from the sea. In Emperor Chongzhen's opinion, the warships of the Yaogang people are powerful, but he knows that Zheng Zhilong's warships are hundreds or thousands, and the Yaogang people will not go to the sea to bang Zheng Zhilong's moldy head no matter what. Where does he understand that the gap is too big, and the quantitative advantage cannot make up for the quality advantage.

Emperor Chongzhen, who hesitated for a moment, asked, "Zhang Dongjia, you must have made a mistake." Although Zheng Zhilong is a little rude, he is still very obedient. The thieves attacked Jiangnan, and it was Zheng Zhilong who organized soldiers to block them. Except for you Yaogang people, that is, Zheng Zhilong, who can fight like this with the thieves. Now Zheng Zhilong has almost completely shouldered the heavy responsibility of the southeast coastal defense of the Ming Dynasty. Besides, you are far apart, how can Zheng Zhilong be unfavorable to you? Zhang Dongjia must be cautious in this matter, and be careful that someone makes a plan to disagree. You, Zhang Dongjia and Zheng Zhilong, are both close people to me, don't let your own people be suspicious of each other. If that's the case, let outsiders see the joke. ”

Zhang Zhimu didn't expect that Emperor Chongzhen would protect Zheng Zhilong so resolutely, and compared Zheng Zhilong and himself to intimate people, the meaning is obvious, that is, if he does it to Zheng Zhilong, it will be to the emperor's intimate person.

However, Zhang Zhimu knew better that no matter what Emperor Chongzhen said, the military operation over there would be carried out. Zhang Zhimu deliberately sighed and said, "Alas! We don't want to make too many enemies, and we don't want to believe it. In fact, since the first time I encountered an attack and assassination in Huai'an, we have already received information that the people from the Qiankun Sect were hired by the Heaven and Earth Society, but there is no definite evidence. But we haven't let up our investigation into this matter. This time, we exterminated the Qiankunmen Cottage, and if we hadn't saved a few of their wounded, we wouldn't have been able to get direct evidence. In fact, we don't want to believe that Zheng Zhilong did this. I've also seen that Zheng Zhilong, it's really a rare hero. I also know that since he returned to the imperial court, he has pacified the pirates on the southeast coast, so that the situation of rampant piracy has been controlled, and foreign barbarians do not dare to make excessive mistakes. What a big deal! However, if he really tried to kill me several times, I would never let him go. I also know that the second thing is important, and I will take it seriously. ”

was originally very happy, but Zhang Zhimu's words made it very bad again. However, Emperor Chongzhen still controlled himself and made this celebration banquet happy with everyone. However, Zhang Zhimu can see that the emperor is forced to be happy, and it seems that the emperor attaches great importance to this Zheng Zhilong and Zuo Liangyu. But when I think about it, Emperor Chongzhen has nothing to do except these two forces that can be said.

After the celebration banquet, the emperor had to take a rest. Zhang Zhimu returned to his ship and told Chen Yufeng and Ouyang He what he had told Emperor Chongzhen. Chen Yufeng smiled and said, "Hehe! That's it! We can say hello to the emperor. ”

Ouyang He also smiled and said: "Mr. Zhang, we can't care about the emperor's happiness now!" Just say hi. We must solve the problems in the Ming Dynasty as soon as possible. Then solve the matter of Liaodong. ”

In the afternoon, after Emperor Chongzhen took a nap, the two passenger ships docked to the south bank of the Yellow River. Zhang Zhimu accompanied Emperor Chongzhen to the construction site of blocking the old river. Seeing the bulldozer that he had always wanted to see, Emperor Chongzhen was very happy. More than a dozen bulldozers pushed the earth and rocks from both sides of the old river to the middle of the river, extending the barrage into the middle of the river little by little. The huge power of the bulldozer shook Emperor Chongzhen and his party. They hadn't yet figured out why the car could walk without being pulled by an animal, but now it was like a dream to see that the bulldozer could not only walk on its own, but also had the strength to push away such a large pile of dirt at once. Emperor Chongzhen asked Zhang Zhimu: "Can I sit on that guy and have a look?" ”

"Of course you can, but Your Majesty, the bulldozer is not as comfortable as the car, and the sound is terrible." Zhang Zhimu replied.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid!" Emperor Chongzhen said, "I think the person sitting on the bulldozer is also fine? ”

There was no way, Duan Jingzhong had no choice but to go over and tell the bulldozer driver, and let Emperor Chongzhen sit next to the bulldozer driver. Of course, the bulldozer driver was nervous, but once he drove it, he didn't care who was around him. The deafening roar made Emperor Chongzhen feel very uncomfortable, but the feeling of following this huge monster and pushing piles of earth and stones into the river made Emperor Chongzhen not care about this. Of course, those reporters will not miss such an opportunity and keep taking pictures of Emperor Chongzhen.

After following the tractor for a long time, Emperor Chongzhen left the bulldozer.

Emperor Chongzhen, who came down, took a sip of the soda handed over and said to Zhang Zhimu: "Oops! Zhang Dongjia, you have to build more of these bulldozers, with this thing, it will be much easier to do any more projects. This is not something that can be matched by a few people. ”

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Zhang Zhimu said, "We don't have enough of what we produce now, and the most useful thing is still for arable land." With this thing, we can plough deeply, a tractor can carry eight or ten large ploughshares, and no matter how difficult the field is, the tractor can go over and turn it deeply. We cleared the Hetao area and plowed it with a tractor, followed by land that could be planted. Two years of deep ploughing is good land and familiar land. ”

"You kiln people are really amazing!" Emperor Chongzhen said.

Then, Emperor Chongzhen visited excavators, crawler trucks and other mechanical equipment. These things left a deep impression on Emperor Chongzhen.

In the evening, Emperor Chongzhen still had dinner with everyone. However, this time Emperor Chongzhen did not drink, and Zhang Zhimu did not drink either. He knew that he still had something to talk to Emperor Chongzhen today.

Emperor Chongzhen had some food, and left the restaurant with Zhang Zhimu, leaving those who drank to fight together.

Emperor Chongzhen and Zhang Zhimu came to the top deck of the passenger ship together, and sat side by side on rattan chairs in the moonlight. The palace maids brought tea and retreated.

Now the water level of the Yellow River has obviously grown a lot. Emperor Chongzhen said: "If this new river channel is not opened this year, and the Huai River is flooding again, the disaster will still be not small!" ”

"Many of the migrant workers who have been evacuated from the construction site of the new river are digging the river at the mouth of the sea in Huai'an." Zhang Zhimu said, "When they dig up the channel where the Huai River flows into the sea, the flood water of the Huai River will be discharged faster, and the disaster will be reduced." Both sides of the Huai River are rice granaries! ”

Zhang Zhimu knew that Emperor Chongzhen must have a lot to say, and his pressure was much greater than his own, but Zhang Zhimu saw that Emperor Chongzhen didn't know where to start, so he said first: "Your Majesty, since I left Beijing and left you, a lot of things have happened. There's a lot I want to talk to you about. ”

"Yes! I am also always thinking about the situation of your kiln. To say that the fate of the Ming Dynasty is connected with you Yaogang people, it is not too much. Emperor Chongzhen said.

"Over the years, I have done something for the emperor and the court. But there are also many things, and the emperor must be dissatisfied. Zhang Zhimu said this, and Emperor Chongzhen didn't speak.

Zhang Zhimu said again: "For example, if we drove away Li Zicheng and got a lot of places, and if we didn't immediately hand them over to the emperor and the imperial court to manage, you will definitely be very angry." But Your Majesty, it makes sense that I didn't give you these places. I'll leave these places to you. If you send officials to manage it, the most you can do is collect some tax money. But the people there will be trouble. ”

"Oh? Why is it that our court sends people to manage it, and the people will suffer? Emperor Chongzhen was obviously dissatisfied with Zhang Zhimu's statement.

"Huh!" Zhang Zhimu knew that Emperor Chongzhen was unwilling to listen to this, so he said patiently, "Your Majesty, don't talk about how the court officials managed those places before?" Let's just say that after we get rid of the thieves. After decades of catastrophe and war, it is not easy for the people there to survive. It is impossible for officials sent by the imperial court not to collect taxes and silver. Otherwise, the officials themselves will not have anything to eat. But when they have been drained, how can the people be able to pay for the grain? Besides, you also know that in addition to collecting money from the imperial court, most of the officials of the imperial court have to embezzle it themselves. Isn't this a cause for the people to suffer? Under our governance, there is no need to pay grain for a few years, and all the salaries of officials are borne by our kiln posts. We also sent seeds, fertilizer, and livestock to the people to help them farm. For those who are particularly difficult and have no land to plant, we send them breeding sheep to support them to save themselves. In particularly difficult cases, not only do we not collect money and food, but we also have to help them. This is something that the officials of the imperial court could not do. ”

"Hmmm! This is because you kiln workers have money and food, and if you take out the money and grain, our officials will do the same. Emperor Chongzhen was still not convinced.

"If we come up with money and food, most of them will be greedy by officials." Zhang Zhimu said.

"Huh! Zhang Dongjia said this a bit too much, right? Emperor Chongzhen said dissatisfiedly, "There are many corrupt officials in our Ming Dynasty, and there will be in all dynasties, but most of the officials are still incorruptible." ”

"I don't see this as such!" Zhang Zhimu said, "There are many reasons why the Ming Dynasty has reached today's situation, but it also has a lot to do with the corruption of too many officials. However, the corrupt officials cannot be blamed entirely for the corruption of officials. Since Taizu, there have been many corrupt officials in the Ming Dynasty, but why do officials continue to be greedy, one is that they are not greedy, and the other is not greedy, and the possibility of being caught is not high, except for a few individuals, officials at all levels will protect each other. Because everyone is part of this circle. This is determined by the system itself. ”

"Huh! According to what you said, the officials of the Ming Dynasty are not corrupt, and they can't do it? "Emperor Chongzhen obviously can't accept it.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Zhang Zhimu knew that Emperor Chongzhen couldn't accept it, "Let's just say that Xiurong in front of our kiln gang, I am familiar with the magistrate there, and he is a Qing official." But he was not corrupt and could not do it, and his superiors often had to set up banquets for him, whether it was a son marrying a wife, a daughter marrying, or a concubine themselves. This banquet is not something that can be left empty-handed, and every time he goes to the banquet, he will empty out all his money. But won't he do it? I didn't go to anyone to find a reason to take off his black gauze hat. Officials of the Ming Dynasty, no matter how many good things you do for the people, as long as the boss is not satisfied, it is useless. Therefore, the officials of the Ming Dynasty were all made by their own bosses, and his superiors were also like this. Officials who are greedy may be punished, but if they are not greedy and do not give gifts, the danger of being punished is even greater. Do you say that officials are not greedy? ”

Zhang Zhimu spoke, and Emperor Chongzhen's face was a little red, but he didn't speak. Emperor Chongzhen can't accept the statement that being an official in the Ming Dynasty is not greedy, but he doesn't know how to refute Zhang Zhimu.

"So, can't the officials elected by the foolish people be corrupt?" Emperor Chongzhen used the word foolish, obviously disgusted by the people elected officials by the Yaogang people.

"Huh! Your Majesty," Zhang Zhimu said, "corruption cannot be avoided by electing officials alone, and there must also be laws to cooperate, such as making public all the financial information of officials during the election, accepting the supervision of the people, and making public the officials' own property." All officials must accept ****, and major matters must be openly discussed, so that the power operates in the sun. In this way, the opportunities for corruption among officials will be reduced. This kind of thing must be continuously improved in operation. Any system has its shortcomings, but democracy is relatively advanced. The quality of an official should be judged by the people he serves, not just by his superiors. In this way, when officials are in power, they must always take into account the opinions of the people in their actions, and if the people are not satisfied, they can be elected. ”

"If you want to say that, the status of the officials is not as good as that of the people?" Emperor Chongzhen did not agree with this statement.

"The status of officials is not as good as that of the people, but what they do must be supervised by the people and abide by the law." Zhang Zhimu said, "Everyone is equal before the law, and the prince is guilty of the same crime as the common people." In this way, the rule of officials can be improved, otherwise the fundamental problem cannot be solved by catching and killing a few people. ”

"The rule of the past dynasties is a top priority, and the past dynasties are also a headache." Although Emperor Chongzhen couldn't accept Zhang Zhimu's statement for a while, Emperor Chongzhen still listened to his words.

"I know that the emperor will also be unhappy with me using some people who are dissatisfied with the court,..."

As soon as Zhang Zhimu said this, Emperor Chongzhen hurriedly interrupted him and said: "This is all a trivial matter, some people have played a role in your hands, and it can be regarded as a waste of talents." Tell us what's next! ”

Zhang Zhimu didn't expect Emperor Chongzhen to be very generous, and hurriedly said: "Our general idea is still 'to settle the outside must first be inside'." Our Ming Dynasty must be internally unified and stable before we can use our energy externally. However, we have now begun to make preparations to deal with the Manchus and completely solve the problem of Liaodong. We already have a special team working on the study of the Liaodong operation. To the west, our team that opened up the Silk Road in the Western Regions has set out. To the north, we want to settle it finally. We must find a reasonable boundary for our children and grandchildren. We cannot and should not want to occupy the whole world, but we must find a boundary that is easy to define and defend for future generations, and leave a reasonable space for our children and grandchildren to develop. We still have a lot of work to do. ”

Zhang Zhimu's words made Emperor Chongzhen start to get excited when he heard it. "Zhang Dongjia, after hearing your words, I am also a little excited. What a pity! I don't have the strength to do that! ”

"Your Majesty! You must have heard a lot of people say that I am going to rebel! But I told you, I'm not interested in being the emperor. Zhang Zhimu paused for a moment and said, "Actually, when we were doing things, we were not satisfied with some of the practices of the imperial court, and some people encouraged me to say that with our strength, we would turn it back!" But I've been unmoved, does the emperor know why? ”

This question aroused Emperor Chongzhen's interest, "I also want to know why?" The silver you lent to the court was enough to feed many troops, but you did not rebel. ”

"In addition to the fact that I don't want to be the emperor, I know that as long as I rebel, many people will die, and there is another very important reason, that is, the emperor. From ancient times to the present, there has not been an emperor as self-disciplined and diligent as you, you are still very young but you are full of luxury, all because of your hard work for the country. I must not make an emperor like you. Zhang Zhimu said, "Although you have not fundamentally changed the entire Ming Dynasty, you have done your best." You can't be blamed for this, because the drought for more than 70 years in a row will inevitably cause man-made disasters. Internal and external troubles are all rushed together, what can you do? But the emperor, if you think about it from a distance, isn't the replacement of the old and new dynasties inevitable? Is it time to think about the reason for the replacement of the old and new dynasties? ”

"Since the beginning of Taizu, our Ming Dynasty has always been the poor and the people rich, and has always implemented the national policy of supporting the people. The income gap between officials and commoners was minimal, and such a court had never existed. Even if it is a natural disaster or a man-made disaster, God will not let the Ming Dynasty die. "It was difficult for Emperor Chongzhen to listen to Zhang Zhimu's words.

"Yes! During the Great Song Dynasty, the annual income of the imperial court was tens of millions of taels of silver. However, our Ming Dynasty only earns a few million taels a year, and most of it is still salt tax, which is a large part of the wealth of the people. But most of the revenue of the Great Song Dynasty was revenue from overseas trade tariffs. And our Ming Dynasty implemented the policy of banning the sea, which not only lost a lot of silver, but also cut off the livelihood of many people. Pirate smuggling is serious. Do we also need to review whether we are doing the right thing? ”

Zhang Zhimu's words made Emperor Chongzhen have to think. But the emperor's face still let him hold on, and he changed the topic and asked: "If you unify the Ming Dynasty, and solve the Liaodong in the east, the Mongols in the north, and the barbarians in the Western Regions." What are you going to do? ”

"Your Majesty, we can only say what we say when we are in the world." Zhang Zhimu said earnestly to Emperor Chongzhen, "Let me say it again, no matter what time it is, if there is an emperor in front of me, then it can only be you." I also promise you once again that no matter how the world changes, I will be responsible for the safety of you and your family. I also sincerely hope that the emperor will have time to consider what I said. Think about how we can live a better life for our people, and how we can live a long life! ”

"Alas! There are some things that I have been thinking about," Emperor Chongzhen said, "Although I may not necessarily agree with what you say and some of your practices, I will think about it when I have time, because what you have done is indeed very good." I can no longer be stubborn. ”

"Huh! The emperor also has to be as good as a stream! Zhang Zhimu said.

"Huh! It's really nice to have a good talk with you. There is no shortage of people around me, but there is a shortage of people who can tell the truth! Zhang Zhimu could hear that Emperor Chongzhen was telling the truth.

-------------

Mt. Fuji erupted, Japan was earthquaked. --Progress of "Memories of the Southern Song Dynasty".