In March of the tenth year of Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty (1637 AD), Yang Sichang finally came to Beijing and took over as the secretary of the military department.

A few days later, when Zhu Youzhen summoned him, he talked eloquently, "...... The general trend of the world is like the human body, the Jingshi is the mind, the Xuan, Jizhu towns are the shoulders and arms, and the Central Plains south of the Yellow River and north of the Great River are the heart ......"

Hearing the sentence "Jingshi is the brain", Zhu Youzhen was overjoyed, Jingshi is where the imperial city is located, and he is holding this most important brain, so he can't help nodding.

Yang Sichang saw that the emperor was happy, and he was secretly happy in his heart, it seemed that the preparation during this time was really right for the emperor's thoughts, so he continued: "Now the situation is that the beacon fire appears outside the shoulders and arms, and it is very urgent; The plague is in the heart, and it is very deep. Of course, the external troubles cannot be alleviated, and the internal worries cannot be ignored, because it is poisonous in the abdomen and heart, and if we allow 'the abdomen and heart to flow poison and the internal organs to ulcerate......

Zhu Youzhen was overjoyed, why didn't he summon Wen Liang as soon as possible? He almost wanted to leave his seat, "Judging from the weakness, how to cure this 'poison in the abdomen and heart, and the ulceration of the internal organs,'?" ”

Yang Sichang saw that Zhu Youzhen's interest had been aroused, so he proposed an encirclement and suppression plan of "four squares and six corners, and ten sides of the net", and set up Liukou as the first target.

Such a goal was completely consistent with Zhu Youzhen's thoughts, and Zhu Youzhen greatly praised him and appointed him on the spot as the supervisor of the suppression of bandits, and the governor of all the soldiers and horses in the world to suppress bandits.

When Yang Sichang saw that Zhu Youzhen was happy, he proposed the cooperation of Hong Chengchou, the governor of the five provinces, and Wang Jiazhen, the prime minister of the five provinces.

Zhu Youzhen agreed, "Wen is weak and controls all the thieves and soldiers, these two people naturally want to cooperate, I will give them a decree, and everything is based on the overall situation of Wen Qiao." ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Yang Sichang arched his hand, "However, according to the minister's observation, Wang Jiazhen, the prime minister of the five provinces, does not have the talent to command the army, so he is left behind...... Something bad will happen in the future......"

Zhu Youzhen thought about it, since Wang Jiazhen took over Lu Xiang and was promoted to the prime minister of the five provinces, there was indeed not much good news coming back, so he said: "According to the weak view, who should take over the prime minister of the five provinces?" ”

Yang Sichang said: "In the past two years, although the minister is worried at home, but he has always paid attention to the situation, and only hopes to share the worries for the emperor......

Zhu Youzhen thought about it, Xiong Wencan did exterminate the pirates along the coast of Guangdong, how could he forget such a character?

Fortunately, there is a weak reminder!

He felt a little guilty, but he still maintained a calm face, "Wen is very weak, I immediately issued an order, and Xiong Wencan was passed on to take over as the prime minister of the five provinces, as for Wang Jiazhen, let him patrol Henan, he is more familiar with the suppression of bandits, and he can help with some grain and grass on weekdays." ”

"The Emperor Shengming!" Yang Sichang wants Xiong Wencan, and as for where Wang Jiazhen goes, it basically has nothing to do with the bandits.

He suddenly smiled, his face was solemn, his eyes were squinted, but he did not speak.

"What else do you want if you are weak?" Zhu Youzhen knew that he must have some needs, so he said: "As long as you can destroy the Liukou...... I will give you a sword of Shang Fang, and the officials of the five provinces will definitely support it. ”

"Thank you for your kindness!" Yang Sichang saw that Zhu Youzhen would be wrong, hesitated for a moment, and finally said: "Your Majesty, the original soldiers who suppressed bandits were mostly inextricably linked with the rogues, and it was difficult for them to suppress the bandits, so the ministers asked the emperor for instructions to increase the number of troops by 120,000, including 74,000 infantry, 36,000 horsemen, and an increase of 2.8 million taels ......of silver."

"120,000...... Yes...... Two million eight million? Zhu Youzhen looked like his buttocks were burned, got up suddenly, and pointed at Yang Sichang's nose, "You...... You ......" but he couldn't speak.

Increasing the number of troops by 120,000 is not a big problem, the Ming Dynasty has a source of soldiers, and now there are hungry people everywhere, even if it is to recruit soldiers, it is not difficult, but these 2.8 million salaries and silver ......

The household department has long been destitute, and the last time the Tartars entered the fortress, they couldn't even pay the salaries of the soldiers of King Qin, which was 2.8 million ...... Don't he know compassion?

Yang Sichang saw that Zhu Youzhen was angry, and he was sincerely afraid in his heart, but the words had already been spoken, if he changed his words, it would be the crime of bullying the king!

He left his seat and prostrated in front of Zhu Youzhen, "Your Majesty, please come here one by one!" ”

"Say it!" Zhu Youzhen turned his back and didn't let Yang Sichang get up, he just barely suppressed his heart.

"Your Majesty, these 2,800,000 taels of silver are two years' expenses, and 1,400,000 taels per year! Each soldier has one tael per month, which is twelve taels a year, and one hundred and twenty thousand soldiers is one hundred and forty thousand taels per year, and the minister calculates it this way, in fact, there is a deficit of forty thousand, and if the soldier dies in battle, there is no need to pay silver......"

Zhu Youzhen sighed silently in his heart, based on the calculation of 120,000 soldiers, these salaries are really not high, the problem is not that there is too much silver, but that there is no silver at all!

Now that the treasury is completely empty, how can he get 2.8 million taels of silver?

The taxes of the Ming Dynasty are basically filled in Liaodong, do you want to cut the silver of the Liaodong Army?

No, absolutely not, if the silver of Liaodong is cut, once something happens in Liaodong, the Tartars will cross the Shanhai Pass...... Zhu Youzhen shook his head silently, no, absolutely not!

Yang Sichang saw that Zhu Youzhen was still hesitating, so he hurriedly said wisely: "Your Majesty, the ministers have already calculated on the way to Beijing, and the court doesn't need to ...... any of this silver."

"Don't you want to go out of the court?" Zhu Youzhen almost didn't believe his ears, he turned around and stared at Yang Sichang viciously, eager to kick out of the hall, you think about it, why didn't you say it earlier?

"Suppress salary," Yang Sichang said: "Suppressing bandits is not only the business of the imperial court, but also the business of the people. Therefore, the minister suggested that in the provinces of Beizhili, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan, Huguang, Sichuan, and other provinces where the liukou are infested, an additional salary of 2.8 million taels should be levied, and the ...... should be levied in two years."

Zhu Youzhen was overjoyed, the silver finally had a provenance, but he quickly frowned, "These provinces, even famines, bandits, I'm afraid the silver is ......."

Yang Sichang was overjoyed when he saw that Zhu Youzhen was loose, and hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, the rogues are raging in several provinces, don't the magistrates have a little responsibility?" If they can't keep the peace of one side, even if they can't even collect taxes, what else do they have to do? ”

Zhu Youzhen turned sad, although he knew that it was not easy to increase the endowment, but these problems were passed on to the local officials, who were eating the royal food and sharing the worries of the royal family, and they should also be their slaves?

He thought for a moment, finally nodded, and said, "Just according to Wen Weak, Wen Weak will get up first!" ”

………………………………………………………………

Lanzhou, Li Zicheng had just entered the study, and He Xiaomi rushed to report: "The Metropolitan Governor, the tiger cavalry and the wolf cavalry are back, and they are now outside the city." ”

"Oh?" Li Zicheng said with a smile: "Then let them be stationed outside the city, and let Gao Yigong and Wang Junzhuo come in!" ”

"Yes, Grand Duke!" He Mi left the study and turned around to convey the order.

Gao Yigong and Wang Junzhuo got off their horses, telling jokes while walking, what millet to accompany them, they went all the way unimpeded, entered the Dadu Governor's Mansion, saw Li Zicheng, turned over and bowed, "Subordinates knock to see the Dadu Governor!" ”

"Get up, you have come from afar, you don't need to be polite, watch the seats!" Li Zicheng asked He Xiaomi to serve tea again, "Look at your red faces, this time the harvest is not small, right?" ”

Wang Junzhuo snapped and got up from his seat suddenly, "Report to the Governor, the wolf cavalry went north to Wolf Mountain this time, and in addition to the consumption of the road, 216 women were captured, 365 children under 3 feet old, 320 cattle, 2,546 samples, 480 large and small war horses, and ...... There are more than three hundred taels of silver......"

"So much?" Li Zicheng felt a burst of contempt in his heart, even women and children were trophies, and only people from nomadic tribes could do it, and there was still a long way to go if they wanted to completely subdue the Chahar tribe.

Wang Junzhuo stood very upright, as if he was being reviewed, "Dadu Governor, these belongings, according to the previous agreement, handed over to the Dadu Governor's Mansion, his subordinates dare not miss at all," he paused, looked left and right, and then lowered his voice and said: "My subordinates went to Wolf Mountain this time and got a character beauty, and my subordinates and warriors will give it to Dadu Governor......"

What is this?

Li Zicheng glanced at Gao Yigong, he was a genuine brother-in-law, but he was quickly relieved, in this era, let alone Gao Yigong, even his sister Gao Guiying couldn't stop himself from taking a concubine.

However, Mongolian women, except for Namu Zhong, are all full of mutton smell, and they have bucket waists, and they can't wrap their hands around, such a woman...... He smiled faintly and motioned for him to sit down, "Junzhuo has a heart, but women are exempt." ”

"Metropolitan Governor," Wang Junzhuo seemed to be a little disappointed, his face turned pale, and he gritted his teeth and said: "The subordinates also got a good horse this time, not only does it look very majestic, but its foot strength is also very fast, and the subordinates' intentions ...... I hope the Metropolitan Governor will accept ......"

"Good horses? Good horses! Li Zicheng arched his hands, bowed, and said with a smile: "Thank you Junzhuo!" ”

"Where and where, it is an honor for my subordinates to serve the Metropolitan Governor!" Wang Junzhuo turned his worries into joy.

Gao Yigong also reported the capture of this expedition, although it was slightly worse than the wolf cavalry, but it was still about the same level, mainly because there were fewer children captured, which may be related to Gao Yigong's temperament.

The part of the property that handed over the Mandate of Heaven Governor's Mansion, both of them have been prepared, as long as the Mandate of Heaven Governor's Mansion sends someone to accept it, Gao Yigong wants to go to see his sister Gao Guiying, and Wang Junzhuo stays alone in Li Zicheng's study.

After chatting for a while, Wang Junzhuo showed envious eyes, "Metropolitan Governor, this Lanzhou City is like the legendary Ming Jingshi, with a lot of goods, very eye-catching......"

Is this compared to Jingshi? It seems that Wang Junzhuo should not have been to Jingshi, Li Zicheng laughed and said, "Junzhuo is envious of Lanzhou's wealth?" ”

Wang Junzhuo said with a calm face: "There is also a wide avenue, the Metropolitan Governor, when will you build such a avenue for Shaliucheng, I heard that it will not be muddy in rain and snow......

Li Zicheng's heart moved, although the wolf cavalry returned to the Han nationality, but there is still the blood of the Mongols in the body, and the temperament will not change much in a short period of time, but Wang Junzhuo seems to be very advocating for the Han people's goods and culture, last time in Hainan Mansion, his eldest son Wang Peng, under his influence, learned the Chinese language.

If you seize this opportunity......

For Xining and Qinghai Province, Shaliucheng is too remote, if the wolf cavalry is moved to the mainland, it may be able to speed up the sinicization, and miss Wang Junzhuo, the next commander of the wolf cavalry, will he still like the Han people's things?

Li Zicheng pondered for a long time, and said: "Junzhuo, the wolf cavalry and their families are too fond of cattle and sheep, even if they give you these good things, I'm afraid you won't use ......"

"The Metropolitan Governor, now Shaliucheng, is very yearning for the things of the Han people, but they don't have the money to buy ......"

"Really?"

"Really, really, if your subordinates dare to deceive the Grand Duke, they will be sent to the eighteenth layer of hell by God, and they will never be able to turn over......"

"In that case," Li Zicheng said, "the governor of Pondu can help you build Shaliu City into a rich and beautiful city like Lanzhou City, but you have to follow a few conditions of the governor of Ponto." ”

"The Metropolitan Governor please say, no matter what it is, his subordinates will agree!"

"First, learn to speak Chinese, especially children, since they were young, they must be like Wang Peng, learn Chinese, so that they can trade with the Han people, earn Han money, and buy Han goods."

"We are already Han Chinese, don't worry, after going back this time, my subordinates will let them learn to speak Chinese, whether it is the warriors or their children......"

Li Zicheng said with a smile: "By the way, the sisters-in-law of the warriors, they should not be busy on weekdays, let them learn first, and then they can teach the warriors!" ”

"The Governor is right!"

"Second, every time you go on an expedition, you will bring back a lot of cattle and sheep, property, more cattle and sheep are not good, you will need a lot of pasture, if you sell the excess cattle and sheep to the Han people, you can exchange for silver, Austria, under the rule of the Mandate of Heaven Governor's Office, paper money is now used, this is it," Li Zicheng took out a one-yuan banknote and praised Wang Junzhuo, "As long as it is this kind of banknote, you can buy any goods you want in Xining and Lanzhou." ”

"Banknotes?" Wang Junzhuo took the banknote, looked at it carefully, and seemed to understand it accidentally.

"It doesn't matter, if you don't use paper money, silver money can also be used, anyway, the effect is the same," Li Zicheng said: "As long as you sell your cattle and sheep, you will get this kind of silver money, and then use silver money to buy anything you want, it's as simple as that." ”

"The Metropolitan Governor ......" Wang Junzhuo still looked dazed.

Li Zicheng smiled secretly, on the battlefield, Wang Junzhuo is a good hand, but for economics, I am afraid that he is blind, and he will talk about the principle of bartering in detail, and by the way, tell him that in the Han land, everyone does not need to plunder, what you want, as long as you work hard to earn silver, and then use silver to buy.

Wang Junzhuo nodded again and again, not knowing if he really understood.

It doesn't matter if you understand it or not, as long as you can exchange cattle and sheep, or even wool for money, however, Li Zicheng found that in addition to cattle and sheep, it seems that they have nothing to exchange for silver.

If you only rely on these cattle and sheep, how much silver can you exchange? Once the cattle and sheep are bought out, what do the Mongols live on?

How to develop financial resources for them?

Like the Han people, it is definitely not possible to open a family workshop, a small hotel, a small restaurant or something, but Li Zicheng quickly thought of one point, that is, population!

Every time the wolf cavalry goes out on an expedition, it will bring back many young women, and the more women there are, the more children will be born, and the more social goods will be consumed, as long as these women are fully utilized......

Either these women will be included in the population market, or these women will be raised, and some small family hooks will be opened, and in the name of "Mongolians", maybe the business will be good!

Li Zicheng said these thoughts, Wang Junzhuo was very surprised, "Isn't a woman just giving birth to a baby, and she can still sell it for money?" ”

"You don't know this," Li Zicheng gestured with his hand to the appearance of the ingot, and said, "In your hand, aren't there two hundred and sixteen young women now?" Thirty-two, you can go to the market and try it! ”

"Thirty taels? It's worth a war horse......" Wang Junzhuo was overjoyed, and then he counted the number of silver taels with his fingers.

"Six thousand four hundred and eighty taels!" Li Zicheng blurted out.

"Six thousand four hundred and eighty taels? So much? Wang Junzhuo's eyes were round, almost out of the frame, he only plundered more than 300 taels in total, he didn't expect that the woman could sell it for more than 6,000 taels, this was simply a windfall, much beyond his expectations.

"Of course, this is only the approximate price, if there are more people who buy, the price may rise, on the contrary, if there are fewer people who buy, the price will fall, the key is to see the age of the woman, the appearance, and the ......" Li Zicheng couldn't explain the chick to Wang Junzhuo, so he said: "And whether they have given birth to a baby or married someone......

Li Zicheng is not worried that Wang Junzhuo will attract Xining's limited funds away, Shaliucheng also belongs to Qinghai Province, and it cannot go out of town, the more money circulates, the more active the market will be, the more taxes will be paid, and if GDP is calculated, it will also increase.

"You don't need thirty taels, ten taels is enough...... "Where can Wang Junzhuo divide women into so many levels and sell silver, it is already a pie falling from the sky, "Dadudu, and these children......"

"I'm afraid the children are not very easy to sell, Ao, if they know Chinese, the girls may be able to sell them for a good price," Li Zicheng said: "Junzhuo is in Lanzhou, you might as well take them to the market tomorrow to have a look, if you can sell them, not only will you save the grain, but you can also get the silver of the white flowers!" ”

"That's, that's," Wang Junzhuo couldn't wait to take these people to the market immediately, how could he have been delayed for a long time in the Dadu Governor's Mansion, and now I'm afraid it won't work, "My subordinates will take them to the market tomorrow to try their luck!" ”

"It doesn't matter if you can't sell it, bring it back to Shaliucheng first, and keep it at home temporarily," Li Zicheng thought that in the future, a monopoly market will be opened in Shaliucheng and Yonggu City, plus cattle, sheep, and wool, and the market will be developed, and the number of Han people will increase, in order to let the families of the wolf cavalry integrate into the Han people as soon as possible, he is really open-minded, "In the future, the Han people will go to Shaliucheng to buy your goods, you can let these women sleep with #, and you can also earn a small amount of silver......"

"Ah...... And there are such money-making ...... There are still four women in the subordinate's family...... "Wang Junzhuo immediately thought about it.

"This, whatever you want, the woman is yours, and it's up to you," Li Zicheng said: "Of course, the prosperity of Shaliu City cannot be achieved overnight, as long as you can seize the opportunity, Shaliu City will definitely be prosperous!" ”

"Subordinates understand, subordinates understand!" Wang Junzhuo made a stack of sounds.

"There is another point to be careful," Li Zicheng said: "In the Han land, there are strict laws, if the law is violated, the government will not only punish, but even confiscate the goods and arrest the criminals, so before selling people, cattle and sheep, you must first familiarize yourself with the law, and all transactions are voluntary, not to be forced, if you pull out the knife at every turn, not only will you be driven out of the city, but there will never be you to do business with you again!" ”

"Subordinates understand, subordinates understand!" Wang Junzhuo smiled with a smile: "The scimitar of the wolf cavalry will never be aimed at the Han brothers!" ”

"Harmony can make money!" Li Zicheng said with a smile: "The governor of Pontus has finally opened up a financial road for you, and you must not cut it off yourself." ”

"No, no," Wang Junzhuo said with a smile, "who can't get along with silver?" ”

Li Zicheng nodded, "The last point is the commercial tax, all Han people, including you, must pay taxes to the local government every time they sell goods, fifteen taxes and one tax!" ”

"Paying taxes?" Wang Junzhuo blinked, as if reluctant, perhaps worried that he would not be able to convince the people in the city.

"This article cannot be changed," Li Zicheng said awe-inspiringly: "The government wants to assist you in maintaining order in the city, and the Mandate of Heaven Governor's Mansion wants to protect you from the invasion of foreign enemies. ”

Wang Junzhuo saw that Li Zicheng was angry, and hurriedly said: "Don't be angry with the Metropolitan Governor, it's all the fault of your subordinates, and your subordinates don't know the rules of the Mandate of Heaven Governor's Mansion!" ”

"That's why the Pontus governor just said that if you want to get rich, you must first learn the laws of the Mandate of Heaven."

"My subordinates understand that the Metropolitan Governor is helping his subordinates!"

Li Zicheng nodded and said: "This is the first time you have come to Lanzhou to sell the population, you don't need to sell it out, only sell it for one day, and then bring the remaining population back to Shaliucheng, the governor of Bendu will send people to help you plan, so that all the Han people know that if you want to buy slaves and maids, Shaliucheng has the best, and the Han people go more, and Shaliucheng will become prosperous." ”

"The subordinates understand, the subordinates understand, the subordinates must treat the people sent by the Metropolitan Governor as nobles!"

"Finally a person who understands," Li Zicheng said with a smile: "The Han people have accumulated thousands of years of experience in buying and selling, and with their help, they will get twice the result with half the effort!" ”

"Thank you to the Metropolitan Governor, the Metropolitan Governor is the Great Khan of his subordinates, no, the Metropolitan Governor is the Khan of Destiny...... The Metropolitan Governor ......" Wang Junzhuo was so excited that he was incoherent, and he didn't know what to say for a while, so anxious that he sweated on his forehead.

"Haha," Li Zicheng pointed at Wang Junzhuo's head with his hand, and said with a smile: "After a while, I will send someone to check, if the market in Shaliucheng is orderly on weekdays and often patronized by traders and traders, I will build a wide avenue like Lanzhou in Shaliucheng, and ensure that there is no mud in rain and snow!" ”

"Thank you, Dadu!" Wang Junzhuo hurriedly bowed to the ground.