[Chapter 3]

Han Gang recommended to the Empress Dowager a candidate for a general to go to Qianzhou, and as long as the Privy Council did not object, this matter was basically a foregone conclusion.

But the Privy Council must still fight, this has nothing to do with friendship, whether it is Zhang Dian or Su Song, they can't help but fight in that position.

But now this matter can be put down, and the Queen Mother Xiang is also saying, "Let's do this first, and wait for tomorrow to talk to Zhang and Su Er's Privy Council." Skipping Zeng Xiaokuan, who was still in office, the Queen Mother said again, "But tomorrow this matter will spread, and Yushitai may say that Huang Shang has something to do." ”

"Although the Southwest Yi is a barbarian, he is also a Song minister, and the people under his rule are naturally the people of the Emperor and Song Dynasty. If they are exiled from other places, will the sin be on the state and county officials who took them in? If Yu Shitai impeached Huang Shang on this ground, the minister didn't know what the reason was? ”

"It would be nice to be as knowledgeable as participating in politics, the DPRK and China are too confused." The Queen Mother sighed and asked Han Gang again, "Participating in politics, is it okay to transport the tiger squat cannon to Kansai?" ”

"It's been sent out. Together with the medicine kits and shells that have been distributed, ten batches have been sent since the beginning of the autumn, a total of 350 guns, and the Privy Council said the day before yesterday that all the departments have been distributed, and they are currently being trained day and night. ”

"What about the other artillery?"

"All of them are planned for production according to the predetermined plan, and the number of production years ago is enough for the Shenji Battalion to add two more commands, Your Majesty can rest assured."

"The ordnance supervisor has participated in politics and watched, which is much more reassuring."

The Queen Mother praised it, Han Gang owed a salute, and then waited for the old question, "Isn't that 10,000 catties of heavy artillery still good?" ”

"Or can only make a salute." Han Gang replied, "Now I can make a salute, because I don't want to fire shells, and the gunpowder filled is much reduced, and if I really want to go to the battlefield, it will be too easy to blow up." It seems that we have to wait for the craftsmen in the bureau to experience it for a while, and then the skills will go to the next level. ”

Guns that do not need to fire shells do not need to be too thick, as long as the caliber is large enough. If you want to forge a heavy cannon that can fire a hundred-pound cannonball two or three miles away, you can't do it for the time being. But it's just a spectacle, and it's very simple. Unlike the bells, the scriptures and patterns must be engraved on the mold, and the decoration of the appearance is simple, and even the structure is as simple as a cylinder. With the toughness of bronze and the reduced charge of the propellant, two special salutes replaced the previous small-caliber guns and became important ceremonial weapons. Although he didn't make a heavy howitzer that could actually be used on the battlefield, he could make a ritual weapon, and it was not a waste of the court's money.

Xiang sighed to the Queen Mother, she attached great importance to artillery, and she couldn't wait for the more powerful new artillery. But Han Gang said that he had to wait, so there was really no way.

"That's right. Today, Shen Kuo came over and said, although the bricks and stones from various states and counties have not yet arrived, but the blue-striped stone in the west of Beijing has begun to be transported to the capital, and it should be possible to start construction first. ”

"If you want to talk about construction, the minister is not as good as Shen Kuo. Since Shen Kuo said that it can be repaired first, it should be started first. Han Gang said, "When the repair is completed this time, the fort is added, and the masonry of the wall is added, and the city of Tokyo will not be afraid of any foreign enemy." ”

"It's going to take another two years, that's a long time." The Queen Mother sighed again.

"It's Your Majesty's benevolence and reluctance to disturb the people, otherwise the requisition of the people will be much faster."

Due to the need to add forty-five large and small forts to the outer city, the entire outer city wall had to be greatly changed, and the moat of the Beijing division also had to be excavated and supplemented, and Shen Kuo's task was very heavy. However, the ring track that Shen Kuo wanted to build was vetoed, and the technical difficulty could be overcome, but the problem of operation was too troublesome, that is, because of the lack of this project, it could be completed within two years, otherwise I don't know when the road would have to wait.

"The construction of the city wall is not a matter of urgency, and the Liao people can't attack it, so they only build it for the future. It's better not to levy too many people. ”

"Your Majesty is benevolent." Han Gang bowed and praised him heartily.

After receiving Han Gang's approval, when Han Gang returned to his seat, the Queen Mother said, "Actually, there is one more thing I want to ask for my opinion on participating in politics." ”

The Queen Mother's voice was a little slurred, and she seemed to be hesitating.

Han Gang said: "Please give instructions to Your Majesty." ”

"Even if you forget it this year, it's past the winter solstice. But next spring, after the beginning of spring, what to do? Today, some people are going to reopen the scripture feast, and I don't know what to think about participating in politics. ”

Han Gang could hear the embarrassment in the Queen Mother's voice, and after he heard this, he was also in a dilemma.

Since that accident and the subsequent palace changes, no one has cared about the education of the little emperor anymore. So the year dragged on. But logically, I have to arrange one or even several teachers for Zhao Xu, since someone wants to reopen the sutra feast, whether it is the Queen Mother or Zai Fu, it is inconvenient to veto it.

Wang Anshi, Han Gang and Cheng Hao all resigned because of the public case of the Son of Heaven killing his father. Now Wang Anshi and Han Gang are reinstated because of the credit in the harem change - although Han Gang still has one more formality.

Cheng Hao was given the post of secretary of Chongwen Academy, and still stayed in the capital to give lectures. This is recommended by Han Gang, not to give the new party one more target, but to look at the past feelings, and also because there is enough self-confidence.

If you want to reopen the feast, whether the three of Han Gang will return to their original positions, or choose another meritocracy, this is something that needs to be considered.

But the most critical point is that the problem of the emperor himself cannot be avoided.

If the Queen Mother is not hesitant, who can stop Zhao Xu from coming forward to listen to the government?

This problem has plagued Han Gang for a long time.

In any case, Zhao Xu's throne was kept by him. It would be foolish to expect a creature like the Emperor to be grateful. Han Gang has never believed in the character of people in high positions, and they can always find all kinds of reasons to do what they want.

The physical condition of the Empress Dowager should be paid attention to. In case the Queen Mother is not in good health, the authority in her hands will naturally fall. But it is impossible for Han Gang to allow the Son of Heaven's biological mother, Concubine Zhu, to listen to the government, and Zhao Xu came forward to listen to the government, which is even more dangerous.

When Zhao Xu is a little older, Empress Dowager Xiang's body is no longer as stable as it is today. Among Wang Sunchen and Li Xin, at least one of them must stay in the capital—that is, Wang Hou and Zhao Long, and Han Gang is not so sure.

However, from another point of view, there are a large number of people who are afraid of Zhao Xu's pro-government, both inside and outside the palace, not only Han Gang. And those who think that Zhao Xu is not qualified to be the emperor are even more in the world.

Zhao Xu's situation has long been disclosed to the world, and the reason why Zhao Xu was not abolished was because of the face of the first emperor who was killed by him. If he hadn't been the only bloodline of the first emperor Zhao Ji, he would have been abolished a long time ago. If he is at that time, Han Gang has the name of righteousness in his hands, and some things can still be done.

So now, it's better to do it satisfactorily, and let the little emperor learn the Confucian classics, and there will be no problem.

In the small hall of the inner east gate, one question and one answer, was left for nearly an hour, and when Han Gang came out, he looked up at the sky, and it was already dusk.

He sighed, is this still a rest?

Of course, it can't be regarded as a rest, and when he returned home and saw an urgent letter, he immediately became angry.

Wang Yi, who came to call Han Gang for dinner in person, saw the expression on her husband's face, so she sighed secretly, closed the door of the study, and quietly retreated. Only Han Gang was left, staring at the report sent by the Sixth Route Shipping Division with a blue face.

-- Before this year, the last batch of program transportation was lost, and the loss exceeded 10%. In view of this, the Sixth Route Shipping Division requested the imperial court to levy additional taxes on the Southern Sixth Route next year to ensure that the Gang Transportation Delivery arrived in Beijing in full.

Before Xue Xiang's downfall, the Sixth Route Shipping Division had always done a good job, and the grain loss rate had remained at the level of 3 to 5 percent for many years, but since today's March, the loss rate of the Gang Transportation has risen all the way to 11 percent today.

Han Gang was actually not very optimistic about the work of the Sixth Route Shipping Division this year from the very beginning.

Even normal promotions can't avoid 'people dying and retiring', and Xue Xiang was even more offended because of the rebellion, how can the various systems he left in the Liufu Shipping Division be retained.

Han Gang heard that the inscriptions and plaques that Xue Xiang had left behind had been cleared - this was not news from one place, there were places where Xue Xiang had served in Guanxi, Hebei, etc.

A few days ago, Wei Pingzhen, Han Gang's staff when he was the commander of Baima Zhixian and Kaifeng Prefecture, returned to Beijing after three years as a military judge in Yangzhou, and on the way to Bianshui and got on the official ship. Because I am older, and I don't have to worry about walking slowly, there is no shortage of it, so I walk for two days all the way, rest for a day, and take a look at the scenery along the way.

According to him, the Yamen of the Sixth Route Shipping Division in Sizhou is now about to move, just because the traces left by Xue Xiang inside are too deep - this is the news that Wei Pingzhen heard from the local post house.

And Zhang Shu, the new six-way shipping envoy who requested the Yamen to be moved from Sizhou to Yangzhou, was still on Han Gang's desk a few days ago, and the various reasons listed above are true. However, Han Gang, Han Jiang, and Zhang Qi discussed it for a while, and then refuted it. Not to mention the loss of labor and money, Sizhou's status in the Bianshui Gang is not comparable to Yangzhou.

In such a situation, do you still expect them to maintain the good governance left by Xue Xiang?

At that time, because the boatmen and the escorted soldiers joined forces to do the transportation of materials, the gang boat often reported damage, even in the Bianshui water, which was only six feet deep, it could be repeatedly reported that the ship capsized in strong winds, and Xue Xiang was ordered to preside over the water transportation of the Bianhe River. Under his auspices, the official ships and civilian ships were organized into a single program at the same time, and the transportation was carried out, and after arriving in the capital, the loss rate of the official ships and civilian ships would be compared, and if there were more than the civilian ships, the officers and soldiers and boatmen who escorted the grain would be held responsible.

Since the gang ship has the priority of navigation in the water, both manned and cargo-carrying merchant ships are willing to be included. This made those treacherous thieves dare not take action, and the loss rate of Gangliang fell sharply.

The so-called relying on the mountains to eat the mountains, relying on the water to draft the water, the mice in the six-way shipping division are slippery and slippery, only old people like Xue Xiang, who know the disadvantages of love, can see through their tricks at a glance, and often watch their every move in Beijing.

Now that there is no Xue Xiang, everything is back to more than ten years ago.

Han Gang shook his head and patted the concerto.

Tomorrow, he will discuss this matter with Han Jiang and Zhang Qi.