Chuzhou, Wang Pu Xingyuan.

Wang Pu was setting up a family banquet to entertain his eldest brother Wang Beech, and after three rounds of drinking, Wang Pu asked with concern: "Big brother, Chuzhou has been war-torn and the fields are barren, hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced, and there is no food and clothing. ”

"Third child, don't worry." Wang Beech said, "How dare the eldest brother not take the matter you confessed to heart?" 100,000 stone of grain has been prepared, and the people of the Cao Gang have also been hired, and it will be shipped within half a month and completed within two months, with this batch of grain, it is enough for hundreds of thousands of refugees in Chuzhou to eat for half a year. ”

Wang Pu nodded and said, "That's good." ”

Wang Beech said: "Third brother, is there a score for Zhuang Tian?" ”

"Absolutely." Wang Pu said, "The new Zhizhou Chen Lan has already brought people to Qingzhang, although the results have not yet come out, but the younger brother estimates that there should be 500,000 acres of ownerless farmland!" If all these 500,000 acres of farmland are planted with mulberry seedlings, the cocoons produced next year will be enough to weave 200,000 horses of silk, and the silk merchants in China will make a profit of 1.8 million taels when sold to the market price, and it will be a full 3 million taels when sold to the West! In less than three years, the mulberry seedlings will become forests, and the cocoons produced can weave at least 400,000 pieces of silk, which is six million taels of silver! ”

"Hehe, the account is not such an algorithm as yours, and this silk may not be able to sell for a good price if it is too much." Wang Zelkova smiled and said, "But third brother, 500,000 mu of farmland is not a small amount, will the imperial court interfere?" ”

"The Imperial Court?" Wang Pu said coldly, "Big brother, don't worry, the godfather and the long-live lord have an appointment in advance, as long as the taxes paid to the imperial court are doubled in two years, how to get it in the two provinces of Zhejiang and directly is our business!" ”

"Third child, how will the profits from the sale of silk be distributed?"

After all, Wang Beech is a businessman, although he and Wang Pu are brothers, but there is a saying in the mall that the brothers settle accounts, although Wang Pu is a member of the Wang family, but his current identity is an official family after all.

Wang Pu said: "Forty or six points, sixty percent will go to the younger brother's official warehouse, and the four achievements will be kept for the eldest brother to make the capital, so as to annex more Zhuangtian and expand the business scale of the workshop!" ”

Wang Beech thought about it and nodded, he had already understood in advance the profit distribution ratio of various government-run workshops in the south of the Yangtze River such as silk, textiles, ironware, and salt making, which were generally eighty or even ninety percent of the official family, and the least was seventy percent! Wang Pu only needs sixty percent, which is already very polite.

What's more, the remaining sixty percent of the profits only went into Wang Pu's official warehouse, not the treasury, Wang Pu's official warehouse and the Wang family's silver treasury are actually not much different, if Wang Pu is in a hurry to use silver, Wang Beech has to sell all the land and property to make up enough silver for him, after all, it is a family, isn't it?

Wang Zelkova said again: "Third child, the batch of ginseng, Dongzhu and gold you left in Songjiang have been almost sold, after deducting the two million family assets of our Wang family, there are still more than 3.7 million taels of silver left, and it is not a way to keep them in the silver treasury like this, you see when you will send troops to escort them back." ”

"That's a good idea." Wang Pu said, "Now the Yanziji battalion has recruited 50,000 new troops, and another 50,000 new troops have to be recruited in the first half of the year. ”

Wang Zelkova thought for a while and said, "Why don't you give your eldest brother one million taels from the Wang family's family assets?" ”

"No need." Wang Pu said, "The one million taels or the eldest brother, you keep the capital, try to make our Wang family's business bigger and stronger, the top priority is to recruit talents who know how to operate, for those who are really capable, the eldest brother can promise huge profits, such as spending thousands of taels or even tens of thousands of taels of salary for him a year!" ”

Wang Zelkova nodded and said: "This eldest brother knows that the business in Shanxi is not easy to do now, and many shopkeepers and apprentices can't eat, and the eldest brother has recruited a lot of talents from his hometown in Shanxi, and several of them are people who can stand alone, and they are kind-hearted, not the kind of villain who forgets his righteousness." ”

"Well, in terms of employing people, big brother, you can just decide it yourself." Wang Pu said, "In short, big brother, you have to find a way to expand my Wang family's business in the shortest possible time, in the future, our Wang family's business will never be limited to textiles and silk, we will also get involved in the tea, porcelain and salt and iron industries!" ”

"Porcelain, salt, iron?" Wang Zelkova said, "The third child, it is a monopoly of the government, and our Wang family can't get involved even if they have a lot of capital." ”

"Government camp?" Wang Pu sneered, "Big brother, just wait, it won't be long before all the government-run workshops in the two provinces of Zhejiang and even the whole country will be converted into private workshops." ”

"Turning a government-run workshop into a private one?" Wang Beech said, "Third child, what you said is true?" ”

"Of course it's true." Wang Pu said, "But the time is not yet ripe. ”

"Haha." Wang Beech laughed and said, "If the government-run workshop can really be turned into a private one day, it will really be a blessing for businessmen in the world." ”

As a businessman, even if he was a businessman living in the Ming Dynasty, Wang Beech could also keenly feel the disadvantages of the government-run workshop and the benefits of the private workshop.

For example, the emperor sent the mine supervisors, salt supervisors and weaving eunuchs in various places, which were simply blood-sucking mosquitoes that bitten the body of the government-run workshops, and the final result was that a large amount of tax silver fell into the private pockets of eunuchs at all levels.

However, Wang Pu also knows that it is not easy to turn the official camp into a private one, and it is conceivable that this move will be fully blocked by vested interest groups, especially the eunuch group! Before Wang Pu has enough strength to clean up the eunuch group, he will never act rashly.

■■■

Time came to February of the sixteenth year of Chongzhen (1643) in a blink of an eye.

After more than half a month of fierce fighting, Tongguan was finally broken by thieves, the chief officer was as fierce as a tiger and died, the 20,000 officers and soldiers stationed in Tongguan were all wiped out, Tongguan was immediately down, the land in the pass was like a young woman who had stripped naked, completely opened her mind, and Li Zicheng's army of 500,000 thieves could finally drive straight in!

Liu Zongmin, who was entrenched in Yan'an Mansion, heard that Li Zicheng's army had captured Tongguan, and he was immediately shocked.

Liu Zongmin knew that his desire to stand on his own feet in Guanzhong could not be realized, so he had to lead more than 100,000 cavalry troops to the south along Luoshui day and night, and rushed to Huayin to join Li Zicheng's army.

Li Zicheng knew that Liu Zongmin had the idea of supporting the army and standing on his own, but he pretended not to know anything, and after encouraging Liu Zongmin, he still regarded him as a confidant, and then the two of them joined forces to kill Xi'an! Chen Xinjia and He Renlong, who were trapped in Xi'an, heard the news and hurriedly reported to the Beijing division with 800 li and asked Emperor Chongzhen to send reinforcements as soon as possible.

Li Zicheng called for wind and rain in Guanzhong, but Zhang Xianzhong walked away from Maicheng in Huguang.

In the battle of Xiangyang, Zhang Xianzhong was killed by Zuo Liangyu, and Zhang Xianzhong, who suffered heavy losses, did not dare to go to Henan and Guanzhong to grab territory with Li Zicheng, nor did he dare to turn back to fight with Zuo Liangyu, so he had to pack up the remnants of the defeated army and turn to Sichuan.

Outside the gate, knowing that Emperor Chongzhen exterminated his ten clans, Hong Chengchou finally broke off the idea of returning to the Ming Dynasty, and began to work hard for Jiannu.

With the strong support of Azig and Dordor, Dorgon finally overthrew Zilharan and became the chief regent.

The ambitious Dolgon re-organized the Eight Banners of the Han Army, and also requisitioned 20,000 Koreans to form the Eight Banners of Korea, plus 60,000 Jurchen Eight Banners and 80,000 Mongol Eight Banners, and the total strength of Jiannu returned to 180,000 in its heyday! After seeing the power of Wang Pu's musket team, Dolgon also tried to establish a musket team of fifteen Niu Lu in the Eight Banners Army, and exchanged ginseng and Dongzhu for 5,000 muskets from Yue himself.

The relieved Jiannu re-marched into western Liao, besieged Jinzhou and Songshan, and Zu Dashou, the general soldier of Jinzhou, hurriedly asked for help from the Beijing division with an expedited 800 li.

■■■

Yanjing, the Forbidden City Qianqing Palace.

Looking at the two urgent Jiatang newspapers that were almost presented in front of the imperial case at the same time, Emperor Chongzhen was in a hurry, screaming and vomiting blood and fainting to the ground.

The eunuchs hurriedly stepped forward to help Emperor Chongzhen, and they poured ginseng soup and passed on the imperial doctor, and finally woke up Emperor Chongzhen, and Emperor Chongzhen, who woke up, couldn't take care of resting at all, and summoned Zhou Yanru, He Fengsheng, Xie Sheng, Zhang Sizhi, Chen Yan, Wei Zhaocheng, Li Banghua and other ministers into the palace overnight.

But these "dry cities of the country" have not come up with any good ways to discuss and discuss, and what they put forward is nothing more than to transfer the general army of Datong Jiang Pai to Guanzhong to exterminate the thieves, or transfer the new army of Nanjing Admiral Wang Pu to resist Jiannu outside the pass, but Jiang Pai and Wang Pu have already made it clear that they will never send troops without food.

However, Zhang Sizhi proposed to move the capital to Nanjing and rule the Yangtze River with the thieves to avoid the unfavorable dilemma of fighting on two fronts, but this proposal was immediately fiercely condemned by Zhou Yanru, Li Banghua and others, and finally even rose to the height of betraying the country to seek glory, comparing Zhang Sizhi with Qin Hui, and finally Zhang Sizhi was dismissed from his post as a palace and punished by the Criminal Department.

Emperor Chongzhen's original intention of convening these "dry cities of the country" was to discuss strategies to save the country, but this court meeting finally became Zhang Sizhi's criticism meeting, and the Ming Dynasty was already in danger.

Emperor Chongzhen was anxious and angry, vomiting blood and fainting again!

■■■

Nanjing, the governor of Zhejiang.

The two Tang newspapers were already on the desk, and Sun Chuanting, Wang Pu, father and son sat opposite each other, with solemn expressions.

Speaking from the heart, Wang Pu really wants to send troops to resist Jiannu outside the pass, if he really lets Jiannu enter the pass, it will be the people of the Ming Dynasty in the five northern provinces who will suffer, not for Emperor Chongzhen or for the Ming Dynasty, just for the people of the five northern provinces Wang Pu should also send troops to rescue, but it is indeed not time yet, because the new army has not yet been trained!

If you rush to save now, once defeated, it is not only the people of the Ming Dynasty in the five northern provinces who will suffer in the end, but I am afraid that the people of the entire Ming Dynasty may become slaves of Jiannu, as the so-called matter has priorities, for the continuation of the Ming Dynasty, for the continuation of the civilization of the Emperor and the Han Dynasty, Wang Pu can only stand still.

"Ugh." Sun Chuanting sighed and said gloomily, "Son, can't you really send troops?" ”

"Daddy." Wang Pu smiled bitterly, "Do you think we can send troops now?" ”

Sun Chuanting stopped talking, Wang Pu was right, it is true that he cannot send troops now, because the new army has not yet been trained, and the equipment is also extremely scarce.

"Ugh." Sun Chuanting sighed again and said gloomily, "It can be imagined that Long Live Lord must be angry now, you and my father and son are afraid that they have become chaotic ministers and thieves in his heart!" As a father, I am not afraid of being wronged by the Lord of Long Live Lord, but I am really not feeling good when I see the land of the Ming Dynasty being encroached upon by Jiannu little by little. ”

"It's only temporary." Wang Pu persuaded, "One day we will take back the lost land." ”

"Well, I don't think about it, it's useless to think about it anyway." Sun Chuanting waved his hand vigorously, as if he wanted to use the power of this wave of his hand to wave the news of Jiannu's knock out of his mind, turned back to Wang Pu and said, "Let's talk about the new army, what is the military reform you just said?" ”

Wang Pudao: "There are mainly two aspects, first, the new army should be unified with new military uniforms, the previous armor helmet and battle robe are expensive to wear, not to mention the high cost of wearing, it can no longer meet the needs of future wars, my son has asked people to design the style of the new military uniform, you take a look at it first." ”

As he spoke, Wang Pu handed a pattern to Sun Chuanting.

Sun Chuanting glanced at it, frowned, and said, "Just this cloth and hat, how can you resist Jiannu's swords and arrows?" ”

"Dad, you're too worried." Wang Pu said with a smile, "After several improvements, the range of our army's muskets has far exceeded Jiannu's bows and arrows, not to mention that our army is also equipped with artillery with a longer range and greater lethality. ”

Sun Chuanting said: "What if Jiannu rushes to him? ”

"That's not afraid." Wang Pu said, "My son has already experimented, as long as the soldiers of the spear battalion put up a spear formation, and then let the soldiers in the front row erect a shield to block most of the arrows." ”

"Oh?" Sun Chuanting said happily, "Then there is no problem." ”

Wang Pu continued: "Second, the current battalion and sentry system is not flexible enough, command is inconvenient, and the establishment of the new army must also be reformed. ”

Sun Chuanting said: "How to change? ”

Wang Pu said: "In this way, the number of infantry battalions and cavalry battalions is still 5,000 people, and there are generals; Under the jurisdiction of five posts, set up a thousand general; Each post has five brigades under its jurisdiction, with a team leader; Each brigade has five squadrons under its jurisdiction, with squadron leaders; Each squadron has five squads, with a squad leader, and then the soldiers. ”

Sun Chuanting said: "What about the artillery battalion and the baggage battalion? ”

Wang Pudao: "Each artillery battalion is equipped with 20 Hongyi cannons, 40 Franc cannons, 120 carts, 200 mules and horses, and 500 artillerymen; Each baggage battalion was equipped with 2,500 carts, 3,000 mules and horses, and 5,000 baggage soldiers. ”

"Okay." Sun Chuanting nodded and said, "In terms of military affairs, Lao Tzu is not as good as you, you have the final say." ”

Wang Pu said: "The problem now is that the production capacity of the weapons workshop is too low, and it can only produce 1,000 new muskets every month, and at this rate, it will take five years to produce 60,000 muskets and equip 12 musket battalions, but we can't wait so long anyway." ”

Sun Chuanting said: "What can you do?" ”

"This problem has to be solved by capable people." Wang Pu said, "You immediately invited Song Yingxing, the teacher of Fenyi County, Jiangxi, to Nanjing as your staff in the name of the governor of Zhejiang, if you want to increase the production capacity of the weapons workshop, you must be this person!" ”

"Song Yingxing?" Sun Chuanting said, "How do you know that the edict of Jiangxi Fenyi is called Song Yingxing?" ”

"You don't care about that." Wang Pu said, "If you believe me, you will immediately summon him to Nanjing." ”

"Okay." Sun Chuanting said, "Lao Tzu will repair a book, and I will send someone to Jiangxi tomorrow." ”

"And." Wang Pu said again, "Can you go to the imperial court and bring the review of the Hanlin Academy to Nanjing with wisdom and join the army." ”

"Fang Yizhi?" Sun Chuanting frowned and said, "Fang Yizhi is a member of the Restoration Society, you have never hated the Restoration Society, why did you suddenly remember to transfer Fang Yizhi to join the army today?" ”

Wang Pudao: "I hate the people of the Fushe Society because they only talk about misleading the country, but Fang Yizhi is not such a person." ”

Sun Chuanting said: "Then Lao Tzu will try to play a trick, but Long Live Lord may not agree, after all, we don't send troops this time, which has already chilled Long Live Lord's heart." ”

(To be continued)