After hearing this, Wei Boxiang realized that at this time, he really couldn't admit that his side was not good at governance, otherwise he wouldn't be able to talk about respecting science alone, respecting morality and valuing the church.

So, Wei Boxiang had to admit his guilt and said: "The lower official lost his words, don't blame Yuanfu!" ”

Wang Wenkui was also relieved when he saw this, sat down and waved his hand and said, "Forget it." The first time you joined the Zheng Dynasty, your impression of the rule of officials is only on the impression of the rule of the northern puppet dynasty, which can be regarded as understandable. ”

What Yuan Fu said was that the lower officials had not yet changed their concepts, and there was a misunderstanding. Fortunately, you were reminded in time. ”

Wei Boxiang replied against his will, in order to admit that the restoration of the ancestral system and the exclusive respect of science are politically correct, in order to really allow the ethical hierarchy of monarchs, ministers, fathers, sons, and sons to continue to exist, and in order to really let the Han people have a hierarchy of personality and political status between meat eaters and ordinary people, he must echo Wang Wenkui's statement.

It's like the emperor's new clothes.

Although everyone knows that the emperor is not wearing clothes, it must also be admitted that the emperor is wearing new clothes.

Wang Wenkui nodded with satisfaction and said, "It's good that you can understand in time." As for the starvation in the city, in fact, it was all caused by the traitorous minister Zhang Gui's rebellion! ”

"If it weren't for the chaos of Zhang's thief, which caused the officials who still obeyed him to expropriate and extort a large number of displaced people in his jurisdiction, there would not have been so many displaced people in Guangzhou Prefecture, and then Guangzhou Mansion would be full of starvation."

"It can be said that the responsibility lies with him Zhang Thief!"

Wei Boxiang glanced at Wang Wenkui in amazement after hearing this, and said in his heart: "Can you still think like this?" ”

Wang Wenkui continued here: "What is hateful is that Mao Yuanyi, a person with hidden evil intentions, actually deceived the servant, defected to the court, and became a traitor! Therefore, you can only be responsible for the matter of casting cannons in the Industrial Division, but fortunately, you are finally an understanding person, and you did not disappoint the servant and Zhao Gelao. You've got to forge this rifled cannon! ”

"Yes!"

Wei Boxiang cried out as he spoke, and said: "However, Yuanfu, Xia Guan went to the Industrial Department here to see, frankly speaking, even if we know how the rifled gun is made, we can't make it, and what is made is shoddy." Although Xia Guan is only in charge of the warehouse over there, the pipe warehouse also needs to master some basic knowledge of gun barrels, otherwise it will be difficult to maintain. As far as the lower officials know, better steel is needed to make the barrel of rifled guns, and at present our steel is actually not up to the mark. ”

"So what do you think should be done?"

Wang Wenkui asked.

Wei Boxiang: "Set up an academy of sciences to specially let a group of craftsmen with knowledge and skills in this area develop new steel, give them official bodies, and promise to add officials to knighthood after they are made." ”

"Ridiculous! How can this work! ”

Wang Wenkui directly roared angrily and said: "Zhao Shichun's people have been constantly impeaching servants and indulging in strange tricks and tricks, setting up an industrial department, saying that servants take the opportunity to accumulate wealth and enrich themselves. Now give some craftsmen and officials, just because they can make steel and make iron, what is this? What is the difference between this and the puppet dynasty that messes with the ancestral system? Are you going to be scolded by your colleagues in the Manchu Dynasty? ”

"Yuan Fu is angry, it's the lower official's gaffe!"

Wei Boxiang said.

Wang Wenkui said: "Science is the body, miscellaneous science is used, these strange skills are used directly, and they are not fundamental, why be too obsessed!" ”

"I see that you are also deeply poisoned by the puppet dynasty, you should read more Zhu Ziji to clear your mind. What kind of steel, the servant wrote to Zhu Zhiyu and asked him to find a way to buy some back, you just have to cast the cannon seriously. ”

"Yes!"

Wei Boxiang responded.

Next, Wei Boxiang could only continue Mao Yuanyi's work, letting the craftsmen use crude iron to cast rifled guns, and hoped that Zhu Zhiyu, an undercover agent on his side, could really get new steel from the north.

And Wang Wenkui didn't ask Wei Boxiang about casting cannons after that.

He is now in a mess with Zhao Shichun, the powerful ministers of the puppet dynasty, over where to get money and grain to build an imperial tomb for the emperor.

In the end, Wang Wenkui and Zhao Shichun temporarily decided to embezzle a part of the hired silver from the talent and use it to build the imperial tomb, after all, the imperial tomb was not only built for the sake of the emperor's good looks, but also to symbolize the stability of the imperial court.

It's just that the price is to hire fewer soldiers and buy a few fewer ships.

On the eve of the arrival of Zhang Gui and Zhu Xieyuan leading the imperial army to the south, the southern puppet dynasty did not only determine the strategy of "jointly razing and leveling the Kou", levying the hired Yi silver and embezzling the hired Yi silver to build the imperial mausoleum, but also did one thing is to posthumously present the name of Emperor Jianwen, posthumously present the name of Fang Xiaoru and rehabilitate many Confucian ministers, as a way to show that the court respects Confucianism and virtue.

In addition, on the eve of the imperial army's southward march, the southern puppet dynasty also set up a thousand countries to come to the court, and invited many foreign Yi to pay tribute, in order to show that its imperial court was in its heyday.

And the puppet dynasty took this opportunity to agree with many foreign countries to send troops against the imperial army, and the money was naturally from the southern puppet dynasty.

Foreigners such as the Franc machine man of Haojing are also willing to be hired by the southern puppet dynasty, first, they can make money, and second, they also prefer the southern puppet dynasty that voluntarily gives up its maritime rights and interests.

When the imperial army arrived at the capital city of Yuezhou, which was attached to the puppet dynasty, the land and water armies of the two sides met here.

On the side of the imperial court, there were 80,000 elite guards, arrayed in Jiangdong, while on the side of the southern puppet dynasty, there were 100,000 troops and 30,000 Yi soldiers arrayed in Jiangxi.

When the Guards began to fire artillery, the southern puppet side also began to fire artillery.

But when the officials of the Southern Puppet Dynasty opened the powder box and prepared to reload the artillery, they found that a lot of gunpowder was actually mixed with a lot of sand.

"So hit! Damn, isn't this a pit man?! ”

Yang Zhenwei, the chief military officer of the Southern Puppet Dynasty, was furious because of this, and directly led the troops to run away.

Seeing this, the hired Franco-machine man Lyard also simply ran away with his Franc mercenary, and said to Wang Wenkui after running back to Guangzhou:

"Motosuke, we can help you eliminate the thieves for the silver, but how can you fool us by passing off sand as gunpowder?! Is this going to cost us our lives?! This is disgusting! ”

"Sand for gunpowder?"

Wang Wenkui was also taken aback when he heard this, but he also believed that it was impossible for Lady to tell a lie at this time, so he slapped the table angrily on the spot: "Zhao Shichun, you bastard, you dare to swallow the silver of gunpowder!" ”

The reason why Wang Wenkui scolded Zhao Shichun at this time was because the gunpowder factory was managed by Zhao Shichun's people.

Zhao Shichun had also learned about the rout of the army on his side, and also learned the news of gunpowder adulteration from Yang Zhenwei, and asked Zuo Mengtong, the secretary of the puppet army department of the party with him: "How can you use sand as gunpowder for the army in front?!" ”

Zuo Mengtong hurriedly arched his hand and said: "The elder of the pavilion is angry, this dynasty has always been very short of gunpowder, otherwise it won't work!" Only by temporarily filling gunpowder with sand can the army be willing to go to the front to fight, otherwise, the army will definitely not want to go! The imperial court was already short of silver, so where could the army not lack pay or gunpowder? There can only be a shortage of gunpowder, not silver! ”

Zhao Shichun couldn't say anything after hearing this, and he had lost a lot of the silver used to make gunpowder in the military department, so where did he dare to delve into it, he had to accept Zuo Mengtong's statement, and then said: "Now it seems that I can only ask for peace!" ”

"Ge Lao is wise, in fact, now is not the opportunity to replace the king!"

The old-fashioned traditional civil servants will never forget the infighting, and at this time, Zuo Mengtong also took the opportunity to suggest it.

Zhao Shichun nodded: "Someone!" Prepare a sedan chair, and the servant wants to enter the palace! ”

"Uncle Guo, we have won this victory, and the other side has been defeated without a fight."

On the side of the official army, Zhu Xieyuan had already come to Zhang Gui to play.

Zhang Gui was quite surprised when he heard this: "It's clear so soon?" ”

Zhu Xieyuan said: "The lower officials also think it is strange, but in fact, they did retreat, and they didn't even fire a cannon!" ”

Zhang Gui said: "It's better to be careful, maybe there is fraud!" What do you think? ”

Zhu Xieyuan nodded: "What Uncle Guo said is reasonable. It stands to reason that it is impossible to defeat so quickly, the other party also has both land and water soldiers, and there are many soldiers. ”