Chapter 132: Jiang Cai

The Son of Heaven was in a good mood today, and when Liu and Shen had saluted, he gave them a seat and gave each of them a brocade pier.

The so-called platform is not the kind of pavilion that we imagine can watch the flowers and enjoy the scenery and the wind by the railing, but it is actually the corridor outside the hall. In the Ming Dynasty, the Holy Son of Heaven summoned his subordinates alone, and if it was a formal meeting and instruction, it would be held in a side hall such as the Wuying Palace, while the platform summoning was an informal occasion. There is no participation in the platform call, but it is just a match between monarchs and ministers, and the content of the conversation will be more casual and in-depth, and there is no need to be too rigid in etiquette. Generally speaking, if it is inconvenient to speak in public in public, the subordinates can speak freely when the platform is playing, and the Son of Heaven also looks forward to hearing the heartfelt words of the subordinates in private.

The Son of Heaven opened his mouth and sighed: "Just now Shen Aiqing said that Qian Qianfu has no salt lord, and he has a net worth of 300,000 taels. I heard that the two Huai salt merchants were rich in the world, and I didn't expect to be so rich. ”

Shen Xuan replied: "It is reported that the Lan family has controlled the Lianghuai salt industry for generations, and it is indeed a huge wealth. Farming, shops, houses, etc., should have accumulated a lot of ill-gotten gains. However, the number is so large that the ministers are unheard of. ”

Liu Zhijin hurriedly left his seat and knelt down to plead guilty: "The minister is dead." The ministers are negligent and have the grace of God. ”

The Son of Heaven waved his hand: "I didn't mean to blame Liu Aiqing. Yangzhou Mansion is under the rule of the governor of Jiangning, and the superintendent who can hide from me and so many local officials for many years thinks he is cunning and cunning. Besides, Nan Zhili also has a ministry, and he usually writes to impeach him for some bits and pieces, and he doesn't find such a private villain under his nose, how can he blame you? Liu Aiqing sat down and spoke. ”

Liu Zhijin was slightly relieved and sat back in Jindun.

The Son of Heaven said, "I think, this matter is not so simple. It is certainly one thing that the prisoner is well concealed, but if many of the officials in Nanzhili are ignorant, I am not a three-year-old child. Not to mention the side, can the Yangzhou prefect get out of it? How much was checked by that Guan Shengyun, four million catties, right? I don't know exactly how many ships will be loaded, but it's definitely a fleet! Thousands of miles along the way, how many state capitals do you have to pass, and has anyone in each magistrate checked it? The most hateful Huainan water camp actually shirked someone pretending to be an official soldier! I don't believe it, just one or two people pretending, dozens or hundreds of people are pretending? What about the golden drum banner and armor soldiers, all of them are done privately? The Son of Heaven was a little angry when he spoke.

Liu Zhijin and Shen Xuan were about to speak, but they were stopped by the Son of Heaven raising his hand: "I know that when the water is clear, there are no fish." However, this time it is really not like that! Although it is not in accordance with the law to carry some private goods, but thousands of miles away, the sweets and bitters of which can be understood a thing or two, as long as it is not too excessive, it can be regarded as a matter of emotion (pronounced "change"). But think about it, the officers and soldiers I raised are actually used by the salt lords for their own use! Are these soldiers me, or are they the ones who are blue and rebellious? A private businessman can let my officials and soldiers use it for his own personal use, and in time, the family of soldiers and bandits will be a great disaster for the country! It is inconvenient for me to say much in the early dynasty, this Yangzhou prefect will be severely punished - with the ancestral system of Wen Yuwu, he is afraid that the military leader will become bigger and repeat the disaster of the late Tang Dynasty, is he looking after my home or raising wolves for me? The Huainan Water Battalion must also be thoroughly investigated, everything else is a trivial matter, and the military power must not be left behind! However, don't be too loud, don't implicate too widely, Nanzhili is the land of Taizu Longxing, and you can't mess up the roots. But the culprit and the culprit cannot be spared, and it is necessary to set an example! After the plan, the Ministry of Officials also transferred the state officials over there. The state capital is the foundation of the rule of officials, if you do your best, why not cure the world? ”

Liu Zhi hurriedly responded: "The minister obeys the order." ”

The Son of Heaven continued: "I just said that it was Guan Shengyun who investigated the blue criminal. Well, you see, so many water camps along the river are turning a blind eye, but it's him! Before...... I've never heard of him having a water camp? ”

Shen Xuan tentatively continued: "Could it be the boat that Jian Fu and Huguang helped him build?" ”

"I think it must be! The people in Huguang from Dongchang reported to me that his boats were very sloppy and looked new, but they were deformed and leaky, and they were obviously built in a hurry. Jian Jingneng can only manage De'an Mansion, and it is inconvenient to reach out further east, Li Linyang and Teng Shiheng are not good at tearing their faces directly with Nan Zhili, it just happens to be about such a guy as Sheng Yun, I think he was trapped by them with the words of guilt and meritorious service, coupled with his lawless nature, he got him a few boats, and he rushed up like this! And then...... And you have made a great achievement! Speaking of this, the Holy Son of Heaven smiled bitterly.

"My Emperor Shengming!" Liu and Shen said in unison.

"In the end, it's still Jane, Li, Teng, well, and Kou Shiyi, these people have lived up to me. Or will they use people. That level, although the nature is stubborn and fierce, if it is used properly, it is also useful. ”

"That'...... Next year's big plan, Jian Fu is the first class. However, if it is customary, the local governor is the first class, and he usually returns to Beijing to enter the cabinet......"

"How's that going to work!" Before Liu Zhijin could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the Son of Heaven, "How can the good situation that has just opened be wasted!" What do you think, the bereavement of the fallen officers and soldiers, the reward of meritorious soldiers, and the recruitment and training of new soldiers...... These must cost tens of thousands of taels, right? To appease the displaced people over 10,000, the seeds of the cattle and farm tools and houses are not detailed, but they are calculated according to the recruitment: the settlement fee is five taels per person, and the soldiers are also five taels of food and clothing, which is more than 100,000 taels of silver. Besides, after recruiting soldiers, the household department still has to allocate salary and food to support it all the way! And what about the homeless? Reclamation can produce grain! Sichuan privately checked 20 million catties, Huai privately also checked 4 million catties, and those private goods, these items add up to almost 100,000 taels, right? Jian Aiqing took it from Si and used it for Si, and did not ask the court for a penny or a grain of rice! What is it called? This is called Nengchen! At this time, if you change people, it will be completely ruined. People can't move the place, you can find a way to honor the title, seal (the living) and give the (dead) ancestors, and the wife and son, I will be allowed to do everything! ”

"Obey. My Emperor Shengming. Liu Zhijin secretly glanced at Shen Xuan and thanked him again.

"The previous few Yun Fu asked me for money at every turn. I haven't found much of the private salt...... The year I remember the most is less than a million catties, right? The matter of 5,000 taels of silver a year, and the number of people who died today and how many people died tomorrow are reported all day long. Do you still have to appease the homeless? Hold down one end, and it will pop up over there again, and the north will be chaotic in Shaanxi Province and the south will be in the clouds! I'm not saying they're bad, they're all hardworking. However, Jian Aiqing is much stronger than them, and she really lives up to my expectations, and she can be called a talent. ”

"Congratulations to Your Majesty." Seeing that the anger on the face of the Son of Heaven had been replaced by joy, the two hurriedly said a word.

"Is there any news from the provinces of Huguang?" The Son of Heaven asked Shen Xuan.

"Your Majesty. There are reports in all provinces of Huguang. It's all for Li and Teng. Basically, it is said that this year's wind and rain are smooth, and the grain and silver are completely guaranteed. ”

"Good. By the way, two Aiqing, how much private salt do you think Jian Aiqing can find out? ”

The two looked at each other again, and Liu Zhi cautiously replied: "The minister thought that Jian Fu had been doing everything step by step for more than a year before, and he must have quietly prepared everything, and suddenly launched a thunderous blow, supplemented by a plan to appease the displaced people. Now it is more than 20 million catties, and then the plough court sweeps the holes, how can there be about 10 million catties. If it is time, the border between the provinces on that side can be expected to be peaceful. ”

"The minister seconded the proposal." Shen Xuan immediately answered.

"Liu Aiqing said it well!" The Son of Heaven thought for a moment, "If there are ten million catties, it will be another fifty thousand taels." You tell Jane Aiqing that no matter how much is confiscated, I don't want it! There is no need to send it to the household department, let him use it to raise the people and reorganize the army. Let him do another term, take care of me there, and when he returns to the court, I will meet him at noon! ”

……

The Son of Heaven actually miscalculated: he calculated according to the official price of the household department. In fact, the price of salt in Huguang is more than double, almost one penny or two millimeters of silver per catty. Even so, the people of the various prefectures were still happy, and they were grateful to the court and the local Qingtian lords - just over half a year ago, the price of official salt was more than two cents of silver when it was cheapest, and it was mixed with soil, where to find such good salt as white as snow and as fine as sand!

As for the magistrates, up to Feng Zhen, Song Shiyong and other prefects, down to the prefects like Jiang Zhonggang, the Qingtian lords are also happy: in the past, they privately accepted the benefits of salt merchants, and the price of salt was very high, but the people who mixed with soil could not afford to eat the salt, and the silver that fell into the bag was not even 30% of today! Of course, they will not understand that as long as the productive forces are fully released and the economy can run in an orderly manner, the people will naturally be able to create more wealth. As holders of great power, they certainly profit the most. However, they don't need to understand, they just need to follow the path planned by the Luo Junshi, the deputy general of Xiangyang Guan, who is the pillar of the beam--in fact, Luo Junshi doesn't understand this truth, he just vaguely knows from the book, as long as the government is lightly taxed, the government should not interfere excessively and oppress the people, and the country will naturally be rich and the people will be strong: Wenjingzhizhi Thirty taxes one, such a low tax, do you say that the country suffers? In the past few years, the ropes of new grain pressing old grain and wearing money in the treasury have rotted, and the copper coins that have rusted into a lump have piled up!

Luo Junshi's son, the personable young military division, from time to time took the newly changed clipper boat of General You Shen to visit various prefectures, and now he has become friends with many prefects, and sometimes even directly takes the official military water camp to and fro. General You has silver in his pocket, and under the matchmaking of the young army division, he also drank with the generals of the water battalions of several provinces and became good brothers - as a result, the clippers in the water camp were scrapped in batches, and the two water battalions of General You were all replaced with clippers.

Jian Jingneng, Li, Teng, and Kou gained more, in addition to the silver of the white flowers, there were also various awards and promotions from the imperial court: Jian Jingneng was awarded the crown prince and young master, and the two sons were successively awarded the hereditary three generations of Jinyi Wei Commander, Li and Teng's two sons were awarded the Jinyi Wei town envoy, and even Kou Shiyi's eldest son was awarded the Jinyi Wei Thousand Households military position*. As for Guan Shengyun, the deputy general of Xiangyang, the governor of Yunyang conveyed the verbal praise of the Son of Heaven, well, there was also a royal purse. According to Jian Jingneng's recital, Guan Shengyun was so excited that he immediately withered on the ground and cried and cried, and he couldn't get up for a long time-so moved that the adults almost got up with the idea of sparing his life in the future...... Of course, this thought was only fleeting.

Soon, the opinions on the handling of the Nanzhili officialdom drafted by the Ministry of Officials, the draft of the Cabinet and the approval of the Red by the Holy Lords were also issued: Qian Qianfu, the governor of Jiangning, was transferred to the governor of Shandong, the political envoy of Nanzhili was fined for one year, and he was fined according to the inspection envoy plus dismissed from his post and retained, Yue Qi, the prefect of Yangzhou, was corrupt and sent to the Criminal Department for questioning (immediately on the way to "die of violence"), Yangzhou Mansion Tongzhi Hong Yongtu, and Bai Hanzhang were sentenced to collude with the salt lords, and he committed suicide in fear of crime, and his home was confiscated, and his family flowed 3,000 miles, and Li Wei, the registered general soldier of the Huainan Water Battalion, was tired of playing laxity, and the whole family was sent to Yunnan to fill the army......

Of course, except for a few unlucky ghosts with top bags, the adults who were under Guan Shengyun's black private goods actually not only did not lose, but also made a fortune - the Lan family was completely finished, and it was uprooted, and the real confiscated property was a million yuan, and only more than 300,000 taels were sent to the warehouse, and the ready-made negative teaching materials were bloodily placed there, and other salt merchants took the initiative to report the results, adding up to 300,000 taels......

Huai'an Mansion, Yangzhou Mansion, Luzhou Mansion, Anqing Mansion and other areas along the river, the prefects have also changed one after another. It is worth mentioning that Song Mingyi, the director of the Sichuan Qing Officials Division of the Ministry of Households, with the excellent results of the first class of Jingcha (honesty, talent, political diligence, plus the prime of life, etc.), released the Luzhou prefect - the Thirteen Qing Officials Division of the Household Department, "Nanzhili Prefecture, the government, the guard, and all the things are led by the Sichuan Division", and it is natural to be familiar with the road to Luzhou. The adults in the court are all privately spreading that this Song prefect was the prefect of Hanlin County earlier, and then passed the judgment, and the plan was superior to the household department, this time the prefect was released, if he made some achievements and then returned to the court, the future would be limitless!

The Daning Du family was in full swing to organize production, Wupi and Cheng Ha'er were grandly transported by water and land, and the officials and soldiers would easily "intercept" a batch every ten days and half a month, and then load them on the spot and sail away on the official ships of the various prefectures and counties that had been waiting for a long time, and the business of the official villages of the prefectures and counties was booming...... The private farms that used to steal and sell Sichuan salt had to change their careers, and the gangs that escorted and smuggled people in various places also disappeared, and the public order in the whole of Huguang suddenly improved.

The provinces had money, so they began to build official roads and new ships; With the great assistance of Du Yuanwai, who was newly awarded the name of Xiucai, Jian Jingneng widened the mountain roads from Daning and Dachang to Jingzhou Mansion and Yunyang Mansion, and really built a few "fortresses" along the way - but these fortresses did not seem to have considered the military use of easy defense and difficult to attack in the process of construction, especially the entrances and exits, how convenient and how to come - so it looks more like a super-large-scale post station! Each "fortress" had many empty houses built in advance, and the young army division settled the wounded officers and soldiers in the army in the empty rooms, and each of them was accompanied by a few homeless people as helpers, and soon there were teahouses, wine shops, bookstores, grocery stores, and iron-making baskets and workshops for selling hemp rope...... And it was all open. At first, the main customers were the endless flow of transport teams of Cheng Ha'er, and later, during the dry season of the Yangtze River and the flood season when it was difficult to sail, many merchants also came. The inn, oh wrong, the fortress, like a magnet, gathered all the displaced people scattered in the surrounding mountains to clear the land nearby. Finally, in the midst of the barren mountains and mountains, several prosperous towns miraculously appeared. Daning and Dachang are also undergoing earth-shaking changes at a speed visible to the naked eye, and their liveliness is not inferior to which prefecture!

Master Jian Jingneng personally acted as a matchmaker, and the young military master married Du Yuanwai's pearl. Not to mention how lively the wedding was, the adults of Futai who were good friends with the young military division went to congratulate in person, and at least the adults from other places were also the same knowledge, and even the adults of the three divisions of Huguang gave heavy gifts, so that several county lords of Daning Dachang and Gucheng could only drink wedding wine in the open air in the courtyard. Du Da Worm, who is known as the crown of Daning, blocked the wine for his brother-in-law Shaojunshi, and then slept for three full days—even Du Duan and Aunt Du were drunk unconscious by the amiable Feng adults...... Since then, everyone has completely become a family, and Guan Shengyun's army has firmly established itself at the junction of Sichuan and Hubei.

The biggest harvest is naturally Guan Shengyun. Nearly 50 million catties of Sichuan salt, excluding the part distributed to the adults, and then deducting the production and transportation costs of Du Yuan, there is a net profit of more than 100,000 taels. Coupled with the income from the sale of goods from the two Huaicao boats seized by Zhang Ding and You Futian, a pair of living treasures, and the taxes of several "fortresses", nearly 300,000 taels of income were received in the first year!

However, the money, along with Guan Shengyun's capture all the way, was quickly spent like flowing water. Under Luo Yonghao's ambitious plan, Sancheng was used to build and open up the salt transportation channel between Sichuan, Hubei and Shaanxi, while the rest was spent on armaments.

According to Guan Shengyun's order, most of the auxiliary soldiers were re-subordinated to the civilian nationality with the help of local governments in the name of Xinfu Liumin, and each of them was allocated 20 acres of wasteland, and those who could not or did not want to farm were also paid severance pay, and all of them settled down. At the same time, the battalions were expanded on an unprecedented scale: the elite auxiliary troops with combat experience who had been specially left behind were turned into combat soldiers on the spot, and the number of troops was expanded from the original 6,000 to more than 10,000 at once. In order to avoid a big wind, 600 people were stationed in Yunyang Mansion in the name of Jian Jing Neng, and more than 3,000 elite veterans were placed in Daning to guard the lair. 5,000 new auxiliaries were recruited from the exiles – the dependence of the temporarily settled troops on the auxiliaries had been greatly reduced, and these 5,000 auxiliaries were more than enough to serve more than 6,000 soldiers (in Daning and Yunyang, local auxiliaries or civilian support). The selected refugees were overjoyed: not only did they eat better than the soldiers of the ordinary officers and soldiers, but they also saw with their own eyes how Guan Dashuai settled the retired brothers, and the unsuccessful ones were reluctant to leave the camp for a long time.

A few months later, the Son of Heaven received a piece of music from Jian Jingneng. In addition to the words earnestly expressed the deep desire to enter the capital to face the saint to pay homage to the face of heaven, Lord Jian not without a heavy report to the Holy Son of Heaven that he was in the construction of the fortress when he was suffering from the miasma in the barren mountains and dense forests, and after the consultation of the famous doctors in Sichuan and Hubei, the Lang Zhong unanimously determined that the continuation of life can only rely on a poisonous mushroom parasitic on the thousand-year-old vine in the local forest as a medicine primer - it is a pity that this mushroom will turn into black water six hours after picking it, and the poisonous effect is completely ...... In other words, letting Master Jane go would cost him his life! Therefore, begging the Holy Son of Heaven to be merciful, allowing his family to come and take care of him, and by the way, to send himself to his death, Master Jane himself has made up his mind to fight for the Holy Son of Heaven until the last moment of his life...... Well, strictly speaking, Lord Jane can't be considered a lie - as long as you change people, the truth will come to light immediately, not to mention Lord Jane herself, no one in the family can live! So I can only lay down one heart, since I have been on the ship of Guan Shengyun, I can only go all the way to the dark.

Not only the officials, but almost all the Beijing officials received heavy gifts from the adults in Huguang in private, and even the most powerful and picky imperial historians also shifted their targets and began to scold other provinces. Even if a few people don't buy it, the faint voice will quickly be drowned out in the snowflakes of praise - needless to say, taking Caoliang as an example, the actual number of households in all provinces is eighty percent, and the lowest completion rate in Huguang is also more than ninety!

* In the Ming Dynasty, from the Jingtai period, as a special military merit to protect the shadow, the military position of Wenchen Yinzi gradually became a system and became the highest level of recognition.

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