Zhu Youtang is going to attack Zhang Mao.
If you didn’t take action before, it was because the time had not come yet, and Zhang Zhou was what Zhu Youtang thought was the time. Without Zhang Zhou’s appearance, Zhu Youtang would not be able to rely on others. Then Zhang Mao and Zhu Hui and this group of people are the backbone of Ming Dynasty, and no one can touch them.
Now that the emperor wants to make a difference, Zhang Mao and Zhu Hui will become a stumbling block.
After lunch.
Zhu Youtang took Zhang Zhou to the warehouse of the inner palace, where he was carrying money and other items.
Li Zhang arrived earlier and saw the two big guys Zhu Youtang and Zhang Zhou. He hurried over to greet him and said with a look of joy, "Your Majesty, we are transporting the goods from the south this time." The silver that came over was 1.2 million taels, and this warehouse can hardly hold it."
"Haha, is that so?" Zhu Youtang said with a relieved smile.
Zhang Zhou sent a ship out to sea and finally got something, that is, he got silver with very high purity.
Silver was originally used for mining and smelting among the primitive tribes of the American continent, and the Native Americans only used it as decoration, not as hard currency, so that the Ming Dynasty's fleet passed After that, you can easily capture a lot of them and bring them back.
This is also due to the fact that the Ming Dynasty's fleet landed from the west coast of America. At this time, the American continent had been discovered by Europeans, and Europeans had begun to penetrate deeper into the interior from the east coast of America.
Li Zhang smiled and said, "In addition to silver, there are also many unnamed goods. The slaves and maids have ordered them to be sorted out. We are just waiting for His Majesty and Duke Cai to come."
"It's no use that I'm here. I want Bingkuan to go over and have a look."
Zhu Youtang looked at Zhang Zhou with extremely trusting eyes.
Then the two of them, surrounded by a kind of eunuchs and palace guards, came to the yard where there were large and small boxes of items. On a wooden shelf, they specially displayed the items captured from this trip to sea. Every kind of items can be placed, but even so, there is not enough room for several shelves.
Zhang Zhou saw the corn cob from afar.
This thing does not exist in the Ming Dynasty now, but in the next few hundred years, it will become the main ration for the Chinese people and livestock, and lead to the rapid expansion of the Chinese people .
"Your Majesty, this is it."
Zhang Zhou first took out a stick of corn.
Besides are sweet potato leaves, as well as some sweet potatoes, potatoes and other crops, as well as some unnamed crop samples. Because of the long journey on the sea, there are no good preservation measures these days, and there are no good preservation measures on the ship. It was impossible to grow these crops, so many of the crops that came over were only seeds and dry branches and leaves.
But only the sweet potato leaves are still fresh.
This is mainly because the vitality of sweet potatoes is extremely tenacious, and they can take root and sprout with just a little soil and water.
"Bingkuan, what is this?" Zhu Youtang looked at the corn curiously.
The person next to me is responsible for escorting the goods, and he has also gone to sea.The general said, "Your Majesty, I went to sea and went to a foreign country. I saw people from the foreign country grinding this material into powder, mixing it with water, steaming it, eating it, and using it as rations. All the soldiers who went to sea also ate it." , there is no sign of poisoning."
Zhu Youtang said, "Bingkuan, this is what you said, a unique overseas food crop."
"Yes" Zhang Zhou. He nodded, then looked at the general and said, "Tell me in detail what you have seen and heard about this thing."
The general said, "The soldiers who went to sea happened to be in summer when they arrived in Fandi, and they saw it. According to the harvest of this crop, one acre of land can produce about one thousand kilograms of grain. This is only a conservative estimate. In a good year, one mu of land can produce nearly two thousand kilograms of grain. , and you don’t feel hungry after eating it. The soldiers can eat it for a long time, which can be as much as ordinary corn, etc.” Too many."
"Are there so many?"
Zhu Youtang couldn't help but frown.
The grain output of the Ming Dynasty was actually calculated according to dendrobium, but it was also calculated according to the weight when collecting taxes.
As a diligent emperor, Zhu Youtang was not the kind of aloof king. At least he knew that
Daming’s rice, etc., could never be produced from one acre of land. It will reach 500 kilograms, because there is no chemical fertilizer in the land these days. Even a little farmyard manure cannot make the land fertile and productive.
But this kind of crop can almost directly increase the land output by two or three times.
This made Zhu Youtang sound a little unreliable.
Zhang Zhou said, "Your Majesty, true knowledge comes from practice. Now that we have got the seeds back, we can sow them after spring next year. In the south and other places, we can also experiment with sowing after autumn this year. I think that in a few years, the seeds in various places will The rations will be increased, and they can also be used for the daily rations of the northern soldiers."
Zhu Youtang smiled and said, "Bingkuan, you are a little too hasty. I don't think you are in such a hurry to bring back much." ”
The general replied, “Have brought back half a boat, and there are also other crops, which are hard to describe. Because there is a decree to bring back crops that have never appeared in the Ming Dynasty, so I brought back everything I could."
"Yes."
Zhu Youtang nodded and said, "Very good, very good."
As he stood, Zhu Youtang was still looking at the crop samples on the shelf.
Obviously Zhu Youtang wanted to ask Zhang Zhou if there was any immortal grass among them.
For a person who is rich all over the world, only immortality is their highest pursuit. Other than that, everything seems to be pursued only spiritually and can only be pursued if there is life. So life is inseparable for them.
The higher you are in a high position, the more you fear death.
Zhang Zhou said, "Your Majesty, I think you can try to sow these types of crops. In addition to food crops, there are also many economic crops. In layman's terms, they areIt can be used to make items. I also want to take some back and study them carefully. ”
“Okay, you got these back.” Zhu Youtang smiled and said, "You can take whatever you want with you. I'm still thinking about whether to send the second fleet out to sea immediately."
Whether there is fairy grass or not,
< p>Only one trip to sea could bring back 1.2 million taels of silver, which made the emperor feel that the value of this trip was simply too high.In fact, the silver he brought back this time was more than that. There are so many shipped to the capital.
Zhang Zhou said, "Your Majesty, if you send ships to sea again, you will need to send a larger fleet and bring more soldiers and horses. To manage overseas areas, you need soldiers who can do it." Conquest and garrison, I think this matter should be considered again. "
"Yes, yes, this is not a one-shot deal. I did not expect that this is not Penglai Wonderland, it is simply a mountain of gold and silver. "Come here, go and compile the details of this trip to the sea into a book. I will take a good look tonight to see what kind of place this is. Is it full of gold and silver?"
Zhu Youtang was puzzled. .
This time I went to sea, I haven’t found the fairy grass yet, but I have already made a fortune.
I thought that the shipbuilding and going to sea were just a matter of accompaniment to Zhang Zhou, and I just used trust. Who would have thought that the opportunity would come and bring back money, and the money does not need to go into the household treasury, it belongs to the emperor's private property.
The emperor only thought that money was good, and did not think about it. Will this inflow of silver cause inflation?
Even if Zhu Youtang has a certain knowledge, he will not be so comprehensive in thinking about the problem. The main reason is that people these days only read the Four Books and Five Classics, and have no understanding of economics. There is no concept.
Those things will take hundreds of years to form a theory.
Perhaps it will be something that an ordinary primary school student will know in later generations, but in this era. But it is unfathomable and profound knowledge, because no one has discovered, or does not need to discover, that primitive farming societies only know how much food is produced and how much taxes are paid, and then use this to feed the people and achieve sustainable development.
"Bingkuan, you must come to the court tomorrow morning and have a good talk with them. "
Before Zhu Youtang said goodbye to Zhang Zhou, he also gave special instructions.
Obviously the emperor also knew that in many matters, he was also a layman and needed Zhang Zhou." "Those who are knowledgeable" came out and explained to the ministers.
Then Zhang Zhoucai walked out of the palace accompanied by Li Zhang.
"Cai Guogong, Your Majesty also asked us to talk to you about English."
The Duke’s affairs. "
Li Zhang had a ruthless style in front of outsiders, but in front of Zhang Zhou, he seemed very humble and cautious.
Zhang Zhou said, "I also feel strange, why suddenly the British The public's reputation seemed to have been established overnight. Rumors spread all over the market, as if he was not afraid of any trouble that would come from criticizing the ministers of the DPRK. "
Li Zhang said, "This is because Dongchang sent people to spread the news.Civilian discussions are also allowed. Otherwise, the leader would have been taken down long ago and even questioned. ”
“That’s it. "Zhang Zhou said, "I wonder what the British Duke has done that is so outrageous."
Li Zhang smiled. Of course he knew that Zhang Zhou was pretending to be confused.
"My lord, You should also be aware that no one in the Dudu Mansion knows that in the first few years, before you entered the court, what officials you would do in the Dudu Mansion, how to be promoted, how to lead troops abroad, and how to serve as commander-in-chief everywhere, etc., were all clearly marked. , it is not that the British public and private parties give and receive, but the whole atmosphere is like this. "
"Really?" Zhang Zhou pretended to be surprised, "Don't your Majesty know about it?"
"Your Majesty naturally knows about it, but why has it been like this for the past few decades? It's a mess, and as long as something doesn't go terribly wrong, people with a clear eye will turn a blind eye. ”
“Haha. If you turn a blind eye and close one eye, how can you call it a discerning person? Either he is discerning or he is blind, not half-blind."
"You are joking, sir, that was the situation at that time, and it was also in In the past two years, the situation has improved greatly after you became Minister of the Ministry of War. This is also related to the emergence of Yanwutang, which created a promotion channel for middle and lower-level generals. There was no such channel before. Who wants to be promoted depends on the above. His Majesty has never intervened in such matters. It is left to the British public to decide for themselves. "
When Li Zhang said this, he looked very sad and said, "The two previous Baoguogongs were all like this. Perhaps because of this, there were some generals who did nothing, and Your Majesty will also hate them deeply. . ”
Zhang Zhou asked, “Is this the sin of the British Duke?”
Li Zhang shook his head and said, “The sin of the British Duke is far more than that. In other words, this is actually the custom of the officialdom. His British father's misdeeds must not be tolerated. On the contrary, the British prince took advantage of the military power in his hands to do some illegal things. In addition to promoting his party members, taking the opportunity to enrich his own pockets, and violating His Majesty's overt and covert ways, these are the reasons why Your Majesty wants to touch him. "
Zhang Zhou asked curiously, "The British prince still has the courage to disobey His Majesty's will."
"Alas"
Li Zhang sighed, "It's not that he doesn't comply, it's that he doesn't need to comply at all. There are many matters in the Governor's Mansion that His Majesty does not need to interfere with. For example, some matters involving procurement and other matters, even the Ministry of Revenue cannot intervene. His Majesty also sent Dongchang to check the accounts. , but obviously those are just some running accounts and there is no way to check them. "
"Oh. "Zhang Zhou nodded.
Li Zhang continued, "Besides, the British Duke is not that big-hearted. He used to be close to civil servants, which gave him a good reputation, but everyone knows that he has never been He has never been involved in leading troops on the battlefield. No one knows how capable he is in running an army. In other words, he can only talk about military affairs on paper. If foreign barbarians attack near the capital, can they be expected to resist the invading enemies?"
Zhang Zhou chose to remain silent this time.
Listen to Li Zhang talking about old man Zhang as if he was pouring out his bitter experience. Right and wrong, there is a sense of overwhelming others.
But the problem is that the wall of Old Man Zhang seems to have not fallen down yet.
It’s a bit early to push this forward
“The Dukes of Cheng and Wei were mostly involved in Nanjing’s military affairs, while Duke Bao and Duke Ying were closely connected with the Beijing camp. In the past, there were many disputes between Bao Guo Gong and Ying Gong Gong about the affairs of the Beijing camp, and there were also factional conflicts between them. But now that Bao Guo Gong was defeated, Ying Gong had no opponent. But your Majesty will not sit back and let his family dominate."
Li Zhang said with a smile, "Your Majesty, most of the affairs of the capital camp will be handed over to you."
Zhang Zhou waved his hand and said, "I am the Minister of the Ministry of War. Military affairs in the capital camp should still be left to the people in the Governor's Office."
"My lord, why do you have to be so modest? , after Jingtai, it is not without precedent that the Ministry of War Shangshu Admiral Jingying
camp, and you are also a distinguished minister of the Governor's Mansion. With your prestige, who in the army does not respect you for doing things fairly? The superiors and subordinates hope that you can take power as soon as possible. The soldiers also want a fair person in charge." Li Zhang paid a compliment to Zhang Zhou.
Zhang Zhou said, "But now, after all, the military affairs are still in charge of the British."
"It's almost time," Li Zhang said, "Now things are still fermenting, and the rumors outside are fierce. The extent will become even worse. After all, the British Duke is old and he should give way to others. Our family will fully assist you, Cai Guogong."
Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "It's too early to say this. I think that outsiders will treat the British Duke. There is still respect, even if there are some rumors, it still cannot affect his current status."
Li Zhang also responded with a smile, "We'll see."
When Zhang Mao was sitting at home, disaster came from heaven.
A bunch of rumors were circulating outside, and he also heard some rumors here.
"My lord, it is being spread outside that you are thinking about Duke Bao's family members. They are not dead yet. It is really ugly to say that you are adding insult to injury. I don't even know what to do." How to say it?"
An aide named Zhong went to the British Government House in the city that day and shared his knowledge with Zhang Mao in the study.
Zhang Mao paced back and forth and said angrily, "A group of young people, I have experienced big storms, how can I care about this little setback? They don't weigh their own weight and what rumors are there?"
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"Some people say that you are corrupt and perverting the law, and some officials even want to impeach you based on what they have heard. It's hard to say who is specific at the moment, but I went to say hello to a few people in science and technology. They don't even want to meet, probably because they are afraid of being involved. "My lord, you must be careful not to get involved in anything again." Please remember to bookmark the latest and fastest website for free reading without anti-theft