son-in-law

Chapter 1082 Chapter [-] The Great Tide of the Times ([-])

It's late at night, and it's time for most shops to close.The lights on Gao Fu Building were dim, and an important meeting was taking place here.

"...There is no reason why it shouldn't. The imperial court attaches great importance to sea transportation, which is always a good thing in the long run. The world is vast, and away from the place under our feet, natural disasters and man-made disasters will take away people's lives at any time. Only strong ships and sharp guns can keep people on the sea alive for two more days. Everyone should remember what happened in Jinghan's three years. Killed a few scapegoats, but the benefits of that skill, among us, there are still a few people who took advantage of it."

"The capital city of the Jinghan dynasty is Bianliang, the sky is high and the emperor is far away. A few scapegoats are enough, but today...and, today, the style of the new emperor is far different from that of the old one."

"After the new emperor came, he fought for the hearts and minds of the people and seized power. He could be said to be a hard-working soldier. Now the next step is to go north and return to Lin'an. What's going on? Do you really want to go to sea? , or do you want to knock us off?"

"Is the little emperor short of money?" Wang Yikui, who was seated last, asked coldly at this moment.

"The imperial court is always short of money." Tian Haoran, an old Confucian scholar, said.

Gao Fulai said: "Since the new king came to Fuzhou, he promoted things, ran newspapers, and implemented new policies. Recently, he said that he respected the king and rejected the barbarians. Half of the aristocratic families who originally stood on the orthodox side were offended by him. Yes, the sky is too high and the road is too far away to reach the southeast sea. But inside and outside of Fuzhou City, we maritime merchants have always supported him the most. Since last year, my Gao family has donated more than [-] taels of silver to the imperial court. , what you take out should not be lower than this number."

He paused: "The new ruler is strong, and it is the blessing of all people. Now that Wu Qimei and Tie Yan have kneeled the golden dog and occupied Lin'an, I, the people of the Wu Dynasty, can't stand it. We can say that we need money in war. But now It seems that self-willedness is the crux of the matter..."

Tian Haoran shook his head: "Brother Gao Xian thinks too much. The reason why the emperor is like this is because we are merchants. If the imperial court wants to share power with the scholar-bureaucrats, it has to shout the slogan of respecting the king and destroying barbarians. It is not discussed to take profits from merchants." Moreover, not long after the new king succeeded to the throne, what he encountered was all battles and fights. The methods were more direct, which is the habit of young people, but the emperor can be direct, and the people around him should not be like this. In my opinion, this After all, there are treacherous ministers around His Majesty."

Gao Fulai smiled: "In today's room, it's okay for me to wait for a few people to say that they are merchants. The Tian family has been a scholar for generations, and now they also list themselves as merchants?"

Tian Haoran stroked his half-white beard, and smiled: "To the outside world, it is said that it is a generation of scholars, but the business has become so big, and the outside world has long regarded my Tian family as a merchant. In fact, Fuzhou is located in the southeast, and there was no champion at the time. Instead of studying, it is better to do some business. If I had known that the Wu Dynasty would move south, I would not sit with you."

After the old man finished speaking, most of the others laughed.After a while, Gao Fulai restrained his smile, and said solemnly: "Brother Tian, ​​although you are humble, you have the most friends in the court, and the officials from all ministries and the left minister in the court are your guests. I don’t know who is referring to this traitorous minister?”

Tian Haoran shook his head: "Several ministers and prime ministers of the current dynasty are all old courtiers. They went out to sea with the dragon boat and watched the new emperor succeed to the throne. They have done a lot of work, but in the eyes of the emperor, it may be just hard work. Xinjun is young and has a radical personality. He doesn't like the prudent words of the old courtiers. He has always used some young people in private, and he used some people from the eldest princess's house. It is not unknown to you. It's just that these people are not well-qualified and have a bad reputation, so the phases belong to a few veteran officials."

"Up to now, as Gao Xiandi said before, a group of bastards came from the Huaxia Army. They are even younger and have won the emperor's favor. They go to the palace every day to point out the country and deceive the people in front of the emperor. They are the ones in the southwest. How can a person taught by Demon Ning have any good intentions towards us? The emperor could not have imagined such a simple truth, and it was only after being bewitched by them that the rumor came out today. Brother Gao Xian, do you think it is the truth."

"That's it." Gao Fulai nodded, "Now that the new ruler has occupied Fuzhou, what the people of the world are looking forward to is that he will prepare his horses and fight hard and return to Lin'an. If this can be done within a year or two, the foundation of the Wu Dynasty will still exist. But these bastards from the Huaxia Army came here to confuse the emperor to care about maritime trade... Maritime affairs can be profitable in the long run, but in the short term, they are just throwing money and people at them. I'm afraid no one can do business, and the meaning of the black flag is to drag the emperor down in Fuzhou."

When he said "when there was a fight at sea", he looked at Wang Yikui who was opposite him, and then looked away.

"Then there are two meanings now: first, either the emperor has been bewitched and is determined to get involved in the sea, then he will first offend the officials, then offend the gentry, and today he will offend the maritime merchants again. , I think the Wu Dynasty is in danger, and I can't just sit and watch...Of course, it may be the second meaning. Your Majesty is short of money, so I'm sorry to say it. If you want to come over to have an autumn breeze, then...Everyone, we will have to pay for this It's over."

Everyone looked at each other, and the room was silent for a moment.Pu Annan first said: "The new emperor is going to come to Fuzhou, and we have never obstructed it. After we arrived in Fuzhou, we contributed money and efforts. Previously, it was a few hundred thousand taels. I was wronged, after paying so much money, the emperor turned around and said he wanted to dig our roots?"

"The country is in trouble, and it is right to pay some money." Shang Bingchun said, "But if you spend money, you have to listen to it."

"It's okay to spend money, but if Your Majesty is determined to participate in maritime trade, what should we do?" Gao Fulai held the teacup and made a slight noise on the coaster.

Wang Yikui, who had always been taciturn, looked at the crowd: "This is your place. If the emperor really wants to participate, he should consult with someone. Do you ask someone to persuade you first?"

"If the emperor really comes to the door to discuss it, then there is no need to persuade you. Businessmen, dare to refuse verbally..." Tian Haoran stretched out his hand and scratched his neck.

"The emperor has been chased to the southeast, can this still happen?"

"It's hard to say about the previous emperors, but our... doesn't seem to be afraid of offending people."

When the five people said this, they were either playing with teacups or rubbing their fingers on the table, but they didn't speak for a while.After a while, it was Gao Fulai who said, "I have an idea."

Tian Haoran, Shang Bingchun, and Pu Annan raised their teacups, while Wang Yikui watched quietly.

"Whether the imperial court wants to participate in maritime trade, no matter whether it is true or false, it will be passed on sooner or later. When the meaning of the higher-ups comes down, if we say no, I am afraid we will offend others. The elders will lobby in the court. Let us first You have to be mentally prepared, I think... it's okay to spend up to this amount to settle this matter."

As he spoke, he moved the five fingers of his outstretched right hand.

"fifty thousand?"

"50."

"If you're scared, that's all it takes?"

"If the imperial court just wants to rip off the bamboo sticks, let's give money directly, which is to stop the boiling of the soup. To stop the boiling of the soup is just a solution. The real way is to draw the salary from the bottom of the pot. Brother Shang said to listen to the sound, and Brother Tian said there are traitors in there North Korea, so what we are going to pay today is money for life."

Gao Fulai glanced at everyone: "The new emperor moved into Fuzhou, and we all support it. Many aristocratic families point to the imperial court for benefits, and we are the only ones who pay the imperial court. It seems that it may be a little softer, so now we don't To say hello, you have to find us, and in this case, the impression really needs to be changed, before you find us, you can donate money, but you can’t keep people.”

Everyone looked at each other, Tian Haoran said: "If there is no temptation from someone with a heart, His Majesty's thoughts will indeed be much lighter."

"The one whose surname is Ning in the southwest killed the emperor of the Wu Dynasty, and the people of the Wu Dynasty are inseparable from him." Pu Annan said, "Today they came here in a big way, and those who really care about the Wu Dynasty want to kill them soon. It's not surprising that something happened to them."

"Although Mr. Pu came from a foreign country, he is quite sincere in his affection for our Wu Dynasty, which is admirable."

"My family is here, and it has been passed down for several generations. Pu grew up in the Wu Dynasty since he was a child. He is a genuine Wu Dynasty person, and he should be concerned about the Wu Dynasty. I will prepare the 50 taels first."

Everyone drank tea and chatted a few words, Shang Bingchun said: "If even so, the matter still cannot be resolved, what should we do?"

"Then pack your bags, go to the sea, guard the trade route with the Dragon King, and fight with the imperial court for three years. I would rather not make money in these three years, but also let the imperial court taste the slightest sweetness-this word can be spread, let them I know, the man who walked into the sea..." Gao Fulai put down his teacup, "...how ruthless it can be!"

**************
Under the night, the whimpering sea breeze blows through the city streets of Fuzhou.

When approaching Zi, the carriage passed through the city streets of Fuzhou, heading towards the royal garden at the northwest end of the city.

This garden located in the city is not far from the busy city of Fuzhou. After Junwu occupied Fuzhou, many places in it were allocated to officials for office use.It was dark at this time, but beyond the garden wall, you can still see lights in many places.The carriage stopped by a side door, Zuo Xiuquan got out of the carriage, entered the garden, walked for a while, and entered a place called Wenhan Garden.

This Wenhan Garden was originally used for the royal collection of books and the storage of ancient books and curiosities.Three two-storey buildings with a garden pond nearby and beautiful scenery.At this time, the hall of the main building was open on all sides, the lights were on inside, and long tables formed a bustling office space. Some young people were still writing and handling paperwork at their desks. Zuo Xiuquan greeted them.

"Haven't you rested yet, where's the town?"

After asking about Zuo Wenhuai's location, he went to look for him on the second floor of the adjacent small building. On the way, he met several young people and greeted him.

There are more than 40 young people from the southwest, headed by Zuo Wenhuai, but of course not all of them are from the Zuo family.In recent years, the Huaxia Army has fought from the northwest to the southwest. Most of the participants are staunch "rebels", but there are always some people who have different family backgrounds in the past. Those who adopt a hatred attitude, so some of those who followed this time have some family backgrounds.There is also another part, who came here with curiosity and observation.

Thousands of miles from the southwest to Fuzhou, and some supplies from the southwest were escorted. This journey is not easy.Although relying on the identity of the Zuo family and borrowing the advantages of several large caravans to move forward, they still encountered several dangers along the way.It was also when facing several dangers that Zuo Xiuquan saw the ferocity of these young people on the battlefield. After experiencing a series of battles in the Southwest, these originally flexible battlefields survived. Each of the fighters was forged into a weapon on the battlefield. They were determined in the face of chaos, and many people's battlefield vision, in Zuo Xiuquan's view, even surpassed many generals of the Wu Dynasty.

In fact, in the past, Ning Yi did not give special preferential treatment to elite soldiers like Zuo Wenhuai who had a foundation of enlightenment—in fact, there was no room for preferential treatment.This time, they were transferred after various selections. Many of them were not subordinate to each other, and they had no experience as partners.The thousands of miles of road and several tense situations along the way allowed them to get to know each other better. When they arrived in Fuzhou, they were basically a team.

They arrived in Fuzhou in April, bringing with them Southwest's Gewu system and a lot of advanced experience, but of course these experiences cannot be integrated into Fuzhou's system in an all-round way through a few "cheat books".Especially here in Fuzhou, Ning Yi has not sent a large number of corresponding professional teachers and technicians like he did to Jin, and the early planning of reforms in various fields has become quite critical.

Every member of the team who has experience in Gephysics has been arrested and is responsible for sorting out certain aspects of data, discussing and making plans.What does a certain thing look like in the Southwest, why, what can be used for reference, what areas can be changed, what can't be changed, what is a human problem, and what is a problem with funds... These days, the Wu Dynasty is governed by Wenren Buer led the team and came over to have a lot of meetings and discussions with everyone, and these young people would work there until late at night every day.

Traveling thousands of miles from the southwest, Zuo Xiuquan was already familiar with most of these young people.As a representative of the great clan loyal to the Wu Dynasty, he would feel excited and gratified to see these young people with outstanding minds shine under various tests.But at the same time, I can't help but think that the team of young people in front of me actually has different thoughts. Even Zuo Wenhuai, who is a child of the Zuo family, probably doesn't have the same inner thoughts as the Zuo family. It is even more difficult to say.

Ning Yi, who was far in the southwest, threw the seeds of such a team of more than forty people over, and now it seems that they will become outstanding figures in their own right sooner or later.On the surface, it seems that they have brought various experiences from the Southwest to Fuzhou. In fact, what role will they play in the future court of the Wu Dynasty?Thinking of this, Zuo Xiuquan felt a little headache.

Of course, it's just getting started at this time, and it's not yet the time to worry too much.He went all the way to the nearby second floor. Zuo Wenhuai was climbing down from the top of the building with Xiao Jingyi, the deputy of the team. They seemed to say something like "pay attention to changing shifts". After leaving, Zuo Wenhuai and Zuo Xiuquan went to the study next to them, poured a cup of tea, and started to discuss things.

"...I left Fuzhou for a while, and just came back. I heard something at night, so I came here... I heard that recently, you suggested to His Majesty to focus on Haimao in the direction of investigating things? Your Majesty is still quite moved?"

After the Fuzhou imperial court made great reforms, it hurt the hearts of many aristocratic families, but after all, many old Confucianists and aristocratic families who had received national favors were vacillating. Useful lobbyist.After Zuo Xiuquan returned to Fuzhou, he started to go out again. Only when he came back did he realize that things had changed.

When he asked at this time, Zuo Wenhuai showed a relatively soft smile: "Mr. Ning used to pay attention to this point, I just mentioned it casually, I didn't expect His Majesty to really mean this."

Zuo Xiuquan frowned slightly and looked at him.

At first glance, this nephew of his family seemed weak and deceitful, but after several months of traveling together, he really realized that the face under this smiling face was really ruthless, ruthless, and resolute.He may not have understood most of the official rules when he came here, but Yu Qianqian didn't have anything to mention about such a crucial point.

Seeing Uncle Zuo's expression like this, the smile on Zuo Wenhuai's face changed: "The innovation here in Fuzhou is too much, and there are not many allies. If you want to support the situation, you must consider large-scale open source. Right now Attacking from the north is not necessarily wise. Once the territory expands, if you want to carry out the innovation, the expenses will only increase exponentially. At that time, the imperial court can only increase exorbitant taxes. It’s a sea trade route.”

"Marine trade has several major problems." Zuo Xiuquan said, "First, after His Majesty got Fuzhou, he said to the outside world that he would go north and return to Lin'an. This matter can be delayed for a year or two. People on our side will walk away slowly; secondly, sea trade management is not something that can be familiarized with only one person or two people in a day or two. There are corresponding maritime merchant forces, one is not good, I am afraid that dealing with them will take a long time, on the one hand, it will damage the morale of going north, and on the other hand, the business route will not be opened, I am afraid that the problem will be even bigger..."

"We have also considered these things, but Uncle Quan, have you ever thought about why His Majesty enforced the reforms?" Zuo Wenhuai looked at him, then paused slightly, "The old aristocratic families in the past, pointed fingers , I want to add sand to the imperial court, and now facing internal and external troubles, I really can't live on, so His Majesty said that we should respect the king and fight against barbarians. This is the first principle of today's innovation. Use whatever you have, it is really impossible Don't think about him too much."

"...Our Zuo family lobbied all parties, and wanted those who still trusted the imperial court to contribute money and efforts to support His Majesty. Of course it is a good thing that some people do this, but if they can't be said, should we meet their expectations? Little My nephew thinks that at the moment, the illusory support of these aristocratic families does not need to be valued too much. For their expectations, I will fight back to Lin'an, and then raise my arms to defeat He Wen with the support of the next... Don't say it is I underestimated He Wen and the Fair Party, but the deduction of the whole process is really too idealistic..."

"...The future is an era of elite soldiers. Uncle Quan, I have stayed in the Southwest. If I want to train elite soldiers, one of the biggest problems in the future is money. In the past, the imperial court and the scholar-officials jointly ruled the world. Li Shen, there are millions of troops at every turn, but they eat nothing, they support the army but also rely on the army to make money... If you want to cut off their hands, you have to get the money yourself. If the previous game doesn't work, solve this problem Things are the focus of innovation.”

"... Regarding the second thing you said, Uncle Quan, the court has two fleets in its hands now, saying that there are no talents to use. In fact, there are many talents who have gone to sea in the navy in the past. Moreover, The imperial court emphasizes maritime trade, and in the long run, it will be beneficial to all those who rely on the sea for food. There are short-sighted and long-sighted maritime merchants. The imperial court raised its arms, and it may not be able to combat division. Mr. Ning said that the conservatives are not Extremely afraid of innovation, the essence of their fear is to lose benefits..."

Zuo Wenhuai's tone was not high, but he was clear and logical, and he talked with eloquence, which was different from the youthful him who occasionally showed in the Golden Palace.

After talking like this for a while, Zuo Xiuquan said: "But have you ever thought about your identities, after all, it is the Huaxia Army who came here, and the first innovation idea you put forward when you came here is so unreasonable. Then Some people will say that you are Mr. Ning deliberately sent spies to deceive the public and hinder the orthodox rise of the Wu Dynasty...Once you have such a statement, all the reforms you want to do next may be half the result with twice the effort."

When Zuo Xiuquan mentioned this point, Zuo Wenhuai was slightly stunned. He lowered his head and thought for a while, and when he raised his head, his eyes were flickering with murderous intent.

"Uncle Quan, we are young people." He said, "What we have learned in the Southwest all these years is to be sensible, speculative, and reform, but in the final analysis, what we have learned the most these years is to go to the battlefield and kill us. enemy!"

His words were full of murderous intent. After he finished speaking, the room fell silent. After a while, Zuo Wenhuai said: "Of course, we are new here, and there are inevitably many things that have not been considered carefully. But the general direction In fact, we still think that this should be better. There are many craftsmen in His Majesty's Gewuyuan, and it should be appropriate for only some people to copy the Southwest's Gewu technology, and the other part to explore the direction of sea trade."

"Actually, it's already amazing that you can think so much. Speaking of it, some things are really like what you said in Jiazhen. Maintaining the confidence of all parties is just icing on the cake. If you value too much, the gain outweighs the gain." Zuo Xiuquan smiled Laughter, "People's words are terrible. Some things should be considered when you can. But when you said killing the enemy, I was very moved. This is what you young people need, and it is what the Wu Dynasty wants now. People say Now that we old people are going to fix things, now that you’ve figured it out, you can concentrate on doing things. Of course, don’t lose your caution and think about it at any time.”

"Yes, Wen Huai has been taught. Thank you, Uncle Quan, for taking care of me."

Zuo Xiuquan stood up, sighed slightly, and then patted Zuo Wenhuai on the shoulder.They are all people with their own opinions, and when they can't understand each other for a while, they will give in to each other. For a person like Zuo Xiuquan, seeing a real talent in his family, even if he thinks differently for a while, he is still proud of it. Mostly pleased.

The two walked out the door all the way, and now they were chatting about various household matters.When he went downstairs, Zuo Xiuquan patted him on the shoulder and said, "There is still a secret whistle on the roof."

"After all, I haven't been here for long, I'm used to it." Zuo Wenhuai said with a smile.

"When you get here, His Majesty attaches great importance to you. The forces of the Zuo family are also staring at this side now. Once you get home, you don't need to be so vigilant. Don't tire them out."

"I know." Zuo Wenhuai nodded, and responded to the elder's words with a smile.

**************
In the early morning, in the Imperial Palace of Fuzhou, Tie Tianying walked past the eaves and patrolled the post.

In the imperial study room, the lights were still on.

When Zhou Pei and the palace maid came over with the lantern, Jun Wu was wearing pajamas, holding a brush in one hand and an oil lamp in the other, looking at the southeast map on the wall, and a half-written letter on the table.

"Your Majesty, it's getting late, it's time to rest."

"There are still some things to write." Jun Wu didn't look back, holding the oil lamp, still looking at the corner of the map, after a long time, he said: "If I want to open the sea route, I have been thinking these days, where should I break the situation... ...Mr. Nanning said about the spider web. The so-called innovation is to exert force on this spider web. No matter where you go, someone will grab you for profit. People with interests in them will not change if they can stay the same. This is It’s common sense in the world, but yesterday I thought, if I really make up my mind, maybe I can solve the Guangzhou matter in the future.”

Zhou Pei frowned, and then his eyes lit up.

Jun Wu still held the oil lamp: "Since we settled down in Fuzhou, we don't have much land in our hands. We only go south to Quanzhou. Most of the people who support us can't bring things in. In the past year, we have pinched the neck of Guangzhou. Keep shaking, there are quite a lot of things I want, didn't the Queen recently say that they also have ideas?"

"In the past two months, several cargoes were said to have been in accidents. The details are still unclear."

"Our Wu Dynasty, after all, has lost the whole country. Fuzhou's businessmen are happy to take back Fuzhou, but those who are far away in Guangzhou will inevitably suffer losses. Liu Fuming guards Guangzhou and has been delivering supplies for us. He is conscientious. But for Guangzhou For the merchants and common people, what is the difference between the so-called common difficulties and scraping their people's fat and anointing. If we want to develop the sea trade this time, we will improve the ships with the power of Gewuyuan, equip them with new artillery in the southwest, and open them to Guangzhou. The maritime merchants will be able to form a joint interest with the Guangzhou side, and then we will be able to truly... have an extra piece of territory..."

Zhou Pei looked at him quietly, nodded, and then asked softly, "Are you sure? Do you want to go this way?"

In the usual countless pros and cons analysis, in the end, it will eventually fall on a certain general goal.Whether to go north to Lin'an or look to the sea, once it starts, two completely different policies and routes may be formed. Junwu put down the oil lamp and did not speak for a while.But after a while, he looked up at the night outside the door, and frowned slightly.

There seemed to be some movement in the distance.

"...the city is flooded?"

Originally, the area of ​​the palace was small, and it lived in a high place, so signs of commotion could be felt from a distance.Due to possible incidents in the city, the imperial guards in the palace were also mobilized.Not long after, Tie Tianying came to report.

"Report to Your Majesty... Wenhan Court was attacked by bandits and a fire broke out..."

Jun Wu was slightly stunned: "...what?"

"Wenhanyuan was attacked, and the minister has sent guards nearby. It is reported that there was a fight inside, a fire broke out, and the casualties are not yet..."

With a bang, Jun Wu's fist hit the table, and the bloodshot eyes accumulated from staying up all night were particularly obvious at this moment.

"Take the sword, put on the armor, I'm going out of the palace."

"The situation is still unclear at this time, Your Majesty should not move."

"Don't be impulsive—"

Tie Tianying, Zhou Pei and others hurriedly stopped them.

In the city of Fuzhou, many people were awakened from sleep, and the night seemed to be burning.The fire in Wenhan Court ignited the prelude to a series of struggles in the southeast...

(End of this chapter)