Ming Yuzhen's dispatch of troops undoubtedly blocked Chen Youliang's last way of survival. In fact, as long as he did not help Chen Youliang and cut off the road to Shu, it was enough.
As September turned to autumn, two generals, led by Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, each commanded troops and horses, divided into two groups from the north and south of the Yangtze River, and entered Huguang in large numbers.
The war breaks out suddenly!
Before the troops were mobilized, the Zhongshu Province began to assemble ordnance, food, and wages, and prepare combat materials.
From top to bottom, we work hard and don't dare to slack off at all.
There are more than 200,000 elite soldiers and nearly 500,000 civilian support personnel.
As the world's number one war machine, it rumbled. The army, representing Zhu Yuanzhang's will to unify the world, began a thousand-mile campaign.
Standing at the core, Zhang Ximeng can feel the majesty of war best and the helplessness of the battlefield.
In addition to soldiers and civilians, there are also workshops in the rear, craftsmen who produce weapons, female workers who sew clothes, and scribes who buy glue and paint from various places.
All told, almost a million people were involved in this war.
The daily military expenditure is like running water, rushing.
For this battle, Li Shanchang hoarded more than three million shi of food, but just at the beginning, 1 million shi was consumed. Half of this was consumed on the road.
Just the bills of various expenses make people dizzy and overwhelmed. Every penny spent is like sand.
The salary needs to be earned month by month, but when it comes to renovating a house, it costs tens of thousands... my heart is bleeding.
But what can be done?
I can only grit my teeth and hold on!
When there is nothing wrong, it is very comfortable to see Li Shanchang dominating in Zhongshu Province. Except when facing Zhang Ximeng, he shows his majesty as the leader of hundreds of officials.
But when it came to the war, Lao Li instantly became an old scalper, working day and night to distribute supplies and wages one by one... There was no computer assistance, and the country's financial, material, and human resources were all gone.
He holds it in his heart and distributes it through his head and mouth.
All officials must come to Zhongshu Province to receive orders.
Li Shan grew up shouting and screaming, and within a few days his voice became hoarse. The other ministers were also so busy that they did not dare to slack off at all.
Although these people may not be good, and there may even be many corrupt officials, at the moment, most people still do their duty.
In comparison, Zhang Ximeng's affairs were much easier. He only needed to discuss the military situation with Zhu Yuanzhang and formulate a general strategy.
On this day, the monarch and his ministers talked about how at noon, facing the list sent by Zhongshu Province, both of them looked bad.
"The expenses are still too high. From the beginning, it exceeded the budget by 50%! Li Shanchang, Xiao He, has average abilities!" Lao Zhu said angrily.
Zhang Ximeng was speechless. Maybe, Lao Li was indeed not good at it, but who could do it better than him?
Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to realize that he had gone too far, and then lowered his voice and said: "Sir, to be honest, we still have a lot of money in our hands. I wonder if we can move it?"
Zhang Ximeng was startled and said quickly: "What did the Lord say?"
Zhu Yuanzhang sighed softly: "Didn't that kid Zhu Ying collect millions of guan? Before he went to Lingnan, he left us 3 million guan." Lao Zhu pressed his thigh with one hand and leaned forward to ask for advice.
He said in a tone: "Sir, do you think this money can be moved?"
Zhang Ximeng frowned, and he understood almost instantly.
That kid really understood what he said.
Zhu Ying didn't seem to need so much money, as long as people knew that he was rich...so he left three million guan to Zhu Yuanzhang and 300,000 guan to Zhang Ximeng.
As for himself, he brings 700,000 yuan.
However, this money was not for business, on the contrary, it was used by Zhu Ying to show off, do publicity, and tell stories... Anyway, he understood the essence of making something out of nothing.
But fortunately, the Ganjiang shipping route has been opened up, and the Dayuling Mountains have also been renovated... Since the Red Turban Uprising, trade routes have been cut off. Especially overseas businessmen are extremely greedy, looking forward to tea, porcelain and other items.
As long as the trade routes are open and the wealth is flowing, even if you don't have a tael of silver, it will be enough to turn into a mountain of gold and silver.
But even so, it was not easy for Zhu Ying to keep the big boss.
"My lord...it seems that this money can be moved, but it cannot be moved directly."
Zhu Yuanzhang was startled, "Sir, what do you mean?"
"My lord, you can borrow it!"
"borrow?"
"Yes! My lord can use the salt tax as security, mortgage it and issue bonds, and borrow the money."
Zhu Yuanzhang was even more stupid. He was an emperor, rich all over the world, and the whole world belonged to him. Do he still need to borrow money?
What's more, if you borrow money from your godson, isn't that robbing the child of the lollipop?
Is our Lao Zhu so out of style?
"Sir, we have become emperor!"
"The emperor can't just turn stones into gold as he pleases!" Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "Please think about it, my lord, after sending troops to conquer He Zhen in Guangzhou, Lingnan trade was launched. A God-given opportunity suddenly appeared, so many businessmen went south to make a fortune. That's not it.
Relying on the emperor's protection? If you just do business and pay taxes, doesn't it seem a little unsatisfactory... The lord borrowed money from them to give them an opportunity to serve the country. And the lord won the battle, the business route expanded, and the opportunity came, and
So that they can share the profits... I think this is the best of both worlds, and there is nothing wrong with it. Moreover, relying on the debt relationship, it has tied the superiors and subordinates even more closely. In the past, my lord was also worried that the merchant family and we were not of the same mind, but now
With this layer, at least those businessmen who are willing to buy bonds and share weal and woe with the Ming Dynasty can still believe it."
Zhu Yuanzhang listened silently, his eyes moving from time to time. Gu Hao
To be honest, he was still a little hesitant... Lao Zhu originally wanted to simply embezzle the money and find a way to fill it after the war was over. Even if the hole was dug and not filled, what could he do to the emperor?
When he arrived at Zhang Ximeng's place, he actually encouraged him to borrow money from merchants and put forward a lot of reasons.
More or less, Lao Zhu was a little hesitant. Mr. Zhang could think so perfectly, but he was afraid that he had already planned it... Could it be that he had some ideas about the proposal to develop industry and commerce?
Lao Zhu thought in his heart. After a long time, he finally took a long breath and nodded with a smile, "Sir, I'll do it as you want... But don't make a big deal about it beforehand, so as not to cause unrest in people's hearts and end badly."
Zhang Ximeng nodded quickly, "Don't worry, my lord, I will arrange it properly. As for the interest, I think three percent is enough. After all, this is a loan from the lord, the risk is very small, and there is no need for a high interest rate."
Seeing that he had thought it through clearly, Lao Zhu nodded and listened to Zhang Ximeng!
After coming out of the palace, Zhang Ximeng couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. His back was already soaked. Thinking back to discussing military affairs with Lao Zhu in the past few days, Zhang Ximeng felt a little uneasy.
He kept asking Lao Zhu on the way to borrow money and issue bonds.
Although Zhang Ximeng did not have selfish motives that would affect military affairs, he sometimes lost his detachment and calmness and appeared to be impatient and reckless... Of course he was aware of his own problems.
It’s not just the three hundred thousand dollars in my arms!
If you want to collect money, want to squander, want to enjoy... you can't help but be frightened and restless. When something happens, you will be at a loss... He suddenly understood Zheng Shiyuan's state of mind. He had collected so much gold and silver, but he just hid it. There was nothing he could do.
Enjoy it openly.
What he ate was dried beans and broad beans. Did he enjoy the money?
Obviously not, he is just a very unlucky custodian!
When Zhang Ximeng arrived, the 300,000 yuan, although it was not a gain from greed, could not be said to be honest. Of course he could enjoy it, but he still felt guilty!
If Zhang Ximeng was initially passive and honest, he always wanted someone to challenge his weakness. But when someone actually succeeded, it was Zhang Ximeng who was uneasy.
After all, he is still a young man who has not shed all his true qualities as a common citizen. In his heart, he also has a dream of having mountains of gold and silver, embracing everyone.
Awake to hold the power of the world, drunk and lying on the knees of a beautiful woman.
Why can't you enjoy it?
But when he really got the money, Zhang Ximeng found that he couldn't bear it at all. Along the way, he wrote articles and taught others. But when he got here, he couldn't achieve the flawless white jade or the pure silk...
…I’m still a bit deceiving myself!
Zhang Ximeng, Zhang Ximeng, you can’t even pass your own test, why are you talking about other things?
What a slap in the face!
The laws of nature, the laws of the country, and the relationship between human beings...how can we achieve perfection?
Exposing Zhu Ying might even ruin the overall development of Lingnan?
Obviously it doesn't work.
It would be no problem to tell Zhu Yuanzhang and ask Lao Zhu to agree, but even if he got the money, Zhang Ximeng didn't think he could spend it calmly.
There is no other way. There happens to be a gap in military supplies, so let Lao Zhu issue debts!
Zhang Ximeng immediately bought a bond of 300,000 yuan in Zhu Ying's name... Then he wrote a long letter, sealed it, and asked people to chase Zhu Ying overnight, give him the bond, and explain the reason clearly.
Maybe it's not perfect, but it's finally solved.
Zhang Ximeng had a dreamless night... turned around, he arrived at Menxia Province, and happened to run into Jiang Nan again.
"Xiang Zhang, did you say you would treat me to a leg of lamb and anchovies? You won't forget it, right?"
Zhang Ximeng was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Okay, come over at noon!"
Jiang Nan readily agreed, but at noon, there was only a bowl of Yangchun noodles in front of her.
"Zhang Xiang? You, how can you lie to people?"
Zhang Ximeng chuckled, poured a bowl of noodles for himself, and then said with a smile: "Have you ever heard of a sentence? When you are polite, you must ask for something!"
Jiang Nan was startled, "Well, then Prime Minister Zhang no longer needs a humble position?"
Zhang Ximeng smiled and said nothing, and just let Jiang Nan eat the noodles. Jiang Nan glared in anger, but she had no choice but to chew the noodles as if she was eating fresh mutton.
"Jiang Nan, actually the noodles I ate today are sweeter than any other meat... You must have misunderstood that day. I had no intention of messing with Prime Minister Li." Zhang Ximeng said in a slightly lower voice.
Jiang Nan was startled, and suddenly laughed out loud, "Sure enough, Li Xiang's son has not arrived in Lingnan, so even if he wanted to give money, he couldn't do it! At that time, there was only one person who could give money, and he would definitely not give it to Li Xiang
Send money!”
Zhang Ximeng nodded and said with a wry smile: "What do you think now? Do you feel disappointed?"
Jiang Nan lowered his head and said softly: "But it was dealt with?"
"Yes! I lent it to my lord to use as military expenses."
Jiang Nan actually smiled slightly, and the louder she laughed, her shoulders twitched as she laughed. Finally, she managed to control herself, looked up at Zhang Ximeng, and said with a smile: "It seems that Prime Minister Zhang is also a mortal!"
Zhang Ximeng sighed softly, "I don't dare compare myself to sages!"
"When Confucius was an official in his early years, he was also arrogant when he got his ambition. Only when he was seventy years old did he dare to say what he wanted." Jiang Nan said with a smile: "Zhang Xiang returned to his original nature so quickly. From the perspective of a humble position, he is far better than a sage!"
"
"The flattery is good! It's a pity that there is no reward, only sunny noodles!"
"Yangchun noodles are good! Innocent!" Jiang Nan quickly picked up a chopstick and added it to his bowl, smiling: "I also think this is sweeter than the lamb leg anchovy."