Chapter 633 For the sake of money, for the Qing Dynasty!
Half of the world!
Huang Taiji stood up suddenly in excitement, completely ignoring the overturned tea cup. He hurriedly walked to Su Mingzhe and looked at the beautiful picture of the future that Su Mingzhe painted for him.
Yes, as long as Chahar is occupied, and then Horqin is occupied, the grassland will be free for the Qing Dynasty's cavalry to gallop.
Even Wei Gongchao, who has always disliked Su Mingzhe, had to admit that Su Mingzhe's depiction was indeed very beautiful: "Your Majesty, Master Su's plan is tantamount to letting the dragon of our Qing Dynasty ascend to its wings and trap the dragon to ascend to the sky."
Seeing that Wei Gongchao expressed their approval, Huang Taiji also agreed more with the strategic concept proposed by Su Mingzhe.
Fan Wencheng asked hesitantly: "Mr. Su, Lin Danbaltu has surrendered to our Qing Dynasty. If our Qing Dynasty suddenly turns against him, will it damage the reputation of our Qing Dynasty?"
"In this way, if other people want to surrender to me, the Qing Dynasty, they may hesitate."
When Huang Taiji heard this, it made sense. Doing this would definitely damage the reputation of the Qing Kingdom. What if other tribes were unwilling to trust the Qing Kingdom?
Wei Gongchao said: "This will never be the case!"
After saying that, Wei Gongchao saluted Huang Taiji: "Your Majesty, the people of this grassland are all barbarians and Tatars. They are rude by nature and betrayal is common."
"Which tribe on this grassland has never betrayed its allies or been betrayed by its allies?"
"But aren't they still like that?"
"Why?"
"Gain Grassland is rude by nature, does not follow the essence of Confucianism, and does not understand the teachings of saints. They believe that the strong is king and has everything. As long as you are strong enough, you can win their submission."
"Right now, our Qing Dynasty is the strong one. Let alone killing Lindan Baltu during the alliance, even if we take the opportunity to swallow up all the surrounding small tribes, they will only choose to surrender to my Qing Dynasty, because my Qing Dynasty is better than them.
All strong."
After hearing what Wei Gongchao said, Huang Taiji nodded repeatedly: "Mr. Wei is right. The people on the grassland do not understand Confucianism and do not learn the meaning of the saints' scriptures. They drink hair and blood, are barbaric and rude, and are full of betrayal."
"To conquer the grasslands, you don't need to be moral and benevolent, but to conquer the Central Plains, you still need to be trustworthy and righteous."
After hearing this, Su Mingzhe and Wei Gongchao were deeply impressed: "The Emperor is a wise man!"
Huang Taiji had already made up his mind, because the future that Su Mingzhe painted for him was so beautiful that it was difficult for him not to be moved, so Huang Taiji said clearly: "I have decided to wait until we form an alliance with Lin Danbaltu
At this time, take the opportunity to kill Lin Danbaltu and swallow up the Chahar tribe!"
Su Mingzhe, Wei Gongchao, Duduo, Dorgon and others all leaned down and saluted: "Your Majesty, the Holy Ming."
As for Fan Wencheng, he was still deeply worried. The scene described by Su Mingzhe was indeed beautiful, but after all, it was just a strategic idea. How to achieve it depended on actual operations. Moreover, the Ming Dynasty emperor and Zhang Haogu would watch helplessly.
Do you want to see the Qing Dynasty achieve its strategic goals?
Until the end of the meeting, Su Mingzhe didn't understand why Wei Gongchao supported him. After all, in the past, Wei Gongchao had a hard time dealing with him, but why was he willing to help him now?
Not to mention Su Mingzhe, even Fan Wencheng didn't understand.
Therefore, after retreating from the court, Fan Wencheng went to find Wei Gongchao: "Master Wei, why do you suddenly support Su Mingzhe?"
Wei Gongchao explained: "Master Fan, Su Mingzhe's idea is completely beneficial to the Qing Dynasty. Why don't I agree?"
"What's more, this matter is of no harm to us."
Fan Wencheng asked: "I dare to ask, how can there be a hundred benefits and no harm?"
Wei Gongchao said with a smile: "Now that the Qing Dynasty is in trouble, if it wants to get out of the predicament, it must first choose the grassland or Korea to carry out the strategy, and then it can restore its national strength and then manage the other side. Sir Fan, am I right? "
Seeing Fan Wencheng nodding, Wei Gongchao continued: "Now Lin Danbaltu has given the Qing Dynasty all the opportunities. If we don't seize this opportunity now, when will we be able to capture the Horqin Grassland and restore blood to the Qing Dynasty?"
As he spoke, Wei Gongchao narrowed his eyes with a strange smile on his face: "Horqin and Chahar are extremely fertile pastures on the grassland. Millions of herdsmen and tens of millions of people live in these two pastures. There are cattle, sheep and horses, and according to the information I received, cotton is also grown on these two grasslands."
"Master Fan, let's not mention cotton. The cattle, sheep and fur alone are in short supply not only in the Qing Dynasty but also in the Ming Dynasty. The cattle, sheep and fur are much more valuable than cotton."
The corner of Fan Wencheng's mouth twitched. Well, he said why Wei Gongchao was willing to support Su Mingzhe because his feelings were based on the cattle, sheep and furs on the grassland.
However, apart from anything else, the cattle, sheep and furs were not only needed by the Qing Dynasty, but also purchased by the Ming Dynasty at a high price. This was indeed a good business.
Wei Gongchao glanced at Fan Wencheng and said with a smile: "Don't worry, Mr. Fan, as usual, this business is indispensable for you, Mr. Fan. Moreover, this time I will also bring him Su Mingzhe in."
Wei Gongchao and Su Mingzhe each had their own ideas. Fan Wencheng could only sigh. He was truly for the good of the Qing Dynasty and was devoted to the Qing Dynasty. What else could he say in this situation?
I can only hope that the Han people will stop fighting among themselves and assist the emperor.
After the Manchu and Qing Dynasties reached an internal agreement, Huang Taiji also entertained Guitu Taiji warmly. He flew in the sky, ran on the ground, and swam in the water. He was provided with all kinds of delicacies from mountains and seas, fine wines, delicacies, and beauties. It was completely like entertaining a good brother. appearance.
And Ruitutaiji also fully felt the enthusiasm of the Qing Dynasty. This was in sharp contrast to the cold and ruthless appearance of the Ming Dynasty, which convinced Ruitutaiji that surrendering to the Qing Dynasty was a good choice.
Huang Taiji entertained Qututaiji with wine and meat, and began to discuss where the Qing Dynasty and Chahar would make an alliance, how they would make an alliance, what kind of oaths they would make, etc.
Subsequently, Qututaiji began to travel between Liaodong and Chahar, and Huang Taiji and Lindanbaltu also began to prepare for the alliance.
Chahar's frequent movements naturally aroused Cao Wenzhao's idea.
Since Lin Dan Baltu's last sneak attack on Balian's capital, Cao Wenzhao not only strengthened the defense of Balian's capital, but also sent spies to the Chahar grassland, keeping an eye on Lin Dan Baltu at all times, fearing that he would have another night attack if his brain twitches. Attack.
Nowadays, the Chahar tribe is moving frequently, and cavalry leave the Chahar grassland from time to time. Cao Wenzhao noticed something strange, something was wrong with Lin Danbaltu!
Soon, the spies lurking in the Chahar Department sent Cao Wenzhao news: Lin Danbaltu had defected to Huang Taiji, and the two sides were preparing for an alliance!
As soon as he got the news, Cao Wenzhao immediately sent someone 800 miles to the capital and ordered all ministries to prepare in case of any eventuality.
After arriving in Beijing in a hurry from the grassland, the urgent report was delivered to the cabinet as soon as possible. Before Liu Hongxun, the Minister of War, knew about it, the urgent report was in the hands of Zhang Haogu.
A group of cabinet ministers looked at Zhang Haogu and frowned slightly, realizing that something had happened. They looked at Zhang Haogu eagerly, hoping to get some news.
After carefully reading Cao Wenzhao's urgent report, Zhang Haogu finally said: "The Tatar Khan Lindan Baltu is going to join Huang Taiji."
"Ah?!" Wei Guangwei and Huang Liji were also shocked when they heard the news. Lin Danbaltu joined Huang Taiji?
He no longer wants the face of the Mongol Khan?
Zhang Haogu looked at Liu Hongxun: "Mr. Liu Ge, in the name of the cabinet and the Ministry of War, you gave an order to Mongolian Governor Cao Wenzhao to keep an eye on Lin Danbaltu's actions. Once he really wants to form an alliance with Huang Taiji,
, allowing him to act cheaply."
Liu Hongxun said: "I understand."
Zhang Haogu looked at Lu Xiangsheng again: "Jiandou, in the name of the cabinet, please give an order to the Ministry of Industry and ask them to send a batch of fire dragon bombs, Leopard Rush arrows and other firearms in stock to Balian Na."
.”
Lu Xiangsheng said: "Okay."
Zhang Haogu looked at the others again: "This matter is currently only known to us and cannot be spread out. Everyone, please continue to be busy. I will go to see the emperor."
After Zhang Haogu left, Huang Liji sighed: "Hey, the emperor pushed the Tatar tribe too hard before. Now that the Tatar tribe is going to join Huang Taiji, there will be another wave of trouble on the grassland."
Zhang Ruitu sneered and said, "Mr. Huang Ge, what you said is inappropriate."
Huang Liji glanced at Zhang Ruitu, Zhang Haogu's number one loser, and snorted coldly, choosing to ignore him.
What a loser. He was only a few-rank official, but now he is a deputy minister of the cabinet and minister of the Ministry of Etiquette. He is so shameless. He has completely lost his character as a scholar!
Seeing that Huang Liji stopped talking, Zhang Ruitu smiled proudly and said: "You have also heard what Yuan Fu said. The news on the grassland is related to the overall situation of the imperial court. Anyone who leaks it will be responsible for the consequences."
Huang Liji and Wei Guangwei looked at each other and saw the frustration, anger, and helplessness in each other's eyes.
What else can they do?
After Zhang Haogu rushed to Xiyuan, he directly reported to Zhu Youxiao: "Your Majesty, Lin Danbaltu wants to join Huang Taiji."
"What?!" Zhu Youxiao took a look at the military report and couldn't help but said: "This Lin Danbaltu is also a Tatar Khan after all. He actually wants to join Huang Taiji? It's really a disgrace to the Golden Family."
"If I had known he was so shameless, I should have killed him before!"
Zhang Haogu said: "I have ordered Cao Wenzhao to act expediently."
"This Lin Danbaltu is still our ally of the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty's troops are still classified as Shichu Wuming."
"We might as well wait until he forms an alliance with Huang Taiji and sends out troops. At that time, it is Lin Danbaltu who has betrayed his trust. My great master is famous and I can take the opportunity to take over the Chahar Department."
Zhu Youxiao asked again: "Does Cao Wenzhao have enough troops and horses?"
Zhang Haogu replied: "I have asked the Ministry of Industry to transfer the stock of fire dragon bombs and a batch of Leopard Dash arrows to Balian's capital. If it is not enough, we can mobilize more troops and horses from the Beijing camp."
Nodding, Zhu Youxiao put down the military newspaper and said with emotion: "Master, I am more and more aware that today is different from the past."
"The Tatar Khan is about to join the Jiannu. Things are really unpredictable."
Zhang Haogu said with a smile: "Your Majesty, it is not the time of Genghis Khan after all. The Mongolian cavalry that swept the world is long gone."
"Right now, Mongolia can't defeat the Ming Dynasty, and it can't defeat the Jiannu. Both sides are being bullied, so they can only choose one to seek refuge with."
"But this also shows that today's Mongolia is no longer the strong backbone it once was. The Ming Dynasty built cities and roads on the grassland step by step. Mongolia cannot escape the control of the Ming Dynasty."
"In the final analysis, this Mongolian matter is a problem for me, Ming Dynasty, but it is not a big problem."
"Even if the Tatar tribe really surrenders to Huang Taiji and allows Huang Taiji to possess Chahar, I, the Ming Dynasty, will not be able to defeat them."
"The most important thing right now is the implementation of the New Deal. If it is successfully implemented in Jiangnan, our Ming New Deal can be successfully implemented in the south. The old Donglin Party and the powerful gentry will have no choice but to surrender."
Zhu Youxiao agreed very much with Zhang Haogu's words: "Master is right."
"In order to fight against the outside world, we need to stabilize the inside. Once the court is stabilized internally and the north and south are smooth, then the Ming Dynasty can concentrate its forces to deal with the outside world. Is the progress of the governor-general system of each province going smoothly at the moment?"
Zhang Haogu said: "It went very smoothly. After all, the Donglin Old Party still occupies so many governors in the south. What can they do to resist the implementation of the governor-general system?"
Zhu Youxiao curled his lips and said: "These insects, their corpses are nothing but food, and they still occupy so many governor positions. I can't wait to catch them all and liquidate their property!"
Zhang Haogu comforted him and said, "Your Majesty, why are you in such a hurry?"
"So what if they are greedy?"
"Now that the south is not under the control of the imperial court, let's let them do it for the time being. If they are really capable of governing a province, that would be the best."
"If they don't govern well, when the imperial court takes control of the south in the future, will they be able to escape?"
"Whether they are embezzling acres of land or greedy for money and food, where else can they take them? In the future, they will have to spit out whatever they have stolen. At the moment, the court is just raising pigs."
Zhu Youxiao nodded: "Let these giant rats jump for a while longer. I have the patience to see how long they can jump."
After leaving Xiyuan and returning to the cabinet, before Zhang Haogu could take a breath, he saw a note sent by Wang Wenyan, the governor of Jiangnan.
In addition to Wang Wenyan's greetings to Zhang Haogu, Wang Wenyan also proposed the idea of overseas trade and trade with Yi and Di, because Jiangnan Province has the Yangtze River estuary, and the Yangtze River Delta is not only fertile in soil, but also convenient for ships to pass.
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Therefore, Wang Wenyan wanted to open a port in the south of the Yangtze River to conduct greater shipping and trade with the Yi and Di.
At the same time, Wang Wenyan also pointed out that these Western barbarians were very fond of porcelain and silk from the Ming Dynasty. These items were all valuables with high prices. The Western barbarians would exchange boxes of gold and silver for porcelain and silk from the Ming Dynasty. These money
Rather than letting the officials and gentry in Jiangnan earn money, it would be better for the imperial court to open up the sea.
Zhang Haogu silently wrote down Wang Wenyan's proposal on opening up the sea for trade, and prepared to show it to Zhu Youxiao when the time came.
Continuing to scroll down, Wang Wenyan also pointed out that the current Western ships sailed very fast, could sail across vast oceans and resist wind and waves, and were strong and powerful, much more advanced than the warships of the Ming Dynasty.
Zhang Haogu could only sigh lightly when he saw this. If it weren't for Liu Daxia, the Ming Dynasty still had the blueprints for making treasure ships and the charts of Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean. Why couldn't it build a powerful navy?
But now that there are no blueprints, the Ming Dynasty can only rely on existing warships for the time being.
Looking further down, Wang Wenyan also mentioned in the booklet that the Apocalypse loom has been imitated by the gentry in the south. Now the cloth woven by the gentry in the south using the imitation Apocalypse loom is no different from the genuine fabric in the north. The northern cloth
The advantages have been offset.
If there is anything to be happy about, then the imitation of the Tianqi textile machine by the southern gentry is the only thing in this story that makes Zhang Haogu feel slightly relieved.
Because this means that the gentry in the south are not really hopelessly pedantic. At least they know how to imitate if they can't beat it. And being able to imitate it shows that the industrial foundation of the south is not bad.
The industrial base in the Jiangnan area has great potential.
After pondering for a moment, Zhang Haogu wrote a reply to Wang Wenyan: "As for the opening of the sea for trade, the emperor has already approved it. Then he will draft a statement and submit it to the court. The cabinet will definitely approve it. You can choose good ports to trade with foreign barbarians.
Let the foreign barbarians move from Guangzhou to Jiangnan to do business and provide taxes to the imperial court."
"As for porcelain and silk, we can build more factories to increase production, and there are many good craftsmen in Jiangnan who will study in addition to increasing production. We must strive for excellence and introduce the new."
"The imperial court has plans regarding warships. We are aware of the Western sailing warships. Their advanced performance only has a short-term advantage. The Ministry of Industry has already made a new warship research plan. But if there is an opportunity, we can work with Western sailing warships.
If someone buys a few boats for research, the expenses can be reimbursed by the Ministry of Household Affairs."
"As for the Tianqi Textile Machine being imitated by the people, there is no need to worry. Then you can bring the shopkeepers of the major cloth merchants' associations in the south of the Yangtze River to the capital. We have good things to show them."
Zhang Haogu was writing a letter to Wang Wenyan, and Zhu Youxiao's father-in-law, Zhang Guoji, also hurried to see Zhu Youxiao.
Zhu Youxiao, who was studying the steam engine, looked at the hurried father-in-law and couldn't help but asked: "The father-in-law is walking in a hurry, why is this?"
Zhang Guoji took a few deep breaths, and then hurriedly saluted Zhu Youxiao: "Meet the Emperor."
Zhu Youxiao frowned and asked Zhang Guoji to stand up and sit down while watching the tea. Zhang Guoji sat down and drank a few sips of tea. After taking a deep breath, he said: "Your Majesty, something serious has happened. Our Tianqi Textile Machine has been destroyed."
Those gentry in the south imitated it!"
Has the Apocalypse Textile Machine been copied?
Although Zhu Youxiao was a little surprised by the imitation ability of the southern gentry, that was all. He said calmly: "Imitation is the result of imitation. They used Tianqi looms and still created tax revenue for the court. Why is it so bad?
Already?"
Zhang Guoji said with a bitter face: "But Your Majesty, they also use Tianqi Textile Machine to weave cloth, so there is no difference between our cloth and their cloth. If this continues, if they lower the price, we will have to follow suit, and our cloth will be the same."
There is no advantage anymore.”
Zhu Youxiao knew that his father-in-law was worried about money, so he asked: "Then what should I do according to the father-in-law's wishes?"
Zhang Guoji hurriedly stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, your next decree is to strictly prohibit other chambers of commerce from imitating and using Tianqi textile looms. In this way, our cloth will not have to worry about not being sold."
