After returning from the upper hall to discuss matters, Chen Xiyan, who followed Wang Xueshan's footsteps, walked into the political hall and said: "The head office of Huaidong Bank is located in Chongzhou, and all matters of power and money are controlled by Huaidong. If an opening is opened this time, Ren Huaidong will open branches of the bank all over Ningxia. Yang Wuyue is really worried about "sneaking into the night with the wind, moistening things silently". One thousand taels per share, one thousand shares is one million taels of silver. If we don't try to stop it, all the money of the people in Jiangning and Weiyang will be lost. Take time out of Huaidong! Prime Minister Chen must pay attention to what Shen Rong, the prefect of Weiyang, said and worried..."
"This is not allowed, and that is not allowed. The Ministry of Revenue must be able to make up for the waste of the Huaidong Army in eastern Zhejiang." Chen Xiyan stopped in front of the corridor, with wrinkles as deep as ravines under his white head, facing Wang Xueshan's hard advice. , looked at Wang Tian, who was in charge of the household department, and asked, "Sir Wang, can the household department make up for the vacancy?"
Wang Tian looked sad, spread out his hands and said, "Prime Minister Chen doesn't know how much money the Ministry of Revenue has, so what's the use of using it to try to bully the lower officials?"
"If we can't make up the vacancy, what excuse can we give for not allowing it? Isn't it possible to ask the Huaidong Army to withdraw its troops from eastern Zhejiang?" Chen Xiyan asked rhetorically, "Do I understand the danger of having a big tail? But it's not up to expectations elsewhere. The imperial court is on the southern front. We have to rely on Huaidong for everything, so what can we do?"
"Huaidong raises his own money and plays a very impressive role in eastern Zhejiang. Huaidong is categorically not allowed to set up bank branches in Jiangyang and other places. It doesn't make sense." Yu Xinyuan touched the sparse beard under his chin and turned around to ask. Dong Yuan, "Master Dong, what is the clever way to deal with it..."
Dong Yuan thought about it and said: "If you think about it carefully, Huaidong Bank is a powerful tool for raising money. If Huaidong hadn't borrowed two million taels of silver from the bank to support it, Huaidong wouldn't have the military strength it has today - I think, if The Ministry of Household Affairs took out hundreds of thousands of taels of silver as principal, and set up a bank after the Huaidong Bank. Firstly, it could prevent the bank's profits from going to Huaidong. Secondly, if the court was short of silver in the future, it could also pay the bank. Borrowing, you don't have to rely on taxes for everything..." At this point, Dong Yuan asked Chen Xiyan again, "What does Mr. Chen think?"
"How much money can the Ministry of Household Affairs provide?" Chen Xiyan asked Wang Tian.
"The Hubu's family only has a small amount of money, and it has to be prepared for urgent needs. If the Hubu is short of money in the future and can borrow money from the bank, it won't be a problem to get four to five million taels of silver this time," Wang Tian said. The Salt and Iron Division comes in..."
Chen Xiyan shook his head and said: "If Zhang Yan thinks that the bank affairs are profitable, he will probably start a new business and not mix with the Ministry of Revenue..."
"Then we should encourage the Salt and Iron Division to do it. Weiyang Salt Merchants are all wealthy businessmen, how can they sell the Salt and Iron Division's reputation..." Yu Xinyuan said, it doesn't matter whether the Ministry of Household Affairs can be turned into a bank, the key is to dismantle it. Huaidong Terrace.
Dong Yuan added: "The Queen Mother has been recuperating in Chongzhou. There have been many discussions between the government and the public. I think it is time to ask the Queen Mother to return to the court..."
The matter Dong Yuan mentioned was quite sensitive. Chen Xiyan looked at Yu Xinyuan, Wang Tian, Wang Xueshan and others to see what their opinions were.
Yu Xinyuan said: "Nearly a year has passed and Jiangning has stabilized. It's time to ask the Queen Mother to return to the court and enjoy peace and happiness."
Chen Xiyan frowned slightly, as if he was thinking about the Queen Mother's return to the court, but he felt that Yu Xinyuan and Dong Yuan sang in harmony today, and they cooperated really well. He ignored the matter and thought about it for a moment, Chen Xiyan said: "Find someone to discuss this matter with the Emperor. Mention, it depends on what the emperor is thinking, don’t make waves..."
The so-called finding someone means finding an insignificant official to bring the matter to the table.
****************
The butterflies in Jiangning flapped their wings, and the wind soon reached Lin Fu's ears.
The end of June in Kuaiji is the scorching summer season. The earth is like a steamer, and there are torrential rains from time to time, which is not conducive to military operations and also brings short-term tranquility to Kuaiji.
There is a pool of water in Jinghu Lake that flows into Kuaiji City from the southeast corner, forming a city lake covering an area of about three to four hundred acres. The lotus pond in the north corner of the city lake became Lin Fu's summer resort in Kuaiji. A painting boat was tied to the lotus pond.
Next to him, Song Jia knelt down on the bamboo couch, helped Lin Fu review the official letters, and said with a chuckle: "The imperial court approved the establishment of a branch in Ningyang by the Huaidong Bank, but the Ministry of Revenue and the Salt and Iron Department learned from it.
As for beating snakes with sticks, we should also set up money stacks according to the Huaidong bank..."
Lin Fu took the official letter and looked at it carefully, then threw it on the table and said with a sneer: "It's not like painting a tiger to be like a dog. It openly uses personal information. How can a few young men learn the rules of Huaidong Bank?"
Follow them."
The Ministry of Revenue and the Department of Salt and Iron really want to follow the example of Huaidong and set up another bank. On the surface, it will be beneficial to Jiangning and disadvantageous to Huaidong. But if you look closely at the Ministry of Revenue to set up a bank and promote Wang Chao, the son of Wang Xueshan, to be in charge, you will know
Wu Party officials regard banks more as a tool to make money, and they hardly pose any threat to Huaidong.
"Look at this again," Song Jia picked up another official letter and handed it to Lin Fu, saying, "There are officials from the Metropolitan Procuratorate who have written tens of thousands of words to ask the Queen Mother to return to court..."
Lin Fu's expression became solemn, feeling that this matter was a big or small matter and could not be taken lightly.
After the Yongli Incident, Yuan Jianhai became a vassal in Hailing and lived in Chongzhou; the Empress Dowager Liang also temporarily lived in Chongzhou on the grounds that she was critically ill and could not bear the bumps of the ship. Now that Emperor Yongxing has settled down on the throne, Yuan Jianhai and the Empress Dowager have also
It became irrelevant, and the Queen Mother was "critically ill" and had not recovered. The new emperor must not have wanted to see the Queen Mother Liang alone. At this time, someone in the court suddenly mentioned the matter of asking the Queen Mother to return to the court, which was somewhat strange.
Song Jia held her pink cheeks in her hands as delicate as catkins and said: "Perhaps some people have also judged that the Hehuai defense line is about to collapse. The Liang family is likely to lead the remaining troops to retreat to southwestern and southern Shandong. The Empress Dowager Liang lives in Chongzhou.
I am also worried that the Liang family and his son will fall to Huaidong..."
In the past few years, the Liang family deliberately managed Jinan, but after the Hehuai defense line collapsed, even if the Liang family withdrew most of their troops, their strength would become very weak and they would lose their past glory. The Liang family and his son retreated to Lu.
After the southwest, they either restrained themselves and showed obedience to the new emperor in exchange for Jiangning's support, or they showed favor to Huaidong and formed an alliance, which could also force Jiangning to support Liang's defense of southwest Shandong and other counties.
The two choices made by the Liang family and his son were very different for Huaidong. The Empress Dowager Liang became a key figure by then - the Liang family and his son were forced to bow to Huaidong. After the Hehuai defense line collapsed, Huaidong general
Can dominate the entire Huai defense line; once the Liang family directly surrenders to Jiang Ning, Huai Dong will have much less say.
The princes of Jiangning and Ning, including Yue Lengqiu, still maintain a relatively optimistic attitude towards the Hehuai defense line. Unexpectedly, they would not ask the Queen Mother to return the court out of trouble at this time.
Lin Fu thought for a moment and said: "I'm afraid Dong Yuan has started to treat Huaidong with a tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye - there will always be a price to pay for driving him away from northern Zhejiang..."
"Whether you want to go or stay, you still have to see the Empress Dowager Liang. If the Empress Dowager insists that she is ill and the ship is bumpy, this matter will drag on for a year and a half," Song Jia said, "Maybe you should go back to Chongzhou and meet the Empress Dowager Liang...
…”
"It's better to write to Lin Xuwen and Huang Jinnian first and ask them to find a way to delay it," Lin Fu said. "If I want to leave, I have to wait until the war here stabilizes before I can leave. The She family brothers are now eyeing each other, but really
Even if you want to fight, you can't be careful."
Song Jia's expression darkened when she mentioned the She family brothers. One was an old love and the other was a new love. She didn't want to appear to be nostalgic for the old relationship, nor did she want to appear mean, unkind, or too unfeeling. She just said: "The She family has never been together again."
If you can't afford to lose once, if Kuaiji loses again, you will die in the place of burial. If they want to fight, isn't it in line with your wishes?"
While I was talking, clouds gathered outside, the light dimmed in an instant, and it was about to rain heavily.
*************
The heavy rain kept falling, and She Feihu was like a trapped animal in Shanyin City, irritable and restless. He stood on the map all day studying the battle situation and military affairs, his eyes were bloodshot, and he refused to rest.
Su Tingzhan and Yu Wenshan could not persuade him, but given the current situation, the weather was sunny and hot, not to mention the troops leaving the city. The soldiers were wearing clothes and armor, and they were sweating profusely even after standing under the sun for a stick of incense.
It was unbearable; the rain was pouring down, which was not conducive to marching and fighting - not to mention that most of the governors sent envoys to give orders repeatedly to strictly prohibit rash actions. Perhaps it was because they were afraid that the morale of the troops would fluctuate, so they did not immediately withdraw She Feihu's military power.
The guard on duty outside the hall suddenly walked in and reported: "The Governor has entered the city..."
She Feihu was stunned, and Su Tingzhan and Yu Wenshan also looked at each other. There was no news before that the Governor would come in person - but when he thought about it, the Eastern Front was so unbearable, and it was a matter of life and death for the Zhejiang and Fujian armies, so the Governor came in person.
Supervising the battle really shouldn’t surprise anyone.
She Feihu walked out of the hall with the generals uneasily. She Wenzhuang had already entered the palace surrounded by the generals and met him in the atrium.
"Hand over the military talisman seal letter immediately..." Shewenzhuang stared at the second son with a tense look on his face, and was about to remove his military power as soon as they met.
"Father, after this battle, the child will naturally return the military power!" She Feihu said angrily, unwillingly.
"Obstacle!" She Wenzhuang cursed with hatred, waved his hand and ordered his followers to disperse, leaving only the generals beside him, scolding, "Are you going to resist my order face to face? After this battle? What are you going to do with it?
, to gamble? How certain are you that you can win the bet? If you lose this battle again, how will millions of people from Zhejiang and Fujian clean up the mess you left behind?"
She Feihu seemed to have drained all his energy and energy, and stood there motionless like a zombie.
Shewenzhuang ignored Feihu's appearance and ordered Su Tingzhan and Yu Wenshan to say: "Feihu has resigned. My coming to Shanyin must be kept strictly confidential and must not be leaked. I can only call it Feihu to the outside world."
I have a fever and am out of the camp. I will summon the generals above the camp commander to the camp in batches. I want to see them..."
"Yes..." Su Tingzhan and Yu Wenshan responded, watching the Grand Governor signal his entourage to help the second young master towards the inner courtyard, knowing that the second young master would be completely disabled from now on - the defeat of Lao Tangpu
, it hurts to the bone marrow.
Su Tingzhan and Yu Wenshan looked at each other. There was no way to continue this battle. Laotangpu suffered a disastrous defeat and Kuaiji City fell. The grain reserves in Shanyin and Xiaoshan were only enough to sustain 60,000 troops until the end of July.
There is also a serious shortage of siege weapons and arrows, and more than 50,000 soldiers and horses have been assembled in Huaidong from Laotangpu to Kuaiji City. Two waterways connecting the Cao'e River and Jinghu Lake have also been dug, making the Jiyun-level
The following warships were able to enter Jinghu Lake to fight. What did they do to drive Huaidong to the east bank of the Cao'e River?
If the Huaidong Army knew that there was a shortage of food here, surrounded and closed the city, they might be able to fight to the death. However, the Huaidong Army got an advantage and behaved. 50,000 elite soldiers were concentrated on the line between Laotangpu and Kuaiji City, and the camps were built like hedgehogs.
Let them attack...
If we continue to fight and lose again, the situation on the Eastern Front will completely collapse - the Huaidong Army will not only be able to mobilize forces to attack Dongyang County to threaten Quzhou and the western Zhejiang Passage, but will also be able to mobilize 50,000 to 60,000 troops from Fujian.
A direct landing on the northern coast threatens Jin'an - once Huaidong gathers a large army to land directly from northern Fujian and directly attack Jin'an Prefecture, the situation in Zhejiang and Fujian will face the danger of complete collapse.
Although he is unwilling to do so, he sometimes has to admit that Huaidong is the nemesis of the She family. If it were not for the sudden rise of Huaidong, the She family once had the ability to assemble hundreds of thousands of troops in western Zhejiang. How could they have the ability to penetrate Jiangning's outer defense line?
Smashed.
Just because of Huaidong, everything became difficult and unbearable - Su Tingzhan felt powerless, helpless and depressed, and walked with Yu Wenshan outside the camp to summon the generals to the camp to see the governor.