In May, when he went to Jiangning to inspect the defense area, Lin Fu followed the order. Naturally, he had to repeat the order when he returned to Jiangning.
On the second day of October, Lin Fu entered the palace to resume his duties. The Queen Mother and Emperor Yongxing were sitting on a soft couch covered with yellow brocade. There was a gloomy boxwood table in the middle. Emperor Yongxing was in low spirits and held up his hands. A few tables away, the Queen Mother is a bit hunchbacked, and the embroidered phoenix court dress cannot hide her old age. Yuan Yan and Song Jia are standing behind the Queen Mother. Compared with Song Jia's plump and mature figure, Yuan Yan's slightly pointed oval-seed face has an attractive look. The youthful atmosphere.
"... There are abundant fish and shrimps in Hongzepur. When I go on a boat, the boat floats in the water, and the fish jump out and jump on the board of the boat. It lasts all day long. I don't have to go fishing, but I can always taste the beauty of fresh fish. "In July in Chaohu Lake, there was a heavy rainstorm, and many villages along the coast were flooded. The victims fished to satisfy their hunger, and they barely survived the famine."
Lin Fuxin talked about the scenery and people he saw during this northern tour. Cheng Yuqian, Zuo Chengmu, Yu Xinyuan, Lin Xuwen, Zhang Yan, Yuan Guizheng, Shen Rong, Liu Zhi and others were sitting around with them, all with smiles on their faces and looking harmonious. , it seems that many people in this palace have never had a gap, and there has never been a life-or-death feud.
The so-called scenery and customs are all beside the point. Lin Fu always wants to talk about something to show that he is not going north for luxury or pleasure.
"The Privy Council's military strategy has also been seen by the Sheng family." Empress Dowager Liang rested her withered hands on the small table. After listening to Lin Fu for a long time, she turned back to the topic and asked, "Now it's already... It's October, and I'm lying quietly in bed at night, and I can hear the north wind blowing. When will Lin Aiqing send troops to wipe out the rebels?"
The people in Huaidong were worried that the Privy Council was not prepared enough and had hurriedly raised troops to cause great harm. The Queen Mother and her family wanted to see Huaidong suffer a setback. Only in this way could they find a chance to make a comeback, as long as Jiangning City was not captured last time. .
Lin Fu smiled slightly and said: "When the rice is harvested this season, the time will be ripe to send troops. We still have to wait for the first ten days..."
One hundred thousand soldiers and horses must be gathered outside Shangrao. The large number of mules and horses as well as the civilian men recruited to accompany the army will consume more than one hundred thousand dan of materials every month. Although the total supplies in Wuyuan now exceed 200,000 dan, but It was only enough to consume 100,000 troops and horses for two months, which was far from being able to support the Shangrao war planned by Lin Fu.
In order to prevent grain prices in Jiangnan from skyrocketing again, truly large-scale material procurement and storage can only be postponed until the rice is harvested and put on the market in Jianghuai and other places. At the same time, it can also prevent farmers from being harmed by the concentrated rice grains on the market and the sharp drop in grain prices.
The same principle applies to Yue Lengqiu's appointment with Jiangzhou at the end of October.
Lin Fu had his own plan on how and when to use troops, but when the Empress Dowager asked her personally, she always had to answer a few questions and give a brief explanation.
"Oh, it turns out that I have considered it this way. The decline of the family is a woman's insight and she is a little eager," the Queen Mother said, changing the topic and asked, "Recently, there are ministers in the court discussing the matter of establishing a heir. Has Lin Aiqing heard about it?"
Lin Fu glanced at Yongxing Emperor Yuan Jianwu, and saw that the muscles in his hand holding the cup while drinking suddenly tightened, and said: "The establishment of a crown prince is a family matter for the emperor. It is inconvenient for me to say more..."
Emperor Yongxing looked at Lin Fu with complicated eyes.
Zuo Chengmu said: "Establishing a crown prince is the foundation of the country, and arrogant discussions will cause trouble..."
In addition to the eldest son of the emperor who was granted the title of King of Shou by Emperor Yongxing and joined the feudal vassal in Shouzhou and was protected by Huaixi, there was also a son who was named King of Min who was only five years old when he returned eastward and brought back to Jiangning. The Queen Mother and her family proposed this When the prince was appointed, it was clear that he wanted to make Hailing Prince Yuan Jianhai the crown prince.
After Emperor Yongxing returned to Jiangning, his health had not been very good. However, if he really wanted to appoint Yuan Jianhai as the heir apparent, he might die of a sudden illness. Zuo Chengmu could not bear it.
For Lin Fu, Emperor Yongxing was very cooperative after returning to Jiangning, so there was no need to create extra problems. Even if something unexpected happened to Emperor Yongxing, it would not cause too much trouble by supporting the young emperor or supporting Yuan Jianhai on the throne.
, so the matter of opposing the crown prince was not of much concern. Besides, without establishing a crown prince, between King Min and King Hailing, there was Cheng Yuqian, Zuo Chengmu and others fighting, which would save them from causing other troubles.
For Emperor Yongxing, although he became a puppet after returning to Jiangning, as long as he did not establish a throne, he still felt somewhat safe.
Lin Fu did not support it, and Zuo Chengmu expressed his opposition, so the matter of establishing the crown prince could not be discussed.
Seeing that the atmosphere was deadlocked, Cheng Yuqian coughed lightly, changed the subject, and said to Lin Fu: "It is often said that having better troops and simpler administration is the way to govern the country, but since the establishment of the Privy Council, new departments have been established every month, which seems to go against this path, and the staff
Most of them come from a righteous background, does Mr. Lin have any insights?"
The Privy Council was originally established to control military and political power. Except for military affiliated agencies, Lin Fu also placed many newly established or independent departments that were not accommodated by the six ministries and various supervisory monasteries under the jurisdiction of the Privy Council.
It can be said that the Ordnance Supervision Department specializes in ordnance manufacturing, the Postal Communication Department specializes in conveyances, the Shipbuilding Department specializes in ship construction, the Metallurgical Department specializes in iron smelting, and the Yingtian Department specializes in field water conservancy.
Since it is directly related to the military, it is naturally placed under the jurisdiction of the Privy Council.
The Lijin Bureau, which is responsible for industrial and mining taxes, Changping tariffs and external tariffs, and the Mining Supervision Bureau, which is responsible for coal and iron mines, can be said to control the central financial lifeline in addition to the taxation and land tax under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue. Lin Fu naturally
No one else is allowed to get involved.
In addition, the Academic Affairs Department that promotes new learning, the Currency Bureau that specializes in coin issuance, and the Haidong Department that specializes in Haidong affairs, including the soon-to-be newly established Machinery Manufacturing Department, are also under the jurisdiction of the Privy Council.
The office space of the Privy Council occupies the site of the former Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Although the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the past was ranked outside the Six Ministries, it served the inner court, was in charge of the imperial guards, and had the authority to serve as the emperor's ear to feed the ministers. The organization was huge and far outside the Six Ministries, so there was no gap within the imperial city.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs accounts for more than half.
Today, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has been marginalized, and the number of palace servants in the inner court is strictly limited to less than 600. The territory vacated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs is occupied by the Privy Council, which is suitable for the increasingly large organization of the Privy Council.
In addition to dividing the affairs under the jurisdiction of the original six ministries and setting up separate supervisory departments to achieve the purpose of restricting the six ministries, the officials in the original six ministries tended to be Huaidong, those who agreed with Huaidong's New Deal and were pragmatic and capable.
They were also gradually recruited into the Privy Council. Especially in the Ministry of Works, the chief-level officials were almost exhausted by the Privy Council.
Today, there are more than 2,000 central officials, and the Privy Council accounts for at least 40%. In addition, the Privy Council also has many officials assigned to supervise special tasks in various places, and the number is also more than 200.
After the interruption of the imperial examination, the regular recruitment of officials stopped; but on the other hand, the Privy Council continued to recruit outstanding personnel from the schools under its jurisdiction to join the Privy Council or assign them to various regions to supplement their official positions, and together with the recommendations of various regions,
There is a trend to replace the imperial examination.
These are all intolerable to Cheng Yuqian and others.
"The country's affairs are very difficult. There are so many places that have been devastated by war. Hundreds of wastes are waiting to be renovated. Everything is waiting to be promoted. It is difficult to implement simple administration." Lin Fu sighed lightly. "Speaking of officials, everything is in a mess now. In fact,
It makes people helpless. Yanji, Jin, Shandong, Henan, Shaanxi, Jiangxi, Guangchuan, Lake and other places are either trapped in enemy territory, or the roads are blocked. I want to start a scientific examination. Is there any good way to get the scholars from these areas to gather in Jiangning to take the exam? The right path is difficult.
OK, we can only adopt expedient measures. Does Mr. Cheng think what this court says makes sense?"
Cheng Yuqian could not refute Lin Fu's words. Beyond his homeland, only half of the country was left, and the imperial examination was difficult to establish. This was also due to the reality.
Yu Xinyuan said: "It is a fact that the six departments and temples are currently short of manpower. However, there are still many people who are trying to get into the Privy Council. We cannot let the six departments become empty frames!"
"In this difficult time, we should only promote talents and record according to their use," Lin Fu said. "The six departments are short of manpower, either promoted from the local area, or recommended by the local area. They are all under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel. It is difficult for this hospital to
What advice would you give to Prime Minister Cheng and Prime Minister Yu..."
"The cost of the imperial examination is huge, and it cannot be borne by the current national strength in the short term," Lin Xuwen said. "The salaries and salaries of the six supervising monasteries are only so large. Officials say it is difficult. If we increase the manpower, I am afraid it will be diluted. This will
The resentment below will reach the sky again..."
Speaking of excuses, money and food matters can be used to block other people's mouths at any time.
Nowadays, 70% of the annual income of the household department must be used to raise troops and defend the war. If you want to do other things, you must be very tight. Including the inner court servants, the number is limited to less than 600.
In the past, Emperor Yongxing felt that the palace was overcrowded, but now he felt that the palace was empty. However, when he returned to Jiangning, he rarely left the palace and walked around.
Discussions on all matters have yielded no results. As for the Privy Council, Lin Fu did not allow Cheng Yuqian and others to get involved.
In fact, Lin Fu wanted to build the Privy Council into a state department that could truly implement the New Deal in addition to the traditional six ministries, and ultimately achieve the goal of replacing the traditional six ministries.
During Lin Fu's absence in Jiangning, Lin Mengde summoned the chiefs of the Privy Council's supervisory departments to make decisions together on major issues that could not be decided.
After repeating the order and talking about a lot of irrelevant things, Lin Fu returned to the Privy Council.
In the palace, they were chatting with Cheng Yuqian and others, but the Privy Council still had a lot of things to do. Lin Mengde and the others were waiting here eagerly. They watched Lin Fu leisurely walk into the atrium and asked: "Why are you in the palace?"
It took so long?"
"After finally catching the lord and returning, how can we have peace of mind?" Gao Zongting smiled and explained for Lin Fu, holding up a few coins in his hand, he said, "Song Gong and I have seen this coin. It can indeed be widely used."
In order to implement..."
At that time, material money transactions mainly relied on copper and gold and silver. Raising copper money had become custom-made, but gold and silver were mainly used for trading, and the main method was to raise ingots and weigh them. In the early days, the palace had gold and silver coins as rewards, but the amount raised was extremely small.
few.
When gold and silver ingots are used for trading, they often need to be weighed with scissors, which is very troublesome, and there will be additional losses when cutting and weighing. In fact, all of the above have seriously hindered the development of commerce.
When the Huaidong copper coins were forged in Huaidong, the coin-raising technology had matured, and gold and silver were easier to forge into coins than copper.
Using sufficient silver to make large and small silver coins, and using copper yuan as the auxiliary coin, will not have any impact on the current currency system. Moreover, raising enough silver to make silver coins makes a buzzing sound and is easy to identify.
Once silver coins are popularized and farmers pay taxes, they can avoid giving local governments an excuse to exploit them through fire.
Lin Fu took the silver coins over. The big silver coins were engraved with the words "One Yuan, supervised by the Coin Raising Bureau of Dai Viet Privy Council" on the front, and the words "One tael of enough silver, equivalent to a thousand coins" were engraved on the back. Many small silver coins were engraved with "One dime, two jiao, five jiao" on the front.
"" and other words, the back also indicates the weight of the silver and the number of copper coins it is worth, and is decorated with hammers, hoes, spikes and other patterns. The printing is exquisite, comparable to the silver coins used in the inner court.
This silver coin is said to be pure silver, but it is actually a ratio of nine silver to one copper. The collected silver ingots themselves also have impurities, and the coins are also lost. Copper doping is also inevitable. The key is to determine the doping ratio, and the thickness and size have certain specifications.
, in order to have the identification effect of blowing coins.
The combination of large and small silver coins with copper yuan and traditional copper and iron money made the currency system relatively complete for the time.
As for banknotes, counterfeiting is one aspect, but the consequences that are more difficult to control are that when the central bank’s finances are tight, it is difficult to control the urge to issue them indiscriminately.
"Ask the Ministry of Household Affairs to take a look. If it is feasible, we will officially replace silver with coins from now on." Lin Fu said.
Zhou Guangnan took the silver coins from the side and went to the Hubu Yamen. The sooner this is done, the more benefits will be gained.
Lin Fu then went to the public hall with Lin Mengde, Gao Zongting, Song Fu and others to discuss other matters.
At that time, Song Fu and Shewenzhuang were both known as the two outstanding figures in eastern Fujian. Naturally, he was also very talented and knowledgeable. Before joining Huaidong, he also paid close attention to various innovations in Huaidong. He knew that Lin Fu's political governance was unparalleled in the world, but he always understood it from the sidelines.
Only after being with him for the past year can we truly understand that the various innovations Lin Fu has made have long gone beyond what the predecessors could have imagined.
Of course, all the innovations that Huaidong can carry out are also based on the miscellaneous craftsmanship that Lin Fu admired in Jiangning early on.
Gold and silver can be converted into ingots to raise coins, which facilitates the people's trade, and the government collects silver and pays taxes, which is also convenient. The advantage of this is not that people can't think of it, but that the previous traditional sand-making method of raising coins is very wasteful, so it is better to use
As for copper and iron, it was not suitable to be used for gold and silver, so it was not implemented. Gold and silver coins could only be used on a small scale as palace gifts.
"The news about the establishment of the Machinery Manufacturing Department spread in a small area, and some people came to inquire whether the four-wheeled carriages made in Huaidong were allowed to be built, and whether the textile machinery was allowed to be built. If these two items were taken out, one hundred and eighty thousand taels of silver would be raised.
, there should be no problem." Lin Mengde submitted another matter.
"Of course it's allowed," Lin Fu said, "Since I suggest that everyone abandon sedans and ride in carriages, these carriages must be built in batches. The Privy Council cannot do everything, so it must raise funds from private merchants. This is my original intention...
…”
Song Fu secretly said: The New Deal and many reforms implemented are all based on the New Learning. The "abandoning sedans and riding cars" to be promoted is actually related to the maturity of Huaidong's car manufacturing technology over the years; now rollers are also manufactured
Once it comes out, your car-making craftsmanship will be able to reach a higher level.
In the past, mule carriages were mostly used for carrying goods. Sitting in them was far less comfortable than carrying a sedan chair. However, the four-wheeled carriages made by Huaidong had fine iron axles and were easy to move and turn. The spacious carriages were placed firmly on the four sides.
The wheels and axles are solid and sturdy, making it comfortable to ride on. They move and move in an orderly manner. One person can drive the chariot, and the horse can travel hundreds of miles a day without getting tired.
Why is this possible? The details are all sealed in the axis plate. The craftsmen in the ordnance supervisor did not say anything, and others could not understand it no matter how they looked at it.
Of course, this kind of four-wheeled carriage uses a large number of fine iron chips. The axle plate and other components made of fine iron can weigh as little as two to three hundred kilograms and weigh as much as five or six hundred kilograms. The axle plate of a large carriage with four horses,
It weighs more than a thousand kilograms - but thanks to the rich iron production in Huaidong, it can withstand such consumption.
Lin Fu remembered something and asked Lin Mengde: "Master Jiang, where are the others?"
Lin Mengde said: "Master Jiang was accompanied by Jingxuan to the mouth of the river, and he should be back by the time."
Lin Fu and Song Fu said: "The key to the axle plate of the carriage built by Huaidong is Master Jiang. This time, the Machinery Making Department was established. Master Jiang was willing to give up his high position as Si Tianjian to take over the machine."
The Manufacturing Department is probably the biggest surprise since I returned to Jiangning."
Song Fu had also heard of Jiang Yue for a long time. He was Chen Xinbo's niece and son-in-law, and he only focused on academics. At a time when craftsmanship and miscellany were suppressed, Jiang Yue was famous for his creation of the Armillary Sphere in his early years when he served in the Si Tianjian.
The world.
Donghu captured the city of Yanjing and sent people to search for Jiang Yue. Jiang Yue and his family were sent to the Huaidong Military Intelligence Department to sneak into the secret room of Yanjing and move to the dark place early, mixing among the refugees, and then they went around and over again before escaping.
Arrive at Jiangning.
Jiang Yue didn't care much about political affairs. When he came to Jiangning, he first served as the Young Supervisor of Si Tian and then as the Minister of the Ministry of Industry. He did not get involved in the disputes between Huaidong and the imperial party. Lin Fu had no intention of dragging him into the whirlpool.
Come.
Lin Fu returned to Jiangning this time and wanted to set up a new machinery manufacturing department, so he had to ask Jiang Yue to come out. He really didn't want to leave such a man with amazing talents and knowledge in the Ministry of Industry as a free man.
Si Tianjian is a high-ranking fourth-rank official. The chiefs of the newly-established Supervisory Department of the Privy Council are all temporary dispatches. Except for a few who have official ranks, most of them have not yet been recognized by the court. Fortunately, Jiang Yue is not in the rank either. I thought about it.
Two days later, he agreed to serve in the Privy Council.
Although old people such as Ge Fu are also talented, their old age is a fact that cannot be ignored. Furthermore, very few people can compare with Jiang Yue in terms of true academic research level.
Song Fu thought carefully about Lin Fu's principle of appointing people. Practicality comes first. Those who can be pragmatic are most appreciated by Lin Fu and promoted the fastest.
We entered the public hall and talked about various things. When the sun was about to set, Sun Jingxuan and Jiang Yue walked in, followed by old man Ge Fu.
Lin Fu stood up to greet Jiang Yue, looked at Jiang Yue, and said with a smile: "Mr. Jiang went to the mouth of the river to see it. What did you think?"
Hekou Town was destroyed during the war, but as soon as the war ended, Hekou Town was rebuilt early.
Both the Huaidong and Dongyang Township parties regard Jinchuan Hekou, where Lin Fu first emerged, as their spiritual home. Hekou Town has been completely transformed in just eight months.
However, unlike in the past, which was mainly engaged in the rice industry, the reconstructed Hekou has concentrated the relocation of the Ministry of Industry and many factories from Chongzhou. Many new machines that have been put into practice in Huaidong in recent years can be seen in the Hekou workshops.
arrive.
Jiang Yue is in charge of the Machinery Manufacturing Department, and the secrets of craftsmanship that Huaidong has mastered will naturally not be concealed from him. Jiang Yue is the only one who will show them all, so that his talents can further improve and enhance them in the future.
.
Jiang Yue had a slender face and was in his prime. However, he had been involved in many party disputes and experienced wars in recent years. He had deep wrinkles on his brow and forehead. He bowed his hands and saluted: "This is really an eye-opener. I only hope that you can
Give Jiang Yue three to five months to seek advice from Master Ge, otherwise he will not dare to speak nonsense and make others laugh..."
"Speaking of craftsmanship," Ge Fu said with a smile, "Ge Fu and all the craftsmen combined are far inferior to Master Jiang. I don't have anything to teach Master Jiang..."
"It's true, it's true. Your Excellency has spared no effort to promote the craftsmanship in Jiangning. He is the first of his generation and his merits will last forever." Jiang Yue said. In his eyes, Huaidong's victories over the years are not as good as Lin Fu's initial victory.
The behavior is dazzling.
"No, no, no," Elder Graham shook his head and said, "The matter of advocating learning is not what I care about yet. I am only obsessed with small things. But when Mr. Jiang hears the idea of the marquee
, you will know the difference between superior and inferior, the little old man is more than one level behind the adults!"
"Marquee?" Jiang Yue asked doubtfully.
"..." Lin Fu laughed. It was difficult to elaborate on the marquee incident for a while, so he only said to Sun Jingxuan, "I will leave it to you to handle the matters in the Machinery Manufacturing Department. Let Jiang Yue use a few capable officials to share the trivial matters."
," and said to Jiang Yue, "If it weren't for the troubles, I would also like to spend time with Mr. Ge day and night, which is much more interesting than Lin Mengde and the others. It's not early, Mr. Jiang and Mr. Ge will follow me first.
I’ll have a banquet back home, and after the banquet, I’ll invite Mr. Jiang to watch the marquee..."
Next, he talked about raising funds from private merchants to set up factories. Although these matters were under the jurisdiction of machinery manufacturing, Lin Fu did not want Jiang Yue to be entangled in trivial government affairs. In short, he wanted Sun Jingxuan to assign more capable people to Jiang Yueleng.
's deputy.
The establishment of the Machinery Manufacturing Department is of course not limited to the manufacture of four-wheeled carriages, but to promote most of the practical new machinery to the private sector since Lin Fuxing started studying craftsmanship, and to further develop it according to actual needs.
improvement of.
Jiang Yue's role should focus on the latter, and the former...g!~!