Li Zhi said frankly: "For this expedition, I don't have high requirements, as long as I can publish a newspaper in Shandong Province."
Hearing Li Zhi's words, the eunuch surnamed Huang was very embarrassed and said: "Uncle Xing Guo, it's not that the emperor doesn't allow you to publish the newspaper, it's the gentry from all over the country that blocks the circulation of Xing Guobo's newspapers. Even if the emperor allows you to publish the newspaper in Shandong, the gentry in Shandong
I will also destroy your newspaper and smash the newspaper readers in teahouses and taverns."
Li Zhi replied: "That's true, so I can't just send newspapers to Shandong, but I want to station a patrol team in Shandong, let's station it in Jinan. The emperor wants to give me the power to do things conveniently for this patrol team. If
If a gentry or scoundrel breaks a newspaper, the patrol team has the power to enter the city and arrest them."
When the eunuch surnamed Huang heard Li Zhi's words, his face turned red with excitement, and he said sarcastically: "The general troops of Tianjin are stationed in Jinan, what is this?"
Li Zhi said: "If this matter fails, Li Zhi will not be able to raise his troops and go out. Please tell Eunuch Huang to tell the emperor my conditions and see if the emperor agrees."
The eunuch who announced the decree was very embarrassed and said: "Uncle Xingguo, it is the duty of a minister to go to war according to the decree. It is unreasonable to bargain."
Li Zhi said seriously: "It's just a small matter to send a report. I believe the emperor will agree. Eunuch Huang doesn't need to be embarrassed. He only needs to convey the true words to the emperor, and the task will be completed."
After hearing this, the eunuch who announced the decree was speechless with a grimace on his face. He immediately turned around and left with the eunuch behind him, going to report to the emperor.
####
In the study room of Yangxin Hall, Emperor Zhu Youjian heard the eunuch's report and angrily slapped his palm on the round table, making a loud "snap" sound.
"Presumptuous! How can you be so presumptuous?"
"Does Li Zhi know what an imperial edict is?"
Zhu Youjian slammed the table angrily, scaring the eunuchs and maids in the Yangxin Palace, including the eunuch named Huang, who all knelt on the ground and did not dare to speak. Wang Chengen also knelt on the ground in panic.
Sing loudly: "Your Majesty, calm down your anger. Anger hurts your body. Your Majesty, please take care of your dragon body. Never get too angry."
Zhu Youjian couldn't calm down, and scolded: "Li Zhi, who was born as a merchant, really thinks he can bargain for anything? I mobilized his troops to go out, and he coveted Shandong Province and asked me to exchange Shandong's public opinion for it.
Did he contribute?"
"Is the important matter of border closure a child's play?"
"Today we want Tianjin, and tomorrow we will plot Shandong. If this continues for a long time, Li Zhi will become a great prince, and the court will have nothing to do with him. The disaster of the former Tang vassal towns may come back again!"
Zhu Youjian stood up angrily and walked back and forth in the study.
"Your Majesty, please calm down"
After walking for a long time, Zhu Youjian slowly calmed down. He took a deep breath and sat at the round table, speechless.
Wang Chengen looked at the emperor's face and said: "Your Majesty, Li Zhi just published a newspaper. He didn't say what he wanted to do in Shandong? This matter can be big or small."
Zhu Youjian shouted: "Can this matter be trivial? With Li Zhi's style, today the newspaper is distributed, and tomorrow he will use the newspaper to attack the officials who are disrespectful to him. "Tianjin Daily" is so exciting, it will definitely become a household name in Shandong
, then the public opinion in Shandong will be completely in Li Zhi's hands, and Li Zhi will not do whatever he wants."
"Li Zhi collected commercial taxes in Tianjin, but only paid one hundred thousand taels to the court. He collected land taxes without authorization and added 20%, and all of these 20% went into his personal pocket. The larger his territory, the more soldiers and horses he could raise.
The more soldiers and horses you raise, the more you will have to look to Shu to covet new territory."
"How great will it be if this continues?"
Wang Cheng'en knelt on the ground, not daring to argue with the emperor's anger.
Wang Chengen had a good impression of Li Zhi. It was not because Li Zhi gave him a thousand taels of goods, but because Li Zhi had indeed made great contributions to the emperor over the years. If Li Zhi had not been in Fanjiazhuang, Qingshankou
Defeat the Dongnu and severely inflict a heavy blow on the Tatars. Maybe the Tatars will invade the country again and plunder, destroying countless prefectures and counties in the capital.
Not to mention Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng. Without Li Zhi, I am afraid that all the prefectures and counties in Sichuan, Huguang and Henan will suffer. It is enough to suffer, but I am afraid that thieves and break-ins will snowball like snowballs.
Zhang Xianzhong rebelled with thousands of soldiers and horses, and within a year it grew to an army of 50,000, carrying more than 100,000 hungry people. Li Zicheng rode into Henan with dozens of horses, and in a few months brought 30,000 hungry people. If Li Zhi hadn't killed him at the critical moment,
Wang Chengen didn't dare to think about how far these two people would develop after killing these two thieves.
Although Li Zhi controlled Tianjin, the taxes in Tianjin were raised and retained, which did not destroy the tax system of the Ming Dynasty. Even if the business tax was made out of nothing, Li Zhi paid one hundred thousand to the emperor.
2. Although Li Zhi set up private courts throughout Tianjin, he did not revoke the power of various yamen to try prisoners.
At least on the surface, Li Zhi was still a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty. Wang Chengen felt that, at least for now, Li Zhi's harm was much smaller than his contribution.
The reason why the emperor is so angry is not so much because he cares about the public opinion in Shandong, but rather because the emperor is afraid of Li Zhi. What the emperor is angry about is not Li Zhi's bargaining, but because he is afraid of Li Zhi's growing momentum.
.
Li Zhi is too strong. It is understandable that the emperor is afraid of Li Zhi. However, today, if Li Zhi's request is not agreed to, how can the war situation outside the pass be reassuring?
Zhu Youjian was still pacing back and forth in the study, seemingly trying to calm himself down.
Wang Chengen thought for a while and said: "Your Majesty, as long as Jinzhou wins the battle, the imperial court will naturally be free to train new troops. By then, a hundred thousand new troops will be trained, and Li Zhi will no longer need to conquer the Dongnu and Liu bandits. How can Li Zhi still do it?
Dare to push even further? What Li Zhi wants now is just public opinion in Shandong Province, so why not give it to him?"
After hearing Wang Chengen's words, Zhu Youjian was stunned and calmed down.
Of course Zhu Youjian knew what Wang Chengen said. But he was so angry at Li Zhi's bargaining just now that he felt a little angry and didn't think deeply about it.
Zhu Youjian reacted when he heard Wang Chengen's words at this time. Wang Chengen's words were very reasonable. As long as the recruits were trained, how could Li Zhi dare to be so presumptuous?
Zhu Youjian sighed, still a little resentful. Li Zhi bargaining in front of the imperial edict really made him lose face.
After thinking for a long time, he calmed down and closed his eyes.
"The training of the new army is of great importance. Wang Cheng'en, you are right. Instead of training at 50,000 yuan, you can train at 100,000 yuan. Even if you cut back on clothing and diet, you have to save money for this training. Tomorrow, let the Ministry of Household Affairs raise money for roll call.
Personnel, let the Beijing camp who did not participate in the battle in Jinzhou start training first!"
"If Li Zhi wants public opinion in Shandong, give it to him and ask him to send troops to Jinzhou quickly!"
