Prime Minister Shen Yang's Mansion is still a residence given by Emperor You. It is very spacious, with nearly twenty sets of courtyards interlocking with each other, and more than a hundred houses lined up in rows. It is worthy of Shen Yang's magnanimity as a prime minister.
In addition to the few old servants used by Shen Yang in the early years, and later on, thirty or forty hard-working and agile people were selected from the more than a hundred slaves and maidservants given to Shen Yang, more houses were freed up for guests. , the staff lived with their families, so the huge Prime Minister's Mansion was still lively, but the expenses in the Prime Minister's Mansion were much saved.
Even though Shen Yang was an upright official and did not accept gifts, except for the fact that the land he was given was farmed by slaves and he could harvest at least three to four thousand shi of grain every year, as a prime minister, his official salary was as high as 2,000 shi and 200 horses. Silk, two thousand yuan of money, etc., and there are many rewards in the palace during the New Year and festivals. In Dachu, they are definitely considered to be a very high-income group.
It's just a cold autumn night, and the huge main hall of the Prime Minister's Mansion only has two tall candles lit, which are gifts from the palace. The light is dim, and it seems a bit closed no matter how you look at it.
After Xue Ruogu, Qin Wen, and Zhang Qian came back with Shen Yang, they sat in the hall and stared in silence for a long time. When they came to Xue Ruogu, they frowned and made up their minds and said:
"During the Jinling Rebellion, Yang Zhitang guarded Hong Yuanzhou to observe the situation. He has never been a trustworthy person. According to today's situation, a new naval force was organized under the Youlong Wujun to control the rivers and coastal areas east of Runzhou. Defense is something that the Marquis of Qianyang and King Shou have secretly planned for a long time, so that they can each get what they need. The Prime Minister may enter the palace and inform Your Majesty of the many things that have happened since last year and the attitude of King Shou today. To prevent His Majesty from being deceived by them again..."
Hearing what Xue Ruogu said, Zhang Qian and Qin Wen were both shocked.
They really didn't know in their hearts what kind of turmoil would be caused in the court if they reported to His Majesty the many things that happened in Guangde Mansion last year and the attitude of King Yang Zhitang today. Yang looked around, wondering what decision he would make.
Shen Yang looked at the candlelight in front of the hall, his triangular old eyes were cloudy, and he didn't say anything for a long time.
Seeing that Shen Yang remained silent, Xue Ruogu persuaded him again: "Although Tangyi is inseparable from the Marquis of Qianyang at this time, King Shou is also the mainstay in the dynasty and is indispensable, but can we make the Marquis of Qianyang and King Shou rein in their horses?" Their ambitions will no longer expand without limit. The key lies in whether the imperial navy can be re-established as quickly as possible and form combat effectiveness - otherwise, it will be too late to regret it when the tiger becomes a problem..."
Xue Ruogu's meaning is also very clear. No matter whether Han Qian, Yang Zhitang and others have ambitions or not, as long as the imperial court can control absolute strength, even if they are ambitious, they will become unambitious.
The reconstruction of the Navy is a crucial step.
He suggested that Shen Yang go to the palace and report many things to Emperor Yanyou. Naturally, it was not just for the purpose of informing. In fact, in addition to the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Salt and Iron Envoy, the inner court also directly controlled the large area of the Imperial Palace, the Royal Garden, and the official slaves and maidservants—— At that time, Emperor Tianyou rewarded the Changchun Palace Palace to Linjiang Prince's Mansion, with thousands of households of slaves and maidservants spread over ten miles.
In addition, the inner court also controlled a large number of government-run craftsmen, large copper and iron mines, and the power to mint money.
At this time, in addition to the increasingly embarrassment of the central government's annual revenue, only the inner court could squeeze out millions of extra money and food to rebuild the navy.
The Central Academy Secretary is not qualified to use the money and food from the inner court treasury, but His Majesty can!
The problem is that if they want to persuade His Majesty to agree to transfer money and food from the inner court treasury, they must explain all the details behind it clearly so that His Majesty can clearly see that a new naval force has been established under Youlong Wujun to take charge of the east of Runzhou. What kind of harm will the defense along the river and coastal areas have to the Chu State?
Speaking of this, Xue Ruogu also glanced at Zhang Qian and Qin Wen, asking them to persuade Shen Yang to make a decision as soon as possible.
When Zhang Qian was about to say something, Shen Yang shook his head and sighed:
"Your Majesty has the legacy of the late emperor and is extremely intelligent, but sometimes he is too hasty. If your Majesty is informed of this matter, it may make the situation more chaotic and will not be beneficial to the great Chu State..."
Zhang Qian was thinking the same thing. He believed that the development of some situations to this point was closely related to His Majesty's suspicion of Han Qian. Now that it has finally eased, if they try to expose these things again, it is very likely that what they expected will happen. If the matter fails to be resolved, it may add fuel to the fire and make the situation even more chaotic.
"The Marquis of Qianyang, the King of Xin, and the King of Shou are linked together for temporary interests, but the Marquis of Qianyang has the heart of a tiger and the wolf, the King of Xin has the ambition to be disobedient, and Yang Zhitang is not a fuel-efficient lamp, so how can we last long? We Even if his intention is fulfilled first, it will not only help to control foreign enemies first, but also make Li Zhigao more afraid of them. Perhaps one day, your majesty can tolerate the intolerance of the world and tolerate the intolerance of the world, which will reduce the number of powerful vassals. "At that time," Qin Wen said, "Besides, no matter how rich the Han family is, how long can it last? Why should we bother to confront them head-on when they show their strength?"
Qin Wen's opinion was slightly different from Xue Ruogu's.
Liang Jun's navy's intrusion into the coast has become a serious problem. It is urgent to expand the navy and strengthen the defense along the river and coast east of Runzhou. It cannot be delayed indefinitely due to disputes. He advocated that the Prime Minister's Office take a step back and agree with Youlong Wu. The navy was newly formed under the army to prevent enemy interference. In short, the territory of Dachu was maintained first, and it would not be too late to engage in internal fighting.
Although they all knew the importance of the imperial court directly controlling a powerful navy, the problem was besides successfully persuading His Majesty to let the inner court get money, where did the warships come from, and where did the navy generals come from?
Don’t we still have to argue with Xuzhou and the Privy Council about these matters?
"Hey, you all should go back and rest..." Shen Yang waved his hand, indicating that the matter should be shelved.
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Han Daoming and Feng Liao did not leave from Prince Shou's Mansion until late at night. They walked out of the side door, boarded a very inconspicuous carriage, and drove through the streets and alleys to the east of the city.
The curfew in Jinling City has not yet been lifted, but when encountering people patrolling the streets, the two riders in front of the carriage showed their tokens and sent them away first, escorting the carriage to the Han Mansion quietly.
Han Daoming went to see King Shou Yang Zhitang in casual clothes in person to propose marriage, which was equivalent to a direct showdown with King Shou's palace. Han Daochang, Han Duan and Han Chengmeng, who followed Feng Liao back to Jinling, were also nervously waiting at the front house. They come back.
Hearing the sound of ruts, the gate opened, and the carriage drove directly into the courtyard under the escort of several knights. Han Daochang and Han Duan walked over and asked eagerly: "What did the prince say?"
"Where is father?" Han Daoming asked.
"Father has gone to bed long ago," Han Daochang said.
"Let's go to the hall and talk." Han Daoming said to the second child, Han Daochang, without disturbing his old father.
There were many servants and guards in the front yard, and it was not a place to discuss confidential matters if there were too many people talking. Han Daoming led everyone into the Mingju Hall, which was the main courtyard of Han Mansion. After the slaves had made tea and left, he talked about him. Many things happened after arriving at Prince Shou's Mansion with Feng Liao.
"That old man Shen Yang originally recruited the hungry people to form the Dragon Bird Army, but my Han family gave him the credit, and he stole the name of the Imperial Master; while Xue Ruogu was just a bookkeeper in Xuzhou, and he did not die from the miasma. Despite the epidemic, he still had to hold an important position, and it was his third brother and Han Qian who appreciated him. I didn’t expect these two people to forget their past kindness and actually want to stab us at this time. It’s really hateful!” Han Daochang said angrily, suddenly forgetting that they had He is the person who hates Han Qian the most.
"That old man Shen Yang knows so many secrets, as well as the civil unrest in Sizhou and the inside story before and after the establishment of the Chishan Association. What would he do if he reported it to His Majesty?" Han Duan asked worriedly.
No matter how tenaciously Tangyi's soldiers fought against the Shouzhou army on the Chuhe River line, and no matter how optimistic Tangyi's current situation looked, he did not think that Tangyi would have the possibility of openly resisting the court at this time.
How big is Tangyi's territory and how many people are there?
How big is the territory of Chu in the states and counties south of the Yangtze River, and how many people are there?
The two are not on the same level at all.
"We secretly sent Xue Ruogu to Lishui in April and May last year, intending to use his hands to reveal the truth about Shang Wensheng's assassination. According to our arrangement, within three or four months, that is, by August or September, Xue Ruogu was The truth about Shang Wensheng's assassination case should have been grasped," Feng Liao said. "However, Shang Wensheng's assassination case has not caused any new waves until now. It can be seen that Xue Ruogu may have noticed that the old troops of Zuo Guangde Army gathered at that time. It was abnormal and told Shen Yang. And since Shen Yang could tolerate it until today before asking the longevity king Yang Zhitang to clarify the matter, he can probably continue to tolerate it for a while longer, and we don't have to worry about this for the time being..."
Feng Liao is currently the most important counselor around Han Qian. Seeing what he said, Han Daochang guessed that Han Qian's people had already studied this matter.
Seeing that the eldest brother looked as usual, he must have been thinking about this matter, so he relaxed a little and asked them about the results of their continued discussions with King Shou Yang Zhitang.
Han Daoming drank tea and told Han Daochang the results of his discussion with Yang Zhitang, and Han Duan and Han Chengmeng knew about it.
This result was not beyond their expectations, but Han Daochang was extremely happy that it went so smoothly, and said: "I will accompany Prince Shou to Yangzhou to propose marriage..."
The original plan was for Feng Liao to accompany Yang Zhitang to Yangzhou. After all, the follow-up would involve negotiations with Huaidong. However, it was only natural for Han Daochang to participate as the elder of the Han family, and Feng Liao would certainly not raise any objections.
"Can Xuzhou really produce more than two million pieces of Qianyang cloth at once?" Han Duan asked in disbelief.
"When the engagement is made public again, we have to pay two cents a month. How can we fake it?" Feng Liao said with a smile.
Han Duan couldn't help but clicked his tongue a few times. He was currently serving in the Salt and Iron Transport Department, and his honorary position was not obvious. He was also jealous of Zhang Chao's officials, but he had a rough idea of the central government's wealth. Of course, I knew in my heart that with the power of a state, a southwest border state that was extremely remote and barbaric in the impression of the courtiers, it was able to import four to five million pieces of cloth a year. It was an astonishing thing.
This also leads to their next key task, which is to do everything possible to cover up this point, so that the world will mistakenly think that the Han family will still be poaching to support many things.
The state and Tangyi will be unsustainable, and the overall situation will continue to fall under their control...