The news of Liang Jun's great victory on the south bank of Fen River spread in the streets and alleys of Jinling City a few years ago.
The Shou King Yang Zhitang, who was scolded by the Empress Dowager Changxin for making false claims to secretly communicate with the Eastern Liang Dynasty and lead a war against the Liang Army, was under great pressure from both the government and the public, and finally had to retire from the Privy Council due to illness. He has been recuperating in the palace for the past few years.
Two years ago, the news that Liang Jun had recaptured Xingyang reached Jinling, and there were calls in the court to re-appoint Yang Zhitang.
However, the imperial troops concentrated their efforts in the past two years and successfully incorporated the Lingnan states into the Chu territory. Zuowu Xiang's army and Yongjia's army also invaded Fujian last year, leaving only Jianzhou and Fuzhou. Therefore, at this time,
In terms of the situation, it is enough to prove that the decision to accept Liang Guo's surrender and tribute at that time was not wrong.
However, there are many opinions on how to maintain the future relationship between Liang and Chu.
Of course, when the news of Liang Jun's great victory on the south bank of the Fen River reached Jinling, it did not cause much shock or panic in the hearts of most Jianghuai subjects.
At least in terms of territory, Liang Jun was far from returning to its heyday, and even though Dachu lost Huaixi, Dengjun and other places, it received sufficient compensation from the south.
In the eyes of most generals in the DPRK, as long as Fujian is completely captured, Da Chu's territory will not only advance to the southeast coast and completely control thousands of miles of land south of the Yangtze River, but also 100,000 elites can be transferred to the northern front to participate in the defense.
I don't think Liang Jun can pose any threat to Da Chu at this time.
The result of the battle of Zhiguanxing may just make many people think that the Mongolian army is mediocre.
However, when Shen Yang, Yang En, Du Chongtao, Huang Hua and others heard the news that Liang Jun had won the great victory at Zhi Guanxing, their hearts were full of worries.
The Chu army seems to have won great victories on the southern front in recent years and annexed a large amount of territory, but which battle can be as dangerous as any of the Liang army's battles on the northern front in recent years?
The battle of Zhiguanxing directly reversed the balance of power between the Liang and Meng armies in the north. Han Qian led the Liang army to switch from strategic defense to strategic counterattack at such a fast speed, and even achieved a key battle victory. How can it not be shocking?
, why doesn’t it cause people to worry?
The traffickers and lackeys can't see the difference. How can the knowledge of Shen Yang, Yang En and others be reduced to the same level as the traffickers and lackeys?
During the Shangyuan Festival in the seventh year of Taihe, many magnificent lanterns were hung in the Chu Palace, creating a festive atmosphere.
Yang En walked into the main hall. The intoxicating incense emitted from the animal head stove was lingering. He walked around a screen and saw dozens of maids and eunuchs quietly guarding the corner of the main hall. Behind the tall imperial desk, a thin young man
He was frowning and reading the memorial in his hand.
During the palace change, the child who was as frightened as a bird and only knew how to hide behind the Queen Mother in Changxin Palace was already a fourteen-year-old boy. He had already begun to learn to read memorials, and he could vaguely see the memory of that year between his eyebrows.
The appearance of Emperor Yanyou.
Seeing how diligent the young man was, Yang En was also very pleased.
"Marquis Liyang has arrived..." Zhang Ping leaned over and whispered to the overly focused young man.
"Oh," the young man raised his head, with a hint of stubbornness common among young people on his childish face, and said to the attendants on the left and right, "Give me a seat for the Lord of the House."
Yang En, who has frost-white temples, has also felt that his energy has been lacking in the past two years, but there is no successor in the court, so he still takes charge of the imperial palace as a clan minister.
After the palace coup, Zhang Ping spent three years guarding the imperial mausoleum with Jiang Huo.
However, after Han Qianchan succeeded to the throne of the Liang Kingdom, with the Liang-Chu peace talks, Li Zhigao, Chai Jianchou, Lu Qingxia, Zhou Yuan were expelled from Liangzhou, and Wang Chaner, Chen De, Xiang Wang Yang Lin and others were sent away Returned to Jinling for trial, many details of the palace coup that year also emerged one after another.
After all, Han Qian had already noticed the signs when Lu Qingxia launched the palace coup.
At that time, Han Qian believed that Changxin Palace's gain in power would be beneficial to him, so he used the hidden spies he had deployed in the inner court and outside the court over the years to do everything possible to promote the eldest prince's eventual succession to the throne.
In this process, Zhang Ping, Jiang Huo, and even the then Queen Mother of Changxin Palace and even the deposed Queen Li Yao were just pawns on Han Qian's chessboard.
However, when the whole thing is spread out, it cannot be said that Han Qian was the culprit in the death of Emperor Yanyou, let alone Zhang Ping, Jiang Huo and even the Queen Mother of Changxin Palace colluded with Han Qian.
Not only Yang En, but also Shen Yang, Du Chongtao, Yang Zhitang, Huang Hua and others also believed in Zhang Ping. Although Jiang Huo was on good terms with Han Qian and agreed with Han Qian on many things and concepts, they were still loyal to Yanyou. Emperor, loyal to Chu Ting.
Han Qian was now the Lord of Liang, Jiang Huo, and Zhang Ping was still a minister of Chu.
Jiang Huo was getting old. Finally, at the request of Shen Yang and Yang En, the Empress Dowager Changxin personally came forward two years ago to ask Zhang Ping to return to serve in the palace of Chu Palace and serve as a permanent servant of Chongwen Palace next to the new emperor. .
"The memorial written by Zhang Xian, the governor of Runzhou, mentioned that the people of the state like to use Taihe Tongbao, and Prime Minister Shen drafted a statement to order all states and counties to strictly prohibit it," the young man said, "I was a little confused at first, thinking that it was very convenient for the people to use it, so Why ban it? Zhang Ping said that when the Liang State raised the Taihe Tongbao, the copper they used was only half of the money made by Chu. This means that every time the people of Chu used a Taihe Tongbao, they actually took away four or five coins for the Liang State. I I only know the subtleties of coinage. I came to you because I want to know if the Taifu Secretary can mint the same coinage for the prefectures and counties?"
"Taifu Bureau Cast
Taihe Tongbao has the same coin-making problem, but the level of casting method is not as good as that of Liang Dynasty. Although the copper material is saved, the labor is expensive. After calculation, the cost of one copper coin also costs eighty-nine cents, which is practical and sustainable. The old coins are almost the same," Yang En reported back, "and when it comes to the currency system, the most critical issue is that local private coinage is difficult to control and bad money is rampant. The privately minted money is crude and crude, which makes states and counties prefer to use Taihe. Tongbao. If Da Chu can strictly prohibit private coining, and the officials of the Taifu Bureau can cast money with enough copper, the people will not be able to abandon the good and chase the bad..."
Although the new emperor was not yet old enough to rule, Yang En and Zhang Ping tried their best to teach each other everything they knew about managing the world.
The matter of Taihe Tongbao has been a headache for all the officials in the political affairs hall in the past two years. Shen Yang has been asking the prefectures and counties to strictly prohibit it, but the actual effect can only be said to treat the symptoms but not the root cause.
There were so many mutual trade points between Liang and Chu that it was difficult to prohibit business travelers from carrying Liang copper coins. Private minting was rampant in Chu territory, and private money could not be banned. How could Liang copper coins be prohibited from circulating in Chu territory?
But when it comes to prohibiting illegal activities and making private money, it is not an easy task.
In the final analysis, the local power is too strong, and the local tycoon family is inseparable from the behind-the-scenes of local private affairs.
A large amount of privately coined bad money filled the prefectures and counties, and the bad money depreciated too much in the market. This ultimately led to Taihe Tongbao being inconvenient for civilian use in the Chu territory.
There is another reason: the Taifu Bureau only mints one million coins every year, which is not enough for civilian use - a considerable part of the coins is even put into the prefectures and counties, but is directly taken away by the local wealthy families and mixed with tin and iron. Making bad money for profit, and the increasingly prosperous commerce objectively requires a large amount of private money as a supplement.
It's not that the Taifu Bureau doesn't want to mint more coins, but the costs of copper mining, iron smelting, and casting are extremely high. It is unprofitable to cast using the old method, so the superiors and subordinates have no intention of getting involved in this matter. The Government Council has ordered it, and
There are thousands of reasons to refute it.
Of course, the Liang State flowed a large amount of Taihe Tongbao into Chu territory through various trading points, and the benefits it gained were not as exaggerated as Zhang Ping said.
According to reports from various places, the Taihe Tongbao that initially flowed into the Chu Kingdom cost approximately 1,600 to 1,800 Taihe Tongbao, which was worth one tael of gold, which was slightly higher than the market price of copper in the Chu Kingdom.
.
Of course, this is more likely to be intentional by Liang Guozuo's Internal Affairs Bureau.
But what is the hidden intention of Han Qian and Liang Guo's Internal Affairs Bureau, what is the connection between the currency system of Liang Guo, the pricing of commercial goods in Liang Guo, and the so-called gold and silver standard system of Liang Guo's official money department, Yang En arrived.
I haven't figured out a flavor yet.
When Taihe Tongbao was mixed with coins made by the Taifu Bureau of Chu Ting and many private coins in various states and counties, Taihe Tongbao was exquisitely minted and of stable quality, and was quickly welcomed by the people in the counties and counties along the Yangtze River. Compared with the rapid rise in the market prices of copper and gold,
At present, it is almost maintained at the level of 1,300 Taihe Tongbao exchanged for one tael of gold.
But even so, a large amount of copper, gold and silver flows from Chu State to Liang State every year.
This is a problem that has troubled Yang En and Shen Yang for a long time, but there is no way to solve it.
And this is just one of a series of problems. Bulk goods from Liang State flow into Chu State at extremely low prices, which is even more troublesome.
For ironware alone, in the Taihe Five Years statistics, the transaction volume at various trading points exceeded 6 million jins. Including smuggled goods into the country, it should have exceeded 10 million jins. However, not to mention the excellent quality of Liang Guo's ironware, the same quality
The selling price of ironware is 40% to 50% lower than the ironware produced in Chujing, so it is difficult to limit it through normal means.
Not to mention the private smelting mines, the iron smelting works under the jurisdiction of the Taifu Bureau and the Supervisory Office cannot sell iron materials to prefectures and counties except for the casting of soldiers and armor. In recent years, they have been in trouble of not being able to make ends meet.
At present, the Liang Kingdom still pays a tribute of 1 million min to Da Chu every year. However, due to the depression of Chu's iron industry, the loss of iron tax alone from the transfer of iron and steel to the railways exceeds 500,000 min.
Although after the Battle of Xingyang, he discussed with Shen Yang and others to restrict the entry of Liang's goods, however, in the states and counties along the Yangtze River in the Chu territory, the local forces involved in the Chu-Liang trade had greatly benefited, and the matter was delayed.
For two years, there have been many disputes between the government and the opposition, but no progress has been made at all.
Although at this time it seemed that Da Chu was also winning great victories in the south, conquering cities and territories, and the country was as strong as ever, Yang En and Shen Yang knew in their hearts how different these results were from the great victory Liang Jun had won at Zhiguanxing.
At present, we can only see whether we can successfully capture Jianzhou and Fuzhou this year, and take all Fujian into the Chu territory. If everything goes well, we may be able to bring up restrictions on the entry of Liang's goods this year.
Although the new emperor has not yet taken charge, Yang En still explained the twists and turns to him in detail, hoping that after he takes charge, he will know what is the true foundation of the country and the people.
"It is said that the great Chuhai banquet and the clear river are full of outstanding people. Is it possible that a small copper coin is not as good as the land of Zuerliang?" The young man asked angrily and dissatisfied.
Yang En was speechless and could only apologize and said: "I am incompetent..."
"Bin'er, what are you talking about with Mr. Hou? You look unhappy?" Qingyang walked into the main hall and asked.
"The Queen Mother asked me to study memorials. The child has many things that I don't understand, so she summoned Zhang Ping from the inner palace to inquire," the young man said. "This Han Qian is really hateful. He openly proclaimed himself a vassal to Da Chu, but in fact he possessed Da Chu and sucked his blood - —When Huang Liu and Gu Zhilong conquer Fujian, Dachu must teach Liang a lesson."
Qingyang frowned slightly and just said: "Bin'er should study diligently, but he must also be considerate of the fact that Lord Marquis and Lord Zhang must be tired so late at night. To be a
It's not good for a good king not to be considerate of his officials. If you have any questions, it's not too late to ask tomorrow, and you should go and rest early."
"Shen Xiang said that the Liang army had won a great victory at Guanxing in Zhi, and would be able to conquer Guanzhong soon. By then, they would be the powerful enemy of Chu. However, the situation of the Liang army has become complete, and the alliance cannot be abandoned lightly. It requires the concerted efforts of all the people of Chu to avoid being defeated by Liang. "The military is threatening me," the young man said rather insistently. "The child also feels that time is tight and there are too many things to learn..."
"You can't be fat after one bite. Is it possible that if you delay today, the country of Chu will be destroyed?" Qingyang frowned and asked slightly unhappy.
"Only when you have free time can you think and comprehend. Your Majesty, if you want to learn military and political affairs and strengthen your ancestor's foundation, you don't need to rush for a while. You still need to have a good rest and have a strong body." Yang En said.
"Okay, let's go and have a rest first." The young man put the memorial back on the imperial desk, excused himself with Qingyang, and walked to the back bedroom accompanied by dozens of chamberlains and maids.
Qingyang picked up the memorial, looked at it, and said, "Prime Minister Shen's words are getting more and more severe. Can the local government really ban it?"
"Difficult." Yang En replied.
Qingyang didn't say anything more and asked Yang En and Zhang Ping to leave. She sat behind the court case and carefully looked at the draft attached to Shen Yang's memorial. After a while, she asked, following behind her like a shadow. Leicheng:
"Han Qian's battle severely damaged the strength of the Mongolian army, and he also captured Pujin and other places. I'm afraid that as Shen Yang said, he will soon send troops to regain Guanzhong, right? Bin'er is somewhat dissatisfied with what Ai Jia said now. He was impatient, but he followed Yang Enyan's advice. What Yang En, Zhang Ping and the others usually taught Bin'er didn't go astray, right?"
"Your Majesty is the Lord of Chu, Yang En, and Zhang Ping are the ministers of Chu. What he said and thought couldn't be more correct," Lei Cheng said. "My energy has been running low in the past two years. I'm afraid it will be difficult to serve the Queen Mother anymore... …”
What could he say?
When Emperor Yanyou was assassinated, the new emperor had already reached the age of remembering things; as he grew older, he must have his own thoughts about the past events.
Even without mentioning the influence of Yang En, Shen Yang and others, the new emperor has the nature of a newborn calf who is not afraid of tigers. He is gradually dissatisfied with the appeasement and gentleness strategy adopted by Da Chu in recent years. In Lei Cheng's view, it is not What an unexpected thing.
In the past few years, under the governance of Shen Yang and others, many measures have been taken to suppress the local tyrants and clan clans, vigorously reward farming, build roads and hydraulics, provide recuperation for the army and the people, the population has grown, and the national strength has also been greatly improved.
Although Zheng Hui, Huang Lu, Gu Zhilong and others regained Lingnan and Fujian, it cannot be compared with the several arduous and extraordinary battles Daliang soldiers and horses have experienced in recent years, but it allowed the imperial court to grow its power and regain Huaixi. Voices from Deng Jun and other places are gradually beginning to emerge again.
Early on, Shen Yang, Yang En, Du Chongtao, Zhou Bingwu and others, considering the overall situation, were still worried that the Hehuai area would fall into the hands of the Mongolian army, which would endanger the Jianghuai area. However, the great victory of Zhi Guanxing even directly reversed the balance of power between Liang and Meng. The Daliang Army recaptured Guanzhong Zaiji, and the attitudes of Shen Yang, Yang En, Du Chongtao, Zhou Bingwu and others naturally reversed.
Liang and Chu were not one country after all.
Yang En, Zhang Ping, Shen Yang, Du Chongtao, Zhou Bingwu and others, as Chu ministers, once they merge with the voices of the young faction in the court, the relationship between Liang and Chu will surely face a severe test.
All this is not even something that the Queen Mother Chang Xin can change.
The most critical thing at the moment is whether the Chu army will regain Fujian first, or whether Daliang will regain Guanzhong first...
Daliang regains Guanzhong first, and after the west wing is worry-free, it will be able to free up a large number of elite soldiers and horses for defense in other directions. The harmonious relationship between Liang and Chu should still be possible to maintain, but if Gu Zhilong and Huang Lu conquer Fujian first The entire territory of the territory, and when the main force of the Liang Army is still trapped in the pass, it is difficult to guarantee that Shen Yang, Du Chongtao, Zhou Bingwu and others will not have the intention to strike first.
Lei Cheng believed that the Queen Mother Changxin had already considered all this, and it was time for him and Cai Chen to withdraw from the Queen Mother Changxin.
"You and Cai Chen are both invited to go now. Why do you think that Liang and Chu will definitely fight?" Qingyang stared at Lei Cheng distractedly and asked.
"..." Lei Cheng pondered for a while and said, "Your Majesty wants us to stay in Jinling to take care of our old age after becoming officials. We will never make it difficult for the Queen Mother."
"The Ai family is not afraid, so what are you afraid of? Even if you die, you will die in this palace," Qingyang said quietly, "In two or three years, Bin'er will be in charge, and all the military and national affairs of the court will be handled by Bin'er and the group. I have decided that whether the Liang Kingdom will be at peace or whether there will be corpses everywhere, the Ai family is a womanly family, living in the palace and has no right to interfere, so there is nothing to worry about..."
"Yes." Lei Cheng responded, thinking that even if the Empress Dowager Changxin defeated the longevity king Yang Zhitang, she would severely suppress Shen Yang's arrogance, but the military and political matters would still be left to Shen Yang, Yang En, Du Chongtao, Zhou Bingwu, and Zheng Yu, Zhang Chao and others may have expected this moment, right?
"So, Han Qian is really going to send troops to capture Guanzhong this year?" Qingyang took a breath and asked Lei Cheng again.
Lei Cheng neither nodded to admit nor shook his head to deny.
Qingyang waved her hand and told Lei Cheng to step back and rest first. She asked the palace maid to put out the lights in the hall, opened the door, and let the bright moonlight shine like water on the polished stone floor. Here, I seem to see myself disguised as a man, walking among the mountains and rivers of southern Hunan...