Everyone present understood what Zhang Dun meant, but what Zhao Xi didn't expect was that after Zhang Dun finished speaking, no one among the ministers refuted it.
The imperial ambitions that have been nurtured for many years may really work.
Judging from everyone's recognition of Zhang Dun's rhetoric, at least the cabinet has a unified understanding of expansion.
"What does the Prime Minister think?"
Zhao Xi still needs to respect Wang Anshi and give the Prime Minister face.
"The veteran agrees with what Mr. Zhang Ge said. The kerosene bombs were first used in naval battles, and there are many Persian merchants on the country's sea. It is estimated that even pirates will be dominated by these forces."
"When the four princes go east to Tuohai, they will also encounter the forces of the Northern Liao. Once the method of kerosene bombs is spread to the Northern Liao, it will be more difficult for the country to regain Yanyun. The only thing the court can do is to strike first."
"As the official said, historical records show that most of the stone esters are produced in the northwest. We have already seen the power of kerosene bombs. I believe that it is necessary for the imperial court to control the known oil producing areas."
This cabinet is indeed an enterprising cabinet. Even Wang Anshi... cannot be said to be content with Wang Anshi. In the previous cabinet, he was the one with the greatest territorial ambitions, including Wang Shao, who was in charge of the Luehe River.
Huang was promoted by Wang Anshi.
"Now that the cabinet has a unified understanding, let's start making preparations."
This time Zhao Xi brought the cabinet to Gongfang City, and he really had no intention of guiding the cabinet to prepare for the reconquest of Yanyun.
In the past few years, the imperial court has had many internal and external affairs, and Zhao Xi has never felt that special sense of stable development. Northern Liao is not Xixia. Not only is its vast territory, but its soldiers and strength should not be comparable to Xixia.
In a war with the Northern Liao Dynasty, it would be difficult to achieve a grand plan like the recapture of Xixia. It could only be a frontal war, which was what later generations called a steel gun.
Zhao Xi does not have any fear of the Liao, but Zhao Xi knows that the mainstream in the country has adapted to the so-called peaceful coexistence with the Northern Liao.
Recovering Yanyun is indeed a big issue for the country.
Of course, such a big topic cannot be planned in detail in the Gongfang City Hall. It just determines the general direction. This requires a year or even longer deployment.
When dealing with Xixia, the imperial court also started with the strategy of Hehuang, and it took two or three years before it officially entered the war to annihilate Xixia.
This time around Gongfang City, everything is kept secret... Gongfang City's defense is the strictest in the country, and the loyalty of its personnel is also the most loyal in the country, so there is no need to worry about any leaks.
This is not to say that the people in Gongfang City are different from other places, but that the salary of the entire Gongfang City, even for ordinary craftsmen, is higher than the average level of officials in the country.
On this point, Zhao Xi is arbitrary. And the performance of Gongfang City in recent years, whether in terms of military equipment or civilian use, has left the court without any noise.
No one wants to mess with the Gongfang City, and everyone has the industrial benefits derived from the Gongfang City.
Regarding the preparations for the war to regain Yanyun, there was no news from the court, but Gongfang City entered a state of emergency again, while the Privy Council and the Ministry of War were recruiting soldiers step by step.
As for the replacement of border garrison armaments... this is a routine matter. Even the increase or decrease in armaments and supplies is normal for border garrison troops.
"Officially, the cabinet has completed the formulation of a strategy for the production and transportation of kerosene. However, the issue of kerosene sales is more controversial."
Wang Anshi and Lu Huiqing met and asked the officials for advice on the sale of kerosene.
Wang Anshi seems to have also changed. At least on the kerosene matter, he no longer brings the cabinet disputes to the officials, and does not expect the officials to give him unprincipled support in front of the entire cabinet.
"What is the point of contention?"
"Back at the official level, the disputes focus on the issue of sales agents. At the provincial, prefecture, and county levels, how to determine the sales merchants, what the designation standards are, etc., the cabinet is all in dispute."
To put it bluntly, it is still a matter of interests. Wang Anshi is disgusted with the phenomenon of the cabinet arguing over interests. However, he did not properly resolve the dispute.
After the government experimented with kerosene, Gongfang City had already begun to be implemented in Bianliang. Although Wang Anshi was a little angry at Gongfang City for doing this without the approval of the cabinet, he did not point fingers at Gongfang City. Everyone knew that Gongfang City
It is the territory of the official family.
It was also because of the promotion of kerosene in Bianliang that all courtiers knew about kerosene, which also made the cabinet debate somewhat difficult to coordinate.
Cabinets cannot exist independently, and Wang Anshi is no exception. They all have their own disciples and old friends, as well as relatively close courtiers and forces, including township parties, and there are always intricate entanglements of interests.
Although Wang Anshi did not take seriously the disputes based on interests, judging from the officials he promoted in his early years, he also had a difference between closeness and distance. Wang Anshi was also a cabinet whose ability was judged by closeness.
Therefore, when courtiers, local gentry, and merchants influence the cabinet, it is difficult to reach an agreement.
I also considered selling them. After all, the products and crafts of Gongfangcheng have been sold many times. I even considered promoting them like wine supervisors and tea supervisors.
But the current use of officials by the state has already been related to the implementation of the three-level decision-making system. Even tea, wine, salt, and iron have been reduced in number of officials and unified under the management of the city. How can we set up another yamen?
?
As for selling...
"Then let's use the selling method!"
Zhao Xi felt that this shouldn't be a problem, because the interests were related, and there would definitely be disputes. It would be a simple matter.
"For officials, kerosene comes from kerosene and should be controlled by the court. Furthermore, the properties of kerosene are uncertain. According to Mr. Su Ge, if you are not careful, it will lead to disaster."
"Businessmen and ordinary people cannot expect to be able to strictly implement standardized procedures like the Gongfang City. And the transportation and storage of kerosene will be guided by the Gongfang City and the tracks. I am afraid that it will be difficult to implement the sale."
Zhao Xi was a little helpless about the reason Wang Anshi said. After thinking about it, he didn't know before. It seemed that what he had seen before was that the auctions of Guochao did not target this abstract meaning, that is, they only targeted sales rights.
Pu Mai... This is a famous Pu Mai.
Of course, the cabinet was also entangled in the issues of transshipment and limited management by the court.
"Simply sell the sales rights, and at the same time add the price of rail transit and workshop city storage guidance. In order to facilitate management, you can try to sell it in the form of one province, prefecture, state, and county."
"The selling price of kerosene is set uniformly by the imperial court, and all state capitals have the same price. It is also a semi-controlled property by the imperial court, and there is no need for competition. As for how to set the price of kerosene to achieve a balance between the Gongfang City, the imperial court, local merchants and the people, etc.
The demands of all parties are related to market transactions."
From the court's perspective, controversy is a good thing.
Could it be that the pricing set by Lu Huiqing and the selling price in Gongfangcheng freed up too much profit margin?