On the day of the Lantern Festival, Shao Shude did not go out to perform, but stayed in the palace and reunited with his family.
Queen Zheshi was all smiles and prepared snacks herself.
Twelve-year-old daughter Shao Zhen was making tea at the side.
Erlang and Shilang sat next to Shao Shude, listening to the teachings - well, Lao Shi was actually listening.
"In the past two years that you have been in charge of the country, you have generally done nothing to control the country, and you have only focused on a few things." Shao Shude counted his fingers and commented one by one.
"The first thing is to repair Liulang, expand Baping City, and place three thousand soldiers in place. Send strong men to Dali, send civilian households to Kunzhou and Yaozhou, and move to Quzhou, Yizhou, Lizhou, and Tonghai disorderly people
To Liaodong."
In fact, it is about Yunnan.
Yunnan is generally calm, but just like after Bohai was wiped out, small-scale unrest is inevitable - there are even unrest now, such as the riots caused when the Mohe people's household registration was counted, but it is indeed coming to an end.
The unrest in Yunnan mainly came from Quzhou and Tonghai Dudufu.
The former was because the imperial court established Zhengzhou and took action against the local chiefs, so it did not stop for several years. At the beginning, various miscellaneous soldiers and horses were the main force, combined with a section of the Forbidden Army. Under the command of Li Tangbin, the killings were extremely vigorous.
Later, it was replaced by the victorious army's left and right two-sided garrison, and a part of the forbidden army, under the leadership of King Yan, they suppressed, massacred, and immigrated.
Quzhou seems to be calm now, and no one dares to rebel. In fact, the bigger reason is that people are dying and leaving, and the land left has been given to immigrants from the Central Plains. The situation has changed, and there is no such soil.
The Tonghai Dudu Mansion was already peaceful, but for the sake of long-term peace and stability in his fiefdom, King Yan had been cleaning up the thorns, either killing them or moving them away. The vacant land was also left for immigrants from the Central Plains. It is estimated that it will take a few years to be completely stable.
"Overall, I am very pleased that you still care about Liulang very much." Shao Shude said: "Starting from the 14th year of Jianji, more than 15,000 households from the Central Plains have immigrated in three years, including Jianshui, Tonghai and Jiangchuan.
The county is mostly Han, warm and wealthy, and the two counties of Baping have also been greatly improved. Liulang wrote to me and repeatedly praised your brother, not bad, very good."
These five places are all counties under the jurisdiction of Tonghai Dudu Prefecture.
Among them, Wenfu County was the original Nanzhao Wenfu Prefecture, later known as Yuxi.
Baping County is the old nest built by Shao Liulang. It is a place with a relatively cool climate in Baping City in the northeast of Gejiu in later generations.
These five counties have now registered more than 33,000 households, and the results are not small. Next, we will continue to clean up some thorny tribes, strive to expand our base, and finally suppress them.
According to Lao Liu's idea, his fiefdom will eventually be a joint governance model of actual control of counties and counties + submission to local officials and tribes. Shao Shude basically agreed with this.
Tonghai Dudufu, Yinsheng Town, and the southern part of Old Yongchang Town will all be given to him.
At present, his main development is the area in the north of the fiefdom near Kunming. It is understandable that the climate here is relatively mild and the agricultural conditions are good, so it can accommodate many Central Plains immigrants as his base.
Only when the fundamentals are solid and capital is available, can we talk about controlling the tribes in the south.
"Rokuro is my younger brother, so it should be like this." The prince said.
The queen heard from the side and looked at Shao Shude with smiles on her face.
The couple only has a few children, and each of them is a pet peeve of their own. Of course they would like to see their brothers get along harmoniously.
"Next, I will take over this matter." Shao Shude said: "Liu Lang asked to mobilize the victorious Shu soldiers to attack the barbarians in the east. What do you think?"
Shao Chengjie knew what his father meant by asking this question.
The Victory Army was an army he single-handedly raised. When he was fighting against Li Maozhen in Sichuan, the number of soldiers at one time was more than 100,000. Later, tens of thousands of old and weak soldiers were eliminated, leaving only the strong and strong.
Before the attack on central Guizhou, further reorganization was carried out, and some of the less capable troops were reorganized into state soldiers, while the remaining 40,000 elite troops were organized into the left and right wings of the Victory Army.
Destroying central Guizhou and pacifying Yunnan, the victorious army participated in the entire process.
After the fall of Changhe, they suppressed the Yunnan rebellion.
Not long ago, two thousand elite soldiers were dispatched to Shule to serve as town troops, and currently there are about 35,000 left.
This unit actually has some combat effectiveness. After all, it has been trained for so many years, no matter how bad it is, and it is very familiar with the terrain and climate of the southwest.
The imperial court will abolish other miscellaneous troops, but the Shengjie Army is really reluctant to do so, because they are very unique and can be used very well in the southwestern mountainous areas.
This unit has a very close relationship with Shao Chengjie. The backbone of its initial army came from his direct troops from Ma—many of them were already middle- and upper-level officers.
"Shengjiejun is the master of the imperial court's management, and father is the one who makes the final decision." Shao Chengjie said simply.
"Okay." Shao Shude nodded, and then said: "The second thing is that you ordered logging and shipbuilding in Quanzhou to enrich the Annan Trading Company. This was the right thing to do, but the investment was too big at one time, and it has not been recovered yet. Some
Thoughtless."
Annan Trading Co., Ltd. was established in the middle of the previous year and officially opened at the beginning of last year. However, after one year, the results showed a huge loss and a huge debt.
The main reason was that Shao Chengjie ordered the Ministry of Household Affairs to lend money to Annan Trading Co., Ltd., allowing them to buy a piece of land in Quanzhou, build a special wharf, and build a wood drying kiln. They also hired many people to cut wood, dry it, and build ships.
In a word, the investment was too big and the work was a bit overwhelming.
In sharp contrast, Bohai Trading Co., Ltd. continues to develop steadily.
In the first year of Shao Shude's expedition, he made a profit of 69,000 yuan and a dividend of 30,000 yuan.
In the fifteen years since its establishment, it has made a profit of 75,000 yuan and a dividend of 30,000 yuan.
In the first year of Tongguang, because two whales were caught in the previous year, part of the profit was reflected in this year, so it obtained an unprecedented maximum profit of 98,000 yuan and a dividend of 40,000 yuan.
From the 10th year of Jianji to the first year of Tongguang, the cumulative profit in seven years was 454,000 yuan, and the dividend was more than 150,000 yuan.
This kind of performance is worthy of the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty and worthy of investors.
This trading company has now developed into a business that spans all over Liaodong, employing thousands of employees - including temporary Huangzhuang young soldiers, excluding seasonal workers in seafood processing workshops - providing a large number of products, and a network of connections extending in all directions.
, a large and well-informed organization.
To put it bluntly, the leaders of the big Bohai clan in Liaodong and Mohe knew what they were going to do when they raised their butts.
The magic of money is unimaginable.
Many Mohe clan leaders dared to betray another clan across the mountain ridge for benefits, so if anyone rebelled, the court would catch them immediately.
Let's put it this way, if from now on, the imperial court stops cleaning up the Mohe tribe and no longer enforces the compulsory registration of households and the people, Liaodong will enter a peaceful and prosperous era, and there will be no more rebellions.
Its agents - regional agents, responsible for purchasing specialties from a certain place - Bohai Trading Co., Ltd. has penetrated into various counties and villages in Liaodong. Their energy is so great. They are the shadow government of Liaodong and play an unparalleled role.
"Grandpa, the money invested will be earned back sooner or later. With Bohai Trading Company in front, no one believes that Annan Trading Company is losing money." Shao Chengjie said.
Queen Zhe brought a plate of cakes and placed it between the father and son, and said: "Mom has told you a long time ago that even if you find a way to subsidize it, you must make a profit in the first year. The civil and military officials of the dynasty have already lost their appetite.
The trading company was suspended. Annan Trading Company was established with such great vigor, but ended up with a huge debt in the first year. Erlang, you acted too hastily."
"That's the truth." Shao Shude said: "When you fought in the past, you just wanted to eat the enemy in one bite. You were too concerned. This problem needs to be corrected. But it is really not a big deal. I just clicked on it. You just need to pay attention."
In other matters, you did a good job without worrying too much, and there was no trouble in junior high school. Your ability to calm things down is still acceptable."
"Now I want to say the third thing. Before you become your father's teacher, are you planning to send troops to conquer Shi Wei?"
"Yes." Shao Chengjie nodded and said: "Some Shiwei tribes colluded with Abaoji and repeatedly plundered Liaodong, which has become a scourge. I plan to recruit soldiers from the Liaodong Prefecture and Bei Yafan to suppress Shiwei."
"Why did you give up?" Shao Shude asked.
"Because my grandfather had already started teaching, I thought it would be better to keep it quiet, so I gave up."
"How many troops do you plan to use?"
"It will be enough to mobilize 20,000 to 30,000 imperial troops and bring more horses, and then 10,000 to 20,000 Liaodong soldiers and 20,000 Beiyafan soldiers. If we don't fight now, it will be more troublesome later."
Shao Shude nodded slightly.
Tens of thousands of troops are really nothing to Daxia.
Since the end of the Tang Dynasty, there has been war all year round in the Central Plains, especially Zhu Quanzhong, Li Keyong and others, who have fought every year. At no time has the scale been less than 50,000 people?
Thinking back to the middle period of the dynasty, not to mention fighting every year, but even fighting once every few years, the finances couldn't bear it, and the treasury was even emptied. What went wrong? Is it that the people's ability to endure hardships and stand hard work is poor, or is it something else?
what reason?
The only exception is probably the Tang Dynasty. From the founding of the country to the Tianbao period, four fronts were fought. The farthest front was more than 10,000 miles away from Chang'an, and the economy was still at its peak...
Shao Shude also figured out the secret. The core is who will bear the cost?
"Your idea is generally correct." Shao Shude sorted out his thoughts and said: "If we don't fight now, it will be more troublesome in the future. But I was wrong in one thing. We don't need so many soldiers to fight Abaoji and Shiwei. Thirty thousand elite soldiers are enough."
Come on. The Khitan and Shiwei are different from us. They have to herd cattle and be busy with farm work, so they don’t have much time to fight in a year. But we are all professional warriors, and we can play with them from the beginning to the end of the year."
"Deploy 10,000 imperial cavalry and 10,000 mounted infantry. Then recruit light cavalry from each tribe. This one will give 300 and that will give 500. It won't hurt them at all, but if you put them together, 10,000 people will come. So there is this
Thirty thousand soldiers are herding horses in Liaodong, collecting information, and killing them whenever they get the chance. If they come a few more times, they won't be able to stand it anymore, and they will either leave or surrender."
"In the past, I was too lazy to pay attention to them. But since they are looking for death, no one can blame them. Next year -" At this point, Shao Shude paused and said: "As a prince, he should also be familiar with all the states in the country. This year
You patrol Hebei, Liaodong and other provinces, and all the Shiwei tribes, and solve them together."
"My son obeys the order." Shao Chengjie responded, looking slightly pleased.
"Now let's talk about the fourth thing -" Shao Shude continued: "You ordered a new Pichi to be built in Wanye Corridor. Why?"
What he mentioned was the ship lock at Fangchengkou, which is the key point of the Xianghan Cao Canal.
At Fangchengkou, there is a navigable river in front and a navigable river in the rear, but the short section at Fangchengkou is the only one missing.
Historically, Zhao Er tried twice and failed. The closest he got was just a few meters in height.
Shao Shude didn't waste any time and directly built a ship lock and used the Peak Canal to pass through.
It was indeed successful, but now there is a problem: there is not enough water during the dry season, and navigation cannot be conducted year-round.
This place itself relies on water storage upstream, flowing into the closed gate, slowly raising the boat, connecting to the river in the Wanye Corridor, and letting it cross Fangchengkou - called Doumen in ancient China, ship lock in the West
It is called "Mountain Top Canal", as the name suggests, how to make a boat go over a mountain.
Every time the ship is lifted in the lock, water must be released. If the water is released a few more times, the water stored upstream will not be enough, which is very painful.
Thinking back to the previous incident when the ship lock released water and the downstream river embankment was washed away, this matter almost became Shao Shude's heartache.
"The water is not enough, so we built three more ponds, recruited Confucius, dug ditches to connect them to Doumen, and released water to replenish them when needed." Shao Chengjie said.
"Sure enough." Shao Shude sighed: "Let's try it. With more water, more boats can pass."
"Now let's talk about the sea." Shao Shude glanced at Shiro who was listening with interest, smiled, and said: "The Huaihai Road Tingwang Division Branch reported that more and more people are going to sea now, and they are purchasing strong bows.
The powerful crossbow robs people as slaves and sells them everywhere, how do you think this should be handled?"
When Shao Chengjie heard this, he immediately said: "Maybe people from the Bohai Trading Company can come forward and talk to the captains privately. If they dare to rob merchant ships or Daxia people, the imperial court will dig up their roots."
Are maritime merchants or pirates easy to control?
It seems difficult to manage, but it is actually very easy to manage.
They have to go ashore after all, and they have their families on the shore. Their purpose of going to sea to rob is always to make money. After making money, they will return to the shore to become rich men.
As long as the court is well-informed, arresting them will not be a problem.
Those who really cannot be caught are protected by umbrellas.
"Do you think it will be beneficial to the country for these people to go to sea?" Shao Shude asked.
"These people are both traders and thieves, and they seem to have a bad reputation, but last year they caught two whales, seals, sea lions, walruses, sea otters, and several fur seals. Even the tachyon that my father eats cakes on is made of walrus ivory.
Shao Chengjie said: "As long as they sell goods to Bohai trading companies and pay taxes to merchants, I don't think it's a big problem. I dare say that among merchants on the sea, eight out of ten are pirates, and two are preparing to become pirates."
."
"Haha!" Shao Shude laughed.
Maritime merchants and pirates are indeed two sides of the same coin. There is no royal law on the sea, and you cannot restrain anyone. If you are greedy, you will dare to do anything.
To put it bluntly, as long as the corpses and traces are destroyed, they dare to snatch the ships of the Bohai Trading Company. However, they have only been developing for a short period of time and have not yet gathered into a large force. The ships of the Bohai Trading Company operate in groups, so they do not dare to grab the ships of the Bohai Trading Company.
.
European pirates in history include officially licensed privateers, and there are also pirates who have no bottom line and even rob their own people. But is it necessary to ban the sea because of this? No need.
This is a waste of time, because it is entirely possible to send ships from the Ping Navy to escort and eliminate the threat.
Of course, if some officials were replaced and they saw that more naval escorts would be sent out, the cost would increase. In order to save trouble, they would probably ban civilians from going to sea across the board.
"These maritime merchants still need to be controlled. However, it is best not to let the government intervene. You can think of a way and come up with a statement and let me take a look." Shao Shude said.
"I heard that among the sea merchants, there is a man named 'Wang Heizi'. He is brave, fierce, cruel and violent. Many people are afraid of him. But this man is also greedy for fame and fortune. The court may send the Tingwangsi gang to do the dirty work.
Someone came forward to bribe this person secretly, support him to grow, and slightly restrain those lawless people." Shao Chengjie said.
"Huh?" Shao Shude asked curiously: "This doesn't seem like your style. Who taught you this?"
"This is the strategy proposed by Liang Zhen a few months ago." Shao Chengjie said honestly.
"He is a talented person." Shao Shude said: "Write a detailed statement carefully."
"good."
"Now let's talk about the Li tribe in Lingnan West Road..."
The father and son talked for most of the day.
Except for eating, most of the questions were asked by Shao Shude, and his son answered, sorting out the more important things in the past two years one by one, and ended in the evening.
After the conversation, Shao Shude had a feeling: his son could still listen to the opinions of outsiders, at least he was not a willful person. In areas he didn't know much about, he would ask people he considered "experts" to consult and finally make a decision.
Give him a few good prime ministers and that's almost it.
