Geng Scroll Chapter 157: Picking the Grass to Find Snakes
Chai Ke and Yuan Ke are about to leave.
It has been almost a month since I came out. I have seen everything I need to see and talked about everything I need to talk about.
Businessmen from Shanxi and Shaanxi, Chai Ke and Yuan Keli also inspected the firearms workshop jointly run by Foshan Zhuangji and the Ordnance Bureau after it fully resumed work. They were very excited and far exceeded their previous expectations, especially the quality of the firearms compared to the capital.
The war bureau in the city is completely different from the weapons bureau. No wonder Feng Ziying has such confidence.
It can be said that during this inspection trip, Chai and Yuan felt that the most rewarding thing was this firearms workshop, especially when they saw a dozen craftsmen of Folangji and Hongmaofan working hard in this workshop.
, and also shocked them greatly. The saying "make everything good" was truly realized here.
Feng Ziying sent the two people out of the city gate.
"Ziying, what do you think about the Nanjing Ministry of War's request to rebuild Jiangbei Town and Jiang Waterproof Division?" Yuan Keli suddenly mentioned this issue before leaving.
"Theoretically, Jiangbei Town and Jiang Waterproof Division are indeed necessary, but the Japanese attack this time seems to be a bit louder than the rain. In terms of the losses in various places, it does not seem to be huge, far less than the Japanese pirates before the 32nd year of Yuanxi.
Due to the losses caused by the raid, the Nanjing Ministry of War proposed to invest three million taels of silver in preparation, but did it not consider the difficulties faced by the imperial court?"
Logically speaking, these topics were not Feng Ziying's turn to talk about, but after this trip, Chai Ke didn't have to talk about it, and Yuan Keli's impression of Feng Ziying had greatly improved, so there was no need to avoid some topics.
"The situation reported from South Zhili is a little exaggerated, which is normal, but the losses are indeed not big. The Japanese pirates harassed along the canal and the Yangtze River, causing an uproar among the people. The Nanjing Military Department may have also suffered a lot of criticism. The Jiangnan gentry
It’s not like you don’t know his virtues, and you are used to criticizing the court..."
Yuan Keli had stayed in the south of the Yangtze River, and he was very aware of the culture of the gentry and literati there. They were incapable of doing things well and were invincible in talking. They often looked at the court's actions with a difficult eye. If they were not satisfied at all, they would be criticized overwhelmingly.
"They are indifferent to the pressure from the nine sides, especially those ordinary officials who have never left Jiangnan, or some gentry with little assets. They only focus on their own three-acre land, and they will not consider the overall interests or the court.
Difficulties?"
Yuan Keli's contemptuous tone also made Chai Ke and Feng Ziying laugh. They all knew the temper of Dr. Yuan, and he was also a person who could not rub his eyes with sand.
"But the first and second assistants will definitely not remain indifferent, and they will give some support, right?" Feng Ziying hesitated and said: "Isn't this how Denglai Town started to struggle? In the name of preparing to build the Denglai Navy.
As a cover, we built Denglai town first, and the Denglai naval fleet has not been formed yet."
"Yes, the cabinet was still worried about this matter when we left Beijing. The imperial tax is only so much every year. If there is an extra amount here, some places will inevitably be reduced..." Chai Ke also shook his head.
"Are you planning to cut down the expenditure in Liaodong?" Feng Ziying finally understood. This was to give herself a shot of vaccination to remind her father that next year it would be impossible for Liaodong Town to be as prosperous as last year and this year.
.
"Ziying, you have to understand." Chai Ke sighed and didn't say much.
He may have to face adjustments after returning. He is very concerned about military affairs, but there are some things that he really can't help with. So far, the cabinet and the Metropolitan Procuratorate have not yet come to a conclusion on Feng Tang's responsibility in the Battle of Fushun Pass. This is natural.
It has become a reason for criticism, and the Ministry of War still has to find a way to calm down the matter.
Feng Ziying smiled bitterly.
This is also expected, but my father's plan to transform the Liaodong Infantry Army may be delayed. Even if the firearms workshop in Yongping further releases production capacity and reduces costs, it is high-end goods after all, and the price is slightly higher.
If it goes down, it will still be expensive, and even if the Ministry of War purchases it, it will no longer be tilted to Liaodong, because it will all cost money.
Feng Ziying didn't have the ability to let the merchants from Shanxi and Shaanxi give tens of thousands of firecrackers to Liaodong Town in vain. If he really wanted to give them away, his father would not dare to accept them, otherwise Captain Long would really take action against the Feng family.
As a time traveler, I still feel helpless in the face of this mess, and this specious historical trend continues to move forward without any hindrance.
The situation of the Liaodong Army is far from what he imagined, and he can change his destiny by himself. The Jianzhou Jurchens under the leadership of Nurhaci are still growing. The Horqin people have been repeatedly blocked and are still moving closer to the Jianzhou Jurchens. If the East China Sea Jurchens are really
Everyone turned to the Jianzhou Jurchens. Can Ye Hebu reverse the wheel of history and avoid being annexed by the Jianzhou Jurchens?
Chai Ke and the others left, Jia She and Heping'er also left. Jia Rui also came over, but still left.
Zhu Zhiren's mind has been set on solving the problems of Changli and Leting Huimin Salt Fields. As a prefect, if he is determined to solve something within his jurisdiction, his energy cannot be compared to that of a fellow prefect.
This sentence is absolutely true.
"Sir, Captain Long's men are here."
Wu Yaoqing's voice in the yard broke Feng Ziying's thoughts.
"Oh? Invite them in." Feng Ziying nodded.
This is also a big deal. I have never understood how I provoked a professional assassin. Using a bow and crossbow to assassinate him was definitely not an ordinary way of doing things. On the surface, Feng Ziying looked indifferent, but she was still a little scared inside.
, became much more vigilant.
The visitor is an old acquaintance, Zhao Wenzhao, the one who went out with Feng Ziying during the Linqing Civil War. Now a few years have passed, and Zhao Wenzhao is already a deputy Qianhu of Beizhen Fusi. He was transferred back from Shandong the year before last.
Beizhen Fusi is also a good arrangement.
"I've met you, sir." Zhao Wenzhao still looked the same, which made Feng Ziying a little embarrassed. Six or seven years passed by, and everyone's identity was changing. It was indeed a bit touching.
"Hi, Wen Zhao, we are all old acquaintances. There is no need to be so polite. I have to trouble you, Long Jinwei, to step in this time. I feel a little uneasy."
Feng Ziying's words also made Zhao Wenzhao extremely emotional. A few years ago, this person was just a young boy. Even if he became famous after the Linqing Civil War, in the eyes of many people, this boy just had some courage and luck.
It's just a role. Who would have thought that in just a few years, he has already reached the high position of the fifth rank, and even his immediate boss's immediate boss will give him a little less favor.
"Your Majesty, you're welcome. Such matters are within the scope of our Long Jinwei's responsibilities. Killing officials is like rebellion. The Emperor has always taken it seriously. This happened in the capital of Gyeonggi, so this time the Ministry of Punishment and our Beizhen Fusi side are not
We attach great importance to it." Zhao Wenzhao's attitude was very clear. "During this period, the people from the Ministry of Justice and we all dug up the source according to the information we had. We found some of the assassin's original connections and basically discovered that he escaped from Pan Guan's camp.
Some activities after coming out..."
"Oh?" Feng Ziying was a little excited. He didn't expect that the Ministry of Punishment and Long Jinwei could work together to find clues so quickly. "Then where is this person's origin and where has he been active in the past few years?"
Zhao Wenzhao pondered for a moment, "Sir, although this person is from Hejian, but because he belongs to the military household, he has been in the Jizhen army since he joined the army. He once stayed in Shimenzhai, and later went to Panguanying and was affiliated with Shanhaiguan...
, after his escape, some people saw him in Luanzhou, and also saw him in Qian'an, and some people said that he often traveled between Fengrun, Zunhua and Yongping Prefecture. Generally speaking, this person should have been there most of the time.
Within Yongping Prefecture,..."
Feng Ziying frowned. Could it be that these gentry who did not care about life and death were really the ones who made this break?
No matter how you look at it, it doesn't look like it. How can these gentry have such great courage? What they have done has not brought them to the point of destroying their families and rescuing people from trouble, right?
"Who are the people living with him in my Yongping Mansion?" Feng Ziying asked slowly, stroking her chin.
"Judging from the clues currently investigated, this person usually travels with two or three people, occupying a subordinate position, and the leader does not recognize anyone he has met, but there is another clue..." Zhao Wenzhao wrote the scroll in his hand
He took out one card and looked at it before saying: "Someone once saw this person and two other people following one person in Hazel Town. The leader seemed to be quite popular in Hazel Town. He saw two or three groups of people who were with him.
The leader greeted him with great respect and respect, he should be a noble person..."
"Noble person?" Feng Ziying became more and more puzzled, "official, gentry, or scholar?"
"We also asked the witness, and he couldn't tell. After all, it was just a quick glance, and it had been three years. He could only say that he didn't look like an official or scholar, but a bit like a gentleman, but a bit mysterious.
The taste is not so upright,..."
Zhao Wenzhao slowed down his speech and his tone became somewhat serious: "We have some suspicions that he may be the leader of a secret society such as the White Lotus Sect and the Wenxiang Sect, because according to the description, this person is extraordinary but very low-key. Although
Many people knew him, but they just nodded and passed by without much entanglement. This is not in line with the behavior of ordinary gentry..."
Feng Ziying was shocked. Is it really the White Lotus? What a coincidence? They have all noticed his actions? Are these guys so powerful?
Feng Ziying was shocked. If the White Lotus Sect knew that they were secretly investigating them and preparing to deal with them, it would really be possible for them to jump over the wall in a hurry. But the problem is that Wu Yaoqing and the others were only investigating in secret, and they acted very secretly. How could they be betrayed by the other party?
Aware?
"We have also learned that your series of actions in Yongping Mansion, such as the Qing army, cleaning up hidden households, and ordering merchants to recruit workers for workshops, all have obvious restrictions on people like the secret society. I am
This may have aroused the dissatisfaction of these people, which should be a main reason." Zhao Wenzhao gave a preliminary conclusion: "According to our understanding, the secret society activities in Yongping Mansion are very rampant, and your predecessor has almost nothing in this regard.
