The strategy of conquering the grasslands has yet to rise to the national will, as long as the Chahars and Tumuts do not launch a large-scale attack on the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Even such small-scale raids and plunders would hardly make Dazhou think about taking action against the grassland, because the price would be too high.
Before the transportation difficulties and logistical support could not be completely solved, the money spent on conquering the grassland was like running water, and it was not easy to solve the Jianzhou Jurchen problem.
In the eyes of the imperial court, the Chahars and Tumuts were far less threatening than the Jianzhou Jurchens, but Liaodong was indispensable, so they spared no effort to deal with the Jianzhou Jurchens first.
Now I can finally breathe. The ten-year development plan for Liaodong proposed by Feng Ziying does not require much money from the court. At most, it only provides some policies. All the princes are happy to see the results. They wish Feng Ziying could stay in Liaodong all the time.
As for the interests on the grassland, they are not enough for these interest groups to have this idea.
Whether it is the gentry and merchants of Jiangnan or the merchants of Shanxi and Shaanxi, they all have their own goals now.
Businessmen in the south of the Yangtze River still have their sights set on sea trade and Southeast Asia. The Baluan Island (Palawan Island) on the Luzon side has officially entered the development stage. The coastal plain of the island has fertile land, and the cultivation of rice and sugar cane has begun to take shape.
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Three crops a year and the huge profits from sugar cane have also aroused great interest from merchants in Jiangnan and Guangdong and Guangdong. Therefore, starting from the pilot project of Baloyuan Island, it has attracted the attention of merchants from Jiangnan and Guangdong and Guangdong at all times.
This power has also aroused the interest of Zhou merchants in many islands further south, because there are more lucrative spice cultivation profits there.
It turns out that everyone is still worried that Nanyang is too far away. Once the merchants or the people who have moved there are invaded and attacked, it will be difficult for the court to respond in time. But now as the Denglai Navy and Fujian Navy become more powerful, the Guangdong and Guangxi Navy began to
After the Jurchen threat in Jianzhou disappeared, the imperial court was already considering exchanging some of the Denglai Navy and the Fujian Navy with the Guangdong and Guangxi Navy so that they could become familiar with the sea conditions on the other side of Nanyang as soon as possible and form an understanding of Nanyang Zhuge Liang as soon as possible.
Party’s deterrence.
Dongfan has become a model. Salt, rice, gold sand, and big wood were originally the four major specialties of Dongfan. However, now sugarcane cultivation is rapidly catching up. Cane sugar has replaced gold sand and become one of the four major specialties. It has begun to be continuously supplied to Jiangnan and the capital.
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Businessmen from Shanxi and Shaanxi focused more on the physical industries of iron smelting, ironmaking, cement, and shipbuilding. In particular, shipbuilding was originally relatively developed in Jiangnan and Guangdong and Guangxi. However, with the development of Dengzhou, Yuguan, Dagu, etc.
With the rapid rise of the local shipbuilding industry, the shipbuilding industry in the north has gradually been able to keep pace with that in the south of the Yangtze River.
In the two major industries of steel and cement, the North has formed an overwhelming advantage over the South.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Commerce, Northland accounted for more than 70% of the entire Dazhou steel production in the third year of Wantong, while the South accounted for only 30%. In terms of cement production capacity, Northland accounted for more than 90%. Currently, it is the only one in the south of the Yangtze River.
A cement factory is in Xuzhou and was invested and built by businessmen from Shanxi and Shaanxi.
With the popularization of the use of cement, the demand for cement in various places is also increasing. The construction of new cement plants in Jiangnan, Huguang and Guangxi is also a formal necessity. Therefore, businessmen from Shanxi and Shaanxi also went south in large numbers, setting up factories in Guangzhou, Jinling, and Suzhou.
, Nanchang and other places to build cement plants in order to be closest to consumption areas and maximize profits.
Under this situation, the two major forces that can influence the imperial court in the Great Zhou Dynasty currently have little interest in the grassland. They are all focusing on the industrial upgrading of Nanyang and the mainland. This is where the most benefits lie. Moreover, the current situation in Liaodong
After stabilizing, Feng Ziying provided them with a testing ground in Liaodong that was broader than the grassland. Of course, they were more willing to operate in Liaodong.
When the report of the Liaodong war was sent to the capital city, the imperial court immediately announced the shocking news to the outside world. Nurhachi died of illness, the Jurchens in Jianzhou and even the entire Quanzhen clan surrendered. Liaodong was unified and completely included in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Jurisdiction includes Hetuala, the so-called "capital" of Jurchen in the original state.
From the capital city to Jinling, Yangzhou, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Wuchang, and Guangzhou, newspapers and periodicals everywhere quickly published the news, and many literati also began to write about such a war with great fanfare based on the various information they had.
The specific process and the significance of victory.
Without the Jianzhou Jurchen as a serious enemy, Zhou Dynasty was like a dragon and tiger freed from restraints, and could advance its strategy in any direction according to its own wishes.
The Imperial Household Department can also usher in a period of respite after experiencing years of painful financial constraints, and can make plans for the next step of the imperial court in accordance with its own intentions.
"Do you want to go back, sir?" It was still freezing outside the window, but it was as warm as spring inside. Feng Ziying sat cross-legged on the kang, checking Tong Niang's handwriting and arithmetic homework, and casually responded to Shen Yixiu's question:
"It depends on what the court wants. I have been in Liaodong for almost two years. The court's idea is that it will take three years at worst. I think so too. The plan has just come out, but there is still a long process to implement."
"I see that Dazhang and Wenruo have been here a lot during this time. They are busier than during the war some time ago. Does your husband really intend to continue working in Liaodong?" Shen Yixiu was very curious about this.
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"Wen Ruo and Da Zhang helped me a lot. Although they did not play an obvious role in the war, they played a major role in logistical support and civil affairs. Although these subsequent events have little to do with the war, they will be important in the future.
One year will lay a solid foundation for the development of Liaodong in the next ten years. I hope that when I leave, the three divisions of Liaodong can be established, the administrative structure must be laid out, and the layout of the prefecture must be laid out. This is what I have worked hard for
It was created, and I don’t want people to take a political approach and end up with a dog’s head but a tail end.”
After Feng Ziying checked her daughter's homework, she put her daughter on his lap and sat down. "The imperial court's approval came back. Liaodong needs more officials, including the establishment of prefectures, as well as the next step of accepting the government envoys and imposing sentences and inspections."
The establishment of an envoy requires a large number of officials, and the construction needs to keep up with it. It is very complex and cumbersome, and it also takes time. I need to be in charge to ensure that it does not go astray..."
"Then my husband means that it's too early for us to go back, at least until next year?" Shen Yixiu laughed, "I have no intention of returning to Beijing in a hurry. Now all the sisters have come to Liaodong, except for Liaodong
The time in winter is too long and it’s a bit boring. Everything else is pretty good, and we don’t have as many social activities as in Beijing..."
"Wan Jun's words are a bit untrue." Feng Ziying laughed, "In my heart, I still hope to go back earlier, but I am afraid that the court will suddenly ask me to go back and delay things here, so I am seizing every opportunity during this period.
Do it first. When you really want to leave, you have to arrange many things. If you are not in the center, it is difficult to grasp the overall situation. I always feel that time is not waiting for me..."
"I feel like my husband is always feeling imminent and anxious. I don't know if it's my imagination." Shen Yixiu said with a smile while holding his two-year-old son.
Shen Yixiu's intuition was correct. Feng Ziying was indeed a little anxious. From Chai Ke's letter, he learned that Qi Yongtai's health was getting worse and worse. He had been recovering at home for ten days last month. There were also some ups and downs in the cabinet.
I feel that many people are not optimistic that Qi Yongtai can complete a five-year cabinet term.
If Qi Yongtai's health is unable to persist, once he becomes official, then according to the original agreement between the scholars in Beidi, Jiangnan, and Huguang, Gu Bingqian will take over as the first assistant. However, the original agreement was that Qi Yongtai would become official after the five-year term, and he would pull Li Sancai to become official.
It has only been more than two years, is Li Sancai willing to take up his official post?
If Li Sancai refuses to serve, even if Gu Bingqian succeeds as the first assistant, he will face challenges from Li Sancai. Li Sancai will definitely have to compete for the second assistant, and he still has a good chance.
If Li Sancai wins the position of second assistant, Gu Bingqian's prestige and character may not be able to suppress Li Sancai, and the cabinet will definitely be unstable. It is hard to say which side Guan Yingzhen, Huang Ruliang and others will favor.
Once this situation becomes unstable, Emperor Wan Tong, who has been dormant, might get involved.
In the past few years, Emperor Wan Tong had behaved quite low-key. Even though the court had not made it clear who would succeed the crown prince, Emperor Wan Tong only criticized and dissatisfied, but did not act too fiercely. This was precisely what Feng Ziying was most worried about.
In a sense, Gu Bingqian and Li Sancai have something in common.
Gu Bingqian was the original "Emperor Party" during the reign of Emperor Yonglong. However, when Gu Bingqian benefited from the split between the North and the South, he stood firmly on the side of Ye Fang and the two. His bet was successful, and because of his seniority, he was able to join the cabinet and become the second assistant.
Huang Ruliang and others were too junior in qualifications, otherwise Gu Bingqian would not have been able to take over.
Similarly, Li Sancai did not receive much support from scholars when he entered the cabinet. The Northern scholars were too close to the Jiangnan scholars because he was from the North. The Jiangnan scholars were friendly with him but were not supported by him because he was from the North.
I supported him very much, but in the end, he found his way into Emperor Yonglong's network, secretly confessed his sincerity to Emperor Yonglong, and finally entered the cabinet with a final decision.
This is also the reason why scholars have always been somewhat suspicious of him and even rejected him.
Of course, it was just a suspicion that Li Sancai had access to the Yonglong Emperor's door, and there was no definite evidence. It was just a mental testimony, and now that times have changed, there is nothing to say.
However, both Gu and Li have a "record" of making peace with the emperor, so it is difficult to say what kind of consequences will result if Emperor Wan Tong discovers an opportunity that can be exploited and tries to disrupt it.
misfortune.
Feng Ziying doesn't like this uncertain situation, he wants to control the situation.