It was close to midnight and most shops were closed for the day. Gao Fu's upper floor was dimly lit. An important meeting was taking place here.
"… There's no such thing as should or shouldn't. The imperial court attaches importance to shipping, which is always a good thing in the long run. The four seas are vast. Once we leave this place, natural disasters and man-made disasters can claim lives at any time. Other than throwing caution to the wind, only strong ships and cannons can ensure the people at sea live for a few more days. Everyone should still remember what happened in the third year of Jing Han's reign. The Emperor built treasure ships and sent them to the four corners of the world. Not long after, the craftsmanship of the treasure ships spread. A few scapegoats were killed in the southeast, but some of us still benefited from the craftsmanship. "
"Jing Han's capital is in Bianliang. The sky is high and the Emperor is far away. A few scapegoats are enough. But today … moreover, the new Emperor's conduct is far different from the one in the past."
"After the new Emperor came, he fought for the people's hearts and seized power. It can be said that he is preparing for war. Right now, his next step is to go north to Lin 'an. Why is he suddenly thinking about sea trade? Does he really want to go to the sea, or does he want to take advantage of us? "
"The young Emperor is short of money?" Wang Yikui, who was the last to sit, asked with a cold expression.
"The imperial court is always short of money." The old scholar, Tian Haoran, said.
Gao Fulai said, "Ever since the new Emperor came to Fuzhou, he has promoted goods, set up newspapers, and implemented new policies. Recently, he has been saying that the Emperor is invading the barbarians. Half of the aristocratic families who originally stood on the orthodox side have been offended by him. Even if there are those who want to support the Wu dynasty, the sky is high and the road is far. But inside and outside of Fuzhou, the ones who support him the most have always been us, the sea merchants. Since last year until now, my Gao family has given the Imperial Court more than eight hundred thousand taels of silver. What all of you have brought out should not be less than that. "
He paused, "The new Emperor is valiant, it is the people's blessing. Now that Wu Qimei, Tie Yan, and the others kneel to the golden dog and occupy Lin 'an, we, the people of the Wu dynasty, can't stand it. We can say that we are short of money in war. But now it seems that stubbornness is the problem … "
Tian Haoran shook his head, "Brother Gao is thinking too much. The reason why the Emperor is like this is because we are merchants. If the imperial court wanted to divide power with the scholar-bureaucrats, they would have to shout out the slogan of respecting the king and expelling the barbarians. There was no precedent for taking profits from the hands of the merchants. Moreover, the new emperor has just ascended to the throne, and all he has encountered are battles and killings. It is the habit of young people to be more direct. However, the emperor can be direct, but the people around him shouldn't be. In my opinion, there are still treacherous officials around His Majesty. "
Gao Fulai smiled. "Today, in the room, the few of us can say that we are merchants. The Tian family has been a family of scholars for generations, and now you also consider yourself to be a merchant?"
Tian Haoran stroked his half-white beard and smiled, "To the outside world, we are a family of scholars, but with such a big business, the outside world has long regarded our Tian family as a merchant family. In fact, Fuzhou was located in the Southeast, so it could not produce a top scholar. Instead of studying, it was better to do some business. If I had known earlier that the Wu dynasty was going to move south, this old man wouldn't have sat with you. "
After the old man said this, the rest of the people laughed. After a while, Gao Fulai stopped laughing and said solemnly, "Brother Tian, although you are modest, among all the people here, you have the most friends in the imperial court. The high-ranking officials of various ministries and the current Minister of the Left are all your guests. Who are the treacherous officials you mentioned?"
Tian Haoran shook his head. "The current Ministers and Ministers are all old officials. They went out to sea with the dragon boat and watched the new emperor ascend to the throne. They have the merit of starting from scratch, but in the eyes of the Emperor, it may only be hard work. The new emperor is young and has a radical personality. He doesn't like the old officials' steady words. He has always used some young people in private and some people from the Princess Royal's residence. It's not like you don't know. It's just that these people are not qualified and have a bad reputation, so the Minister is given to the old officials. "
"Now, as Brother Gao said before, a group of bastards came to the Huaxia army. They are even younger and won the Emperor's favor. Every day, they enter the palace to point out the country in front of the Emperor and mislead the people. They are people taught by that Demon King Ning in the southwest. How could they have any good intentions toward us? The Emperor didn't expect such a simple truth and was bewitched by them. That's why today's rumor came out. Brother Gao, don't you think this makes sense? "
"That's right." Gao Fulai nodded. "The new emperor has occupied Fuzhou. What the world is waiting for is for him to prepare his troops and return to Lin 'an. If this can be done in a year or two, the foundation of the Wu dynasty will still be there. But these bastards of the Huaxia army came and bewitched the Emperor to care about sea trade … In the long run, there will be money to be made on the sea, but in the short run, it will only be throwing money and throwing people. Moreover, in two or three years, when the sea starts to fight, I'm afraid no one will be able to do business. Black Flag wants to drag the Emperor down in Fuzhou. "
When he said "when the sea starts to fight," he glanced at Wang Yikui across from him and then swept his gaze away.
"Then there are two meanings now. First, the Emperor has been bewitched and has hardened his heart to interfere at sea. Then, he first offended the officials, then offended the gentry, and today, he's going to offend the sea merchants. Now, I see that the Wu dynasty is in danger. We can't sit by and watch … Of course, it could also be the second meaning. The Emperor is short of money and is embarrassed to ask, so he wants to come over and make some money. Then … everyone, we have to fork out money to settle this matter."
Everyone looked at each other. The room was silent for a moment. Pu Annan was the first to speak. "When the new Emperor wanted to come to Fuzhou, we never obstructed him. After he arrived in Fuzhou, we contributed money and effort. I didn't care about the first few hundred thousand taels. But looking at it today, isn't this money being spent a bit unjustly? After spending so much money, the Emperor turns around and says he wants to dig at our roots? "
"The country is in trouble, so it's only right to fork out some money," Shang Bingchun said. "But after spending money, we can't not listen."
"Spending money is fine, but if the Emperor is determined to participate in sea trade, what should we do?" Gao Fulai picked up his teacup and scraped lightly on the coaster.
Wang Yikui, who had been silent all this time, looked at everyone. "This is your place. If the Emperor really wants to participate, he will find someone to discuss it with. Shouldn't you call someone to persuade him first?"
"If the Emperor really does come to discuss it, then there will be no persuasion. Everyone, if you dare to refuse verbally …" Tian Haoran reached out and drew a line across his neck.
"The Emperor has been chased all the way to the southeast. How can this be?"
"It's hard to say for the previous Emperors, but this one … doesn't seem to be afraid of offending people."
At this point, the five of them either played with their teacups or rubbed their fingers on the table. For a time, they didn't speak. After a while, it was Gao Fulai who spoke. "I have an idea."
Tian Haoran, Shang Bingchun, and Pu Annan raised their teacups. Wang Yikui watched quietly.
"The court wants to participate in sea trade. Whether it's true or not, sooner or later, word will come. When the higher-ups express their intentions, if we say no, we might offend them. The elders in the court will go and persuade them. We need to be mentally prepared. I think … we can spend this amount at most to settle this matter. "
As he spoke, he stretched out his right hand and moved the five fingers.
"Fifty thousand?"
"Five hundred thousand."
"So much just from a scare?"
"If the court wants to extort us, we can directly give money to stop the boiling water. Stopping the boiling water is only to solve the problem. The real solution is to take drastic measures. Brother Shang said he wanted to listen, and Brother Tian said there is a traitor in the court. So, what we have to give today is money to sell our lives. "
Gao Fulai's gaze swept across everyone. "When the new emperor moved to Fuzhou, we supported him wholeheartedly. Many of the aristocratic families are looking to the court for benefits. Only we give money to the court. It seems that perhaps they have really softened. That's why they came to us without any warning. Since it's like this, we really need to change our impression of them. While they haven't come to us yet. We can donate money, but we can't keep them. "
Everyone looked at each other. Tian Haoran said, "Without the bewitchment of others, His Majesty's intentions will indeed be much weaker."
"The one surnamed Ning in the southwest killed the emperor of the Wu dynasty. The people of the Wu dynasty are absolutely irreconcilable with him," Pu Annan said. "Today, they swaggered here. Those who are truly loyal to the Wu dynasty want to kill them as soon as possible. It's not strange if something happens to them. "
"Although Mister Pu is from a foreign land, your feelings for our Wu dynasty are quite sincere. It's admirable."
"My family has been here for several generations. I grew up in the Wu dynasty and am a genuine person of the Wu dynasty. It's natural for me to be loyal to the Wu dynasty. I'll keep these five hundred thousand taels. "
Everyone drank tea and chatted for a while. Shang Bingchun said, "If this still can't solve the problem, what should we do?"
"Then pack our bags and go to the sea. We'll guard the trade route with the Dragon King and fight against the Imperial Court for three years. We'd rather not make money for three years than let the Imperial Court taste any sweetness. Let them know that men on the sea … "Gao Fulai put down his teacup," … can be ruthless! "
*****
Under the night sky, the moaning sea breeze blew through the streets of Fuzhou.
Near midnight, the carriage passed through the streets of Fuzhou and headed in the direction of the royal garden at the northwest end of the city.
The garden in the city wasn't far from the downtown area of Fuzhou. After Junwu occupied Fuzhou, many places were divided out for officials to use as offices. It was already late at night, but many places were still lit beyond the walls of the garden. The carriage stopped by a side door. Zuo Xiuquan got out of the carriage and walked into the garden for a while before entering a place called Wen Han Garden.
This Wen Han Garden was originally used to store ancient books and treasures for the royal family. There were three two-story buildings with gardens and ponds nearby. The scenery was beautiful. At this time, the main building's main hall had its doors wide open. Lights were lit inside, and long tables were put together to form a lively office space. Some young people were still writing and handling documents at their desks. Zuo Xiuquan greeted them.
"You haven't rested yet. Where's the family town?"
After asking for Zuo Wenhuai's location, he went to the second floor of a nearby building to look for him. Along the way, he met a few young people and greeted them.
There were more than thirty young people in this group from the southwest, led by Zuo Wenhuai. Of course, not all of them were children of the Zuo family. Over the years, the Xia army had fought from the northwest to the southwest. Most of the participants were staunch "rebels," but there were always some who had different family backgrounds in the past. They didn't completely hate the new emperor of the Wu dynasty. As a result, some of the people who followed this time came from aristocratic families. There was also another group who were curious and observant, so they followed here.
The journey from the southwest to Fuzhou was thousands of miles long, and they were escorting some supplies from the southwest. This was not an easy journey. Although they relied on their status as members of the Zuo family and took advantage of a few large caravans, they still encountered a few dangers along the way. It was only in the face of danger that Zuo Xiuquan saw the ferocity of this group of young people on the battlefield. After experiencing the series of battles in the southwest, these originally quick-witted survivors had all been forged into lethal weapons on the battlefield. They were determined in the face of chaos, and Zuo Xiuquan felt that many of their battlefield foresight even surpassed that of many of the generals of the Wu dynasty.
In fact, in the past, Ning Yi didn't give special treatment to elite soldiers like Zuo Wenhuai, who had the foundation of enlightenment. In fact, there was no room for special treatment. This time, after various selections, they were transferred out. Many of them were not subordinates or superiors, and they didn't have experience working as partners. The several tense situations along the way allowed them to familiarize themselves with each other. By the time they arrived in Fuzhou, they could basically be considered a team.
They arrived in Fuzhou in April, bringing with them the investigation system of the southwest and many advanced experiences. But of course, these experiences couldn't be integrated into the system here in Fuzhou through a few secret manuals. This was especially true for Fuzhou. Ning Yi hadn't sent out a large number of specialized teachers and technicians like he had done for Jindi. Thus, the early planning for the reforms in various fields became rather crucial.
Every member of the team with experience in the investigation of the southwest was grabbed to be in charge of organizing information in a certain field, discussing plans, and making them. What the southwest was like, why, what could be used as a reference, which areas could be changed, which areas could not be changed, which areas had problems with people, which areas had problems with funds … In these days, Wenren Bu 'er led the Wu dynasty's people over to hold a large number of meetings and discussions. These young people would also work late into the night every day.
After experiencing trials and tribulations along the way from the southwest, Zuo Xiuquan was already familiar with most of these young people. As the representative of a large clan loyal to the Wu dynasty, he felt both excited and gratified to see these young people of outstanding temperament radiating brilliance under all kinds of tests. But at the same time, he couldn't help but think that this team of young people actually had different thoughts. Even Zuo Wenhuai, a descendant of the Zuo clan, probably didn't have the same thoughts as the Zuo clan. It was even more difficult to say for the others.
In the distant southwest, Ning Yi had casually tossed over a team of more than forty seedlings, and from the looks of it, they would sooner or later become outstanding individuals who could take charge of their own affairs. On the surface, it looked like they were bringing all kinds of experience from the southwest to Fuzhou, but in reality, what kind of role would they play in the future Wu dynasty court? When he thought of this, Zuo Xiuquan felt a faint headache.
Of course, this was just the beginning, and it wasn't yet the time to worry too much. He went up to the nearby second floor. Zuo Wenhuai and the team's deputy, Xiao Jingyi, were climbing down from the roof. They seemed to be talking about something like "pay attention to changing shifts". After the two sides exchanged greetings, Xiao Jingyi used the excuse of preparing a midnight snack to leave. Zuo Wenhuai and Zuo Xiuquan went to a nearby study. After pouring a cup of tea, they began to discuss matters.
"… I left Fuzhou for a while and just returned. Tonight, I heard a few things, so I came here … I heard that recently, you suggested to His Majesty that we should focus on sea trade? Is His Majesty quite moved? "
After the Fuzhou Imperial Court's wanton reform, it had hurt the hearts of many noble clans, but in the end, there were also many old scholars and noble clans who had received the country's grace for generations who held wavering thoughts. In this aspect, the Zuo clan had always been the Fuzhou Imperial Court's most useful lobbyists. After Zuo Xiuquan returned to Fuzhou, he began to go out again. It was only now that he returned that he realized that things had changed.
When he asked this question, Zuo Wenhuai revealed a relatively gentle smile. "Sir Ning used to pay great attention to this area. I just casually mentioned it. I didn't expect His Majesty to actually have such intentions."
Zuo Xiuquan looked at him with a slight frown.
At first glance, this nephew of his seemed weak and easy to bully, but after several months of traveling together, he truly understood that under this smiling face was a ruthless and resolute person. He hadn't been here for long, so he might not understand most of the rules of officialdom, but how could he casually mention something as important as the Imperial Memorial?
Seeing this expression on his uncle's face, the smile on Zuo Wenhuai's face changed. "The reform in Fuzhou is too rapid, and we don't have many allies. If we want to support the situation, we must consider a large-scale source of income. Right now, it's not necessarily wise to attack the north. Once the territory expands, if we want to carry out the reform, the expenses will only multiply. At that time, the imperial court can only increase the exorbitant taxes, and the people will not be able to make a living, which will kill us. Located in the southeast, the largest source of income can only be sea trade. "
"There are several big problems with sea trade," Zuo Xiuquan said. Zuo Xiuquan said, "First, after His Majesty obtained Fuzhou, he said to the public that he will attack the north and return to Lin 'an. This matter can be delayed for one or two years, but after a long time, those who are on our side today will slowly leave. Second, the operation of sea trade can't be familiarized with in a day or two. If we take this road to open up new income, when can we make contributions? Now, there are corresponding sea merchant forces in all the channels of the southeast sea. If we are not careful, dealing with them will drag on for a long time. At that time, on the one hand, the morale of the people going north will be damaged, and on the other hand, the business routes can't be opened. I'm afraid the problem will be even greater … "
"We have also considered these things, but Uncle Quan, have you ever thought about the purpose of His Majesty's reform?" Zuo Wenhuai looked at him and then paused slightly. "In the past, the aristocratic families wanted to stir up trouble in the imperial court. Now, faced with internal and external troubles, they really can't go on, so His Majesty said to respect the king and expel the barbarians. This is the first principle of today's reform. Use what you have. If you really can't control it, don't think too much about it."
"… Our Zuo family has lobbied everywhere, wanting those who still trust the imperial court to contribute money and effort to support His Majesty. Of course, it's a good thing that someone has done this, but if they can't be persuaded, should we satisfy their expectations? This nephew thinks that at present, the illusory support of these aristocratic families doesn't need to be too important. For the sake of their expectations, we can fight our way back to Lin 'an, and then, with a wave of our arms, we can rely on all kinds of support to defeat He Wen … Not to mention that this is looking down on He Wen and the Party of Fairness, in fact, the whole process of deduction is really too idealistic … "
"… The future is the era of elite soldiers. Uncle Quan, I've stayed in the southwest. If we want to train elite soldiers, one of the biggest problems in the future is money. In the past, the imperial court and the scholar-bureaucrats ruled the world together. Each aristocratic family extended their hands into the army and the imperial court. They often had millions of troops, but they ate without pay. They supported the army, but they also relied on the army to make money … If we want to cut off their hands, we have to use our own money. The past way of playing won't work. Solving this problem is the focus of the reform. "
"… As for the second matter, Uncle Quan, the imperial court now has two fleets in their hands. They say that they have no talents to use, but in fact, in the past, there was no lack of talents in the navy who had gone out to sea. Moreover, the imperial court attaches great importance to sea trade. In the long run, it is beneficial to all those who rely on the sea to make a living. Among the sea merchants, there are short-sighted people, and there are also long-sighted people. If the imperial court raises its arm and calls for action, it may be possible to crack down on division. Mr. Ning said that the conservative faction isn't extremely afraid of reform. The essence of their fear is that they will lose their interests … "
Zuo Wenhuai's tone wasn't high, but it was clear and logical. He spoke with fervor and assurance, completely different from the immaturity he occasionally showed in the golden hall.
After saying this for a while, Zuo Xiuquan said, "But have you ever thought about your identities? At present, you are from the Huaxia army. When you come here, the first reform proposal you put forward is already so unreasonable. After that, there will be people saying that you are spies sent by Mister Ning to confuse the masses and obstruct the rise of the orthodox Wu Dynasty … Once such a statement is made, all the reforms you are going to make will be twice the effort for half the result. "
When Zuo Xiuquan mentioned this, Zuo Wenhuai was slightly taken aback. He lowered his head and thought for a while. When he raised his head again, his eyes were already flashing with an intimidating killing intent.
"Uncle Quan, we are young people," he said. He said, "In the past few years in the southwest, we've learned to examine objects, to reason, to reform, but in the end, what we've learned the most over the past few years is to go onto the battlefield and kill our enemies!"
His words were overflowing with murderous intent. After he finished speaking, the room fell silent. After a while, Zuo Wenhuai said, "Of course, we've just arrived here, so there are many things that we can't consider thoroughly. But in the grand scheme of things, we still believe that this should be a bit better. There are many craftsmen in His Majesty's Institute of Examining Objects. Only a portion of them will be needed to replicate the Southwest's techniques while the other portion will be used to explore the direction of sea trade. It should be appropriate. "
"In truth, it is already very amazing that you can consider so much. In fact, as you said, some things are really as you said. Maintaining the confidence of all parties is just icing on the cake. If you place too much importance on it, the gains will not make up for the losses." Zuo Xiuquan smiled. "Gossip is a fearful thing. There are some things that should be considered when possible. But I was very moved when you talked about killing the enemy just now. This is what you young people need, and it is also what the Wu dynasty needs right now. As for the matter of gossip, let us old people fix it. Since you have thought it through, you should concentrate on your work. Of course, you can't lose it. Be careful and think about it at all times. "
"Yes, Wenhuai has learned. Thank you for your care, Uncle Quan. "
Zuo Xiuquan stood up and sighed. Then, he patted Zuo Wenhuai on the shoulder. Both of them had their own opinions. Since they couldn't convince each other at the moment, they had to compromise. For people like Zuo Xiuquan, when he saw that there was a real talent in his family, he still felt proud and gratified, even if he had a different opinion for a while.
The two of them walked out of the door. At this moment, they were chatting about all kinds of daily life. When they went downstairs, Zuo Xiuquan patted him on the shoulder and said, "There are still hidden sentries on the roof."
"After all, I haven't been here for long. I'm used to it," Zuo Wenhuai said with a smile.
"When you are here, His Majesty attaches great importance to you. The Zuo family's forces are also watching this place. You don't need to be so vigilant when you are home. Don't tire them out. "
"I know." Zuo Wenhuai nodded and responded to the elder's words with a smile.
*****
In the early morning, in the Imperial Palace in Fuzhou, Tie Tianying walked over the eaves and patrolled the guards.
In the imperial study, the lights were still on.
When Zhou Pei and the palace maid came over with lanterns, Jun Wu was wearing pajamas. He held a brush in one hand and an oil lamp in the other, looking at the map of the southeast on the wall. On the table was a half-written letter.
"Your Majesty, it's getting late. It's time to rest."
"I still have some things to write." Jun Wu didn't turn around. He was still looking at the corner of the map with the oil lamp in his hand. After a long time, he said, "If we want to open the sea route, I have been thinking about where to start … Mr. Xi Nanning told me about the spider web. The so-called reform is to work hard on the spider web. No matter where you go, there will be people who will hold you back for their interests. People who have interests will not change if they can. This is common sense. But yesterday, I thought that if we really make up our mind, we might be able to solve the problem in Guangzhou. "
Zhou Pei frowned, then her eyes lit up.
Jun Wu was still holding the oil lamp. "Since we have settled down in Fuzhou, we don't have much territory in our hands. If we go south, we will only reach Quanzhou. Most of them support us, so we can't transport things in. Over the past year, we have been shaking the neck of Guangzhou and asking for a lot of things. Didn't the royal sister recently say that they also have ideas? "
"In the past two months, several ships were said to have met with accidents. The details are still unclear."
"Our Wu dynasty, after all, has lost the whole country. It is the merchants in Fuzhou who are happy to take back Fuzhou, but it is inevitable that the interests of those in Guangzhou will be damaged. Liu Fuming has been guarding Guangzhou and has been transporting supplies for us. He can be said to be conscientious. But for the merchants and people in Guangzhou, the so-called difficult times are no different from taking the wealth of their people. This time, if we want to develop sea trade, we can use the power of the Institute of Physics to improve the ships, equip them with the new cannons in the southwest, and open them to the sea merchants in Guangzhou. At that time, we can really … have more territory … "
Zhou Pei looked at him quietly and nodded. Then she asked softly, "Are you sure? You want to go like this? "
Usually, there were countless pros and cons, but in the end, it all came down to a certain general policy. Whether it was to go north to Lin 'an or to look at the sea, once it started, there might be two completely different policies. Jun Wu put down the oil lamp and did not speak for a while. But after a while, he looked up at the night outside the door and frowned slightly.
There seemed to be some movement in the distance.
"… Is the city on fire?"
Originally, the area of the temporary imperial residence was not large, and it was located at a high place, so signs of disturbance could be felt from afar. Because something might have happened in the city, the palace guards were also mobilized. Not long after, Tie Tianying came to report.
"Reporting to Your Majesty … Wen Han Garden was attacked by bandits and set on fire …"
Jun Wu was slightly stunned. "… What?"
"Wen Han Garden was attacked. I have already sent the nearby guards there. According to reports, there was fighting inside and a fire was ignited. The casualties are not yet … "
With a bang, Jun Wu's fist hit the table. His eyes were bloodshot because of staying up late.
"Take out the sword, put on the armor, I am leaving the palace."
"At this time, the situation is not clear. Your Majesty should not move."
"Don't be impulsive …"
Tie Tianying, Zhou Pei, and the others hurriedly stopped him.
In the city of Fuzhou, many people were awakened from their sleep. The night seemed to be burning. The fire in Wen Han Garden ignited the prelude to a series of battles in the southeast …
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
