Chapter 1178 The Charm of Gengzi Scroll

Wu Yaoqing was greatly moved.

Although he also knew that Xiao Feng Xiuzuan was a person with a big picture and a great atmosphere, when he first followed Feng Ziying, he did not think that Feng Ziying would be very good. He considered it more from the perspective of his own future.

At that time, Lin Ruhai's life span was short, and there was definitely no place for them in the Yamen of the Huaihe River Salt Transport Envoy. Where to go? And Lin Ruhai was Feng Ziying's father-in-law. With Wang Wenyan taking the lead in being willing to join Feng Ziying, no one would refuse such an opportunity. .

The only regrettable thing is that Feng Ziying's status was slightly lower at the time, and she still needed to go to the North to develop. But with the support of her father, Governor Ji Liao, other disadvantages could be offset, so Wu Yaoqing, Gu Dengfeng, Cao Yu, Qian Guisheng and other Lin Ruhai's staff all chose to follow Feng Ziying northward.

Facts have proved that the choice was correct. Feng Ziying soon became the Tongzhi of Yongping Mansion. Although there is still a big gap between a fifth-grade Tongzhi and the Salt Censor of Lianghuai Patrol, Feng Ziying is young, only twenty years old, and has a promising future. unlimited.

And look at what he did in his position as Tongzhi of Yongping Prefecture. He was talented in both civil and military affairs. He cleaned up the hidden houses of military households and suppressed the influence of local gentry in one fell swoop. Businessmen from Shanxi and Shaanxi entered the mines and built factories in large numbers, and Yuguan Port was built, which radiated radiation. The entire western Liaoning and Eastern Mongolia; the battle of Qian'an was victorious, and the morale of the people was greatly boosted; 100,000 refugees moved, the court was satisfied, and it also brought a large number of labor forces for the future development of Yongping Prefecture.

 This is less than a year.

It can be said that it took him less than a year to accomplish something that others would not have accomplished in three years. This is a man who is capable of doing practical things!

It can be said that a choice that was forced out of necessity has now become the wisest move, and everyone can see that in two years, Feng Ziying will definitely be promoted, and now she is already a full fifth-rank official at the age of twenty. It is conceivable that before the age of thirty, one will definitely be ranked as a fourth-rank official. Before the age of forty, it is not impossible to get a six-level minister, or even enter the cabinet.

Think about how exciting it is to think about the ministers of the Great Zhou Dynasty who are in their thirties. Being able to do a career with such an employer is what people like me who cannot study but are unwilling to be mediocre long for?

“Sir, if these gentry from Yongping Prefecture join in, those Shanxi businessmen may not be too happy.” Wu Yaoqing reminded with concern.

Where the benefits lie, no one can give in easily. Feng Ziying used the power of Shanshan and Shaanxi businessmen to open the door to Yongping Mansion, but it will inevitably damage the interests of the local gentry in Yongping. Now we need to find a balance, just More skills.

“Well, I also considered this, so we can only do addition, not subtraction.”

Feng Ziying pondered and said: "Judging from the current situation, in the short term, whether it is the entire Northland or Jiangnan and Huguang, there is a huge demand for iron materials and iron products, especially the demand in the northern grasslands has not been tapped. Now that the Hercynian Jurchens and Inner Khalkhas have been included in this system, the next step is to consider that the Outer Khalkhas and even the Tumut and Ordos people can be included in the system. The Horqin people of Jurchen Prefecture need to be controlled, and even the Chahar people can be included in the future. Of course, it is not possible now. In addition, the North Korean market can also be opened up. Adding Jiangnan, Huguang and Nanyang, this demand will be very huge, then It is the most appropriate decision to let the gentry from Yongping Prefecture join in to further expand production capacity and tie them firmly to the same vehicle as us."

"Sir, I see that you attach great importance to Yongping Mansion. Do you think Yongping Mansion will be very important in the future?" Wu Yaoqing had already vaguely felt that Feng Ziying's pattern was not limited to Yongping, but he found that Feng Ziying was very important to Yongping Mansion. Yongping Mansion values ​​​​far more than others. As far as he knows, Feng Ziying could have been an official in other places with much better conditions than Yongping Mansion, but he chose Yongping Mansion. There must be other places here. reason.

Feng Ziying took a deep look at Wu Yaoqing and nodded. This man had some discernment and could tell how much he valued Yongping Mansion.

“Yao Qing, Yongping Prefecture is among the prefectures in Beizhili. It has a small population and a small territory, but I think it is even more important than Yangzhou Prefecture. What do you think is the reason?”

"More important than Yangzhou Prefecture?" Wu Yaoqing thought it was too ridiculous. How could Yongping Prefecture compare with Yangzhou Prefecture? Any prefecture or county in Yangzhou Prefecture would be comparable to more than half of Yongping Prefecture. The population and taxes of Yangzhou Prefecture , territory and wealth, it is more than enough to easily crush three or five Yongping mansions. Why does Mr. Feng speak like this?

Wu Yaoqing certainly did not believe that Feng Ziying would say such things casually. If there were no precise reasons and reasons, it would be impossible for Feng Ziying to say such things.

"Sir, can you explain it to me? I really don't understand." Wu Yaoqing said frankly.

"Yao Qing, in terms of the current level of prosperity and prosperity, Yongping Mansion certainly cannot compare with Yangzhou Mansion, but when looking at problems, we need to look at the long term from multiple angles and at the same time, we must also combine it with our own reality." Feng Ziying said calmly: "I am a Northern scholar and an official. , determined that my foundation is in the north, but Yao Qing also knows that I proposed the strategy of opening up the sea. In a sense, the strategy of opening up the sea made me famous, and at the same time, it is also my Political views, that is to say, opening up the sea to develop the economy and increasing taxes, this is the line of my political views, Feng Ziying, and I will work hard to adhere to and promote it."

Wu Yaoqing nodded silently. Although he was only a scholar, he had passed the imperial examination twice, but failed both times. He then worked in the Yamen of the Lianghuai Province as a salt envoy for so many years, and was no stranger to political and economic affairs. , and also understood the meaning of Feng Ziying's words.

That is, a scholar or an official, especially a scholar-official with considerable reputation and influence, must have his own position and viewpoint. Having his own position and viewpoint will certainly attract criticism from some opponents. But only then can we win and gain supporters. A scholar-official who has no position or viewpoint means that he has nothing, or is a marginalized person.

“This has won a group of supporters, who are the beneficiaries, and of course it will also attract some opponents and critics, whose interests have been harmed or who have difficulty making profits. I think the former group is larger and more capable of growth. Sex is also a development trend. The latter seems very powerful now, but will gradually shrink or even be eliminated..."

Wu Yaoqing couldn't help but interrupt: "Sir, do you mean that businessmen will be more important in the future, even more important than gentry?"

"Well, you can say that, but the meaning of merchants in your words is too narrow, and it also pits merchants and gentry against each other. In fact, this is not the case. The boundaries between these two groups are now blurred. The merchants I refer to have a broader meaning, both This includes those businessmen who rely on trafficking and sales as their main business, as well as those mine owners and workshop owners who mine and build factories on their own. While they are narrowly defined as merchants, most of them are gentry, or have a gentry background... "

"... Of course, with the development of the times, the identities of these people will continue to change, but in the final analysis, what industry will they evolve into is what they mainly rely on, or what is their main source of profits, whether it is maritime trade or mining. and produce various goods, or rely on purchasing land and renting it to others for farming to obtain land rent. I think the former is a development trend, and the latter will gradually shrink..."

Feng Ziying's eloquent explanation made Wu Yaoqing a little confused. He tried to understand every word in Feng Ziying's words, but he could only understand a general outline.

However, he still heard the intention in Feng Ziying's words, which was to expand his public opinion base, win over and form more solid and larger supporters as much as possible, and avoid being attacked on many sides.

Wu Yaoqing was a little excited. He realized that Feng Ziying was actively cultivating him as a confidant and core team. There was no need for him to describe such complex, yet profound, and even secret views and theories to himself, and he also seriously explained them to him. Explain yourself, and there is only one reason for doing so, that is, he trusts and thinks highly of himself.

"From my personal point of view, Yongping Mansion is my first step after becoming an official, or the foundation place. Although the Hanlin Academy has a great reputation, it is more for consultants and more for retreat. Many, but Yongping Mansion is different. I personally planned, built, and implemented the whole process. In a sense, Yongping Mansion is my hands-on practice. A touchstone for my own ideas.”

Every scholar has an ideal world of great harmony in his heart, and they will consciously or unconsciously strive to realize it in their official career. The same is true for Feng Ziying, and Yongping Mansion is indeed suitable enough.

"From a practical point of view, Yongping Mansion is located in the east of Jingdong, on the choke point from Liaodong to the Central Plains, and my father faced the two powerful enemies of Jianzhou Jurchens and Chahar people in Liaodong. I cannot be indifferent to this. Establishing a stable logistics support base for Liaodong and radiating Eastern Mongolia to serve Liaodong strategy is both the expectation of the court and my personal wish. Yongping Prefecture is rich in coal and iron ore resources, and Yuguan is also one of the few in the North. As an excellent port, I want to implement the strategy of opening up the sea and the strategy of revitalizing Yongping with coal and iron, so naturally I have to use my own practice to prove it,..."

Wu Yaoqing was moved by Feng Ziying's frankness and far-reaching insights. He realized that although the boss in front of him was young, his depth and breadth of thinking about issues far exceeded those of many officials who had higher official positions and were older than him. No wonder Wang Wenyan was like this Characters who have always been dissatisfied with others are also willing to be used by them.

 (End of this chapter)