Chapter 373: Volume C, step by step

 The two of them rushed to the residence of Chai Ke and Yang He.

This is a large house. Not only does it have three courtyards, but there is also a large garden on the side, with running water flowing around the house. It is quite arty and elegant.

Feng Ziying did not see her father and Zhang Jin, but only saw Geng Ruqi, so she knew that talking to her this time should be an internal discussion among civil servants.

Chai Ke was very clear about this, and he also recognized and trusted Feng Ziying, which moved Feng Ziying very much.

It was midsummer in Ganzhou in July. The sun was blazing, but in the shade there was a cool breeze, which was particularly pleasant. Chai Ke and Yang He chose a pavilion as a place to talk.

Feng Ziying had already talked about his thoughts to Chai Ke and Yang He before, but he said it more simply. He believed that Chai Ke and Yang He would be able to figure out the secrets with their wisdom, and there was no need to explain it thoroughly himself.

Looking at the situation in front of them, Chai Ke and Yang He have already regarded their accompanying the army's praise paintings as their confidants, and Feng Ziying is also quite proud.

 Even Geng Ruqi had spoken to Feng Ziying twice in private, saying that both Chai Ke and Yang He had a very good impression of Feng Ziying and asked Feng Ziying to seize the opportunity.

Geng Raqi was Chai Ke's personal confidant. All the planning and implementation was done by Geng Ruchi. This person was the most caring person to Chai Ke. He had a sworn relationship with Feng Ziying. These words, In fact, it is quite meaningful.

"Ziying, I've called you here to discuss the next step." Chai Ke got straight to the point, "It's not appropriate to delay this matter any longer. People from all parties will eat the horse's chew, which will consume a lot of money. Mr. Yang and I have also discussed it. Yes, I will make a decision that morning, and I have written a letter to the court about the detailed matters here, and I believe the court will also make an arrangement."

A servant had already brought tea, and it felt like making tea to talk about heroes.

"Mr. Yang and I were very interested in Ziying's suggestion in the previous episode, but Ziying, have you considered how to operate it and its feasibility? Liu Dongyang is very ambitious and dares to do such a big thing. He is not a kind person. What should we do if it backfires?"

Chai Ke also wanted to test the opponent.

"Master Chai, Master Yang, if Liu Dongyang is just an ordinary person, we should give up the idea of ​​going west as soon as possible." Feng Ziying laughed, "Even if the idea of ​​going west to Shazhou and Hami is not a narrow escape, it is still a hard work to expand the land. Battle, the Seven Guards of Kansai were lost in the pre-Ming Dynasty and never recovered, which shows how difficult it was..."

 Chai Ke and Yang He both nodded.

"The difficulty lies in logistical difficulties, and the local ethnic groups are mixed. How to allow Shazhou and Hami to return to China will depend on the skills and courage of the generals. We can try our best to ensure logistics, but we must also rely on the other party. If you gain something, you can repay the imperial court, otherwise it will be difficult to last, and the imperial court will not agree..."

 These words also hit the mind of Chai Ke and Yang He.

They have discussed it over and over in the past few days. It is not a big problem to capture Shazhou. The situation there is also very clear. But the key is to hold Shazhou. A steady supply of food and grass logistics is needed. It can be done in March, May, half a year or even a year. , but what about long term?

Can the imperial court agree to endlessly throwing money into it?

 You have to give the court an explanation.

  In such a difficult situation, the court still has to maintain a seemingly worthless Seven Guards of Kansai. In addition to satisfying the emperor's wishes, you also need to have something to say to the six cabinet ministers.

“Needless to say, the significance of restoring the land is also of great significance. Defending the enemy outside the country is also of great significance. At the same time, Turpan will pay tribute for many years, and the capture of Shazhou and Hami will also be a shock to it..."

Before Feng Ziying finished speaking, Yang He added, "But it may also anger Turpan..."

"If it were ten or twenty years ago, this would have been possible, but now there are constant internal disputes in the Yarkand Khanate. Its central area is not Hami, and even Turpan further to the west is only a part of it. Therefore, the students think that it is not difficult to recapture Hami. If it is handled well, there won’t be much trouble. Of course, if the Yarkand Khanate is unified, trouble may arise, but this is not a short-term thing..."

 Feng Ziying's explanation made Yang He very satisfied.

"After taking Hami, the entire trade route to the Western Regions will be opened up, and its tribute and ordinary trade can continue to enter the court. In addition, the restoration of Shazhou Guard can also deter the tribes of the West Sea in the south, especially the Handong Guard. The old lands are all controlled by Mongolia in the West Sea. If they can be suppressed, mutual trade can also be carried out to import the horses that our country urgently needs, which will serve as a powerful supplement to the mutual trade between Tatars outside the border wall..."

Feng Ziying still said it more vaguely. How to make the court feel the value and significance of winning Shazhou and Hami was not a problem at all for the two old foxes Chai Ke and Yang He.

 With such a large amount of resources, how can we not find something that the imperial court likes?

Today, a certain ministry came to pay tribute and sent various gems. Tomorrow, a certain ministry sent Tianma as tribute. The day after, hundreds of healthy horses were imported to Taipu Temple and Yuanma Temple. This is too much good news.

Chai Ke and Yang He exchanged glances with satisfaction. Today, they recruited Feng Ziying not to really ask for Feng Ziying's advice, but to test how Feng Ziying would respond to the questions of the court ministers and the emperor after returning. This is their goal. Purpose.

How could Chai and Yang not have their own ideas about such a big matter, and just accept it happily after you, a student, pointed your fingers at it?

 “What about Liu Dongyang’s threat?”

"Master Chai, Master Yang, and Liu Dongyang's life and death are actually in the hands of you two. If you cut off his logistical supplies, he will die without a fight. What's more, there are still many family members of these rebel tribes who are still in the Great Zhou Dynasty... "

“How can Liu Dongyang believe our sincerity?”

"Liu Dongyang can bring such a large group of people, so he can naturally understand the intentions of the two adults. Instead of letting them collapse, how can they be punished and make meritorious service? What does the court want, what do the two adults want, Liu Dongyang will not fail to think about it. I understand, but I really can’t figure it out. Just ask someone to remind him, but sir, don’t send students there...”

 Feng Ziying's witty words made Chai Yang and Geng Ruxi laugh.

"It seems that Ziying also understands the purpose and intention of Mr. Yang and I in recruiting you. Well, that's right, the court and the emperor may not know many of the situations here, and the court and the emperor may not understand the difficulties here, so we need one person After returning, I will explain the current situation to the court and the emperor in detail, and ask for support from the court in all aspects..."

Chai Ke made it clear directly, "Master Yang and I can't leave. Chu Cai also needs to stay and plan for me. Zhang Jin may not know everything about the situation, so Ziying must go back, not to mention Ziying." She was originally studying in the Hanlin Academy to study history, but she was brought here by my husband. It has been half a year since I left. It is estimated that Mr. Huang has some opinions on me, so when I go back this time, Ziying has to explain the situation in detail to the court and the emperor. Send me a letter then..."

Feng Ziying hesitated for a moment, then stood up solemnly and bowed her hands, "Ziying will do her best and live up to the trust of Mr. Chai and Mr. Yang. However, since the two adults are here, Ziying still has to say something, I'm afraid it's for the court. The financial resources are quite scarce and it is difficult to support them. If it is difficult to raise enough money and food in a short period of time, what will you two adults do?"

“Master Yang and I have also sent memorials to the emperor, and we have also sent letters to the two cabinet ministers Ye Fang, explaining that this matter is of great importance, and imploring them to put national affairs first and be sure to..."

Feng Ziying shook her head and said, "My lords, if this is the case, Ziying is afraid that a clever woman will not be able to make a meal without rice."

Both Chai Yang and Chai Yang sighed, but Chai Ke said, "We have to give it a try. Does Ziying have any good ideas?"

"There is definitely no good strategy. If there is, the princes of the court must have thought of it a long time ago, but there are some strategies for drinking poison to quench thirst." Feng Ziying shook her head.

“What’s the best way to quench thirst by drinking poison?” Chai Ke and Yang He both smiled bitterly, “But donating money?”

Donated losses are available in the past. Whether it is a tribute student or a donor, it is sufficient, but even the most ridiculous emperor and the cabinet know the harm of these methods, so donations are intermittent.

 When the imperial court was in urgent need of money, it would raise funds and donate more money. However, there were not so many positions and there were many restrictions. Naturally, it was easy to dampen people's enthusiasm and may not achieve the expected results.

"Donating money counts, but the effect may not be good. Now the court's regulations are very strict. Those who donate officials have their own plans, but it is difficult to achieve their goals, so they lose interest." Feng Ziying shook his head, "What Ziying wanted to do was to borrow money from merchants. ,…”

"Loan? What is the pledge and how to repay it?" Chai Ke and Yang He both frowned. "Those businessmen all want to use salt tax and land tax as collateral. I'm afraid the emperor will not agree."

 Of course they knew that they would be able to borrow money from merchants.

The Shanshan and Shaanxi merchant gangs in the Zhou Dynasty and the major merchant gangs in Jiangnan are all powerful, and this does not include the specific group of salt merchants.

The problem is that borrowing money from them requires mortgage and interest. The imperial court has a history of borrowing money from them, but the number of times is very small, and it has to be mortgaged with salt tax or land tax. At this time, the most important financial asset of the imperial court is The source of the gift is related to the court's survival and reputation, which is also the most difficult for the court to accept.

Therefore, Emperor Yuan Xi has made it a rule not to borrow money from merchants. If he wants to borrow money now, he is afraid that he will be criticized and impeached by the censors.

But having said that, you have managed to survive by borrowing money, which shows how miserable you are. People will definitely be worried about you, and they will naturally ask for various harsh conditions.

At present, Emperor Yonglong must not dare to accept this suggestion. Isn't this intended to invite criticism from the officials? In the minds of the scholar-officials, it almost became a sign of losing power and humiliating the country.

"Of course we can't use salt tax and land tax, which are the basis of the imperial court's wealth. Ziying's idea is to use sea tax and concession as collateral to borrow money?" Feng Ziying then expressed her intention. .

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 (End of this chapter)