Chapter 555: T-shaped intrigues

 In Wenyuan Pavilion.

Ye Xianggao and Fang Congzhe, who were sitting at the top, were reading this thick stack of articles with great interest.

When Ye Xianggao finished reading a page, he handed it to Fang Congzhe. Fang Congzhe read it and handed it to Qi Yongtai. Qi Yongtai read it and handed it to Li Tingji.

 The four cabinet ministers read through the manuscript sent by the Secretary of General Affairs in the form of circulation.

According to the system of the Great Zhou Dynasty, all official documents from the Six Ministries, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and the Dali Temple must go through the General Affairs Department to the cabinet. They are reported to the emperor after the cabinet’s deliberation. After the emperor approves, they go to the cabinet and then forward them to the General Affairs Department for distribution to various ministries. Of course, in When distributing it to various departments, the six subjects will be reviewed by the meeting, and if there are no objections, it can be implemented.

Of course, this is normal. Under special circumstances, such as military situations, epidemics, disasters, etc., information can be sent directly from local prefectures and counties to the cabinet or even the emperor, but this is not the norm.

“Brother Chengfeng, did you just see it too?” Li Tingji asked Qi Yongtai who handed over the document with a smile.

"Well, Ziying told me, but it was just verbal. He also said that it would be formally submitted to the cabinet in writing, in the name of the Hanlin Academy, so that it can be more formal and detailed." Qi Yongtai responded calmly. : "He even suggested to me that this planning proposal can actually be combined with an article he wrote in the next few issues of "Internal Reference". This may be a clearer and clearer indication of some of the problems that the current court needs to solve, as well as the measures that can be taken. strategies.”

Before Qi Yongtai finished speaking, Fang Congzhe continued, "Is it the article "Correctly Understanding the Most Urgent Issues and Their Dialectical Relationships"?"

Qi Yongtai raised his eyebrows, "Brother Zhonghan also watched it?"

"I saw it, just the first part. Well, the angle of view is very sharp. Chengfeng, your student is a genius. He thinks about things differently from ordinary people. I originally thought he might be biased, but now it seems , very comprehensive and detailed, and can analyze different truths through some superficial things."

Fang Congzhe’s expression remained unchanged, “But some aspects feel far-fetched, or alarmist and exaggerated, and some aspects are overly understated.”

Qi Yongtai also laughed it off, "Brother Zhonghan, how deep can he understand him when he is less than seventeen years old? Can he understand everything by traveling to Western Xinjiang and Jiangnan? The affairs of the imperial court involve all aspects, how can it be He can understand it thoroughly at his age, let’s polish it for a few years, and now what he writes can make Brother Zhonghan smile, that’s enough.”

 Qi Yongtai's carelessness made Fang Conzhe feel depressed.

This guy is really full of confidence in his student, but he also has to admit that that little guy is really awesome. If he had such a disciple, he would be very relieved.

A few people were chatting and reading the proposal roughly.

Ye Xianggao looked serious. After reading, he closed his eyes and meditated for a while, and then he said, "Zhonghan, Chengfeng, Erzhang. Although this is a big framework, I feel that it is quite complete. It is the same as the last time." There are many improvements to the situation that Ziying came to us to talk about, but many of the things he proposed were unprecedented. They often spanned the Ministry of Household Affairs, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Industry, and also involved local areas, and there was no precedent to rely on. For example, Ziying mentioned in the volume What he said is that we need to create a new world and start anew.”

Several other people were silent.

 The chief assistant has the right to make decisions. Unless the other cabinet ministers all object, he can basically make a decision on this strategy. Of course, he still needs to report to the emperor in the end.

“The Denglai Governor’s Office is also newly established, can it be placed under it?” Li Tingji hesitated for a moment before suggesting.

"That's inappropriate." Qi Yongtai flatly denied, "How can the matter of Silver Village be placed under the control of the Governor-General Denglai? In addition, it involves the Maritime Trade and Shipping Department, and the connections are extensive. How can the Ministry of Revenue tolerate Governor Denglai's intervention?"

Li Tingji also felt that this was indeed the case. If Wu Xun and his gang could seize this opportunity, why not waste all their money? They must not be allowed to take the initiative.

"Well, I think it's wrong. It's really inappropriate." Li Tingji also readily withdrew his suggestion, "But if it is established under the Ministry of Household Affairs, it will also have to set up shipyards, open up shipping routes, and even have to connect with Japan. North Korea and Ezo, etc., this is not the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance, and it is inappropriate."

"Indeed, the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue account for the majority, but our original intention was to focus on nine-border defense, especially the defense of Western Xinjiang and the Liaodong strategy. The Ministry of War definitely hopes to have a say in it, and we cannot really let Governor Denglai directly intervene. Right?" Qi Yongtai interjected.

No one in the cabinet likes Wu Xun. On this point, the attitudes of the civil servants, both north and south, are surprisingly consistent. Therefore, the Ministry of War must be controlled by civil servants, and it must be superior to the governors and soldiers of each town, no matter the governor's character. Yi is already a first-grade soldier, and most of the general soldiers are second-grade, but a third-grade Minister of War can still make you obey orders.

"There is also the Ministry of Industry. Shipbuilding, dock construction, and the exploration and construction of other routes are all under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Industry. Chengfeng, you are a student with a big appetite. You even proposed to consider taking the initiative to control Dongpan and Penghu and completely accept them. The Great Zhou Dynasty has jurisdiction, but where does this expenditure come from? What role should the Ministry of Industry play in it?"

Ye Xianggao has always had a close relationship with Li Sancai, Minister of Industry, and he also intended to admit Li Sancai to the cabinet. However, he was firmly opposed by Fang Congzhe and Qi Yongtai.

Emperor Yonglong also had a vague attitude towards this matter, preferring to allow Zhang Jingqiu, the Minister of War, to join the cabinet. However, this was opposed by Ye Xianggao and Li Tingji, and the matter has been delayed.

Ye Xianggao’s words made it difficult for Qi Yongtai to answer the question.

 In fact, he also saw this and was a little dissatisfied with Feng Ziying's trouble-making.

 Originally, when talking about opening up the sea, we talk about opening up the sea, and when talking about building a silver village, we talk about building a silver village. However, the idea of ​​controlling Dongfan and Penghu was suddenly proposed. It was inserted horizontally in it, which seemed nondescript and greatly interfered with the theme.

After pondering for a moment and arranging his words, Qi Yongtai slowly said: "The land of Dongfan has always been straddling the east of Fujian, including Penghu. It has increasingly become a natural refuge for Japanese pirates and pirates to hide on the southeast coast, and "Internal Reference" It was also introduced in "Overseas Strange Stories" that there are many gold and silver deposits in the east, and there are many fertile fields and fertile soil in the north. A few years ago, the Hongmaofan and the Folangji people tried to establish themselves here, but they were driven out by our navy. However, If we continue to let it go, we will inevitably suffer from elbow and armpit problems."

Ye Xianggao snorted lightly, "Chengfeng, things have priorities. The top priority is to open the sea and raise debt, and to open up shipping routes. How can other matters be involved in it? I'm afraid that you, a disciple, was instigated and deceived by others, so you came up with this suggestion. ”

Qi Yongtai could only stand up and salute, "Brother Jinqing is right. After coming down, the subordinates will criticize Ziying."

"That's not necessary. This kid's idea is good, but it's not enough. You can wait a few years to do it." Ye Xiang waved his hand high and brought the topic back, "Back to the topic, Zhonghan, Chengfeng, you Zhang. , these matters are complex and involve a wide range of things, and what is said in the strategy does make some sense. If only one department is responsible for handling it, it will indeed be constrained by all parties, and it may not be possible even if it drags on for a year and a half. .”

 Ye Xianggao, Qi Yongtai, and Li Tingji all nodded in agreement.

This is the most realistic problem before us. It is not clear about the power, who will do it, how much power it has, and how it can be done. These must be made clear, otherwise you will just grab the power when you encounter it, and you will seize it when you encounter things and responsibilities. Just push.

"This construction strategy has sorted out the basic framework clearly, but we generally know how to do it, but who will do it is hanging here. Chengfeng, you are a great disciple, did you deliberately set a trap for us? Or is he already confident?" Ye Xianggao glanced sideways at Qi Yongtai.

"Brother Jinqing thinks too highly of Ziying. If he had such ability, I'm afraid he would have been eager to write it out." Qi Yongtai shook his head and smiled bitterly, "I guess he also considered the involvement of various ministries and local cooperation. There are many aspects of economic life that I have never been exposed to, and I don’t even know them, so I just tell them all and leave the problems to us.”

Ye Xianggao glanced at Qi Yongtai but said nothing, while Fang Congzhe was thoughtful and stroking his beard in silence for a long time.

Li Tingji frowned and thought for a long time, "There must be a solution to this matter. Leave it to the Ministry of Household Affairs. If the Ministry of War and Ministry of Works do not do it, hand it over to the Ministry of War. Otherwise, the Ministry of Household Affairs will step in again if a hole is discovered. The Ministry of Works will not do it. The department also has to hold back, so it’s best to be able to take care of both. At the same time, it also involves many things that have never been touched before. It’s an unprecedented first time..."

Seeing that several people could not come up with an opinion or refused to take a stand, Ye Xianggao could only shake his head, "In that case, everyone should go back and think about it carefully. This matter cannot be delayed. The emperor is also urging us to come up with a strategy and finalize it as soon as possible. , Wang Ziteng also came to ask questions every day, so everyone thought about how to successfully achieve this goal and achieve the final result."

　　******

As soon as Qi Yongtai returned home, he immediately asked someone to notify Feng Ziying to come to his house.

At the same time, Ye Xianggao also kept Li Tingji.

"Er Zhang, have you noticed?" Ye Xianggao smiled, "Lao Qi and the others can't sit still."

"It's not that Lao Qi and the others can't sit still, it's that everyone can't sit still." Li Tingji also smiled slightly, "Since this matter cannot be stopped and even the emperor is anxious, then we can only consider how to make this matter You can follow the path they set and don’t go too far beyond the line.”

“Well, do you think this incident in Dongfeng is just an act by Chengfeng?” Ye Xianggao asked.

"It's not like that." Li Tingji thought for a while, "Lao Qi's main focus in the first two times was on the military affairs of Liaodong. Well, he was even interested in the connection between Ezo and Haixi and the Savage Jurchen. This was also their Scholars in the North are fundamental, I think Zhang Huaichang also frequently went to Qi Yongtai's place, and he probably put a lot of pressure on Qi Yongtai."

 Zhang Huaichang, the censor of Zuodu, was from Liaodong and the most staunch defender of Liaodong.

 (End of this chapter)