If it were for other reasons, Jia Cong would never give in at all. But the people Wang Chenghai wants to go to the Jiangnan camp are Japanese people who plan to live a good life, so they must give way.
The people who had retired from the original Jiangnan camp still had 30,000 capable warriors who had not yet been resettled, so they were added to the ranks to make five, one person and half.
As for money, food and equipment, let Mr. Wen feel sorry for himself.
In Wang Chenghai's secret letter, he repeatedly praised the newly built Kamui Grand Cannon of the Ministry of Works. He said that Jinghaiwei's warships lined up towards the Satsuma Domain's port and only fired one round of cannons. The Satsuma Domain's general Shimazu Hisaharu So the port and the one hundred miles of land attached to it were dedicated to the great Emperor of Great Xia.
Wen Tongxuan was picky, but when he thought of the boatloads of silver that Wang Chenghai had snatched back from the Japanese country, he gritted his teeth and allocated another one million taels of silver to the Ministry of Industry, and boldly ordered a large number of artillery pieces. With new warships.
However, he specially called the messenger sent by Wang Chenghai and asked him to bring a message to Wang Chenghai. If he could not capture half of the Japanese country within two years, he would personally take a boat to fight Wang Chenghai.
Even though Wang Chenghai was a pirate, he was recruited not long ago.
But the rewards Jinghaiwei brought to the court were enough for the central government to treat him differently.
All the Japanese pirates in the Ryukyu Kingdom have been wiped out. The cabinet has already drafted a candidate for the permanent governor of Ryukyu. Together with 3,000 garrison troops, they sailed eastward by boat in May, becoming the strongest protective force in the Ryukyu Kingdom.
Jinghaiwei patrolled the East China Sea and the South China Sea non-stop, and even placed the dragon flag of Daxia on the palace of Manlajia to declare the majesty of Daxia.
Now they have invaded the Japanese country, and for the first time they have robbed Iwami Ginzan of a year's worth of silver. Now it was even more ruthless. Cannons were set up outside the general's residence of the Satsuma Domain, forcing the Satsuma Domain to offer the best port, sign a treaty, and compensate the military expenditure of 500,000 taels of silver spent by Jinghaiwei's labor expedition.
Jia Cong accompanied Wen Tongxuan to listen to the combat strategy relayed by Jinghaiwei's messenger, and gained a deeper understanding of this "pirate leader" who had only heard his name but never seen him in person.
This man is worthy of being a breadwinner at sea, a born expert in naval warfare.
This artillery diplomacy is really good. No, after a brief period of panic and anger, the Satsuma clan immediately saw an opportunity from Jinghaiwei's powerful firepower.
The messenger came here not only to deliver a message to Wang Chenghai, but also to escort the young daughter of Satsuma Domain General Shimazu Hisashi and the envoys to Beijing.
Of course, the little girl is dedicated to His Majesty the Great Emperor of China. It is not known whether the Emperor will take her into the harem.
The reason why the envoys came to Beijing was very simple. First, they wanted to ask the Celestial Empire to grant the Satsuma Domain an imperial title. Second, they wanted to ask the Celestial Empire to allow students from the Satsuma Domain to study in Beijing.
The third is more straightforward, buy guns, cannons, and warships.
After Jia Cong escaped from the Sifang Pavilion, he patted his chest and sighed: "It's so scary. Is this the noble daughter of the Japanese general's family? Why is she painted like a ghost?"
That Shimazu Kumi was very young, just over twelve. The little round face was pale and looked childish.
That's nothing, it was just a mouth with dark teeth that almost made Jia Cong's eyes fall out.
Is this going to be dedicated to the emperor? Did Shimazu Kuji plan to scare the emperor to death in the middle of the night so he could take revenge?
Nie Chaoyi, a member of the Ministry of Etiquette, looked as if this was indeed the case and suppressed a smile: "This is the custom of the Japanese country. It is said that all the noble ladies of the Japanese country dress like this."
"Does the Ministry of Rites really intend to let her go to see His Majesty like this? Hurry up and send someone to teach this girl the rules of Daxia, unless you, the Ministry of Rites, don't want to ask for salary."
Jia Cong was frightened by his curiosity. He felt that he needed the comfort of Sister Lin, who was fragrant and soft. After giving some advice, he got on his horse and planned to go home.
Unexpectedly, before he had walked a few steps, he saw Baoyu lying on the second floor window of a roadside restaurant waving to him.
At first, he thought Baoyu was playing with friends, but when he went upstairs, he discovered that this guy had brought Xiangyun, who was disguised as a man, to have a drink in the restaurant.
What a boy, he knows how to play!
Jia Cong looked around, and after confirming with Jia Shiyi that there were guards from the mansion nearby to protect him secretly, he felt relieved.
Baoyu was still bragging to Jia Cong how he had deceived his disciples and brought Xiangyun out of the house to play. In fact, the old lady knew about him taking Xiangyun out of the house, Wang Xifeng knew about it, and even Jingda, who taught in ethnic studies, knew The master also knows.
The clothes Xiang Yun was wearing must have been Baoyu's. The two of them sat together and looked inexplicably alike. Jia Cong looked at her for a while and couldn't help but laugh: "Sister Yun... No, I should call you Brother Yun now. You want to go out like this." , I’m afraid I’m going to charm a lot of girls on the street.”
"Brother Cong is asking for a beating. Be careful. I'll go back and tell my second sister to take care of you."
Xiangyun had a cheerful temper. He glared at Jia Cong and then flicked the folding fan in his hand and shook it gently. He saw that the paper fan also had a landscape painted by Baoyu and a poem.
"It's like a dream with three fates, and now I wake up and wish you a prosperous future."
Jia Cong knew why Baoyu took Xiangyun out of the house at the risk of being slapped by Mr. Zheng. The affairs of the Shi family made Xiangyun depressed. Perhaps in Baoyu's heart, the excitement outside the house could make her feel better.
"Qi Guan will perform on stage in the afternoon. Brother Cong, why don't you go and watch it together?"
Jia Cong shook his head. He had no interest in watching operas or listening to music. He gave the two a few words and left the restaurant.
When a young couple is dating, he won't bother them stupidly.
After returning to the mansion, Yingchun and others protected Xiangyun and Baoyu in front of the old lady. Who would have thought that the old lady had known about this for a long time and was quietly watching the granddaughters' performance full of flaws.
After lunch, the old lady looked at her granddaughters, smiled, and said to Jia Cong: "You ask someone to find Baoyu, and let him bring Yun Yatou back as soon as he has had enough fun..."
Hahahahaha...
Jia Cong looked at his stunned sisters in the room, hugged his belly and laughed.
…
The largest theaters in the capital are all properties of Prince Zhongshun. Not only is the pardon master a frequent visitor to these theaters, but Baoyu also often goes to listen to plays because of Qiguan (Jiang Yuhan).
Perhaps because there was a precedent of taking Xiangyun out to play, the old lady acquiesced to the fact that several girls went out to play in the company of Jia Cong and Baoyu.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching in August, and there are more and more poetry fairs, literary fairs and various temple fairs across the capital.
On this day, Baoyu came to Dongkuaoyuan excitedly with a post and said to Jia Cong: "Princess Shimazu from the Japanese country sent me a post, inviting me to go to Nanchi for a banquet tomorrow. Brother Cong, are you going? Let's go Together."
"Princess Shimazu? Brother Bao, Shimazu Kumi is just the daughter of the general of Satsuma Domain of Japan. She can't even be called a princess."
Jia Cong put down the pen in his hand, and took the invitation and looked at it doubtfully. He saw that the writing in small regular script with hairpin flowers was quite good, and the words and sentences were quite reminiscent of the Central Plains.
But when Jia Cong thought of that pale face and black teeth, he couldn't help but shudder.
Baoyu slapped his head and giggled: "This is not important. The main reason is that this noblewoman from the Japanese country is rumored to be extremely beautiful. What's even better is that she will dance at the banquet. I have never seen the dance of the Japanese country."
The dance of the Japanese country, the sacred music of the sacrificial dance, or the pure land of bliss?
Jia Cong shook his head and drove the music above out of his mind.
When he was about to refuse Baoyu's invitation, he heard Baoyu continue: "I have already told my ancestors that I will take my second sister and Sister Lin with me when the time comes. But my ancestors said that if you don't follow, I won't let you go." Second sister and the others are going out."
"Then the women at the banquet can also go?"
Baoyu nodded: "Yes, I heard that this noble lady from the Japanese country sent invitations to all the noble ladies in the capital, and rented the Xiyin Tower next to Nanchi. The Master of the Ministry of Rites also specially sent someone to help. Someone It is said that this is because His Majesty favors the Japanese noble girl who is about to enter the palace as a concubine, and specially warned the people in the Ministry of Rites."
Ha~
Will the emperor pamper a twelve-year-old Japanese woman? Unless it's a life-size statue of Shimazu Kumi made of gold.
Jia Cong was also curious about Shimazu Kumi's purpose of holding this banquet, and nodded: "Okay, I'll go and have a look when the time comes."
…
Xiyin Tower occupies the best area of Nanchi. The Jia family's carriage was not allowed to move forward soon after entering Nanchifang City. There were too many carriages ahead and the road was blocked.
It seems that there are really many people interested in Shimazu Kumi. It is estimated that almost all the people who received the invitation sent someone over.
Ning Rongjia's family is now one of the top nobles in the capital, and people from the Ministry of Etiquette have specially arranged private rooms for them.
Jia Cong stood by the wooden railing, looking down at the lobby on the first floor and the high platform in the center, with a slight smile on his face. Xiyin Tower is the property of Prince Zhongshun, and it is also the site where Long Imperial Guard collects intelligence.
The layout here is still the sketch drawn by Jia Cong the year before. Liu Ke poured in tens of thousands of taels of silver. Every box here has a copper pipe listening.
Every word spoken by the people in the box would be written down in a small notebook by the Dragon Guard's spies and sent to Beizhen Fusi.
The Ministry of Rites specially arranged the banquet here, and Jia Cong didn't believe there was no plan.
Dong dong dong~
There was a knock on the door of the box, and the people who came in were all known to each other. They were the eunuchs who were close to the emperor.
Jia Cong was led to a box not far away. As soon as he entered, he was knocked down by a big cat.
Hao Xuan was almost drooled all over his face. Jia Cong struggled to break free from the big cat's arms. Sitting in the box were the Supreme Emperor and the Emperor's father and son.
"Little fat man, how have you been reading lately?"
Jia Cong obediently bowed and followed the old man's instructions and sat closer.
"Back to the saint, in the autumn of next year, not only will I win Jieyuan, but I will at least win Jingkuiya Yuan."
Jia Cong is still confident about this. After training in the boy test, Jia Cong is now very good at writing policy essays that are even and stable with a hint of new ideas. The day before yesterday, Lin Ruhai also commented that his latest policy essay could get the highest score in the provincial examination. good grade.
The old man smiled, asked a few academic questions such as the choice of treatment, and then changed the topic to the issue of the Construction Corps.
In particular, the old man was very interested in the "Daxia Construction Corps and National Integration Strategy" that Jia Cong presented to the emperor.
"It's only now that you have the opportunity to implement this strategy. Otherwise, even the ten households would not be able to withstand the consumption of just the money."
The Emperor Wu saw the advantages and disadvantages of this strategy at a glance. Jia Cong cupped his hands and said: "The saint's dragon eyes are like torches. If the country had not now got enough money to support the migration of a large number of people, this strategy would only be It can only stay on paper, but it is difficult to implement it.”
The sage smiled happily: "But the national integration you proposed is indeed an issue that the court must pay attention to, whether it is for the Jizhou in the southwest and northwest, or the grasslands in the north. If national integration can really be achieved as you said, , that is a great achievement for the ages. After you go back, think about it carefully, put forward the national integration separately, write a memorial and send it to Longshou Palace, and I will let you see if there are any omissions."
Jia Cong turned his eyes to the emperor and bowed his promise after seeing the emperor nod.
The saint caught a glimpse of Jia Cong's movements, curled his lips but said nothing more. It was Liu Heng who explained to Jia Cong. It turned out that the sage saw Jia Cong's strategy a few days ago and thought it was a good way to completely conquer the grassland. This revived the old man's desire to conquer the north, and he almost put on armor and mounted his horse to command his troops. Go north.
Yes, this ruthless emperor who conquered Mobei for five times had a lifelong wish to flatten the grasslands and completely bring the vast land north of the Great Wall and south of the Beihai under the rule of the Central Plains Dynasty.
Jia Cong looked at the twilight Emperor, who was full of ambition. He stood up and worshiped: "Don't worry, saint. I will think about it carefully when I get back and contribute to the great cause of Dingbei."
In fact, the best way to deal with the prairie cavalry is the Namo Gatling Bodhisattva. Unfortunately, it cannot be manufactured at the current industrial level. We can only continue to strengthen the improvement and research of firearms.
Jia Cong talked about the advantages of firearms against cavalry, and the saint who had dealt with the Tatars all his life had already deduced it in his mind several times.
"I have already inferred the power of the flintlock gun. Unfortunately, the grassland is so vast that it is difficult to fully utilize it. Fourth Brother, let the Ministry of Industry study the Gatling Bodhisattva mentioned by Jia Cong... It is called the Shenwu Repeating Musket. If it doesn't work in one year, then ten years, if it doesn't work in ten years, then twenty years. One day, we can let the cavalry on the grassland try the fear of fire coverage."
Researching firearms is just throwing away money. The emperor now only has money left. With a wave of his hand, Jia Cong was promised two million taels of silver and given the title of Minister of Industry, responsible for the research and development of firearms.
After chatting for a while, it was almost noon.
Jia Cong looked at Shimazu Kumi who was walking towards the high platform. Today, Shimazu Kumi did not wear the female ghost makeup. Someone from the Ministry of Etiquette should have sent someone to teach her. She wore light makeup and gorgeous clothes, and she looked quite feminine despite her young age.
It has to be said that the Shimazu family's aesthetic sense is not bad, and the selection of women to pay tribute is not bad.
Jia Cong couldn't help but ask the emperor: "Your Majesty, there is a rumor in the capital that this woman is your favorite, so we sent people from the Ministry of Etiquette to help hold this banquet. Do you really plan to bring this girl into the palace?"
"Nonsense, how could I go to such trouble for a woman? Shimazu Jiuji wanted to allow Japanese people to study in our Daxia Academy. I felt that this move was inappropriate, so I rejected the matter. But Wang Chenghai wrote a letter saying that the major forces in the Japanese country Having already heard about the Satsuma clan, they actually stopped the conquest and unanimously announced..."
It turned out that the emperor allowed Shimazu Kumi to hold this banquet, firstly to paralyze the Japanese people and buy Wang Chenghai time. Second, Shimazu Kumi saw that the imperial court did not allow Japanese people to study in Daxia, so he said it would be better to hold a competition.
The Japanese students faced off against the Daxia scholars, and the outcome was decided in poetry. If Japan wins, Daxia will allow Japan to study abroad.
Liu Heng looked at the woman in fine clothes on the high platform with disdain, and sneered: "Shimazu Jiuji thought that I was King Zhou You who was playing tricks on the princes, and he actually resorted to a beauty trick. Am I a person who has lost his head because of women?" What’s more, she’s still an underage girl.”
Before Jia Cong shouted to His Majesty the Emperor, he heard the sage on the side suddenly say: "It's not right if you don't accept her, it will easily make the Satsuma clan be more vigilant. In this way, send this girl to the Dragon Head Palace!"
ah?
Um?
Liu Heng was dumbfounded, and Jia Cong also opened his mouth.
Saint, please stop making trouble~
I’ll stop here tonight and continue tomorrow. Good night.
(End of chapter)
