After several years of adjustments, none of the big bosses in the Six Central Departments are stubborn and pedantic.
It can be said that formal exchanges between China and the West, and between countries, were highly valued by the court.
The Ministry of Etiquette was originally in charge of the host and guest affairs and the reception of foreign guests. Regardless of the division of functions or the construction of personnel, including the diplomatic concepts of these officials, they are no longer able to adapt to the current development.
He Yaomin wanted to recruit Jia Cong, who was most familiar with Western countries, into the Ministry of Etiquette, and it took more than a day or two.
At the beginning, the development of firearms was at a critical period, and he could still distinguish the importance of using troops from the north to the south in Daxia.
But now, apart from the ongoing war in Goryeo, the sea and rivers in Daxia are clear and peaceful, and it’s time for me, the Ministry of Rites, to gather the wool.
"Your Majesty, the establishment of diplomatic relations between the country and the Western countries is a top priority at the moment. The veteran believes that it is most appropriate for Uncle Yongfeng to preside over this matter..."
Duan Jun, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, who was originally in charge of serving as the background board today, suddenly felt someone pulling him.
Duan Jun came back from his wandering state and saw He Yuan, the left minister of the Ministry of Industry, sweating anxiously. He pulled his sleeve and whispered: "Bu Tang, if you don't say anything, our money bag will be ruined." He is about to be pried away by Master He!"
Okay, okay, Mr. He, you don’t deserve to be a son of a man, poaching the corner of my Ministry of Works in front of me!
"Hey, Mr. He, you want to steal someone from me?"
Duan Jun saw that the emperor's expression was obviously moved. Is this really a big deal?
Jia Cong is the purse string of the Ministry of Works. In the past two years, the Ministry of Works has made a lot of money relying on the ever-changing advanced technology. Among the six ministries, even the Ministry of Household Affairs has to look at the Ministry of Works.
The Ministry of Industry, which used to be at the bottom of the six ministries, now walks outside and looks at people directly through its nostrils. How can more than one word be used to describe it?
"Your Majesty, how many miracles has Uncle Yongfeng created for the imperial court since he joined the Ministry of Labor? Not to mention anything else, just firearms and wool weaving alone have earned tens of millions of taels of silver for the national treasury. Think about it, how can such a talent be released? Wouldn't it be a waste of Uncle Yongfeng's talent to be in a leisurely office like the Ministry of Rites?"
Duan Jun also tried his best to keep Jia Cong in the Ministry of Industry. The Minister of Rites was known as the Great Uncle, and he was the noblest among the nobles. In the next cabinet, He Yaomin will most likely join the cabinet and become the prime minister.
But does it matter?
Duan Jun directly fired the map cannon, demoted the Ministry of Rites to Qingxian Yamen, and directly confronted He Yaomin, the leader of the clean stream in the world.
"Your Majesty, the New Deal has just begun. I don't need to tell you, veteran, that every item of the New Deal's implementation requires money. If Uncle Yongfeng is transferred to the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Works will have no choice but to rest on its laurels..."
He Yaomin was stunned by this minister of the Ministry of Industry, who used to look like a good old man. Jia Cong on the side called him a good guy in his heart.
Sure enough, none of the old men in the palace were ordinary people who could reach the position of a minister.
Duan Jun kept his words straight and directly touched the heart and soul of the emperor.
"this……"
The emperor hesitated.
When He Yaomin saw that this was not possible, he immediately said quietly: "Your Majesty, the Western countries want to establish diplomatic relations with our country, open commercial ports with each other, and formulate tariff treaties. As Uncle Yongfeng once said, the era of sea power has arrived, and diplomacy must It is the most important thing. The money earned from sea trade is no less than the Ministry of Industry's 'Kid Knife', and it is still doubling year by year..."
hiss!
Jia Cong took a deep breath and said, Mr. He, you are going to have a fight with Mr. Duan!
After seeing the power of the latest firearms from the Ministry of Industry, He Yaomin's eyes clearly lit up. When you "borrowed" money from the Ministry of Works, you, the Ministry of Etiquette, were amazing at every word.
Co-authorship has now become "Kit Kat Kinky" again!
The money brought by sea trade is indeed no less than the money earned by the Ministry of Industry, and may even exceed it.
Moreover, this time the Western envoys brought a large number of merchants from their country, and the amount of trade taxes next year will increase several times.
He Yaomin's confidence in speaking was so great that he started a verbal spat with Duan Jun without even retreating.
When it comes to verbal sparring, Uncle Zong is obviously a bit more powerful.
The emperor's preference once again fell on the side of the Ministry of Rites, and Duan Jun was anxious...
"He Yaomin, he's his mother!"
Duan Jun, who was said to be speechless, was so anxious that he cursed elegantly and started Yuanyou's first "imperial martial arts performance" in ten years.
A fight between two old civil servants is really not very lethal.
Not only did no one of the ministers in the palace step forward to stop the fight, but they instead watched with interest as the two men were fighting and entangled on the ground...
here we go again! here we go again!
This is my minister!
Damn...
"Okay, stop acting!"
The emperor's mouth twitched, and he slapped the dragon case so hard that the pile of memorials on the case jumped a few times.
"Jia Cong..."
"I'm here."
Jia Cong bowed forward and stood in the hall.
He Yaomin and Duan Jun, who were still tearing apart, quickly got up from the ground, straightened their clothes, and smiled at each other tacitly.
The emperor was too lazy to visit the two men anymore and said to Jia Cong: "There is no room for compromise in establishing diplomatic relations with Western countries. I will order you to take the title of Minister of Rites to assist the prince and handle this matter with full authority."
"Then Chen's affairs at the Ministry of Industry..."
"You can't let up on the Ministry of Industry. The so-called diplomacy is based on national strength. Truth only lies on the edge of the sword!"
He Yaomin and Duan Jun bowed their hands to each other after hearing this. One poached half of the corner, and the other held on to the bottom line. Both of them achieved their goals.
Only Jia Cong has more and more official titles on his body and has more and more things to be busy with, but his salary...not to mention, it seems that he has been punished until the sixteenth year of Yuanyou.
…
After the small court meeting in Qinzheng Hall, Jia Cong originally wanted to go to the East Palace.
However, when everyone exited the hall, Master Pardon was kept by the emperor. Jia Cong hesitated to stay, but was finally allowed to stand aside.
"Enhou, are you determined to resign as the former military commander?"
When talking about this matter, the emperor was also full of sighs. At the beginning, with Jia She's help, he gradually disintegrated the influence of the founding warriors on the Beijing camp and completely controlled the entire Twelve Guards of the Beijing camp.
To be honest, the emperor was both happy and worried about Jia Sheshangben's resignation.
Fortunately, Rongguo Mansion understands current affairs and knows how to act appropriately. The worry is that this matter will cause a rift between the monarch and his ministers.
The father and son were in charge of the front and rear armies, accounting for almost 40% of Daxia's total military strength. He had no doubts, but many people in the court had already come forward to advise him to prevent Wu Xun from becoming powerful.
Jia She cupped his hands and replied: "Your Majesty also knows my temperament. If you ask me to lead the troops in the war, I will not hesitate. This is the responsibility and obligation of the descendants of the Rongguo. But let me go to the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion to handle those military affairs documents. To be honest, this is making things difficult for me. Your Majesty, please do me a favor and spare me."
Although what Jia She said was sincere, the look on his face also showed extreme distress, as if the affairs of the Fifth Army Commander's Mansion were bothering him.
But the emperor's heart was like a mirror, this old boy was just trying to avoid suspicion.
"You...I understand!"
The emperor wanted to retain him, but in the end he agreed with a bit of bitterness.
Trust is trust, and he can't make such a bad start.
Concentrating 40% of the military strength in the hands of one family is indeed a taboo.
"In this case, since you don't like the document, just go and watch the Beijing camp for me. The British prince told me a few days ago that he wants to resign from the post of Jiedu envoy of the Beijing camp..."
…
The Jingying Jiedu Envoy has a high status. In name, he is the commander-in-chief of the Jingying Camp and is in charge of the power of the Jingying Camp.
However, in non-war times, the Jingying Jiedushi was more responsible for supervising the commanders of the various guards, inspecting the Jingying drills, military discipline, and recruiting and training new troops.
The emperor decreed that at the request of the British Duke, Rong Guo Gong Jia She would take over as the envoy of the Beijing Camp.
The impact of this incident is still very great. It means that the number one person in the Great Xia military has changed from the British Duke Zhang Yue to the Rongguo Duke Jia She, and the Jia family has returned to the number one position in martial arts.
However, Zhang Yue did not withdraw completely. He was still the commander-in-chief of the Chinese Army and was in charge of the three front guards. It is estimated that he would have to wait for the emperor to find a suitable candidate before he would retire to the second line or directly resign and return to his hometown to be recuperated.
When Jia Cong rushed to the East Palace, His Royal Highness was standing at the door of the main palace, rubbing his eyebrows. He felt as if there was a nest of ducks living in his head, quacking incessantly.
"Fourth brother seems to have a headache?"
Liu Hong pointed at the various envoys from various Western countries sitting in the main hall of the East Palace, and said with a wry smile: "Listen for yourself, it will give everyone a severe headache."
Well, the host and guest, Nie Chaoyi, the doctor of the Qing Dynasty Department, was already dizzy from the noise. He saw a familiar figure outside the palace from a distance, and weakly stretched out his hand to ask for help.
"Run quickly, someone is trying to drag me into the water!"
The two quickly left the main hall, found a sunny place in the small garden, set up tables and chairs, made tea and chatted.
A moment of leisure under the warm sun finally gave Liu Hong a sense of purity.
"You are finally back. When these barbarians came here a few years ago, I didn't even have a moment of leisure. You don't know that when they first came, they smelled worse than the Tatars..."
Liu Hong thought for a while, the people on the grassland are also the common people of Daxia, so it is not a good description, so he paused and continued: "After they came to the East Palace for the first time that day, I asked the palace people to burn down the East Palace. of incense.”
Phew~
Jia Cong really couldn't hold it back. At this time, the West really didn't have such good hygiene habits.
The legendary romantic city of Paris probably doesn’t even have a sewer.
"I had to ask the people in the Ministry of Etiquette to re-formulate the rules, at least let them learn to burn incense and bathe. Let's not talk about this, let's talk about business."
After complaining about the hygiene habits of the Yi people, Liu Hong brought up the matter of establishing diplomatic relations.
As Jia Cong expected, the imperial court is still confused about diplomacy, trade, and tariff policies, and has no idea where to start.
From Liu Hong's mouth, I learned that the central government adheres to an open policy, but there are also many people in the DPRK who are more wary and suspicious of the Western barbarians.
Of course, Liu Hong had no idea. He was a little worried that the imported products from the West would steal Daxia's money.
After hearing the prince's worries, Jia Cong shook his head and smiled: "Fourth brother, the Yi people can't make money from us. On the contrary, as long as we establish formal diplomatic relations with the West and trade with each other, in a very short time, we will be able to It can bring all the gold and silver that the Yi people have plundered from everywhere back to Daxia."
oh?
Liu Hong asked in surprise: "Why does Brother Cong have such great confidence? The Yi merchants who came with them these days have almost sold out all the goods they brought during the New Year. There was a message from the Dragon Guards After hearing the news, in just one month, the Yi people made at least one million taels of silver."
Jia Cong raised his sleeves, and the gold and silver threads on the brocade shone dazzlingly in the sun.
"Just such a piece of silk brocade can make the Western nobles empty out their savings. Porcelain and tea, which one is not snatched by the barbarians? Although those who oppose the opening of the sea are a bit pedantic, But one thing they said is indeed true. China is rich in products and has everything. The things of the barbarians are just for fun and curiosity."
He pointed to the tribute porcelain and tribute tea on the table, showing his white teeth and grinning non-stop: "It's just the same thing after the novelty has passed. But our things are different, food, clothing, housing and transportation, we all have it now. We are far ahead, and those nobles will spend all their money to buy our goods in order to show their nobility."
Just kidding, in the eyes of those barbarians, the Celestial Empire is the embodiment of nobility and the place of heaven.
Those are porcelain, silk, and tea that can only be found in the Eastern Paradise!
Those Western aristocrats wished they could exchange all their wealth to wear silks that can only be worn by Eastern aristocrats, serve rice with exquisite porcelain, and taste oriental leaves...
Even in the previous life, "we, the Qing Dynasty," were able to open the country with strong ships and cannons, and signed unequal treaties, they could not change the trade deficit situation of the British Empire.
It took decades of wars of aggression again and again to finally rob China of a huge amount of money.
"So, Fourth Brother, you really don't have to worry about this matter. Establishing diplomatic relations and trade is a business that is sure to make a profit without losing any money for us."
Although Jia Cong despised the backwardness of Western countries, it was only in terms of their systems and living standards.
The technological level of the Yi people has surpassed that of the Celestial Empire in many places. At least the West has just experienced a Renaissance a few years ago, and it can be said that it has undergone earth-shaking developments and changes in science and technology.
He has always advocated opening one's eyes to the world and establishing communication and trade with the West. This is the main reason.
Daxia must seize this opportunity, learn the science and technology of the Yi people, combine it with the wisdom left by the ancestors, innovate, establish a complete scientific system, strengthen its own strength, and finally stand on the top of the world and let everyone come to celebrate. .
The two chatted for a long time in the small garden of the East Palace. It was not until the sunset that Liu Hong personally saw Jia Cong out of the palace.
…
The Yi people were eager to establish diplomatic relations and trade with Daxia, but Jia Cong used the excuse of illness to delay the negotiation process and did not show up to the Ministry of Rites for many days.
He is not in a hurry. Whoever is anxious at this time will be led by others.
"Negotiations must naturally be based on the rules set by the Celestial Empire. For example, for tariffs, I will wait until I see the economic strength of the Western countries, and then make specific divisions based on their population and economic conditions."
Jia Cong invited Nie Chaoyi, who was responsible for entertaining the Yi envoys, to discuss negotiations with him.
He handed a prepared treaty to Nie Chaoyi and said with a smile: "Negotiations must be based on Daxia's interests. We must not do anything treasonous! Take a look at this first and see if it works?"
Monthly ticket recommendation ticket
I’ll stop here today and continue tomorrow. Good night!
(End of chapter)
