"Bring me a glass of wine."
"Your Majesty, you are still recuperating. It is not appropriate to drink alcohol."
"I'm rarely in the mood today, so let's have a drink or two."
"Yes, you will later."
In Xiyuan, next to the waterside pavilion by Lake Mochou, a young palace maid came over with a tray, but the female officer picked up the wine jug on it. After filling two glasses, she removed the wine jug. .
The maid held the wine bottle and left, while the female officer turned around and walked into the waterside pavilion with the tray.
Looking at the two cups presented, the emperor could not help but feel a little unhappy, but it soon turned into a trace of melancholy and helplessness.
Have a drink, just two small glasses!
Hey, in the final analysis, the body is the most important thing. How long can I hold on with my old bones?
Birth, aging, illness and death are always unavoidable problems in life. "Long live, long live, long live" is just a lie, and immortality is just a dream in myths and legends.
The profession of emperor is really unusual. In order to maintain one's own power, one must be ruthless. However, the inheritance and transfer of power are unavoidable, which makes the prince a high-risk profession.
Four of the thirteen princes in the Eastern and Western Han Dynasties were deposed or killed; up to ten of the eighteen princes in the Tang Dynasty were deposed and killed; during the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, political power changed rapidly and the situation was chaotic, making the situation of the princes even worse.
However, what Ming people should be proud of is that even if there are individual cases such as Ming Renzong, who has a delicate status, and Ming Xianzong's experiences in his childhood, at least the princes of the two Ming Dynasties succeeded in succeeding to the throne in the end, and there was no such incident. The government and opposition parties were in turmoil.
At the same time, due to Zhu Yuanzhang's grassroots background, he valued family ties more. Zhu Biao was definitely the most trusted prince in Chinese history, without exception. Based on this, the relationship within the royal family of the Ming Dynasty was much closer than that of previous dynasties, and it was more in line with the common people.
This feature, which is not considered a unique feature, was retained by the later Ming Dynasty. The daily life within the royal family had less internal and external admiration and more human touch.
As for Zhu Lizheng, his ability was definitely sufficient in the eyes of the emperor. Even if he could not be called a talented Zhongxing person, he was still better than many mediocre and conservative people.
But his stubborn character is a big minus, especially at the forks in history. The monarch's firm attitude is often counterproductive-maybe the road will go dark.
This is why a normal monarch rarely states his position at the beginning. Instead, he waits on the sidelines and assesses the situation before expressing his position. At the same time, he also has the qualities of following the trend and being able to bend and stretch.
Perseverance is perseverance, and stubbornness is stubbornness. The two are far from each other.
Therefore, the emperor had been considering whether he should train a few more people in the clan so that he could help him in the future.
As for Zhu Lingjing, the emperor had always regretted the untimely death of his consort, and since she was not willing to remarry, the emperor did not force her, so he let her go.
As for her determination to join politics, he didn't care much at first. He thought she was just looking for fun because her life was boring and boring, but he didn't expect that she actually did it in a lively and exciting way, which was a rare thing in the past.
In the eyes of the emperor, her immature political skills were like a child's tricks, not as good as his own who had just succeeded to the throne more than thirty years ago. After all, he had been taught step by step.
However, my daughter is still growing up very quickly. She has sufficient self-confidence, a clear understanding of the supremacy of political interests, clear strategic thinking, and familiarity with social important matters. She has all the necessary qualities for a qualified politician. The few qualities that she does not have are just because of insufficient accumulation. .
But the most important point is not clear, that is, how strong is the desire for power, or what is the ultimate goal?
I thought she was just looking for fun, a three-minute heat, but now that doesn't seem to be the case.
Think about yourself again. Although it is said that power is a poison that can make people trapped in it and unable to extricate themselves, after decades of passing away, the emperor has become more and more tired of this kind of life in the past two years, so it is inevitable that he has considered abdicating the throne to relieve himself of the burden. , travel around the mountains and rivers, relax your body and mind like this and you will definitely live for a few more years.
It's a pity that at this juncture when dark clouds are over the city, taking the initiative to give up power is more like evading responsibility. The older he gets, the more he cares about his reputation. After struggling for most of his life, he ended up with many negative reviews. What a pity. This is very much for him. Don't want to see it.
"The early days are long and long." The emperor picked up the first cup and drank it in one gulp. It was soft, mellow, and fragrant, which really made people feel comfortable.
This Shuanggou Daqu flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and was selected as a tribute wine during the Hongwu period. It is a veritable time-honored brand.
At this time, he suddenly thought of someone.
So he turned his head and asked the female officer beside him: "How is Zhou Changfeng doing in prison lately?"
The latter would normally pay attention to such a small person, so he shook his head in denial and could only signal others to ask specifically.
The Ming Dynasty was so big, with so many government affairs, and the Ming army numbered two million. There were countless such mid-level officers, and it was obviously impossible for an ordinary person to remember them.
But Zhou Changfeng was different. Last year, during the Battle of Uzang, the emperor heard about this figure for the first time, and he was quite outstanding; then he went to Batavia thousands of miles to kill the traitors; and then he accidentally learned that this person had been killed by Zhu Lingjing. was in the pocket; and then when I learned about the strategic decisive battle between the two sides in Spain, I learned that this person had appeared inexplicably in the International Brigade...
Recently, it was the Caozhou earthquake, and this guy appeared again.
It appeared so frequently that it was difficult for the emperor to be interested or not. In his eyes, this young man could be regarded as a legendary figure blessed by luck, with outstanding abilities and the courage to speak and do.
The emperor was certain that such a person would become a great person, and his evaluation of Zhou Changfeng was also accurate - a general with both moral character and public spirit would be beneficial to the country, but not necessarily to the dynasty.
The highest level of employing people is to be able to put everyone in the right position, so that no matter good or bad, good or bad, they can exert their own value.
Therefore, in his opinion, young people like Zhou Changfeng are suitable to serve as front-line generals with full concentration, not caring about worldly affairs, and being a pure soldier.
Generals who are willing to get involved in politics are basically those with insufficient talents, but this is not derogatory or contemptuous. Generals with limited military talents but devoted themselves to politics can also play a great role. For example, you can check in at the front line, brush up your resume, and then come back to give lectures to the public and congressmen to inspire people and add fuel to the fire.
But that is not the case for people like Zhou Changfeng. It is a shameful waste for them to be distracted by political matters that are just a matter of scheming and building bridges. It is like picking up an ancient magical weapon but using it to kill cows and pigs.
After a while, the female officer who inquired about the relevant situation replied: "Your Majesty, he is in very good condition and not depressed. He reads newspapers every day, follows up on and learns about changes in government affairs, and spends the rest of the time writing reports and suggestions. Qixia Prison is also He was very attentive and never looked down upon.”
Hearing this, the emperor nodded slightly and said: "It is a good thing for young talents to have extraordinary courage, but it is absolutely forbidden to act wantonly. He has been beaten and has been in prison for several months. Let's send someone to release him. , then waiting for a place for a long time will only be frustrating, and it will also be easy to be infected with unhealthy tendencies."
He thought for a moment and then added, "Well, let's reduce the sentence on the grounds that risking disaster relief is indispensable."
"Yes, I will go and deliver the message right away."
It seems that there has been a strange circle since ancient times, that is, capable and talented people almost always have a bad temper, or even deviate from the norm, always causing trouble, and causing trouble for their bosses at every turn.
The same is true in the Ming army. In short, the generals who are brave enough to defeat others are not very well-behaved, and few generals who are honest and obedient can fight.
It's half past Youshi, Zhongcheng District, the autumn wind is blowing, cool and comfortable.
In the backyard of the princess mansion, Zhu Lingjing was lying on a rocking chair with her eyes closed, rocking and swaying, showing her laziness, while the lion cat named Ta Mo lay quietly beside her.
"Boring..."
There was nothing to do in the past two days. She originally thought she could relax and take a good rest for a few days, but she didn't expect that she would feel extremely boring the next day.
It seems that I am a restless person. I feel uncomfortable if I don’t do something. It’s really a pity.
At this time, an attendant gently knocked on the door. After getting the answer, he pushed the door in and reported the matter of Qixia Prison——
They received instructions from the Military Justice Department to reduce the remaining two months of Zhou Changfeng's sentence on the grounds that they had previously "risked going deep into the epicenter area to organize disaster relief, which greatly reduced subsequent losses."
"Are you letting me go?"
"Not yet, the release process has to go through a lot, probably tomorrow morning."
"It's a blessing for that guy. I didn't let him experience spending the New Year in prison." Zhu Lingjing sat up slowly and asked again: "Isn't he engaged? I came out early to ask him when he will get married. .”
The blessings she deserved were of course given. After learning about the engagement last time, she gave him a huge gift of ninety-nine thousand yuan with a stroke of a pen.
As a major event in life, the official marriage is naturally more important. This time, she was creative and planned to give Zhou a huge favor, so big that even she had to think of many ways to do it.
And in Qixia Military Prison...
As the person involved, Zhou Changfeng has now calmed down after learning of the unexpected surprise and is preparing to have dinner.
"What a pity! Brother Zhou was asked to leave early." Mu Yu felt particularly regretful.
"What? Can't you see me?" Zhou Changfeng glanced at him.
"Ahem, no, of course not..."
Mu Yu's sentence had actually expired a few days ago, but because these days were the time when a new batch of pilots were enlisting to serve in the army, he really didn't want to return to the army.
When facing a bunch of novices, teaching them to be familiar with this habit and understand that rule will definitely make your blood pressure soar!
As the adjutant of the 20th Light Bombing Detachment, he had had several experiences where he would get a headache just by recalling one or two things, so he planned to postpone it for a few more days.
During this period, Zhou Changfeng had completed all the reports and personal suggestions. To be honest, if he couldn't leave early, the remaining two months would be really difficult.
Dinner was the mediocre roast pork with winter melon, spicy and sour cucumber, and seaweed and egg soup.
Two dishes and one soup are standard provisions in prisons. One of the meat dishes is because Qixia Prison is a relatively high-level prison. If it were a normal prison, it would be very satisfying to see meat dishes once every ten days.
While eating, Mu Yu brought up the matter discussed a few days ago again, "Brother Zhou, are you still thinking about those weapons? I still think what I said is very reasonable. If you have spare money, you might as well invest in a private gun-making shop. Factory, in this way many ideas can be realized, but whether it is suitable for use or not can be known through a test."
This suggestion also awakened Zhou Changfeng - you can't always rely on others for everything. Walking on two legs is the best choice.
If a weapon is discontinued just at the drawing stage, its value is likely to be buried; but if it is taken out first and displayed deliberately, it is more likely to be appreciated.
And we cannot look down on small private gun-making factories. The so-called masters are among the people, and the craftsmanship of some old masters can only be described as ingenious.
More importantly, in this era when stamping technology has not been widely used, milling technology is absolutely mainstream.
The lathes, milling machines, drilling machines and other machine tools used in the milling process are the basic configuration of the machinery manufacturing plant.
This means that even a small workshop, as long as it has raw materials and skilled workers, can produce qualified guns like a large factory, but the production efficiency cannot be compared with that of a large factory.
For example, if a small workshop meets the conditions of raw materials and workers, it can completely produce a "complex" MG34 in a time-consuming and labor-intensive manner, but it cannot produce a "simple" MG42 using the stamping process.
Because the process required for the latter has very strict production requirements, the press that can press qualified parts is much larger than ordinary machine tools, and the scrap rate is not low. Small workshops cannot do this.
"I'll ask about it then," Zhou Changfeng took a spoonful of seaweed and egg drop soup and replied casually: "I don't know how much it will cost. The shares are too small and I have no say."
Mu Yu said "Yeah", "It's not hard to find a small factory like this. I think tens of thousands of yuan will definitely be enough to speak for itself, and it's just a trial production of a few guns. It really doesn't cost much resources. At most, I can spend more." Manpower. Think about it, people make guns by hundreds or even thousands..."
Except for the money necessary for personal life, Zhou Changfeng actually had no money left. The huge sum of money he had on hand was given by Zhu Lingjing as an engagement fee.
Without rigorous conversion, one yuan is about the same as eighty yuan in later generations, and ninety-nine thousand yuan is equivalent to eight million yuan.
For a small gun factory, this huge amount of money should be considered a considerable amount, right?
If successful, you can try to get things like silencers, automatic shotguns, red dot sights, automatic rifles that fire intermediate-power ammunition, and light machine guns.
Although some of these gadgets are not suitable for large-scale use in grand battles, a small amount of equipment for elite units is still no problem and can play a good role.
For example, a silencer paired with a submachine gun or pistol is very suitable for reconnaissance units and special operations units. It can be called a sharp weapon for detecting whistles during deep penetration, allowing the opponent to experience the nightmarish fear caused by not closing in at night.
At this time, Mu Yu suddenly thought of something and reminded: "Speaking of which, it is against the law to engage in business directly. If you implement it, you will be fined. If serious, you will be jailed. The same cannot be done for immediate family members. Only collateral relatives can do it."
Zhou Changfeng naturally knows and understands this rule.
But...where did I get my collateral relatives?
I have been busy these days and have kept all my manuscripts. Yesterday I happened to have to escort my roommate to the hospital...
(End of chapter)
