Unlike in the north, the amount of dishes at a state banquet is indeed relatively small.
The people who can be invited to attend the festival banquet are mainly divided into three categories: first, officials in Beijing with fourth rank and above; second, people with outstanding achievements in recent times; third, diplomats from foreign embassies.
There is no doubt that the first type of people is the largest in number, and their average age is close to the age of knowing their destiny. Compared with the lively young people, their appetites are naturally smaller.
As a result, for the first time in ten years, someone requested additional dishes at the Ming Dynasty state banquet. The last time this happened was more than ten years ago.
As it was not excessive, the request was quickly complied with.
"Except for the honey rice, which was not very good, everything else was very good. It was a good meal. However, I probably won't go there again in the future." Zhou commented sharply after returning to the station.
Two days later.
The weather seems a little weird. The temperature warmed up a little after the winter solstice this year, but then dropped back down soon.
There were only a few floating clouds floating in the blue sky. Because the sun's altitude angle was too low, even though the day was in the sky, not much energy was radiated to the world.
In the Consultative Yuan, the regular meeting for the second half of the year finally came to its final stage. It lasted for more than a month. After six rounds of debates by members of various factions, the main regulations for the fiscal budget for the following year, the 38th year of the Changchun Period, were finalized. It was revised after consultation.
The voting session of the budget conference also passed smoothly, because the previous rounds of debates and repeated fine-tuning and revisions have generally satisfied all parties, so there were only a few dozen objections in total.
In fact, at this stage, according to the "Constitution of the Ming Dynasty", the fiscal budget is already in a state of waiting to take effect. After that, it only needs the signature and seal of the Prime Minister on behalf of the court to take effect.
On the other hand, if the court (government) is dissatisfied or disapproval, there is still a chance to ask the Consultative Yuan to make another adjustment. However, regardless of whether the result changes or not, the budget will take effect immediately.
But what is interesting is that if there is a need to increase taxes in the budget, it will be separated separately and presented to the emperor, and the emperor will stamp and approve it.
Seeing that this year's regular meeting was about to come to an end, a member of the Constitutional Council suddenly submitted a motion and applied to the Consultative Yuan to convene an extraordinary meeting.
"Cutting part of the allocation for education and medical care, and then separately issuing national bonds to collect 100,000 yuan for public land redemption? This amount is a bit too much."
Zhu Lingjing, who was enjoying the comfort of staying at home in winter in her mansion, learned the news immediately.
"This happened so suddenly, why are we in such a hurry?" Fang Shujun paused and said, "In previous years, the number has always been two or three, and it has never been higher than fifty million."
"What does the Constitutional Council think?" Zhu Lingjing knew intuitively that something was wrong, so she directly asked the key question, "What is the background of this person?"
"This congressman was unknown in the past. I have asked someone to check it out."
"good."
Fang Shujun cupped his hands thoughtfully and said thoughtfully, "But then again, the prince and the Constitutional Council had already planned this, so it's not... a surprise."
Zhu Lingjing said calmly: "There is no harm in issuing bonds, but it is not wise to cut the existing budget in preparation for war."
This can be regarded as one wave after another. The actions of radicals and the unrest caused by suppressing them have already had an obvious impact, and budget cuts are bound to cause dissatisfaction.
Today we can introduce an interim bill to cut the education and medical budgets, but tomorrow we will propose another one to cut the defense budget?
This is hard not to make people think wildly, and the public redemption of land has always been hated by conservatives of all factions, and the majority of private landowners are also dissatisfied.
Although it is theoretically normal for the government to spend money to forcibly redeem land from landlords - although it is forced, after all, the money is paid, and the price is higher than the market value.
However, it is well known that at least any policy of the Ming Dynasty will deviate from the original idea to some extent in actual implementation, and local officials will not let go of any opportunity to make money.
Fields can be divided into upper, middle and lower grades based on factors such as fertility and location. The redemption prices for different grades are also different. The government has the final say as to what grade a field can be classified into, which leaves ample room for maneuver.
Under such a general background, Zhu Lingjing believed that it would be better to do less than to do more for the time being, but the Constitutional Council suddenly proposed this motion.
Even if the original intention is good, it will only intensify the unresolved conflicts.
So she said casually: "This party does not support it, or in other words, I don't agree with it."
Although Zhu Lingjing is a special adviser to the executive committee, she cannot fully represent the entire Chinese Party.
However, given that the identity and influence are here, the right to speak is still not small.
On the matter of land reform, none of the major factions in the Ming Dynasty opposed it in principle, but their differences in specific implementation were vastly different.
Fang Shujun nodded, "I think so. This matter... at least it's difficult for our party to agree with it, but it's hard to say what the final outcome will be. The Constitutional Council is relatively powerful. It depends on how the other factions make decisions."
"Let's keep an eye on it for now."
"yes."
There are many examples of Ming Dynasty nobles participating in politics, and most of them choose between the Constitutional Council and the Chinese Party.
Although the total number of royal families participating in politics is quite large, if we do not count those distant branches who have served in the third, fourth, and fifth servers, there are very few royal families who are close relatives of the emperor at that time. Zhu Lingjing, who joined the Chinese Party, can be said to be the only one. .
Generally speaking, its position is similar to that of the Ming Dynasty Constitutional Council. The difference is that it supports chauvinism and trade protectionism, so it has become more and more popular in the past decade.
It promotes the superiority of the Han people, does not oppose foreign expansion, and supports high tariffs and import quotas to protect the Ming Dynasty's industries. It is obvious that it is particularly in line with the appetites of young soldiers and small and medium-sized business owners.
In addition to her slightly maverick personality, Zhu Lingjing was thoughtful in joining the Chinese Party. It can be said that she accurately guessed the emperor's thoughts.
Zhu Lizhen, who was highly sought after by the Constitutional Council, was too stubborn in his behavior and lacked the tact necessary for a good politician. The royal family may indeed need someone to play a mediating role - it doesn't need to be too big, just a little.
On the first day of December, in the morning, the sky was getting bright.
In the officer's room on duty, Zhou Changfeng was listening to the radio and eating steaming preserved egg and lean meat porridge. A male and female voice with a clear accent was broadcasting the morning news.
At first, he was not used to the sound of "Da Ming Mandarin". It felt a bit strange whether listening or speaking. Fortunately, he quickly adapted to it.
"...The Jinan Yellow River Bridge will be completed soon and is scheduled to be opened to traffic on a trial basis at the end of this month."
At this time, Xiao Li knocked on the door and presented a letter.
"This is……"
"It was sent from the Criminal Department of Shanghai Prefecture. It seems to be a commendation."
"The Criminal Court? That can't be the case, right?"
Based on his intuition, he guessed that it probably happened at the cafe next to Chaoxi Avenue. When he opened the envelope, he saw that it was true.
The words described on the letter paper continued the consistent style of the Ming Dynasty government, which was a bit lengthy, "...protecting the safety of the people around you and avoiding robbery, it is extremely brave and righteous."
The actual content was to praise Mr. Zhou for drawing a gun and fight back, and to reward him with a check of 600 yuan.
He picked up the check, looked at it, and sighed: "What a windfall. It gave me three months' salary at once."
The Military Justice Department not only sentenced him to prison, but also imposed a fine, so he could not get a penny of salary in these months.
At that time, it was completely inevitable to fight back. To put it bluntly, even if you were charged with excessive charges, you couldn't just give money to the robbers.
The only possible disagreement is that he even chased the robber out and continued shooting at the robber who was already fleeing.
But the government seemed to ignore this. Maybe it was because he really thought it was harmless, or maybe because he didn't want to get into trouble because of his status.
In ancient times, there were both rewards and punishments for acting bravely. There were rewards for being brave enough to take action, and punishments for turning a blind eye.
This has been the case since the Qin and Han Dynasties. For example, in the "Laws of the Ming Dynasty", there is a generous reward for "an ordinary person who captures one robber and two thieves, each will be rewarded with twenty taels of silver, more than five robbers, and more than ten thieves."
At the same time, there is also the law that "thieves commit robberies and neighbors know about it but do not cooperate to take it, and they will be punished with eighty sticks."
What is very interesting about the Ming Dynasty today is that in this situation, dealing with robbers and thieves is based on quantity. Fighting away a robber is far from a group of robbers.
"If you capture a robber, you will be rewarded with four hundred yuan in banknotes; if you are killed or injured, your reward will be half."
He knocked down three of the four bandits, and all of them died of serious injuries, so he awarded them half a reward of twelve hundred yuan.
This made him wonder if bounty hunters would appear - organized hunts and captures of bandits, and then collect rewards from the government.
In response to his question, Xie Wancheng replied without hesitation: "Yes, it did happen in the past. Bandits were rampant in the world during our ancestors' time, and the court vigorously suppressed bandits. There were people among the people who did this, but it was too dangerous. Ordinary people didn't have the courage." .”
"Too."
Zhou Changfeng, who was in high spirits, immediately wrote a letter to Xia Xiaoshi, bragging to her about his small achievements.
Unlike the huge sum of money given by Zhu Lingjing, this windfall was reasonable and safe to use.
This day was undoubtedly a happy day for him, and in the distant suburbs of Guangzhou, the same joy also filled the faces of everyone at the air force base.
Today is the day for the trial production of the Type 37 shore-based torpedo bomber to undergo its initial evaluation. The design and development team of Guangzhou Itan Aircraft Company and some officers from the Navy observed the entire process.
Aircraft that can carry torpedoes or aerial bombs to launch attacks on maritime targets have always been valued by the Ming Navy, and they have always been recognized as sharp weapons that can influence the situation of the war.
The shore-based torpedo bomber currently equipped by the Ming Army is the Type 35 that was finalized two years ago. It is the first monoplane, twin-engine torpedo bomber equipped in mass production. However, because it is the first time, its design is extremely conservative.
Although the transition from a double wing to a single wing is an epoch-making progress, its inherently conservative design makes its performance extremely unsatisfactory to the Navy, and it is destined to lack the potential for improvement.
Therefore, after the order for 160 aircraft was placed that year, instructions were issued from the Navy to immediately develop the next generation aircraft.
Not many companies were interested in participating in the tender. Three companies refused to participate, and two companies voluntarily gave up in the initial stage. So in the end, only Hangzhou Zhongsheng Aircraft Company and Guangzhou Itan Aircraft Company competed.
The Type 35 torpedo machine is the work of Zhongsheng Company, and they undoubtedly have an inherent advantage.
They naturally have some subconscious contempt for the defeated Itanium Company - not only do we have experience, but we have also made a lot of money by taking orders for more than a hundred aircraft, and we have abundant R&D funds. What can you compare us with? ?
Regarding the development of new shore-based torpedo bombers, the person in charge of the Navy has repeatedly warned: "It is not recommended to abandon the superior maneuverability of the Type 35 torpedo bomber. It is extremely important to rapidly expand the army in future wars and allow new pilots to quickly adapt to the fighter aircraft. . And this can also save a lot of trouble in daily practice. If accidents happen from time to time, it is easy to be criticized."
All in all, the Navy's requirements are somewhat tricky - it must retain good maneuverability and be easy to drive, but the performance and improvement potential must be stronger and greater.
Ease of operation and performance are sometimes at odds with each other in design, which can be said to test the level of the designer.
Itanium Company, which failed in the last bid, learned from the experience and is determined to win the crown this time.
In terms of design, the trial-produced Type 37 torpedo aircraft boldly abandoned the golden mean and adopted the high-wing-loaded main wing and flap design that had performed well in previous wind tunnel experiments. The shape, area, cross-section, area, etc. were carefully designed. Fine tune.
The design of the fuselage is also drastic. The lessons learned from the failed development of the previous bidding were streamlined and weighted, and the wind resistance was reduced as much as possible while ensuring that the width was sufficient to accommodate weapons and equipment.
Viewed from the front, its cross-sectional projected area is larger and its appearance is stout, so it can accommodate more airborne equipment and weapons.
The main wing of the trial-produced Type 37 torpedo aircraft is completely made of a new type of aluminum alloy skin, without any "backward" corrugated plates, and is very smooth.
The crew consists of four people, including: pilot, co-pilot, navigator and mechanic, and radio operator. The twin 12.8mm self-defense machine guns on the back of the machine are also operated by the radio operator.
The weapons it can carry are extremely powerful in this era. The rack on the belly can carry a standard 448mm light aviation torpedo, or an aviation bomb with a total weight of 1,000kg.
The rest of the airborne equipment is also very rich and complete, including two radio stations, a radio compass, and a new autopilot. All equipment is the most advanced in Ming Dynasty, and details such as ventilation, heating, and toilets are also carefully designed.
Driven by two 900-horsepower air-cooled radial engines, the test aircraft flew at a low altitude of 372km/h under standard mounting conditions, directly breaking the record.
Even though the higher wing load design made the trial-produced Type 37 torpedo bomber's take-off and landing experience poor, experienced test pilots complained repeatedly, but because of its excellent performance, the Navy selectively ignored what they originally emphasized. Requirements - Excellent operability.
As the saying goes, an arrogant soldier must be defeated. The confrontation two years later really allowed the Itanium Company, which took the wrong approach, to win. This type of aircraft is destined to leave a mark in the history of Ming Dynasty aviation and war.
(End of chapter)
