England and France want to form an alliance with Ming Dynasty?
Zhu Yixi didn't believe it at all.
Thousands of miles away, there is no cooperation at all.
Upon closer inspection, it is nothing more than Britain and France coveting the Dutch monopoly on Eastern trade and wanting to carve up the Dutch colonies in the East.
The English had established trading posts on the east coast of India, looking to pry open the Dutch trade monopoly.
This is a multi-million pound a year business.
(One pound contains one-third of a pound of silver, one pound is equal to approximately four silver coins, and one Dutch guilder is equal to three silver coins)
The Dutch East India Company also benefited from Eastern trade. At the peak of the tulip bubble (the first stock market crash in history), the company's market value was 78 million guilders.
Even today, the market value still exceeds 10 million Dutch guilders.
Annual dividends amount to one million Dutch guilders.
And you must know that England's annual fiscal revenue is only two million pounds. This is an exaggeration.
The English were mad with jealousy and naturally wanted a piece of the pie.
Although he didn't know how the European missions negotiated with the Dutch, Zhu Yixi understood deeply that the Dutch were just a thing of the past, and the British were the real wolves.
"The alliance is of no use to our Ming Dynasty!"
Zhu Yixi shook his head slightly: "But I heard that your country has established many trading stations in India, which is worth learning from our country!"
Robert was stunned: "Your Majesty, that is the income of the entire Spice Islands, millions of silver dollars..."
"Presumptuous!" Mendong on the side suddenly changed his expression and scolded.
"I lied!" Robert immediately lowered his head and admitted his mistake.
"Our country has a close relationship with the Netherlands and there is no conflict. How can we turn against each other just because of interests?"
Zhu Yixi said loudly.
At this moment, the holy light hit his face.
Robert left in anger, and Abdul returned without success.
However, this reminded the emperor that although he was not very impressed by the Amu Darya River Basin, its location was important and the vassal state must be established, even if it was to serve as a barrier to the Liao Kingdom.
After a while, the eunuch who delivered the oral message arrived at Chuzhou Bo's Mansion.
After Jia Daihua captured the Bukhara Khanate, he became the Bo of Chuzhou and the Prime Minister of Liao. In the past few years, he captured Badak Mountain and completely blocked the passage to Anxi, making Anxi completely stable.
But he also expanded his territory thousands of miles by the way, taking over the Amu Darya River Basin, a dozen large and small cities, and hundreds of thousands of people.
According to the rules of the imperial court, this is military merit and should be rewarded.
However, for such a small foreign country, the value of merit is too low, so it is not enough to be granted the title of Marquis.
Therefore, after asking Jia Daihua's opinion, the imperial court promoted his father Jia Yan to the title of Tai'an Bo.
Two uncles in one house.
Jia Daihua's younger brother, Jia Daishan, also inexplicably became the heir to the earl.
He also won a great reputation among the nobles.
"Uncle, Your Majesty has summoned you!"
"Lead the way!"
Putting his son down from his arms, Jia Daihua couldn't wait to put on his official robe.
After being abroad for several years, he took a two-year break after returning to China and took up the post of Governor Qianshi of the Right Army Governor's Mansion, focusing entirely on self-cultivation.
"It seems that His Majesty wants me to guard one side!"
Jia Daihua geared up and was quite surprised.
The general soldiers of each province are basically nobles who take turns to take up the post, and then return to the capital for a few years. Most of them are earls and marquises.
As for the Duke, he has great prestige and basically rests in Beijing.
"Where are we going? Sichuan? Or Guangxi? Why hasn't anyone rebelled yet?"
Jia Daihua was sitting on the carriage, his face calm, but his mind was spinning a thousand times, thinking non-stop.
However, when he met the emperor, the emperor had no relevant question: "Is it true that farming can be done in the Amu Darya Basin?"
"Your Majesty, I dare not lie. The Amu Darya River basin is hundreds of miles in radius, with crisscrossing rivers and dense fields. It is not as bitter and cold as the Liao Kingdom. It is really a good place to go."
Jia Daihua said truthfully.
"Very good!" Zhu Yixi smiled: "This is the Ming Dynasty given to me by God. Wouldn't it be a pity if I didn't use it?"
"I have been preparing to establish the Xing Kingdom for a long time, but now we must speed up the steps. The Persians can't wait!"
Hearing this, Jia Daihua was startled.
Wouldn't you want me to be the Prime Minister of Xing State?
Zhu Yixi didn't care what he thought and asked directly: "You conquered the Xing Kingdom. It's unreasonable to let the Liao Kingdom take charge of it all the time. Do you have someone to choose to rule it?"
When he heard that it was just a consultation, Jia Daihua was relieved: "The country of Xing is a complicated place. It is thousands of miles away from the Central Plains. It requires someone who can be civilized and martial."
"I really don't know who can do this..."
Although after becoming the Prime Minister, the vassal king would reward a prince or a hereditary title of prince, but going to such a foreign country for three years was simply torture.
Not to mention that you are still earning it for your children and grandchildren, and there is no benefit to you.
Jia Daihua didn't want to offend anyone.
Zhu Yixi nodded.
Candidates for this group can only be selected from border officialdoms such as Anxi, and must adapt to complex environments.
After chatting for a while, Zhu Yixi glanced at Jia Daihua: "General Horqin will return to Beijing to report on his duties, so be prepared!"
"I would like to thank Your Majesty for your kindness!"
Finally able to take charge of his own business again, Jia Daihua's heart almost flew away.
Not long after returning home, a group of old relatives and friends came to congratulate her.
Here, happy events that do not need to be concealed, especially official vacancies, always spread the fastest.
After the other subordinates and friends gave gifts and chatted for a few words, they left wisely, leaving the four families of Jia, Shi, Wang, and Xue to gather together again.
Compared with the Jia family, the Shi family was no less generous.
Shi Ding is Ning Dubo, and Shi Nai is Xing Guozi. They are two nobles in one family. As long as they find another opportunity, they can be promoted to earl, thus achieving two nobles in one family.
As a veteran earl, Wang Chunqing had outstanding prestige and extensive connections among nobles. He had also been in charge of Chahar, and then the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu for several years, and had just resigned.
The connections I have accumulated over the years are enough to last me twenty years.
If he hadn't been physically unable to hold on, he could still have been in the officialdom for a few more years.
There was no way, he was physically exhausted in the early years and worked too hard on the battlefield, so he was already scarred.
The person who brought him to the door today was his son Wang Huairen.
Xue Chongwen was as gentle and elegant as ever.
As a veteran imperial merchant, after the Zhu family gave birth to two Jinshi, his network of contacts became wider, and both the civil and military parties were able to take advantage of it.
The relationship between these two people for many years is naturally very close, and there is not much distance between them.
"With His Majesty's grace, I will go to the Northeast to serve as General Horqin."
Jia Daihua chuckled and said, "I never thought that I would bother several relatives and friends to visit!"
Xue Chongwen smiled and said: "Brother, the sesame seeds are blooming every day. If we don't come to congratulate you, shouldn't we be beaten?"
The Shi brothers smiled awkwardly.
Although the two of them were an earl and a viscount, they still guarded the Beijing camp and led the troops. The local commander-in-chief could not be held by someone with a title. Qualifications were fundamental.
Jia Daihua worked in the northwest for several years and served as the prime minister of the Liao Dynasty. Finally, at the age of thirty-four, he became a frontier official.
Qualifications and favor are indispensable, who wouldn’t envy them?
"Brother has made outstanding achievements and is in the Sacred Heart. He is truly worthy of the post of General Horqin!"
Wang Huairen also sent congratulations: "My father knew that my brother was going to take office, and he didn't have any gifts to send him. He has some old friends in Horqin, and I asked him to take care of him..."
At this time, the Shi brothers felt sour in their hearts.
What is this care?
Some old friends are in Horqin. Isn't it logical for Jia Daihua to help him take power?
Wouldn't it be faster to get results this way?
Jia Daihua naturally understood the truth and said he didn't dare with a smile on his face.
For a moment, joyful laughter rippled through the living room, and everyone had a happy smile on their face.
…
In the twenty-sixth year of Shaowu's reign, on the tenth day of April, the sky was bright and a sudden rain of needlework began to appear in Pingquan County, which wetted the entire street and moistened the grass.
It was the county examination, and many candidates looked sad.
Rain is rare on the grassland, but it is normal to occasionally rain for days. After all, things are unpredictable.
Of course, what they feared most was that the county magistrate would take advantage of the rain to change the topic.
After all, the county examination is too arbitrary. Although it is co-sponsored by Jiaoyu, it is basically under the control of the county magistrate. Changing the test questions is the easiest thing to do.
Like many scholars, Shao Ziqing, the county magistrate, frowned.
Firstly, rain can moisten the earth, and there will be a good harvest this year; secondly, as a southerner, he is naturally uncomfortable with the dryness in the north, and rainy days are the most comfortable time for him.
If it wasn't really indecent, he would even take off his clothes and wander around the yard to take a shower.
At this time, he was sitting leisurely on the recliner, with his chest open and his single clothes almost falling off his arms.
The evaluation during the county magistrate's term is very important. The first is taxation, the second is education, and the third is litigation.
In Chahar, there is almost no need to pay taxes. The land is continuously cultivated, so taxes increase every year, although not by much.
The way of enlightenment has become a boulder, or rather an opportunity, over the heads of magistrates.
As we all know, Chahar's literary style is not strong. For each county, having one or two more talents will almost limit the future evaluation.
Therefore, he has been thinking these days about how to screen out talented people, so that his county can have a few more talented people, and even promote people.
This year’s county examination will require some serious study.
Huang Qishan rode a horse and carried a bookcase, quickly came to the county seat and walked in front of the inn.
“Book a room!”
"Okay, sir, are you going to take the county examination?"
"That's right, we booked it for ten days."
"Okay, if it includes food, accommodation, and your horse, it's fifty-two cents a day, which is half a cent for you. It's only five cents for ten days!"
Holding back his heartache, Huang Qishan took out his silver coins to pay the bill.
After placing the horse in the stable, he climbed up the stairs, and suddenly heard a few harsh sounds in his ears.
"I can smell the smell of mutton in my nose, it must be Tatar..."
"All Tatars come to take the county exam? They are designated to accompany them."
"Who says it's not the case? Why spend that wasted money--"
Huang Qishan returned to the room without saying a word.
If it had been before, he would have followed the Mongolian rules and taught these literati a lesson, and they would have suffered a black nose and a swollen eye.
But after reading, he understood the truth and knew how to weigh the pros and cons.
Now is the key to the county examination. Once he and this group of people are forced into the Yamen due to a fight, they will definitely hate the county magistrate.
At that time, he may suffer a big loss between what is desirable and what is not.
"How can one do things as a scholar just by talking and talking?"
Huang Qishan chuckled, opened the book box, took out the Four Books and Five Classics and his notes, and started to review.
Reading and writing are as difficult as climbing to the sky for the Mongolians in Chahar.
They are all good at riding horses and archery, but if they pick up a pen and write, they will die.
Therefore, many Mongolian men would rather participate in the Naadam Conference, which is held every three years and is extremely competitive, than participate in the Boy Exam, which is less stressful.
Huang Qishan actually never thought about taking part in the imperial examination.
But his Abu was a businessman who traveled all over the country. Once he saw a nobleman treat a scholar with respect, and he was deeply shocked in his heart.
A weak scholar can make a nobleman with hundreds of servants humble him, and the impact on him is unparalleled.
After that, he returned home and changed his surname to Huang because he was a descendant of the Jin family.
Huang Qishan also said goodbye to his Mongolian name and became a Han Chinese.
At the same time, he also left the horseback and came to Chifeng to study.
Although he was already twelve years old when he was enlightened, he was extremely talented. Under the care of his husband, he finally understood the Four Books and Five Classics.
He proudly asked his husband: "Can you be a scholar?"
The husband nodded: "Of course."
"What about lifting people?"
"No!" The gentleman shook his head and sighed: "You don't need the eight-legged essay to take the examination. You are still learning another set of things."
"I won't be able to teach you then!"
Mr. Huang Qishan's helpless but gratified smile echoed in Huang Qishan's mind:
"It's a disaster for me, but it's a blessing for you."
"After the scholar's previous hurdles are passed, those gentry will no longer be able to monopolize the secrets of scientific research..."
Late at night, he turned off the lights.
Before going to bed, he thought a lot, and what he thought about most was that a train could run without horses, and that it could take people thousands of miles away while eating coal. It didn't sound like things in this world.
But it was indeed true, and he, Abu, admitted it.
He had to leave Chahar, which was like a well to him, and he was the frog at the bottom of the well.
Two days later, the county examination began.
Before dawn, the watchman was already knocking to remind these students to take the county examination.
The waiter in the inn was even more afraid of being delayed, so he was banging on every student's room.
The hot pastries have been arranged by the innkeeper a long time ago and can be eaten directly in the mouth. They are neither hot nor cold, which is just right.
When he arrived at the county government office, long lines of no less than two to three hundred people were already forming. Huang Qishan breathed a sigh of relief.
The carriages of many Mongolian nobles were parked outside, which were particularly conspicuous. It was obvious that they had many descendants.
For some reason, he could easily distinguish between those Mongolians and Han Chinese.
Even though they are both wearing robes and carrying book boxes, their temperaments are completely different.
Maybe it's the special mutton smell.
There is no rule in the Ming Dynasty that requires five people to be insured for the boy's examination. As long as a certificate is issued from the county government and the identity number plate is correct, you can sign up to participate.
Naturally, this cut off the wealth of many scholars.
"B number twelve!"
After singing, Huang Qishan directly looked for a seat.
The magistrate's position was directly above, and he could clearly see the actions below.
His position is right in the middle.
"I must strive for success and produce a Mongolian scholar, a Mongolian scholar, a Mongolian Jinshi——"
(End of chapter)
