Sunset and dusk.
People inside and outside Jinan City were walking in a hurry. Some people were busy leaving the city and others were busy entering the city. The city gate would be locked later. At this moment, a group of soldiers and horses entered the city, majestic and high-spirited. The people passing by were paying attention and guessing whose soldiers they were. horse.
It should be Li Zhuguo who is back.
Li Zhuguo is Li Yan, who is also the commander-in-chief of Shandong Province. It has been more than a month since he came to Beijing with orders a few days ago.
The soldiers and horses entered the city and went straight to the military camp.
That night, the palace of Prince De was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and a banquet was held to wash away the dust of Chang Yu.
That's right, it was not Li Yan who entered the city just now, but Chang Yu. In order to avoid publicity, he entered the city when the city gate was locked after dark. His subordinates went to the military camp to rest, and he took a group of his men to visit Prince De's Mansion. After all, the Prince's Mansion was comparable. The barracks is much more comfortable.
Chang Yu's coming to Prince De's Mansion is no different from coming from a different family.
Although he did not have the closest relationship with King Toku among the feudal kings, King Toku was the most grateful to him.
Without Chang Yu, Zhu Youli was still a down-and-out vassal king who was stepped on the ground and ravaged by Liu Zeqing. He was so pitiful that he didn't dare to breathe or fart.
But today's Zhu Youqi can be said to be glowing with pride in the spring breeze.
It is no exaggeration to say that one-third of the land confiscated after Liu Zeqing's death has been owned by Prince De's palace. This is still secondary. After Liu Zeqing's death, Prince De, who was submissive and had no sense of existence, is now straightened up and has dignity. .
Although Li Yan, the commander-in-chief of Shandong Province, is the most powerful figure in Jinan Prefecture, Li Yan is completely different from Liu Zeqing. He is humble and low-key, obeys the etiquette of a monarch and his ministers, and is respectful to King De. This is what makes Zhu Youli most emotional and gratified. of.
Chang Yu Road Economic South Visiting Prince De’s Mansion is of course not just for eating and drinking, but also for business.
Let’s first ask about the harvest of Prince De’s Mansion.
Zhu Youli said that although there was a severe drought and locust plague this year, after all, a lot of Liu Zeqing's land was harvested, and the harvest based on quantity was much larger than in previous years. However, in response to the imperial court's call for tax exemption, the overall result should be similar to last year, but after autumn, A large number of potatoes and sweet potatoes are planted on his manor land. It is expected that next year's harvest will be enough to ensure that Jinan will have enough food and clothing for at least three years.
Since sweet potatoes and potatoes were introduced from the south and cultivated in Tongzhou last year, in a short period of time the entire Gyeonggi region has been planting these two drought-resistant and cold-resistant crops with high yields. After all, cereals are also food, especially in this famine year, they are life-saving food.
Since the harvest is good, let’s borrow some.
"How much to borrow?" Zhu Youli agreed without hesitation. Even though Chang Yu had not repaid the grain he borrowed in the name of the court last year, he finally generously said that he would donate it to the court and would not have to pay it back.
To be honest, I felt distressed for a long time, but the reward was also very gratifying.
He was mentally commended by the emperor, and he even specially ordered him to go to Beijing to commend him in person. This was treatment and favor that no other vassal king had ever received.
In addition, real interests are not to mention. One-third of Liu Zeqing's land was included in Prince De's Palace, and the court turned a blind eye. At the same time, his relationship with the eunuch became closer and closer.
"It's a lot, and it won't take more than a year and a half." Chang Yu seemed to be smiling but not smiling at the banquet. Zhu Youli hesitated a little, and smiled after being silent for a while: "I must leave something to eat."
"It won't make the prince unable to open the pot, eat the meat and drink the wine." Chang Yu smiled faintly, Zhu Youli picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp: "When a friend is in trouble, he should have spared no effort, so it's better to skip one or two meals. It doesn’t matter.”
"Your Majesty is righteous." Chang Yu quickly stood up and toasted.
"When should I use it?" Zhu Youli said happily.
"I'll tell the prince when I need it. It's probably time to spend the winter. Today I just want to say hello to the prince first." Chang Yu said slowly. Zhu Youli raised his eyebrows: "Winter?" It seemed that he understood why Chang Yu borrowed food. "Is it enough? I think this is just a drop in the bucket."
"Everyone gathers firewood and the flames are high. There are more friends and the road is easier to travel." Chang Yu chuckled. Zhu Youli was startled and then realized it. He came over and asked in a low voice: "Who is this king?"
"Your Majesty is the leader." Chang Yu winked. Zhu Youli suddenly became happy and raised his hand to Chang Yu: "Thank you, Eunuch Chang."
From Chang Yu's words, Zhu Youli could tell why he borrowed food, and it was not just him.
Chang Yu naturally didn't borrow it for himself, but for the imperial court.
Why should we borrow it for the imperial court? Because the imperial court is poor! poverty! poverty!
Why are you still poor? Haven't you been recuperating for almost a year?
Let’s not talk about how much relief we can have in this year. Even if we can regain our strength, it will be a relief for the people. The imperial court has no time to catch its breath at all. There are huge holes in the country anytime and anywhere. Fill, but no income.
There are old people at the top, who refer to the officials of the Manchu Dynasty, and officials from local government offices who need to be fed, while there are young people at the bottom, who are the soldiers and horses from all over the country who are crying for food.
But why is there no income?
To be sure, there are some, but almost none.
The reason is that last year, in order to support the people, the imperial court issued a decree exempting war-torn areas from taxes for three years.
War-torn area, do you know how big it is?
Last year, Li Chuang marched eastward, and the places he passed through were war-torn areas.
In other words, everything east of the Yellow River and north of the Huaihe River is within the exemption range, that is, the entire Henan, Shanxi, Shandong, and parts of the Southern Zhili area, as well as Jiangxi, Anhui and other riverside areas.
In addition, the west of the Yellow River belongs to Li Chuang, Jingxiang belongs to Li Chuang, and Sichuan belongs to Zhang Xianzhong.
How many areas are left, that is, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and the southeastern coastal areas? Apart from local expenditures, what else does the taxation of these places get to the imperial court? There is no way we can support such a big family.
Although potatoes and sweet potatoes were cultivated on a large scale in the Gyeonggi area at this time, they could only maintain a state of starvation.
To prepare for a rainy day, a large amount of food and grass reserves are needed for the winter. Officials can eat less, but the soldiers at the border cannot go hungry. Moreover, Chang Yu is still planning some big moves in his heart, and the food and grass must keep up.
At this time, we can only eat the big ones.
These days, there is no bigger household than the vassal kings everywhere, but the court wants to keep its face and cannot open its mouth. Even if it opens its mouth, people say it can't be done without you, so it's up to Chang Yu to handle this matter.
Obviously, it is difficult to fill such a large demand by just one Prince De's Palace. Fortunately, Chang Yu has many friends (taken advantage of). In addition to Prince De's Palace, there are also Prince Jin's Palace, Prince Dai's Palace, and Prince Heng's Palace in Shandong. Prince Lu's mansion in Yanzhou was so bad that he even wanted to scrape the land.
Hey, although King Lu is poor, his neighbors are rich...
After piecing everything together, it should be pretty much the same, and he also has an important partner and important supporter, Zheng Zhilong!
Zheng Zhilong has many identities. He is the chief soldier of the imperial court, a great warlord, a native emperor, a sea pirate, and even a great businessman. Each of his identities is successful in every corresponding industry. And if you combine these identities into one and focus on one thing, you will really be successful.
When Chang Yu got married a few months ago, the two of them plotted a major event, which naturally included continuing to extend the life of the imperial court, that is, food supply, whether it was borrowed, donated, robbed, or spent. No matter how much money you buy, you can't run out of food.
After all, money is easy to come by these days, but food is hard to come by.
Although it is a long way from Xuzhou to Fujian, Zheng Zhilong should have arrived at this time, and Chang Yu believes that many things have begun to be prepared and implemented step by step on his way back. I believe that good news will follow soon.
As for why Zhu Youli cares so much about whether he is the first, it is easier to understand. Anyway, he has to borrow, so be the first one to borrow. If you have a bright face, you can win the favor of the emperor.
That night, Chang Yu was drunk for the first time in a long time.
When I woke up, it was already three o'clock in the morning. When I washed up, I had a splitting headache. I muttered that I wouldn't drink so much next time.
The person next to me sneered: "You said the same thing last time."
In the evening, when the soldiers and horses left the city, Zhu Youli sent them ten miles away and also sent a cart of fine wine, saying: "I heard that wine in the capital is expensive and a hundred gold coins are hard to find. I know that Eunuch Chang doesn't like wine, so I can reward his subordinates."
After hearing this, Tu Yuan and others' eyes gleamed and they licked their lips.
"Nowadays, there is not enough food to eat, and there is no surplus wine anywhere. But a hundred gold is an exaggeration. Thank you for your kindness." Chang Yu accepted it happily, but did not forget to warn: "Now the imperial court has banned alcohol, and the prince's tree attracts the wind... cough cough cough , You should keep a low profile."
"Ahem, the imperial court has an edict, and I should set an example. I will not disobey the edict. These wines are all left over from previous years, so they won't be smashed." Zhu Youli looked serious.
Chang Yu smiled, he didn't believe it. Now that the imperial court has banned alcohol, the price of alcohol has skyrocketed, and small workshops are willing to take risks. How could a big family like Wangfu let go of this opportunity to make a fortune? There is plenty of food anyway, so they secretly brew wine and sell it secretly.
He saw through it but didn't tell it. After all, he sent a cart of good wine. He just joked: "I hope the prince's kind words will not be said to the emperor by someone who is interested."
Zhu Youli blew his beard and glared: "What are you talking about? Eunuch Chang seized a car of smugglers on the way. What does this have to do with me? If anyone dares to falsely accuse me, I will fight him to death!"
Chang Yu held out two thumbs up: "Your Majesty, be tough!"
And just when Chang Yu left Jinan City, Prince Heng's Mansion in Qingzhou, Prince Jin's Mansion in Taiyuan, and Prince Dai's Mansion in Datong received his personal letters almost at the same time.
Very polite, very nagging, and very realistic. I'm here to borrow food again. This time I only borrow food and not money. Don't ask me how much I borrow, ask how much you can borrow!
The reactions of several vassal kings were also very different. The timid and fearful King Heng agreed without much thought, borrow!
The reason why I am so happy is not because I am afraid of the eunuch, but more because I am grateful. Without the rescue of Chang Yu Qianli who fought with the Tatars under the city, the Qingzhou Palace has long been in ruins. Besides, I still have to hold my thigh, not to mention that my son-in-law is still there. The eunuch's subordinates are obeying orders.
King Jin went straight to the table and started to curse, you really don't care.
Yes, without you, Taiyuan City would have been destroyed by the bandit army, and the palace would not have been spared. However, the palace also lost everything for that defense battle, which is equivalent to being plundered by the bandit army. Now that I have just taken a breath, I can save a little bit. I got some possessions, here you go again!
He was angry and scolded. After discussing with his mother, King Jin also decided to borrow it!
After all, this time we only borrow food, not money, and the line between the great eunuch and the public cannot be cut off. It is both a protective umbrella and a cash cow. Don't you see how prosperous the coal and bank business are.
Dai Wangfu's reaction was much calmer. After reading the letter, he didn't get angry or curse, but his face was gloomy. He thought I was a cash machine.
There was no response or rejection on the spot.
