"Are you... Mr. Zeng?"
Ye Yongjia walked into the lobby of the Ministry of Household Affairs and saw an official sitting in front of the desk, spinning a pen with one hand and playing with his sleeves with the other.
"Who are you?" The man quickly put down what he was holding and walked out.
"Ye Yongjia, Minister of the Ministry of War." He didn't know the details of this person, so he had to answer carefully.
"Nice to meet you. I am Zeng Liang, courtesy name Xiangzhi." He bowed politely, but his tone was as hard as iron.
Seeing that this man was not easy to talk to, Ye Yongjia stopped trying to get close to him and replied lightly: "Nice to meet you."
"Sit down." Zeng Liang stretched out his hand and pulled out the armchair. He raised his eyes to look at him, but the latter still stood upright and silent.
Zeng Liang smiled and patted the back of the chair a few times: "I have just sorted out the official affairs of the Household Department, and I have probably understood your purpose of coming. No matter what, I advise you to remember that the rights of our department come first , is definitely not a tool for your Ministry of War to sign and seal!"
Seeing him quarreling with each other, Ye Yongjia naturally couldn't help it: "First, Ye has never met you before, and he has never treated his colleagues as tools; second, training the new army is a policy set by the Prime Minister. It's not just Ye who can make the decision with a few words."
"Your Excellency, do you want to scare me with Fengxiang?" Zeng Liang's hand tightened on the armchair, "Let me tell you, I am still the protégé of Prime Minister Liu, who was chosen by the emperor! If you want to engage in seniority-based ranking, the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Punishment are up to you. Go, but you can't come to me. As the saying goes, 'One general can achieve great success,' and it is always a good thing for the Ministry of War to implement new policies, but don't think that just because Liu Mian is gone, you will become powerful!"
"I, Ye Yongjia, serve as an official in an upright and upright manner. I only know how to serve the country, but I don't know how to exercise power. I hope you will not make any malicious assumptions... Farewell." Ye Yongjia curtly saluted and strode out of the government office.
"Mr. Cai, let's go." He said coldly to Cai Xianqing, who was leaning against the wall.
When Cai Xianqing saw something wrong with his expression, he put his hands on his hands and laughed: "Sure enough! I asked about this person, but he is a well-known straight minister."
"It's just as straight as an eagle or a dog." After saying that, he walked away.
Ye Yongjia, who got rid of the shackles of officialdom and returned to Suidi, felt particularly comfortable. When they arrived at the town, they were not ready to rest. Instead, they and Du Qing visited several military camps and then watched the New Army's drills at the school grounds. They actually advanced and retreated in an orderly manner, and their formations were not chaotic, and their target shooting gradually became accurate. It has become quite the style of an official army.
After leaving, Ye Yongjia and Du Qing entered the big tent. He couldn't help but admired: "Since Governor Du is so capable, why worry about the new army not being able to handle it well!"
Du Qing was sitting on the stool, frowning, staring at the cowhide map on the table, and replied: "The quality of this new army is still uneven. I don't know how much effort it took to force these people to Do it by force."
"How is the recent war?" Cai Xianqing also looked closely at the map and saw that the corners were burnt.
"Due to the plague that broke out in the Lu Court recently, many cattle, sheep, and horses died. It has been quiet during this period, and no war has broken out."
"Then the combat effectiveness of these new armies will be difficult to test."
"Why check?" Du Qing shook his head, "What matters now is the weapons! In the past few months, there have been endless problems with explosive chambers. The soldiers are using old guns and cannons. How can they defend themselves against the enemy?"
"This is exactly what we are worried about." Ye Yongjia also sighed.
"What did the court say?" Although Du Qing was angry, his expression was normal and he was not angry.
"There has been a bit of quarrel. It mainly revolves around the expenditure of the Ministry of Household Affairs, which has been undecided for a long time. Now the court does not have any spare blunderbuss, so it can only make a way. But only Fuguang is good at iron, regardless of land transportation. Whether it is shipping by sea, the household department will have to bear high costs, which is why we are worried."
Du Qing felt the same way: "Yes, I tried to make cannons here before, but the craftsmen complained that the iron was too brittle and difficult to cast. If the Ministry of Household Affairs refuses to provide money now, the fall of Suidi will only be around the corner." . These civil servants do not know the situation at the border and only care about guarding their own one-third of an acre of land. When all the barriers are lost and the country is in danger of subjugation, they will have nothing to say!"
Ye Yongjia sighed sadly, but Cai Xianqing kept looking at the map silently and never cared about the discussion between the two.
"Mr. Cai...do you have an idea?" Ye Yongjia asked.
"I do have an idea," Cai Xianqing said, "It can only be a temporary relief, but it cannot be implemented for a long time. I just don't know whether it will be successful or not."
"Speaking!"
He pointed to the boundary of Yongping Mansion: "When I was in the capital, I often heard that Western merchant ships came to the seaside to do business. I expected that they had arrived in the capital, and they must have been along the coast to the north. There are many ports in Yongping, so there must be foreign merchants. Gathering together. I heard that Westerners often sell weapons in Southeast Asia, so it is better to buy them from multiple sources. Not only will it not take the effort to cast them, but it will also avoid shipping costs."
Du Qing stomped his feet excitedly and said with great joy: "It's wonderful! If Ye Shangshu tells the Ministry of Household Affairs, it will be done?"
Ye Yongjia was immediately complacent, but his actions remained calm. He looked at Cai Xianqing and said, "I didn't expect that Lord Cai would come up with such a plan just after I came to Suidi! It saves trouble and money, so why do you think it won't last long?"
Cai Xianqing clicked his tongue: "Guns are expensive to make. We can get hundreds of guns from Western merchants in a short period of time, but I have a big appetite and after a few days of struggling, I bought out all their stocks. People If the artillery factory is located in a foreign country, it must take care of local business first, and we will have to wait for several months or even more than a year before it is distributed to us. If we want to increase prices to attract them, the Ministry of Revenue will be reluctant."
"The main thing is to solve the border troubles first so that this new army can fight well," Ye Yongjia said. "Think about the immediate matters first. I will write a letter to the Ministry of Household Affairs to see how Zeng Liang reacts."
Ye Yongjia returned to the barracks and immediately wrote a eloquent letter, wrapped in kraft paper, and asked Du Qing to arrange for a primary school to deliver it quickly.
Since the capital was not far from Suidi, Hubu's reply arrived quickly. Ye Yongjia put the letter away, looked at the smile on the principal's face, and asked, "What did Zeng Xiangzhi say to you?"
The principal stood up and replied: "Your Excellency, Mr. Zeng treated me well. He kept me for a meal and asked me to send the letter back!"
"How does he look?" Ye Yongjia wanted to ask him thoroughly.
"The face is rosy and the breath is okay."
Ye Yongjia laughed out loud and quickly ordered: "I'm not asking you this. Just take a good rest!"
"Thank you, sir!" the principal left in response.
Ye Yongjia opened the letter very confidently, and when he revealed the top of the letter, he became even more convinced when he saw the words "Zeng Liang returned to the minister". Unexpectedly, once he opened it, his expression suddenly changed.
