The method given by Zhu Cixi... can only slightly alleviate the problem of food shortage, but it still cannot cure the root cause!
Now the food supply gap in the southeast is huge. In previous years, the amount of rice shipped from Huguang to the southeast was about 20 million shi. However, the Huguang war that started last year delayed the transportation of grain. Although the war is basically over now, food trade cannot resume immediately.
Even if Zhu Cihong was willing to give a deposit and let the two banks lend money, it would be impossible for 20 million shi of white rice to be shipped to the southeast so quickly.
There are no trains or cars these days, so transporting things would be troublesome! Where can it be so easy to transport food from the countryside to Wuchang?
Zhu Cixiang let out a heavy breath: "There will always be a way... Go back to Nanjing first, and you must calm the situation! As long as there is no chaos in the southeast, there will always be a way!"
"Yes! As long as the prince returns to the court, there is nothing to fear!" Li Yan nodded, "Returning to the court can always boost people's hearts. Moreover, Li Zicheng was killed by us again. This is the greatest victory since the suppression of thieves. ah!"
Zhu Cixiang also nodded, "My father will be very happy when he hears this news. He can finally retire in peace!"
Qiu Yu, the governor of Hubei Province, frowned tightly. He didn't think that Zhu Cixi could produce grain. In the end, the gentry of Huguang would probably suffer in this matter!
Because Zhu Cixiang regarded the "Northerners" as his military support and the "Southeast" as his main financial source.
A knife handle and a money bag are both indispensable.
But Huguang is enough, and the world is full...it seems that it can only be a rice warehouse.
In fact, it’s nothing to be a rice warehouse. I’ve been doing it for so many years. The question now is, can Huguang return to its pre-war state? Can you still pay more than two million shi in grain tax a year?
Qiu Yu, who was settled in Xiangyang Prefecture, and his fellow countryman Fang Yuegong looked at each other. Qiu Yu said: "Your Highness, the rogue bandits are about to enter Sichuan and join forces with the Xian bandits. The good situation in Sichuan is hard-won, but we can't Just gave up.”
Fang Yuegong said: "Yes! Your Highness, Sichuan is a land of abundance. If there are thieves, there will be no peace in Huguang."
Zhu Cixiang nodded repeatedly, "Naturally, naturally, without Sichuan, Huguang will be in trouble... If Sichuan is controlled by rogue bandits, then the world will be divided into three parts!"
"Yes, yes!" He Tengjiao said, "It will not be easy to unify the three points! Then the rogue bandits and Donglu will probably collude to deal with us!"
Zhu Cixiang's face suddenly darkened: "But Sichuan's dishes are not easy to pick up..."
There is no plate in Sichuan that can’t be taken without 10 million! There is no live money of ten million taels in the books of the Ming Dynasty - there is ten million silver, but the live money that has not been included in the expenditure budget is only more than five million, and most of it has been transferred to the two banks. Came to Wuhan. Even if all the money is shipped to Sichuan, it is impossible to take over!
Moreover, Zhu Cixiang cannot do this. If he does this, it will be impossible for the two banks to establish credit in Huguang.
Zhu Cixiang secretly held one-quarter and one-third of the shares of Salt Commercial Bank and Maritime Commercial Bank respectively... and Zhu Cihong was also the actual controller of these two major banks. Therefore, the credibility of the two major banks means that Zhu Cixiang is money!
In addition, even if Zhu Cihong found 10 million from other places, he would not be able to quickly win the battle of Sichuan with this small amount of money, wipe out the two major groups of bandits, the intruders and the thieves, and then easily get 100,000 in Sichuan. of demons and monsters.
Zhu Cixiang was not so naive as to think that he could defeat the intruders with two model divisions and offer at least 200,000 troops to the thieves... His new army to overcome difficulties did not have such strong combat effectiveness! Moreover, the officers of the new army also need time to hone, before some of them stand out and grow into handsome men who can take charge of their own affairs and pacify one side.
Before that, Prince Zhu must personally take action to calm the situation! And it was impossible for him to go to Sichuan to command operations.
Therefore, adequate preparations must be made for the battle into Sichuan. Not only must we continue to expand the strength of the new army militarily, but we must also prepare ourselves economically.
The rectification of the southeast is only half done. If all is completed, the imperial court can get at least 30 million stone meters and 20 million taels of silver from the southeast every year. And here in Huguang, there is no thirty million stones, how can Prince Zhu give up? Two hundred million acres of farmland, and more than two million are sent to beggar...
In addition, there is Fujian and Guangxi...the richest man in the Ming Dynasty came from that area! Why don't you do a good search?
When Southeast, Huguang, Fujian, and Guangdong and Guangxi are all settled, can Sichuan still run?
Moreover, Zhu Cixi could not promise that Sichuan people would only give 1.08 million shi of white rice a year... Who would believe that Sichuan Province does not have 50 to 60 million acres? The land of abundance only has more than 10 million acres? Where is the conscience?
However, Zhu Cixiang can't just ignore Sichuan now... He can't pick up Sichuan's plate, but the project must be started!
...
Zhu Cixiang met Grandma Qin Liangyu again. Before he left Wuhan, he had to fully communicate with her about the Sichuan issue.
"Mrs. Ma," Zhu Cixiang said to Qin Liangyu, "something happened in Nanjing, and you must also know about it."
Qin Liangyu sat on a chair, leaning on a walking stick in his hand, squinting his eyes, looking at Zhu Cixiang, and said thoughtfully: "I have heard about it... I wonder when the prince can return to Wuhan again? "
"It will take a month or two." Zhu Cixiang sighed, "The war in Huguang is not over yet, and the situation in Sichuan has not been set yet."
"What situation is Sichuan in?" Qin Liangyu asked.
"How is the situation in the vassal town?" Zhu Cixiang asked, "Just like Shandong... Zeng Ying, Yang Zhan, and Qin Yiming are all talented people!"
"But they may not be willing to be military governors!" Qin Liangyu was a little disappointed.
Jiedushi was not what the heroes in central Sichuan wanted. What they wanted was for the imperial court to quickly spend money, troops and equipment to clear up the mess in Sichuan.
As for separatist regimes, they have already separatized regimes anyway. What difference does it make if they have the title of Jiedushi or not?
Zhu Cixiang smiled: "Then I'll bother the old lady to persuade them to save their lives for the imperial court... I will never treat the meritorious officials badly. In the future, when the imperial court is free, all of them will not lose the dignity of the duke." position. Moreover, there will definitely be territory in Sichuan that they can guard forever!"
"But the armies in central Sichuan are now short of pay and weapons, and it is difficult to maintain the situation." Qin Liangyu said, "The imperial court must provide some support, right?"
"That's for sure!" Zhu Cixiang nodded repeatedly, "But the imperial court doesn't understand the situation in Sichuan yet and doesn't know how much it should give. I want to recall Ma Shiying after a while, ask him about the situation, and then decide how to establish the Sichuan vassal town. And the monthly salary subsidy for each town. What does the old lady think?"
Qin Liangyu knew that Zhu Cihong was stalling. She had been dealing with the Ming Dynasty bureaucrats all her life, but she still didn't know this?
She doesn't need a cake now, she needs something real!
"But the intruders are about to enter Sichuan!" The old lady said in a serious tone, "The armies in Sichuan are exhausted to deal with a single thief, how can they still have the energy to deal with the intruders at the same time? If the imperial court does not come to help, the situation in Sichuan will definitely be bad. . Once the three-point trend is finalized, it will be very difficult for the imperial court to regain Sichuan."
Zhu Cixiang frowned slightly and pondered for a while: "A batch of gunpowder and gunpowder will be shipped from Nanjing soon. When the time comes, five thousand gunpowder and part of the gunpowder will be sent to Sichuan. How about the old lady distributing it?"
Five thousand Spanish light matchlock guns were shipped from Nanjing. They were all imported goods and were shipped by the Dutch to sell to Prince Zhu. The gun factories in Foshan, Anping, Shanghai and Nanjing are not yet capable of mass-producing Spanish light matchlocks. Matchlocks, but Spanish heavy matchlocks, also known as dove-foot muskets, can be mass-produced.
The Spanish light matchlock guns shipped from Nanjing were used to replace the Japanese muskets in the Huguang Army, and of course they could not be sent to Sichuan. However, Zhu Cixiang would have the eliminated Japanese muskets sent to Sichuan.
This time Qin Liangyu finally showed a smile. She had already studied the New Army's "Firegun and Spear Formation" and found that it matched the white pole weapon of the Shizhu Chieftain Army.
