On August 11, the day after Beihai Town promulgated its first local regulations, Qianlong ordered the royal ministers in Beijing to submit their own reports, asking for practical methods on how to conquer Beihai Town.
After Sun Shiyi's apology document arrived in Beijing in early August, the government and the public were shocked. The Qing court did not expect that the Pearl River Estuary patrol system, which was originally regarded as impregnable, would be so unfit, and that the officers and soldiers of the Guangdong Navy would be so cowardly and incompetent! Although Sun Shiyi's approach was a bit cautious, this military operation also revealed the details of the large iron ship. There is no way a ship can be defeated by just relying on a few sterns to tow the wind.
In the eyes of Qianlong and a group of military ministers, whether Zhao Xin bombarded the British warehouse in Yanzi Bay or bombarded the Portuguese fort in Macau, it had nothing to do with him. It’s different, it belongs to Kou Bian.
The ministers in Beijing had a surprisingly unanimous view on this matter, that is, if Zhao Ni continues to toss like this, if he goes to the north today and goes to the south tomorrow, there will be big trouble sooner or later.
The old and strong Qianlong was determined to completely solve Zhao Xin's problem before he ascended the throne sixty years ago. So after the Mid-Autumn Festival, a series of edicts were issued one after another, which overwhelmed the officials.
The Beijing camp was expanded, with the quota increased from 10,000 to 20,000. Previously, there were 4,000 horsemen, 3,000 combat soldiers, and 3,000 garrison troops from outside the nine gates of the capital to within the boundaries of Zhili Prefecture, a total of 10,000 people. After the increase, the number increased to 6,000 horse soldiers and 10,000 combat troops. There are four thousand guards.
The old warships were scrapped and Tongan ships were built; through the Lifan Yuan, commissioners were sent to order five British three-masted sailing ships from Siam, each equipped with 64 new smoothbore guns.
Fukang'an, who had previously been dismissed from all his actual posts and retained only the title of Marquis Jiayong, was appointed as the Minister of Internal Affairs after a period of retreat. He was sent as an imperial envoy to Shandong, Henan, Jiangnan, and other provinces to inspect the Manchu soldiers and soldiers stationed in various places. Green camp, inspect the money, food, armor and equipment of soldiers and horses in various places, and carry out rectification.
Agui, who was managing river engineering in Henan, was transferred to the northwest to replace Qinggui as acting governor of Shaanxi and Gansu.
Qinggui, the acting governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, was appointed as the co-organizer of the bachelor's degree. At the same time, he was awarded the seal of the minister of economic and strategic affairs to manage the military affairs of Jilin and Heilongjiang. In Qianlong's first tip, Qinggui requested the establishment of large camps in Hunchun and Ningguta to stabilize the situation first and ensure that Zhao Xin's plans to move westward and southward were blocked. After 100,000 troops were stationed, the armies in the two places continued to fight steadily, forming a camp step by step.
Qianlong also understood at this time that the firearms equipped by Zhao Xin were really overbearing, and it would be impossible to encircle and suppress them with 10,000 or 20,000 soldiers. Without the scale of 100,000 soldiers, it would be difficult to annihilate them. The only solution for now is to implement containment.
After the First World War in Fuldan City, more than half of the Eight Banners' artillery, shotguns and other ordnance were lost. Even if they were fully built, it would take a year or two. According to Fukang'an's statement in his confession, except for the Yonggu general cannon, the range of other small cannons is difficult to cause harm to Zhao Ni. And even if Beijing, Jilin and other places were fully engaged in building cannons at this time, hundreds of general cannons would still take several years to prepare.
Among the series of decrees, the most incredible one was the order for the Ministry of Internal Affairs to conduct a draft. Qianlong, who was in his seventies, also wanted to hold a draft, and it was done with great fanfare, which made the officials stunned. Qingliu, headed by Dong Gao and Qian Feng, wrote to dissuade him, but was severely reprimanded by Qianlong.
Only He Shen saw Qianlong's intention at the beginning, and he was happy to see the Qing Dynasty slumped. The real purpose of Qianlong's selection was to tell the world that he has not aged!
However, although He Shen looked at the joke coldly, he was also in a lot of troubles. Whether it is increasing troops, expanding Hunchun City, allocating ordnance and food, building artillery or even drafting, money is needed behind it. Qianlong's arrangement required at least eight million taels of silver in the early stage, which made He Shen worried. So when Qinggui returned to Beijing to ask for military expenses from Heshen, Heshen had to advance 500,000 taels to him from the Chongwenmen Customs and said that the rest of the military expenses would be allocated gradually.
Qinggui saw that this little money was not enough, so he came to Heshen to complain and tried to get hundreds of thousands more taels.
"Brother Zhizhai, you have been to Hunchun. There is no decent city wall there at all. The seeds and farm tools used to build the city, military camps, and farmland, these five hundred thousand taels invested are like wasting money."
He Shen stroked his forehead and sighed helplessly: "Brother Shuzhai, it's difficult to handle! The master has far-reaching plans, and we slaves should try our best to understand and implement them. But now money is needed everywhere, where can I get money? ! Let’s not talk about comparisons. Millions of taels of silver have been invested in Henan’s disaster situation, river engineering, and water transportation, and you can’t even see a drop of water. I’ll tell you the truth today, except for the huge amount of money in the treasury, the Ministry of Finance can’t get out a single penny. Even the master’s daily expenses are maintained by me moving around here.”
Qinggui was shocked and said quickly: "Brother Zhizhai, does the emperor know about these situations?"
He Shen shook his head expressionlessly.
Qinggui sighed: "I have been in Shaanxi and Gansu for more than a year. I only know how difficult it is for me. Who knew that Zhizhai is a thousand times more difficult! But to tell the truth, only you can bear this mountain-like burden." !”
These words surprised He Shen and were also very helpful. Everyone in the court knew that Qinggui was an extremely cautious, almost pedantic, honest man; he usually didn't say what he should say, let alone what he shouldn't say. But the current military budget is not enough, and Qinggui is forced to have no choice.
He Shen smiled and cupped his hands at Qing Gui and said, "He is ashamed of what Mr. Shu Zhai said. Let's do this. Give me a few more days and I will think of a solution."
"Then I'll look forward to good news."
Two days later in the evening, the Zhimizhai Restaurant located on the east side of Meishi Street Road outside Qianmen was booked. When it got dark, three sedans arrived one after another as promised. Among the three people who came, in addition to the Lianghuai Salt Administration, there was also a committee member in charge of Yunnan copper export and a committee member in charge of copper mines in Chizhou. They were all fifth-grade officials who had returned to Beijing to report on their work.
He Shen is now in power, and when he posts to invite people to dinner, no one dares not to come. After he entered the private room on the second floor and sat down, and the food and wine were served, He Shen said: "I am too busy during the Mid-Autumn Festival and can't spare any time. I am hosting a certain person today, so I invite you all to gather here. With our friendship, there is no need to stick to etiquette. Just feel free to do it.”
"Okay, okay!" The three people present nodded in approval.
Having said that, Heshen is now a very popular minister, a person who is busy every day and hits the back of the head with his heels. He was hosting a banquet for the guests. How could the three of them dare to act casually? Lianghuai Yanzheng Quande said: "I am not a formal person, but the first glass of wine must be toasted to the middle hall first. Everyone knows that the three of me and I will do the right thing." They are all fat and oily jobs, but this is also the job that makes others jealous the most. Everyone stares at me like a black-eyed chicken without knowing what is going on. It is all thanks to Mr. Zhongtang’s protection over the years, otherwise we would have been there long ago. It just disappeared into ashes.”
He Shen stared at Quan De and said with a smile: "I don't agree with what you said, brother. It's true that the three of you are fat and oily, but if you are all fasting and chanting Buddha, you won't touch the oil at all, even if No matter how jealous others are, how can they help you wait?"
Quande and the other three were stunned for a moment, then forced a smile on their faces and said, "What Zhongtang said is so thorough, so thorough!"
He Shen continued: "But then again, if you really do something inappropriate and are caught, let alone me, even the King of Heaven will not be able to protect you. Isn't that right, everyone? "
When the three of them heard this, their hearts suddenly trembled. They knew that today's topic was coming, and they nodded in agreement.
He Shen chuckled, picked up the wine glass and said: "Come on, let's all have a drink first. I'm always being lectured by the emperor and his elders on weekdays, but now my words are unknowingly laced with such a flavor. Don't forget to think about it, I'll do it first as a token of respect. !”
The three people from Quande said hurriedly: "Anyway, Master Zhongtang's lesson is also for my own good. It is us who should respect Zhongtang."
Liu Quan, who was waiting on the side with a droopy face, was holding a wine flask and filling it up for each of the four of them. He Shen glanced at it and reprimanded: "It's rare to be happy today. Who are you showing your bitter face to?"
Liu Quan finished pouring the wine, hugged the wine bottle and said, "My mind is full of money right now, and I'm worried about you!"
He Shen said: "It's your slave's turn to worry about national affairs. Stop mentioning such disappointing words!"
Liu Quandao: "That's so much money! I'm so worried that I can't sleep well every day. How can I, a slave, not worry about it?"
He Shen's expression changed when he heard this, he put down his wine glass and sighed: "You little slave, you ruined my taste!"
The three people present were all smarter than monkeys. They all knew what the performance of He Shen and his servant meant. After a quick glance at each other, Quande first smiled and said: "You don't have to be like this in the middle hall. You usually treat me so kindly and kindly, but now that there are difficulties, we can't just stand by and watch. Although the court is very stuck on the Salt and Tongzheng affairs, It’s tight, but even if we dig out the corners of the corners, we will surely be able to find some silver taels. Zhongtang, can you give us a few?”
"Okay!" He Shen smiled, raised his hand and slapped him.
"Hmm." Quande frowned and asked tentatively: "Five hundred thousand?" He hesitated for a moment, nodded with difficulty and said: "Okay, the salt administration will provide two hundred thousand."
The other two people also said quickly: "Both of our two places have 150,000 yuan from the Tongzheng government."
But after the three of them finished speaking, they saw that Heshen's palm was still stretched out. Quan De said: "Zhongtang, do you want to...?"
Liu Quan on the side sneered: "Five million!"
"Ah!" The three of them were stunned upon hearing this.
Quande begged with a mournful face: "Five million! Zhongtang, even if you put together the money collected by the twenty-seven salt channels in the world, you still can't get so much money! If the court wants to audit the accounts, how will you handle your humble duties!" "
Tongling's committee members also said anxiously: "Tongling has a salary of 150,000 yuan, and Beizhi is already going to sell it. If it comes again, Beizhi will have to go to the streets to beg for food!"
The Yunnan Copper Committee member also said hurriedly: "Yes! The last time there was trouble in the copper mine, all the money I had saved was lost! You know this matter..."
He Shen's expression gradually turned cold as he watched the three people opposite him perform to their fullest. But as the three of them talked, their voices became lower and lower.
"Say, keep talking. Why don't you say anything when you pretend to be poor and complain?" He Shen sneered and continued: "I really can't tell, Qiao Moqiao is pretty capable of acting, and they can't compete with Shuangqing. Wei Changsheng of the Ministry is here!"
With a sound of "Pa!", He Shen jumped up and startled the three of them.
"Who do you three think you are?! Huh? How dare you fool me!"
He Shen raised his hand and pointed at Quan De: "You! The official sells private salt, and both ends collect the money. In the past two years, he has collected at least three million taels, right? Don't think that I can't deal with you if you don't keep accounts! On July 19th, Where did the private money that was confiscated in Suzhou go? Was it you Quande who told you to split half of it when we met? This amount alone is two hundred thousand taels of silver! Do you really think this was done flawlessly?
On the 22nd of last month, you drank wine and slept with a bitch named Ainu in Suzhou. You spent one thousand, six hundred and forty taels of silver in one night. So rich! Brother Quan, why are you pretending to be a vegetarian with me? "
Quande broke out in a cold sweat, thinking that whether it was a private affair or a slave, he thought he was doing it very secretly. How could He Shen know about this kind of thing?
He Shen said that he was completely moral and glared at another committee member: "And you two are a piece of cake! They jointly smuggled the imperial copper mine and regarded the imperial copper mine as their own vegetable garden. They plucked the radishes and sold them out! Two of them! What happened to the 55,000 kilograms of Yunnan copper that sank a month ago? Do you want me to continue talking about it? It’s so unscrupulous, you bastard adds three kilograms!"
He took a sip of the tea handed to him by Liu Quan and said in a deep voice: "Now I ask the three of you to spit out five million taels. It's really an advantage for you! On weekdays, I always think that we all serve in the same court, and we always have to take care of each other's face. , that’s why we didn’t tear things apart.”
He Shen slammed the table again, and Quan De and the other three trembled in fright. "But today, you three are so shameless! Let's just make a fuss today!"
The three people in Quande knelt on the ground with a bang, and begged in a cold sweat: "Zhongtang, please don't get angry, don't be angry, don't act like a kid. You are a wise man, and what you say is the truth. Even a low-ranking official cannot be ignored. However, whether it is the salt administration or the copper administration, it is an old and confusing account! Zhongtang, you can't count the predecessor's shortcomings as small..."
Quan De saw He Shen's face getting colder and colder. He gritted his teeth and said, "Do you think it's okay? We've paid for it! However, we can't even make it out even if we sell off our property." No, you want to make an IOU? Our Lianghuai Salt Administration will pay 2.5 million, and they will each pay 1.25 million, do you think?"
He Shen then changed his expression and said with a smile: "Sure, no matter what you do! As long as I can raise the money the emperor wants, let alone borrow it, I will do anything including murder and arson!"
He turned to Liu Quan and said, "Quan'er, write them an IOU!"
After Liu Quan finished writing the IOU, He Shen took it, folded it and put it in his sleeve with a smile. He was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue himself, and the court borrowed money from the Lianghuai Salt Administration and the Copper Administration Department. For Heshen, it was just a matter of left hand and right hand.
The three people in Quande were so manipulated by He Shen that their calves were twisted. They were kneeling on the ground with extremely ugly expressions on their faces.
He Shen laughed, stepped forward and helped the three of them up respectively, and said: "Why do you three have to do this? Come and have a drink. Friends are together for happiness. This is the court borrowing money from you, what's so scary about it? of."
The three people in Quande forced their smiles, which were uglier than crying. They raised their wine glasses and toasted Heshen, and then drank them all in one gulp.
Two days later, Qinggui received three million taels of military expenses from Heshen, and couldn't help but feel deeply. He didn't expect that He Shen could actually make money.
Seeing Qing Gui's hesitant expression, He Shen did not hesitate to speak. He said, "Brother Shu Zhai, I am fully aware of Zhao Ni's cunning. You must be more careful this time when you go north. If you don't have enough money, just ask for it." I!"
Qing Gui felt sore in his chest. He didn't expect that the person who supported him the most was He Shen, who repeatedly bowed his hands in greeting.
A few days later, after Qinggui went north, Liu Quan took 200,000 taels of silver notes and went south. His trip was to go to Flower and Bird Island to order another batch of pearls, large pieces of plate glass and pocket watches from Zhao Xin and the others. It is said that the batch of 20,000 taels of silver that Ma Bashi brought back last time caused a sensation in Jiangnan and the capital, and the supply exceeded demand. These products from the so-called "Ainu Country" have become hot commodities that the princes and ministers in Beijing and wealthy people from all over the country are flocking to.
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