After Wang Pu was killed, even Datong had a sales outlet of "Jingshi Daily". Although there were only a thousand copies a day, and they were still the earliest issues, according to the reports of the delivery personnel who came back, these newspapers were almost everywhere. It was all gone in an instant.
Due to shipping costs, the retail price of each copy was as high as 100 yuan, but the number of customers was much higher than the number of newspapers. Some people even wanted to buy dozens of copies. In the end, a thousand newspapers were sold. A total of 785 taels of silver were sold.
Curator Gong Yonggu was speechless after hearing the news. It was like printing treasure banknotes, but the newspaper was much more valuable than the treasure banknotes back then. In some distant areas, it was equivalent to real money.
Now there are newspaper distribution points as far as Shanhaiguan in the east, Xuanfu in the north, Datong in the west, and Zhending in the south. Quotas are usually allocated based on the distance of the road. The closer the place is to the capital, the more quotas are allocated.
Shanhaiguan is a special case. Regardless of wind, rain or snow, you can get at least a thousand newspapers every day. Although the content is from three days ago, it can also relieve the boredom of Lao Wangtou and his generals who have just arrived.
Lao Wangtou's requirements for taking up the post were not high. In addition to the already settled salary, he only asked for a ramen chef from a certain prince. While satisfying his own taste, he could also win over the surrounding generals with such delicacies.
Seeing that the old man was old and might not be able to eat well for a few more years, Yaoji rewarded him with a team of royal chefs. Including many cooks who have learned ramen, rice bowl, barbecue, hot pot and new dishes, a total of ten people.
If ten cooks can allow Lao Wangtou to defend the Shanhaiguan Pass with peace of mind, it will be considered a great value. If Lao Wangtou can lead the soldiers to eat well and guard the pass, and prevent Braid from easily breaking through, then it will be a thank you. .
There is no need for him to worry about Jifu. Liu Guangzuo's tribe has 6,000 troops. After a bloody battle, Gaojie's tribe suffered some losses, but it was still close to 5,000. The strength of the Tiger Division is comparable to that of the Tiger Division.
The strongest one is Huang Degong's Yongwei Battalion, which has about 20,000 soldiers, mostly veterans. Zhou Yuji, who has been recruiting troops, already has 10,000 soldiers under his command.
Including the more than 10,000 border troops, the total strength is almost more than 50,000. When the Yongwei Battalion and the East Palace Guards are expanded, the number of troops that a certain prince can mobilize will exceed 70,000.
If Braid invades the border again in large numbers, a certain prince will order all the Ming troops in the surrounding areas to shrink to the capital area for defense. The field battle will definitely not be won, but self-protection should not be a big problem.
The six brigades of Shaanxi troops that will be recruited and reorganized in the Yulin area will be transferred after autumn. The addition of 30,000 new troops will greatly improve the defense capabilities of the capital.
As long as there are 100,000 troops in hand, no matter how poor their combat effectiveness is, they will still be a big group when they are huddled up. If Huang Taiji wants to annihilate them in one fell swoop, he has to think carefully beforehand.
It is unrealistic to expect these douzha-based troops to harden the "Qing Wang Division" unless Lao Hongtou can win a complete victory in the south.
Not to mention annihilating them all, Zhang Xianzhong's men must be severely damaged. Otherwise, it would be impossible to lead part of the main force back to the capital before the end of the year.
After repeated thinking, Yaoji believed that only with a strength of 200,000 troops could he eat part of it, such as half a flag, or about three or four thousand pigtails.
"Eat" refers to complete annihilation. If you beat someone away, it's just driving them away, which is no different from using a stick to drive away a mad dog.
This calculation is a bit sad, but the actual situation is like this. Only by concentrating the absolute superior force and using 70 to 80 thousand people to attack one banner can the Ming army be sure to win.
If there is only a strength advantage of two or three times, the final result may only be a loss for both sides. After all, the strength of the braided field troops lies there.
Taking into account the opponent's mobility, the Ming army had to encircle and attack in succession, so that the flag's pigtails would eventually have nowhere to escape, otherwise they would not be able to hold it back at all, let alone end it in one fell swoop.
Each banner has five Jia La, and there will be at least two Jia La's infantry, about 3,000 people. The targets that a certain prince wants to eat are these two-legged prey.
Because when the four-legged players realize that the situation is not good, they will definitely whip their horses and whips and run very fast. The prey that can be caught in the end will definitely be the two-legged infantry.
If you can kill 3,000 pigtails, it will be considered a super victory, and you can brag about it in the "Jingshi Daily" for a whole year.
When was the last time he had a great victory over braids, a certain prince could hardly remember...
If Lao Hongtou cannot complete the task as scheduled, then this seemingly amazing battle plan will directly abort.
Without the premise of military superiority, the Ming army would have to continue to retreat and defend. Once it went to war, it would be beaten to the point of pissing.
In the current situation where all ministries are suffering from great "phobia", a certain prince's combat principle is not to fight an unprepared battle, let alone an uncertain battle.
If you want to fight, you must win. How to win?
It is to form an absolute advantage in strength. If five against one fails, then ten against one, and if it fails, then twenty against one!
As long as you can win, even if it's a hundred against one, it's fine. Anyway, don't mind the small amount of money each person gets after the war.
"Your Highness, the acting king Chitose is here!"
Yang Jinchao sent people to see off a group of ordinary generals, and then invited the long-awaited acting king Zhu Chuanfu into the East Palace.
"Oh! Please!"
Yao Ji only met King Dai at the end, just to clear his mind. When he arrived in the capital, it would no longer be his one-third of an acre.
Previously, he had asked his beautiful biological mother and the chief minister to take him to see the blame-dumping father to let him know that the emperor was not dead yet, so he could be more honest.
"Your Majesty Zhu Chuanfu pays homage to His Highness the Crown Prince!"
Despite Xin Huan's resentment, Zhu Chuanfu still understood basic courtesy, but he only bowed and did not kneel down.
"Without ceremony, come and sit down quickly! I heard that the emperor's uncle was kidnapped by the traitor Wang Pu, and I am finally relieved to see him today!"
What Yao Ji is actually thinking is: It would be great if that bastard Wang Pu killed you. It would save me a lot of trouble.
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your concern. I am truly terrified!"
The little bastard in front of him had his house ransacked. The more he thought about it, the more angry he became.
"No, no, the emperor is so polite. Being able to escape from Wang Pu's hands can be regarded as an escape from the tiger's mouth. This palace is very comforted. Special people have prepared a banquet specifically for the emperor's uncle. Guoyuan, your Majesty Imperial meal.”
No matter how disgusting the guy in front of me is, he is still a cheap relative of his family, and he is still a vassal king who is in charge of one side. Although he has no soldiers and no power, he has plundered other people's wealth. Why should he show off? One meal can be enough. Arrived.
Zhang Guoyuan hurriedly asked the waiters to serve the dishes. There were six dishes in total, including white chopped chicken, boiled fish, braised pork ribs, mapo tofu, ground delicacies, plus persimmon scrambled eggs, three meat and three vegetarian dishes. It was very scientific, reasonable and nutritious.
When no more servants came, Zhu Chuanfu realized that the dishes had been served, and said with some surprise: "Your Highness is so frugal, it really makes me ashamed!"
Don't imagine that each dish is a big plate. That's in a restaurant. In the palace, the royal meal is just a small bowl. How noble the prince is, can he share a plate of saliva with you?
Yaoji didn't mind that this guy took the opportunity to ridicule him, and said bluntly: "Uncle, please don't be dissatisfied. The household budget is tight right now, and there is almost no money left in the house. The empress is saving money. No matter I or the empress, every meal is delicious." No more than four dishes.”
What a certain prince said was true, and he did not add any exaggeration. The Ministry of Revenue had even calculated the approximate use of Shanxi merchants' money before it was put into the treasury for counting. Even if the annual income was more than 25 million taels, it would probably be spent by the end of the year. Not even a feather is left.
There is not much silver in the internal funds, only more than 100,000 taels. Donggong's money is another matter and cannot be confused. Otherwise, when the extravagant spender wakes up, won't he be embezzling it by default?
As for the seemingly diligent and frugal emperor, he would feel uncomfortable if he didn't eat ten dishes in a meal, and the eunuchs would cheat him out of most of the money in the meal.
Zhu Chuanzhen didn't know whether it was true or false, and he didn't have time to tell the difference. Hearing this, he hurriedly handed over his hands and apologized: "I see, I am really ashamed of myself. I hope your highness will show your kindness."
As the supreme leader of Datong City, Zhu Chuanxi started every meal with twenty dishes. A meal like today was simply an insult to him. If it hadn't been for the prince's banquet, he would have left long ago.
Yaoji waved his hand generously and said with a smile: "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. I think that if I can save one tael of silver for each royal meal, I can pay hundreds more soldiers in a year. You don't have to do this, uncle. Traveling all the way, I’m sure I’ll eat and sleep in the open, so I’ll try my best to eat as much as possible!”
Anyway, your home has been confiscated, and I don’t want to care about you even if you eat camels, hippos, and whales.
Zhu Chuanhui agreed with the young prince's point of view, and he wanted to express it in time to win the prince's favor: "Your Highness is so wise, we will definitely have hope for the revival of the Ming Dynasty. It is actually the hope of the country and the blessing of Wanmin!"
Once the little prince is fully convinced by his compliments and then tells what he wants to do, he will get twice the result with half the effort.
I still had to say polite nonsense, Yao Ji responded kindly: "The emperor's words are serious, I can only do my best. The current situation is chaotic, the situation is changing, and the border is in a hurry, but there are still people who are arrogant behind the scenes. , disregarding the country, these scum really make me angry. Therefore, at the beginning of supervising the country, I punished a large number of nobles and traitors, especially those bastards who appeared to be poor, but in fact spent money like water. This will The property was confiscated and confiscated so that the imperial court could support the army and provide relief to the victims. I must think that the emperor's uncle also understood this deeply, and then he hated evil as much as he hated it, right?"
Do you think imperial meals are so easy to eat?
The more dishes served, the bigger the deal.
An imperial meal with only a bowl of noodles means nothing happens.
Now that there are six dishes on the table, do you think I will offer you a glass of wine?
Zhu Chuanzhen was not a fool. Of course he knew that this was the young prince criticizing Huaiwei, so he could only echo with frustration: "Yes! Yes! His Highness is young and promising, and he has great insight. I also feel the same way. If these disasters are eliminated, our Ming Dynasty will be completely new!" "
There are three main things to do when entering the palace this time. First, we need to see what the emperor's situation is. Qiu Zhizhong only gave a general introduction, and Zhu Chuanfu was not clear yet.
Secondly, all the family property confiscated by the factory guards must be returned no matter what. If even Huangkou Xiaoer cannot be persuaded, then his generation will be nothing more than a puppet.
Third, when Wang Pu was defeated and fled, several concubines were trampled to death by the pursuing horses. The situation was extremely tragic, which made Zhu Chuanhuang heartbroken and the murderers must be brought to justice.
The first thing has been done, but as for the second thing, it seems to be quite tricky at the moment. Although the prince is young, what he said is the content of an adult.
In particular, the prince took the lead and used examples of nobles and traitors to beat himself, which made Zhu Chuanfu very passive. Even if he opened his mouth, he had to think clearly before speaking.
Yao Ji nodded and said sincerely: "Since the emperor's uncle is so enlightened, I can rest assured. There are many vassal kings in various places, and the annual demand for money, food and property is equivalent to tens of millions of taels of silver, but the imperial court is no longer able to support it. I So he decided to cut down the vassals nationwide. From now on, there will be no vassal kings or vassal states in the Ming Dynasty. This will save the court a worry and reduce the burden on the Ministry of Household Affairs. Now that the emperor's uncle has come to the capital, there is no need to Now that you have returned to Datong, you will definitely support my decision, right?"
Are you teasing me?
Are you kidding!
These days, whoever has the strength has the right to speak!
Now that I have money, power, and soldiers, who dares not to listen?
Even if you are the emperor's uncle, you can only surrender to him, otherwise your whole family will be kept in captivity!
Zhu Chuanfan was extremely shocked. His eyes widened and he sat blankly for a long time before he carefully considered his words to respond: "Your Highness, the appointment of vassal kings and the succession of heirs all follow the ancestral system, and the elimination of vassals is related to the foundation of the country. It’s definitely not a child’s play, if it spreads, it will definitely shock the government and the public.”
Cutting off vassalage?
How can this be done?
Isn't that too whimsical?
There are more than twenty vassal kings in the whole country, and they were cut off just because of the prince's words?
You can't take a stand on this kind of thing, let alone take the lead, otherwise all the vassal kings across the country will hate you. It's better to let the officials in the court stand in front and cast stones for you.
Besides, if he agrees, he will no longer be the feudal king, and he will no longer have a title in the future. I am afraid that his salary and remuneration will no longer be discussed. The whole family will have no support, and they will definitely not agree with this policy.
Yaoji grinned and said with a chuckle: "Your Majesty's uncle is too worried. Both the cabinet and the imperial court have agreed to the policy of reducing the vassalage proposed by me. How can the government and the public disagree with such a policy that benefits the country and the people? There is no need for the emperor's uncle to do anything. Worrying about the future, after the vassal reduction, all vassal kings have two choices. First, if the vassal king stays in Beijing, he can receive 10,000 taels of silver and 5,000 shi rice per year. Second, if the vassal king goes abroad, I will allocate 50,000 taels in one go. With silver and 20,000 stone meters, you can choose a piece of territory to establish a new vassal state. You can establish a regency and recruit your own troops."
Do you want to stay in your own vassal state?
With factory guards around, this trick is basically impossible to succeed.
Either live in the capital and live out your old age, or take your family and go abroad to start your own business.
How can you guys, who sit in a well and watch the sky, play such a high-end gambling game better than me?
Zhu Chuanfan once again fell into a state of chaos. The vassal king spent a lot of money every year. He was a person involved and naturally knew it very well.
As long as the prince proposed to reduce the vassal status, the imperial court, which had already unlimitedly estimated the expenses of the clan, was too late to be happy, so how could it stop him?
Even if the vassal kings in various places firmly opposed the reduction of the vassal, except for the hundreds of servants in the royal palace, there was no private armed force at all, and they were unable to resist the official troops sent by the court.
Even if tens of thousands of people are temporarily recruited, they are still a mob. They have little chance of winning against the officers and soldiers who have been fighting all year round. They will be uprooted if they cannot even achieve the goal of separatist feudal towns.
As for the two options presented by the little prince, the former is not attractive at all. The key lies in the latter, which is to be able to establish a regent and recruit soldiers by himself.
This is a great benefit for every vassal king. Even if he has no friends overseas, as long as he has troops in his hands, he will have a foothold. Go to Baidu to read the latest chapters of "The Literature of the Black Prince of the Late Ming Dynasty" for free as soon as possible.
