The main reason why a certain prince was optimistic about Feng Quan was that he had a good temperament, he could play both sides, he could tell people's stories and ghosts, he could bend and stretch, and he was even better as a grandson than Qian Qianyi.
He has a smart mind, good eloquence, is well-read in poetry and books, and can also write and write. We exchange cups and cups, talk loudly, let alone talk about trains with colleagues.
There are many people in the imperial court, and there are not too many moths, but there are only a few people who are both public and private. Feng Quan is one of the few "rare animals".
If you just want to be a European envoy with a wine bag and rice bag, you don't have to choose from the Ministry of Etiquette. You can just go to the teahouse and find a storyteller, who can still talk with gusto.
People who are too strict and self-disciplined cannot do this job. Even if they go to cocktail parties and dances with a serious face, they are just like a piece of wood, which is very detrimental to business development.
The main task of this job is to maintain friendly relations with several major European countries. This strategy is the so-called checks and balances!
Those who practice balanced diplomacy must be flexible and know how to take advantage of the situation and avoid the real and attack the weak. You can also win over and use allies to contain potential enemies in advance, and obtain valuable intelligence through various channels.
So a certain prince thought over and over again, and decided to find a way out of the house, that is, the guy in front of him could reluctantly take up the post. It was just to let him take a fancy to the little fat house, and at most he would spend a little more money every year.
"What His Highness said is absolutely true. I will urge the officials of the Ministry of Rites to learn foreign languages as soon as possible. I must also keep pace with the times and dare not betray the divine grace!"
Feng Quan felt that he would be well-arranged by the Crown Prince for the next twenty years, but he thought it was a huge fat job. Although he was a little far away from his appointment, how could he have a fat job so close?
It should all be a matter of practice and experience. Besides, King Dingzhong is the younger brother of the current crown prince, and the future Ming Dynasty vassal king may be the most important and powerful vassal king.
Serve King Dingzhong well, and as long as the young prince is sincerely convinced, he might be able to serve as a chief assistant in King Dingzhong's kingdom in the future. In this way, the whole family will have a way out.
There are advantages and disadvantages to taking this position. In the end, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, so you can accept it happily. Unless you are ill when King Dingzhi goes abroad to study, there is absolutely no reason to give up such a lucrative job!
"Hmm~! Okay, Aiqing must be considerate. I am only talking to Aiqing about this matter, and the court has not yet heard about it. If the news leaks out and the courtiers know, then such a fat job may not necessarily go to Aiqing. Got it!"
Since he is a second minister, he must squeeze out all his remaining value.
For the next nearly twenty years, Feng Quan had to serve the Zhu family honestly.
By the time we got to Europe, it was impossible to surrender.
Only by being loyal to Ming Dynasty can Feng Quan reflect his own value.
Once you surrender to your new master and lose the aura of a special envoy, you will be nothing.
"Yes, I obey my order. I must keep my mouth shut and never dare to reveal anything to the outside world!"
Feng Quan is not stupid enough to smash his golden rice bowl. It is pure gold. When he takes office, his salary for one year will definitely be able to create a golden rice bowl the size of a washbasin, and maybe it will be more than enough.
"Oh, by the way. I forgot to mention just now that when Aiqing takes up the post of special envoy, all members of the family can accompany you, mainly immediate family members, including collateral relatives, no more than thirty people. The main reason is that this position works thousands of miles away. In addition, once something happens at home, it is impossible to know in time, and it is easier to take care of daily life with family members around."
There is no need to use family members as hostages to hold him captive. One hundred thousand taels of silver have been spent, so this is not a burden.
"Your Highness is so kind, I can't repay you!"
Feng Quan didn't want to ask about relevant matters. After all, it was still seven or eight years later. Being too eager for success could easily make the prince feel disgusted. It would be great to have family members accompanying you.
"The reason for this arrangement is that the current medical level in Europe is slightly inferior to that of the Ming Dynasty, and will be even worse in the future. If Aiqing is not accompanied by a woman, she will inevitably feel lonely over time. I am worried that there will be extraneous matters, causing Aiqing to She is ill, which affects her daily work. Before traveling, if Aiqing intends to take a new concubine, she can take her with her."
There are all kinds of diseases there. If you are not careful, you will be in big trouble if you catch it, and it will also affect the little fat house. Except for high-level people such as kings, princes, lords, etc., it is best for others to have less contact with them.
"Yes! I obey your order! I will keep myself clean and I will never have any other thoughts!"
Feng Quan was just curious about Xiyi, especially Xiyi women, and had no idea of in-depth understanding. In comparison, he still liked the delicate and graceful "thin horse" more.
"This is the second thing. I am afraid that my dear wife will not be able to defeat the Xiyi women and undermine my Ming Dynasty's majesty, haha~!"
Feng Quan is forty-five years old this year. When he leaves home in seven years, he will be fifty-two years old. According to fate, he still has twenty-six years to live, so he is quite capable.
If he doesn't have any serious health problems, it means he is very resistant to troubles. Letting him go to Europe is the most suitable candidate. As for other things, a certain prince hasn't thought that far yet.
"……minister……"
"Okay! My dear, you don't need to take it seriously, it's just a joke. As long as you understand the other person's life background, it's okay to act as a pillow, but you have to keep the secret and not be eavesdropped by the beautiful lady. That is to fall into the trap set by the other party. In the future, I will also teach Aiqing how to identify, how to communicate, how to respond, etc. Foreign exchanges, referred to as 'diplomacy', may not seem to be much different from the daily work of the Ministry of Rites, but it is actually very special. Practitioners should You must have three points, that is, be bold, careful, and thick-skinned. I have all three points, but I still lack the relevant knowledge. Some of them will be taught by me, and some will need to be taught by the factory guard. Don’t be nervous, factory guard. The knowledge I will teach you is how to inquire about information, especially military information, when the other party is not alert. A valuable piece of information is related to the lives of tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of people. I have asked the consul in Japan to This is what Qiu Minyang did. Otherwise, why would we give him 20,000 taels of silver every year to support him? Fortunately, there are many sorcerers coming to our Ming Dynasty. After Ai Qing masters certain knowledge, he can make a clear target. If you get the words out of Teacher Tang's mouth, you will be considered a small success in your love, and you will be able to go to Europe like a fish in water!"
First use the Factory Guard to practice, and then use Lao Tang to upgrade it. When it is almost polished, you can become an apprentice and start playing outside.
"Yes, Chen Ding studies with an open mind and doesn't dare to relax at all!"
After the prince said this, Feng Quan began to feel that taking up this fat job was not as easy as imagined.
"Okay, Aiqing, I just want to inform you in advance today. I will discuss the relevant matters with Aiqing in detail later. Now Aiqing is ready to go out to discuss cooperation with the chiefs of the tribes near the Monan Gold Mine. , this is the top priority. Not only does this palace hope to implement it as soon as possible, but the imperial court also wants it to be implemented as soon as possible. Aiqing must also know that the king's division has achieved a great victory, and the reward that needs to be cashed is as high as seven million taels, plus other aspects. The total amount of support is more than ten million taels. Before Aiqing came, Li Shiwen had already been here. The reason is that Taicang is about to run out. It is not that I can come up with millions of taels of silver every time, and this money is a lot of money. Interest must be paid to depositors. The imperial court is currently under great financial pressure. If the Jinshan Mountain can be mined one day earlier, the financial pressure can be relieved one day earlier. When the Jinshan Mountain can be mined, a large number of disaster victims in Shanxi will also have places to resettle. Behind each disaster victim is As a family, Yan Min has made money, and their family members can naturally have enough food and clothing. Now that the king's army has won and the chieftain has been defeated, the Menggu tribe has not been severely damaged. It is best for Aiqing to go. The timing, whether we can reach an agreement depends on Aiqing’s ability!”
Huang Taiji is gone, but the damage caused by this thing is still there, and it is a huge hole.
How to fill it in depends on whether you can gain anything from this trip.
Since Lin Dan Khan died long ago, the relationship between the Monan Menggu tribes and the Ming Dynasty was also interrupted for a long time.
He suddenly expressed his intention to get back together, but the herder was not sure whether he would agree or not, and a certain prince was not sure.
That's why you have to give a gift and show your sincerity, otherwise the other party won't agree and you won't be able to do anything about it.
The gold mine is located outside the customs. If we rob it openly, there are two questions about whether Xuanda's troops can defeat the ancient capital of Monanmeng.
If we really have to fight, there is no need to rush to know the outcome. The only thing that is certain is that the court will definitely go bankrupt!
The reason for rushing to open a gold mine is that your wallet is about to bottom out. If you have to fight another war, isn't it asking for death?
A battle involving tens of thousands of people would start with a starting price of 500,000 taels.
If there is a tug of war, the upper limit may have to soar to as much as two to three million taels.
How can the Ministry of Household Affairs afford this?
Feng Quan went out to negotiate for the Ministry of Household Affairs, otherwise it would be great to wait for him to come and visit!
"I will bear in mind His Highness's instructions. For the sake of the country and the people, I will go all out and use all my strength in both emotion and reason!"
Feng Quan had never dealt with the Menggu people, and his knowledge of the Menggu people was limited to the merchants in the city who came from outside the customs to sell livestock.
"I haven't returned from chasing the army. I, your Majesty, can read relevant books and files. I give you, my Majesty, the right to make decisions. As long as everything within the stipulated conditions, I, your Majesty, can handle it yourself, and you don't need to ask me for instructions. The stipulated conditions are For those who are not, we will discuss it when we get back. I will ask Yang Wenyue to accompany Aiqing on the mission. If there is anything difficult to decide, we can discuss it first and then make a decision."
The herdsmen were not interested in making money while lying down, a certain prince could not say.
But as long as they are lazy enough and unwilling to continue working for Huang Taiji, there is a chance that this matter can be negotiated.
If you really think that rare things are worth living in and insist on clinging to Jinshan, then don’t blame Ming Dynasty for using the tactic of exterminating households - smallpox shells!
Huang Tai Chicken’s braid army has already tasted it. If you think it tastes good, you can try it, it’s completely free!
The ceiling opens the way and you are invincible!
Ming Dynasty has no interest in the grassland, and neither does the Emperor Taiji.
So where the grazers end up taking refuge depends on which side offers a higher price!
The highest price Huangtaiji could offer was for marriage, robbery, and distribution of houses and fields after taking over the Central Plains.
A certain prince would not give them houses or fields for grazing, but he would give them a lot of money and they could buy whatever they wanted.
As long as they agree to cooperate with the Ming Dynasty, they can even build a magnificent city on the grassland.
Turning all the nobles of Menggu in Monan into extremely lazy pigs is the ultimate goal of a certain prince.
Regarding "these pigs", a certain prince did not intend to fatten them before killing them, as long as they did not interfere with his own affairs.
With the example of Monan Menggu, it would be relatively easy to convince Mobei Menggu.
Because the railway from Beijing to Jinshan should be built first, and then the railway from Jinshan to Mobei should be built.
The ultimate goal is to reach southern Siberia, so that the Ming Dynasty's power can control the area north of Lake Baikal.
Without railways as a channel for transporting soldiers and supplies, it would be impossible to rush to the aid of the Ming army thousands of miles away, and even daily supplies would not be possible.
The first stage of the entire strategy is to convince the indigenous people in the Jinshan area to let them understand that there is no need to fight anymore in the future, and every family can make money while lying down.
Each of their families is a Mumin, and apart from the income from grazing, they have almost no profit.
You can earn dozens of taels of silver every year, and you can use the money to buy affordable Ming products.
The Ming Dynasty was also able to package the cattle and sheep they raised so that their specialties would not have to be sold.
It seems that there is no more favorable condition than this, not even Huang Taiji can achieve it.
A certain prince used the cattle and sheep he got to raise a large-scale dog leg breed, and the products made of cowhide and sheepskin were sold back to the grassland.
This is called the "virtuous circle" of Zheng Er Ba Jing!
One Jinshan can house at least 100,000 miners. If two Jinshan are mined at the same time, 200,000 miners can work at the same time.
One miner supports five families, and behind the 200,000 miners are one million people, which means that even the strong men in the villages in northern Shanxi can go out to work.
Work starts at the beginning of March and ends at the end of November in the Western calendar. The work lasts for nine months and then goes home for three months of rest. It is the same as farming, but there is no need to rely on the weather for food.
There is still a harvest from the land at home, and it can be replenished as long as the harvest does not stop.
With the income from the mine, it doesn't matter if there is no harvest.
Since Jinshan is an open-pit mine, there is no such thing as a cave collapse and burying miners alive.
The strong men were not afraid when they saw the situation in the mine, which facilitated large-scale mining.
These should have been Feng Quan's thoughts, but a certain prince had to think for him.
Just like how to increase revenue and reduce expenditure for the Ministry of Household Affairs, otherwise the Ministry of Household Affairs would have starved to death by now.
A certain prince had written down everything he thought on paper, then sorted it out item by item, considered the relevant words, and finally formed a written document.
When Feng Quan read it, it was already logically clear and well-founded. The two parties only needed to discuss the conditions inside.
If the time is postponed for another two months, it will be equivalent to a certain prince's winter vacation homework...
"Your Highness! Good news!"
"oh?"
Just name Yang Jinchao and call him "Good News". From his mouth, it is full of good news!
"Your Highness, the factory has finished the first batch of down jackets, totaling 500 pieces!"
"Wait for me to take a look!"
The samples of down jackets have actually been prepared a long time ago, but the clothes supervisors are all very meticulous in their work, that is, they are just to meet the needs of the queen's house and cannot benefit the outside world.
A certain prince wants to bring this kind of thing to the market, and the cost is lower than that of cotton, so it can be worn both by military and civil servants.
The ones delivered now are all made by women in the factory, and the quality has to be seen to be believed.
According to the request of a certain prince, three kinds of fabrics were used for customers with different incomes.
The highest grade is silk and satin, the medium grade is fine cloth, and the inferior grade is coarse cloth.
The upper level is aimed at the rich, the lower level meets the needs of the military and poor people, and the middle level is naturally for wealthy people.
Of course, this thing is not as warm as wearing fur directly, but in addition to white fur, which looks elegant and luxurious, other colors will inevitably give people the illusion of a big moving thing...
Down jackets are different. Since you can choose the type and color of fabric, rich people can wear whatever color they like.
Satin comes in many colors and patterns, and has a wider range of choices than fur. Since the down jacket is filled with duck down, it will not make wealthy people feel uncomfortable wearing it.
The higher the price, the better the materials used on the outside and inside.
A certain prince's idea was that this thing has more styles than fur, is more beautiful, and is warmer than ordinary cotton clothes. It can be regarded as a work that complements each other's strengths.
"Wonderful! Exquisite! Unparalleled! Incredibly beautiful! The world's talented people offer ten fights, but Your Highness owns nine!"
Feng Quan looked at it for a long time, then helplessly praised him and started to flatter him again...
