Liu Zongzhou and Huang Zongxi had only seen descriptions of airships in newspapers before. When they actually arrived at the scene and saw it with their own eyes, they felt how small and ignorant they were.
These objects are not only huge in size, but can actually carry people across the sky. They are truly unprecedented, and what the newspapers say is true.
Before Huang Zongxi left, many of his colleagues told him that he must see the true face of the airship in Lushan if he had the opportunity.
Many of them believed that the airship was simply a fabricated product sent by the prince and was an object that did not exist at all.
As for vehicles that can be driven by human power instead of being pulled by mules, the scholars previously scoffed at the news until they saw bicycles...
On the day it arrived in Nandu, Emperor Chongzhen openly started a game in the main hall. Whoever could ride a bicycle around the arena would get ten taels of silver.
Many ministers, including Qian Qianyi, the leader of Donglin, tried it, but without exception, they all fell badly.
Then he came to the conclusion that if a person is determined not to ride a bicycle, he must have someone to help him. This bicycle is a flashy thing.
However, Emperor Chongzhen asked the servants who came with him to perform on bicycles, which was very different from the situation of the previous courtiers.
People can easily ride around the hall, leaving a group of civil servants and generals stunned.
Huang Degong and other generals from the Yuan Yongwei camp and the civil servants who accompanied him south had naturally seen this scene before, so they were not surprised.
But a group of courtiers who were originally local snakes were caught off guard by the situation.
What was just confirmed was slapped in the face in the blink of an eye. It was really embarrassing.
There are still some people who still look down upon this thing, thinking it is a piece of weird and obscene technique, which has nothing to do with the book of sages and is definitely not qualified to be in the hall of elegance.
When some people said that this was a lost thing of the skilled craftsman Lu Ban, some aggrieved guys began to use their best to attack Lu Ban...
As for the existence of airships, these people had never seen them before, so they concluded that airships did not exist. They also advised Emperor Chongzhen not to be misled by treacherous sycophants and become a coward.
Since Huang Zongxi was not a high-ranking official and was not qualified to go to the palace, he heard all this from Zhang Pu.
Judging from Zhang Pu's tone, he was still very proud of what happened. He felt that preventing His Majesty from indulging in strange and obscene techniques like Emperor Tianqi would be a great contribution to the Ming Dynasty.
Huang Zongxi also wanted to get help from Zhang Pu in his official career, so he naturally did not dare to contradict him. He nodded in agreement, which was very perfunctory, but in his heart he did not agree with Zhang Pu's idea.
When Zhang Pu was proud, he didn't pay much attention to it. Instead, considering his status as the second generation of Donglin, he pulled him into his team heading north.
As long as he can get evidence that the prince has no regard for his father, and blackmail some silver coins or gifts, he can arrange an errand for Huang Zongxi around the fifth rank after returning to Nandu.
In the end, everything backfired. The prince was determined not to have the mind of an ordinary child, which caused Zhang Pu to overturn. Not only did he not get any benefits, he was also sent to the front line of Jinzhou.
There is no possibility of disobeying the decree, otherwise we would have to spend one million taels of silver. I don’t know who is blackmailing whom after traveling thousands of miles away...
The prince has become a kidnapper!
Who believes this kind of thing?
At first, Huang Zongxi wanted to decline the task of compiling a dictionary, and immediately returned to Jiangnan to report the matter to Emperor Chongzhen, and also to everyone in Donglin and Fushe, so that everyone could brainstorm and come up with countermeasures.
But then I thought about it, if Liu Zongzhou stayed in the capital and went back alone, wouldn't all the blame that was not his own fall on him?
When faced with the accusations from thousands of people, I will really be unable to defend myself, so I might as well write a letter and let my colleagues think of something to do...
"Master Liu, there is something unclear in this junior's mind!"
"It's too strong but it doesn't matter!"
"Master Liu, His Highness previously asked for one million taels of silver before he was willing to let Zhang Punan return, and the Southern Court has to support the Northern Court with five million taels of silver every year. If there is a big fuss over this matter, this amount Wouldn’t a huge sum of money become the moon in the water?”
Letting Zhang Pu guard the border would offend Donglin and Fushe. Even if Zhang Pu himself could not ask for help, his colleagues in Nandu who got the news would work together, especially with the five million taels of money.
Officials from various ministries were pushing the blame with each other, and the cabinet was at a loss as to what to do. They brought thousands of Donglin people to fight with the scholars who restored the society. If there was a stalemate, Emperor Chongzhen would have to pay from the internal funds.
The prince's behavior seemed to be a little out of place, but it was very different from the prince's previous extremely shrewd performance, which made Huang Zongxi feel very confused.
This is obviously a bad move that can be seen by others. Why does the prince do this even if he doesn't hesitate to offend Donglin and Fushe?
"Can't push it away! Taichong! Didn't you also see that even the so-called arrogant Donglu army was repulsed by the defenders of the capital? As far as I know, Hong Chengchou's troops were suppressing the area west of Nanzhili Rogue bandits, if you get the order to march to the Huaihe River, what do you think the result will be?"
Liu Zongzhou has seen through the prince's mind. The prince is acting like this. It is obvious that he is not afraid of Donglin, Fushe and other gangs. He has no choice but to control the military power. He can take action if he can't talk it out.
"Ah? Doesn't this... mean..."
Huang Zongxi did not dare to say words such as rebellion or even usurpation of the throne. This had to be carefully considered before speaking out, otherwise it would be to sow discord between the emperor and the prince.
"Everyone knows that the Lianghuai salt merchants are extremely wealthy. If His Highness sends Hong Chengchou to withdraw money, who can stop him?"
Liu Zongzhou felt that this was very likely to happen. After all, the silver was not far from Hong Chengchou's headquarters and could be obtained in a few days.
"..."
Huang Zongxi was speechless. He also knew that most of the troops under the Southern Court's jurisdiction, except for Huang Degong's Yongwei camp, were already in decline. Not to mention fighting against the Northern Court's troops, even the rogue bandits could not be suppressed.
"Your Majesty will not send the Yongwei Battalion to fight. Even if you send one of them, it will be just a formality. The Lianghuai Salt Merchants are fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered. What's more, you have previously written to Your Majesty, requesting the abolition of Haiyan and the protection of Huaiyan. This move has offended His Highness."
If the Lianghuai salt merchants were in the area south of the Yangtze River, they might be able to survive for a while. Unfortunately, if they were in the north of the Yangtze River, they would be lucky.
Liu Zongzhou felt that it was only a matter of time before the prince dealt with the stubborn Lianghuai salt merchants. As long as the bandits in Huguang were eliminated, these people would be the next target.
"Huai Salt is the pillar of our Ming Dynasty. Thousands of people depend on it for food, and tens of thousands of salt workers rely on it to support their families. If Huai Salt is damaged, Nanting's annual income will also be damaged!"
Huang Zongxi did not believe that the prince would destroy Huaiyan. That would be like destroying both jade and stone, and no one would benefit.
"The role of Huai salt is not low. However, after sea salt is put on the market, the price is lower than that of Huai salt. Since it is produced in Shandong, sea transportation is convenient and can be transported from south to north. As for those salt workers and their families, His Highness must have his own way to arrange them. After all, Millions of disasters have been settled before. You and I know how much the Huaiyan tax will be. His Highness strongly promotes Haiyan. After occupying the markets in various places, the Huaiyan tax can be paid. I am afraid that Huaiyan will not be able to do so in the future. It’s just a name.”
The few things that this junior is worried about are not too difficult to deal with.
According to his observation, the prince is extremely smart and will never be hindered by this matter.
The only question that remains is when the huge Lianghuai salt merchants will encounter disaster!
"Occupy the markets in various places? The markets are all dominated by traders selling Huai salt. How can Haiyan be replaced?"
Although Master Liu is mature and prudent and has always spoken calmly, this time he was a bit frivolous. Huang Zongxi was not optimistic about this aspect at all.
"It's very simple. If I can think of it, Your Highness must also be able to think of it!"
"What's the explanation? This junior is all ears!"
"Your Highness has already mastered the evidence of tax evasion by the salt merchants in the capital. The salt merchants in the capital are closely related to the salt merchants in Lianghuai and Huaihe. He has captured several messengers who travel between the north and the south as witnesses. In this way, the personal and material evidence have been gathered together. It is not necessary to convict the case. It’s too difficult. Even if only one Lianghuai salt merchant is convicted, dozens or even hundreds of colleagues will be implicated under heavy pressure. Once the Lianghuai salt merchant falls, how will other people in other places be spared? I want to die. , it’s very easy. If you don’t want to die, you have to sell sea salt honestly from now on!”
Liu Zongzhou read some previously published "Jingshi Daily". The newspaper mentioned tea merchants evading taxes. Wouldn't it be enough to use similar methods to target Lianghuai salt merchants?
If you think about the worst, if the Lianghuai salt merchants refuse to cooperate and organize the salt workers to cause trouble, they may be regarded as colluding with nearby bandits in an attempt to subvert the Ming Dynasty!
Hong Chengchou's hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses just lacked a legitimate reason to attack the salt merchants. Wouldn't they have one now?
Lianghuai salt merchants who want to compete with the prince are really overestimating their capabilities!
"If we go by what Master Liu said, this will definitely have a huge impact, affect a wide range of people, involve many people, and shock the government and the public. Wouldn't your Majesty..."
Huang Zongxi didn't believe that Emperor Chongzhen would turn a blind eye to the matter when it got to this point.
"Let me give you an analogy. If it were you, and there was no need to take money out of your pocket, and someone would solve the matter for you, would you interfere?"
This guy is still young and lacks some official experience, otherwise he wouldn't think about things this way.
"...The matter of the Lianghuai Salt Merchant is an incident that affects the whole body. The prince dares to attack the salt merchant, and the cloth merchants, tea merchants and other merchants must know the truth of the death of the lips and the coldness of the teeth. By then the crowd will be furious, and they will launch a dozen counter-attacks like last time. Your Majesty will definitely not sit idly by and ignore the petitions of thousands of people, right?"
The salt merchant is the leader of all the merchants in the south of the Yangtze River. He has been operating in one corner for a long time and has extremely deep connections. As long as the salt merchant speaks, other merchants will definitely respond.
No matter how powerful the prince is, he can't suppress merchants from all industries at the same time, right?
"Today is different from the past. Last time, Your Majesty did not get help from His Highness. Didn't Taichong see the prosperity of the capital? Before that, the merchants of the capital were no different from those in the south of the Yangtze River. Your Highness would copy the same things from the capital to the south of the Yangtze River. Which merchant would dare A mantis arm to block the car? Merchants have always valued peace, and they all make money because of peace. If you can't even save your life, what's the use of asking for money? When the whole family is questioned, how many merchants are bent on death? As long as Killing one to serve as a warning to others will complete the suppression."
Liu Zongzhou did not say clearly that His Majesty cherishes feathers and would definitely not commit mass murder.
But this does not mean that Emperor Chongzhen will not acquiesce in his eldest son sending troops to do things for him!
The prince didn't seem to mind if he offended others. Being young had such advantages.
Being restrained by the prince, he could only be laughed at by others. He couldn't even fight against a child in his prime...
Hong Chengchou's army went down the river to quell the rebellion in the south of the Yangtze River. This reason was enough to silence everyone in the newspapers.
No matter what the Nanting side is doing, the Beiting side is not willing to take care of it. The prince only wants money!
If all the money is received as scheduled, then everything will be fine, otherwise, you will get it yourself!
The prince has already become a kidnapper, is he still afraid of becoming a robber again? ? ?
Afterwards, you can pass the responsibility to others, and you will be able to pick it up.
Hong Chengchou, who had committed "heinous crimes", could be demoted one level and fined one year's salary.
Everything is an act, only the money collected from Jiangnan is real!
Liu Zongyi had seen a lot of this kind of thing at his age, but he just couldn't see through it in front of Huang Zongxi.
The prince has no real ability beyond ordinary people, so he cannot get the help of people with real talents and learning like Wu Zong, Feng Quan, and Zhang Guowei.
"I'm just imagining it, Taichong doesn't need to take it to heart, just listen to a story and don't tell anyone else!"
Liu Zongzhou talked too much to this junior, and now he felt a little regretful and hurriedly warned him.
"Master Liu, please rest assured, these words will only reach the ears of this junior, not the mouth!"
Huang Zongxi feels a little scared now that he thinks about it. It seems that it is best not to go back to Jiangnan in the short term.
"Since you are here in the capital, you can take this opportunity to listen more, see more, and learn more, so as to increase your knowledge!"
Liu Zongzhou wanted to say something more about Donglin, but Huang Zongxi's father Huang Zunsu was the "Seven Gentlemen of Donglin". It was okay not to say this. Everyone has his own destiny, so act and cherish it.
"Yes, I will obey Master Liu's instructions!"
Regardless of Zhang Pu's factors, at least Huang Zongxi believed that he benefited a lot from his visit to Beijing. He visited the Academy of Sciences and saw the airship with his own eyes, so it was a worthwhile trip.
Regarding last night's banquet, Chief Assistant Xue Guoguan said that the prince planned to make the capital's economy equivalent to the sum of the four cities in Jiangnan including Nandu, Yangzhou, Suzhou and Hangzhou within five years.
Huang Zongxi was determined not to believe it at first. After all, the time was too short and the goal was too high, which was difficult to achieve, until he saw a train that could carry hundreds of mules and horses...
This thing only needs to eat coal and does not need to be supplied with food and grass, so it can travel hundreds of miles a day, and its speed is no slower than that of a galloping horse.
If Huang Zongxi hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have thought it was a lie told in a daydream.
In addition to the R&D personnel of the Academy of Sciences, the first two people to board the train to experience this machine were actually people from Nanting. It must be said that it was a stroke of fate!
"Stable and fast! Wonderful!"
Because the railway was too short, both of them still felt unfinished after parking the car. They just kept praising the big object that was emitting streams of white steam in front of them.
The capital has airships that can fly across the sky, trains that can travel hundreds of miles a day, and telephones that can transmit sounds instantly. I wonder what they would think if they were seen by those scholars who sneer at strange and obscene techniques!
By evening, the photos of the two of them with the airship and the train had been developed. Liu Zongzhou regarded this as a treasure and planned to put it in the most conspicuous place in his home after his return.
This is a rare souvenir that is difficult for others to obtain. Because it is extremely rare, it is even more enviable than collecting calligraphy and paintings on the market.
In contrast, officials in the Beiting had high incomes, good benefits, and regular holidays during the New Year and holidays, and their office furnishings far exceeded those of their counterparts in the South.
After such a round and round, Huang Zongxi wanted to buy a sofa and go back...
