"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will make sure that all the soldiers under my command are familiar with and master these powerful weapons in the immortal world as soon as possible, so as to protect our Ming Dynasty forever!"
Huang Degong has been coveting the airship for a long time, and now he can finally get it.
When he was in Beidu, he and thousands of other people just watched the majesty of the airship. Even watching it from a close distance was enough to satisfy the eyes.
The prince forbids generals from taking airships because the airships have limited carrying capacity and are inconvenient to operate.
If one person takes a sightseeing ride and only one other person is left driving, the chance of an accident will rise sharply.
But now that it has been delivered to his door, Huang Degong doesn't care about the danger.
According to the soldiers who drove the airship, they were as comfortable as birds on it.
You can overlook the entire imperial city. If you fly higher, you can even have a panoramic view of the entire northern capital.
Looking down at Beidu from the sky, Huang Degong had never thought about it before.
However, all the soldiers praised it, saying it was the most magnificent scene in this life. A man would die without regrets after watching it!
Just how magnificent it is, Huang Degong still has to see it with his own eyes. Presumably the scenery in Nandu is not bad either.
It is said that when the weather is good, you can have a panoramic view of the scenery for dozens of miles from the airship.
"My beloved said this, I feel very relieved, and I also want to take an airship to overlook the beautiful rivers and mountains of our country!"
Not only Huang Degong thought so, Chongzhen also had this idea.
It cost three hundred thousand taels to buy the airship!
Can't you go up and have a look?
Is it okay to buy a bill for three hundred thousand taels?
"Your Majesty has a body of ten thousand pounds, so you must not risk yourself!"
Yuan Jixian, the Minister of War, hurriedly came out, hoping to dispel the emperor's ridiculous idea.
Once an accident does occur, Huang Degong will be the first person responsible, and then he, the Minister of War, will be responsible.
"Your Majesty, why don't you let me take on this responsibility?"
Gao Yushun suddenly suggested that as the eunuch supervising the East Factory, he could, in a sense, test the dangers for his master.
"No! Such a dangerous thing should be inspected by someone from the Ministry of War. If possible, I will fund the purchase again!"
Let a eunuch go up first to see the scenery. How can they, the civil servants, be embarrassed?
Li Rixuan, the right minister of the Ministry of War, hurriedly stopped him. It would be great if he could take the opportunity to go up.
Before that, a high-sounding reason must be given. After all, any weapon must be inspected by the Ministry of War.
"The prince said that the airships played an important role in the defeat of the Donglu. After the Donglu entered the city, more than twenty airships were dispatched, which greatly boosted the morale of all the troops in the king's division. With the help of chariots and horsemen, the tens of thousands of Donglu who rushed into the city were The captives were defeated and retreated continuously, and finally most of them were destroyed by the king's division. I think that if the king's division is equipped with hundreds of airships that can fly into the air in the future, coupled with thousands of chariots and tens of thousands of elite cavalry on the ground, they will not be afraid of the Donglu's iron cavalry. It can also achieve great victory in field battles.”
This was just Chongzhen's idea. The purchase and maintenance of an airship cost up to fifteen thousand taels of silver. The cost of a few hundred ships was an astonishing expense.
"Your Majesty, I don't know what other unique features this thing has besides being able to fly into the air. It can also go into battle to kill the enemy?"
As one of the southern officials, Wan Yuanji, the left minister of Tobe, had only heard of airships and read their outlines and descriptions in newspapers, but he did not know much about the combat methods of airships.
"The prince said that each airship can carry dozens of kilograms of bombs. The bomb body is specially made. It is dropped from a high altitude and explodes on its own when it touches the ground. A bomb contains hundreds of iron beads. After the explosion, it flies in all directions. Killed and wounded dozens of Donglu!"
Chongzhen also heard it from the mouth of the traitor, and read it again in the letter. Only then did he have a clearer understanding of the enemy-killing mode of the airship, otherwise he would not even be able to explain it in words.
"So that's it. Your Highness is really a genius. This great defeat of the Qi leader is really a blessing to our Ming Dynasty! If, as His Majesty said, the king's division is equipped with hundreds of airships, he will definitely be able to recover Liaodong and revive the Ming Dynasty!"
Wan Yuanji, like other civil servants, was sound on paper, but if he was actually asked to command the battle, he would be completely at a loss. It would be great if someone from the royal family could come forward and lead the troops to win the battle.
"The cost of airships is high. One airship costs as much as 15,000 taels. I have only purchased twenty of them for the Yongwei Camp. If we purchase more, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Household Affairs must discuss it before proceeding. In the final analysis, it is The imperial court is in financial distress, so it is necessary to purchase new weapons. If you are like Zhao Song, you can earn fifty million taels of silver a year, why worry about this?"
Na Nizi once said that all the problems of the Ming Dynasty can be condensed into one word, which is "poor"!
As long as you have money, all problems will be solved without any effort!
Are Donglu scary?
Of course it’s scary when you have no money!
Is it still scary when you have money?
Of course it’s not scary!
The Ming Dynasty sent one million troops, including 300,000 cavalry, 600,000 infantry, and 100,000 naval troops, to march on both land and water in the northern expedition to Liaodong.
Even if Huang Taiji could mobilize 300,000 soldiers and horses, it would be difficult for him to defeat the multi-pronged attack of the Ming Dynasty King's division.
As long as it has money and sufficient military strength, the Ming Dynasty can really dispatch millions of troops.
However, of the 300,000 soldiers and horses Huang Taiji had assembled, 100,000 were temporary fill-ins.
Huang Taiji's only advantage right now is that Ming Dynasty has no money, not to mention one million, not even five hundred thousand Dong.
If you want to go to war, you must calculate the baggage and supplies at least one hundred taels of silver per person plus one hundred catties of rice.
A million-strong army is worth 100 million taels of silver and 100 million catties of rice. You can imagine the pressure on the Ministry of Household Affairs.
One hundred million kilograms of rice is equivalent to 500,000 dan, which can be collected by saving some in various places.
But no matter what, it would be impossible to raise 100 million taels of silver unless the merchants made up for the evaded taxes.
How can we send troops without money?
Not to mention the military, we can't even raise soldiers.
It is so difficult for the two imperial courts in the north and south to feed 400,000 soldiers and horses. If there are more troops, the imperial court will be bankrupt without the Donglu coming to fight.
If you want to feed hundreds of thousands of troops, you can only follow the example of the late Tang Dynasty and implement the transformation of various regions into vassal towns. However, this is a reminder for the dynasty, and it cannot be done unless it is a last resort.
Zheng Zhilong of Fujian was already considered a de facto local warlord. In name, he obeyed the orders but not the orders. In fact, the soldiers and horses of the imperial court could not enter the territory of Fujian at all.
If there were just a few more Zheng Zhilongs in various places, the Ming Dynasty would probably exist in name only.
Previously, Wang Pu launched a rebellion in Datong, which was later annihilated by Yang Wenyue's troops. However, Chai Shihua, who was entrenched in Gansu, attempted to separate one side and colluded with the Tumote tribe.
There was Li Ni in the Central Plains, and there were a bunch of rogue bandits such as Zhang Ni and Cao Ni in Huguang.
Originally, Chongzhen had trouble sleeping and eating every day because of this, but now he pushed all these headaches to the treacherous son to deal with.
"Zheng Aiqing, you can follow the tax collection method I ordered before. If merchants dare to resist, they will be punished as tax evasion. They are not allowed to be handled by the local government. They must be handed over to the Yongwei camp or factory guards, and all of them will be arrested and taken to the southern capital! "
There were originally a pair of ministers who were subjugated to the country, and now a bunch of businessmen who were subjugated to the country appeared.
The two have colluded together for a long time. If they are not punished, will the Ming Dynasty be better?
In extraordinary times, extraordinary means can be used to do extraordinary things.
Chongzhen cherished his reputation, but this was almost imminent and he couldn't care less.
As long as we can collect taxes and money without imposing additional taxes on ordinary farmers, what's the point of being scolded as a coward or even exposed as a king?
Those traitors all know that they must give up their reputation and act efficiently and pragmatically. How can they lag behind?
Chongzhen's psychological expectation was two million taels, which meant that he would first collect the money for the traitor.
The Ministry of Household Affairs has raised about 3.5 million taels of silver, and the sum of the two items is 5.5 million taels.
The bulk was sent to Beidu, and the remaining 500,000 taels were used as operating expenses for Nanting.
Salt worth one million taels shipped back from Yangzhou in the Song Dynasty is being sold, and all the silver taels obtained can be deposited in the household department.
As for the houses, properties, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, and jewelry that were not confiscated, they were sold if they could be sold, and if they were unsaleable, they were kept.
"...I obey!"
Now not only would Emperor Chongzhen be regarded as a coward by the merchants, but he himself would also become a traitor, just like Jia Sidao of Zhao and Song Dynasties.
But Zheng Sanjun, the Minister of Household Affairs, also knew that he had to act like this now, otherwise the imperial court would not be able to cope with it at all. Nanting would have to earn at least six million taels a year to survive.
"I know that it is a bit difficult to act like this, but please know that the imperial court does not owe the merchants anything, but the merchants have owed the imperial court for decades, involving hundreds of millions of taels of tax money! If the merchants abide by the law and pay taxes according to regulations, why would the imperial court bother to pay taxes to poor farmers? Increase taxes and fees? How could it lead to repeated civil wars? Merchants cannot escape the blame for the Ming Dynasty being in such a situation. But today, many merchants are still obsessed with it, trying to use their officials in the government and the public to absolve them of their crimes, and even openly threaten me. , asking me to make compromises and concessions to them! If these profiteers are allowed to continue as they please, the Ming Dynasty will fall, the country will collapse, and the people will be enslaved by the Eastern captives. If the merchants in the south of the Yangtze River follow the example of the Shanxi merchants who collaborated with the enemy and betrayed the country, I will send them away Go meet those Shanxi merchants earlier! I am still the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and I will not tolerate collusion between officials and businessmen to subvert the Ming Dynasty!"
That traitor can defeat the Donglu army that looks like tigers and wolves, how can he be defeated by a mere merchant?
No matter how merchants collude with officials, the combined threat they pose is not as great as one of Huang Taiji's fingers!
Maybe the merchants can speak with money, but I can also let the factory guards and the Yongwei camp speak with steel swords!
As long as the factory guards and the Yongwei battalion still obey my orders, the merchants' money will not be easy to use!
"My emperor is wise!"
Zheng Sanjun did not support the emperor's actions, but he also opposed the lawlessness of merchants and blatant evasion of taxes.
Now that the emperor has made up his mind, this matter cannot be changed, and at least he has to flatter him.
The Ministry of Revenue is only responsible for collecting money. As for the method of collecting it, that is a matter for the factory guards and the Yongwei camp.
In the past, most of the silver in Taicang was sweaty, because the levy targets were mainly farmers.
From now on, Taicang's silver may be mostly bloody, because the main targets of collection have been merchants.
Most merchants regard their wealth as their life, and if they don't give them any blood or make them afraid, these merchants will hold on to the money and won't let go.
There are two kinds of people who can make merchants pay, one is the Yangzhou thin horse, and the other is the emperor's eagle dog!
"Your Majesty, there are a large number of scholars outside petitioning!"
After receiving the report, Tian Youwei, the eunuch in charge of the inner factory, immediately relayed it to his master.
"What do you want?"
Chongzhen was accustomed to this. This group of indifferent people came to make trouble when they were full and had enough food and drink.
"The scholars asked your Majesty to abolish the factory guards, severely punish Huang Degong, ban the Yongwei camp, apologize to the merchants, and return the salt to the Lianghuai salt merchants! He also said..."
"Don't hesitate, tell me everything!"
"He also said that the prince must be deposed, otherwise Min's heart will not be at ease!"
After Tian Youwei said this, the already astonished military officials and generals were dumbfounded. Can the prince be deposed just by saying he will be deposed?
Not to mention that the prince is the foundation of the country, and Yao should not be touched unless it is absolutely necessary.
At present, the prince is still the regent, commanding the eight corners of the north and commanding an army of 300,000.
Doesn't deposing the crown prince force the crown prince to ascend the throne and then make His Majesty abdicate?
Who in the end came up with this treacherous plot?
The crime is unforgivable and must be punished!
"You bastard! How shameless! Scholars read the books of sages and sages, but they do sloppy things! They keep saying that they are loyal to the emperor and serve the country, but now they are willing to work hard for profiteers who evade taxes! Where is the law of heaven? Where is the king's law? Where is the moral character?"
Chongzhen stood up from the dragon chair, stretched out an arm and pointed in the direction outside the palace, and said something sternly. This was not the first time he said similar words, but the scholars didn't seem to care, and instead were a little less afraid.
"Your Majesty, calm down. The scholars did not know what was going on. They were deceived by some merchants and used as a knife to force your Majesty to make compromises in order to harm the foundation of the Ming Dynasty. Similar things have happened in the northern capital before, and the scholars have complained about some moths. , His Royal Highness the Crown Prince refuted them one by one with reasonable grounds, and warned the scholars not to follow in his footsteps, otherwise their official career would be in jeopardy. Then he invested money to improve many benefits in the Imperial Academy and promised to recruit more students, and the matter was finally settled."
Ni Yuanlu, the Minister of Rites and the Yushi of Youqiandu, told how the prince behaved for the emperor's reference. It was useless to be so angry, and the scholars outside were not afraid.
"I have already given good advice to the scholars and promised to recruit more students. However, what I got in exchange was to go even further and get worse! Now even these scholars who have not made any contribution to our Ming Dynasty dare to ignore my order. If it were someone else, How can our Ming Dynasty live peacefully if we can learn from it? It is unreasonable to openly threaten me by deposing the prince! The prince is the foundation of the country, and those who act rashly will be severely punished! The factory guards and the brave guard camp are just my hands and feet , without these three groups, I am afraid that these bastards will take advantage of the chaos to invade the rear residence and assassinate the king! You have something to do!"
"The slave is here!"
"Let them disperse within half an hour, otherwise they will all be sent to Liaodong and never return home!"
"Slave, you obey!"
"Wait a minute, Your Majesty, if the scholar still refuses to retreat and acts like this, it will only intensify conflicts and cause your Majesty's reputation to plummet. I hope your Majesty will think twice!"
As for how Qian Qianyi and others were operating behind the scenes, First Assistant Qu Shichun didn't want to question it. However, Emperor Chongzhen was furious and planned to attack the scholars, so Qu Shichun could no longer turn a blind eye.
"I have always cherished my reputation, but now the Ming Dynasty is in danger, and foreign enemies and internal invaders are also ready to attack. If I don't step forward, I will sit back and watch the Ming Dynasty fall. If I can exchange for money, reorganize the armament, and destroy the stubborn enemies, I will also I don't care about reputation. If I exchange my reputation for five hundred or even ten million taels of silver, I think it's worth it. If the Ming Dynasty dies due to lack of money, what's the use of my reputation? Will I be laughed at by future generations? I am just a pawn, and there is a thief behind me. These thieves have big plans, and what they want is to gain a position of power! Then they isolate me, make me obey them, and make me a puppet. The thief suddenly transforms into a standing figure. Emperor! After he succeeds, merchants will still be able to evade taxes, farmers will still be in poverty, and Donglu and rogue bandits will still cause chaos everywhere. Is this the Ming Dynasty that the chief minister expected? "
After being lectured by a certain villain, Chongzhen had a deeper understanding of the current situation.
Even though he was very reluctant, he also knew that it was as hard to accept as what the naughty son said.
Daming is like a terminally ill person. Ordinary medicines no longer work and must be treated with strong medicines.
During the treatment period, many side effects will occur. If you can bear it, you will gradually recover. If you cannot bear it, you will kick your legs and die.
"His Majesty……"
"Chief Minister! I couldn't help but think of what the prince said to me. It probably means that some people who claim to be loyal and good will still be able to live their lives by changing their hairstyle after the dynasty changes. The same is true for some ministers. It's really an ironclad fight. The courtiers and emperors who live like water! The Ming Dynasty has died, and there is also the Qing Dynasty. Who can I kowtow to? It’s nothing more than an extra pig’s tail on the back of my head!”
