"I've made so many mistakes, tell me how you want to die!"
Cao Zhen trembled all over, and after a while, he said softly: "Your Majesty will not kill the grassroots, otherwise there would be no need for Commander Li to bring the grassroots here to see your majesty, because the grassroots are still useful to your majesty!"
"Haha... Come here, take me out and chop it into pieces with Cao San and feed it to the dogs!"
"Your Majesty, spare your life, Your Majesty, please spare your life... the common people are wrong..."
After being stunned, the kneeling Cao Zhen kowtowed desperately and shouted for mercy.
He really didn't expect that the emperor would be so clean and neat, and he was going to pull him out and chop him.
"Your Majesty, if the water transportation is connected, the north will be stable. Although the Cao Gang is just a gang of gangsters and gangsters, it controls the lifeblood of the water transportation. Your Majesty wants to conquer the Jiannu and Mongolian tribes...
Although the common people are not talented, they can restrain the people in Suzhou Hall. As long as they don't cause chaos, Suzhou will be much more stable.
But if the common people die, Suzhou's halls will definitely be annexed by other halls. There are not many people who will not be tempted by this fat piece of Suzhou, and I'm afraid it will be even more chaotic..."
Cao Zhen quickly recounted the analysis of Suzhou Tang military advisor Wu Changshi to increase his bargaining chip.
"Cao Zhen, you have to understand that it is the Caobang that is useful to me, not you as the hall leader. What you said is just your wishful thinking.
First, you said that changing the leader of the hall would cause chaos in Suzhou. If you dare to mess up Suzhou, I can mobilize the army to slaughter the Caobang completely.
I will slaughter you, take the canal boats into official hands, and I will reorganize a canal army.
Without your exploitation, I believe there are many people willing to join.
Are you trying to say that the remaining gang members will sink the cannon? Then I will issue an edict. Anyone who reports the evidence and has solid evidence will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver, the nine tribes will be punished, and even Lijia will be punished.
Under heavy rewards and heavy punishments, would anyone dare?
Secondly, what you said about water transportation is that the north is stable. This is right, but it is also wrong. Water transportation cannot be used, and there is also sea and land transportation.
You know, I have just cut off the vassal vassal. I don’t know yet how much property the more than 20 vassal kings and hundreds of county princes have, but it is not difficult to build a few roads that run through the north and south and imitate the straight road of Qin. .
In addition to land transportation, there is also sea transportation. After the Ming Dynasty navy team has been reorganized, it will accompany the caravan. It is both training and escort. Do you think it is feasible? "
Cao Zhen was silent. What the emperor said was true.
Water transportation is smooth. This is just a simple description, but in fact there are many problems.
The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is formed by borrowing water from multiple water systems, and the direction of water flow is extremely complicated.
There is a dry season and a wet season every year, both of which are impassable. Take the southern and northern reaches of Shandong as an example. During the dry season every year, the water depth is only half a meter. It is feasible for some small boats to pass, but larger ships can watch.
The time it can pass is at least six months and as many as eight months each year. If there is a severe drought, the time will be even shorter.
It's okay if it's a drought, but if there's a heavy rain or something, the river breaks through its banks, making it even more impassable.
And because water from several river systems enters, it brings a lot of silt, which needs to be cleaned every year, otherwise it will be impassable.
These two major projects, dredging and dam consolidation, cost at least hundreds of thousands of taels to as many as one million taels every year, and used tens of thousands of people on both sides of the canal.
Water transportation saves time and effort. The transportation volume is large, while land transportation has a long distance, long time, small transportation volume and is laborious. Maritime transportation encounters extreme weather and pirates, etc.
But all in all, as long as the emperor said, as long as the official channels are repaired and the navy is reorganized, water transportation will not necessarily have an advantage.
As the leader of the Suzhou Hall of the Cao Gang, he felt like a mirror in his mind about this kind of thing.
Not just him, but anyone who has been doing business outside all year round knows this truth. The reason why no one thinks about it is because land transportation, road construction and sea transportation require huge financial resources.
The previous emperors were either content with the status quo or were powerless.
And today's emperor, although there are many external enemies and internal worries, he has a strong army and a rich treasury that is almost the sum of the two hundred years of the Ming Dynasty. He is already in an invincible position. He is really capable of achieving these two things.
The corner of Cao Zhen's mouth was full of bitterness. The only reason to save his life was now cut off by the emperor. He was probably going to die today.
"Cao Zhen, I give you two ways. One is to kill you and then clean up the entire Cao Gang;
The second is that you join Jinyiwei and become a non-staff member of Jinyiwei. Jinyiwei will help you become the leader of the Cao Gang.
What you have to do is to control and regulate the entire Cao Gang. Not to mention that all members of the Cao Gang can abide by the laws of the Ming Dynasty, but at least there should be no great evil.
Now you continue to do what the Caobang is doing. In addition to paying the normal monthly payments to the trackers and sailors, and using the collected silver to maintain the boats, etc., leave another 10% of the balance to the Caobang. How to divide it is your business. The rest is all yours. Submit it to the court! "
After hearing this, Cao Zhen felt dizzy again, and his expression kept changing.
I really didn't expect that the emperor would... recruit him. Once he was recruited, it meant losing his freedom, but it was relatively safer. There was no need to worry about the day when the court wanted them.
Chongzhen glanced at Cao Zhen, whose expression changed, then picked up the tea and sipped it himself.
The reason for recruiting An is that although he has countermeasures to weaken the role of water transportation, it will take time and huge energy. Water transportation will still be the most important in the next three years, and he still needs water transportation to stabilize;
Secondly, water transport carries many people from north to south every year, and the rapid and wide flow of information is definitely the fastest way besides the court post station. This is what the court needs.
Third, in Jiangnan, where wealthy businessmen gather, it is easy to cause trouble. Someone needs to monitor and deal with them.
Fourth, by taking over the Cao Gang, an unstable force was also solved, and a million taels of money could be made every year.
There are so many things that can be done in one fell swoop. You have to be mentally ill to think about killing Caobang.
"Your Majesty, the common people choose the second option. From now on, the common people will be a knife in your majesty's hand!"
"In this case, from now on you can lead a thousand households in Jinyiwei, be responsible to Li Ruolian, and serve the court well. I will not treat you badly!"
"Fuck...I thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Go down, have a chat with Li Ruolian, and tell Caobang everything you know!"
"I obey the decree!"
After saluting, Cao Zhen slowly exited the lobby.
Standing in the front yard, looking at the moonlight in the sky, I felt mixed emotions.
Li Ruolian looked at Cao Zhen and whispered: "Don't think too much, it is the right way for you to seek refuge with the imperial court. What was the significance of the establishment of the Cao Gang? Isn't it just to find a stable way of eating for the people who depend on the canal for their livelihood?
Although today's Caogang can still make a living, most of them have been reduced to the pockets of individuals. You know the chaos, the ashes and the cages, the rape and theft, and the evil in the future. Wouldn't it be better to regulate it in the future? ?
If by the time Your Majesty completes land and sea transportation, water transportation will be abolished, what will those brothers do?
Rather than saying that His Majesty has recruited you, it is better to say that His Majesty is considering your future. "
"Thank you very much, Commander, for enlightening me."
Cao Zhen was shocked, and a trace of clarity and understanding flashed in his eyes.
"Let's go, hurry up and complete the things His Majesty has given us. The Jinyi Guards are moving, so that Jiangnan will be messed up even more, and it can be cleaned up more thoroughly!"
