Yan Bao seems to see through everything.
Lin Huan was very surprised. It was hard to believe that a teacher could understand the trends of the imperial court.
Wang Zi came over and said to Lin Huan, who was in a daze: "A few days ago, the political envoy Zhang Yan came and told him that the imperial court was about to send an envoy to Bo Ni."
Yan Bao laughed loudly, it was very interesting to see people's shocked expressions.
Lin Huan was speechless.
It’s true for Zhang Ming, why are you talking about this kind of thing everywhere, making yourself think that Yan Bao has become a magic stick.
Yan Bao pulled Lin Huan out of the classroom and walked towards the backyard, saying, "Tell us interesting stories about the capital so that we can relax. You don't know that when you stay here, there is not even a Jianwen newspaper. Last time When I received the Jianwen Newspaper, I looked at the date and saw that it was from five months ago..."
Lin Huan knew that Jiaozhi was far away from the capital and it was not easy to know what was going on in the capital. He readily agreed and told what had happened in the eight years since Jianwen. When he heard that Xijiang Province had encountered many difficulties, Yan Bao couldn't help but feel worried.
"Is there any news about Guo Sansheng?"
Yan Bao asked.
Lin Huan knew that Yan Bao and others were old friends with Guo Sansheng, so he smiled and said, "I heard that Mr. Guo established a government school in Ulu-Muqi. We have also compiled a set of simple, introductory teaching materials, which are especially suitable for Hui people. The education in Xijiang Province is in full swing, so we can look forward to it."
Yan Bao looked at Lin Huan and shook his head: "Mr. Guo has the support of Islamic imams and others. I think it will be easier to recruit people's children. But the influence of Islam cannot be underestimated. Look, there are mostly Hui people and Mongolians in the area, as well as businessmen from further west. I'm afraid it won't go well if they want to implement the royal teachings. The fire is in full swing, which should be words of comfort."
Lin Huan saw that Yan Bao had seen clearly, so he had to say: "There are many Imperial Academy talents in Xijiang Province. With them helping Mr. Guo, there won't be any big problems."
Yan Bao nodded. There were quite a few graduates from the Imperial College who were taken to the Western Regions. They had real talents and were good at adapting to situations and solving problems, instead of just waiting for help.
At the Jie Feng banquet, Lin Huan met the gentlemen, asked them about their difficulties, and wrote them down one by one.
After three days in Thanh Hoa, Lin Huan got up and went to Thang Long City. Along the way, he inspected the situation and saw that the people were peaceful and stable. In some places, they even kept their homes open at night, did not pick up lost items on the road, and the people's customs were simple and kind.
Although Zhang Yan is already old, he is still very efficient in handling government affairs, making clear decisions about right and wrong, and being decisive and straightforward. Influenced by Zhang Yan's characteristics, the chief ministers, government officials, and county officials did not like procrastination and acted vigorously and resolutely.
When Lin Huan entered the Chief Envoy's Office, the people he saw were all running errands. Although there were a few lazy ones, it was because they had nothing to do, but once someone paged them, they would be in a hurry. Come and go.
Han Guan, Li Wenmin and others all arrived. Zhang Yan ordered people to place the incense table and perform a great ceremony to receive the imperial edict.
Lin Huan read out the imperial edict, mostly with polite words of comfort, but after all, Zhu Yunwen was a monarch who knew how to motivate, and he did not intend to just give them spiritual encouragement. At the end of the edict, he allowed the chief envoy to draw money from the treasury. One hundred thousand banknotes were sent to the capital as a reward for officials of all sizes, and were distributed in one go.
The officials were excited and the three divisions were jubilant.
Zhang Yan didn't care, since the money was going to the capital anyway. Since Zhu Yunwen planned to take part of it, let's divide it. Jiaozhi's commercial tax revenue and agricultural tax revenue are no longer small.
After receiving the imperial edict, Zhang Yan and others looked at the imperial edict and inevitably bowed to the north again.
After some pleasantries, there was a banquet. Lin Huan asked: "Zheng Buzheng, the emperor asked me to come here. Firstly, he wanted to comfort the third division. Secondly, he wanted to find out the difficulties of the third division. The court can find a way to solve it."
Zhang Yan pondered for a moment and said with some sadness: "There is really a difficult thing."
"Oh, please tell me."
Lin Huan became energetic.
Zhang Yan ordered someone to make a bowl of rice, then pointed it to Lin Huan and said, "This is the biggest trouble in Jiaozhi."
"what for?"
Lin Huan was puzzled.
Zhang Yan sighed and said, "Mr. Lin, do you know how much tax revenue was paid per year during the Hongwu period?"
Lin Huan said bluntly: "More than thirty million stones."
Zhang Yan nodded heavily, picked up a glass of wine, and drank it in one gulp: "Yes, during the Hongwu period, the annual tax revenue was only 30 million dan. But I'm afraid you don't know how much food Jiaozhi has. Tao Rong, tell him. .”
The Annan people whom Tao Rong first joined were repeatedly promoted by Zhang Yan because of their loyalty and ability, and are now serving as chief envoys and counselors. Tao Rong stood up and bowed his hands to Lin Huan: "The grain stored in Jiaozhi is 13.6 million shi, and the summer tax has not yet been put into the warehouse. .”
"How many?"
Lin Huan's eyes widened, 13.6 million stones?
During the Hongwu period, the annual grain tax revenue was only 30 million dan. How could you, a small place like yours, have such a huge amount of grain? 13.6 million shi is almost equal to the tax revenue from the main production areas such as Zhili, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi in the Ming Dynasty during the Hongwu period.
Zhang Yan took a mouthful of rice and felt very sad: "There is so much food here that the price of food is too low. One tael of treasure money can buy two shi of rice in the capital, and three or four shi of rice in Suzhou and Hangzhou. But... Here, you can buy enough for five or six stones! The low price of the grain hurts the farmers."
Lin Huan took a deep breath and reconfirmed the amount of grain stored in Jiaozhi. He finally believed it and said, "It's not easy to have a lot of grain in Jiaozhi. Since one tael of money can buy five or six stones of rice, if you transfer it to the capital or Peiping, you can have it." For two to three times the net profit, wouldn’t it be better to find a merchant to transport it?”
Zhang Ming remained silent.
Tao Rong, Li Wenmin and others looked at Lin Huan as if they were fools. Lin Huan suddenly realized that Zhang Yan could not think of the method he could think of.
Liang Mo sighed and explained: "Businessmen come here not for triple profit, but for four to five times, six to seven times, or even ten times. What they want is more valuable goods." , who would use food to occupy more cabin space. You must know that the profit difference between a bag of spices and a bag of rice is more than a few taels."
Lin Huan understood that the merchants were unwilling to do it, and it was not cost-effective for the Chief Envoy of Jiaozhi to transport grain northward, resulting in countless grains piling up in Jiaozhi.
Zhang Yan put down his chopsticks: "It rains a lot in Jiaozhi and it is tidal, so it is difficult to store grain. Last year, more than 300,000 kilograms of old grain were improperly sealed, causing the rice to become damp and moldy. Mr. Lin, you know that people in many places in the Ming Dynasty have problems eating. We also know how important this batch of food is, and we should try our best to solve it."
Lin Huan became anxious and said quickly: "Can the navy transport the troops to the north on your behalf?"
Zhang Yan was silent for a moment and asked: "The Southern Navy has eighty ships transporting grain. Most of these ships need to protect warships. How many ships can be dedicated to transporting grain? What's more, the Navy does not obey the chief envoy. Regarding the arrangements, their superior is the Navy Commander. Without the emperor’s will, no one here can influence the Navy.”
Lin Huan was depressed. When the imperial court divided the navy, the main consideration was to transport grain from the north and south of the Yangtze River, with the Donghai Navy as the main force. However, they did not expect to transport grain northward on a large scale from Jiaozhi.
Lin Huan, who was worried, suddenly saw a smile on Han Guan's face. He couldn't help but calm down and lowered his head to think. From the corner of his eye, he saw Zhang Yan's calm face. He didn't have any worries. It was clear that he was right. , want to lend your own hands to go back and ask Zhu Yunqi to issue a handwriting to the southern navy, so that steam engines and ships can help transport the grain, right?
Old fox, your worries are all fake.
However, Zhang Yan could obviously write the memorial himself, so why didn't he report the matter directly to the court? Zhu Yunwen had no reason not to agree.
Lin Huan was puzzled.
Zhang Yan's reason for not submitting the letter in person was simple: to avoid suspicion and to establish rules.
The Chief Envoy of Jiaozhi has too much authority. Zhang Yan knows very well what cannot be overstepped and where the boundaries are. He does not have too much contact with the Inspector General and the Commander Shi Division on weekdays, so naturally he will not involve Shui. Among the teacher's affairs.
The events of the Hongwu Dynasty told Zhang Yan that if you want to live a long life, you must be cautiousWhen dealing with matters beyond your authority, use the power you can borrow and avoid contact if you can. Avoid contact, keep the cool breeze on your sleeves without staining the flowers, and concentrate on politics without touching the thunder pool.
The Navy is now a hot spot, especially after three points. The headquarters of the Southern Navy is located in Aizhou Port.
There are countless benefits to be exploited here.
If Zhang Zhen submitted the letter in person, I am afraid Zhu Yunwen would allow Zhang Zhen to "act cheaply" and let the navy cooperate with Zhang Zhen in transporting grain.
Once Zhang Yan takes this step, there will be imitators and followers. As time goes by, the three commanders will think that it is reasonable and reasonable for the navy to transport some food on the navy's ships. It is natural. In this case, we need the navy to help us transport some food. It is also appropriate to bring in some wood, transport some stones, transport some spices...
Zhang Yan was unwilling to submit a letter in person, unwilling to act expediently, and even less willing to break the rules.
Now, with Lin Huan's help, we can go through normal channels and do things according to the rules. No one can say anything wrong. When the Third Division of Cochin's navy comes to the navy in the future, they will still need to file a report first as usual. This is a rule.
There is a car in front of you and a track behind you.
Lin Huan was just a new scholar and did not understand the rules of officialdom, but he still followed Zhang Yan's wishes and wrote a memorial and sent it to the capital.
After some questioning, Lin Huan began to turn to the real mission: "Received news from the envoy of the Balni Kingdom in March that King Hassan of the Balni Kingdom passed away. Later, it was discovered that the Balni Kingdom was divided into two forces. One side was Prince Ahmed, on one side is Prince Temangun. The two forces are fighting overtly and covertly for power. Behind Prince Ahmed is Huang Senping, who is considered a Ming Dynasty man. The emperor has ordered me to form a team of envoys in Jiaozhi to go out. Make the country of Bo Ni."
Zhang Yan stared, Han Guan was eager.
Obviously, this is a great opportunity for Ming Dynasty to support a force in Boni.
Although Huang Senping went to Bo Ni at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, after all, he has Chinese blood flowing in his body, and he is still Chinese at heart. In addition, this person has sent his family to the Ming Dynasty many times, and his recognition of the Ming Dynasty is far greater than that of Temanggong. The prince is much better.
The location of Bo Ni is very critical. The Ming Dynasty's power in the depths of Nanyang only has a small Xuanwei Division in Jiugang, which is not enough at all.
If the Navy can gain a foothold in Bo Ni and build a military port, then the Ming Navy will take root in the depths of Nanyang and form a real deterrent to the entire Nanyang countries!
