Just like businessmen, there are actually some who are watching, and some who have heard about it. After knowing it, they will inevitably feel sour.
In front of the already wealthy businessmen, the craftsmen group is actually more of their source of profit and their target of exploitation. Although the ranking of scholars, farmers, industry and merchants has long been discussed, in the face of money, except for the scholar class, the merchant class was already completely ranked before the farmers and workers.
However, the current situation is that the imperial court has once again made it clear that the craftsmen have a very good place to go, that is, to serve the royal family. Not only can they receive a salary, but they may even get a title. This is the dream of the merchant class. of. After all, they don't lack money, but status.
In fact, by the end of the Ming Dynasty, the status of merchants had been greatly improved due to money, and many scholars even abandoned Confucianism and entered business. As a class of merchants, they have money, spend money, show off, want face, make friends with powerful people, buy land, become landlords, become the objects of scholar pursuit, etc. However, no matter what, at least at the court level, their status In fact, nothing has changed.
Instead, because of the revelation of the case of Shanxi merchants who conspired with the rebels, it is said that the emperor has great opinions on businessmen, especially wealthy businessmen, and is brewing measures to restrict big businessmen and prevent the emergence of another group of businessmen because of greed. In order to obtain more money, they embarked on the same old path as Shanxi merchants.
No one in the court dared to object to this. Because, the example of Shanxi merchants just happened. Everyone hates Shanxi merchants, and they also hate merchants like Shanxi merchants. At least here in the capital, no one has any doubts about this, and the rape street is proof of this.
As for the decree that the emperor may issue, some people speculate that it may be the food-related policy implemented by the new governor of Baoding, Lu Xiangsheng, when he was originally the governor of Xuanda. Because Governor Lu's food-related policy was aimed at the rich, it made those Shanxi merchants very uncomfortable. They even sent people to kill Lu Xiangsheng's father and let him leave Ding You.
They have reason to suspect that Lu Xiangsheng will be the vanguard of the emperor's sanctions against businessmen. This will be known after Governor Lu takes office.
Emperor Chongzhen actually knew about the concerns of the merchants in the capital. Today's factory guards have already resumed comprehensive supervision of the capital. Just like the price of goods in the capital, Dongchang has fulfilled its original duty and reported it on a daily basis; therefore, the remarks of the private scholars on the new policy will naturally not be missed.
Emperor Chongzhen was happy when he heard the remarks outside. Because the relevant rumors are that he deliberately let the factory guard out to guide public opinion. It would be a huge loss if we don't take advantage of this opportunity to severely punish Shanxi merchants to gain more benefits.
In fact, for big businessmen, history has proven that restrictions must be imposed. Although the Shanxi merchants in the north collapsed, there were still salt merchants in the south, who had accumulated a lot of wealth, which was detrimental to the Ming Dynasty.
As for the system of craftsmen, many officials also opposed it after it was made public. However, some additions have been made to the suggestions of Lu Xiangsheng and others, which can appease this class of scholars.
In other words, if a scholar engages in craftsmanship and makes a significant contribution, he can still obtain the corresponding title.
In fact, there were many officials in the Ming Dynasty who were studying craftsmanship because their official career was not going well or because they were interested. It can be said that many inventions were not created by the craftsmen themselves, but by the scholars. After all, scholars, as a group, had more money and knowledge than craftsmen, so they were naturally more likely to produce results.
For example, Bi Maokang, who served as the right minister of the Ministry of War in the Chongzhen Dynasty, published the "Illustrated Description of Military Weapons" in the eighth year of Chongzhen's reign, which included an improved fire blunderbuss, called a self-generated fire blunderbuss. In later generations, there was a very popular The name is called a flintlock gun.
Although the original Emperor Chongzhen knew that this self-generating fire gun was better than a matchlock gun, the firing device had to be made of fine steel, otherwise it would not be easy to produce sparks and would misfire easily. Most importantly, it was much more expensive than a matchlock gun. Emperor Chongzhen, who was extremely poor, was naturally unable to manufacture such self-generated fire guns at that time, let alone ration them for military use.
It can be said that Bi Maokang's achievements in firearms are much greater than those of the gunsmiths of the Ming Dynasty.
Now officially promulgated, the titles imitating the pre-Qin period are divided into junior craftsmen, intermediate craftsmen, senior craftsmen, professional craftsmen, masters, grand masters, and grand masters.
Just like the military merit titles of the Qin Dynasty, each level of craftsman level improvement has corresponding benefits. The most affordable ones are naturally salary and land, which will increase to varying degrees with the promotion of title.
After reaching the title of senior craftsman, you can have the privilege of seeing an official without bowing. For example, a senior craftsman can refuse to bow before officials of the seventh rank and below; a professional craftsman can refuse to bow before an official of the fifth rank and below; a master is a fourth rank, and a master is a master. Third grade, Grand Master is not worshiped by any official position, except the emperor.
Starting from the title of Professional Craftsman, there is no need to pay taxes on the corresponding land. All previous titles still have to pay taxes. Starting from the title of master, two family members can also be exempted from labor. There are four grandmasters and six exemptions for grandmasters.
Different from the ordinary Dukes and Counts, these titles are personal and cannot be hereditary, and they cannot even be downgraded to hereditary status. But even so, for the craftsmen class, the attraction is still extremely huge. Even for scholars, the same is true. Because in general, the title of duke, prince, or earl can only be obtained by military merit or by relatives.
Under the new title system promulgated by Emperor Chongzhen, this set of titles is actually not limited to the craftsmen group. Scholars and other classes who have made significant contributions can also be awarded the title of master or above. Just like Bi Maokang, Emperor Chongzhen had already sent people to reward him, made him a firearms master, and called him back to serve in the Military War Bureau.
And Bi Maokang, the firearms master, is the first person to be awarded this title after the new title system was introduced in the Ming Dynasty. This first place can be regarded as a face and a kind of comfort for the scholar class.
For now, if all the craftsmen in Ming Dynasty want to obtain a title, they can only do work for the royal family. From a general point of view, the entire world belongs to the emperor, and everyone works for the emperor. Therefore, only those who work for the royal family can get a title, and there is nothing wrong with it.
This announcement was also sent out not only in the capital, but also throughout the country. And it is stated on the notice that as long as you are a craftsman, you can work in any profession. If you think your skills are good, or you have hidden ancestral skills, you can take this opportunity to sell them to the emperor's family.
Since the announcement was made, there was a long queue of craftsmen in the capital who had signed up that day. Emperor Chongzhen was naturally very happy about this situation. His purpose was not just to recruit skilled craftsmen for the War Bureau, but to gather craftsmen from all over the country to complete the inheritance of craftsman skills, that is, to establish a Ming version of a certain technical school. Forming a systematic craftsmanship system. There are apprentices, craftsmen, masters who research and innovate, etc.
Emperor Chongzhen had reason to believe that after he formalized the technical school, Ming Dynasty's production capacity in all aspects would be greatly improved. Of course, this is not something that can be accomplished overnight, it will take time.
Thinking about this, he looked at the dozen memorials selected from the imperial case. Among them, there are memorials from Zuo Yingxuan and Chen Hongxu who have gone to perform their duties, as well as memorials from Fang Fengnian, who was demoted. They are all memorials from the area that was ravaged by the Jianqi. At this time, statistics on all aspects are finally available. results.
It can be said that once Jianlu entered the pass, the damage caused to these places in the Daming Pass was devastating. The economic losses are even more incalculable. This was a ruthless move that really stabbed the Ming Dynasty to bleed. Even if there were no natural disasters, the giant Ming would not be able to withstand such bloodletting a few times. What's more, now there is a natural disaster, and he has been stabbed four times.
Looking at these memorials, Emperor Chongzhen sighed and said: "No matter what, we can no longer let the Jianlu invade the pass!"
And this was also the reason why he had long thought about sending Lu Xiangsheng, a powerful official with both civil and military skills, to restore Dongjiang Town and prevent the Jianlu from leaving Liaodong. However, this is easy to say, but there are still many difficulties in doing it.
First of all, Lu Xiangsheng took office almost alone, and his subordinates are now under the jurisdiction of the Royal Horse Supervisor. After he leaves, new recruits will be recruited for training and veterans will be selected to become the backbone. It is impossible to take action in a short period of time. It doesn’t matter if you have money, that’s one of them.
Second, a prerequisite for restoring Dongjiang Town is the navy. As for the Denglai Navy, most of it was lost due to the previous Denglai rebellion, that is, the rebellion of Kong Youde and others, and most of the rest were taken by Kong Youde to surrender and build captives. It was also because of this that Jianlu had the opportunity to cross the sea and fight, and captured the foundation of the Dongjiang River, Pi Island.
Today's Denglai Navy exists in name only. Although Emperor Chongzhen allocated money to Lu Xiangsheng, it was impossible to immediately create a naval force even if he had money. This also takes time. Whether it's building ships or training sailors.
Of course, the previously discussed transfer of the Fujian Navy to the north was one solution, but Emperor Chongzhen was not sure that Zheng Zhilong, who was now the overlord of the sea, would obey the order. After all, judging from the original history, he had no respect for the imperial court at all.
Thinking of this, Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help but recall the information about Zheng Zhilong. After considering half the salary, he decided to give Zheng Zhilong a secret order directly and have the factory guard deliver it quickly.
After finishing this, Emperor Chongzhen considered Lu Xiangsheng's third difficulty. This is what Lu Xiangsheng proposed. To contain more Jianlu troops and eliminate the possibility of Jianlu troops detouring to Mongolia, the containment force in Dongjiang Town must be strong enough. Therefore, an elite mobile cavalry army is what Lu Xiangsheng wants.
Thinking of this, Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help but smile. The Ming Dynasty had no horses!
For the battle in Tianjin, not only the horses of the entire capital were recruited, but even mules, donkeys and the like were also sent to the battlefield. Not to mention anything else, in fact, only half of the people in the hussar camp under the jurisdiction of the Royal Horse Supervisor have war horses available. The most important thing is that not all horses can be used as war horses. Higher requirements made Emperor Chongzhen feel even more helpless.
Where do horses come from?
Emperor Chongzhen thought about this problem and couldn't help but look to the north. There are indeed horses on the Mongolian grasslands, but that is Jianlu territory.
While he was thinking about this issue, a chamberlain suddenly came to report that Chen Qiyu was outside the palace requesting an audience.
Chen Qiyu, the former governor of the five provinces, was previously convicted and exiled to the frontier. Now he was recommended by Hong Chengchou, the governor of Xuanda University, and was able to return to his post. He came back to thank the emperor and prepare to take up the post of governor of the three sides.
When he thought of this, Emperor Chongzhen immediately remembered that he had been exiled to Yansui, which was adjacent to the grassland. Moreover, his new official position is as governor of the three sides, which means he oversees the military and political power of Yansui, Ningxia and Gansu. Ask him, maybe there will be a solution.
So, he immediately issued an order to summon Chen Qiyu to the Wenhua Palace.
Not long after, when Chen Qiyu entered the palace to be honored, Emperor Chongzhen almost didn't recognize him. In the original impression of Emperor Chongzhen, Chen Qiyu was a Confucian official in his prime, with a very official appearance. But when I saw him now, he was only forty-three years old, and his hair was already half white. Although his waist was still straight, there were many more wrinkles on his face. At first glance, I thought he was a man in his fifties or sixties.
But what made Emperor Chongzhen a little gratified was that although he looked old, he was in good spirits.
"When the imperial court is hiring people, Hong Qing recommended it. I have decided to give you another chance." Emperor Chongzhen looked at Chen Qiyu who was standing with his head bowed, and said first, "Are you confident that you can do well in the post of governor of the three sides?"
Chen Qiyu didn't have the kind of reaction to thank him for the great favor upon hearing this, and repeatedly promised that there would be no problem. Instead, he just bowed his hands and said in response: "I wonder if there is any money or food allocated?"
Emperor Chongzhen somewhat appreciated his reaction. If Chen Qiyu agreed immediately in order to become an official, it would make him worry.
Therefore, he smiled and said: "I can give you one hundred thousand taels, but the food will be gone. You need to raise it on the spot after you take office."
In fact, it is impossible to transfer food from the capital, otherwise, it will not be enough to consume on the road.
Seeing Chen Qiyu looking up at him, Emperor Chongzhen added: "I think Sun Qing, the former governor of Shaanxi and now the governor of Jiliao, has done a good job in filling the Qingtun. After Qing takes office, he can be extended to other places without any other requirements." Worry. Do you understand?"
When he said this, there was actually a meaning in it. It means: Chen Qiyu, don’t be afraid of offending others, I am here. Look, Sun Chuanting used Qingtun to pay his wages. I am very satisfied. Now he has been promoted from governor to governor of Jiliao.
Chen Qiyu came from Shaanxi and naturally knew what Sun Chuanting was doing there. On the way here, I also heard about what happened to King Sun Chuantingqin. He was actually very touched by this.
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I'm trying to write another chapter, but I might not be able to finish it. I'll check it out tomorrow.
