Chapter 108

"Well done!

Winter plowing has ended, and the next focus of this commander is training soldiers, and the energy put into other aspects will be slightly less.

The mine is the only industry that can see returns in a short period of time.

Whether we can have a good year depends on these industries, so you should keep an eye on it more often.

I heard that the Prefect's government office is preparing to hold a big auction, you can pay attention to it.

If there is a shipyard auction, send someone to inquire about the news.

If the price is right, it is not impossible to take down a shipyard."

Li Mu said calmly.

Yangzhou Battalion has been recruiting for such a long time, except for the preliminary training earlier, most of the time the soldiers were farming.

The destruction caused by the war is too great, and there are no draft cattle in Yangzhou territory at all.

In this day and age, draft cattle are important means of production and generally will not be sold.

What appears in the market for trading are either some calves that have just been weaned for a long time, or old cattle that have lost their ability to plow.

After getting the land, Li Mu sent people to buy draft cattle in surrounding prefectures for the first time, but ended up buying back some calves.

Without a year or two of careful feeding, they simply cannot be used.

In the absence of draft cattle, in order to resume farming as much land as possible, more manpower had to be invested.

Not only did the soldiers participate in the labor, but even the prisoners of war borrowed had a large part in farming.

If all were sent to mine, the coal mine production capacity would not be just that little.

Of course, the main reason for low production capacity is the limited development of the ore vein, which cannot accommodate too many people to work together.

"My lord, it is probably too early to get involved in the shipyard now.

You have been in the inland for many years and don't know that the competition among shipyards in the southeast coastal area is very fierce.

Because the quality of the ship is directly related to life and property.

Merchants have fixed partners and will not easily change partners.

The income of Yangzhou gentry is mainly based on salt, silk, and land, and they are not involved much in the shipbuilding industry.

The seven major families have their own shipyards, but they are mostly for building some inland transport ships.

Occasionally building a few sea ships is also mainly for self-use.

Affected by the rebellion, even if the shipyard facilities were not damaged, the craftsmen were long gone.

Even if these difficulties are overcome, raw materials are also a problem.

Shipbuilding has high requirements for wood, and the processing of the craft alone cannot be solved in a short time.

High-quality shipbuilding wood has long been booked in advance by people.

Latecomers who want to intervene must pay a high premium.

Under the condition that everything goes smoothly, the construction cost is far higher than that of peers, which does not have economic value at all, and it is better to buy directly from outside.

If you want to see results in the shipbuilding industry, without continuous investment for more than ten years, it is difficult to have competitiveness.

Unless the lord is determined to take root in Yangzhou Prefecture for a long time, otherwise the student does not suggest you intervene rashly."

Lan Linjie tried to persuade.

During this period, he made up for a lot of knowledge about Yangzhou Prefecture.

Yangzhou shipbuilding industry belongs to the second echelon, and there is technical reserve, but it cannot stand the fact that the customer base is mostly inland.

The most developed area of the shipbuilding industry in the Great Dayu Dynasty is also the area where overseas trade is most prosperous, and sea ships of thousands of tons can be built.

Merchants engaged in overseas trade in this day and age are all licking blood on the edge of a knife at sea.

Their base camp is not in Yangzhou, and the face of Li Mu, this Yangzhou Assistant Regional Commander, is really not very useful.

Originally, the stall was laid out big, and if it continued to expand, it would be a big trouble once transferred away in the future.

In this era of backward communication, the difficulty of managing industries remotely is not ordinary.

Powerful officials in the capital setting up industries in other places are also mainly based on land.

It is not because farming makes more money, but purely because the land management model is simple and relatively easy to manage.

Even if the steward below cannot help but reach out, he dare not do it too excessively, and the basic income every year is guaranteed.

Changing to other industries, it is completely different.

It is very complicated to manage, and a decision-making error may lead to a loss.

"Mr. Lan is right, I was indeed a bit anxious.

The water in the shipbuilding industry is too deep, it is not suitable for deep intervention for the time being, let this matter stop here!"

Li Mu sighed and said.

Whether to take root in Yangzhou Prefecture for a long time has little to do with his investment in the shipyard.

It is mainly because of insufficient financial resources, which limits his plan.

Otherwise, as long as he is willing to lose money, no matter whether there is an order or not, pure money smashing can smash out a top shipyard.

In the eyes of the outside world, the most profitable industry is salt, and salt merchants are recognized as the richest in Great Dayu.

But Li Mu knows that the plate of overseas trade is much larger than salt.

Great Dayu's goods have a near-monopoly position overseas.

After a ship of goods goes to sea, it is the norm for the price to double several times.

Clearly drooling over overseas trade, limited by his own insufficient strength, he can only watch from the sidelines.

On land, he, this Assistant Regional Commander, is a figure in the local area.

If he goes to sea, he is a fat sheep.

Sticking his head in foolishly, the huge number of pirates overseas alone can eat him clean.

Not to mention that sailing is a technical job; without enough sailors and experienced captains, he doesn't even have the qualification to enter.

"My lord, you overstate it!

Although the shipbuilding industry cannot be intervened, the fishing industry can still be developed.

Affected by the imperial court's sea ban, the lives of fishermen in coastal areas are not good.

If the lord can provide them with shelter, it should be able to attract some people to come.

Small fishing boat construction technology is simple, with a few skilled workers, even a dock is not needed.

The student has calculated that by next month when the coal mine production capacity increases, the mine can achieve profitability.

If the silver mine and copper mine resume operation, the income will be even more considerable."

Lan Linjie said excitedly.

The boss is willing to listen to persuasion, which is really the best.

What the staff worries most about is that the master acts arbitrarily and rushes in regardless of the consequences when seeing benefits.

In the Great Dayu Dynasty, officials making money also have boundaries.

Everyone usually does it in their own one-third of an acre of land; running to cross the line to do things usually leads to collective resistance.

If you want to expand industries into other fields, you must abide by the rules set by others.

Capital.

After the struggle for entering the cabinet ended, a new round of political storm broke out in this ancient city.

Officials who stood on the wrong side paid a painful price for their rash behavior.

In just one month, more than 80 people were demoted and exiled.

The heaviest losses were neither the eunuch faction nor the so-called pure stream, but the previous neutral faction.

It is not that being neutral will be suppressed, the key is that these people were not neutral enough and participated in the struggle for entering the cabinet.

What is even worse is that the candidates they supported lost in this competition.

Every cabinet minister in the Great Dayu Dynasty can form a system of his own and pull out a faction in the court.

The labels of eunuch faction and pure stream on their bodies are actually given by the outside world.

It is nothing more than that political concepts are close, and cooperation has been carried out in the short term, not whose vassal.

Today supporting the pure stream on this issue, tomorrow supporting the eunuch faction on that issue, and the day after tomorrow maintaining neutrality on a certain issue.

They make decisions based on specific things, not purely based on factions.

Not only cabinet ministers are like this, but important officials like the Six Ministers also have their own claims in politics.

Completely defecting to one side as a younger brother, even if the person himself can accept it, the emperor will not agree.

Under this background, Pang Hengsheng, this Chief Grand Secretary, is a bit miserable.

Originally thinking of doing a big job after taking office, practicing his political concepts, and making some achievements for the outside world to see.

Reality is cruel; among the cabinet ministers, he cannot command a single one.

The group of important officials in the court also only gives him the face of the Chief Grand Secretary on the surface.

High position and great power, but the control over the court is very limited.

Emperor Tianyuan played the power balance clearly; if the Chief Grand Secretary wants to monopolize power, there is no possibility at all.

If you want to promote a policy, you must find a way to persuade most of the court officials to support it before it can be implemented.

Relying on the status of the Chief Grand Secretary to force it down is not impossible.

It's just that no one can guarantee what it will be implemented into.

At this moment, he realized the bitterness of his predecessor; it is no wonder that Song Haidong became a good old man, purely forced by the situation.

Fighting wits and courage with a group of old foxes every day, it was fine when he was young, but once he got old, his energy couldn't keep up.

It just so happens that the younger brothers under his command are not at peace, and everyone is anxious to take office.

"Grand Secretary, His Majesty has not held court for almost a month.

Many things have been handed over to Zuo Guangen to handle, and the eunuch faction's arrogance is high; you cannot sit idly by!"

Hearing the complaint of Zuo Ding Yushi-in-Chief Lu Zhifan, Pang Hengsheng glanced around.

Eunuch faction, pure stream, when they reach his position, none of them are important.

Before taking office, you need to put political labels on yourself, but after taking office, you need to dilute these labels.

The Chief Grand Secretary is the Chief Grand Secretary of the Great Dayu Dynasty, not the Chief Grand Secretary of a certain party.

Everyone understands the truth, but being in the situation, it is not that you can jump out if you want to.

"What are you panicking about? The sky won't fall.

His Majesty is unwell and needs to rest for some days.

In this freezing weather, you all in the Censorate submitted memorials asking His Majesty to be diligent in government; have you ever considered His Majesty's dragon body?"

Pang Hengsheng scolded unpleasantly.

Knowing that Emperor Tianyuan's health is not good, yet running to nag people to be diligent in government every day, it is clearly adding trouble to the emperor.

As a censor, this is his job responsibility, and it is understandable.

But it can't stand someone climbing up the ladder, and Zuo Guangen caught the opportunity and beat several who were making a lot of trouble to death.

Involving sensitive topics like the emperor's dragon body, the cabinet tacitly chose cold treatment.

In other dynasties, the emperor not holding court might be a big deal.

But Great Dayu is different; there are many emperors who don't like holding court.

Whether it is the hundred officials or the folk, everyone is accustomed to this.

Anyway, there is a cabinet, even if the emperor doesn't hold court for decades, the court can still operate normally.

Predecessors were able to manage the court affairs in an orderly manner under the situation that the emperor did not hold court.

If it doesn't work when it reaches him, wouldn't it make him, this Chief Grand Secretary, look incompetent.

As long as he is willing to delegate power, the emperor can come or not; he is too lazy to tangle on this issue.

The only thorny thing is that while Emperor Tianyuan delegates power, he also puts a vicious dog next to him to watch.

"Grand Secretary, admonishing the monarch is the censor's duty.

That Zuo Guangen, who beats censors who submit memorials to death at every turn, this style cannot be allowed to rise!"

Lu Zhifan said anxiously.

The emperor's health is not good, and he also knows it.

But it can't stand the subordinates wanting to take the opportunity to invite fame.

Censors are not afraid of being beaten; after being beaten, they can also gain a great reputation within the pure stream party.

For many officials without background, this beating is a precious political resource.

Unfortunately, their luck is not good, and they met Zuo Guangen, a guy who doesn't talk about martial arts.

Directly let his subordinates add ingredients; after a beating, there are not many injuries on the surface.

After people are sent back home, they can arrange for people to hold a funeral.

One might be bad luck, but after several people died in a row, everyone knew that the eunuch had played a black hand.

After such a thing happened, he, this Zuo Ding Yushi-in-Chief, must stand up.

"Hmm!

What you said is right, this style really cannot be allowed to rise.

However, these censors who were beaten to death were all caught by the eunuch, and then he played on the theme.

The punishments on the surface are all in accordance with the Great Dayu Law.

His Majesty hates forced dragging the most; if we directly file a lawsuit in front of the imperial court, we won't take any advantage.

The autumn taxes from various places have successively entered the treasury.

Especially the sharp rise in salt tax made His Majesty very happy.

The eunuch faction is recently tinkering with levying commercial tax and mine tax; arrange for people to push behind the scenes and let them do it more radically."

Pang Hengsheng said slowly.

As the Chief Grand Secretary, he does not oppose tax reform.

The Great Dayu Dynasty is so poor; if it doesn't open source, it will be poor to death sooner or later.

He also knows clearly how great the risk of promoting tax reform is.

Being able to collect salt tax is a miracle.

If it weren't for Emperor Tianyuan suddenly taking action and catching all parties off guard, it would be impossible to complete at all.

The same operation cannot be carried out a second time.

As a member of the vested interest group, he does not have the courage to cut his own meat, but he can incite political enemies to do it.

Commercial tax and mine tax are collected, the imperial court's finances are rich, and he, this Chief Grand Secretary, is a beneficiary.

In the history books of the future, he is the creator of the Tianyuan Restoration.

As for the eunuch who executed it specifically, he will only appear as a supporting role, and may even be reduced to a negative character.

Anyway, history books are written by literati and must be towards their own people.

If the reform fails, it is also the responsibility of the eunuch faction, and political enemies can be hit in the trend.

"Grand Secretary, this matter involves too much.

If it spreads out, I am afraid it will cause shock in the court and the public.

It must be stopped!"

Lu Zhifan hurriedly tried to persuade.

As the Chief Grand Secretary, no matter whether the reform wins or loses, Pang Hengsheng is the winner, so naturally he must actively promote it.

But he, this Zuo Ding Yushi-in-Chief, cannot; the sensitive government office of the Censorate has always been the base camp for opposing reform and upholding ancestral systems.

On the one hand, upholding ancestral systems can effectively limit monarchical power and ensure their transcendent power of hearing and reporting.

On the other hand, it lies in the fact that they are all members of the vested interest group, and tax reform moved their own interests.

"If you want to make it perish, first make it crazy!

Such a simple truth, you shouldn't not understand, right?

If you want to topple the eunuch faction, without paying a price, how can you succeed!

The more reforms the eunuch faction promotes, the more enemies they face, and the closer they are to destruction.

If you can't think through this problem, you don't have to think about toppling the eunuch.

Resign from office and go home early, so as not to end up with your head and body in different places, and also implicate your clansmen!"

Pang Hengsheng scolded immediately.

The situation in the court is so complicated; wanting to make achievements is really too difficult.

He has also reached the age of seventy, and does not have the courage to break through the heavy obstacles and make a career.

What he can do now is to secretly promote reform and incite the eunuch faction to act as the vanguard of reform.

"Grand Secretary's lesson is right, the subordinate has been taught!"

Lu Zhifan said with a trembling voice.

Thinking of the miserable encounter of the previous Zuo Ding Yushi-in-Chief, his persistence in his heart disappeared all at once.

(End of chapter)