Chapter 556: Grand Plans at the Foot of the Academy

It was May.

The north has warmed up thoroughly and all things are thriving.

The Changping Public Security Bureau once again made a plan for its jurisdiction.

Several farms, textile mills, mints and arsenals were formally handed over to the court.

By the way, several newly built factories have also started recruiting workers.

One in and one out.

For the people of Changping, it is just a few more places to make money.

Sweet potatoes are no longer a rarity nowadays.

After several years of development and accumulation, the Ministry of Revenue has filled the large warehouses in Beijing with sweet potatoes.

This thing is really filling.

As long as you pay a little attention to storage, there will be no problem keeping it in the warehouse for a year or two.

By taking out the old and keeping the new, the accumulated sweet potatoes will not sprout and rot.

In the fertile fields of Changping, people no longer plant sweet potatoes in the best irrigated land, but only in ditches and slopes.

The best land is used to grow fine crops such as rice and wheat.

Public Security Department Office.

Xu Wei, who is now acting as Si Zheng, although he holds another position in the court and is a fourth-rank official, ultimately he only needs to deal with the duties in Changping.

"We have accumulated a lot of new vegetables from overseas in the past few years. Now we are planting them in batches according to the seasons suggested by Bai Fugui and others. We haven't found a good plot of land to plant them, so we only use a small plot of land next to the ditch to plant them."

Xiao Junpeng, who had been promoted to deputy director of the Changping Public Security Bureau, sat in the court with a petition in his hand, reporting to Xu Wei, who was sitting at the top but looking outside, obviously thinking about something else.

Seeing Xu Wei didn't speak.

Xiao Junpeng added: "The transfer of factories has been completed this time. The managers in those factories have been evacuated and relocated to the newly built factories. The court has not said that they will replace the workers. We will still use people from Changping. But I think... if we continue to build factories, I am afraid that there will not be enough people to farm the land by then."

This is a headache for Xiao Junpeng, who is now very successful in his career.

On one side are the farmlands that cannot be delayed and provide food for everyone, and on the other side are the factories that can earn more money.

At present, the people of Changping can be said to be a little too arrogant.

When going out, everyone will say that farming is not as good as working in a factory.

Xiao Junpeng lowered his head and muttered: "But we can't let everyone work in the factory, nor can we let everyone stay in the fields to grow crops. But we in Changping definitely can't continue to build factories like this. In my opinion..."

At the end, when the words were on the tip of his tongue, Xiao Junpeng closed his mouth with hesitation.

Xu Wei, who was originally lost in thought, suddenly had a flash of eyes. He lowered his head slightly and looked at Xiao Junpeng who remained silent.

"Any ideas?"

"Even if it's a bad idea, you still have to say it out loud."

Xiao Junpeng looked up at Xu Wei, who had come to his senses. His lips moved as he finally proposed in a deep voice, "I think we have to do both. The farmland must not be left to waste, but the factory must also continue to develop. If so, can we submit a petition to the court and ask for permission for our Public Security Department to recruit workers from the counties under the jurisdiction of Shuntian Prefecture and bring people from other places to work in the factory?"

After saying this, Xiao Junpeng lowered his head cautiously.

Because what he proposed actually violated the imperial laws and even violated the ancestral system.

Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the imperial court has issued a strict order that no citizen in a county is allowed to leave the border without an escort.

Although the people were not completely confined to the villages in the countryside and unable to move, they were not allowed to step out of the county.

For the imperial court, this is naturally beneficial to governing and managing the local areas.

If the mobility of the people is reduced, they can concentrate on farming and reduce the occurrence of bandits and robbers.

But to some extent, it also hinders the upgrading of production methods.

Xu Wei immediately turned around and looked over.

Feeling the gaze from above, Xiao Junpeng lowered his head even lower and explained in a low voice: "I was just speaking casually, please don't be angry."

“I think this is a good idea.”

However, contrary to Xiao Junpeng's expectations, Xu Wei actually approved of this idea with a smile on his face.

But he quickly spoke again: "It's just..."

A sigh.

Xu Wei slapped the table and stood up.

Xiao Junpeng also stood up and looked at the other party: "What do you want?"

Xu Wei waved his hand and said, "I'm going to the academy first, and we can discuss this matter later."

Xiao Junpeng nodded repeatedly: "Then I will go to the mint and the arsenal first. Although these two factories have been handed over to the court, we in Changping still have a share after all. We can't let those people sent by the court ruin them."

Xu Wei did not comment much on what Xiao Junpeng said.

The mint was established by Yan Shaoting when he was in Beijing. In addition to the Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial Treasury, Changping or the Yan family also had a share in it.

It’s just that outsiders don’t know it on the surface.

And it doesn't account for much, so it's just hard-earned money.

The Yan family didn't ask for this hard-earned money, and the profits had long been handed over to the Changping Security Bureau to be distributed as dividends to the people of Changping at the end of each year.

This is even more true at the arsenal. The new artillery has been proven, and this time when the army went on the expedition, the Shenji Battalion used all the new artillery. They also received news that the artillery is indeed better than before.

By now the Cabinet has already issued an order, with the Ministry of Revenue providing the money and the Ministry of War making the plan, requiring the arsenal to hurry up and build a batch of new artillery. It seems that the Ministry of War wants to replace all the artillery in the nine borders, and the navy in the south has also submitted a petition clamoring to equip the warships with the latest artillery, with a larger caliber.

The imperial court will be in charge of these matters, and Changping will naturally have to keep an eye on them as well.

Ultimately, it’s all about the New Deal.

After the two men left the yamen, they went their separate ways.

Not long after.

Xu Wei arrived outside the academy.

Today, the entire Shuyuan Mountain is surrounded by a wall, and Changping Academy has also built separate branches along the mountain to specialize in certain fields.

The Shuyuan Mountain, which was once bare, is now planted with trees and has become lush and green over the past few years.

Xu Wei couldn't help but think of what Yan Binke said before he left the capital, that the issue of firewood and charcoal in the country should be rectified and the people should not be allowed to continue cutting down trees in the mountains.

Xu Wei vaguely remembered that what the guests mentioned most was the banks of the Yellow River in northern Shaanxi, and the most important thing was to plant trees and prohibit cutting down trees.

Although he was not clear about the relationship between planting trees and alleviating the flooding of the Yellow River.

But banning indiscriminate logging will not have any impact.

It's just that it will probably make a lot of people in Jin richer.

After all, the history of mining and using coal in the Central Plains dates back to the Tang and Song dynasties. Nowadays, in winter in Beijing, more than half of the people use coal mined from the Western Hills to keep warm and cook.

It is no secret that Shanxi has an abundance of coal.

But the guest is not in the capital at the moment, so there is no clue about these matters.

Xu Wei walked into the academy with a serious expression.

Soon they found the old tutor Yan Song, who was drying books with his men under the library.

In the yard, besides Yan Song, there were three old masters: Nie Bao, Wang Ji and Qian Dehong.

The four old men led the teachers in the academy who had no classes that day, going in and out of the library, moving the books.

Seeing Xu Wei coming, Yan Song saw him immediately and pointed at him with a teasing look on his face. He then turned to Nie Bao and the other two beside him and said sarcastically, "See? He's here to cause trouble again."

Xu Wei hurriedly stepped forward with a smile, took the book from the old master, and spread it out on the bookshelf: "You are just making fun of me. I am not here to cause trouble this time. I have something to tell you."

Yan Song hummed twice, slowly sat down on a chair beside him, picked up the teacup, drank tea and panted.

He tapped his legs and looked up at Xu Wei: "Since you want to talk about something, then tell me. What is it that you want an old man like me to know?"

Xu Wei still walked forward with a smile on his face, and then moved a stool to sit in front of Yan Song: "The court has probably made a clear decision recently. The cabinet cannot stop the emperor's determination. I'm afraid you will be promoted to a higher rank."

Yan Song immediately raised his eyebrows and glanced sideways at the three mahjong partners who were also sitting down to rest and drink tea.

His expression was quite interesting: "So, I can be considered to have enjoyed the blessing of having children and grandchildren?"

Nie Bao coughed twice before speaking, "Runwu led the army to fight this time, and the news of the great victory has been reported back a long time ago. He is still outside the Great Wall, so a large reward is definitely not appropriate. We have to wait until the war is completely settled and the army returns to the court before we can give him a large reward. But the Hetao area has been lost outside for more than a hundred years, and now the merit of recovering it is probably what the emperor wants to do. In this way, it is reasonable for you to take the credit for Runwu's establishment."

After finishing speaking, Master Nie coughed several times again.

He is really old now, and his health has been worse since the Chinese New Year. He has even been coughing for several months.

I went to see Li Shizhen, and he just said to keep it.

Wang Ji glanced at Xu Wei and asked, "I think it's unlikely that he will be granted the title of Duke. If so, then he should be Marquis? Marquis of Changping?"

Xu Wei nodded and said, "Yesterday, Lu Fang sent someone to deliver the news. The emperor probably meant this. The title of Marquis of Changping will be passed on to guests in the future. So this reward should be given to the guests."

Several old masters nodded.

Even if Yan Shifan had a few more sons now, the Yan family's property would not be inherited by them.

Who made Yan Shaoting the eldest legitimate grandson?

Maybe one day Yan Shifan will die before Yan Shaoting, and then after Yan Song dies, the title of the Yan family will directly fall on Yan Shaoting.

Even Yan Hu couldn't take away even a single bit.

Qian Dehong narrowed his eyes and said, "Throughout history, officials who have made contributions have been promoted to higher positions. Now that the promotion has been decided, when Runwu comes back, will he be promoted to a higher position?"

While asking the question, Master Qian was also staring at Xu Wei.

Since Lu Fang was able to pass on the news of the Yan family's promotion to the title, the emperor must have already made plans for the arrangements for Yan Shaoting after he returned to the court.

Xu Wei nodded. "It's just that it's not about promotion or advancement. Eunuch Lu didn't explain it clearly. He just said that the emperor originally intended to let the guests into the cabinet, but was stopped by Gao Gong. In my opinion, even if the emperor really wants to let the guests into the cabinet, it's probably impossible. The emperor is not like the previous emperor. It's impossible for him to go against Gao Gong and the cabinet. In this case, the only place left is the six ministries."

Yan Song stared at Xu Wei with a scrutinizing look, his eyes moving around, and did not speak for a long time.

In the yard, the only sounds were those gentlemen moving books and drying them.

After a long time.

Yan Song then spoke: "Since you are here, you must have some ideas."

Xu Wei smiled immediately: "Sure enough, nothing can be hidden from you, old man."

"Slippery!"

Yan Song pointed with his hand and said, "Tell me whatever you are hiding, or you will feel uncomfortable."

Xu Wei bowed and said, "I am thinking that although it is not clear now, the relationship between the emperor and the prime minister may not be as we previously thought. In this case, there will definitely be many changes in the court. When the guest leads the army back to the court this time, it is better to stay out of it and wait and see. When the central government has decided who is superior and who is inferior, the guest can then come forward to do things."

As soon as these words came out.

Even the gentlemen who were drying books in the yard stopped and the noise instantly died down.

Yan Song took a deep breath and said, "This is not a good sign."

Originally, in everyone's eyes, Gao Gong was the emperor's master when he was in the prince's residence, and he was a real imperial teacher.

This kind of relationship is far better than ordinary.

But now Xu Wei's words undoubtedly meant that there were some problems in the relationship between the emperor and the prime minister Gao Gong.

The emperor and the prime minister are not on good terms.

For most people, it is indeed a good thing.

But for the Yan family at the moment, it is definitely not a good thing.

Xu Wei nodded, "That's what I mean. If Gao Gong was still in power, he would have promoted the Jialong New Deal and smoothed out the previous personnel issues. It would have been much easier for us to take over and do things later. But now the Qingliu Old Party is still in the court, and the Jin Party is eyeing them covetously. In the southeast, since Xu Jie and others have stepped down one after another, there is also a tendency for each party to split up and govern themselves. Once Gao Gong, the strong leader, is gone, the struggles in the court will probably become more intense."

Yan Song immediately asked, "What changes have there been in the court regarding the Gia Long New Deal?"

Xu Wei replied: "Before the late emperor passed away, he left three tasks, namely, measuring the land, clearing the troops, and compiling the register. Now, only the register is being processed. The local vassal states are not as powerful as the central government. A few days ago, I went to Beijing and the Ministry of Revenue also said that in a few days, the land under the names of the vassal states will be completely cleared. However, there are still differences on whether to keep or take it away, and whether to exempt or tax it."

Following Xu Wei's explanation, Yan Song suddenly snorted coldly.

There was a hint of sarcasm on his face: "These people, after all these years, have only been able to use the clan's vassalage to speak and act. If the knife really falls on them, it is absolutely unacceptable."

Measuring land is to seize the interests of the gentry and wealthy families.

The Qing army cut off the benefits of meritorious military generals.

Such a thing that offends the civil and military officials in the court is naturally extremely difficult to implement.

But the situation is different for vassal states.

In public, these people are all royal children, members of the royal family. But secretly, they are not even as good as a fart.

The imperial court would also always be on guard against these people secretly growing stronger and having evil intentions.

After all, no one now thinks that the Ming Dynasty will be destroyed one day, but one day perhaps a vassal king will suddenly go crazy and start a rebellion, raising the banner of the Jingnan Campaign again.

For obvious reasons.

The central policy of restricting the vassal states that has been passed down for many years can naturally be used by everyone.

Yan Song looked at Xu Wei and said, "Tell me, you said you wanted Shao Ting to take care of Wang after he came back, but you certainly didn't want him to do nothing. Tell me your plan."

Xu Wei nodded in agreement.

Think again and again.

He then spoke: "I am stupid, and I personally think that the main purpose of the guests' return to the court this time is to suppress the southeast and ally with Jin. However, no matter the southeast's clean stream or the Jin party, they cannot last long. From now on, the only way to achieve great things is to keep Yang Wang in the court and cultivate a new party."

…………

Monthly PassMonthly Pass
(End of this chapter)