Chapter 1177 Geng Zi Juan makes friends
Feng Ziying's counter-general army also put Zhu Zhiren in a bit of a dilemma.
He knew very well that whether the imperial court was responsible for the Qian'an War or the relocation of refugees, both of these matters were actually led by Feng Ziying, and he did not play a big role in it. Under normal circumstances, he might be able to rely on Zheng Jizhi's care. Successfully promoted, but next year will be the integration of Beijing Inspectorate and Grand Planning, especially when the Six Ministries, the Metropolitan Inspectorate, and many prefectures will face major personnel changes. If he wants to enter Beijing, he will inevitably encounter many people who also hope to become a Beijing official. criticism from colleagues.
One of the most fatal weaknesses is that he does not have many tangible political achievements. The Battle of Qian'an and the relocation of refugees can coax outsiders, but for officials in Beijing, especially those who are now cutting their heads to find the weaknesses of their competitors. Competitors are easy targets.
Especially when the Ministry of Personnel will be appointed by scholars from Jiangnan, scholars from Beidi and Huguang will be scrutinized with more critical eyes in this regard. Thinking of this, Zhu Zhiren also realized that he had been a little too optimistic before. Really At the critical moment of competition, there will definitely be people who will continue to bring up these things to hinder you, and it is really difficult for you to deal with them.
But Zhu Zhiren also knows that it is not easy to solve the problem of Huimin Salt Farm.
The Huimin Saltworks has been ups and downs several times. You can imagine how great the interests involved here are. And the fact that these people can invite the Japanese to cooperate is enough to show that these guys have great magical powers. If you want to touch them, you will definitely It will cause them to react violently.
These people are all local gangsters in Yongping Prefecture, involving many gentry in Changli and Leting counties. They are also related to some officials in the capital, and they are also inextricably connected with the northern scholars. This is why Zhu Zhiren is so famous. This is because I have been reluctant to touch this scar for many years.
But now the Ministry of Revenue and the Metropolitan Procuratorate have made major adjustments to the Changludu Salt Transfer Department, which shows that they will not continue to let this issue go. It is also imperative to resolve this matter. If you want to delay it, I am afraid It's hard.
Moreover, what Feng Ziying said is indeed reasonable. Why should he want to be promoted to a capital official? Whether it is the battle of Qian'an or the migration of refugees, he has a political achievement, but the cabinet and the staff will not understand who deserves more credit here. Da, it can be said that he does not have a real achievement of his own leadership, that is, there are people in the government who are willing to help support him, but I am afraid that his words are not enough, and he does not have a strong back when facing the opposition and questioning of others.
"Are you worried about these people spreading rumors in Beijing?" Feng Ziying glanced at Zhu Zhiren's changing facial expression and asked with a smile.
"Ziying, I'm afraid this group of people is more powerful than you think. There are some people involved behind them that you can't even imagine." Zhu Zhiren sighed and put his hand on his forehead, "Let me think about this. Just think about it.”
"Sir, I'm afraid Zhang Shenyan, the censor of Changlu Salt Patrol, won't be able to wait for us too long. In addition, the Denglai Navy has already gone south to Dengzhou. If we really want to do this, it will have to be done in February or March next year. It’s best to solve it in one fell swoop beforehand, and we can also say hello to Navy Denglai first and be prepared to deal with it.”
Zhu Zhiren looked deep and nodded. He knew that he might have no choice, but before doing this, he needed to be fully prepared. In addition, he also had to say hello to some of his connections and friends in Beijing to avoid the possibility of this happening. Get restless and put too much pressure on yourself.
Zhu Zhiren's troubles are beyond Feng Ziying's consideration. This is something he can do by himself, but now it is not suitable for him to take the lead.
The Qing army and the liquidation of hidden households under his own leadership, as well as the large-scale introduction of Shanxi businessmen to Yongping to open mines and build factories, have greatly damaged the interests of the local gentry. Although this is inevitable, these gentry still cling to the As long as the land and the farmers attached to the land do not let go, this kind of conflict is inevitable, but after all, this is the foundation of Beidi, especially the foundation of his teacher Qi Yongtai, so Feng Ziying has to think more about it.
It is not that there is no one who can compete with Qi Yongtai for the hearts and minds of the scholars and people in Beizhili. For example, Zhao Nanxing, who is now living in seclusion at home, has a bad relationship with Qi Yongtai, but he also has high prestige among the scholars in the north. Before he retired to seclusion, Zhao Nanxing also He once served as Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and was once expected to join the cabinet. However, he was forced to resign due to the exclusion of the then Chief Assistant Shen Shixing. This time, there are also high calls for Zhao Nanxing to return to power.
Feng Ziying also needs to consider Qi Yongtai's situation. Beizhili is Qi Yongtai's foundation. If it harms the interests of the gentry too much and fails to let them see hope, it will inevitably affect Qi Yongtai's future status. This is very important to Feng Ziying. Just as disadvantageous.
In particular, seeing the continuous shipment of large amounts of iron materials, iron products and cement, as well as the trade transfer at Yuguan Port, these gentry saw a line with the traditional land output and ordinary oil pressing, flour grinding, cloth selling, Selling grain is a completely different way to make a fortune.
According to feedback from various channels, many powerful gentry in Lulong, Luanzhou, Qian'an, and Funing counties have already sought compromises, or have shown signs of actively bowing to Feng Ziying. After all, time waits for no one, and opportunities are more important. Can't miss it.
Shanshan and Shaanxi merchants are the most powerful group among the Northland business gangs. Whether they are Beizhili or Shandong merchants, they are not enough in front of Shanshan and Shaanxi merchants. With their support, Feng Ziying can indeed not buy Yongping Mansion. The face of a gentleman.
"Then Sir, do you still want Mr. Zhu to take charge of the Huimin Salt Fields?" Wu Yaoqing was a little puzzled. "Since these gentry in Yongping Prefecture have already had this idea, we only need some goodwill from our side. They They can immediately crowd over. The Yongping gentry is the strongest with the Lulong and Luanzhou gentry, followed by the Qian'an and Changli gentry, and the Leting and Funing gentry again. As long as Lulong, Luanzhou and Qian'an plus the Funing gentry are added Turning to us, the gentry in Changli and Leting can no longer affect the overall situation. What's more, if it is spread out, many of them will be ruined, and may even have their homes confiscated and annihilated..."
Feng Ziying naturally understands Wu Yaoqing's thoughts. It seems that this is the best opportunity to completely regain the Yongping gentry. Why give up such an opportunity to Zhu Zhiren? Isn't it good to use it to accumulate your own influence and prestige?
"Yao Qing, I have only been in Yongping for less than a year. Although I am dedicated to doing things, you can also see how many waves and criticisms it has caused. I heard that there is also a rumor in the government office that only knowing and knowing is not the same. People who know the prefect are afraid of what they say." Feng Ziying sighed leisurely, "Do you think Mr. Zhu feels uncomfortable in his heart or has any resentment?"
Wu Yaoqing sighed. He had naturally heard such words before, and Zhu Zhiren could also hear them. However, Zhu Zhiren had never expressed them in words, but this did not mean that Zhu Zhiren did not care.
"If Mr. Zhu intends to become an official, then that's it. But this time he has the opportunity to be promoted to a noble position in the capital, so his mentality will be different." Feng Ziying explained patiently: "He also needs to Accumulate some reputation and show some actual results, so I will hand over this matter to see his attitude."
“What if Mr. Zhu refuses to take over?” Wu Yaoqing also spent a lot of effort investigating this matter and basically figured out the situation, so he was quite reluctant to give such a big credit to Zhu Zhiren.
"If he refuses to take over, it can only mean that he has no ambition to do anything. This kind of people are worthless even if they join the capital as officials. Naturally, I will do it." Feng Ziying narrowed her eyes slightly, "But as long as He is willing to do it, and of course I hope he can do it. This can be regarded as a pledge of honor. No matter what his heart is, this matter can be regarded as a matter of merit and disregard of heart."
Wu Yaoqing nodded silently.
"Yao Qing, there are still many things I have to do in the future. It cannot be done by me alone, nor can it be done by just a group of us. We need to win over and contact more people, seek common ground while reserving differences, and let them join in. Come in and do it together. As long as we can coordinate on the general direction and principles, we can all work together..."
“What do you mean, sir, that the Yongping gentry can also join in to open mines, iron plants, charcoal fields and cement plants?” Wu Yaoqing was a little unbelievable.
“Of course, why not?” Feng Ziying looked at Wu Yaoqing, “Yaoqing, do you think I value money so much?”
Wu Yaoqing slowly shook his head.
For example, the new iron smelting process and cement formula can be said to be top secrets worth hundreds of millions. Another person might not be willing to sell them even if he had three hundred and fifty thousand taels of silver to buy them, but this man is very generous. Taking the initiative to hand it over to share with everyone and make a fortune together is something that even a fool would not be able to do in the eyes of outsiders.
This is why businessmen from Shanxi and Shaanxi have gathered around Feng Ziying for such a period of time, and they are totally committed. They just think that Feng Ziying is a person who does big things, and they don't care about these yellow and white things at all. By cooperating with such people, they firmly believe that there can be bigger things in the future. Harvest, so they knew that the investment in building the Lulong-Funing-Yuguan cement concrete road was huge and there was not much return in sight, but they still agreed in the end because they felt that Feng Ziying must have a reason for doing this, even if it was to invest in him. It's all worth it.
"Yes, I don't value money that much. Money is something external. And I always think that money has to be spent to be called silver. What is not spent is stored in a silver cellar or a bank. It is a bunch of dead things and has no meaning. ." Feng Ziying said with certainty: "If the Yongping gentry is willing to join in and use the money they buried underground to invest in the construction of mines and iron plants to produce iron materials and sell iron products everywhere, why not do it? At least it can help. The imperial court’s taxation can also enable more people and families to afford things like iron materials, ironware and cement.”
(End of this chapter)