Chapter 2648 The Gui Zi Scroll is undercurrent and anxious.
The attack on the grasslands has not yet risen to the will of the country, as long as the Chahars and Tumuts do not launch a large-scale attack on the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Such small-scale raids and plunders would hardly make Da Zhou think of taking action against the grasslands, because the price would be too high.
Until transportation difficulties and logistical support are not completely resolved, the money spent on conquering the grasslands is like running water, and it is not easy to solve the Jurchen problem in Jianzhou.
In the eyes of the imperial court, the Chahars and Tumuts were far less threatening than the Jianzhou Jurchens, but Liaodong was indispensable, so they spared no effort to deal with the Jianzhou Jurchens first.
Now I can finally breathe. The ten-year development plan for Liaodong proposed by Feng Ziying does not require much money from the court. At most, it only provides some policies. All the princes are happy to see the results. They wish Feng Ziying could stay in Liaodong forever. As for the interests on the grassland, they are not enough for these interest groups to have this idea.
Whether it is the gentry and merchants from Jiangnan or the merchants from Shanxi and Shaanxi, they all have their own goals now.
Businessmen in the south of the Yangtze River still have their sights set on maritime trade and Southeast Asia. The Baluan Island (Palawan Island) on the Luzon side has officially entered the development stage. The coastal plain of the island has fertile land, and the cultivation of rice and sugar cane has begun to take shape. .
Three crops a year and the huge profits from sugar cane have also aroused great interest from merchants in Jiangnan and Guangdong and Guangdong. Therefore, starting from the pilot project of Baloyuan Island, it has attracted the attention of merchants from Jiangnan and Guangdong and Guangdong at all times. This power has also aroused the interest of Zhou merchants in many islands further south, because there are more lucrative spice cultivation profits there.
It turns out that everyone is still worried that Nanyang is too far away. Once the merchants or the people who have moved there are invaded and attacked, it will be difficult for the court to respond in time. But now as the Denglai Navy and Fujian Navy become more powerful, the Guangdong and Guangxi Navy began to After the Jurchen threat in Jianzhou disappeared, the imperial court was already considering exchanging part of the Denglai Navy and the Fujian Navy with the Guangdong and Guangxi Navy so that they could become familiar with the sea conditions on the Nanyang side as soon as possible and form an understanding of the Nanyang Zhuge Liang as soon as possible. deterrence.
Dongfan has become a model. Salt, rice, gold sand, and big wood were originally the four major specialties of Dongfan. However, now sugarcane cultivation is rapidly catching up. Cane sugar has replaced gold sand and become one of the four major specialties. It has begun to be continuously supplied to Jiangnan and the capital. .
Businessmen from Shanxi and Shaanxi focused more on the physical industries of iron smelting, ironmaking, cement, and shipbuilding. In particular, shipbuilding was originally relatively developed in Jiangnan and Guangdong and Guangxi. However, with the development of Dengzhou, Yuguan, Dagu, etc. With the rapid rise of the local shipbuilding industry, the shipbuilding industry in the north has gradually been able to keep pace with that in the south of the Yangtze River.
In the two major industries of steel and cement, the north has formed an overwhelming advantage over the south.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Commerce, Northland accounted for more than 70% of the entire Dazhou steel production in the third year of Wantong, while the South accounted for only 30%. In terms of cement production capacity, Northland accounted for more than 90%. Currently, it is the only one in Jiangnan. A cement factory is in Xuzhou, which was also invested and built by businessmen from Shanxi and Shaanxi.
With the popularization of the use of cement, the demand for cement in various places is also increasing. The construction of new cement plants in Jiangnan, Huguang and Guangxi is also a formal necessity. Therefore, businessmen from Shanxi and Shaanxi also moved south in large numbers, setting up factories in Guangzhou, Jinling, and Suzhou. Cement plants are set up in places such as , Nanchang and other places in order to be closest to the consumption areas and maximize profits.
Under this situation, the two major forces that can influence the imperial court in the Great Zhou Dynasty currently have little interest in the grassland. They are all focusing on the industrial upgrading of Nanyang and the mainland. This is where the most benefits lie. Moreover, the current situation in Liaodong After stabilizing, Feng Ziying provided them with a testing ground in Liaodong that was broader than the grassland. Of course, they were more willing to operate in Liaodong.
When the report of the Liaodong war was sent to the capital city, the imperial court immediately announced to the outside world the news that shocked the whole country. Nurhaci died of illness, the Jurchens in Jianzhou and even the entire Quanzhen clan surrendered. Liaodong was unified and completely included in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Jurisdiction includes Hetuala, the so-called "capital" of Jurchen in the original state.
From the capital city to Jinling, Yangzhou, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Wuchang, and Guangzhou, newspapers and periodicals everywhere quickly published the news, and many literati also began to write about such a war with great fanfare based on the various information they had. The specific process and the significance of victory.
Without the Jurchens in Jianzhou as a serious problem, Zhou Dynasty was like a dragon and tiger freed from restraints, and could advance its strategy in any direction according to its own wishes.
The Imperial Household Department can also usher in a period of respite after experiencing years of painful financial constraints, and can make plans for the next step of the imperial court in accordance with its own intentions.
"I see that Dazhang and Wenruo have been here a lot during this time. They are busier than during the war some time ago. Does your husband really intend to continue working in Liaodong?" Shen Yixiu was very curious about this. .
"Wen Ruo and Da Zhang helped me a lot. Although they did not play an obvious role in the war, they played a major role in logistical support and civil affairs. Although the subsequent events have little to do with the war, they will be important in the future. One year will lay a solid foundation for the development of Liaodong in the next ten years. I hope that when I leave, the three divisions of Liaodong can be established, the administrative structure must be laid out, and the layout of the prefecture must be laid out. This is what I have worked hard for I don’t want people to take political measures and end up with a dog’s tail but a tail end.”
After Feng Ziying checked her daughter's homework, she put her daughter on his lap and sat down. "The imperial court's approval comes back. Liaodong needs more officials, including the establishment of prefectures, as well as the next steps of acknowledging the government envoys and the prosecutors." The establishment of an envoy requires a large number of officials, and the construction must keep up with it. It is very complex and cumbersome, and it also takes time. I need to be in charge to ensure that I don't go astray..."
"Then my husband means that it's too early for us to go back, at least until next year?" Shen Yixiu laughed, "I have no intention of returning to Beijing in a hurry. Now all the sisters have come to Liaodong, except for Liaodong The time in winter is too long and it’s a bit boring. Everything else is pretty good, and we don’t have as many social activities as in Beijing...”
"Wan Jun's words are a bit untrue." Feng Ziying laughed, "In my heart, I still hope to go back earlier, but I am afraid that the court will suddenly ask me to go back and delay things here, so I am seizing every opportunity during this period. Do it first. When you really want to leave, you have to arrange many things. If you are not in the center, it is difficult to grasp the overall situation. I always feel that time is not waiting for me..."
“I feel like my husband is always anxious, and I don’t know if it’s my misunderstanding.” Shen Yixiu said with a smile while holding his two-year-old son.
Shen Yixiu's intuition was correct. Feng Ziying was indeed a little anxious. From Chai Ke's letter, he knew that Qi Yongtai's health was getting worse and worse. He had been recovering at home for ten days last month. There were also some ups and downs in the cabinet. It seems that many people are not optimistic that Qi Yongtai can complete a five-year cabinet term.
If Qi Yongtai's health is unable to persist, once he becomes an official, then according to the original agreement between scholars from Beidi, Jiangnan, and Huguang, Gu Bingqian will take over as the first assistant. However, the original agreement was that Qi Yongtai would become an official after the five-year term, and he would pull Li Sancai to become an official. It has only been more than two years, is Li Sancai willing to take up his official position?
If Li Sancai refuses to become an official, even if Gu Bingqian succeeds as the first assistant, he will face challenges from Li Sancai. Li Sancai will definitely have to compete for the second assistant, and he still has a good chance.
If Li Sancai wins the position of second assistant, Gu Bingqian's prestige and character may not be able to suppress Li Sancai. The cabinet will definitely be unstable by then. It is hard to say which side Guan Yingzhen, Huang Ruliang and others will favor.
Once this situation becomes turbulent, Emperor Wan Tong, who has been dormant, might get involved.
In the past few years, Emperor Wan Tong has behaved quite low-key. Even though the court has not made it clear who will succeed the crown prince, Emperor Wan Tong only criticized and dissatisfied, but did not show too much fierceness. This is exactly what Feng Ziying is most worried about.
In a sense, Gu Bingqian and Li Sancai have something in common.
Gu Bingqian was the original "Emperor Party" during the reign of Emperor Yonglong. However, Gu Bingqian benefited from the split between the north and the south and stood firmly on the side of Ye Fang and the two. His bet was successful, and because of his seniority, he was able to join the cabinet and become the second assistant. Huang Ruliang and others were too junior in qualifications, otherwise Gu Bingqian wouldn't be able to get their turn.
Similarly, when Li Sancai joined the cabinet, he did not get much support from scholars. The Northern scholars were too close to the Jiangnan scholars because he was from the North. The Jiangnan scholars were friendly with him but they were not from the North. I supported him very much, but in the end, he got through the door of Emperor Yonglong, quietly confessed his sincerity to Emperor Yonglong, and finally entered the cabinet with a final decision.
This is also the reason why scholars have always been somewhat suspicious of him and even rejected him.
Of course, it was just a suspicion that Li Sancai had access to the Yonglong Emperor's door at that time, and there was no definite evidence. It was just a mental testimony, and now that times have changed, there is nothing to say.
It's just that both Gu and Li have a "record" of making peace with the emperor, so it's hard to say what will happen if Emperor Wan Tong discovers an opportunity that can be exploited and tries to disrupt it. misfortune.
Feng Ziying doesn't like this uncertain situation, he wants to control the situation.
(End of this chapter)