son-in-law

Chapter 1081 Chapter 1022 The Great Tide of the Times (1)

Chapter 1081 Chapter [-] The Great Tide of the Times ([-])

Fuzhou.

It was raining heavily outside the not-so-luxury palace, and lightning and thunder came from far away from the direction of the sea.

Zuo Wenhuai sat on a chair in the middle of the imperial study room, and was talking about a series of things about the Southwest with the young emperor in front of him. Zhou Pei, Cheng Zhouhai and others were also accompanying him.

"... Regarding the development of Gewu here, when I came, Mr. Ning once mentioned that the southeast side is suitable for the development of sea-going ship technology. The artillery and other things on the battlefield, the technologies we brought are enough, and the southeast is just right. The coast, and the need to develop commerce and trade, from this line, the research profit may be the greatest..."

"But sea-ship technology is not very useful on the battlefield." Zhou Junwu looked at Zuo Wenhuai and smiled, "On the battlefield, artillery, gunpowder and other things are reliable after all. Relying on these sent by Mr. Ning, we may be able to defeat Wu Qimei , but if one day we finally meet the Huaxia Army on the battlefield, during the time we studied sea ships, the artillery and rockets of the Huaxia Army have been replaced for several generations. Do you want to marry the army?"

"Forgive me...you can speak bluntly." Zuo Wenhuai hesitated and cupped his hands, "Even if we develop artillery together, the southeast side will not be able to catch up with the Huaxia Army after all."

He followed Zuo Xiuwen and a group of young people from the Zuo family from the southwest, and traveled thousands of miles to Fuzhou. Not long ago, he still regarded himself as a soldier of the Huaxia Army in terms of thinking, but he was also affected by this side in terms of identity. I know that these words may be a bit outrageous to the people in front of me.But fortunately, after saying that, no one showed any anger.

The eldest princess Zhou Pei with a graceful attitude even smiled: "Why?"

"There are two problems in the development of Gewuxue. On the surface, it seems that it is just Gewuxue research. It is enough to invest money and manpower to invent some new things. But in fact, the deeper thing lies in the popularization of Gewuxue thinking. The researchers and everyone involved in the research work are required to have a clear concept of Gewu, one is one, the other is two, let people know that the truth will not be transferred by people's will, the researchers involved in the direct work must understand this, The officials at the top must also understand this, and whoever doesn’t understand will affect efficiency.”

In Southwest Ningyi's lectures, he explained things in great detail about Gewu, so Zuo Wenhuai also spoke clearly at the moment.

"Gewu research and Gewu thinking complement each other. If the research work is done well, the thinking will be improved. If the Gewu thinking is improved, the research of Gewu can naturally be done better. In the Huaxia Army, Mr. Ning has been laying down Gewu for people since the Xiaocanghe period. It took more than ten years to learn the basics of thinking, and it took more than ten years to achieve today's results. Southeast has to catch up in these two aspects. First, it will take several years to thoroughly understand the existing achievements. gone."

"For more than ten years in the Huaxia Army, they have been doing research and making breakthroughs every day. During this process, the researchers have formed a clear method of comparison, induction, and summary. Southeast is here to copy other people's existing technology. Maybe researchers take a look, pat their heads, and find that they understand, it’s as simple as that, and when they study new things, they will find that their physical thinking is not enough.”

Zuo Wenhuai paused: "As far as I know, His Majesty has been imitating and researching hot air balloons and cannons a long time ago. They are all already owned by the Huaxia Army, but it is very difficult to copy them. Your Majesty will be the craftsman Gather them together, let them use their brains, and give money to whoever has a good method, but the method of these craftsmen, in short, is to pat their heads, try this and that, this is luck. But the real research lies in research The ability to compare, summarize, and summarize. Of course, His Majesty has been promoting the study of things for so many years, there must be some people who have such a methodology, but if they really want to go to the forefront of the world, this kind of thinking ability must also be the best in the world. One, the six relatives don’t recognize each other, if you are vague, you will fall behind.”

"I like that you don't recognize your relatives." Zhou Junwu answered seriously now, but it was not easy to see what he was thinking.Zuo Wenhuai looked around and found that Zhou Pei and Cheng Zhouhai also had solemn expressions, so he stood up and cupped his hands: "It's... my minister Meng Lang."

"It doesn't matter." Jun Wu smiled and waved his hands, "You have studied in the Southwest for many years, and it is very good to have such a straight-forward temperament. What the Zuo Family of Zhenyang invited you back is also these outspoken truths. From these In the words, I can see what kind of place Southwest is, don't change it, and continue to talk about why you want to study shipping ships."

"Only relying on a thorough understanding of off-the-shelf technology, the effect of cultivating the thinking of things is limited, because these researchers easily feel that they have made results and can deceive others, and their pressure is not strong enough. It is better to find a more urgent need here, and the results are not enough. It is easier to test the field, let people do research. For those who can solve problems frequently, it is convenient to select out, the survival of the fittest, and promote them to develop the correct way of thinking."

At the end of Zuo Wenhuai's words, Jun Wu and Zhou Pei nodded in the room, and Cheng Zhouhai said: "I have always developed sea-going ship technology, and now the southeast coast is well-developed, and there is no shortage of space. Mr. Ning asked our side to care about the sea-going ship, it is not a good idea for An De to be afraid."

"Money is always... going to be short." Zuo Wenhuai looked at a few people. He was new here and didn't know much about these things, so he hesitated to speak.Then he said: "In addition, Mr. Ning once said that the ocean is vast. On the one hand, it connects various foreign countries, and sea transportation is profitable. On the other hand, the ocean is barbaric. Once you leave the shore, you can only rely on yourself for everything. In the case of pirates and enemies, whether the ship can be stronger, and whether the artillery can shoot a few inches more are all practical things. Therefore, if we want to promote long-term technological progress, the ocean environment may be more critical than the land.”

"Of course, this is... the idea of ​​the southwest side. Mr. Ning has a long-term vision. In the past few years, he mentioned the benefits of opening the sea several times in the chat, and most of the talks were long-term benefits. Now that Wenhuai is here, he can The short-term benefits I think of are nothing more than maritime trade. Raising troops is too expensive, but maritime trade is very profitable. Moreover, better ships and guns will make you better off at sea. I don’t think this is always true will change..."

After Zuo Wenhuai arrived in Fuzhou, Junwu would have an interview almost every other day. At this time, talking about the ocean was more like a small talk. After he handed over the words, he stopped being persistent. It is not something that can be said in a few words.And no matter whether we develop maritime research or not, the work of replicating artillery must be put first. This is something everyone understands.

After chatting like this for a while, the heavy rain gradually subsided, and Cheng Zhouhai sent him away from the palace.When Cheng Zhouhai returned to the imperial study, Jun Wu and Zhou Pei were holding teacups and talking in a low voice. Cheng Zhouhai saluted, and Jun Wu waved him to sit down.

"This person from the Southwest is admonishing us." Zhou Pei said, then looked at Cheng Zhouhai, "Do you think this is the Southwest's idea, or the Zuo family's idea...or his own idea?"

"Ning Yi's thoughts are very clear." Cheng Zhouhai smiled, "He can give us cannons, give us objects, he can let us defeat other people, with his usual domineering, maybe he wants to Let us train him some researchers with that kind of thinking, so that in the future he will rule the world and collect everything in his pocket, let us develop shipping technology, maybe he will come over in the future, and this technology will be his.”

"Wen Huai also makes sense." Jun Wu smiled while holding his teacup, "Gewu thinking is very important. When I was in Jiangning Jiangewu Research Institute, I recruited a large group of craftsmen and raised them every day. I order good things out, and when I have good things, I don't hesitate to reward them, and even want to confer titles on them... This is not wrong, but only with such means, those craftsmen are just trying their luck after all, they still have to let They have the way of comparing, summarizing, and summarizing. It is the right way. When he said it, I just felt like a slap in the face. If I had heard these words a few years earlier, I would have avoided a lot of detours."

He took a sip of tea, and the reason for his serious expression may be that he remembered the past with Ning Yi when he was in Jiangning. Unfortunately, he was too young at that time, and it was impossible for Ning Yi to talk to him about these complicated things. When the detours can be solved with a few words, the mood will eventually become complicated.

Cheng Zhouhai said with a smile: "I wanted to say that Mr. Ning directly threw the artillery technology over, because he didn't want us to develop our own conspiracy of thinking about things, but think about it, it's really a bit of a bargain to sell it."

"The young people from the Zuo family have been taught well, so there is no need to embarrass him." Zhou Pei said, then frowned, "However, he did not mention shipping for nothing. I got the news yesterday that Wu Peiyuan was transported from Jiangnan West Road. The shipment that came was robbed on the way. I still don’t know if it’s true or not. Several shipments from Guangzhou are now postponed. From last year to now, many people who originally shouted to support us are now starting to make a fuss. Both ends. Fujian originally had high mountains and long roads. They added some plugs on the way, so many things could not be transported in. Without trade, there would be no money. With the current commercial tax of Haimao, we can only survive until August.”

"The last few times I have been out of the palace, I think the outside is not bad, it is thriving." Jun Wu muttered while drinking tea.

"You open the sea ban, distribute acres of land, encourage farming and mulberry, and encourage commerce. Of course, the small people in Fuzhou are doing well. But the original big family, they didn't rely on doing small business in Fuzhou, buying some snacks and cooking cakes. Living. In the past, they had people outside and had connections in the army, so they took advantage of the convenience to transport things out of Fuzhou and bring things in from outside Fuzhou. Now we have received most of the power here, and those who lose power will run away Go to other places to do business. When the water is clear, there will be no fish. Can we still rely on those who sell cakes and farm to transport things out?"

"In the past year, you have done a lot of things, all of which cost money." Zhou Pei broke his fingers, "You have raised the two armies of Han and Yue outside, set up a military training school, let those generals come to study, and set up a newspaper office. , to expand the Gewu Research Institute, conduct population and acre censuses, and build ordnance workshops... This time when things from the Southwest come, you have to expand the Gewu Academy. If you have no money to expand, you can only slowly adjust..."

It's actually not the first time that Zhou Pei has babbled like this.Since the intention of the new court in Fuzhou to "respect the king and fight against the barbarians" became apparent, the actions of a large number of Wu dynasty clans who originally stood on Junwu's side have slowly changed.Advice on the policy of "governing the world with the scholar-bureaucrats" has been raised, and the old ministers in the court made various insinuations and hoped that Junwu would change his mind.

In the outside world, some old Confucian scholars who were originally loyal to the Wu Dynasty and who wanted to support Fuzhou stopped their actions, and some of the teams that brought supplies were in danger on the way.No one directly opposed Junwu, but these big clan forces located on the transportation road only slightly relaxed their deterrence against the bandits and caravans nearby. Fujian was originally a place with rugged mountain roads, which subsequently led to the continuous reduction of commercial and transportation forces.

People are waiting for Junwu's remorse and turning around. Junwu, Zhou Pei and others also understand that as long as he stops this tendency of centralizing power, the original loyal ministers of the Wu Dynasty will continue to make supportive actions one after another—— At least it's better than supporting Wu Qimei.

Jun Wu looked at the map on the wall of the study room. He now really owns a small territory, from Changxi (Xiapu) in the north to Quanzhou in the south. Many places in the south belong to him in name, but they are actually waiting and watching, vacillating. , the two sides maintained a superficial harmony, and some supplies were sent over from time to time, and Jun Wu did not continue to use troops south for the time being.

The power of the small imperial court in Lin'an is now concentrated in the Yongjia (Wenzhou) area north of Changxi, and a large number of fortifications have been built to prevent Junwu from going north, and the coastal defense has also been strengthened.This is the clearest line of conflict between the two sides. In theory, since Junwu claims to be orthodox, it is impossible for him to hide in Fuzhou all day long. Sooner or later he has to choose to fight Yongjia and return north to Lin'an.

"Will we have money if we win Yongjia?"

"It will be better if you go out of the mountains, but if you go outside, you will still be controlled by Wu Qimei, Tie Yan and others. Sooner or later, they will be destroyed."

"Kill them, and the next step is to fight the Fair Party." Jun Wu looked at the map, "He Wen, still don't want to talk about it?"

There was silence in the study.

"... I recently talked with General Yue. Fuzhou has just taken root, and there are not many artillery pieces for the time being, but it doesn't matter much. According to Han and Yue, if we go all out, we can barely eat Wu and Tie's million-strong army, but once Going north and protruding from the mountains in the southeast, we must be prepared to fight a series of big battles... If we can take back Lin'an, there may be some turning points, but judging by the current momentum of the Fair Party, I am afraid they will not stop for a while .”

When Jun Wu said this, Zhou Pei said: "You are already the emperor, and now everyone is watching our actions. If you have been hiding in the southeast and have not gone north for a long time, then I am afraid that people's hearts will change."

"Going north, after fighting Lin'an, and then fighting He Wen, I thought so too. But no matter how I think about it, I still feel wrong, especially in this year, the fair party's changes in Jiangnan, it is different from the past Peasant uprisings and religious riots are different. It uses the methods taught by Mr. Southwest Ning, but it can be achieved to such a degree in a year. Why doesn’t Mr. Ning use them? I think such violent methods are not superhuman. Whether it can be controlled or not depends on the right time, place and people, and it cannot last for a long time, it will have an accident sooner or later, and I can't hit it when it is burning the most."

"Throughout the ages, no emperor has ever been afraid of rebellion..."

"We only have a few cities, so we forget about the thousands of miles of territory we used to have. Think of yourself as a little emperor in the southeast, and slowly expand the territory." Jun Wu smiled, and he looked up at the map without moving for a long time. open.

"Haimao..."

he murmured.

……

It was already summer in Fuzhou, the sea breeze came and went, and there were a few more thunderstorms. The scene in Fuzhou city was changing in full swing.

After the little emperor showed his political inclination to respect the king and fight against barbarians, many large-scale commercial and trade operations that were originally intended to be sent to Fuzhou stopped, but after the original coastal port became the core of the regime, the increase in commercial scale washed away such signs.All kinds of reforms have won the hearts of the people at the bottom and the scholars at the bottom. Coupled with the traffic of ships, the scene on the streets always makes people feel full of vitality.

In mid-May, about 20 days after the arrival of the Southwest Huaxia Army group, some complicated atmospheres were gathering in the city.

It was a night when the moon was thin and the stars were scarce. In the restaurant called Gao Fulou in the east of Fuzhou City, the servants sent off the guests early, cleaned the floor, hung up lanterns, and arranged the environment.

As it approached Haishi, a carriage stopped outside the building.

In the large private room at the top of Gao Fu Building, a private party began to take shape.

The first person to arrive here was the owner of Gao Fulou, Gao Fulai, one of the most famous maritime merchants in Fuzhou. After Gao Fulai, was Shang Bingchun, another big businessman with a fleet.

The third person who arrived was a fat man with a white scarf on his head. His name was Pu Annan. His ancestors were foreigners who migrated from Arabia. He has been Sinicized for several generations, and now he has become a rich man who occupies a place in Fuzhou.

The fourth person who came was a chubby old Confucian scholar with half white hair and calm and proud eyes. This was Tian Haoran, the patriarch of the famous Tian family in Fuzhou.

After the four of them took their seats, they exchanged a few pleasantries, and only then did the fifth person be led over from the secret passage.This man was tall and well-proportioned, with dark and rough skin. At first glance, he looked like a man on a ship who often traveled to sea. This was Wang Yikui, the most powerful pirate "Dragon King" on the southeast coast.

He silently pulled the fifth chair beside the round table and sat down.

"Drink tea."

Gao Fu said.

Wang Yikui picked up the teacup, sniffed it, drank it down in one gulp, and put it down.

"Let's talk about something serious." Gao Fulai said, "everyone has heard the recent rumors that the Huaxia Army has come to a bunch of bastards and chatted with our new emperor about the prosperity of the sea. The court is short of money, so now we plan to develop sea ships with all our strength In the future, let the two fleets go out and make money with us. I heard that their ships will be equipped with iron cannons from the southwest... The emperor wants to focus on shipping. Next, our maritime merchants will prosper."

He spoke festive words, but his eyes were cold and his words were also cold.

The Wu Dynasty attached great importance to commerce and trade, and did not restrict the sea too much. When the Wu Dynasty ruled the entire Central Plains, the maritime trade in the southeast developed well, but it occupied a vast land. After paying taxes, scholars and bureaucrats do not engage in the barbaric work of maritime merchants, and there is a kind of reservedness of a gentleman who stays away from the kitchen.

When the Wu Dynasty moved south to Lin'an, the southward movement of the economic center made it easier for Fuzhou and other places to receive various goods, which further promoted the development of maritime trade. Of course, during this period, some rich families noticed this piece of fat and came to try to get a piece of it. .But the sea is a barbaric place, and ordinary forces cannot form a group, and it is difficult to penetrate into it. After more than ten years of fighting, until the Jurchen went south again, the Wu Dynasty collapsed.

For Jun Wu, Zhou Pei and others who came to the southeast to conquer Fuzhou, the maritime merchants here adopted a positive and positive attitude, and also donated a lot of property as military expenses to support the little emperor to fight north from here.On the one hand, of course, it is necessary to keep a piece of incense, and on the other hand, becoming a temporary political center here will naturally attract more business contacts.

But right now, the little emperor is going to study sea ships and sea trade...

"...it shouldn't be doing this."

The chubby Pu Annan pressed his hands on the table and spoke calmly.

(End of this chapter)