My Brother-in-law is the Prince - Chapter 459

Chapter 459 Surprising number

Zhu Gaosui frowned subconsciously after hearing Jin’s words.

To be honest, Zhang Anshi took advantage of him on weekdays, and finally had a chance to take advantage of Zhang Anshi. This Jiegong not only prevented him from taking advantage of it, but also gave him a lot of favor.

But Zhu Gaosui is not stupid, he is just a prince, and he does not need to use his brain to do things that others have racked his brains.

Because of this, like Han Wang Zhu Gaoxu, he usually uses less brains, and gradually this brain is not their strong point.

But Zhu Gaosui still knows this truth.

Especially when he came to Java, without Zhu Di’s protection, he had to make up his own mind about everything, and he had already honed his appearance at this time.

After pondering for a while, he said: “Jie Gong has a high opinion, that’s the way to do it. Are these measures?”

“The direction of the general policy is like this, but the details must be handled well.” Xie Jin thought for a while, and continued to patiently say: “This is the way of the world. If there is one thing that is not done properly, all previous efforts will be wasted. The surplus grain in our plantation, first move it Go to the port to stockpile. In addition, it is best to make grains into polished rice first. In this way, more people can eat the same load. Let’s get this done first. The miscellaneous goods waste the transport capacity, and the other is that after they are transported to Taiping Mansion, they can be put into the warehouse at any time without spending time threshing the grain. It will be of great use.”

“In addition, before the rice is put into storage, it is best to seal it and find a way to dehumidify it. When it is loaded on the ship, it will prevent the sea water from getting wet along the way, so some tarpaulins are requisitioned first.”

“Oilcloth?” Zhu Gaosui was shocked, his face full of confusion.

You must know that this tarpaulin is a good material for moisture resistance. This thing is definitely not a rare item in Taiping Prefecture, but it is very precious in Java.

After all, Java is inherently humid, so the storage of gunpowder requires a great demand for oilcloths, and these oilcloths were originally purchased from Taiping Mansion.

But once the oilcloth is used to protect the food from moisture, what about the gunpowder? Do you want to order again in the future? This is just another expense.

When Zhu Gaosui thought of this, his heart ached.

Why didn’t Xie Jin know Zhu Gaosui’s mind, so he smiled and said: “Your Highness, a good man must not be half-hearted if he wants to go to the end. If not, it would be better to earn some petty profits in front of him. Once the oilcloth for military supplies is requisitioned , it does affect us, especially in the military. But think about it, Your Highness, the gunpowder will not be usable for the time being, and we will wait for a few months. When the ordered oilcloth arrives, there will be no problem. Now that the natives have heard about His Highness, they will They are terrified by the news, His Highness has stood still for several months, and they absolutely dare not make a mistake, even if they make a mistake, my Zhao army has enough fine food, even if the amount of gunpowder is reduced, it is enough to subdue them.”

“But His Highness has to think about what the disaster victims of Ming Dynasty think, and what His Highness Wuhu County King thinks. His Highness has thought about what they can think of, and what they can’t think of. This… is different.”

As he spoke, Xie Jin’s face became serious, and he said very seriously: “Your Highness, think twice.”

Zhu Gaosui was entangled, but he was still convinced by Xie Jin’s words. So after pondering for a while, he finally nodded and said, “According to Mr. Jie, what else is there?”

Xie Jin said: “You have to repair the book, but don’t send it out now. When the grain ship of His Royal Highness Wuhu County arrives, His Highness will teach them to bring it back. In this letter, the words must be sincere, and naturally there is no need to be too respectful. After all, His Highness is Tianhuang nobleman is a prince, in the letter, there is no need to mention the common people, only the old relationship with His Royal Highness Prince Wuhu.”

“This…you do it, Xie Gong writes a copy, and then I will be able to transcribe it according to the cat and the tiger.”

Regarding this, Zhu Gaosui is still very self-aware, and Xie Jin is more capable in writing essays.

So Xie Jin said: “I will do my best.”

Zhu Gaosui still had some hesitation and said: “Jie Gong…will there be no food ships?”

“There will be.”

Zhu Gaosui said: “But… even though there are many disasters, after all, the Taiping Mansion hoards a lot of money and food on weekdays, and the imperial court also has a lot of food in storage, which should be able to support it.”

Xie Jin smiled, and looked at Zhao Wang Zhu Gaosui with a determined look: “Your Highness does not know, the so-called catastrophe, in many cases, may not be the food of the world, it is really not enough to fill the stomachs of the world. It has always been a matter of people being hungry and thirsty, and the more hungry and thirsty, the more food is in short supply. Therefore… if it is not unexpected, I think that this food shortage may become an important competition in the Daming Temple last time. Now The comparison is, who has more food on hand.”

Zhu Gaosui took a deep breath: “You say that, but this king is even more confused. Hey… Is this Ming Dynasty such a place of right and wrong?”

Xie Jin said: “Your Highness is in Java because there is a clear distinction between the enemy and the enemy here. The enemy is the enemy, and I am me. We all resist foreign aggression. If we fight in the same room, then these 100,000 Han people will die without a place to bury them. If someone is really greedy Nian, the big deal is to take it from the natives.”

Speaking of this, Xie Jin paused for a moment before saying again: “But Daming is different. If you have more points, he will lose one point. What is the so-called benevolent government and the so-called governance by doing nothing? It is the imperial court who meddles in their own affairs, and the rural people There are people who take care of things, and those who take care of these things have long been deeply rooted in the countryside, so naturally they don’t want the court and the government to interfere.”

“And what about the so-called New Deal? The name of the New Deal sounds good, but when you think about it carefully, isn’t it actually taking away the land and population of the people with deep roots and meddling in their business? Here, everyone There are their reasons, and everyone has a high-sounding excuse, because of this, so this is a life-and-death struggle, and there will be no end to death.”

Zhu Gaosui sighed: “Aren’t there any good people?”

Xie Jin said: “It doesn’t matter whether you are good or bad, what matters is which side your Highness is on. If your Highness is a gentry, there are ten thousand hectares of fertile land in Daming, and there are groups of servants, who get fame by reading the Four Books and Five Classics, they will naturally stand there.” However, if His Highness runs a business, controls the sale and purchase of seagoing ships, or…works in a workshop, he may feel that the New Deal makes sense.”

Zhu Gaosui immediately said: “Then the king and Zhang Anshi are in the same group.”

Xie Jindao: “That’s right, the crux of the problem is here, because His Highness is related to the interests of the King of Wuhu County, so we need to do everything possible to donate food. Zhao Guo can be short of grain savings for a year or two, but His Royal Highness Wuhu County King But we must win, because this is closely related. I, Zhao Guo…after all, rest with it, and I have thought through the stakes. Other things…that is, the minutiae. None of that matters.”

Hearing this, Zhu Gaosui suddenly looked at Xie Jin with complicated eyes, and then sighed: “If Xie Gong had such thoughts at the beginning, maybe…he wouldn’t have fought with Zhang Anshi to the death.”

Zhu Gaosui showed a bit of emotion on his face.

Xie Jin was still calm, and said without changing his face: “If I am still a scholar of Wenyuan Pavilion, I still have to fight. At the level of a minister, sailing against the current, if you don’t advance, you will retreat. Since you are already in a high position, how can you be subdued by a Under a young age, relying on others? At the beginning when I fought with him, now I am friendly with him when I am in Java. This is precisely because I can think clearly about the advantages and disadvantages. At any time, I don’t act emotionally. Your Highness, a man should act like this. ”

These words can be said, it can be seen that there is enough trust between Jian Jin and Zhu Gaosui.

The two of them were originally in Daming, and they were considered proud at the beginning. One was to guard Beiping by order, that is, his father handed over his base camp to him, and at the same time controlled the border town, as a prince, to guard the promise for his father. In Zhu Gaosui’s view, his father had complete trust in him for a share of the family property, not to mention the fact that he had military power, so maybe there was a possibility of competing for the reserve.

The other is a scholar of Wenyuan Pavilion, who is also deeply trusted. He can be said to be a young man with great ambitions, and his future is imaginable.

But who would have thought that both of them were beaten up, and finally came to Java obediently.

But here, as far as the eye can see, there are undeveloped dense forests, and there are countless natives.

This also forced the two to depend on each other and help each other.

What’s more, the temperaments of the two are actually quite similar. Xie Jin is deep-minded, and has the unique arrogance of scholars. As for Zhao Wang, Zhu Gaosui, the nobleman, his eyes are high above the top, but at the same time, he is also very scheming.

The two of them can be regarded as Wang Bayu Mung Bean, and they actually have a sense of confidant.

Therefore, Xie Jin can say some heartfelt words. In fact, there is no other way. For a very smart person, when he arrives in such a place, the people around him are not rough. Even if he has some education, his education level is probably enough No, I can’t even speak, and I can only hold back my talent in my belly.

Only Zhu Gaosui, who has really seen the big world and received a good court education, can barely understand it.

It’s just that Zhu Gaosui is also very dependent on Xie Jin. Apart from speculation, he actually discovered that many of Xie Jin’s words are really useful here. People want to come to Java, and if you kneel down and beg, they will refuse to come.

As for the gentry who were deceived, they all have some skills. Although the gap between reconciliation and Jin is not small, on the other hand, both Zhu Gaosui and Xie Jin are on guard against them.

Everyone is not a fool, if you cheat your family to come to Java, the fool knows that the other party must hate you so much, but there is nothing you can do about it, how dare you trust him?

After taking a long breath, Zhu Gaosui said: “This king understands. In a word, everything should be done according to Xie Gong’s instructions. This matter…take it as the top priority. How much grain does Zhao Guo have? As long as there are enough grain boats, As long as that guy Zhang Anshi wants to take it, we Zhao Guo will tighten our belts and we will definitely support it to the end.”

So Xie Jin said with relief: “With your Highness’s words, then I will arrange and arrange.”

Everything is as Xie Jin expected.

Sure enough, after half a month, a large number of ships really docked.

They brought a large amount of firearms, silk, cotton cloth, and tea. As soon as they landed, they immediately started buying grain.

What surprised these merchants was that Zhao Guo had already made preparations. A warehouse of grain had already been prepared, and it had already been packed tightly. on board.

Everything is in order.

Within three days, the ship returned directly.

In the past, even if it was the fastest, it would be absolutely impossible to go from purchasing to transporting to the port, to loading and sealing, plus ship supplies and repairs, without a month.

Java doesn’t have much, except food.

And Luzon, Annan and other places are actually not bad.

The king of Han was proud, and Annan had too much food. Zhang Anshi needed it urgently, so he naturally agreed.

King Ning was shrewd. He not only let the ships arriving in Luzon load food, but even offered a bounty near Luzon, asking Western ships to send food to Taiping Mansion.

Most of these local merchant ships are small in size and cannot withstand too much wind and waves. Going out to sea and sailing is almost equivalent to risking their lives.

Even many pirates in the depths of the ocean are waiting for the wind. After all, in the past two years, the business of beheading has not been easy to do, and the transportation of food seems to be lucrative. , actually entered Hong Kong.

At first they were quite wary, fearing that the officers and soldiers were cheating, but who knew, the other party didn’t ask their identities, but only taught them to take things as payment, and then taught them to carry food and board the ship, and then taught them how to grow long shovels. Take a breath.

Food in places like Xiyang is actually worthless. On the one hand, the population of Xiyang as a whole is far less dense than that of Daming. On the other hand, the land here is too fertile. Even lazy people don’t need intensive cultivation, and the cultivated land can be harvested twice a year. In a place where grain can be produced by sowing a handful of seeds, the grain yield may not even be low.

Suddenly, hundreds of thousands of ships raced to gather at Songjiang Port along various routes.

Zhang Anshi’s side, in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas, there are also many grain boats passing through the river and transporting them slowly.

Of course, these grains are still a drop in the bucket. He is not letting go of any opportunity to get grain now, trying all channels, from sea transportation, to river transportation, and then to inspecting the grain depots in various prefectures and counties in Zhili.

In a blink of an eye, it is the end of the year.

In the past few months, the entire Taiping Mansion seems to have become a huge barn.

Hoarding food and other things is the most important test for officials. From storage to moisture protection, to ensuring that food is not lost in large quantities, and even to auditing and accounting, every item is crucial.

Although these things are done with great fanfare, in reality, they don’t care too much.

On the one hand…Maritime transportation is not much interested in understanding, except that Jiangsu and Zhejiang have harvested some grain and let people know, this is just that some people think that Zhang Anshi is using it to help the victims of Zhili.

Not long after, Yang Pu and Zhu Jin, the left servants of the Ministry of Marine Affairs, came to see him.

Zhang Anshi was in a good mood, looking at them with a smile.

The two of them have lost a lot of weight, especially Zhu Jin, who used to have a big belly, but now feels completely thinner.

Zhang Anshi said: “I have been thinking about you all the time, and I am thinking in my heart, how is your errand going? Why is there no news so far? Unexpectedly, you have just finished reading, and you will arrive It can be seen… it is caused by sincerity, gold and stone are opened, and there will be echoes if you do not forget.”

Both of them laughed.

Zhang Anshi continued: “Have you checked the granaries everywhere? There are also new grain ships entering the customs… how many are there every day?”

“Your Highness.” Yang Pu said: “The officials here have already inspected. In order to deal with so much grain, Taiping Mansion built several large granaries, and changed many of the original warehouses into granaries. , Now it has been carefully verified, and now the Taiping Mansion is stockpiling grain… 17 million shi…”

Zhang Anshi: “…”

Yang Pu said: “Your Highness…”

“Why so many?” Zhang Anshi was a little surprised.

Yang Pu himself was confused, didn’t you let everyone get food? Now everyone is working desperately, this is up and down, those who buy grain in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, those who transport grain overseas, plus the grain stored in Taiping Mansion in previous years, this is what you said yourself.

What’s the matter, are you confused now?

You know, for the past few months, everyone has done nothing but patronize Guangjiliang.

Even many ships that could not sail long distances ventured out to sea, along the coastline, running towards Annan like a mad dog desperately.

Now His Highness came down to ask, why so many?

Actually, Zhang Anshi can’t be blamed for his fussy look. Seventeen million stones is indeed a terrifying amount.

Because the entire Ming Dynasty, the annual grain revenue is 20 million shi.

This is the income from food taxes of all prefectures and counties in the world!

Of course, this amount… is actually not much that can be used by the imperial court.

On the one hand, many of the annual fixed money and food of the guards in the world, as well as the salaries of officials in the world, are converted into food.

There are all kinds of salary rice, as well as horse feed and food from the Ministry of War, industrial food from the Ministry of Industry, and sacrificial food from the Ministry of Rites, not to mention the Ministry of Households.

If these fixed expenses are taken out, the real food available to the court will not exceed three million shi. If all kinds of losses are added to it, the 1.5 million shi that can really play a role is not bad. .

As for Zhang Anshi…the amount of grain hoarded now is actually more than ten times that available to the imperial court, and if there is no accident, as long as Zhang Anshi doesn’t stop, there may continue to be a steady stream of grain shipments.

“My dear sister…” Zhang Anshi murmured in surprise: “This West… is a **** good place. Compared with them, the land of fish and rice in the south of the Yangtze River, and the land of abundance are all inferior.”

“Your Highness…” Zhu Jin said with a wry smile: “There is enough food, but now there is too much food, and there is a lot of food that can’t be put into the warehouse. What should I do now? Is the food still collected gone?”

Zhang Anshi turned to sneer, and said: “Who said no more? Keep collecting for me, as much as you have, and continue to build warehouses if there is not enough space. I just want to buy food now, and don’t care about anything else!”

(end of this chapter)