Chapter 5 second quarter
In the afternoon of that day, the originally sunny weather suddenly changed. The clouds filled the sky of Bianjing City, and gradually sank to the ground. People in the city looked up and seemed to feel that the clouds had covered the city wall. It was pressing down on the ridge of the roof, as if it wanted to crush the house.People lingering on the street began to quicken their pace, and the stalls and hawkers on Yujie Street also started to pack their things one after another, and everyone was busy rushing home.At this time, in a small courtyard of a restaurant next to Daxiangguo Temple, there were several people sitting around in the garden of the courtyard, cooking wine and talking and laughing.The waiter in the restaurant wanted to go in several times to remind him, but every time he couldn't even finish his sentence, he was chased out by a few attendants at the door.The waiter in the store had no choice but to leave resentfully. He kept walking far away, and he could still hear loud laughter coming from the courtyard. "Aren't these people crazy?" The waiter in the shop was puzzled all the time, and in a daze, he bumped into a person who came in with a sudden bang. Please forgive me..." He was worried that he would be reprimanded again, but he heard the person on the opposite side ask gently: "Is this ordered by an official surnamed Cai?" The waiter did not expect such a visitor Kindly, he couldn't help being startled, looked up, and saw a slender scholar standing opposite him, looking at him with a smile, he glanced at the scholar's white robe, which was only made of coarse cloth, he was relieved ——It turned out that he was just a poor scholar, so his tone became haughty: "Master Cai..." After saying three words, the waiter's heart skipped a beat, his eyes fixed on the saber at the scholar's waist, and unexpectedly It seems to be dumbfounded.The scholar looked at his expression and said with a smile: "Do you know this sword?" The waiter nodded his head like pecking rice, bowed his waist and said with a flattering smile: "It hasn't been long since the imperial court issued the system of honored swords and honored swords, my little one. Fuda, this is the second time I have seen it. Last time I saw Mr. Guo wearing it from a distance..." "I see." The scholar smiled and asked again: "Did Mr. Cai order the inner room?" "Yes, yes. The little one will lead the way for the adults." The waiter said hastily, turning his body to one side. "No need." The scholar smiled and shook his head, then walked inside.The waiter in the store didn't follow him, and he didn't follow him, he was stunned for a while, and then walked outside while speechless, and when he arrived in the hall, he saw a companion holding him back, and said in a low voice, "Do you know who you bumped into just now?" ?” “Do you know that official?” the waiter wondered. "That's Qin Shaoyou!" "Huh?" The waiter in the store was dumbfounded and was speechless for a while.At this time in Bianjing, who doesn't know that the Song Dynasty stationed in Koryo is envoy Qin Guan Qin Shaoyou?Compiled by Jiaji Yingdian, awarded the fifth-class honorary sword by the emperor, and even the dozens of poems he wrote in Goryeo are now the favorite songs of the singers in Bianjing...
"Shaoyou, you're late, you're late, you'll be fined three bottles first..." As soon as Qin Guanfang walked into the courtyard, Cai Jing, who was already half drunk, yelled loudly.Qin Guan smiled slightly, and said: "It's my brother's fault." He walked quickly a few steps, and greeted the other two: "It's been a long time, Zeng Gong and Xue Hou."
Zeng Bu and Xue Yi had already got up and hurriedly returned their salutes.Zeng Bu glanced at the honored sword on Qin Guan's waist, and said with a dull smile: "Shaoyou, it's been a long time." But Xue Yi said with a smile: "Now Shaoyou has made great achievements in foreign lands, and he is already famous all over the world. I am in the South China Sea, Wen Shaoyou chatted and laughed, and calmed down the situation in Koryo, so that Wang Yun succeeded in ascending the throne, and he was also happy for Shaoyou." Qin Guan hurriedly said with a smile: "The imperial court has been operating for a long time. The predecessors planted trees and the descendants took advantage of the shade. I just sit back and enjoy the benefits. That's all, compared to Zeng Gong and Xue Hou, it's nothing to worry about." Everyone talked and laughed as they sat down again.Cai Jing had already filled three cups in front of Qin Guan, Qin Guan did not refuse, drank three cups in a row, pointed to the empty cup on the table, and said with a smile: "I knew Cai Yuanchang was not a very good man and a faithful woman."
Cai Jing laughed and said, "Why did Qin Shaoyou eat fast and recite Buddhism? There is no Crane Crown Red in my wine, but I can't help His Royal Highness Shun Wang."
"The crane is red?" Xue Yi looked up at Cai Jing and then at Qin Guan. He knew that the so-called "Shun Wang" was Wang Xun's posthumous title, but at this moment, he saw that both of them were very contented, as if they were What he said was as simple as a pot of ordinary Koryo sake, and only then did he realize that the rumors he heard when he was in the South China Sea were not groundless.Xue Yi couldn't help asking: "When I was in South China Sea, I heard people talk about the successor of Gao Li, and there were all kinds of explanations, so I couldn't tell the truth. Was Wang Xun really poisoned to death?"
When he asked this question, Zeng Bu also stopped and looked at Cai Jing and Qin Guan intently.Cai Jing glanced at Qin Guan, and said with a smile: "This matter is presided over by Shaoyou, let's talk about it."
Qin Guan nodded, took a sip of wine, put down the glass, and said slowly: "Both Zeng Gong and Xue Hou are outsiders, so it's okay to talk about it." When he said this, he suddenly smiled, looked at Zeng Bu and Xue Yi, and said: "My generation has lived in a foreign land for a long time, and among the court ministers, some people have long regarded me as a different kind. When I go to a country thousands of miles away, I am regarded as derogatory; when I am in an overseas autocratic party, I am often impeached as domineering. If you live in groups all day long, if you don't talk about righteousness, you are no different from a villain... With all due respect, in the past seven or eight years, not to mention Cai Que, Di Zi, Zeng Gong, Xue Hou, Yuan Chang, and myself, the overseas ministers Is there anyone who doesn't have hundreds of thousands of dollars in his pocket? This will inevitably attract people's envy. Some people in the court call us "barbarian officials"! I have the lowest qualifications, and it is a great favor to be stationed in Korea. Naturally, there is nothing to say Yes. But Zeng Gong, Xue Hou, and Yuan Chang—Cai Chue and Di Zi, which one is not outstanding? But since Lu Xianggong became the country, they have all been squeezed out. Yuan Chang knows these things best— ——In the fifteenth and sixteenth years of Xining, the imperial court tried to transfer Di Zi into the Ministry of Rites three times. Lu Xianggong cited Ban Dingyuan's example to let Di Gong die of old age in Guangzhou, completely disregarding the established law of the imperial court's overseas management. There is Cai Que, who begged to return to the country eighteen times, but Lu Xianggong stopped him..."
"Shaoyou, what are you doing talking about these nonsense?" Seeing that Qin Guanyue was getting more and more annoyed by what he said, Cai Jing quickly stopped him with words.He knew that Qin Guan was a young man, and although he had made great achievements in Korea, he was too young in the officialdom of the Song Dynasty. The four people present today may still be friends, but it may not be impossible to meet each other tomorrow. become the hater.When the time comes, these words will be "resentment", which is a crime enough to end a person's political life.And at this time among the four, Xue Yi is still a military official, if they get involved, things will get out of hand, and he, Cai Jing, will inevitably suffer disaster.
But what Qin Guan said was the heart disease of those present.Di Zi and Cai Que were squeezed out, and Zeng Bu and Xue Yi had a hard time in the past few years.In the past few years, Zeng Bu has worked hard and made some achievements.He has also accumulated considerable wealth in the South China Sea for seven or eight years. It turned out that when Shi Yue gained power, he fantasized about making a comeback. I can't count on it, and after spending seven or eight years away thousands of miles away, all ambitions have been polished to a clean slate.At this time, the year will be half a hundred, and it is inevitable that "I dare not look at Jiuquan County, but I hope to be born in Yumenguan". hometown.But all the ministers in the court took his gifts for granted, and no one spoke for him. It was impossible for him to even think of becoming a governor of Jiangnan East and West Roads.He was also afraid that the emperor would suspect him of his dissatisfaction, so he did not dare to become an official, and he was about to die of old age and Ling Yamen.If Shi Yue hadn't spoken in front of the emperor this time, making the emperor firm in his determination to rotate officials in overseas cities one by one, he had once declared that it would be impossible to see the prosperity of Bianjing again.
As for Xue Yi, although the chief officials of the shufu and the Ministry of War did not deliberately exclude him, his success at a young age inevitably did not match up with the civil and military officials and subordinates in the shufu, the Ministry of War, and the three yamen. During the years, I first paid attention to the northwest, and then the southwest. The sea boats and sailors were originally loved by grandma and uncle. Although the glory passed for a while, they were immediately ignored.And treat Xue Yibu like a stepmother.Xue Yi proposed to install artillery on ships a few years ago, and tried his best to promote the view that naval ships and naval forces must use artillery to win. He even suggested that the artillery of naval ships and naval forces does not need to use national money, but the memorials were handed over one after another, but in the end they all fell into the sea.The imperial court does not allow the addition of artillery workshops at will, and because artillery has never shown any effect in actual combat that can affect the outcome of the battlefield, it has no intention of expanding the production of artillery when the treasury is empty—as for the artillery that has already been produced Naturally, priority should be given to the defense of the two northern borders. Xue Yi fought for a few years, but in the end he only had one cannon, and he was "borrowed" by the naval ships and navy in Hangzhou when he was passing through Hangzhou. Litigation over this matter.What frustrates him the most is that people in Bianjing constantly transfer his elite subordinates under the name of "Lun Garrison", and then recruit a bunch of old, weak and remnant soldiers from other sea ships and sailors.As long as the name of the powerful general under his command is heard by the naval fleet in Hangzhou, and he wakes up the next morning, that person must no longer be under his tent.In the past few years, Xue Yi has become the head of the Song Dynasty Naval Academy, specializing in making wedding clothes for others, and even for a few years, he has not been promoted personally.Zeng Bu and Cai Que wanted to go back to China, but Xue Yi had to go back to Bianjing at least once a year.But for Xue Yi, the wind in Bianjing is different from the wind in Lingyamen. When he was in South China Sea, although he occasionally misses the prosperity of Bianjing, he still prefers the freedom of South China Sea after all.
He, the "Marquis of Fubo" of the Great Song Dynasty, when he arrived in Bianjing, he would only feel at a loss, and everything was obviously out of date.Every time Xue Yi saw the more than 80 artillery pieces newly installed on the four walls of Bianjing Outer City, Xue Yi would feel extremely glaring.When Emperor Taizong insisted on establishing Bianjing as his capital, didn't he think that "being in virtue is not in danger"?Didn't the court ministers say that the treasury is empty?Then why are these powerful weapons neither supplied for fortress defense nor coastal defense first, but let them suffer from the wind and rain in Bianjing in vain?
Zeng Bu and Xue Yi are like this, Cai Jing is not much better.Cai Jing served as magistrate in Hangzhou twice, and even the emperor praised his talent several times, but because he was a member of the Stone Party with writing on his forehead, he was never promoted. It was not until two months ago that he was recommended by Shi Yue. Enter Taifu Temple to be a temple minister.He and Qin Guan have known each other for a long time, and they belong to the same faction, he doesn't want him to have any excuses; moreover, he is the host of this banquet, seeing that Zeng Bu and Xue Yi were touched by Qin Guan, they were all depressed and said with a smile: "Sir You Yuan is not a good talker, he has been in Goryeo for several years, and he is impressive. But what I want to hear is the succession of Goryeo, whoever told you to say such meaningless gossip, you should be punished!"
"It should be punished, I accept the punishment." Qin Guan knew that he was talking too much, so he poured himself a cup and drank it down in one gulp.
Zeng Bu and Xue Yi hurriedly had a drink together, Xue Yi smiled and said: "Young You is right. In fact, when the imperial court is planning overseas, although there are many far-sighted and visionary counselors, the only one who can really be relied on is Mr. Shi. But, Shaoyou, let’s talk about Goryeo. I’ve been curious for a long time. The imperial court has been running Goryeo for many years. Why did Wang Hui leave no will after his death, and let Wang Xun succeed him, causing such a big disturbance?”
"Xue Hou's words hit the nail on the head!" Qin Guan couldn't help but sighed, "The so-called 'good fighters have no great achievements', we can be called incompetent to cause such a big disturbance. But there are also some unexpected people..."
"The source of this matter can be traced back to the fifteenth year of Xining. Since then, there has been a big problem in the trade between Song Dynasty and Korea-in fact, this problem should have existed from the very beginning. The goods that the Song Dynasty sold to Koryo every year far exceeded the goods that Koryo sold to the Song Dynasty. The imperial court exerted various pressures to let the Koryo country lift the trade restrictions. Later, taking advantage of the Koryo country's defeat, it forced it to cancel the ban on the export of copper coins , but until now, it has been proved that it was not a good thing. Since then, like a big weir opened, a large amount of gold, silver and copper from Goryeo flowed into the Song Dynasty, and there was a serious money shortage in the country, but its nobles did not accept it. The demand for goods in the Song Dynasty was endless. In order to satisfy their greed, they had to redouble their efforts to deprive the people, which in turn caused the people to be unable to afford even ordinary goods in the Song Dynasty. Therefore, the trade volume between the Song Dynasty and Koryo increased from Xining Since fifteen years, it has been declining year by year...and because of provoking Khitan, Goryeo's military expenditures surged, the treasury was exhausted, and the people were trapped in corvee..." Qin Guan talked about this almost unsolvable knot with anxiety, "because of this situation , the sentiment of hostility to the Song Dynasty in Korea is increasing day by day. Among the nobles and scholars, the knowledgeable people began to write to the King of Korea frequently, requesting to restore the money ban and restrict the mutual market between the two countries. , was also dissatisfied with the Great Song Dynasty. It is logical that the forces hostile to the Great Song Dynasty have increased. Wang Huiben had decided to pass on to Wang Yun, but he also became hesitant. Because of this, Wang Xun gained support and was rejected by a group of ministers. Embrace the succession."
Speaking of this, Qin Guan sighed with a wry smile, and said: "To tell you the truth, I was also taken aback at the time. These reasons are actually after the incident happened, and we made up our minds before we figured out why... Before that, we were still gloating , the people of Gaoli don’t have a living, so what’s the matter with me, Da Song?"
"After Wang Xun succeeded to the throne, I suddenly realized that something big happened. On the night he ascended the throne, Wang Yun's family members hid in the Dasong military camp on Ganghwa Island. Rumors spread all over Kaijing that Wang Xun was going to force all the younger brothers He became a monk. On the morning of the second day, officials from the staff side of the embassy sent information that Wang Xun had sent envoys to mourn the Lord of Liao and request canonization. Only in the afternoon did Wang Xun’s eldest son come to the embassy, begging to come to Beijing to express his condolences. I immediately promised, but in the end the envoy Wang Xun sent to Da Song was just an uncle Wang. I sent someone out of the city that night to secretly contact the garrison of Jianghua Island. Early the next morning, I went to see Wang Xun again and promised him He obtained a lot of benefits in order to stabilize Wang Xun for the time being. Wang Xun has neither received the support of all the nobles, nor can he completely control the Kaijing army. , laughed mockingly, "Although some people in Koryo hate the mutual trade between the two countries, but if there is no mutual trade between the two countries, I am afraid that there will be a group of people who are not used to it. Besides, the Song Dynasty has troops stationed after all, and its borders are garrisoned. Among them, many of the military officers are my ministers of the Great Song Dynasty. He took the throne for less than a few days, and without the imperial edict, his regime cannot be stabilized. He pretended to appease me, and not long after, he sent his minister to complain to me, swearing to the heavens that he would never dare to betray the imperial court. However, they were unable to fight against the Liao Lord any longer, so they had to make false claims."
"I pretended to believe in his sincerity, so I reprimanded the Minister of Minbu harshly. I also asked him to tell Wang Xun that the new king should treat the ministers of the previous court kindly, be harmonious with brothers, and not change the previous king's governance for three years, otherwise it will lead to chaos. The reason. The Song Dynasty hoped that there would be a long ruler in Goryeo, and even more hope that there would be a virtuous ruler in Goryeo. A few days later, the garrison on Ganghwa Island would not be disarmed at night. Out of the port. Wang Xun was almost scared out of his wits by this pretentiousness. He was just preparing for Wang Hui's funeral with trepidation, and he didn't dare to act rashly. Instead, he kept sending people to lobby me, hoping to get the canonization from the imperial court. It had already been found out in secret that he secretly sent at least three groups of envoys to the Lord Liao in the next month. He also quietly dispatched hundreds of soldiers to the vicinity of the embassy. But such a period of time was enough for Wang Yun After he regained his composure, he also began to secretly contact his trusted ministers, striving to open the garrison in Beijing. He also sent people several times to ask me to dispatch the Jianghua Island garrison for help. I saw that he was in a hurry, and he was afraid that he would become a monk, so he went along with the situation and made a personal favor. The Jianghua Island garrison came out in full force, all wearing Goryeo military robes, and headed straight for Kaijing. This Wang Yun was much more ruthless than his brother. He bribed the officials who guarded the city gate and the servants who guarded the palace gate. Entering the city, cooperating with the generals in the garrison, they controlled the Kaijing garrison with ease. Then Wang Yun led his troops into the palace, and invited His Royal Highness Shun Wang to drink a glass of wine in front of his father's spirit..."
After hearing what he said, Xue Yi couldn't help laughing and said: "So that's the case. I don't know why there are rumors all over the South China Sea that you instructed the staff hall to poison you?"
Qin Guan said with a smile: "It is true that I gave the crane top red to Wang Yun, but I have been sleeping in the embassy that night, and the people in the official embassy have never been superhuman, and they can only do some ordinary things. Poisoned I don’t know if Sima Chunfu has the ability of the king of Goryeo? Anyway, people in Goryeo can’t count on it. In fact, at dawn the next day, most people in Kaijing didn’t even know what happened. Xun died violently, Wang Yun asked the Jianghua Island garrison to help maintain order..."
"What about the Liao Kingdom?"
"I can only blame Wang Xun for not being aware of current affairs." Qin Guan sneered, "At this point, no matter what, it is impossible for Goryeo to betray Song Dynasty and join Liao Dynasty. What can the Lord of Liao do? He can send troops thousands of miles into Goryeo Do you want to control the situation for Wang Xun? Goryeo doesn’t have to worry about the Great Song’s annexation of it, but it has to worry about the Liao Lord’s ambitions. The Liao Lord’s canonization can at most ease the relationship between the two countries; how can it compare to the imperial court’s canonization? Why are those people dissatisfied with my Great Song Dynasty, but these people also admit in their hearts that only the canonization of the imperial court can play a role in stabilizing the hearts of the people throughout the country of Koryo. It's just..." Qin Guan's expression suddenly dimmed Come down, "If the mutual market between the two countries continues to deteriorate, and Koryo finds that an alliance with Song Dynasty is harmful rather than beneficial, no matter what kind of alliance, it is impossible to be stable. Especially after the Liao Lord unexpectedly recognized Wang Yun as the king of Koryo, Song and Koryo If there is no common enemy, there must be common interests to maintain the relationship. Otherwise, if the accumulation continues, even if the Song Dynasty stationed tens of thousands of soldiers on Jianghua Island, it will only lead to useless wars!"
Zeng Bu and Xue Yi looked at each other, both of them had bitter smiles on their faces.Zeng Bu looked at Qin Guan sympathetically, and said in a shy voice, "Shaoyou is very worried. However, it is not just the decline in trade with Korea, but the decline in the entire overseas trade. Although it is not obvious, it is true. It has been going on for years indeed!"
"Ah?" Qin Guan was taken aback.But Zeng Bu's expression definitely did not seem to be joking.He turned his head to look at Xue Yi and Cai Jing, from the eyes of the two, Qin Guan clearly felt a kind of deep confusion.Is it possible that you are really in big trouble?
Rumbling—a roar of thunder resounded from the clouds, and lightning split the sky.Suddenly, the entire sky was filled with the sound of thunder, and one after another, lightning accompanied by thunder, illuminating the dark sky.The clouds all over the sky, like chaotic and turbulent waves, rolled over the sky of Bianjing.In a blink of an eye, pattering raindrops poured down.The attendants who have been waiting outside the courtyard are all spirit-clear people, they ran into the courtyard before it rained, and held up umbrellas for Cai Jing and others.
"What a heavy rain!" Cai Jing looked at the torrential rain that was peeling and sifting, and couldn't help but blurt out praise, and said with a smile: "The conversation is not over yet, and this is not a place to enjoy the rain. Why don't you follow me to a place? Qin Guan fully remembered what Zeng Bu said, and without waiting for Zeng Bu and Xue Yi to answer, he hurriedly said: "Today you, Cai Yuanchang, are the host, and you will go wherever you say." Zeng Bu and Xue Yi looked at each other and smiled. , also said: "I will listen to Yuan Chang's arrangement."
Cai Jing smiled and ordered his followers to go out to prepare the carriages. The four of them left the restaurant together, and saw two carriages waiting outside the shop. The four of them took two carriages and galloped southwards in the heavy rain.
Qin Guan and Xue Yi rode in the same carriage.After Xue Yi got into the car, he sat upright with his eyes closed.Qin Guan touched the couch and said with a smile: "This is Shu brocade." He picked up a glass wine glass beside the couch to play with, looked at Xue Yi, and said with a half-smile: "How much is this glass wine glass worth? Put it on the carriage at will."
Xue Yi closed his eyes and said, "Shaoyou wants to enter Yushitai? Cai Yuanchang's salary is more than enough to buy a few glass cups, right?"
Qin Guan said with a smile: "What's the matter with me blowing up a pool of spring water?" He paused for a while, looked at Xue Yi out of the corner of his eye, and said half-jokingly and half-seriously: "If I really enter Lantai, don't say Cai Yuanchang , even Xue Hou, you are not having a good life."
"I have nothing to be afraid of." Xue Yi replied calmly without raising his eyelids, "It's not easy to be a navy army, the sea is high and the waves are dangerous, and the second army of the Tiger Wing Army under my command will inevitably have several ships die every year The bottom of the sea. If there is no shipwreck, as soon as people get on the ship, all kinds of strange diseases will come one after another. If they die on the ship, they have to be thrown into the sea. Even the bones cannot be buried in their homeland. The morale of the ship and navy should be improved. It is inevitable that the sergeants who go to sea should make a small fortune. But soldiers can do this kind of thing, but officers can't. Once the officers do it, the entire sea ship and navy will be ruined. Therefore, the sea ship and navy There is a custom that the sergeants return the trade in private, each has a share, and the proceeds belong to himself, and the officers dare not embezzle them. The military officers sent on the ship are not allowed to return the trade, but when the pirates are suppressed, the proceeds are seized, four points go to the public, and four points go to the military officer. Two points go to the sergeants; military officers can also get 30% of the commission for escorting the caravan. Such a public share is better than doing some shady activities in private. If I don't take my share, the officers, big and small, will be rewarded. No one dares to take it. If they can't make a fortune, some people will deduct military pay, return trades privately, or even pretend to be pirates to rob merchant ships...Everything can be done. With such punishment, both officers and soldiers are willing to go to sea to escort, We will do our best to wipe out pirates."
"It doesn't matter whether it's right or wrong, you always act lawlessly when you do this, and the Privy Council can tolerate you?" Qin Guan didn't expect Xue Yi to be so light-hearted, without concealing it, and was really surprised. "Weiwei Temple and the supervisory censor didn't impeach you?"
"The censors of the procuratorate?" Xue Yi laughed softly, "Whether it's from Weiwei Temple or the procuratorate, who sent them to the South China Sea, who wouldn't think that they were Zuo Qian? Clarify the will of the world and not change it? Besides, I am not afraid of their impeachment, Xue Mou is still worthy of the word 'clean and honest' among the military officials of the Song Dynasty."
The wind was blowing rain outside the car, and the rain was sandwiched by the wind, pattering against the roof of the car. Sitting in the car, Qin Guan was content to pour himself a cup of tea, and just as he was bringing it to his mouth, he suddenly heard Xue Yi After saying the word "clean and honest", he couldn't help coughing anxiously, put the teacup back on the small table hastily, and looked at Xue Yi fixedly.
Xue Yi opened his eyes, smiled slightly, and said: "I don't expect you to believe it. Ling Yamen has my Hou's Mansion, which is huge in scale. It is said to be a Hou's Mansion, but in fact it is the son of Ling Yamen, and it is also the first place of the Tiger Wing Army. The Southern Admiralty Department of the Second Army, in which the military and food reserves are sufficient for three years, and all the defensive equipment is complete. The construction cost of this city is about 500,000 guan, all of which are paid by my share. It is called The private house is actually a public office—You must not know it, Shaoyou. For this matter, I have already been impeached. Your crimes of corruption are nothing compared to it. Fortunately, the emperor is wise and ordered the command Exonerate me. Otherwise, the Xue Yi family will be punished. Afterwards, the emperor ordered the Hou Mansion to become an official, and gave me another hundred thousand taels of silver, and four farms and houses in Bianjing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and Nanhai totaling hundreds of hectares. This reward, In addition to the balance of my income over the years, the equivalent of more than 800,000 yuan, I found someone to establish the Nanhai Yongfeng Bank in Lingyamen, and used low-interest loans to subsidize the manor landlords of the South China Sea Islands; In name, donated to build colleges and Confucian temples in Guangzhou, Lingyamen, and Guiyi City to accommodate the children of sea ships, sailors, and immigrants from the Song Dynasty..."
Qin Guan pursed his lips and listened quietly. It was hard to believe that Xue Yi, a military officer, could be so self-sacrificing.He glanced at Xue Yi with deep meaning, and suddenly smiled casually: "Xue Hou is so admirable. But, forgive me, I have heard that Xue Hou has a large manor in his hometown, and the rice fields are connected by tens of thousands of people. Here, rich princes and princes, newly built ancestral tombs and family temples, all of them exceed the regulations..."
Xue Yi was startled suddenly, and the atmosphere in the carriage suddenly became dull.After a long while, Xue Yifang asked quietly: "Shaoyou, is this what you want to ask yourself? Or do you ask for someone else?!" After finishing speaking, he fixedly looked at Qin Guan.
Qin Guan looked back at Xue Yi calmly, and said calmly: "Don't blame Xuehou, I'm asking questions by order."
"Question by order?" For a split second, Xue Yi heard a bang in his head, and suddenly felt that his mind was blank, and even the constant thunderbolt outside the car seemed to have disappeared.He subconsciously stood up and was about to kneel down, but was held down by Qin Guan.Then Qin Guan laughed warmly and said: "The emperor has no intention of reprimanding you. If the emperor wants to reprimand you, why do you have to ask me to interrogate you? Liangfu, Lantai, Weisi, wherever you want a document, you are afraid that you will ask for it." There are countless troubles..."
After all, Xue Yi is a man who has led soldiers for a long time, so he calmed down in just a few words.Qin Guan turned around to test him, and he had already noticed it - he knew that Qin Guan was not a talkative person, how could he bring up such a sensitive topic for no reason - but what he had suspected before was nothing more than He thought that Qin Guan might be entrusted by Shi Yue to beat him.Xue Yi felt that he was upright and aboveboard, and that he could tell others everything, and the emperor had ordered his command to exonerate him, so he felt confident.Unexpectedly, Qin Guan suddenly asked about his hometown, and he even knew about his family's newly built ancestral tomb and temple, Xue Yi couldn't help being angry.This clearly shows that they don't trust him, so someone will dig into his old background.He never imagined that Qin Guan, a Goryeo envoy returning to the country to report on his duties, would come to ask him what he said!This name is over-restricted in fields and over-restricted in graves and temples. It is a crime of saying big or small.Who doesn't annex the civil and military dynasties of the Song and Manchu Dynasties?Which household does not exceed the system?But if we really want to investigate it, any crime can be settled.But it was only in a blink of an eye that he immediately understood that the emperor had no intention of pursuing him.Otherwise, just like what Qin Guan said, Liang Fu, Lantai, Weiwei Temple, wherever, if a letter came, he would have to walk around.
"Chen Xue Yi, thank the emperor for his grace." Xue Yi turned sideways, licked his dry lips with the tip of his tongue, and said in a deep voice: "I have heard that the world is used to seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages, so that the people know the righteousness and the difficulties, and let the people know Wealth and honor are easy to change. The ministers who bathe in monkeys and wear crowns and show off their homes are just to let the world know that the country's wealth can also come from the sea; fame and wealth can also be obtained from the sea. The heart of a mere district, I beg the emperor to see clearly."
Qin Guan listened to Xue Yi speaking in a reciprocal tone, he hurriedly smiled and comforted him: "Although I am asking questions by order, Xuehou still trusts the emperor's holy will. Xuehou must understand the emperor's painstaking efforts , the government and the opposition clearly discussed that even though you are the emperor, you have to worry about it. This is really a sense of preservation. In this world, there is often a kind of person who holds a chicken feather bento to make arrows, domineering, let alone the emperor's oral order! The emperor ordered me to ask questions because he knew that I have been cautious in handling business these past few years, and I still know how to measure it. I am also a foreign minister, so nothing will happen. Besides, Xue Hou and I are old friends, so it can be said In other words...the emperor is so painstakingly devoted to a military official, it is really unusual in my Great Song Dynasty. Although I am asking the question according to the order, I don't know how much I envy you in my heart."
Qin Guan talked eloquently, while relaying the emperor's words, while guessing the emperor's intentions, Xue Yi listened to it, and felt in his heart that the emperor really had special favor for him, and the feeling of knowing him was born spontaneously.Although he is a military official, he has always regarded himself as a scholar-bureaucrat, and he doesn't bother to say flattery, so he just pays homage to the north.
However, Qin Guan sighed again in a low voice: "After returning to the country this time, I realized that the country's affairs are difficult, and it is really difficult. This time the emperor called the right one. I think Shengyi is not willing to see any troubles overseas. When this At that time, the national treasury was empty, and the palace reduced expenses in every possible way, while the overseas ministers were extravagant, isn't this just giving people a handle?"
It was only then that Xue Yi fully understood why Qin Guan suddenly brought up these topics. When he returned to Bianjing, he originally thought that the emperor would definitely summon the right party alone, and he had a lot of things to tell the emperor, but at this time he also understood This time, it is impossible for the emperor to summon him alone—otherwise Qin Guan would not have needed to say those words just now, and among the overseas ministers, there is no doubt that Qin Guan has become the emperor's new favorite. The situation in Koryo was calmed down, and the princess and crown prince of Korea came to Bianjing to celebrate her birthday. The rest of the people are indeed far inferior to this kind of scenery.Originally, Xue Yi could take it calmly whether or not the emperor summoned him alone, but this time...
Xue Yi cast his gaze outside the car helplessly, looking at the endless downpour of rain, silently smiled wryly.Qin glanced at Xue Yi, and fell silent at the same time. What the emperor was worried about was that he didn't want to cause political instability because of the riches of overseas ministers—that's why the emperor used this special method. Come and stabilize Xue Yi. After all, only Xue Yi is the real pillar of the Song Dynasty in the South China Sea.The emperor can reprimand and expel a corrupt Zeng Bu at will. There are tens of thousands of officials in the Song Dynasty who can replace Zeng Bu, but he cannot find a suitable candidate to replace Xue Yi in a short time.However, the hidden dangers overseas are not limited to this one?Qin Guan watched Koryo's trade volume decline year by year, and heard Zeng Bu say that this is a common phenomenon in overseas trade... He thought worriedly: This may be more valuable than the wealth of overseas ministers. dangerous question.
The carriage galloped in the heavy rain, went straight south along the imperial road, passed through Baokang Gate, and then turned and galloped southwest after leaving the city.The wind and rain were raging outside the car, and it was unknown how much time had passed in the car.Qin Guan and Xue Yi, who were both absent-minded and gossiping, only heard a "wow", and the speeding carriage suddenly slowed down, and Cai Jing laughed loudly outside, "We're here, we're here."
The two looked at each other and smiled, the attendants had already set up the curtains of the carriage, and the two of them hurriedly lifted up the corners of the robes and came to the carriage, but they saw the carriage was parked outside a manor, Cai Jing and Zeng Buxian arrived a while earlier, and they were both at the door waiting.After Qin Guan and Xue Yi got off the car, Cai Jing smiled and led everyone to the garden.
Qin Guan followed the crowd all the way, and saw the tall buildings and the quiet garden.The layout of Shuige Zhuwu and Fengxuan Songliao are all unexpected, but extremely elegant.He admired secretly in his heart, but he saw Cai Jing not stopping for a while in the garden, chatting and laughing all the way, before long he arrived in front of a stone harbor.Qin Guan looked at the big river in front of him that was roiling in the torrential rain, and suddenly realized that this manor was actually on the edge of the Dongcai River.The river in front of him is the Huimin River that connects to the Shahe River in the southeast of Chenzhou and connects Chen, Cai, Ru, and Ying states for water transportation.
"This Huimin River transported 900,000 shi and 400,000 shi to the capital every year in the sixth year of Taiping Xingguo, but in the 16th year of Xining, the Huimin River transported 900,000 shi and 400,000 shi to the capital. Then, it was very lively. This manor originally belonged to Wang Junkuang’s family. He sold this garden to me because he thought that there were many boats and boats on the Huimin River and it was noisy and restless. But I like it to be lively..." Cai Jing said with a smile when he got this The passage of the garden is quite self-satisfied.This Wang Junkui is Wang Gongchen, a veteran of the three dynasties today. He won the number one scholar at the age of nineteen. During Renzong's reign, he was a Hanlin scholar for more than ten years. Wine, kiss the drum and pipa to drink.After Zhao Xu ascended to the pole, he also served as Prince Shaobao, envoy of Xuanhui North Court, Panying Tianfu and other officials, but Wang Gongchen was an old party veteran, so he was not favored.The manor villa by the Huimin River was a symbol of status in the Song Dynasty. Cai Jing bought this garden from Wang Gongchen's house, and he was very happy.
Zeng Bu looked at the self-satisfied Cai Jing, feeling slightly sour in his heart, twitching the corner of his mouth, and asked intentionally, "Does Yuan Chang know the story of this garden?"
"Allusions?" Cai Jing was interrupted by him, and said in surprise, "This garden was only built during the Zhiping years. What allusions can there be?"
"Could it be that there were no gardens here in Zhaoling?" Zeng Bu smiled leisurely.
"This..." Cai Jing couldn't help being stunned.
Zeng Bu said with a smile: "When Bao Xiaosu knew Kaifeng Mansion, the Huimin River was also connected by terraces and pavilions, and it was full of properties of middle-ranking officials and noble relatives. Bao Xiaosu borrowed a certain year from the capital because it was inconvenient for water transportation on the Huimin River. Dashui destroyed it all. Later, the lawsuit was brought to Empress Wen Cheng...Hasn't Yuan Chang heard of it?"
"So that's how it is. It's really Yan Luobao!" Cai Jing said with a smile, "No wonder I said that the garden by the Huimin River is not very old. If it blocks water transportation, it should be destroyed."
Zeng Bu wanted to make Cai Jing bitter, but unexpectedly he didn't take it to heart at all, he was not surprised, and he couldn't help but think highly of him again.On his face, he joked with Cai Jing nonchalantly: "Unexpectedly, Cai Yuanchang is a rich man..."
While everyone was talking and laughing, a servant had already brought a bamboo hat and coir raincoat, and was helping the four of them to put it on.An attendant whistled at the pier, and saw a fishing boat coming from behind the tree and moored in front of the pier.
Cai Jing turned around and smiled at the three of them: "The fishing boat in coir raincoats goes down the river, sits in the boat, and looks at the royal courts on both sides of the river through the rain. It's the joy of the rain."
Xue Yi looked at Cai Jing, then at Zeng Bu and Qin Guan, and joked, "Do you want to write poetry? If you want to write poetry, I won't sit on this boat; if you don't write poetry, I can still sit on it. During these years in the South China Sea, Every day is not practice exercises, but counting some money and fodder, where can I write poetry?"
"Don't worry, Xuehou, I'll just eat wine and gossip today. Besides, with Mr. Zeng and Shaoyou here, I don't want to be obedient..." Cai Jing smiled, and invited the three of them to sit in the cabin .
Everyone entered the cabin, only to find that this small boat looks like an ordinary fishing boat on the outside, but inside it is extremely clean and elegant, and there are two boys in Tsing Yi standing in the boat, waiting for orders.The boatman was obviously an old hand, and he sailed in the torrential torrent with this leafy boat, and it was as safe as flat ground.Even Xue Yi praised him, and said with a smile: "It's a waste for such a person to be a servant. It's better to go to our Second Tiger Wing Army." Zeng Bu pointed to a big ship that followed far behind He smiled and said: "With Xue Shixian here, is it still useful?" Only Qin Guan was very worried, sipped two sips of sake, and then asked Zeng Bu: "I used to know that the entire overseas trade is decreasing, what happened?" What's going on?"
When he asked this question, the boat fell silent.Zeng Bu was silent for a while, raised his neck and drank a glass of wine, and said with a wry smile: "Actually, this is the same as what happened in Korea. The so-called overseas trade, to put it bluntly, is just that the Song Dynasty exchanged silk, porcelain, clocks, sugar, etc. for overseas goods. Spices, beautiful jade, precious stones, gold and silver from the barbarians. According to Shi Ziming, what Song Dynasty sold were mainly processed luxury goods; what it bought in were mainly natural mining luxury goods. Since overseas It's not that gems, gold and silver are everywhere, so once the mutual market reaches a certain scale, it is natural that it can no longer continue to grow. What's more, there is a Zhuren Kingdom to the west of Lingyamen. The Zhuren Kingdom is blocked by the Song Dynasty and the Dashi In the meantime, not only will one-tenth of the goods in the past be extracted, but additional high taxes will be levied. The merchant ships of the Song Dynasty go directly to Dashi, and the fleet size is also limited. Although over the years, we have known that the silk of the Song Dynasty , porcelain, clocks and even cotton cloth—anything produced in the Song Dynasty is regarded as a heavenly object in Dashi and even Taixi. The demand is huge and the price is extremely high, but there is nothing we can do—we now know very clearly, Not only the Zhuren Kingdom is engaged in resale trade, but also the Dashi sea merchants are actually doing rehand trade. The ships of the Song Dynasty are strictly restricted from the Zhuren Kingdom to Dashi. Moreover, from Dashi to Taixi, It is said that it cannot be reached by sea..."
"Isn't it possible to bypass the so-called 'Africa' and go straight to Taixi on the map in "Primary Geography"?" Qin Guan asked strangely.
Zeng Bu and Xue Yi looked at each other and smiled wryly. "The map and route..." Zeng Bu said helplessly, "Besides, we can't even get through the Zhuian Kingdom. I heard that several groups of private merchant ships have gone to find that route, but at least there is no response now."
Xue Yi said with emotion: "If you want to gain more wealth through overseas trade, you must open up the air route between the Great Song Dynasty and the Great Food Kingdom. I have been collecting information about the Zhuren Kingdom for almost ten years, but I don't know much about it. Not only are they wary of us, they are also wary of the cannibals. The merchants of the cannibals also have limited knowledge of the reality of the country. I originally intended to contact the cannibals to attack the country, but the cannibals fell apart and their national strength declined. I can't take care of myself. And the current strength of the Song Dynasty's sea ships and navy is not enough to make an expedition to the Zhuan Kingdom. Unless you give me a fleet I want!"
"Don't we have the fleet that Marquis Xue wanted?" Qin Guanjiu was in Koryo, and in the entire East China Sea, the Song Dynasty navy was showing off its might and power. He couldn't imagine that there were still Dasong ships An enemy that the navy cannot defeat.
"Once the war starts, we will not only attack the naval vessels, merchant ships, ports, and cities of the Zhuren Kingdom, but also protect our own merchant ships, ports, and cities..." When it comes to naval battles, Xue Yi immediately becomes excited, " In this way, the troops will inevitably be dispersed! Do you know how many warships the Zhuyan Kingdom has? According to the information I have collected so far, they have at least a thousand warships, and they are divided into at least five fleets—if there is no absolute advantage, we will be hard to defend against!"
"How many warships does Xuehou think we want? One thousand?" Cai Jing asked from the side.
"No! Forty ships!" Xue Yi raised his eyebrows, "Only forty ships!"
"Forty ships?" Everyone was stunned.
"That's right, with forty 2,000-class battleships as the main force, ten or even twenty cannons are installed on the deck of each battleship!" Xue Yi's eyes sparkled, "I have deduced countless times with my soldiers. China's warships rarely have large ships of the 2,000-level class, and they lack long-range strike capabilities. We will use forty warships in a concentrated manner to find the enemy's main force for a decisive battle... then we will have enough troops to guard Ling Yamen..." Excited Under Xue Yi, he almost leaked all his battle plans. Fortunately, at the last moment, he suddenly came to his senses and kept his mouth shut.
"That's impossible." Cai Jing, Zeng Bu, Qin Guan, and even Xue Yi himself knew that his plan would be impossible at the moment.The strategic focus of the Great Song Dynasty was to put down the southwest rebellion and consolidate the defenses of the two northern fortresses. Xue Yi's plan required the court to allocate 400 to 800 artillery pieces to him. This was almost a daydream. "Don't the countries in the South China Sea no longer have potential to tap? Shi Xueshi said that the real wealth of overseas trade in the future will not be gold, silver and precious stones, but inexhaustible raw materials!" Qin Guan felt extremely unwilling.
"Whether this will be the case in the future, I don't know." Zeng Bu was unwilling to criticize Shi Yue directly, but only lightly revealed, "But at present, overseas trade is mainly luxury trade. In recent years, in order to strengthen the control of countries such as Jiaozhi Guangzhou Shipping, Lingyamen, and Guiyi City Shipping have tried their best. We have monopolized almost the entire sale of salt in the South China Sea. The salt produced in Jiaozhi is indeed not as cheap and good as the salt in Song Dynasty. In addition, there are Cane sugar, pepper, and even cotton cloth—spices mainly guarantee the supply of the Middle Earth. But the barbarians do not have a cash cow. Even if the things in the Song Dynasty are good, they still have to buy them with money and exchange them for things. We also try to ask them to grow sugar cane , cotton trees, but in the end, it was found that it was acceptable to transport sugar cane and cotton from overseas to Guangzhou, but if it was to be transported to Hangzhou, the cost would be uncontrollable—and few sea merchants were willing to make such a small profit. In the end , the scale was limited. Except for table salt, we did not achieve the desired purpose."
"There are also immigrants from the Song Dynasty in the South China Sea—" Zeng Bu seemed to want to vent the depression accumulated in his heart, and he couldn't hold back the chatterbox after opening, "The imperial court allowed the people to buy land in the South China Sea. Rascals come to try their luck. But these people, more than 80% of them have nothing to lose..."
秦观不可思议地望着曾布，听他继续说道：“归义城与凌牙门附近的移民倒还好，他们被分配的土地就在归义城与凌牙门附近，可以雇佣流放来的犯人劳作，交趾人也算勤劳，运气好还能买到昆仑奴，甚至大食人卖来的奴隶，这些人如今纵使不是腰缠万贯，也是仓廪丰足，衣食无忧。但那些在别地买土地的人，却不过拿着铜钱换来一张毫无用处的地契。若没有去过南海诸岛，绝不能知道当地物产之丰富，那些蛮夷番部，大多不知耕种，不用钱帛，多以渔猎采集为生，并且懒惰异常，在当地你纵然一掷千金，也雇不到任何人为你做事。更何况有许多人根本就是孤注一掷，碰个运气，听信传言买下那土地后便身无分文了，最后倒只好流落到凌牙门，成为当地移民的客户。只有极少数的人，才能贿赂那些酋长，买到一两个奴隶，勉强经营。但这些人也不过是不至于血本无归而已。凌牙门与归义城虽孤悬海外，毕竟是大宋的国土，倒也有人愿意世代在那里生活的，他们种植粮食，自给自足外还可以供应两城所需。但若有人一厢情愿，想在南海诸岛种植粮食发财，最终也只能是竹篮打水，除了广州不时还会需要买一点粮食，两浙、福建，只要不碰上饥荒，谁还会从海外来买粮食？而本地的许多番部，则根本不食五谷！”
“朝廷不准奴役南海归顺番部，以为有伤仁道。然而今之情形，则是中土往海外移民之人越来越少，凌牙门却急缺劳力——经营庄园、与当地土著争斗都需要人，最后，便是大食海商越来越多的贩卖人口至凌牙门——依大宋律，贩卖人口乃重罪，有司不得不管；然若真管了，凌牙门只怕会暴乱！”曾布对当年被贬斥凌牙门之事，不无耿耿。
蔡京却知道曾布断不会授人以柄，把对自己不利的事这么着公然在众人面前炫耀，因笑道：“监察御史不管吗？”
曾布笑道：“如何不管？监察御史来找我，我回道：祖宗自有定制，海夷犯法，事涉汉人，依汉法；不涉汉人，依番法。今大食海商贩卖夷人为奴，与汉人无涉，当依番法。然某衙中无大食法令，未知彼国贩卖人口是否论罪。于是我召集凌牙门所有大食海商，问他们大食国贩卖人口是否有罪，他们皆答无罪，并一一画押具状……”
众人听他如此，顿时哄然大笑。秦观扑哧一口酒全喷到了自己袍子上面，指着曾布，笑得打跌。蔡京也笑得扶着案角，几乎直不起腰来。
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