Brother Zhu Youxiao

"You want to win me over with just this little thing?"

On the fifth day of March, when the Ming army had already begun to mop up the five major states, Huang Long also got the handwriting and gold coins from Menezes and the others.

It's just that these two handwritten letters and gold coins made him feel humiliated in an instant.

The hot Tanjouer and this gift directly ignited Huanglong's temper.

The one thousand gold coins are worth less than 3000 taels of silver.

For Huang Long, who was deeply influenced by the "culture" of Ming Dynasty, which businessman who asked him for help would pay tens of thousands, or even tens of thousands of taels of silver?

Right now, Menezes and others want to take part in politics, but they only give gold coins less than 3000 taels of silver. This is really extremely humiliating to Huanglong.

You must know that if he dares to intervene in politics, then he will become the first governor of the five armies to intervene in politics.

For such an act of political significance, Menezes only gave 3000 taels of silver as a bribe, which is a bit of a face-off.

"Distribute these things to the twelve commanding envoys and 32 generals who led the expedition this time."

Huang Long, who was sitting on the throne of the Tanjore Palace, kicked the box of gold coins beside him, and Li Dan, who was standing on the hall, also bowed in response.

"Captain, since this is the case, should this letter still be sent to the capital?" Li Dan asked, while Huang Long said without hesitation:
"Of course we have to give it away. We are from the Governor's Mansion. This thing belongs to the cabinet and the six ministries. If we don't give it away, don't we want people to impeach me for being involved in politics?"

The policy and rules of civil and military separation were determined by Zhu Youjian as early as when the Five Armed Forces Governor's Mansion was established, and he emphasized it emphatically.

Although Huanglong is domineering, he has no intention of separatist regime, so naturally it is impossible to stop the letter.

What's more, his domineering is also for outsiders, and he is relatively easy to talk to brothers in the five army governor's mansion, which can be seen from his willingness to distribute gold worth 3000 taels of silver to his subordinates.

Hearing his words, Li Dan bowed slightly in response, and Huang Long also asked:
"Have you figured out the number of acres, the population, and the gold and silver seized in the five major states?"

"Although I haven't fully figured it out, it's probably close to ten." Li Dan responded with a bow, and said:
"According to their own statistics, the population of the five major states is more than 420 million and 600 people. Including some slaves we liberated, the total is actually close to [-] million people."

"The number of acres of land, according to the statistics of the five major states, is more than 700 million mu, and the number of acres of noble land we found is more than 400 million mu, totaling more than 100 million mu of land."

"As for gold and silver, the people below have dismantled and smelted the gold and silver from many temples. Although it has not been completely finished, at least more than 60 taels of gold, more than 300 million taels of silver, and fifty boxes of jewelry can be obtained. Qizhen."

After Li Dan finished speaking, these amounts basically represent most of the wealth of the five major states that occupy one-tenth of the area of ​​South Asia.

"In such a small place, nearly ten million taels of silver can be found..."

Huang Long became interested, and of course this interest was based on his "merit".

He had already thought about how His Royal Highness King Qi would reward him once he handed over the more than 60 taels of gold and more than 50 boxes of rare treasures. …

"The silver will be kept, and the rest will be transported to the capital by sea. The handwritten books of the Europeans and the summary documents of the five major states will be sent by sea, and then by land. They will be sent to the capital as quickly as possible within [-] miles."

"Furthermore, Your Highness, all the soldiers and horses in Xiaoxiyang have been paid for this year, and all they need is the imperial court to allocate subsidy money."

Speaking of this, Huang Long touched the beard on his chin, and then asked:
"That Lu Xiangsheng, what is he doing in the inspector's office recently?"

Huang Long asked about the behavior of Lu Xiangsheng, who was sent by Zhu Youjian to Xiaoxiyang to supervise the envoy, and Li Dan was stunned for a moment, then bowed and said:
"I heard that he has been organizing the Han soldiers, horses and government officials for nearly half a month."

"Soldiers and horses and yamen servants?" Huang Long paused, with disgust on his face, he said:

"A young literati like him still doesn't quite adapt to the rules in the south. In the south, he still has to rely on the guard battalion to manage the military. What role can the yamen servants and soldiers and horses play?"

"Besides, among the more than [-] people who have migrated here, there are less than [-] males."

"He recruited men to serve as soldiers, horses and government servants, purely to reduce taxes and increase local burdens."

"You can't say that..." Seeing Huang Long say this, Li Dan could only say good things for Lu Xiangsheng:
"Although the Ceylon Mansion is under the jurisdiction of the Xiaoxiyang Supervisory Commissioner, it is not small after all. Moreover, after the imperial court intensifies the relocation, this place must be on the right track, just like the old port."

"Getting out soldiers, horses and yamen servants in advance is also to get rid of military control earlier."

"Get out of military control..." Huang Long's expression was a little ugly, and he couldn't help complaining:
"After breaking away from military control, where should our Navy Governor's Mansion be moved?"

"The navy is supposed to guard the border for the imperial court. Even if I have to return to Beijing to report on my duties after the feudal war is over, the navy also needs barracks."

"According to me, Ceylon should be under military control..."

"This... Commander, it's better not to say such things. Your Highness must have his own ideas in making such an arrangement." Li Dan was afraid that Huang Long's misfortune would come out of his mouth, but Huang Long waved his hand and said indifferently:
"Your Highness is not that stingy, not to mention that things are like this."

"Forget it...Let Lu Xiangsheng mess around, and go get busy with your work."

"Yes!" Li Dan bowed in response, and then slowly exited the palace. While exiting the palace, he arranged for someone to take a boat to Krabi County in Palembang Province with a collection of documents and letters from Europeans. I went to arrange for the fleet to escort the gold and jewelry back to the capital.

Since the defeat of Jiaozhi and the removal of many rebels, the Ming army's news transmission has doubled.

For example, the ship arrived at Krabi County in Palembang in 26 days, and then crossed the road of [-] miles in half a day at an accelerated speed of [-] miles. It took six days to cross the Gulf of Siam from Song County Port in the east. , landed in Champa County, the southernmost part of Cochin.

The rest of the nearly [-]-mile road can be expedited by [-] miles. In the case of changing horses and people, it only takes nine days to deliver the things that need to be delivered to the capital.

The whole process can be completed in only 42 days, even if there is a slight delay on the way, it will not exceed 45 days.

All in all, this handwriting could arrive in the capital in early April and be seen by Zhu Youjian. …

It's just that compared to the fast horses sent by Li Dan, hundreds of ships have landed in Osaka Port thousands of miles away at this moment, and hundreds of salutes on the shore of the port are also fired in unison...

"put!"

"Bang bang bang-"

The welcome of the six salutes represented Yingzhou's attitude, and after the salute was over, the fleet docked, and the ladder of one of the ships was lowered, and Jin Xuan and the generals of the tenth battalion slowly walked down the ladder.

After getting off the boat ladder, Yan Siqi, Lu Jianxing, who had been waiting for a long time, and the generals of the [-]th Battalion dispatched by Daming successively appeared in front of them.

Although the Governor's Mansion of the Eastern Army has expanded its army several times, there are only 52 battalions of soldiers and horses at the moment, and 22 battalions of soldiers and horses have been transferred to Yingzhou.

In this way, excluding the previous losses, the Ming army in Yingzhou has reached more than [-] soldiers.

"Jin Xuan, the magistrate of the South Island, see Yan Jinglue, Commander Lu and the same prefect..."

"Hey, hey... Jin Zhifu doesn't need to be too polite, doesn't need to be too polite..."

When Jin Xuan got off the boat ladder, he took the lead in bowing. Seeing this, Yan Siqi also showed his true qualities as a former smuggling businessman, and stepped forward to help Jin Xuan pretending to be panicked.

Yan Siqi is not a fool, he knows that Jin Xuan came to Yingzhou to be gilded.

Or to put it another way, even if Jin Xuan didn't come to be gilded, but was maliciously targeted and transferred out, that's not something Yan Siqi can provoke.

Jin Xuan taught the prince for half a year, and he is also a well-known admonisher, no matter what, it is not a good thing to offend him.

Not only that, Yan Siqi almost guessed Jin Xuan's path.

If there is no accident, Jin Xuan will take over the position of Yingzhou Chief Envoy after he calms down the shogunate, and then polish it for a few years. When he is in his thirties, he will be transferred to the capital to serve as a high-ranking official. Into the cabinet.

Such a future cabinet minister, although he can't be the chief assistant, is still a side of power, how could Yan Siqi not please him?
"Prefect Jin, don't go to Nandaofu for the time being, but stay in Osaka to handle official affairs on behalf of the old man, and manage the government affairs of Nandao, Kyushu, Shikoku and Shibian."

Yan Siqi gave Jin Xuan the task with a smile on his face, but how could a direct minister like Jin Xuan not realize that this was a solicitation, so he frowned and refused:

"This... the lower official is just a magistrate, how can he manage the affairs of the Minister of Political Envoy?"

"Hey! You can't say that." Yan Siqi explained with a smile:
"The old man is not only the chief envoy, but also the strategy of Pingwa."

"Now that the Northern Expedition is imminent, the old man has to go to the capital city to control the various armies and prepare food and grass, so he has no time to take care of the government affairs of the three governments."

"Prefect Jin is quite capable. This old man has heard about this for a long time. Therefore, Prefect Jin needs to temporarily act as the coordinator for the old man. After the Pingwa is over, I will naturally let Prefect Jin let you return to Nandao Prefecture to handle government affairs."

"What's more, Prefect Jin, you don't know much about the people of Yingzhou, so staying in Osaka to study for a while will be beneficial to you."

Yan Siqi is worthy of being a smuggling businessman. He used the state affairs of the Japanese extermination to suppress Jin Xuan, and then used his status as a superior to suppress Jin Xuan, and finally used his personal promotion to seduce Jin Xuan. …

Under these three pressures and temptations, Jin Xuan could not refuse his request no matter what his status was.

"If that's the case, then the officer will take the order..." Jin Xuan was a little unhappy, but he still bowed and complied.

"Okay, okay..." Seeing his answer, Yan Siqi said hello three times in a row, then looked at the ten generals behind Jin Xuan, and went forward to greet them one by one.

It doesn't matter if you don't want to ask for warmth, after all, if he wants to squeeze into the power center of Ming Dynasty, he needs to be favored by Zhu Youjian.

Quickly pacify the Japanese, and then gradually advance northward according to the "Ping Japanese Matters" explained by Zhu Youjian, reclaim land, and set up market towns, which is the fastest way for him to squeeze into the center of power.

It's just that when he was asking about his health, Lu Jianxing stepped forward and greeted Jin Xuan, and whispered to Jin Xuan:
"Your Highness sent you here, you should know exactly what you are doing."

While speaking, he secretly glanced at Yan Siqi, and Jin Xuan nodded slightly:

"Don't worry Lu Tongzhi, I understand..."

"Just understand..." Seeing this, Lu Jianxing didn't say much, turned around and left with Jin Yiwei.

It was Jin Xuan who stayed because he still wanted to establish a good relationship with Yan Siqi so that he could take over Yingzhou in the future.

They were a group of high-ranking officials chatting and laughing at the pier, while the Ming army on other supply ships also disembarked.

The cannons were carefully pushed off the ship. Compared with the more than 3 soldiers of the ten battalions, Jin Xuan was more related to the more than 2 civilians who migrated with the army.

He found Yan Siqi who was still greeting the supporting generals, bowed and said:

"Yan Jinglue, this time the imperial court not only sent reinforcements, but also recruited and relocated 12 people from various places to come here one after another."

"The first batch of people who came here were the people who were still there, numbering more than [-] people. There will be four more groups of people who will migrate within two months."

"Therefore, I ask Yan Jinglue to allow me to look through the population and land registrations of the chief envoy, and arrange the relocation of the people in advance..."

"Okay, okay..." Yan Siqi waved his hands with a smile, and said indifferently:
"You don't need to tell me about these things in the future. Prefect Jin can handle it on your own. I will lead the army to Caojin City in three days. I will launch the Northern Expedition soon, and the land of the three prefectures will be handed over to you."

"Don't worry, Boyu will not dare to neglect government affairs..." Jin Xuan bowed back, and Yan Siqi also laughed and said:

"Okay, okay, I've already prepared a banquet in Osaka City, I will definitely not return tonight if I am not drunk, and I will not return if I am not drunk!"

Yan Siqi said while pulling Jin Xuan's wrist to go to the carriage, and called the reinforcement generals behind him to go together.

It has to be said that his familiar way of businessmen has brought a lot of distance between the two sides, and it doesn't seem so unfamiliar.

Although Jin Xuan was unwilling to go and wanted to resettle the people as soon as possible, he couldn't dampen Yan Siqi's interest, so he went with him.

But as soon as everyone arrived at the mansion, Yan Siqi asked Jin Xuan about something he was very concerned about:

"Prefect Jin, may I ask why the chief envoys Yang and Wu and the two guards Cao are missing?"

Yang Wenyue, Wu Aheng, Cao Bianjiao and Cao Dingjiao, these four were sent by Zhu Youjian to help Yan Siqi win the war against Japan. …

Previously, Jin Xuan thought that the first two hadn't arrived yet, and the latter two were in the team.

But he didn't want to go all the way, and after asking many ways, he found out that none of these four people had arrived in Yingzhou.

After getting the answer, Yan Siqi was in a hurry. Without the help of Yang Wenyue and Wu Aheng, although it would not be a problem for him to beat Tokugawa Iemitsu and Tokugawa Hidetada by himself, the loss on his books would be a bit ugly.

But fortunately, his worries didn't last too long, and he was comforted by Jin Xuan's explanation:
"The two guards Cao and the second group of immigrants came together, and the envoys Wu Buzheng and Buzheng Yang came with refugees from Huguang and Jiangxi."

"Refugees? Are there refugees in Huguang and Jiangxi?" Yan Siqi was taken aback. He didn't expect that such rich places as Huguang and Jiangxi would have refugees.

"Hmm..." Jin Xuan nodded with a heavy heart, and explained:
"Since the beginning of spring, although there have been a few rains in the north, there have been some droughts in Sichuan, Huguang, Nanzhili, Jiangxi and other places."

"In some areas the land is so dry and cracked that it is impossible to cultivate it at all."

"That's why the imperial court moved 12 people to Yingzhou for resettlement."

The drought in the ninth year of the apocalypse was indeed not as strong as that in the eighth and seventh years of the apocalypse, but it affected a wider range.

Every province has some places that lack water, so when the severe drought comes, these places cannot be cultivated, and the government can only take the lead to relocate them.

"Is the drought in the country so severe?"

Yan Siqi didn't expect that the drought in Daming would affect so much. After all, according to the news he got, Daming's current national strength is still thriving.

It's just that as far as he knows, ten provinces are suffering from drought, which is really scary.

"It's not as serious as last year, but the scope of the incident is a bit wider."

Jin Xuan shook his head, and told Yan Siqi the scale of the current drought.

Generally speaking, the eastern part of Hexi is still severely drought, and the northern part of Shaanxi, Hetao, and Hanzhong are also experiencing severe drought. Only the Guanzhong area has not been affected.

The drought in the south of Taiyuan, Shanxi has subsided, and some areas have begun to welcome rain, but the drought in Taiyuan and Datong is still severe.

Although the northern Zhili area also suffered from drought, it basically subsided to the south of the capital. Shuntian Prefecture and Yongping Prefecture in the north were supplied by rivers from the melted snow of Yanshan Mountain, and no serious drought broke out.

It's just that nearly half of the prefectures and counties in Sichuan suffered severe drought, northern Huguang fell, and Anqing, Luzhou, Hezhou, and Yangzhou in southern Zhili also encountered considerable drought.

In the south, the entire province of Guangdong suffered severe drought, and Pinglefu and Wuzhou Prefectures in eastern Guangxi also suffered from severe drought, while the drought in Fujian declined slightly. Only Zhangzhou and Quanzhou suffered from drought.

This is the basic drought situation that Jin Xuan has grasped so far.

"That said, Guochao might be short of food this year..."

While Yan Siqi felt so sad, he also seemed to realize his own value.

According to Jin Xuan, in the ten provinces of the Ming Dynasty, there were more than [-] prefectures and more than ten prefectures suffered from drought. Although it was not as severe as the previous two years, the harvest would not be complete, but the grain production would certainly not be too much.

These more than fifty prefectures and more than ten states probably involved thousands or even tens of millions of mouths. …

The imperial court must be short of food this year, and in this way, isn't Yingzhou, which is "smooth in weather and weather", the place where food is supplied?This is my good opportunity...

Yan Siqi rolled his eyes, then pretended to be sad and said:

"There is such a severe drought in the country, there must be many people suffering from hunger, and I don't know if the court has so much money and food to relieve the victims. It's a pity that I, as the parents and officials of the people, actually... oh..."

"Alas..." Yan Siqi's sigh made Jin Xuan couldn't help sighing too.

Seeing Jin Xuan sigh, Yan Siqi said:

"Prefect Jin, to tell you the truth, at present, Yingzhou only needs more than a million stones to maintain the army's northern expedition, and Yingzhou has nearly 600 million mu of cultivated land in the hands of the imperial court."

"These 600 million mu of cultivated land, after being cultivated by the tenants, can turn in millions of shi every year. With the addition of land tax, more than [-] million shi of rice can be harvested every year."

"You said, do we want to contribute to the country?"

Yan Siqi was afraid that his little thoughts would be seen through by Zhu Youjian, so he planned to use Jin Xuan as a shield to show his credit, and by the way, give Jin Xuan a share of the credit, as a favor.

Jin Xuan has a straightforward personality, and Yan Siqi's performance is full of emotion. He didn't think about it for a while, but thought that Yan Siqi really cared about the court and the people, so he said broadly:
"If the chief envoy is willing, then the imperial court is naturally willing to accept it, but there is still a need to reserve enough food for the immigrants."

"It's natural." Yan Siqi nodded repeatedly, pretending to settle accounts, and finally said happily:

"According to the grain and fodder prepared by the chief envoy in Huangdian, the chief envoy can at least take out 400 million shi of rice to transport to the imperial court."

"400 million shimi, if we follow the Ministry of Industry's disaster relief standards, at least one million disaster victims can live comfortably until next year."

Yan Siqi's calculations are top-notch, and Jin Xuan was also moved by him, and his affection for him soared, and at the same time, he also took the initiative to say:

"If that's the case, I can write a copy to His Highness, and ask His Highness to send the rice to the disaster area for disaster relief."

"Then I will trouble Prefect Jin..." Yan Siqi expressed his thanks with "red" eyes, and Jin Xuan also blushed in return.

He originally thought that Yan Siqi was greedy for money and merit, but now it seems that the other party is also a "kind person".

Although during this period, Jin Xuan felt that something was wrong, but when he thought that Yan Siqi actually transported all the rice that could be intercepted back to Daming, he no longer had doubts.

As for Yan Siqi, it was almost time to watch the show, so he also made insinuations:
"I don't know when the victims who migrated to Yingzhou will arrive in Osaka?"

"March 25th, [-]th, and [-]th, three batches arrived." Jin Xuan didn't think too much, because these things can be known after a little inquiry.

"Is that so..." Yan Siqi almost felt relieved when he heard this.

He was most afraid that Yang Wenyue and the others would delay their arrival for a few months, so he would not be able to make any more contributions this year, and had to wait for them to come honestly before sending troops.

Listening to it now, the calculation is about the same as the time it takes for food and grass to be shipped to the front line.

As long as the four of them arrive in Osaka, they can go to the front line.

At that time, he only needs to hand over his military power and assume a title, and he doesn't even need to go to the front line. Yang Wenyue and Wu Aheng can help him put down the shogunate.

Yan Siqi is a smart person, he knows that Yang Wenyue and Wu Aheng are old, and sooner or later they will be admitted to the Sixth Ministry, and they may even be able to enter the cabinet.

Although he captured one-third of Yingzhou, he was still far behind in terms of achievements and qualifications compared to these two.

Therefore, Zhu Youjian did not issue an order to transfer Yang Wenyue and Wu Aheng to Yan Siqi's control in the open, but said that the three were in charge.

It's about three people coordinating, but if Yan Siqi is self-righteous and thinks that he has a big face, then he is afraid that he will be slapped in the face by Yang Wenyue and Wu Aheng.

Obediently put up a name, and the distribution of merit after the war is what he has to do.

If it wasn't for Liu Xiang and Zheng Zhilong's failure to achieve brilliant results, he wouldn't have asked Zhu Youjian for help to lower his impression in Zhu Youjian's heart.

Fortunately, now that Yang Wenyue and Wu Aheng are coming, Pingwa is only a matter of time.

Thinking of this, Yan Siqi felt a little flustered. What he wanted the most right now was to transfer him back to the capital after the war and let him be an idle high-ranking official, instead of letting him lick blood at the border.

Judging from the current progress, this dream seems to be coming true soon.

Thinking of this, Yan Siqi raised his wine glass, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and said with a bit of sadness:

"Defending the city on the front line, and coordinating food and grass in the rear, I still need your help. I would like to offer you a toast..."

"Slightly more righteous..."

Seeing this, everyone raised their glasses to respond, and then drank it together with Yan Siqi.

In this way, it seems that the battle against Japan only needs to wait for the arrival of Yang Wenyue and Wu Aheng before the decisive battle can begin...