Chapter 76 Naval Battle
The prince summoned Zhang Taiyue not only to listen in on the key points of the negotiations, but also to ask Zhang Taiyue to act like a clerk and carefully embellish the contents of the negotiations before submitting them. Da'an is not as conservative as the crazy and critical people in the late Qing Dynasty, but the arrogance of the Celestial Empire is definitely still there. It is estimated that they are not willing to let important cabinet officials deal with Western barbarians. At this time, a pen for writing reports is particularly important - it can turn big things into small things and small things into nothing, explain the context of the matter while downplaying it so as not to stimulate emotions. This is the skill of a top secretary.
However, this kind of report, which was written by playing with the pen, may fool ordinary officials and Prince Yu, the regent, but it will definitely not fool an old man like Master Fei Xuan, who is more cunning than a monkey. This is also the reason why the prince has so many concerns and is always worried about the "difficulties in the palace." Based on his previous experience of watching the battles between the ministers and Lao Deng, he did not dare to hope for the slightest chance at this juncture. After submitting the memorial, he managed to meet with Li Zaifang and Huang Shanggang, and made heavy requests to the two big men.
When the Forbidden Garden caught fire earlier, it was thanks to the Crown Prince's fearless efforts to blast away the sea of fire that a close family son like Huang Shanggang did not ascend to heaven with Master Feixuan. This favor was truly unforgettable, and Eunuch Huang always thought about how to make up for it. So after receiving the memorial, he hid it in his sleeve without any delay and went to serve the Emperor, intending to report it to Master Feixuan when he was in a good mood, and then intercede from the side at any time to do his best to make this happen.
It should be said that his luck was very good. The emperor was in a very good mood these days. Not only did he never punish the palace servants, but he also always emitted some mysterious, strange and unreasonable smile when he was meditating alone. Eunuch Huang had been getting used to the situation after seeing the emperor for so many days. He did not find it strange. He just stood by with his whisk in hand, carefully observing the emperor's expression.
After being silent for half a cup of tea, Master Feixuan finally came out of his Taoist state of deep meditation and slowly opened his eyes.
The palace servants around him hurried forward to massage their hands and feet to relieve their blood circulation. Zhenjun raised his head and was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke:
"Mu Qi should have some memorial to submit, right?"
It's that tone again, words that sound half prophecy and half guesswork! In the past few days, the emperor has been meditating and trance-like. When he is awake, he always says one or two inexplicable yet seemingly profound words. After repeated thinking, it is completely inexplicable. It really seems like a precursor to attaining enlightenment and becoming an immortal with foresight. Even a well-tested and knowledgeable eunuch like Huang Shanggang could not help but feel indescribable fear in his heart.
He didn't dare to play tricks in front of such incredible magical power, so he could only bow his head honestly:
"No one is wiser than Your Majesty. I do have a memorial to submit."
The emperor, whose appearance was almost that of a demigod, smiled slightly and said calmly, "Then let me see it."
He took the memorial and glanced over the document carefully written by Zhang Taiyue. He immediately understood:
"Mu Qi has already negotiated with the Westerners?"
"Yes." Huang Shanggang leaned forward and said, "We have already made an agreement with the sea merchant Ru Wang. We will first buy one million pieces of wood to try it out. We will ship it to Tianjin by sea before the winter solstice this year, and prepare the ships within three years. The sailors on the ships will be selected by the Ministry of War, and they will be trained in combat tactics in small boats first. It is better for people to wait for the ships than for the ships to wait for people."
No matter how crazy or insane Mu Qi was, he would not dare to be careless in such matters. In other words, the entire coastal defense plan had been brewing in his mind for a long time, and he immediately came up with the predetermined plan as soon as he started.
Of course, if he only cared about making decisions on his own plans and did not allow his father to have a sense of participation and control, then he would be abusing his power and causing chaos, and he was not worthy of being a minister under Master Fei Xuan. So Eunuch Huang added:
"The prince has also said that he is young and inexperienced after all, and does not dare to take on such a major task. On the major policy of coastal defense, I still have to ask Your Majesty to make the decision."
The emperor hummed, his expression calm and composed. He shook his sleeves casually, pointed his five fingers upward, raised his thumb and index finger, and made a three-purity fingerprint:
"What are the guidelines?"
Letting the leader make decisions does not mean asking him to do hard labor. He will really work hard to come up with a solution for you. Sensible subordinates will generally prepare alternative plans, and the leader just needs to tick the box.
"The prince has submitted three plans."
"Oh." The emperor raised his eyes, obviously familiar with the whole process. "Another set of suggestions and advice. The worst, the middle and the best strategies for me to choose from?"
"That's not the case." Eunuch Huang carefully paraphrased the original words: "The prince said that he presented the best strategy, the best-of-the-best strategy, and the best-of-the-best strategy."
Master Fei Xuan: …………
Master Feixuan suddenly opened his eyes and stared at Eunuch Huang expressionlessly.
To be honest, this reply was so bizarre to the point of madness; but such madness seemed inexplicably reasonable to the prince of Duke Mu, and there was even a long-lost sense of security. So the True Lord remained silent for a moment and closed his eyes again, probably not caring about it:
"What are the plans?"
"It's mainly about the specifications of the construction." Eunuch Huang carefully presented a list: "The best strategy is to build large ships, which requires a large number of sailors and craftsmen; the middle strategy is to build both large and small ships, which requires fewer people; the best strategy is to mainly build small ships, which also requires the least number of people. Each of the three strategies has its advantages and disadvantages, but please make the decision, Your Majesty."
It is said that each has its own advantages and disadvantages, but in the era of great navigation that is about to enter with giant ships and heavy artillery, the irrefutable truth in naval warfare is the word "big" - bigger is better, more is beautiful; as long as there are more than ten giant ships with a displacement of thousands of tons, they will be able to roam the vast waters invincible, deter the villains, and easily control the sea power of the entire East Asia. The power, efficiency and deterrence of a giant ship can never be matched by a small boat. If we really have to talk about the disadvantages, it can probably only be the word "expensive" - the wood used for the giant ship is more than hundreds of thousands of taels, and the subsequent maintenance and repairs are an astronomical figure that will never end. Without sufficient reserves, it is absolutely impossible to support such a living father.
The only disadvantage of expensive things is that they are expensive, but this is the disadvantage of the imperial court, the national treasury, and the wasteful old Deng, but it is definitely not the disadvantage of the giant ship. Even though he knew that there was no way that Lao Deng would choose such an expensive plan, Mu Qi still couldn't help but exaggerate the various advantages of this plan in the list, trying to impress Lao Deng - yes, Master Fei Xuan would most likely only choose an upper-middle-level plan that would save money, be decent, and have some utility; but as long as he could plant a little foreshadowing in his mind, when the treasury is sufficient in the future, he could always think about this extremely costly and superior plan, right?
But unexpectedly, Master Feixuan did not accept this carefully drafted list at all. He simply flexed his fingers and formed the Five Mountains Seal:
"Then choose the best strategy and build the big ship as soon as possible."
Eunuch Huang:?
If it was the Prince of Duke Mu who was present, he would probably immediately agree and express his gratitude, and would urgently urge the cabinet to draft an edict immediately to create a fait accompli. He would not care whether Lao Deng was confused and spoke without thinking or was simply confused and forgot to care, he would just get the job done first. But Eunuch Huang didn't have the courage to do so, so he had to tactfully remind the emperor:
"Your Majesty's instructions, I will naturally obey. But someone submitted a memorial earlier, saying that the cost of coastal defense is too high..."
The confidentiality system of the Da'an court continued to function stably. As soon as the prince's coastal defense plan was submitted, the cabinet immediately started to spray top-secret information everywhere. The civil officials of the court did not disappoint everyone. After receiving the news, some of them took urgent action and wrote to the Tongzhengshisi under the instruction of an unknown patron to carry out the intangible cultural heritage with a long history of the Da'an Dynasty:
Party struggle begins!
A familiar smell hit him, but the emperor remained calm: "How much do you want?"
Eunuch Huang said carefully, "The Ministry of War has made a budget. If we really want to build large ships, train sailors, and prepare large cannons, the annual expenditure will probably be more than six million."
Politics is about people and money. Whoever gets the money can get the power. It’s no wonder that some people are anxious when they see such a big piece of the fiscal pie being taken away by the rise of coastal defense. Even though the emperor had already made plans, his expression changed slightly when he heard such a number.
But it was only a slight change. After experiencing the stimulation of the Heavenly Book for a long time, Feixuan Zhenjun and Wanshou Emperor had already developed a calm and indifferent temperament. They basically no longer worry about the trivial matter of a little silver. After all, when you know that you can make tens of millions of taels without doing anything in a few years, a little expense in the early stage is really insignificant.
Six million taels in exchange for more than ten million, who wouldn’t like such a deal?
Therefore, Master Feixuan just shook his sleeves again, sat cross-legged, with his five hearts facing the sky, pinched the magic formula with both hands, and exhaled deeply. The green leaf crown on his head rose and fell with his breathing, and the water vapor was also rising all around him. He looked so calm and relaxed, as if he were a fairy who had really come to earth. There was really no need to worry about such mundane matters.
After breathing, the True Lord simply said:
"Just for six million taels, you have come to me and made endless accusations. The officials in the court are really worried."
Eunuch Huang:? ! ! !
Wait, what does “just for six million taels” mean?
Isn’t six million taels enough?
If Eunuch Huang remembered correctly, a few years ago there were floods in the south of the Yangtze River and drought in Hebei, and the emperor had to repair palaces and temples. After several expenses, the national treasury was emptied, and there was a deficit of nine million taels of silver. In order to divide this huge pot of nine million taels of silver, the cabinet, the six ministries, the central and local governments were fighting each other. The emperor was anxious, and the ministers were anxious, and the ministers were anxious, and the governors were anxious. The one at the top was anxious, and the one at the bottom was anxious. It was a state of vitality and all things were competing. At that time, the national treasury was empty and the refugees from Hebei could march to Beijing at any time with armed forces to present the pros and cons to the court. Master Feixuan was so agitated that he got blisters at the corners of his mouth. Why didn't he say that the money didn't matter?
At that time, the situation was extremely urgent. Yan Ge Lao, who was still the second assistant, had a brain short circuit and actually came up with some bullshit idea of changing rice fields into mulberry fields, and almost implemented it. Thanks to the timely madness of the prince of Mu Guogong, who lay down and shouted something about paying tribute to Yan Ge Lao, the pioneer of economics, the trend was barely stopped and dragged on until the financial situation eased later, without causing a big mess...
What’s going on? Now that Prince Mu is no longer crazy, the Emperor is starting to act crazy again?
"Only six million taels of silver" - it's really like eating wick ash and farting lightly! Unless Feixuan Zhenjun Wanshou Emperor is truly perfect in merit and has learned Lu Zu's magical power of turning stone into gold, the cabinet will never be able to come up with so much silver even if they die.
Eunuch Huang was stunned and stammered in silence, while the emperor was calm and composed, sitting upright and motionless. As the de facto Minister of Finance of the Da'an Dynasty, Feixuan Zhenjun Wanshou Emperor was actually quite aware of the financial situation of the court, so when he said this, he had already made preparations, intending to take money out of the treasury if things really didn't work out - of course, this was by no means a sudden change of character on the part of Zhenjun to be considerate of the national conditions, but a rational decision after weighing the pros and cons. The imperial power is noble, so it is not impossible to find a few white gloves to make some money; but after all, it takes too long and the progress is inevitably delayed; thinking about the profits that are within reach, one has no choice but to pay for it himself.
Fei Xuan Zhenjun is certainly a tyrant who is unique in the world, but he is a smart and experienced tyrant after all. The old Taoist has his own account in his mind about when to invest and when to reap the rewards. For the sake of his bright future, he would never be stingy with his spending today.
But Eunuch Huang obviously had not caught up with the version. Although he did not dare to publicly refute the emperor, he just stood there without saying a word, with beads of sweat gradually oozing out of his forehead. Master Fei Xuan was very considerate of his own people. After taking a quick look, he made an exception and asked:
"Is there any discussion in the court?"
"Yes." Eunuch Huang was as if he had been pardoned, and he quickly leaned over to report: "The prince said during the cabinet meeting that after the eunuch Sanbao sailed to the West, China had not built a large ship for a long time, so he planned to invite craftsmen from foreign vassal states to teach the art of shipbuilding; he also said that Japan and the West have special experience in navigation, and they can be obtained with a large sum of money. Unexpectedly, as soon as the words came out of his mouth, the Left Censor Ouyang Jin, who came to the meeting with him, stood up and scolded him, accusing the prince of fawning on foreigners, being shameless, and boosting the prestige of others, saying something like 'It is better to have no good ships in China than to have Westerners in China'; it was a big fuss..."
Having said this, Eunuch Huang paused. In fact, he was watching in the cabinet at that time, and the quarrel between the two sides he witnessed was not limited to this; when Ouyang Jin said something about "fawning on foreigners", the prince remained calm and did not take it seriously, until Ouyang Jin became more and more drunk and actually accused the Mu Mansion of colluding with the Japanese on all kinds of issues in Japan. At that moment, the face of the Duke of Mu Prince suddenly changed, revealing an extremely sharp and terrifying expression - an expression that had never been seen before.
Such a look only flashed by and then disappeared; the prince even asked Eunuch Huang to downplay the matter in front of the emperor so as not to divert the focus of the report. But Eunuch Huang, who had experienced many storms, could still see at a glance: after this mere accusation, Ouyang Jin and the prince had become mortal political enemies, and there was no room for easing.
The emperor certainly didn't know about this hidden disturbance among his ministers, or he wouldn't care if he knew. He also guessed that Ouyang Jin must have ulterior motives and was probably just using the name of party struggle to fight for the power of financial division. But when he heard about "fawning on foreigners", he couldn't help but feel a little unhappy, so he snorted:
"'Westerners should not be allowed to enter China', what does Ouyang Jin think?"
"Censor Ouyang criticized the prince's plan to recommend Western craftsmen, saying that he had secret dealings with the West and had ulterior motives. He also advocated a thorough investigation and strict adherence to the great principles of ethics and morality, and that Chinese officials were not allowed to have any connection with the West..."
It should be said that Huang Shanggang was still very loyal to the country. He deliberately downplayed the disputes in the cabinet, omitted many of Ouyang Jin's sharp, harsh and vicious accusations, and tried his best to ease the political effect of this quarrel. Unfortunately, because he did not understand the true situation, his attempt to ease the situation had exactly the opposite effect - he would have been fine if he had just recounted the other accusations, but when he got to the part about "not allowed to have any involvement at all", the emperor's face suddenly changed!
What does "not even a cent of involvement allowed" mean? What I mean is that you will stop me from investing money in that bank in the future? !
What does "strictly observe ethical ethics and moral principles" mean? Should I also help you protect yourself from the hundreds of thousands of silver I will give you in the future? !
My money! My national bonds! My nine million, ten million and thirty million! Maritime trade is a treasure trove of gold and silver, but you destroyed it all with just one sentence. Do you still expect me to thank you? !
——This is deceiving God! !
The corners of Master Feixuan's mouth and eyes twitched together, and veins immediately popped out on his forehead; his blood was boiling with old injuries, and he suddenly turned his head, with two fierce rays of light shooting out of his eyes!
"Good, good, good!" The emperor spoke in a cold voice, his chill coming from his face. "Mu Qi hired a few Western craftsmen, and they said that Mu Qi was secretly communicating with foreign vassals. But Mu Qi was personally employed by me - according to what they said, am I also secretly communicating with them?!"
"Go and tell them, if they really want to do so, then there is no need to hide it; these people do not need to be so cunning, they can immediately kneel down in the Imperial Ancestral Temple and cry to their ancestors, and report that I and my people have secretly communicated with foreign vassals and brought chaos to the court!"
·
The Emperor was furious with thunder and lightning, which made Eunuch Huang's legs tremble and his mind dazed. After the clouds and rain finally dispersed and his magical powers were retracted, he finally got the chance to go out and convey his orders, and at the same time hide from this inexplicable storm.
After reprimanding the confused Censor Ouyang, Eunuch Huang wanted to pass on a message to the Crown Prince. However, after searching the Cabinet and the Duke's Mansion, there was no sign of him. All he found out was that he had been resting in the suburbs of Beijing in recent days, saying that he was experimenting with some "rocket".
When he heard about rockets, Eunuch Huang thought of Fei Xuan Zhenjun No. 2. When he thought of the various twists and turns of Fei Xuan Zhenjun No. 2, Eunuch Huang couldn't help but tremble from head to toe. But there was nothing he could do, so Huang Shanggang had to bite the bullet and set off, having several Jinyiwei escort him to some "launch base" in the suburbs.
Although he was mentally prepared, Eunuch Huang still took a breath of cold air after being led into the "base" by the guards - the so-called base was just a small earthen slope with a row of small stools on the slope, with more than a dozen people sitting obediently, and each of them had an iron pot on their heads.
Yes, an iron pot; a shiny iron pot with a round bottom and two handles; more than a dozen pots were also lined up in a row, shining above his head.
Eunuch Huang was not a Mongolian, so he had no particular fondness for iron pots. He stared at the dozen or so iron pots in astonishment, with only one thought running through his mind:
——Oh no, the prince’s madness has struck again!
It is hard to say whether a mad person is capable of reading the imperial edict, and his reaction after receiving the edict is even more unpredictable; but Eunuch Huang had no time to withdraw; because the prince sitting in the middle had already seen him, and immediately strode down the mountain to greet him, with the iron pot still shaking clanging above his head.
The prince greeted him enthusiastically, and Eunuch Huang responded in a trance. After answering a few words, Huang Shanggang finally couldn't help it. He couldn't help but stare at the decoration on the prince's head that could not be ignored:
"This iron pot is——"
"Oh, this is not an iron pot." The prince explained to him happily: "This is an iron helmet, used to protect the head. Rocket launches are very dangerous, so I have made regulations that require you to wear a helmet at the base and the launch site to protect yourself to the maximum extent."
Eunuch Huang: …………
What the hell is this hard hat? Don't try to fool us with your crazy words! This is a fucking big iron pot!
Eunuch Huang was silent for a moment, then shifted his gaze to the iron pot - no, to the top of the safety helmet, on which a "甲" was written in red paint.
"What are these words..."
"This is the number of the helmet." The prince touched his head and introduced enthusiastically: "If you are unfortunately hit by a falling rocket, then it is basically impossible to find the whole body. At this time, the number is very useful. We can use the number to quickly confirm the identity of the deceased, which is convenient for subsequent pensions and burials. If Eunuch Huang comes to inspect often, would you like to have a helmet as well? I can specially compile a code for you to identify the body. It will be absolutely unique and in line with your status..."
Eunuch Huang's face turned wooden.
Although he couldn't understand a single word, Huang Shanggang was 100% sure of one thing:
——Prince Mu has become even crazier!
·
After seeing off the eunuchs and the royal guards who had left in a hurry, the prince took out the imperial edict that the emperor had personally reviewed from the bright yellow silk bag, looked it over, then folded it carefully and handed it to Wu Chengen who had hurried over.
"The emperor approved my memorial." The prince explained succinctly: "We can build a big ship now."
Wu Cheng'en carefully received the imperial edict and replied respectfully:
"The Lord is still wise."
Is this wise? Mu Qi couldn't answer, and perhaps no one could answer it. In fact, the reason why Feixuan Zhenjun Wanshou Emperor is so difficult to serve is that he is a moody and intermittent wise ruler. Although he became more and more anthropomorphic over time, he would occasionally burst into hard work and come up with some rather wise yet confusing moves, leaving the court officials at a loss as to what to do. Things were so confusing and chaotic that even with all kinds of information from later generations to confirm it, Mu Qi had no way of knowing Lao Deng's current state of mind - was he determined to mend his ways, or was he just going through the motions for a passing moment?
However, there was one thing he was sure of. Mu Qi looked away and looked at the trail of smoke in the distance. After dozens of arduous experiments, the soldiers they selected were able to accurately launch rockets from a shaking horse and hit wooden boats serving as targets five or six miles away - at present, the ships were not yet fully available, and this was the only way to simulate battles on the sea.
The simulation effect is very ideal. Next, as long as they further upgrade Feixuan Zhenjun No. 2 and fill the cavity with the high-calorific value fuel that Shen Yunzi once developed, they will have an absolute weapon for naval warfare, a major innovation that can almost crush ordinary cold weapons; in this way, all material preparations for large-scale naval battles will be complete.
In other words, the horrific and bloody era of maritime colonization, the barbaric era when a nation could be conquered by firing a cannon on the coast, and the suffocating situation of absolute crushing of land power by sea power were all started by them.
It’s really sad to think that the development of productivity can actually create such a horrible monster. But as a person involved in the game, Mu Qi probably doesn't have the leisure to be sad - the Age of Discovery was a battle royale of ancient civilizations, a ruthless expulsion and division of old empires, the most brutal and bloody law of the jungle; in this feast of division, Chinese civilization was more of a survivor than a winner; after paying huge sacrifices, this ancient nation was actually just barely lingering on, qualified to temporarily escape from the frenzy of division and try its best to lick its wounds. As for the subsequent turnaround from desperate situation, it was a luck that might not be possible in a thousand or ten thousand years, an incomparable miracle.
Of course, Mu Qi did not dare to hope for such a miracle, nor did he dare to take such a risk. Therefore, he must be prepared before the poison circle begins to shrink.
He turned his head and looked at Wu Chengen who was also wearing an iron pot - a safety helmet:
"I want to ask a favor of Mr. Wu."
Wu Chengen immediately leaned forward and said, "Please give me your orders, my lord."
"It's not really an order." The prince said, "The draft of 'Mortal Cultivation' is still in your hands, sir, right?"
In the past few dozen days of chaos and war, everything has been delayed, and the book "A Mortal's Journey to Immortality" is naturally no exception; but I didn't expect that when I brought up the old matter today, I still couldn't forget it!
Wu Cheng'en's face froze immediately, but he had no choice but to nod.
"Then please revise the manuscript and add another paragraph to "Mortal Cultivation", focusing on the various adventures of Fei Xuanzi in obtaining treasures from the sea. The more vivid the description, the better, and the easier it is to understand, the better. It would be best if an old woman could understand it, and ordinary people could read some common sense about overseas... I will prepare the relevant information and outline for you."
Wu Chengen was slightly stunned: "An adventure in the sea?"
The prince nodded: "Yes. Once you finish writing, I will arrange for it to be printed immediately."
·
If Master Feixuan's abnormality is really just a momentary confusion and madness, then try to make this madness more intense!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
