Once you pass Longmenwei, you will already be the boundary of the North Road, but the real changes will not be more obvious until you pass Xiangtian Fort. After all, this is where the Shangbei Road was first developed.
Shangbei Road is where Zhang Cheng first left the town, and it is also the place that has changed the most. The core of it is that after passing Chi Castle, the workshops around Yunzhou Fort extend southward to outside Chi Castle.
The scale of Yunzhou workshops continued to expand, and they expanded to the north, south, west and east, forming a complex water and land transportation network, with a string of various workshops on each line.
It was because of the shortage of land here and in order to facilitate shipments that Zhang Chengcai also opened a workshop in Yongning and transferred some products that were in high demand and were not part of the core competitiveness to be processed there.
Looking at the numerous workshops on the banks of the White River, with black smoke rising into the sky everywhere, if they knew about Germany in later generations, they would probably mistakenly think that this was the world-famous Ruhr Industrial Zone.
Although it is far from reaching the industrialized production scale of later generations, the fact that it could achieve such a scale in the troubled times of the late Ming Dynasty was enough to shock Xie Sixin, Zhang Dou and others who had never seen the world.
They were curious about everything in front of them, and they gathered around Yongning Bo Zhang Cheng and kept asking questions. Fortunately, Wei Zhice accompanied him all the way. He was initially responsible for the affairs of the Yunzhou Craftsman Camp, so it would be best for him to answer the questions.
Everyone's perspective of concern is also different. Some of them are amazed at the scale of the place and care about how the various workshops operate; some are concerned about where the cannon and gunpowder and armor workshops are, while Wu Guogui and Xia
Longshan kept asking about the location of the cigarette workshop.
Zhang Cheng accompanied Xie Sixin and Zhang Dou in the front, sitting on the cart watching and chatting. It can be seen from their eyes that their admiration for Yongning Bo is beyond words.
Although they have been in the barbaric and barren land of eastern Liaoning for a long time, they have also seen the prosperity of the capital and other big cities. However, the vibrant feeling here in Yunzhou now is incomparable to the superficial prosperity of the capital and other big cities.
In the vast land of Liaodong, the imperial court spends more than a million dollars every year, but it is not known who has gone into the pockets of people. Many soldiers and civilians of Liaodong are still struggling on the line of life and death.
"Sire, I have something unclear about you. I would like to ask Uncle Yongning to help me clear up my confusion."
Zhang Cheng looked at Bing Xian and Zhang Dou and asked with a smile: "Zhang Bingxian is very talented and capable of both literary and military skills. Why is there something unclear that we need a martial artist to clear up?"
Zhang Dou looked solemn and said seriously: "Since ancient times, the way of generals is not to make them full. Only when they are hungry and cold can they stimulate their ferocity and make them fight bravely on the battlefield.
Military merit in exchange for rewards."
He looked at Zhang Cheng with doubts on his face: "I have been traveling all the way to Xianguan. The people everywhere on Guanbei Road are well clothed and well fed, especially the workshops where most workers are employed, and the fields in various places are rarely deserted. The people live in peace and contentment. How do they make use of it?"
What about those who bravely fight in front of the battlefield and risk their lives?"
Zhang Cheng did not answer directly, but ordered Zhang Chengfang to stop the cart. He stood at the front of the cart and looked at the workshop in the distance. After a long time, he turned back and said: "'The people are the way, and those who have permanent property have
Perseverance, there is no perseverance without perseverance.', even the famous saying.
The method of generalship mentioned by the public is not the method used by the ancient generals, but the method used by the generals of the ancestral family in the border areas of eastern Liaoning. This is an evil method, not a good method.
When the ancient generals led the army, they always put "clear rewards and punishments, rewards for merit and punishment for demerits" first, followed by ensuring that the soldiers were well fed, and finally strict military rules and regulations."
"Please think about it, Mr. Zhang."
Zhang Cheng waved his hand and pointed at the figures coming and going in the workshop in the distance, and continued: "If the dependents of the men in the army can have work to do, there is land for them to cultivate, and everyone will have enough food and clothing.
They have nothing to worry about, and who dares not to fight bravely to kill the enemy? Only by sacrificing his life in front of the battle can he maintain the stability of today, and make it possible for future generations to be like this for generations to come.
Just imagine, if he cowers in front of the battle and is timid, then what awaits them is not only the commander's military rules and regulations, not only will they themselves be severely punished, but even their family members' qualifications to work will be compromised.
It will be cancelled, and the allocated fields will be taken back by the Wei Department."
Zhang Cheng continued with a sneer: "It is precisely because the cost of making mistakes is so high that all the soldiers under my command bravely strive to be the first. Even if they die on the battlefield, in addition to pensions, their families will also have many welfare benefits.
The next generation basically has nothing to worry about."
"High salary to support a scholar!"
Xie Sixin stroked the beard on his chin and continued: "It's just that there are tens of thousands of strong warriors under Yong Ningbo's command. Where did this lot of money and food come from?"
"Hahaha……"
After Zhang Cheng laughed for a while, he said seriously: "The outside world thinks that I am a greedy man who only knows how to expropriate money, compete with the people for profit everywhere, exploit the common people and military households, and use all possible means.
Everyone in the world thinks that if we only talk about money and food, I should be the number one in Xuanzang Town. Although I dare not say that I am 'the richest in the world', it is indeed not an exaggeration to say that I am the richest in the world. Even some big guys in Beijing,
He may not have Ben Bo’s wealth.”
When he said this, he turned around, looked at Xie Sixin and Zhang Dou with a playful look, and said: "It's just that they don't know that the first wealth in my hands is the loyal and brave soldiers under my command.
As the saying goes, "You will come back after a thousand pieces of gold have been spent," but loyal and brave soldiers are the rarest of all. The money I have collected will naturally be spent on these loyal and brave soldiers, equipping them with good horses, good armor, good swords, guns and guns.
gun.
Unlike those real misers who have tens of millions of wealth locked in cellars, how can gold and silver still produce offspring on their own?"
"Yongning Bo's excellent lectures are admired by students."
Looking at Xie Sixin with a sincere face, Zhang Cheng knew that his words came from the bottom of his heart.
At this time, a cloud of smoke and dust rose in the distance, as if a fast horse was galloping towards this direction. Zhang Cheng just took a closer look and recognized the new Yunzhou Guard Qianhu Liu Zhenzhou.
Although they both have the rank of Qianhu, the Yunzhou garrison is not a little bit more valuable than the Qianhu of Pine Castle!
Due to the existence of the Craftsman Camp, Yunzhou Fort's status on the North Road is no less than that of Chi Castle, which is the center of the North Road. Not only the armor and guns of the Yongyi Army officers are produced here, but even the most powerful weapons in Zhang Cheng's hands are produced here.
Several major profitable products are also produced here.
The garrison here is Chi Yuan. Although he has no great achievements, he has no fault. He has worked hard in Yunzhou Fort for several years and devoted himself to assisting the development of the craftsman camp. This time he was directly promoted to the garrison officer of the Red Castle.
The fact that Liu Zhenzhou was promoted to Yunzhou garrison shows that Zhang Cheng valued and trusted him!
The group of people followed Liu Zhenzhou and walked slowly to the center of the craftsman camp. Shi Tiegen, the general manager of the craftsman camp, Wang Gaancheng, the director of the gun bureau, Li Chengmao, the director of the artillery bureau, and others also came to greet Zhang Cheng, who was now accompanying Xie Sixin and
Zhang Dou and others were by his side, ready to answer a series of questions they had from time to time.
…………
In early February in the capital, it was still cold and the north wind was blowing, but people were more joyful than in previous years.
How could people not feel extremely happy about a "great victory" that had been rare in decades, especially the people in the capital. They felt that they were born under the imperial city and considered themselves to be head and shoulders above the people elsewhere.
One of his outstanding characteristics is that he loves to care about national affairs. After dinner, the wine shops and teahouses are full of people talking loudly, and he often arouses applause for his astonishing original insights.
At this time, the person who caused the whole house to burst into laughter was the most eye-catching person in the entire teahouse. He became the center of attention of the crowd and felt full of accomplishment.
Qipan Street has always been the place with the highest concentration of teahouses and restaurants in the capital, and it is also a place where many leisurely people like to gather after dinner.
Nowadays, the grand scene when the army aiding the Jin Dynasty won the victory, especially the grand scene when the brave army presented prisoners to His Majesty the Emperor, is still the most talked about event.
It's just past midnight, and the sky is still bright. Restaurants and teahouses are already full of people, and the streets are full of people. Today's weather is good, with clear skies, and the flow of people is even greater.
Suddenly, a voice came from a restaurant: "Shocking news, Uncle Yongning is going to levy commercial tax in Xuan Mansion!"
Another voice next to him replied: "Didn't Uncle Yongning start levying commercial tax a long time ago? What's all the fuss about?"
"Can it be the same?"
The voice from before continued: "Bei Road is a big place. How many shops can there be? There may not be any resistance to him imposing a business tax. But you also know what kind of place Xuanfu is. There are hundreds of shops, big and small." So many.
What's more, those big companies have branches all over the country, and many of them have the shares of important officials in the capital. If Uncle Yongning really levies a business tax, wouldn't it be like killing them?"
The man took a sip of tea and continued: "Well, if you don't knock out a few of Uncle Yong Ning's teeth this time, I'll pluck them out of his mouth to compensate you."
"hey-hey!"
The man who answered the call said with a sinister smile: "I can't see. Who is Uncle Yong Ning? He dares to intercept and kill even the slave chief when he drinks a pole. This time he may not..."
At this time, someone at the table next to him interjected: "Humph, it's really not that obvious. I heard that Uncle Yongning was so proud of his achievements that he didn't take the governor and other officials seriously. He also opened private markets to amass money, and even more They send troops without permission and start provocations on the border without permission."
He looked around pretending to be mysterious, and then continued in a soft voice: "I heard that the Tatars sent troops to attack Xuandabian Fort to punish Yong Ningbo for his provocation.
It is said that the memorials criticizing Uncle Yong Ning in the imperial court are piled up like a small mountain, and this time even His Majesty has a headache."
"Brother, be careful what you say. Don't be careful if the Dongchang investigators overhear it. It could lead to terrible disaster!"
Everyone then talked about various rumors that have been very popular recently. Everyone said something to each other, but they all said nothing about Yong Ning Bo. They were nothing more than levying business taxes, competing for profits with the people, taking credit for themselves, despising officials, and lightly starting. Provocations on the side, provoking revenge from Tatar thieves, etc.
However, the most amazing thing is about Zhang Cheng's self-respect for raising bandits. It is rumored that he did not attack the slave thieves with all his strength during the Battle of Liaodong. After the war, he even traded with the slave thieves privately, selling large amounts of grain, iron materials, gunpowder and other contraband to the Slave thief.
You must know that the people in the capital have been repeatedly robbed by slave thieves for many years. They hate slave thieves the most. When such a rumor was released, the people in the capital immediately aroused a burst of curses.
This kind of scene kept appearing in teahouses and restaurants in every prosperous area of Beijing, and the capital was once again in a state of excitement...
What's more, it was said that the Tatars wanted to ask the court for peace because of the unfavorable war in Jinzhou, but Yongningbo was behind the scenes, hoping to make money by doing business with the Tatars after the peace negotiation.
True or false, various rumors continue, and it seems that this year is not destined to be a peaceful year.
…………
At Xu time, the spring was cold, but sparse snowflakes were floating in the sky above the capital.
In a majestic mansion near Chongwenmen Street, the study room was still as warm as summer. Zheng Sanjun, the newly appointed Minister of Civil Affairs, sat silently on his huanghuali official hat chair with a thick warm mattress under him. .
On the sandalwood desk in front of him, there was a cup of newly brewed tea, but he did not drink it for a long time, until the tea gradually turned cold, and he just sat there quietly without saying a word.
Li Rixuan, the former Minister of Staff, was sitting next to him. The tea in front of him was equally cold. A pair of deep eyes looked at Zheng Sanjun coldly.
"Brother Yongzhang, don't you have anything to say?"
Li Rixuan finally spoke. Although his tone was very calm, there was an unconcealable anger hidden in his words.
The new Minister of Civil Affairs in front of him, Zheng Sanjun, can be regarded as a veteran official. He was an important minister in the Wanli, Taichang, Tianqi, and Chongzhen dynasties, and was known as the "Three Ministers".
Zheng Sanjun was born in Jiande, Chizhou. He was a Jinshi in the 26th year of Wanli. In the early years of Chongzhen, he was the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs in Nanjing, and later the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. In the first month of the eighth year, he was also the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, with the title of Prince Shaobao.
In the eleventh year of Chongzhen's reign, there was a robbery of the Gongbu Yuan, and the three generals tried to lighten the ceremony. The emperor was angry and took away his official position.
He was a cautious person, especially when he came back again after being dismissed from office. However, when he was in the middle of the situation, he often couldn't control himself. Just like the disaster in the eleventh year of Chongzhen, he originally had the intention to impose a heavy sentence, but all parties continued to plead for mercy, so he only hesitated slightly. , the result is that it brings disaster to oneself.
"You and I are just gentlemen, no matter who they are, they are all for the Ming Dynasty, but..."
A soft "bang" sound came.
It turned out that Li Rixuan knocked on the table in front of him, causing the tea cup to shake loudly.
His voice was stern: "Zhang Cheng, what exactly does he want to do?"
"It's okay for him to mess around in a small border area in the north. Now, just after taking office as the commander-in-chief of the Xuanfu, he wants to collect commercial taxes wantonly. This is competing with the people for profit, which is against the ancestral system."
He struck the case again with his palm and said angrily: "Does he still have national laws in his eyes and does he have a holy emperor? He forcibly expropriated the gentry's fields on the East Road and also collected the land tax from the gentry on the East Road. How is this move different from treason?"
The more Li Rixuan spoke, the angrier he became. At this moment, his anger reached the sky. Although Zheng Sanjun also looked livid, with his head tilted back slightly, and his eyes seemed to be closed but not closed, he still did not say a word.
Li Rixuan saw that Zheng Sanjun remained silent, and his heart became even more tense. Finally, he shouted hoarsely: "The ancestral system, Emperor Taizu Gao gave preferential treatment to the gentry, which is also the foundation of our founding of the Ming Dynasty.
Zhang Cheng is unscrupulous and exacts taxes and levies. Is he trying to dig up the roots of the gentry in the world?
In my opinion, he is more hateful than bandits and Tartars. He not only wants to destroy our Ming Dynasty, but also wants to destroy the people of the world!"
"enough!"
Zheng Sanjun stood up and slapped the case. He looked at the furious Li Rixuan with a livid face. He was breathing heavily. After a long time, his expression relaxed slightly. He sighed and said: "Brother Huibo is serious. Uncle Yongning is dedicated to the country. You must not do it."
Useless speculation and criticism.
Although there are many rumors about the incident on the East Road, there are no local reports about it. What you hear from hearsay must not be reported casually to heaven, otherwise it will cause a big change and expose the emperor to injustice! "
"Big change?"
Li Rixuan said with a sneer on his face: "The military force is strong at the moment, with Zhang Cheng at the head and even more colleagues. I heard that General Jiliao also went to Xuan Town.
According to my official opinion, sooner or later they will work together, and even cause the disaster of separatist vassal towns in the late Tang Dynasty. Brother Yongzhang, you should be prepared for a rainy day..."