Zhao Junchen nodded, his expression still showing no emotion or anger, and just motioned for Xu Qingyan to continue talking.
Under Zhao Junchen's gaze, Xu Qingyan was full of confidence this time and talked freely!
"People's hearts always like to seek novelties. As long as more exaggerated rumors appear, people will automatically ignore those rumors that are not exaggerated enough. At the same time, people's hearts will always become accustomed to things that appear frequently. If one thing is
It happens frequently, no matter how strange it is, people will turn a blind eye!
Therefore, we can now use our channels to create rumors, spread rumors, and expand the scope of the rumors to involve all the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty... Isn't Guan Wuyuan a descendant of the self-proclaimed martial saint Guan Yu? Then Guan Yu is single-minded.
If he is loyal to the Han Dynasty, we will spread rumors that he has inherited the legacy of his ancestors and wants to restore the Han Dynasty;
Another example is Hong Jin, the commander of the Jin Yiwei... Is there an emperor named Hong in history? No? That doesn't matter. Let's just say that he changed his name in order to conceal his identity. It's also true that he is a descendant of the Song Dynasty royal family.
It was a secret attempt to restore the Song Dynasty...
By the way, there is Zhou Shoufu... There is no emperor named Zhou in history? But I remember hearing in the storytelling that there was an immortal Taibaijinxing with the surname Zhou, right? Then let's say that his direct grandson Zhou Suwen was the reincarnation of Taibaijinxing.
When he was born, visions of red light appeared frequently in the room. A fortune teller once believed that Zhou Suwen was destined to become the supreme being in the world...
There is also Ge Lao Li He. All the emperors of the Tang Dynasty were surnamed Li, right? Let’s just say that he is a descendant of Li Tang. He is naturally ambitious and has great ambitions... Of course, we can’t forget Wu Xinquan, the eunuch in charge of rituals, history
There is always an emperor surnamed Wu, right? Is he a Jurchen? That would be even better. Just say that he is a Jurchen spy from Jianzhou and castrated himself to enter the palace. That would be even more embarrassing..."
Having said this, Xu Qingyan smiled, with a proud look on his face, and continued: "In this way, all kinds of exaggerated rumors appear again and again, and the government and the public are naturally overwhelmed. After hearing the new rumors, they will forget the old rumors.
, and I won’t pay any attention to any of the rumors!
Moreover, this approach has another advantage, that is, these rumors widely involve the 'Zhou Party', the inner court, the factory guards, the imperial army and other forces. After hearing these rumors, they will definitely be as worried as the young master. Naturally,
I dare not use these rumors to cause trouble, and I also want to help cover it up. I will never let these rumors reach His Majesty's ears. In this way, His Majesty will not be misled by these rumors, and the young master's worries will naturally disappear.
Exist again!"
Although Xu Qingyan was eloquent when telling the complaint, he could not be called clear and logical. He even made several common sense errors. However, the method he used to tell the complaint was obviously a feasible strategy.
It might even be very effective.
When Huo Zhengyuan heard this, he couldn't help but look at Xu Qingyan with admiration. He felt that Xu Qingyan had completely overturned his previous impression of him as uneducated and unskilled.
On the other side, after quietly listening to Xu Qingyan's narration, Zhao Junchen finally nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile: "Very good, you are really talented in this area. It's not in vain that I hand over the 'Storytellers Guild' to you.
, I really did not use you wrong... Now that you have figured it out, you will be fully responsible for the follow-up matters. I hope you can completely put the rumors to rest in the shortest possible time. I will not worry about the specific details. I will only
Ask for the results.”
There is a saying in later generations - "There is no useless garbage in this world, only misplaced resources." This sentence is also suitable when it comes to employing people.
Although Xu Qingyan has a frivolous and shameless personality, it is precisely because he is always used to exaggerating and always looking at the world from a villain's perspective, and he does not set a bottom line in doing things, so he is creating public opinion and spreading rumors to cause trouble.
But he is definitely a good hand at adding fuel to the flames, sowing dissension, etc.
From this aspect, Xu Qingyan can be regarded as "unlearned and skillful".
At this time, Xu Qingyan saw that Zhao Junchen agreed with his idea and allowed himself to do it. This was the first time he had taken on an important task. He couldn't help but show excitement and nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, young master, I will definitely accomplish this. Our
The 'Storytellers Guild' has now begun to take shape, and it is the best at making up and telling stories!"
Zhao Junchen thought for a while and couldn't help but warned: "Remember, when spreading rumors, you must be as concealed as possible, and we must not let all parties notice that we are adding fuel to the flames... Also, you can't just focus on this matter.
Don’t forget that there is also the matter of official salaries, which requires you to secretly help build momentum.”
Xu Qingyan nodded again and said, "Young master, there is no need to worry. The campaign is currently progressing steadily and there will be no delay."
Zhao Junchen smiled and said: "In that case, you don't have to stay here to waste time, just go and do things."
*
When Xu Qingyan left the room happily, Zhao Junchen's eyes finally turned to Huo Zhengyuan.
The conversation between Zhao Junchen and Xu Qingyan just now deliberately revealed some secrets to Huo Zhengyuan, not only to show his trust in Huo Zhengyuan, but also to further enhance Huo Zhengyuan's confidence.
Sure enough, after Xu Qingyan left the room, Huo Zhengyuan hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help but asked: "Zhao Gechen, I just heard your conversation with Qingyan and said that you wanted to build momentum for the official salary issue...could it be that
Tell me, the incident some time ago when Song Huancheng, a doctor in the Ministry of Rites, fainted from hunger in the Yamen of the Ministry of Rites, has something to do with you?"
A few days ago, Song Huancheng, a doctor of the Ministry of Rites who was well-known among the government and the public, and a high-ranking official of the imperial court, fainted from hunger in public. This incident quickly caused an uproar among the government and the public.
It was also from that time that the public opinion trend between the government and the public was not quite right. Many people believed that there were too many corrupt officials among the court officials. The reason was that the court salary was too low, forcing officials to be corrupt in order to survive.
A few upright officials like Song Huancheng who stick to the bottom line are poor and live a difficult life. In the end, bad people enjoy happiness and good people suffer. This situation obviously needs to be changed, and the best solution is to increase official salaries and implement "
The policy of "high salary and integrity".
Similar calls continue to sound among the government and the opposition, and now they have begun to take shape.
In the face of such calls, not only did many ordinary people express their support after being misled, but officials, as stakeholders, also helped to build momentum. I just felt that they had been wronged for many years, and they had paid too much but received too little——
What? Are you saying that officials still have many shady ways to make money? Don’t be stupid, being greedy and accepting bribes is a matter of personal ability, while salary is what they clearly deserve. One code is the same, they are two different things!
Originally, Huo Zhengyuan was only happy to see such calls come to fruition and thought it was a normal phenomenon, but now he realized that all this was secretly promoted by Zhao Junchen.
Hearing Huo Zhengyuan's inquiry, Zhao Junchen also smiled and nodded, saying: "With the commercial tax rectification in the southeastern provinces and the initial development of Sichuan salt, the imperial court's financial turnover has gradually become more abundant. Although the food supply is very tight, it has gradually improved.
Got Yu Yin!
When His Royal Highness the Prince makes some results in investigating the feudal affairs, the pressure on the court to support the feudal clan will be greatly reduced, and the Liaodong military town will gradually reduce military expenditures in the next few years... Hey, the feudal clan and Liaodong have always been involved.
They are the largest expenditures of the imperial court. After these two expenditures are reduced, the financial pressure of the imperial court will naturally be greatly reduced;
At the same time, the commercial tax rectification in the northwest provinces is also being gradually advanced. In addition, the central court will soon take over power from the Nanjing Six Ministries... Taken together with these measures to increase revenue and reduce expenditure, it is completely foreseeable that the court will soon no longer have to pay for money.
I’m worried about something!”
[Send red envelopes] Reading benefits are here! You have up to 888 cash red envelopes to be drawn! Follow the weixin official account [Book Friends Base Camp] to draw red envelopes!
As he spoke, Zhao Junchen was obviously talking about some good things that would be of great benefit to the country and the people, but his smile gradually faded, and instead he looked worried.
After a pause, Zhao Junchen continued: "Although these things are very good, they are not conducive to the stability of my position. Once the government's finances are completely improved, I will be dispensable, and it will be natural for me to be punished and killed.
matter!
Therefore, I had to find some new expenditure items for the court. Our ocean-going plan alone was not enough. In addition, the stabilization expenditure in the Hetao area was still slightly insufficient, so I thought of spending money on hundreds of officials.
By increasing my salary, I can not only ensure that the imperial court's finances will continue to be tight and I will continue to be indispensable, but I can also gain the gratitude of all the officials, so why not do it?"
After hearing Zhao Junchen's explanation, Huo Zhengyuan couldn't help but express admiration. He nodded repeatedly and said: "The cabinet minister is far-sighted. This plan is really brilliant. It is also a clever plan that kills two birds with one stone. I admire you!"
While admiring, Huo Zhengyuan's previous worries were greatly relieved. He only felt that Zhao Junchen had such foresight and foresight, and he would not collapse easily in the future. He could follow him with peace of mind, and there was no need to worry about others.
Seeing the change in Huo Zhengyuan's expression, Zhao Junchen knew that his goal had been achieved, so he changed the subject and returned to the topic, saying: "This morning, His Majesty has officially issued a decree appointing you as the 'Southeast Patrol Envoy'.
This position is newly created, and the rights and responsibilities are somewhat unclear... After all, Your Majesty still secretly guards against us and does not dare to give us too much power... But we also have many helpers in the southeastern provinces, enough to help you complete the task.
Ocean plan."
Huo Zhengyuan nodded in agreement and said: "Please rest assured, Zhao Gechen. After Xiaguan went to the southeast, he immediately started making arrangements. We will soon be able to take over the fleet of the 'Eight Kings Shipping Company'. With the full assistance of the Zheng family, the ocean plan will be launched."
You can reap the results very quickly, there is no need to wait too long.”
Zhao Junchen sighed and said: "Yes, our ocean-going plan must be put into effect as soon as possible. It is best to find a sufficient amount of grain and transport it into the inland before autumn this year. I am counting on you now."
Well... Of course, your apparent mission is to imitate Zheng He's voyages to the West and take the opportunity to search for immortal sites for His Majesty. You must not let go of your superficial work and let others find fault."
After saying that, Zhao Junchen opened a box at hand and handed it to Huo Zhengyuan. Huo Zhengyuan took the box and looked at it, and saw a thick stack of silver notes placed inside the box.
The denominations of these banknotes were all five thousand taels, and the sum of all the banknotes totaled three million. Huo Zhengyuan himself was used to seeing the world, but at this moment he suddenly saw such an astonishing number of banknotes.
, I still can’t help but breathe faster.
Zhao Junchen's expression remained unchanged as he continued: "Our ocean-going plan is too huge, and the imperial court will only give partial support, and it will be borne by the Ministry of Revenue and internal funds. The turnover is quite time-consuming, so this money
You take it first as an initial investment. I will continue to provide support to you through various channels in the future. Whether it is financial resources, human resources, or materials, I will do my best. I only hope that you can do your best and get it as soon as possible.
Produce results.”
Seeing that Zhao Junchen actually used his private money to fund the ocean-going plan, and hearing Zhao Junchen's sincere words, Huo Zhengyuan felt the importance and urgency of Zhao Junchen even more, and quickly reassured: "Zhao Junchen attaches so much importance and trust to
I will not be able to repay you. After returning to the mansion today, I will immediately pack my bags and leave the capital tomorrow at the latest to go to the southeastern provinces to do work. I will never waste time or hold back Zhao Cabinet Minister!
...By the way, Xiaguan once said at the beginning that Zhao Gechen has many staff who are good at financial management, but there is a lack of relevant talents under Xiaguan. Can Zhao Gechen be willing to bear the pain and arrange a few staff who are good at financial management to help?
Officials do things? Otherwise, it would be difficult for the subordinate officials to manage such a huge amount of money."
Huo Zhengyuan is a smart man. Now he doesn't need Zhao Junchen to say anything, so he takes the initiative to ask Zhao Junchen to arrange staff supervision. This can be said to be extremely sensible.
Zhao Junchen naturally would not refuse, and immediately recommended several close aides to Huo Zhengyuan, and Huo Zhengyuan immediately said that he would definitely reuse them.
"Are you leaving the capital tomorrow?" After agreeing on this matter, Zhao Junchen thought for a moment, then shook his head regretfully and said: "It is certainly a good thing that you can do things so wholeheartedly, but if you have to leave tomorrow, I
I’m afraid I won’t be able to see you off.”
This time, Huo Zhengyuan knew very well the reason why Zhao Junchen could not see him off, and asked: "But the medical school of Doctor Zhang has been completed?"
Zhao Junchen nodded and said: "This matter has cost me a lot of effort, and it is also extremely important. When the medical school officially recruits students tomorrow, I must personally preside over the opening!"
…
In the past few days, I have sorted out the early foreshadowing, and I have laid down a lot. I will gradually fill in the holes next. This book has always been written in a way that several story lines are advanced at the same time, so I have to sort out my thoughts from time to time.