Xinshun 1730

Chapter 252 Franchise
Whether the navy is useful depends on seeing the benefits.

This Chinese translation of "Guo Xing Ye He Zhan" can only be regarded as an unusual gift among the congratulatory gifts given to the emperor by the officials this time, but it is not the only unusual gift.

Since it is the emperor's birthday, there will be no shortage of things such as auspiciousness.All kinds of tributes are seen a lot on weekdays.

But this time, apart from a bunch of weird gifts from Liu Yu, there were other different gifts.

A "Detailed Illustrated Explanation of Training Techniques" written by a member of the staff department detailed the tactical system proposed by Liu Yu, accompanied by a map, which can directly be used as a textbook for military schools in the future.

A volume of "Ancient and Modern Research on the Place Names of the Western Regions, Please Recover the Old Names of the Han and Tang Dynasties" compiled by the ministers of the court and China, consulted a large number of ancient books of the Han and Tang Dynasties, and matched the current place names with the old place names of the Western Regions one by one, requesting that the place names of the Western Regions It was changed back to the old name in the Han and Tang Dynasties.

There are many other gifts that are different from usual.But the most special ones are the ones sent by Liu Yu, which can be called weird.

Stocks, silver, glass, and the Chinese translation of "Guo Xing Ye He Zhan".

The Chinese translation is not too thick, it is just a play with a few discounts.

Li Gan had already seen it when it was delivered.Shi Shiyong's cultural level is not enough, but after Kang Bu slack polished it, he was very familiar with the rhetoric.

Waiting for Shi Shiyong to return to Beijing, he shared some knowledge and remarks in Edo, and Li Gan became very angry.

At this time, he asked the eunuch to bring the book again, his anger had long since dissipated, and what he was thinking at this moment was to wait for Liu Yu's side to be ready, to distribute the book to the officials, and to pierce the tension between Ryukyu's double-faced tribute. Window paper, let's see what the ministers will say.

After casually flipping through a few pages, and seeing those extremely hot words again, the eunuch reported back that Liu Yu had come to return after inspecting the situation of the military reform in the Beijing camp.

Li Gan didn't put the book away either, so he asked someone to announce him in.

After avoiding kneeling, Li Gan first asked: "Qing came all the way from Dagukou, and then inspected the Beijing camp, how do you feel?"

If you talk about feelings, Liu Yu really has a lot.

Before entering the Beijing camp, there were already quite a few.

He supported the construction of the Dagukou Fort.This seems to be a face, and it is better to spend the money on the navy, but considering the contact negotiations with France, this face is still to be done.

In addition, the military reform has achieved some results. Some troops in the capital have been issued with new guns and bayonets.Some of the Beijing camps already looked good on the outside, but after changing their guns, they at least looked like a line of private soldiers.

Some military songs often heard by the Qingzhou Army have also been heard in the capital.Even some grumbling military songs are not forbidden, and there is a hint of taste.

After I actually entered the Beijing camp and went around a few times, I found that it was really okay.

The military training department trains troops. During the training process, there are no dismissed officers, and they learn according to their ranks.Those who fail the assessment will be eliminated.

Only when you have mixed up to the fourth rank or above, you don't need to study, and when you actually fight, you rely on the staff to command.

The only thing that affects the speed of military reform is firearms.Now the Beijing camp plus the stock of the Qingzhou Army is only 3 new guns, but these [-] people have basically been trained.

The Beijing camp itself can still be fought, and the military discipline is not bad. It has not been completely rotten to the root, and it is just a matter of changing the tactical system.

After summarizing what he had seen and heard, the emperor threw the "Detailed Illustration of Training Exercises" to Liu Yu.

"I've looked at the content above, and it can be used as a military school curriculum. Go back and have a look. If there are any deficiencies, just say it."

Liu Yu didn't even read it, so he said: "I have taught everything I learned. Since it was written by them, I think it's okay to read it, or not to read it."

I have already said before that I have taught everything I have learned, and this is also true.Many details depend on practical experience.But the overall idea is the same. The best group of people also understand the idea of ​​the tactical system, and the textbooks written around this tactical system are not just thought of.

Those who participated in the writing have experience in leading troops, brainstorming, and ensuring that the tactical system and ideas are correct, so don't read it.

Besides, Liu Yu had to let the emperor know that in the army, he really had no juice to squeeze, so he didn't have to worry about hiding his own things.

As for the tactical changes after the miniature bullets and rifling were made, that would be given to him by Liu Yuzang, so naturally he wouldn't talk about it.

Hearing Liu Yu's words, the emperor felt happy, and said with a smile, "Even so, you can read it, after all, this book has your painstaking efforts."

"Your arsenal is doing well, but after the military reform, bows, knives, armor, etc., the craftsmen who make a living from this have lost their jobs. And that arsenal alone cannot supply hundreds of thousands of military reforms."

"The imperial court is also trying to do it, you can send some skilled craftsmen to come."

Liu Yu had anticipated this, but Liu Yu carefully reminded the emperor of the words.

"Returning to Your Majesty, sending craftsmen to come here is a matter for this minister. But if you say that this is my arsenal, I dare not take it seriously. Your Majesty's share is the largest share in this arsenal. Moreover, there are other merchants' shares. , how can this be said to belong to the minister?"

Li Gan doesn't know much about joint-stock companies, and it's hard to say whether they are good or bad.Can't see it yet.

At least from Liu Yu's introduction, it seems that there are only advantages and no disadvantages.

He did know that the British had beheaded the king, but Liu Yu knew the Westerners best in court at this time, and Li Gan also knew his knowledge of the Western Countries from the book "A Brief Examination of the Western Countries".

Now that he has the monopoly power of information, Liu Yu's definition of the beheading of the king in England is a "teaching case". He never said it was a bourgeois revolution, but only a religious struggle: this is like a dispute between Buddhism and Taoism. .

The consequence is that the emperor was already very dissatisfied with Catholicism, and after reading it, he made up his mind to ban it.

What is interesting is Li Gan's critique of Cromwell: "There is a king who is capable, but his heirs are weak, so the second generation died. This man is also outstanding. For example, in this dynasty, Taizong is located in Gaozong, so it is stable."

Reading history makes one wise, and Li Gan has never actually been to England, so he can only understand it from Liu Yu's distorted books.

It doesn't talk about the rise of the bourgeoisie, but only says that under the feudal system, the monarch was emptied by the doctor, and the conflicts between the Protestant and Puritan Anglican sects continued. From this perspective, the emperor looked at the problem from a very different perspective.

As for the establishment of such a bunch of joint-stock companies in Songjiang, what Li Gan saw was not danger, but two things.

First, the stamp duty collected by the customs, and the taxation model for new products such as glass in the future, the stamp duty alone has caused the taxation of Songjiang Customs to increase sharply this year.

Second, the joint-stock company can make the royal family make money without worrying about the scene of the former eunuchs collecting taxes and public grievances, and it can put an end to all kinds of opposition brought about by the full-scale official trade.

Now that Liu Yu reiterated this matter again, Li Gan said with a smile: "Actually, some people in the court also suggested that firearms are the most important weapons of the country. Merchants value profits and should not operate them. They should be owned by officials."

Liu Yu was shocked, and was about to object, but Li Gan said first: "However, I have also considered it. There are also shares of internal funds, and there are also shares of other merchants. The price has been priced, and each holds the shares. If you want to take it back It’s okay to be an official business, as long as you pay to buy all the stocks. Otherwise, all the bills in my hand will be turned into pieces of waste paper.”

"It is estimated that if this is the case, merchants will definitely be panicked when they hear the news. Not only the stocks of the arsenal, but also those iron smelters, glass workshops, etc., will all sell their stocks one after another."

"Of course it's not good. It's just that...the treasury spends money to buy guns, but I'm the biggest shareholder. It seems like I'm seeking personal gain."

Liu Yu thought to himself, if you don't want to seek personal gain, then you can directly use your internal money to buy all the shares in the arsenal. How easy it is not to earn a penny.

"Your Majesty, I believe that this is not because your majesty wants to gain personal gain, but as a supervision. If it is made by a government-run craftsman, it is not as good as the Weihai Arsenal. The quality is inferior and the price is higher, so naturally you will not get the order. Your Majesty Holding shares in the arsenal is not for personal gain, but to prevent corruption and deceive the upper and lower."

"In the past, the Xifa Party offered a set of armor worth more than a dozen taels of silver, and also offered a sky-high price for a Western blunderbuss bastion. As for the Xifa Party, the official ordnance is also rotten."

"Rectify the administration of officials. If you rectify today, it will be bad tomorrow. If you don't leave a government-run one, you can know the cost. If the government-run one is cheap and of good quality, then the arsenal in Weihai will naturally be dilapidated, and the craftsmen will go to the government-run one." .If the quality is not good and the cost is high, then His Majesty's arsenal in Weihai will also be supervised like a whip."

"It really cannot be said that His Majesty is looking for profit."

First, he found a moral high point to buckle up for Li Gan, so as to save Li Gan from worrying about being criticized for the "moral issue of the Son of Heaven". Li Gan nodded secretly, thinking that this made some sense.

only……

"It's just that there is one thing I don't understand. This joint-stock system is for dividends. It is obviously profitable. For private purposes, I should hope that the price will be high; for public affairs, I should hope that the price will be low."

Liu Yu replied: "As long as the dividend money is less than the consumption of government-run corruption, then it will be cheap and the quality will be guaranteed. If there is no corruption in the world's officials, and your majesty is the emperor, then those shares will be discounted." Lost, not only do not worry, but should be overjoyed."

The problem of official administration is almost unsolvable.Corruption can't be eradicated at all. When Liu Yu mentioned this point, Li Gan thought about it, and it was true.

After exposing the arsenal, Li Gan said again: "I have some ideas about these joint-stock workshops you run, and I don't know if it's right or not."

"King Hui of Liang said: The widows are devoted to the country, and they are devoted to their ears. The evil in Hanoi will move its people to the east of the river, and move its millet to Hanoi; the evil in the east of the river will do the same."

"The people can be moved and the food can be adjusted, but the silver in the hands of the rich is not easy to move. Without silver, many things can't be done. The treasury doesn't have that much money, and my internal money is just a drop in the bucket. According to what you say I said, this money needs to be moved. I didn't understand it at first, but now it seems that I have some understanding."

"If it is like Liaodong, where there are fewer people and more land, it has always been difficult to develop. If you want to develop, you need money. The money comes from the treasury, or from internal funds, or from wealthy households in Liaodong."

"However, there are fewer wealthy people in Liaodong, and more wealthy people in Jiangnan. Such joint-stock companies can gather wealth and move it to Liaodong. In this way, the imperial court can immigrate thousands without spending a penny."

"The establishment of iron smelting workshops in Liaodong this time has brought the silver hoarded by many people from Songjiang to Liaodong. The ironware is owned by the people, the tax is owned by the state, and the silver is circulated. There is really no harm."

"Besides, a joint-stock company can disperse wealth among others and gather private wealth. Even if someone disagrees, the rest will not agree. Such dispersion and aggregation seems to be of great benefit."

"However, a businessman has to guard against profit. If the businessman is very rich, he is afraid of annexing the land. Therefore, it is not easy to promote this matter across the country."

"In my opinion, why not try it in Songjiang and introduce laws and regulations, which will also facilitate jurisdiction and taxation. Except for Songjiang, it is not allowed anywhere else. Is it possible?"

(End of this chapter)