Xinshun 1730

Chapter 802 Rational Monarchy Political Animals

In the Academy of Sciences, Liu Yu confided his heart to his wife, when he had a strong feeling.

In the Forbidden Palace, the emperor also slightly moved the kind of "everything is possible" that Liu Yu said at this time.

However, if you talk about it, you can't blame the emperor for being narrow-minded.

Just looking at the more than fifty "people who have made meritorious service in the South China Sea" kneeling below, at a glance, almost all of them were brought out by Liu Yu.

According to the saying of the feudal era, this and Liu Yu have the "teacher-student righteousness". From the perspective of the feudal era of heaven and earth, the relationship between the emperor, the master and the teacher, the relationship with Liu Yu is not far away.

After all, during the imperial examinations, the chief examiner was always regarded as the examinee's teacher, and he was also a serious teacher.

In this way, Liu Yu, the person who supervised the Jinghai Palace back then, said that he was the teacher of these heroes who went to Nanyang at this time, and he was absolutely right.

According to feudal etiquette and righteousness, if something happens to the teacher in the future, the students will have a norm similar to "close relatives".Those who take the initiative to expose and accuse the "teacher" will be stabbed in the back.

Although such great righteousness is nonsense, few people in court and in political struggles really care about it.

The more than [-] people who have made great achievements in Nanyang and are slightly qualified to face the saints are all taught by one person. Whoever is the emperor will inevitably have some different thoughts.

The point is that if you really want to continue to go to Southeast Asia and seize India, these people must be used, and it is really impossible to replace others.

There are quite a few people in Dashun who are good at fighting.It's just that the emperor also knew in his heart that the Nanyang affairs were different, and they were not just military affairs.

One is military, three is political, and six is ​​economic, and the system and customs are mostly different from those within the Celestial Dynasty. Whether it is politics or economics, they are all different from the domestic situation, and they are still very different.

It would be hard to do without these people who are familiar with those things.

Listening to these people's presentation of their resumes, and the experience of studying with Liu Yu or being recommended by Liu Yu, the emperor still had some thoughts in his heart.

Xin Dao said that the Nanyang Protector, the governors of several major military towns, and even the general who will attack India in the future were all brought out by my Marquis of Jinghai.

Fortunately, this matter is in Nanyang, if it is in the northwest and southwest, it is really frightening, and it is difficult to sleep or eat.

Whale Hou is a pure and loyal minister, but people will inevitably change.

It is Cao Cao. When he was the northern captain of Luoyang in the past, wasn't he a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty?Wasn't Zhao Kuangyi also loyal to Chai Shizong when he was working in the Forbidden Army?

People's hearts will change, and a minister of treachery to power may not be born in the first place.It's just that as the power in his hands grows, he gradually loses his mind. How can he wake up at that time?
If the Marquis of Whale is too powerful, I will harm him.

If the power is great, it may give birth to other thoughts, and then do something domineering, implicating the whole family and even descendants. Isn't it the fault of me not suppressing it in advance?

Looking at his son Li Yan in front of these people, the emperor couldn't help but think of some courtiers' advice a few days ago.

The Nanyang incident had just been settled, and before Liu Yu came back, some ministers came to remonstrate with the emperor, saying that both inside and outside the navy were whalers, so they were afraid that it would be detrimental to the country.

Although it is not so clear, it basically means that as an important military force of the country, and has demonstrated great power several times, it can raid Dagukou at any time to attack a powerful military force in Beijing. The officers in it If everyone believes in one person, what if this person rebels in the future?
The navy and the marines were able to raid Wogudeng and directly land and besiege the city the day before yesterday, and they were able to go straight down to Batavia yesterday to force Batavia to lower its resistance directly.

Originally, the south was richer than the north, but now there are more Nanyang and a navy. If the water transportation is cut off, wouldn't the world be cut off directly?
This admonition, to the emperor, inevitably felt a bit old-fashioned, quite similar to the route Liu Yu used to scare the emperor's Westerners to attack with a fleet, and he had already heard it.

It's just that the truth is repeating the same old tune, but the solution proposed by the minister really "refreshed" the emperor.

I think that since I have been in Nanyang, there will be no major events in the world, and there will be no external threats. Why not dismantle the entire navy?
One can save money and food, even if no ships are built, the navy's annual maintenance, training, maintenance, and military pay are a huge sum.

It is the way of benevolence and righteousness to abolish the navy and use the money to save the world's money and food.

Second, it can also prevent the navy from being used for rebellion.If the navy cuts off the water transportation and raids the capital, who in this world can be the enemy?

Three things, since ancient times, only the former dynasty Yongle had a navy in the celestial dynasty, and the rest of the time, there was no navy. Didn’t the rest of the dynasties live well?Which dynasty perished because of the absence of a navy?
Since ancient times, I have never heard of the country's subjugation due to the lack of a navy, but I know that there are many cases of country subjugation due to excessive expropriation, excessive conquest, and militarism.

Now that I have gone to Nanyang and accomplished the great cause of expanding the frontier that was not accomplished in the previous dynasties, this is already far away from the Han and Tang Dynasties.

But the warlords of the Han and Tang dynasties were warlike. Isn't it also because of the large territory of the Han and Tang Dynasties?
It's better to dismantle most of the warships, turn the sailors into reclamation troops, put the iron cannons on the ship in the fort, and melt the copper cannons into coins. The saved naval military expenses will save the world's money and food.

Regarding this remonstrance, the emperor neither scolded the minister for being stupid, nor praised the minister for his foresight, but handled the matter coldly in a very low-key way.

He is not foolish enough to dismantle the whole navy that he has worked so hard to build.But I don't want to use a bunch of politically incorrect words to provoke the court's hornet's nest.

He thought quite well, and felt that the present is different from before, the navy is also different from the army, and Nanyang is not the Western Region, northeast, southwest.

Even Liu Yu, who has made great achievements, actually has no power at all in the court. He is simply a soft persimmon that can be squeezed and rubbed whenever he wants.

Liu Yu's forces, or direct descendants, are a group of special officers, most of whom are still in the navy.

From the looks of outsiders, he was promoted step by step, participated in the military, and was trusted by the emperor, so he was considered a marquis and prime minister; and his direct descendants were also promoted step by step, filling land and sea.

But in fact, he seems to have taken the fish out of water.

Several direct descendants are either stationed in Nanyang, North Korea, or Japan.

And these "direct descendants" have been promoted quite high, but they have no warships in their hands.

It's like the emperor has already appointed the governor of Ceylon or the governor of Nanyang, all of whom are well-known direct descendants of Liu Yu.

It sounds like the emperor's grace is mighty.

They have an army in their hands, and even have certain powers to resist the orders of their generals, but they don't have a navy.

This is not the same as the coach who stayed behind in Xijing and conquered the west when Junggar was not destroyed.

These Nanyang governors, guards, and governors needed the permission of the court if they wanted to do big things, and toss about small things if they wanted to.

As long as there is no fleet in hand that can completely destroy Weihaiwei, Dagukou, and Lushun Port, the emperor will not worry.

In the Privy Council, the people brought out by Liu Yu were all staff officers.

There is an opportunity to participate in the strategy, but it is a bit like the cabinet before the previous dynasty. The official position is not high, and the staff is very important, but half of the soldiers cannot be transferred.

If someone carefully observes Dashun's officialdom, he will find that members of Liu Yu's faction are all showing off their might and glory, thinking about how to destroy Vietnam today and how to attack Burma tomorrow.

But those who have personnel rights in their hands have almost none.

Moreover, the chiefs of staff of each unit have no real command power, only the right to make suggestions.The real commanding power is always in the hands of the chief general, and any orders are issued through the chief general's hands.

Liu Yu, the "leader of the faction", did not initiate a dispute over whether the power of the military should belong to the staff or to the general, so naturally there would be no disturbances.

In the past, the leaders of the factions had to fight for benefits and official positions for their own people.Because there used to be one radish and one hole, it is best to take up more holes with your own radishes.

But on Liu Yu's side, he was trying his best to dig a carrot pit outside.There was no such position as the governor of Ceylon before.

This has also led to faction leaders like Liu Yu, who are not the same as before: say he has no factions, there must be; say he is busy fighting for power for the faction people, but he doesn't; say his faction people don't Believe him, feel that he has brought no benefits, but it is not.

Such a person, calling him a minister of power seems to be an insult to the word "minister of power".

All in all, rationality made the emperor clear in his heart that Nanyang was different from the mainland of China, and the navy and army had different forms, and he could not think about the present with the thinking of the past.

But as a purely political animal on the other side of the emperor, the emperor looked at piles of people who were all from the Jinghai Palace, and some people who even wrote Liu Yu's direct lineage on their bodies, filled Nanyang and the navy, and felt uneasy of.

If actions have been taken in the past few years: the navy will be assigned to the civilian officials of the Ministry of the Navy to take charge of some affairs and decentralize, reuse the young people who graduated after Liu Yu left, resolutely not use Liu Yu's direct descendants in terms of personnel rights, and explicitly let Liu Yu's direct descendants go Nanyang squatted for promotion and rewards, and secretly deprived them of their naval power, leaving only a bunch of garrison troops who had no ships and could only squat on the island...

But right now, at this very moment, looking at a group of people in the dark, shutting their mouths and opening their mouths, you can really know what you feel inside.

The key is that this group of people can still fight.

Not only can he fight, but he also has a good understanding of diplomacy, politics, civil affairs, and economics, and his means are not low.

Among them are those who can command the naval fleet to win a decisive victory, some who can command the marines to attack the city, some who can go deep into the slave labor to instigate an uprising and gather in the mountains, some who are proficient in foreign languages ​​and can contact Xiyi, and some who can propose methods to the civil affairs of Nanyang ...

When it comes to naval battles, how can anyone in the court win against these people in front of them?When it comes to economics and trade, how many people brought out by Liu Yu from North Korea, China and Africa can speak clearly and honestly?

But if you don't use these people, who will you use?

Use the imperial examination background to deal with Westerners and do business?Use a group of imperial examination students who don't know geometry, don't understand nautical charts at all, and don't know the direction of the wind, to command naval battles and battleships?Use a group of people who only know that the benefits of small farmers are inalienable to manage plantations, sugar factories, and cinnamon workshops?
Looking again at the people kneeling in front of him teaching the exercises, the emperor couldn't help but sighed in his heart, and said in his heart: "Don't be in a hurry, don't be in a hurry. Take it slowly, as long as he transfers all his direct descendants back to the capital and leaves the navy in the future. .Now it seems that the world is at peace, but in fact it is the time for employing people, and we must not destroy the Great Wall of the Sea.”

Unable to suppress the picky thoughts of a political animal in his heart, the emperor first turned to Li Yan who was in front of the crowd, and asked with a smile: "My son has gone to Nanyang this time, what have you seen and heard? How about a person? Since you participated in the war in person, you must know the details of the Westerners, how can you rely on it?"

Li Yan hurriedly said: "Father, my son and I went to Nanyang this time. The first thing we have seen and heard is the war fighters, as well as the economy and taxation."

"If you want to open up, you can't do without money; if you want to open up, you must make a profit. In the past, Jinghou once said this to his son, and his son was still young, so it is difficult to understand the meaning. This trip to Nanyang, I finally understood the truth. , I know that Jinghou's great wisdom is beyond the reach of my sons and ministers."

"As for the navy, the Holy Dynasty Navy... Shu Erchen said bluntly, in terms of performance, it is not weak against Westerners, and even slightly stronger; but in terms of the number of ships, there is still a gap compared with Western powers."

"In this sea battle, although the Dutch have weak boats and small guns, they have been at sea for more than two hundred years, and the background is still there. When the battle is approaching, they are well dispatched, dare to fight, and the captain is aware of the position. It is strongly advocated that the number of Hajj ships far exceeds that of the Dutch East India Company, and the outcome is uncertain.”

"What I have seen, the only thing is: if you have money, you will have a powerful navy. If you don't have money, you have 200 years of experience in the seven seas, and it still doesn't work."

"Lu Zhan said: There are more soldiers than they are good."

"There is a saying in sea warfare: If the ship is strong and the guns are strong, the sailors are many, and there will be no disadvantages. A famous general may be able to defeat one thousand with eight hundred, but he will never be able to defeat three thousand with eight hundred."

"If there were a hundred battleships in the holy dynasty, and the emperor would lead the army with an unknown person, even if the god of war in the Western Navy, De Ruyter, was resurrected, he would not be invincible."

"Every time I think about this, I always feel that the navy is a thing. It is the most suitable for the real emperor to give back to the heaven. As long as the finances belong to the central government, the heaven and earth will be rich and prosperous, and there is no need to worry about the disaster of the town and the danger of the general. It is really time to build a large navy, fight for hegemony in the seven seas, and take big profits!"

Li Zan was thinking about what Liu Yu and Nanyang had discussed with him, and taking advantage of the opportunity when the emperor asked about Nanyang's knowledge, he directly said that he wanted to fight for more military expenses and more warships for the navy.

The emperor was not upset because of Li Yan's words of "opening his mouth and shutting up his mouth", but he couldn't help but sighed, thinking whether the navy should be abolished or expanded, and he was afraid that there would be another big disturbance in the court .

On the one hand, it is stupid to want to save money by abolishing money, but it is politically correct.

On the one hand, it wants to expand its military and ships, strive for hegemony in the seven seas, and take advantage of trade.That's right, but politically wrong.

As the emperor himself, if he is not politically correct, engages in militarism, expands his army and prepares for war, and spends money to build ships, in the eyes of Confucian officials, is he any different from a barbarian?But if the politics are correct, dismantling the warships and exempting money and food, in the eyes of these new and practical officers, what is the difference from the faint king?
Originally, the emperor was very happy these days, even if it was the "sorrow of the universe" that Liu Yu said that day, in the end no one could escape the law of the cycle, and they all made wedding clothes for others, etc., did not make the emperor feel uncomfortable .

Thinking about the quarrel at the court meeting today, it made my heart feel unhappy. The tree in my heart wants to be quiet but the wind keeps on.

In addition, Nanyang affairs are not under the control of the six governments, and the officials are all Liu Yu's direct descendants, so someone will definitely use this to make trouble.Some things, if you don’t tell the truth, we will meet each other in the future; if you say it, and even say a few more harsh words, I’m afraid Liu Yu will avoid disaster again, and when the time comes, throw away the mess of Nanyang and trade, and there will be troubles, what? end?
But at this time, facing Li Yan and a group of officers from the navy, the emperor can't say that these things you think will cause trouble.

He had no choice but to praise with a smile on his face: "It's my son. I know that fighting is the same as fighting for finances and taxes. It can be seen that I have experienced it. As for the navy's profit from the seven seas, there is no need to rush. The Nanyang issue has not yet been resolved. Looking at Shu from Long, and Long has not yet been decided, how can we talk about taking Shu?"

"In other words, Nanyang is beneficial, and it can be used without the need for ordinary people to increase taxes. However, the benefits of Nanyang can be seen now? Have they been turned into money and put into the treasury? If they haven't, then nothing is enough. "

"In the past, Wang Jinggong also said that the people would not add taxes and the country would use enough. What he said is very reasonable, and it sounds true, but what is the result?"

"It is difficult to refute, but the thing has been done. If the thing is not done, the reason is not hard."

"You all have meritorious deeds, and you have been promoted to be talented. I am going to test and test you. How to do this Nanyang profit? When will I see the profit? How much is the profit?"

(End of this chapter)