Great Song Super Scholar

Chapter 672
In the Firearms Department of Liaoyang Prefecture, hundreds of craftsmen are busy assembling ceramic fire mines. The firearms craftsmen of Liao State have been unable to succeed in developing iron fire mines for a whole year. Of course, the officials of the Firearms Department will not take the responsibility on themselves. They shifted the responsibility to the lack of an important raw material, and the Liao Kingdom could not obtain an important raw material - fire glue.

As for the word fire glue, the secret agent in the capital had inquired about it. No one knew what it was, except that it was produced on tropical islands overseas, and it was a very explosive and flammable material.

This is the last report written by the Firearms Division to Yelu Hongji.

In desperation, Yelu Hongji had no choice but to order to restart the manufacture of thin porcelain firearms. This is also the most powerful firearm that the Liao Kingdom can manufacture. Tie Huo Lei is not the same thing at all.

Yelu Hongji visited the warehouse under the leadership of the officials in charge. Seeing that the piles of firearms had disappeared, he couldn't help frowning and asked, "I remember there are still a lot of firearms in the warehouse. Where are they now?"

Several officials looked at each other, and the leading official said cautiously: "Your Majesty, the new gunpowder has been out of stock for a long time. We have to dismantle the old firearms and use the gunpowder inside to make ceramic fire mines."

"Why is the gunpowder out of stock?" Yelu Hongji turned around and asked in dissatisfaction.

Yelu Ruinu explained profusely: "It is really lack of financial resources, nitrate mines and nitrate refineries have to be suspended, including weaving mansions, breweries, etc. The workshops and iron mines are working, and nothing else."

"Is it that serious?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, I have not received a salary for half a year, the officials of the Tokyo government have also stopped paying their salaries for three months, and the allowances for craftsmen have also been stopped long ago. One hundred thousand stones, the crisis is serious!"

Yelu Hongji didn't want to listen anymore, he snorted heavily, turned around and left quickly.

Everyone had to follow.

Back at the Tokyo Imperial Palace, Yelu Hongji was obviously in a bad mood, and he could see the pressure Tokyo's financial distress had brought to him.

He still couldn't understand why Liao's financial situation became so bad in just a few years?
Yelu Hongji was surrounded by courtiers, and the truly loyal and upright people had been squeezed out, or simply killed in the name of Zhongyuan's rebellious party. Even the only crown prince who could tell the truth to him was killed because of his involvement in the rebellion at the beginning of the year up.

No one would tell him that most of the taxes and taxes in the Liao Kingdom were created by the Han people. The Han people were squeezed out, died, fled, or were arrested for mining and smelting iron. Business stopped, the land was barren, and all industries withered. There is no tax in Liao, but in Liao, no one will admit that the economy of Liao is supported by Han people, even if someone understands it, they will not admit it.

On the contrary, when the Song Dynasty became powerful, the fear and defense against the Han people became the mainstream of the Liao Kingdom.

Yelu Yixin, Zhang Xiaojie, Yelubai, Yelu Ruinu and other ministers said in Yelu Hongji's ears every day that it was because the Song Dynasty stopped the old coins, and it was because the Song Dynasty stopped border trade that Liao Kingdom had such a serious financial crisis.

A lie told a thousand times will become the truth. Yelu Hongji finally listened to the slander and decided to use war to solve the financial crisis of the Liao Kingdom.

In the study room, Yelu Hongji paced back and forth with his hands behind his back. He said to Yelu Yixin worriedly: "I am in urgent need of money to solve the problem of lack of combat readiness. Their one hundred thousand coins have not been settled yet, what good plan does Xiangguo have?"

Yelu Yixin said slowly: "Your Majesty, in fact, the Liao Kingdom has money, but they are not in His Majesty's hands."

Yelu Hongji understood Yelu Yixin's meaning. The last time they survived for half a year by destroying the Jurchens and plundering the Kerets, what about now?

Yelu Yixin took out a list and handed it to Yelu Hongji, "These are the thirteen richest men in the Liao Kingdom. During the Chongyuan Rebellion, they sided with King Chu. Some time ago, they also sympathized with Xiao and criticized His Majesty. These people Apart from slowing His Majesty, they have made no contribution to the Liao Kingdom, and at this critical moment, they should show something."

The list is full of relatives of the emperor, who have benefited the most from the expansion of the Liao Kingdom in the past hundred years. Of course, Yelu Hongji knew that the wealth of each of their families was incomparably rich, but they are the nobles of the Liao Kingdom. If they want to move them, Yelu Hongji was still a little hesitant.

Yelu Yixin persuaded again: "Your Majesty can choose two or three families to kill chickens and monkeys. If you destroy these families, you will not be afraid that other people will not obediently offer money to support military expenses, and at the same time teach them how to stand in line during the Chongyuan Rebellion. .”

Yelu Hongji nodded slowly, he could accept the plan of killing chickens to make an example to monkeys.

He looked at the list, pondered for a long time, and then drew out three families that he had been dissatisfied with for a long time.

"These three households were seized in the name of collaborating with the enemy country, and all the money was put into the treasury. The other ten households must each give me 50 yuan of money as military expenses. Aiqing is fully responsible for handling this matter."

"The minister obeys the order!"

It was already April when Fan Ning came back from his inspection tour in Hedong. He came to the Intelligence Department the next day. He no longer paid attention to intelligence for a day or two, but now he only paid more attention to it. Bai Sheng's reasoning, without the contribution of the intelligence department, how could he know that the main attack direction of the Liao Kingdom is Taiyuan.

At present, the staff department is directly under the privy envoys, and when the privy envoys are not in the capital, they report directly to the emperor.

The head of the staff department is still Liu Kui, but Liu Kui is not here now. He went to deliver the last batch of 150 warships to the Liao State, bringing the number of Liao State's five thousand stone warships to [-]. Accumulated a little bit of pig iron and looted it.

Pretending to be Japan and selling warships to the Liao Kingdom was a major strategic deception carried out and promoted by Fan Ning. Taking advantage of Yelu Hongji's desire to establish a Liao army navy, he carried out strategic deception under the cover of Yelu Yixin, and sent extremely inferior warships to the Liao Dynasty. The warships were sold to the Liao State in exchange for the strategic resources of the Liao State, prompting the Liao State to increase its oppression of the Han people.

This is similar to using a fake Tie Huolei to deceive the Liao Kingdom. So far, none of Liao's intelligence leaders in the capital has been punished, which means that Tie Huolei's deception has never been exposed.

Liu Kui was not in the intelligence department, and Sima Zhao Chengzhi received Fan Ning.

Zhao Chengzhi smiled and handed a copy of a pigeon letter to Fan Ning, "This is a piece of information just received this morning. There was another turmoil in the Liao Kingdom. The three princes of the Liao Kingdom, King Jin, King Wu, and King Zhao, were arrested It was determined that he was a remnant of the Chongyuan Rebellion and was arrested, all his family property and land were confiscated, it is said that he got millions of guan, all kinds of gold, silver, silk and satin, and people in the Liao Kingdom were panicked."

Fan Ning looked at the pigeon letter and said indifferently: "This must be Yelu Yixin's idea to attack the Liao clan who hate him. It is also Yelu Hongji who is poor and crazy, so he thought of using this method to make money."

Zhao Chengzhi took out another piece of information, "This is the piece of information Yelu Yixin gave us through his adopted son. The [-] elite Liao army cavalry will probably cross the sea to attack Dengzhou in early May."

Fan Ning took a few steps with his hands behind his back. A fleet of 150 five-thousand stone ships was enough to transport [-] soldiers, but there were still many important details to be implemented on how to transport horses, supplies, and siege weapons.

He wrote down the details he wanted to know, and handed them to Zhao Chengzhi, "Send this to the Liaoyang government. These are the details of the cross-sea operations I need. Please make sure they understand it clearly."

"Understood, I will send it out immediately."

"Wait a moment!"

Fan Ning waved his hand and asked, "Is there any news from Kunzhou?"

"not yet."

"Then what other information is there from the Liao Kingdom?"

"In addition, the Liao Kingdom is manufacturing a large number of ceramic fire mines, and the Liao Kingdom's finances are extremely severe this year. The taxes in Youzhou have plummeted by [-]%, and the Liaoyang Prefecture has been reduced by half. In addition, there was a snowstorm on the grassland last winter, which froze a large number of cattle and sheep. As a result, the sheep taxes of all ethnic groups in the north were not collected uniformly, and both the Xi people and the Bohai people were dissatisfied with the endless conscription of the Liao state, and demanded compensation from Yelu Hongji."

"What news from the Liao Kingdom?"

Zhao Chengzhi flipped through the report: "Also, Yang Cong, a tenant farmer in Xincheng County, rebelled against the oppression of the monastery last month. Thousands of people joined him. He burned the monastery and killed monks. He was brutally suppressed by the Liao army."

"Yelu Hongji is still worshiping Buddha?"

"Why not? Last month, the eminent monks Yuan Shi and Fa Jun were appointed as Sikong, and they each gave sesame oil and money, which aroused strong repercussions in the court. The officials of the court have not received their salaries for nearly four months. The students of the Liao Dynasty parade They opposed worshiping Buddha and stormed Huang'en Temple, and more than [-] people were arrested as a result."

Fan Ning sneered a few times, and said to Zhao Chengzhi: "Compile all the information about the Liao Kingdom into a complete report, and be sure to give it to me before the court today."

(End of this chapter)