big song poppi

Chapter 552 0549 [The cult leader must die]

Taking advantage of the siege on stormy nights a few days ago, the Qi army suffered little loss of soldiers except for food, grass and baggage.

There were less than 200 casualties, most of whom were injured in the dark and fell, and few were actually killed or injured in the battle.

On the contrary, the 30,000 Song troops who carried out the siege suffered more than 2,000 casualties.

Logically speaking, this was a big defeat, but Fang Qifu was overjoyed.

As long as the Qi army retreats, the strategic goal has been achieved, and these casualties are nothing at all.

He secretly preached in Fujian for two years, and had a large number of followers under his command. In addition, he used the Paradise Pill to control many officials, and he had Fujian firmly in his hands with almost no effort.

After repelling the Qi army, Fang Qifu called Guangming and came to the world, calling himself Shenggong and King of Fujian.

On the one hand, he stepped up his time to recruit troops, and on the other hand, he sent envoys to Zhejiang to pay tribute to Han Zhen.

……

After a while, Xiao Chong hurriedly walked into the hall.

But even so, 400,000 guan is not a small amount, so he paid all of it to Qi State.

Mr. Wu replied: "Of course we know that according to the Daqi tax law, the annual tax revenue of the two provinces is about 400,000 yuan."

It was different in Zhao and Song Dynasties. There were countless exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes, and there were twenty or thirty kinds in total.

"This……"

Pay tribute and become a vassal?

"Oh?"

In terms of personal martial arts prowess alone, not even strong generals like Liu Qi and Han Shizhong dare to claim a guaranteed victory over them.

interesting.

There is no one else sleeping soundly beside the couch.

This is just business tax. If you include all kinds of exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes, it would be much more.

According to the "Song Hui Yao Collection - Food" records, in the tenth year of Xining, Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty, the commercial tax in Fujian was 210,000 guan, and the Guangdong and Guangxi only had a pitiful 80,000 guan.

Han Zhen did not wait for Liu Yanqing's message to persuade him to surrender, but first waited for Fang Qifu's envoy.

In the Chui Gong Hall, Han Zhen sat behind the royal desk, looking at the credentials in his hand with a half-smile.

He quickly defended: "Your Majesty has misunderstood. My king definitely did not mean this. Fujian and Guangdong and Guangxi are mountainous and barren. They are barbaric lands, and there are many native trees. They are unruly and unruly. To your majesty, they are nothing but useless. To conquer them by force." , The gain is not worth the loss. My king calls you a minister and pays tribute, respects your majesty as my uncle, pays tribute every year, and the tribute money is not less than the tax, isn’t it the best of both worlds?”

Fang Qifu's attitude was very low, placing himself on the level of his nephew and nephew, and at the same time sent a large number of gold and silver beauties, just in exchange for Han Zhen's withdrawal.

The land in Fujian and Guangdong and Guangxi is mostly mountainous. The land is already barren and suffers from hurricanes. Therefore, there is not much land tax, and it is basically maintained by commercial tax.

He thought about many possibilities, but he never expected that the one causing trouble in Fujian was actually Fang La's remnant, Fang Qifu.

Han Zhen put too much pressure on him. Just sitting there and exuding momentum made him breathless.

The Secret Service's mansion is on the south side of Royal Street outside Xuandemen. It takes at least a quarter of an hour to come and go.

Han Zhen raised his eyebrows slightly: "Do you know how much tax revenue is collected in Lingnan and Fujian in a year?"

Watching the other party leave, Han Zhen said in a deep voice: "Xuan Lincong."

"Xiao Min, please retire."

Han Zhen was slightly surprised and said: "How did it come so fast today?"

What are the pictures of the Seven Buddhas in other places?

He is a thief, and he uses the tax laws of Daqi, not the tax laws of Zhao and Song Dynasties.

Mr. Wu still wanted to work hard, but he saw the guards standing in the hall looking like wolves and tigers, staring at him with bloodthirsty eyes.

Although the tone was light, the murderous intention behind the words made Mr. Wu tremble.

Mr. Wu sighed in his heart, bowed, and then followed the young eunuch out of the hall.

Even though Daqi's commercial tax is 1 out of 10, there are no exorbitant taxes or miscellaneous taxes.

So Mr. Wu used the Daqi tax law to calculate.

Xiao Chong looked solemn and said: "Second Brother Han, I happen to have something important to report. News came from the Secret Service in Fujian."

Mr. Wu rolled up his sleeves, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said respectfully: "My king respects your majesty very much and regards you as a brother and father. From now on, I will be filial to your majesty as a son or nephew, greet you from time to time, and pay tribute every year."

Han Zhen said calmly: "What a good King of Fujian, what a good Fang Qifu. Do you think the horse in my hand is unfavorable?"

King of Fujian?

Because the taxes of the native officials in Guangdong and Guangxi were all paid to the native officials, the Zhao and Song Dynasties not only did not get a penny, but also had to give out rewards every year to appease these native officials. This was only done in a few states where Han people gathered, such as Guangzhou and Yizhou. The government can collect some commercial taxes.

As far as he was concerned, as long as Han Zhen could stop his troops, let alone demote himself, it would be no problem for him to call Han Zhen his biological father.

"The King of Fujian, pay tribute and become a minister?"

Capital.

There were only ten guards in front of the palace. They were composed of those who were originally loyal to Zhao Song and the four elites selected from the Xuanjia Army.

Just to live out the addiction of splitting the earth and becoming king?
Han Zhen said loudly: "Take the gold, silver and beauties, go back and tell Fang Qifu that my Qingzhou cavalry will conquer Fujian and Guangdong in the near future!"

"tell me the story."

Han Zhen ordered.

Xiaochong reported truthfully: "Fang Qifu calls himself Shenggong and Queen of Fujian. There has been no riot in Fujian. The states, prefectures and counties are operating normally, and officials are performing their duties..."

"and many more!"

Han Zhen suddenly interrupted Xiaochong and frowned: "Didn't Fang Qifu massacre the Fujian officials?"

"No."

Xiaochong shook his head.

hiss!
Han Zhen took a deep breath, filled with doubts.

Fang Qifu did not kill the officials. What is even more strange is that many officials in Fujian, large and small, chose to surrender to Fang Qifu.

One side is a rebel who started out as a cult, and the other side is a court official.

It stands to reason that the two sides are naturally on opposite sides and there is no possibility of reconciliation.

In the past, some officials secretly colluded with Fang Qifu for profit, which is understandable. After all, as long as this kind of thing is not exposed openly, everything will be justified.

But now Fang Qifu is holding his flag high and calling himself the King of Fujian, but Fujian officials have no reaction at all, which is really abnormal.

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation.

Han Zhen waved his hand: "Keep talking."

Xiaochong continued: "In addition, the spies of Nanjianzhou discovered a strange thing. The government confiscated hundreds of hectares of fertile land, converted rice into medicine, and planted a large number of opium poppies."

Hundreds of hectares of fertile land, that is, ten thousand acres of farmland, may not be considered much on the North China Plain, but it is particularly precious in Fujian.

Since ancient times, Fujian has a saying that eight mountains and one water divide the land. There are very few plains, and most of them are in coastal areas. Inland, only Nanjianzhou has a small plain.

Fang Qifu took Fujian with his front foot, and then converted hundreds of hectares of farmland into rice for medicine. This is obviously unconventional and full of weirdness.

Poppy?
Han Zhen looked around the hall and asked doubtfully: "What is poppy?"

"This slave doesn't know."

Liu Chang and all the guards in front of the palace shook their heads with blank expressions.

Han Zhen waved his hand: "The Imperial Medical Bureau promotes Sun Wang."

Since it is a medicinal material, the imperial doctor must recognize it.

Soon, Sun Wang carried the medicine box and jogged into the Chui Gong Hall.

His Majesty usually did not announce his presence, but now he suddenly announced his presence. Thinking that His Majesty was unwell, he rushed over immediately.

"I pay my respects to Your Majesty."

Sun Wang bowed and saluted, looking at Han Zhen's complexion to pave the way for the next diagnosis.

But at first glance, Han Zhen's face was rosy and his breath was thick, and he didn't look sick at all.

Han Zhen didn't waste any time and asked directly: "As a senior official in the imperial hospital, does Sun Qing recognize the medicine Poppy?"

"Weichen will naturally recognize him."

Sun Wang nodded.

Han Zhen ordered: "Tell me in detail."

Hearing this, Sun Wang suppressed his doubts and replied: "Poppy is also called elephant kernel, rice bag, royal rice, etc. The names are different in different places. Poppy is the name of the first generation in Fujian and Zhejiang in the south. This thing is native to China." From the Western Regions, it was introduced to the Central Plains as early as the Sui and Tang Dynasties. It was initially used as an ornamental flower. In the sixth year of Jiayou, Su Song, then Minister Youpushe and Minister of Zhongshu, discovered that its fruit could be used as medicine and included it in the "Ben Cao Tu Jing". ”

"Poppyseed has a fishy smell and is bitter in nature. It regulates wind, expels evil heat, and treats nausea, phlegm in the chest, and elixirs. It can also be combined with bamboo juice to make porridge, which is very good. However, it is cold in nature and is beneficial to the large and small intestines. Eating too much or overeating will cause irritation of the bladder and ears.”

Han Zhen was confused, but judging from Sun Wang's description, it seemed to be ordinary Chinese medicine.

Sun Wang didn't understand why His Majesty would be interested in traditional Chinese medicine, but as a minister, he naturally had to answer His Majesty's questions, so he reminded: "Your Majesty, there are many poppies planted in the palace."

Han Zhen asked curiously: "There are also poppies in the palace?" Sun Wang nodded and said: "Poppies are brightly colored and quite festive. They are planted in many flower beds in the palace."

"Take me to take a look."

After Han Zhen finished speaking, he stood up and walked down the hall.

Sun Wang immediately led the way and soon arrived at a flower garden.

Pointing to the plant with green fruits in the flower bed, he said: "Your Majesty, please look, this is the poppy. It has passed its flowering period and the fruits are about to turn yellow and mature. They can be used as medicine after harvesting and drying."

poppy!

Han Zhen's pupils shrank suddenly.

When he saw a green fruit on a slender stem, he recognized it.

This thing is really too recognizable.

Poppy, poppy, it turns out to be poppy.

As a Chinese, he naturally remembered the Opium War, but he did not know that the poppy had been introduced to China as early as the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

Han Zhen asked sharply: "Besides being used as medicine, does this poppy have any other uses?"

No wonder he was so cautious. Opium was really too harmful. Once it spread over a large area, the consequences would be disastrous.

Sun Wang was startled and quickly replied: "This... I don't know."

"you sure?"

Han Zhen stared at him intently.

Gollum.

Sun Wang swallowed his saliva and said tremblingly: "I am a humble minister with little talent and little knowledge. Apart from being used as a medicine, I really don't know if this thing has any other uses. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Seeing this, Han Zhen's eyes flashed with joy.

Very good, it seems that the effectiveness of this thing has not been developed yet, otherwise in the original time and space, opium would not have been introduced to the Central Plains during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and opium did not appear until the end of the Qing Dynasty.

wrong!

Suddenly, Han Zhen frowned.

Fang Qifu!
Fujian officials, Nanjianzhou converting rice into medicine, Manichaeism, and opium, these threads are connected together, and the previous doubts in my heart are instantly explained.

It must have been Fang Qifu who discovered the extraction method and effectiveness of opium, and then used opium to control a number of Fujian officials.

These cults are really rat shit, and they will only cause trouble for themselves.

Originally, he had murderous intentions towards cult leaders like Fang Qifu, but now it seems that he can no longer keep them.

After coming back to his senses, Han Zhen realized that Sun Wang had been bowing and trembling.

Han Zhen patted Sun Wang on the shoulder and said with a chuckle: "Sun Qing helped me a lot today. The reward is a hundred catties and a pair of white jade."

"I feel ashamed of myself."

Sun Wang breathed a sigh of relief and declined again and again.

Han Zhen waved his hand: "Sun Qing doesn't have to be humble. Let's go back to Tai Hospital first."

"Wei Chen retire."

Sun Wang bowed, turned and left.

After walking some distance, he rolled up his sleeves and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

Accompanying a king is like accompanying a tiger, and it is not easy to be an imperial physician.

After Sun Wang left, Han Zhen ordered: "Liu Chang."

"The servant is here."

Liu Chang responded quickly.

Han Zhen ordered: "Instruct the gardeners in the palace to eradicate all the poppies in the palace, leaving no one behind."

"My slave takes orders."

He didn't care what the reason was, since His Majesty gave the order, he just had to do it.

All the way back to the Chui Gong Hall, Han Zhen said solemnly: "Send more spies to Fujian, Lingnan and other places to closely monitor Nanjianzhou, especially the areas where opium poppy is grown. In addition, we will add checkpoints at the borders of Fujian and Guangxi to strictly inspect trade. If any black, sticky and fishy-smelling items are found, they will be seized immediately.”

"I accept your order."

Xiaochong responded loudly, and then hurriedly left.

Han Zhen thought for a while and then ordered: "Xuan Chang Yukun."

"I have met your Majesty."

A quarter of an hour later, Sanyu Kun walked into the hall calmly.

Han Zhen said loudly: "The cabinet has drafted a decree and promulgated it in all prefectures and counties. From today on, the cultivation of opium poppy is strictly prohibited in Qi State. Those that have been planted will be eradicated and destroyed immediately. Once people are found to be secretly planting opium poppy, they will be charged with serious crimes." Those who report will be punished and will receive a reward!”

Don't think about dumping opium in other countries. This thing is a double-edged sword. If one is not good, it will come back to bite you.

In the current world, only the cannibals are doing relatively well, while other countries are poor compared to the Central Plains.

In this case, once opium is dumped abroad, it will eventually flow back to the Central Plains.

The horrors of drugs are all too clear to future generations like him.

Many people know that Britain peddled opium to the Qing Dynasty and even started an Opium War. However, how many people know that countless people in Britain in the 19th century were also addicted to opium. Almost all the people were addicted to opium, even newborn babies. Forced to take drugs.

Different from smoking in the Qing Dynasty, the British soaked opium in wine and drank it, which was called laudanum.

Okay.

Alcohol mixed with opium is more potent than smoking it directly.

Wine and opium, the magic power is boundless.

It was precisely because he knew this that Han Zhen strictly guarded against opium.

This sudden decree made Chang Yukun stunned and a little confused.

When he came to his senses, he advised: "Poppies are just ordinary flowers, and they are not worthy of your majesty's aggressive action. This decree may arouse criticism from the people and damage your majesty's prestige."

His Majesty suddenly wants to ban the planting of a flower across the country. This decree is really ridiculous.

Han Zhen was too lazy to explain, and it was not easy to explain, so he simply said: "Don't ask, just think I'm being ridiculous for once."

"I accept the decree."

Chang Yukun hesitated for a moment and nodded.

He asked himself whether he understood His Majesty. There must be a reason for this seemingly absurd decree, but since Your Majesty had no explanation, he was sensible and did not ask.

Chang Yukun said: "If your Majesty has no other instructions, I will leave first."

He is very busy.

The Qi State is so big now, but there are only four people in the cabinet. Shi Wenhui is from the military department. He basically stays in the military department on weekdays and rarely interferes in civil affairs. Zhao Ting, not to mention, is the scapegoat for His Majesty.

When necessary, take it out to hold the pot, and usually act as a mascot.

In other words, he and Xie Ding were the only ones working in the entire cabinet, and they were too busy all day long.

"Chang Qing, wait a moment."

Han Zhen stopped him.

Chang Yukun immediately stopped and waited for Han Zhen's instructions.

Han Zhen asked with a smile: "I heard that Chang Qing's youngest son formed a Cuju club?"

Chang Yukun couldn't figure out Han Zhen's thoughts for a while, so he considered it and said: "It's true, it's called the Martial Arts Club. I've been an official in a different place for these years, and I've neglected to discipline my young son. As a result, I will strictly discipline my young son when I return." "

"It's out of the way."

Han Zhen waved his hand and chuckled: "It's a good thing to like Cuju. Let him run the club well. After a while, I will hold a national Cuju competition."

"Your Majesty is wise and I admire you."

Chang Yukun just thought for a moment and understood Han Zhen's intention, with a look of admiration on his face.

Han Zhen asked: "Besides the Cuju competition, does Chang Qing have any other suggestions?"

Chang Yukun pondered and said: "Cuju originated from the military formation. Since it has martial arts, it is naturally indispensable for literature. Your Majesty can hold a grand ceremony and invite the great scholars from the north and south to come to Beijing to debate Taoism."

"Not bad!"

Han Zhen's eyes lit up and he said happily: "This matter will be left to Chang Qing and the Education Institute."

"I accept your order."

Chang Yukun didn't understand that His Majesty wanted to accelerate the integration of the North and the South.

A Cuju competition, a grand etiquette, plus enrollment from the four major colleges, a complete set of punches can definitely break the gap between the north and the south.

(End of this chapter)