unclear

Chapter 277 Emerging clues

"In the past two years or so, I have traveled around and asked carefully about farmers who grow sweet potatoes. According to them, they are more tolerant of drought and floods and do not require intensive farming. They reclaim the wasteland on the hillside, spread the seeds, and plow it regularly several times. You can harvest something from grass. It may be seven or eight bushels, or one or two stones. Although it is not tasty, it can fill your stomach.

As for opening up the sea...the imperial court has been deploying troops in the north and Korea for many years, which has cost a lot of money and left Taicang empty.Relying on grain taxes alone may not be enough to make ends meet, so it is understandable that we can rely on selling goods to meet our urgent needs. "

Compared with Hu Guifang, Wang Huaiyong's vision was much broader. Whether the New Deal that the emperor wanted to implement in Guangdong was good or bad, he did not rely entirely on imagination to judge, but conducted a down-to-earth investigation and made comprehensive decisions based on the actual situation. Out of judgment.

In fact, he had always wanted to persuade Dong Weng to support Li Zhi. Putting aside the quality of the New Deal, just providing help in times of need would leave a big impression on the emperor.Given Li Zhi's age, he probably wouldn't be able to stay in the position of governor of Guangdong and Guangxi for too long. Hu Guifang will definitely occupy a place on the list of people who can guard this place for the emperor.

After ten years in high school, why did you go all the way to become an official in the DPRK?Who doesn’t want to rise to the top and become a minister step by step?If it is not to help the evil tyrants, but it can also be beneficial to oneself, why not do it?
It's a pity that Hu Guifang never listened to the advice. If he had listened to the advice in Hangzhou, he might not have gone to reverse the case of his family despite the criticism of his colleagues.So let’s just say, it’s really hard to draw a conclusion on whether stubbornness is a good thing or a bad thing. From the position of an aide, I can only use a more tactful way to persuade.

"Hmph, don't say any more. I am determined not to collude with the treacherous people! If the Chen family and the state governments come to ask you, please stand up for me." How could Hu Guifang not hear the meaning in the master's words? But it was the same as before. Determined not to compromise, he walked away with a sullen expression.

"Alas... I'm afraid no one will come!" Wang Huaiyong smiled bitterly and walked slowly to the front hall, muttering to himself.He could be [-]% sure that the Chen family and state and county officials would not come to the door of the Chief Envoy so soon. This was called political sense.

Anyone with a discerning eye can clearly see that the current Guangdong officialdom is dominated by the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, the Chief Envoy on the Right, the Commander-in-Chief and the Navy. If you hold on to the Chief Envoy on the Left who has no say in the matter, you will be in trouble even faster. There won't be any benefit in doing so.

The results are similar to what Wang Huaiyong guessed. Regarding the incident in which Li Rumei led troops to arrest the mayor and village elders of Chenjia Village in Haifeng County, and killed and injured nearly a hundred people, few people were willing to come forward to cry out for the Chen family. Most of them were published in commercial newspaper articles. Let’s understand it from the perspective of asking the government and army to quell the chaos.

As for the Haifeng Thousand Households, if thousands of households were arrested, they would not do anything about the common people. The commander-in-chief was in charge of the army. It was normal to arrest thousands of households. No one except the Fifth Army Governor's Office and the Ministry of War could take care of it.But in private, there were still people quietly investigating the truth of the incident, such as officials from various states and counties.

What the common people see is excitement, but they want to see the essence.Then, as if they had made an appointment, they gave the green light to those who grew barley and sweet potatoes and opened factories in their respective jurisdictions. Official documents applying for the use of barley and sweet potatoes to replace part of the grain tax flew to the Chief Envoy like snowflakes.

However, Hu Guifang, the chief envoy to the left, was ill. It was said that he was seriously ill and could no longer see guests. All government affairs of the chief envoy's department were temporarily handed over to Yuan Yingtai, the chief envoy to the right.For a time, people came and went in Yuan Yingtai's mansion, and officials from all over Guangdong Province lined up to pay their respects.

Immediately afterwards, the commander-in-chief of the capital also became busy. Li Rumei ordered all generals from more than [-] households to meet in Guangzhou. Two commanders were arrested on the spot, including Jieshiwei, who was accused of being a bandit, and was immediately escorted to Beijing.

At this time, when it was proposed to use military fields to plant large areas of novel crops such as wheat, sweet potatoes, sugar cane, and rubber trees, all the health offices in various places nodded in agreement, and even did not dare to say that they did not know how to plant them, for fear that the next day they would also be visited by black sailing ships and the navy.

As a result, Li Zhi had quietly promoted the New Deal in Guangdong for nearly three years without causing any trouble, and suddenly it became a hot new thing. Everyone from the state officials to the traffickers and lackeys knew about it. "Don't be too happy. This is just the beginning. If the New Deal is to be truly rolled out and the people can feel its effects, it will take at least three to five years. During this period, there will definitely be obstacles and setbacks. Not only can't we relax now, but We must work harder and be more careful, and always pay attention to the trends of all parties.”

When the news from Guangdong came back to the capital, it had already passed the Qingming Festival. Amidst the praises from the eunuchs and officials who supported the New Deal, Hong Tao did not feel complacent in front of Yuan Keli who had just returned from Japan. Instead, he spoke with sincerity and sincerity. The truth.

The road to reform is to be taken step by step, and every step is more difficult and dangerous.It is one thing to feel that interests are touched, and it is another thing to feel that interests are touched.

The former is to prepare for a rainy day, it is better if you can stop it, but you will not risk your life if you cannot stop it.But the latter has no retreat. Unless they are willing to change their ways, the only option is life and death.

What we will face then is a decisive battle between traditional forces and new forces. In addition to being cruel and bloody, the scene will definitely be mixed with the darkest things in human nature.Even if they are mentally prepared in advance, not everyone can handle it calmly.

"I would also like to report some good news. The Japanese shogunate has agreed to release King Nakayama and all his ministers, and make corresponding compensation to the Ryukyu Kingdom. The specific amount needs to be determined by His Majesty."

The emperor turned the good-looking celebration party into a pre-war mobilization rally, which was a bit disappointing.In order to relieve the heavy atmosphere, Yuan Keli quickly reported the results of this voyage to Japan. Even if the emperor had received the written report in advance, he had to tell it again.

"Master Ye, if you lose, you don't need to hand the bet to me. You can just give the 2 taels of silver to Governor Yuan."

Since the rebellion was put down and Ye Xianggao, a scholar in the cabinet, temporarily took over the position of chief assistant of the cabinet, he no longer hesitated to leave. He expressed his attitude that he would devote himself to the emperor and pursue advancement extremely.

Naturally, Hong Tao would not chill the hearts of knowledgeable people, and happily accepted this traditional scholar into his inner circle.Now that he has entered the circle, there are some things that he must know, such as the true content of Yuan Keli's trip to Japan to denounce the shogunate.

Ye Xianggao immediately expressed great concern when he heard that Yuan Keli only brought two naval warships, and that he would destroy ships, burn ports, and carry out mass killings along the coast of Japan.

First, he was worried that Yuan Keli's isolated army would be weak and weak. If an accident occurred, it would not only fail to act as a deterrent, but would also be ridiculed by the Japanese shogunate.Then they were afraid that if they succeeded, they would trigger retaliation from the Japanese shogunate and invade Korea again or harass the southeastern coast.

Finally, there was a discussion about etiquette. He felt that as the emperor of the Celestial Kingdom, there was no need to be so ferocious. It was better to convince people with reason. Even if he had to take action, he had to find a reason that was in line with the teachings of the saint. He wanted to be famous. .

(End of this chapter)