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Chapter 278 Newcomers and Old Friends

Hong Tao didn't bother with him anymore, but made a bet that Yuan Keli's navy would return to Hong Kong smoothly, and the Japanese shogunate would agree to all the conditions proposed by Ming Dynasty.If the emperor loses, the chief minister of the cabinet will immediately correct the situation, and it will be useless for anyone to object.If he loses, he doesn't have to resign and spend money to build a warship for the navy.

"I am convinced... A warship only costs 800 taels, why do you let me take 2 taels of silver!" Ye Xianggao certainly did not dare to default on the account, but he had some doubts about the amount of the accounts.

"Governor Yuan, please come and clarify your doubts for Grand Scholar Ye." Hong Tao didn't want to answer such a simple question. He had to maintain some dignity as an emperor in front of his ministers.

"Master Ye, naval battleships are different from ordinary sailing ships. Apart from the hull and sails, the most important weapon is the naval gun. A copper-cast three-inch naval gun costs more than 2000 taels of silver. Fortunately, His Majesty taught the iron casting method. The cost was reduced to less than 1000 taels.

At present, naval warships need to be equipped with 20 large and small naval guns, plus gun carriages and auxiliary equipment, which cost a bachelor of 2 taels. I may need another thousand taels to barely complete the project. "

Yuan Keli had already experienced first-hand the emperor's habit of gambling, and without hesitation at the moment, with a strange smile on his face, he counted the various major expenditures for the construction of naval warships with his fingers, and generously waived all the change.

"But...but His Majesty only talked about building ships and did not mention naval guns!" Even if he lost the bet with the emperor, Ye Xianggao still had to argue with reason.He comes from a poor family. He has been in the position of bachelor in the cabinet for many years and has not dared to reach out and take things he shouldn't. His family is not rich enough and he really cannot afford so much money.

"Hey, Ye Aiqing, what's a battleship without guns? Don't worry. I can pay you back slowly later, but the navy can't wait, and the speed of shipbuilding must be accelerated.

At present, the Songjiang Shipyard is just under construction, and the expenses are running low. Without Taicang, it is too much for me to rely solely on internal funds to support it.If Fujian can implement the New Deal like Guangdong, it will not only benefit the local people, but also contribute to the navy, right? "

Are you racking your brains just to get 2 taels of silver from Ye Xianggao's pocket?Hong Tao is not that cheap yet. He wants to plot ten or even a hundred 2 taels. The bet is just the opening salvo, and all the drama is behind.

"...I am willing to follow Li Zhi's example and go to Fujian to implement the New Deal on behalf of Your Majesty!"

After hearing this, Ye Xianggao finally understood, and his heart became cold.Defending one side is indeed no worse than being a cabinet bachelor, especially in terms of specific rights and benefits.But he asked himself that he didn't have the ability.But the emperor had to continue what he said, pack up your belongings and go back to your hometown.

"I'm not asking you to go to Fujian to manage the country in person. That would be against the regulations. I'm going to ask you to think carefully about whether there are any other colleagues who can go to Fujian. Even if you can't promote the New Deal for the time being, familiarize yourself with the local customs and make some preparations. That’s fine.”

Seeing Ye Xianggao's face, Hong Tao knew that he didn't want to go. In fact, even if he wanted to go, he wouldn't agree.Some people are more suitable to guard one side, while others are more suitable to stay in the court.With Ye Xianggao playing a minor role in the cabinet, and Fang Congzhe helping to stir things up, the civil service group will no longer be able to unite to attack themselves.

But he does have irreparable shortcomings in terms of manpower. He doesn't know much about the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty, and he can't even name most of them.If you want to discover some useful talents, you can only rely on recommendations from people around you. You can't just listen to one person, you have to spread them out as much as possible.

"Well... Shaanxi Governor Wang Keshou is an upright official and has rich experience in serving in many places."

But Ye Xianggao was very embarrassed. As a recommender, once something happened to an official, he would be somewhat responsible in the eyes of the emperor.The implementation of the New Deal requires extremely high personal abilities. No one has experience and does not know how to operate it safely.Since the emperor asked, he couldn't say no, so after much deliberation, he finally came up with a suitable candidate.Wang Ke's official reputation is indeed good, and it has nothing to do with him. The most important thing is that he admires Li Zhi very much.Recommending him to go to Fujian would not only eliminate the responsibility of nepotism, but also show favor to Li Zhi.

"It's too high. The position is too high. I don't plan to promote the New Deal in Fujian immediately. I just want to send someone over to see the local situation and make some preparations."

But the emperor rejected this candidate on the spot, and the reason was quite justified.With Wang Keshou's current position, he would have to maintain his position as chief envoy to Fujian, which would mean he was exposed to everyone and could not observe preparations secretly.

"...Taiyuan Prefecture's river management magistrate Zuo Guangdou and Ruzhou's river management magistrate Jin Shijun have been quite effective in managing the rivers. Rivers are crisscrossed throughout Fujian and floods occur frequently. It is logical to send one of them to the post to manage the rivers."

Since the position was too high and inappropriate, Ye Xianggao thought lower, but he didn't think blindly. He had to think about the emperor's intentions.Those who go to Fujian must be favored by the emperor, so those who took the imperial examination three years ago became the first choice.

Among them, Wang Jiazhen, the number one scholar, and Wang Zheng, the top scholar, had just been promoted to doctors not long ago, and each had important responsibilities, so they were obviously not suitable.Zhuang Yuanchen, who was second on the list, was doing well in the Hanlin Academy and had a bright future.Only Zuo Guangdou and Jin Shijun, among the top two, were sent out by the emperor to regulate the rivers, and they still have no actual duties.

"Oh, if you didn't mention them, I would have really forgotten about them. Since they are quite effective, let me call them back and ask them myself before making arrangements."

Hong Tao originally wanted to take the opportunity to squeeze Ye Xianggao and ask him to propose a few people for selection, but he didn't expect to find the right one right away.Sometimes the lower the demand, the higher the surprise. No, there are two at once.

"Long live my Lord, the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi is here!" Just as he was about to ask Zuo Guangdou and Jin Shijun about their specific political achievements in the past two years, Wang Chengen came in with a square lacquer box from outside.

"Alas... not everyone can be influenced by mental power! I have made a decree to let Li Zhi attend the funeral on my behalf. I will give a posthumous gift to Prince Matteo Ricci, Shaobao, and erect a monument in Haojing as a commemoration!"

The box contained Li Zhi's question book. When Hong Tao first picked it up, his heart kept trembling, for fear that something would go wrong in Guangdong.The New Deal has just begun to take off. If it causes chaos, it will cause irreparable damage to your own plans.

But after reading it, his expression was not panicked or angry, but a layer of melancholy flashed across his face.Italian missionary Matteo Ricci died in Haojing due to illness half a month ago. He did not have a suitable job like Li Zhi and became more ambitious as he lived. He stubbornly followed the course of history and completed his life.

Before he died, he wrote this letter to himself in Chinese. The general idea was that the Dutch were becoming increasingly powerful in Southeast Asia. If the Ming Empire wanted to become a truly great empire, it must pay attention to coastal defense.

If necessary, you can contact the Flemish people living in Haojing, and they will return home to report that King Flemish sent skilled craftsmen to the Ming Dynasty to help build warships to resist the expansion of the Dutch in Southeast Asia.

(End of this chapter)