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Chapter 425: Use coercion and inducement for profit

"...Your Majesty is far-sighted and well-intentioned, and the Wang family is willing to do its best. However, my talents are limited and I don't dare to make any independent opinions. Please make it clear." As early as the beginning of this conversation, Wang Xiangqian was thinking about a very important issue. Where should I and my family go from here?

It has been ten years since Emperor Jingyang ascended the throne. After several open and covert struggles, the situation in the court has changed significantly. The imperial power has not only not been weakened, but has become stronger.

With the continuous decline of faction leaders such as Shen Yiguan, Shen Li, Li Tingji, Li Dai, and Wen Chun, the originally strong factions have become scattered, and the power to check and balance the imperial power is getting weaker and weaker.

On the other hand, the so-called royalist officials are becoming more active and prosperous, and they have frequently gained something in their respective positions. And the young officials promoted by the emperor from two palace examinations are gradually emerging and beginning to enter important positions.

If this continues, it won't be long before the emperor will make large-scale adjustments to the court. In eight words, those who follow me will prosper and those who go against me will perish. Even if they don't kill them all, the ministers who always cause trouble will not end well, and they may even bring trouble to the clan.

At this time, the emperor suddenly took the initiative to express his sincerity, and his intention to solicit was obvious. If I had said this four years ago, I would definitely not have agreed with it.

At that time, the Zhejiang Party, the Donglin Party, the Qin Party, and the Chu Party were still at their peak and firmly controlled the government. No matter how many ideas the emperor had, he could not do anything without them, and no matter how many promises he made, they were all in vain.

But now and then, there is really not much time left for myself and the Wang family. If we don't change the banner quickly, Huaiyuan Hou Chang Yinxu, Taining Hou Chen Liangbi and Ningyang Hou Chen Yingzhao may be role models, and they will be pushed out as cannon fodder under very reasonable excuses.

However, even if you want to surrender, it cannot be too easy. The necessary price still needs to be discussed. The emperor did not make a clear promise, but he also pointed out a specific direction. As long as he participated more in factory construction, the Wang family would not decline.

So what are you waiting for? Let’s express our attitude quickly. The most dangerous thing in the world is to treat an emperor like a street vendor haggling endlessly, trying to get a 100% promise. Often the more detailed the discussion is in advance, the quicker things will go wrong afterwards.

"I don't want to waste time and energy on endless court politics and intrigues. If Wang Shangshu can give enough support to the new army at the imperial meeting, it will be a big help.

In addition, I have one more thing that requires my full help. Wang Shangshu must have heard of Luanzhou Iron Works. It will be our country's largest steel production base in the next ten years, and most of the artillery, gunfire, and shipbuilding equipment of the Navy and New Army will come from here.

Right now, my stall is a bit big and I can't make ends meet, so I urgently need someone to help me. However, this factory is an important asset of the country and cannot be easily accessed by outsiders. You are the pillar of the country. If the Wang family has this intention, I will not get it. "

As a minister, you can ask without opening your mouth, but as an emperor, you can't pretend to be stupid and refuse to give. Who is willing to sacrifice his life if there is no benefit? What benefit should be given to Wang Xiang? Obviously not in terms of power. He is over 70 years old and holds the title of Minister of War, so there is not much room for advancement.

Then you can only give money, but you can't withhold money. Do you want the largest stake in the steel industry in the future? If you don't even have this vision and patience, then the Wang family is not worth winning over, and it won't be of much use.

"Your Majesty is serious. It is the duty of a minister to share your worries for you. As long as your Majesty can use it, I will not hesitate to lose my family and property!" Wang Xiangqian's eyes lit up when he heard about Luanzhou Iron Factory.

It is unclear why the emperor built a factory in Luanzhou, but the scale of the factory is obvious to all. The local government recruited more than 20,000 refugees and border residents, and provided tens of thousands more laborers. After four years of construction, it was only a drop in the bucket.

It is said that Li Zhizao, a doctor from the Ministry of Industry, led more than 20 people and spent less than half a year just using white ash to outline the general scale of the factory and the mining area. It stretched over several mountains to complete the outline of the factory and mining area.

The Six Ministries and Nine Ministers and the cabinet bachelors can all get a special share when they are in office. Officials from the DPRK and China can also invest in buying shares in many factories, but I have never heard of anyone getting shares in the Luanzhou Iron and Steel Plant. It was the emperor's forbidden area and no outsiders were allowed to get involved, so the profits were huge. "It's not that serious. You are all bankrupt. Who will work for me? Don't be too hasty. When you have time, send your family to interview Li Zhizao. He knows the importance. Let me go and appease the families of the ministers. The sound of cannons just now I'm afraid it's a bit scary. I won't be in the way here, Wang Chengen, please go back to the palace!"

Today is truly a double happiness. The imperial commander personally conquered and defeated the Jianlu. This will greatly increase the emperor's reputation. Even if someone wants to confront him, he will have to avoid the edge for the time being. At the same time, he persuaded Wang Xiangqian. With the participation of him and the Wang family, his right to speak will increase a lot again in the future.

As for the shares in Luanzhou Iron and Steel Plant... Hehehe, even if you invest, you will definitely make money, but there is no way to influence the production of the steel plant and explore the melting and casting technology.

The steel plant is just a general name for the outside world. It is actually divided into four phases of the project. Each phase is subdivided into more than ten branches such as coal mines, iron mines, mineral processing plants, coal washing plants, smelting plants, foundries, lime plants, etc. project.

The shares that the Wang family can obtain are peripheral coal mines, iron mines, mineral processing plants, and coal washing plants. Even if they take the opportunity to deploy people, they still can't understand anything.

Of course, the profits will definitely be relatively generous. As long as it doesn't get in the way, Hong Tao is more generous than all emperors. He doesn't care at all about someone using his property to make money, nor does he care about others being richer than him.

With the addition of Wang Xiangqian, the defeated Jurchens are no longer worthy of excessive attention. They had become frightened birds and the remaining defeated generals. Although not many people were directly killed by the cannons, their hasty retreat made some horses become trophies of the Ming army.

Judging from the numerical estimation, I am afraid that less than half of the cavalry will be forced to become infantry. Being trapped in enemy territory, surrounded on all sides, with no supplies or reinforcements, and unable to move quickly, the situation will be very bad.

What's even more troublesome is the way out. Continuing to go west deep into Da Ming is obviously not a good choice. It is also unrealistic to turn around and go east to seize Shanhaiguan and return to Liaodong. The south is blocked by the vast sea. It seems that the only way to escape is to climb over the border wall to the north.

Although the Ming Dynasty's border troops had strengthened their vigilance after this battle, no matter how careful they were, they could not always be impregnable on the thousands-mile-long border wall, and they could always find weaknesses that were easier to break through.

But no matter what the frightened bird chooses, it cannot change its fate of total destruction. The only difference is that surrendering early will save fewer people dead and suffer less. The later you surrender, the fewer people will survive.

From the moment they entered the Ming Border Wall, they had fallen into a huge pit. The illusion of continuous battles and victories gave him greater ambition and greed, and also led him step by step into a trap from which he could no longer extricate himself.

When they easily defeated the three major battalions and planned to take the opportunity to follow the defeated troops into the capital, they not only provided the enemy emperor with a perfect excuse to intervene in military affairs, but also sent themselves to hell.

Just three days ago, a small group of Jinyiwei messengers took the Ming Emperor's handwriting and left the customs at Gubeikou to meet with the leader of the Kalaqin tribe. In addition to reporting the fact that the Jurchen soldiers and horses raided the Ming border wall from the territory of the Duoyan tribe, they also brought It went to the Ming Emperor's sincerity to solve the problem.

Specifically, whether the Duoyan tribe had betrayed their trust and colluded with the Jurchens, the Ming Emperor did not investigate or accuse, and only gave a win-win suggestion. If the Haraqin tribe still wants to trade with the Ming Dynasty to obtain daily necessities and iron tools, then it should perform its duties as agreed and use practical actions to ensure that there are no enemies of the Ming Dynasty in its territory.

No matter where the border wall is broken through at this time, the people who greet the Jurchen remnants will not be friends, only the Haraqin cavalry who are gearing up and waiting. In their eyes, every Jurchen prisoner was a piece of easy wealth, and could be exchanged with the Ming Emperor for a barrel of wine or a jar of sugar.

The taste that is sweeter than honey has become the new favorite of Mongolian nobles, while the unique and mellow sugar cane wine is the favorite of herdsmen. As for what sugar cane looks like, they have never heard of or seen it, let alone that sugar and wine are made from it, and the cost is as low as a piece of cotton cloth or a fat sheep.

(End of this chapter)