Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 269: Announcement of the Slaying of Covetousness

The palace city of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Qianyang Palace.

There seemed to be an endless pile of memorials on Emperor Jia Zhao's desk. Among all the emperors of the Great Zhou Dynasty, few could surpass him in terms of diligence.

Perhaps it was because he worked too hard, but Emperor Jiazhao was only forty years old, but his temples were already gray, and there was always a hint of fatigue in the corners of his brows and eyes.

At this moment, Cabinet Grand Secretary Cai Xiang, Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding, Minister of War Gu Yankui and others, receiving the emperor's oral order, entered the Qianyang Palace together to discuss matters.

Emperor Jia Zhao glanced at the three ministers and said to Guo Lin, "Guo Lin, grant the three ministers a seat."

Cai Xiang and others hurriedly thanked the emperor. After the three of them sat down, Emperor Jiazhao did not say a word. He was still concentrating on reading a memorial. There was silence in the Qianyang Palace.

The memorial in Emperor Jia Zhao's hand was the one that Jia Cong had just submitted to the palace today.

Originally, he was only a sixth-rank official and had no qualifications to submit memorials to the emperor. If he had something to submit, he had to get the chief official of the ministry to forward it on.

However, he had made great contributions when he was in Nanjing, and was granted the right to report directly by Emperor Jiazhao, which enabled him to submit reports directly to the emperor.

The retired emperor was a person who loved calligraphy and had profound attainments in calligraphy. Otherwise, he would not have regarded Jia Cong's handwritten Heart Sutra as a precious treasure.

Emperor Jiazhao was influenced by his father since he was a child and had a strong preference for calligraphy.

So every time he read Jia Cong's memorial, he always felt very pleased.

This calligraphy alone is elegant, free and graceful, full of charm and has reached the level of a master. It is truly outstanding.

Putting aside the content of this memorial, the “paper score” alone is already full marks…

……

Ever since the day when Jia Qiang attempted to get the job at the firearms workshop and was connected with Jia She behind the scenes, Jia Cong felt the hidden risks.

I will soon follow him on an inspection tour of the nine borders, which will take at least three months and at most half a year.

He has not been in the capital for such a long time, and although Deputy Supervisor Liu Shizhen is proficient in making firearms, he is not very shrewd as an official, so he may be taken advantage of by others.

By then, the firearms workshop will have a mixed crowd of people, and if something unexpected happens, it will not only be difficult to deal with, but even I, the chief supervisor, will be implicated.

Therefore, on the second day after the Jia Qiang incident, he took precautionary measures and submitted a special memorial to Emperor Jia Zhao, in which he elaborated on the selection of personnel in the Firearms Supervisory and Firearms Workshop.

At this point, Emperor Jia Zhao had already read the memorial and turned his attention back to one of the passages:
Ever since the Fifth Army's Musket Battalion became famous in Liaozhen, the world has been paying attention to it, and the news has spread everywhere. There has been an endless stream of people praising it, but there have also been some unscrupulous people as well.

Officials and nobles, who have connections and influence, secretly promote old friends, and their power is endless.

If we act in this way, there is a danger that the firearms industry will be filled with mediocrity; if this becomes a trend, there is a worry that important military and national affairs will be neglected and secrets will be leaked.

I pray to Your Majesty that anyone who enters the Firearms Supervisory must be well versed in the method of studying things; and anyone who enters the Firearms Workshop must be able to participate in the art of firearms.

Those who do not fall into these two categories are just responding to the task in vain, unable to fulfill their responsibilities, and easily causing unpredictable dangers.

The techniques of making firearms must be strictly kept secret to avoid the worry of aiding the enemy. No one is allowed to enter the firearms workshop without the permission of the imperial edict. Violators will be punished severely...

……

Emperor Jia Zhao said: "Jia Cong's report to me on the selection of personnel for the Firearms Bureau and the Firearms Workshop makes a lot of sense.

Gu Aiqing can take a look and see if there is anything else you want to say. "

Guo Lin, who was standing by, took Jia Cong's memorial and handed it to Gu Yankui.

Although Jia Cong's Firearms Bureau was under the Ministry of Works, the affairs of the Firearms Bureau had nothing to do with the affairs of the Ministry of Works.

It is closely related to the recent war in the Ministry of War, and Jia Cong is still watching the war in the Ministry of War, and he also holds the position of the Commander-in-Chief of Nine Provinces.

Gu Yankui, the Minister of War and Commander-in-Chief of Nine Provinces, is Jia Cong's real superior.

This is why Emperor Jia Zhao gave Jia Cong's memorial to Gu Yankui for review and to ask for his opinion. Gu Yankui took the memorial and read it carefully, saying, "Your Majesty, I think Jia Cong's memorial makes sense.

Whether it is the Firearms Department or the Firearms Workshop, they are both engaged in research and construction.

Moreover, firearms are strictly guarded secrets and are important military and national affairs. The Firearms Department does not need any extra official weighing or empty talk, which is very different from other government offices.

Jia Cong said that only the talents of studying things and building construction should be included. This is to prevent redundant personnel and waste of manpower. It is a good method and can even be applied to other government offices. "

He added: “I have also heard that since the Five Armies’ Firearms Troops have become famous in Liaodong, officials have often invited Jia Cong to banquets and asked him to recommend their relatives and friends to join the Firearms Supervisory Office and the Firearms Workshop.

But Jia Cong rejected all of them, so he made a special mention of the matter in his memorial."

After hearing this, Emperor Jiazhao's face darkened slightly. He was a pragmatic man who hated empty talk, and he hated to see officials taking advantage of others' positions.

When the Firearms Bureau was first established, almost no one paid attention to it. Now that it has gained some fame, some people want to reap the benefits, and all kinds of ideas have come out...

The officials in the court colluded with each other, abused their power and sought profit, appointed people based on personal connections, and would not leave any room for any loopholes.

"Lord Cai, have the cabinet minister prepare a proclamation based on this memorial and circulate it to all government offices, so that they can do their jobs well and stop seeking personal gain!"

Cai Xiang quickly responded, "I accept your order."

Gu Yankui was resolute and loyal, and Shi Ding, Marquis of Zhongjing, was also a military general. Only Cai Xiang was a leader among the civil servants, and his mind was always meticulous and clever.

He saw that Jia Cong's memorial was sincere in words, thorough in reasoning, and full of ups and downs, but the meaning behind it was somewhat complicated.

Although it is talking about the employment methods of the Firearms Inspectorate and Firearms workshops.

In fact, he used the emperor's hand to completely cut off the attempt of court officials to interfere in the Firearms Bureau!
As for the talents of studying things and building, who in the court is more familiar with these than Jia Cong? The standard of selecting people is up to Jia Cong himself to decide.

In addition, submitting this memorial was somewhat intended to make the ugly point clear in advance, in order to clear himself of the issue.

If the emperor or court officials do not follow this rule and arbitrarily place people in the Firearms Bureau and workshops, and something happens, it will have nothing to do with Jia Cong.

This young man is about the same age as his third son, but he already has such sophisticated and experienced officialdom tricks. It is really unbelievable. The young are really to be feared!

……

Emperor Jia Zhao asked again, "Lord Gu, how is the progress of the construction of the firearms workshop?"

Gu Yankui replied: "Your Majesty, Jia Jianzheng reports the progress to me every day, and all 500 modified Rumi guns have been completed.

Most of the 3,000 porcelain mines have been completed, and it will only take five days to finish the rest. Yesterday, two falconets were delivered to the firearms workshop.

The remaining eight Portuguese cannons are being transported to Dengzhou by sea. I have received the order from His Majesty to set out on a border patrol on the 20th of this month, and all preparations have been finalized."

"I heard that although the firearms soldiers made great contributions in Liaodong, they also lost a lot of people. Minister Shi Ai will select another 500 people from the five military firearms battalions and send them to Liaodong for replacement and replenishment..."

……

Ever since the Cabinet issued the announcement on the selection of personnel for the Firearms Inspectorate, it has almost given the Firearms Inspectorate and firearms workshops a protective umbrella.

Those actions in the court that were full of covetousness and attempts to place someone under threat were completely blocked.

Officials from various departments could naturally see the meaning of this. Once this announcement was made, the Firearms Bureau and the workshop would be firmly controlled by that young man.

When Jia Cong saw that a large part of the content of the proclamation came from his own memorial, he knew that his goal had been achieved and he had avoided many future troubles.

He also specifically explained the matter to Liu Shizhen, asking him to be careful in handling all matters while he was in Liaodong.

According to the itinerary plan, he would go north a few days earlier than Gu Yankui, the commander of nine provinces, and go to Dengzhou first to receive the Portuguese cannons shipped by sea.

Then he took the sea route from Dengzhou to Lushun, and then took the land route to Liaodong Town to meet up with Gu Yankui.

(End of this chapter)