A Thousand Hills

Chapter 176

Anyone with a discerning eye knows that the fifth prince has begun to win people's hearts.

This is normal.

Moreover, local officials are not disgusted.After all, what the fifth prince does to win people's hearts is a good thing.Now that the administration of officials is acceptable, it is not a bad thing for local officials to have such a vassal king who thinks about the improvement of people's livelihood all day long.

What's more, they are high-ranking officials, but the fifth prince is an iron vassal. If there is no accident, Fujian is not only the fiefdom of the fifth prince, but the descendants of the fifth prince will also live here in the future.This country belongs to the old Mu's family, Fujian is the territory of the fifth prince, and the fifth prince is not a weakling, so it is natural for him to be able to manage Fujian.

Although Concubine Xie is more imposing, all she does is the job of a virtuous princess. In the imperial capital, she sets up a porridge shed every winter to give out porridge. Now it is the same in Fujian.The princess is like this, and the rest of the decent people will naturally follow suit, but they have to control the scale of the porridge, and dare not go past the princess.

Zhu Yan thought that Xie Moru would not hold a banquet for the local gentry, and it was held in the twelfth lunar month.

The list Zhu Yan gave Xie Moru was very pertinent. The people on the list were all well-known scholarly families in Fujian Province, and the Yu family was among them. The Yu and Xie families were serious relatives. On the first day that the fifth prince arrived in Fujian Province, the Yu family handed over a post to greet him, and soon after, he sent a post to the palace to pay his respects in person.

It was the head wife of the Yu family, Mrs. Yu who came.

Mrs. Yu is slightly older than Mrs. Aunt Xie, and she was born in the Qi family in Fujian Anzhou. Mrs. Yu and Mrs. Aunt Xie are direct sisters-in-law. Both of them are not stupid. Although the wife is married to the second wife, Uncle Yu is also a descendant, so they are close to each other.Moreover, the Qi family is a well-known family in Fujian Anzhou, and the Xie family is considered a high-ranking family in the imperial capital, not to mention Mrs. Xie's eldest brother is a minister, a serious and powerful official.The relationship between the sisters-in-law and the sister-in-law is not bad, so Mrs. Yu also respectfully revealed her intimacy when she spoke, and said, "I should have come on the first day my mother arrived, but I just thought that my mother had thousands of heads at that time." Xu, and the car and horses were tired all the way, so I didn't dare to disturb you lightly. Therefore, I didn't come here until now to say hello to the empress, and ask the empress to forgive the crime of negligence."

Xie Moru smiled, "I've seen the post from my wife a long time ago, so what's the crime? I heard my aunt talk about my wife when I was in the imperial capital. We've been here for a long time, and we'll be in Min'an for a long time. When we come and go, there are many."

Mrs. Yu felt a little more relaxed when she heard the title of "in-law's wife", and said with a smile, "Isn't that right, since we know that the Empress and His Highness are entrusted in Fujian, we have been looking forward to the early arrival of the Empress and His Highness." This statement is absolutely true, Yu's parent Fang has never been an official, and the Second Fang is obviously more prominent than the Elder Fang.However, the long room will be a man, and the two brothers have a deep bond.The Yu family and the Xie family are serious relatives, Xie Moru is the princess of Fujian, not to mention borrowing the glory of the palace, even the relationship itself can scare many people.Mrs. Yu knew how to make connections. First, she greeted Xie Moru about her life in Fujian, and talked about the situation in Min'an City. Then she talked about Yu Fan and Yu Yao brothers and sisters in the imperial capital.

Xie Moru knew something about Yu Fan and Yu Yao, as well as Uncle Yu and Mrs. Aunt Xie and his wife in Beichang Mansion.Mrs. Yu is old enough to be a family wife, and her quality is not bad. With a few words, she knows that Xie Moru has a really good relationship with the second wife. Mrs. Yu is very happy. The second wife is the direct relative of Princess Xie His aunt, the closest blood relative, Mrs. Yu just hoped that they would get close.

Before coming, Mrs. Yu was not unafraid, it was not that she was well informed and knew Xie Moru's reputation in the imperial capital, but mainly because her natal brother was working in the governor's mansion. Everyone was trembling in front of them. When Princess Xie spoke, His Highness the Fifth Highness did not dare to speak out.Mrs. Yu is a high-quality housewife, and she is far from being able to compare with Xie Moru in terms of status. Although the two families are relatives, if Xie Moru utters a few words that go wrong, she will listen and listen.Speaking of talking now, I feel that Xie Moru is quite a kind person.

The two were talking, and the atmosphere was very good. Xie Moru asked Mrs. Yu, "My wife's maiden name is Qi, and there is Mr. Qi in the Construction Department. I wonder if my wife can recognize her?"

Mrs. Yu smiled, "I have a cousin from my mother's family who works in the construction department. If I'm not mistaken, what the empress is talking about is my cousin. He is in charge of the construction of the feudal prince's mansion now."

Xie Moru said lightly, "I have seen it."

Mrs. Yu was very sincere, "He is a fool. Originally, my uncle's family wanted him to take the imperial examination. He preferred carpentry and ingenuity, and house construction. My natal uncle had no choice but to let him go."

Xie Moru nodded slightly, but didn't say much.Seeing Xie Moru, Mrs. Yu didn't say any more, so she naturally wouldn't mention her natal cousin without knowing the taste.

In short, this is an ordinary greeting when relatives meet for the first time.Xie Moru's kindness is within a certain range, but Xie Moru's ability to spare time to meet Mrs. Yu is enough to show that he has a good impression of the Yu family.

And this time Xie Moru hosted a banquet for the gentry and women of Fujian Province, and naturally there will be an invitation from Mrs. Yu.

Jiang Xingyun was also Xie Moru's guest. When he was in the imperial capital, Xie Moru's house would also have such a tea party, and their sisters-in-law and princesses would take turns to be hosts.Usually at this time, Jiang Xingyun seldom goes there.This time in Min'an Mansion, the five princes had just paid homage to Jiang Xingyun's father and ancestors, and they all praised each other in their identities, and Jiang Xingyun was also happy to attend.

Besides, even if there were no political considerations, she was already on good terms with Xie Moru. If Xie Moru needed her to attend, she would still agree.

Jiang Xingyun sat at the bottom left of Xie Moru, and greeted the wives of Zhu's family together. In Min'an Mansion, there are four families with some history and reputation for some years. The Yu family is Mrs. Xie Gu's husband's family. , Xie Moru also knows a thing or two.The Zhang family has been in Min'an City for many years. The children have been studying all the time. They were ministers in the previous dynasty. Now the third master of the Zhang family is serving as the magistrate outside. He is not a high-ranking official, but he is also a well-known family in Min'an Prefecture.Even Grandma Zhang found it incredible after knowing the history of the Zhang family, and said, "Is this a famous family?" The highest official in the ancestors was no more than the servant, and now the highest official position of the family's children is the magistrate, which makes him have been working in the Shangshu Mansion. Afterwards, Madam Zhang who followed Xie Moru to the palace felt a little bit that there really isn't much talent in Fujian!In fact, Nanny Zhang was thinking about it. There are only six ministers in the imperial court, and there is not even one in a province.Although Madam Zhang is a servant, she has a high vision because of the noble family of the errand.

On the contrary, the Qi family is somewhat defeated now. For example, Master Qi of the Construction Department is a child of the Qi family, and the most promising child of his family is the Fourth Master Qi, who is an outside acquaintance. It is said that he is the rising star of the family.But because the ancestors of the Qi family had titles in previous dynasties, in Zhang Momo's opinion, they are better than the Zhang family whose ancestors have never been distinguished.

As for the Xu family, a family of merchants, the head of the Xu family donated a fifth-rank post, and it was even more eye-opening for Mammy Zhang to be ranked with the wife of a gentry family.However, Nanny Zhang was relieved of her princess's vision, because Xie Moru didn't send a message to the Xu family at all, and instead invited Mrs. Feng Shanchang's wife, Mrs. Feng, from the government-run academy in Fujian Province.

With these people, there is no need to have a banquet. It is nothing more than tasting the local tea in Fujian, talking about the customs of Fujian, and finally expressing your appreciation for the scholarly family. The most respectful thing is that when he was in the imperial capital, Mr. Beiling’s Wendao Hall was personally run by the prince under the orders of the emperor. This time, even though he couldn’t invite Mr. Beiling to visit him, he specially invited a few Mr. Beiling to visit him. Gao Tu came to Fujian together to benefit education. You are all from a scholarly family, but there are students in the clan who are interested in learning, so you can come and ask for advice. Even Mrs. Feng, I heard that your mountain chief is also very knowledgeable. They are all learned Confucians, and they can learn from each other to promote literature and Taoism."

Xie Moru understands people's hearts very well, these people talk about their family background, it's hard to say they are prominent, they can only rule the roost in the small Fujian, and talking about their family background in front of Xie Moru is only a matter of inferiority.And Xie Moru didn't intend to take a look at the small mountains in front of these people, so it is necessary to have a good topic.Not being able to talk about family background, let alone wealth, will not tarnish the innocence of Shuxiang, so we have to talk about culture.

What are you afraid of if your family background declines, we are from a scholarly background!What are you afraid of from a poor family, we are from a scholarly background!What are you afraid of if you have a low job? We are from a scholarly background!
Basically, that's what Xie Moru meant. After such a tea party, the wives of the family still looked respectful, but they felt in their hearts that Princess Min was worthy of a scholarly background, and she really had knowledge, not such a shallow person.

Of course, the style is also extremely stylish.

Xie Moru was naturally angry, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Xie Moru let Jiang Xingyun participate in the tea party, naturally there is a purpose, Xie Moru wants to get a feel for the bottom of Min'an Mansion, but her status is too high, and idlers really can't please her.For example, the Xu family is said to be the richest man in Fujian, but their identities are extremely different, plus the Xu family belongs to the eldest prince, Xie Moru still doesn't want to see them.

Jiang Xingyun is different, Jiang Xingyun and Xie Moru have been friends for more than ten years, and Jiang Xingyun is born, but his status is only a civilian girl, so Jiang Xingyun's status is much cheaper.What's more, her ancestral home is Fujian, even if there is no one in the Song family now, it's just because of the lack of population, not because of any guilt.

Therefore, Jiang Xingyun was able to make friends with officials and families at the top, and meet merchants and common people at the bottom. Compared with Xie Moru, it was much cheaper.

Jiang Xingyun naturally guessed some of Xie Moru's intentions.

Moreover, she lives in her own ancestral house, and it is true that some wives want to go through her door, which is more convenient than going through the door of the palace.

Jiang Xingyun said, "These are just small things, and they are also trivial things. It's okay for me to help you, but you don't want to let go of the basics."

Xie Moru asked, "What is the origin and what is the end?"

Although Jiang Xingyun is an orphan girl, after the final general, she immediately said, "The important affairs of the country are only sacrificed to the soldiers."

Xie Moru said, "I'm not in a hurry, and I can't be in a hurry."

"You're good to know."

Xie Moru didn't easily confide his thoughts to others, Jiang Xingyun was not someone else, so Xie Moru finally said, "It is said that Marquis Yongding is good at leading troops, but I think Marquis Yongding can be a general, but he is not a famous general. What do you think? "

Jiang Xingyun said, "There is a kind of famous generals in the world who are born. It is not uncommon to become famous at a young age. In history, such as Bai Qi, Xiang Yu, Han Xin, Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, etc. are famous generals. There is also a kind of generals who can only show their strength through hundreds of battles. Guanghua. I can't judge the Marquis of Yongding's ability as a general, but the Marquis of Yongding's ability as an official must be good."

Xie Moru smiled, why else would he protect Marquis Yongding in front of the imperial court?
Xie Moru is a very smart person, a smart person has restraint in speaking, so, there are some words that Xie Moru will never resort to.Therefore, to be friends with Xie Moru, you must first be a very smart person, able to understand a friend's mind, this is the first condition for being a friend.

Xie Moru never worried about Yongding Hou's political ability, but right now, what Xie Moru needs is not politically smart people, as Jiang Xingyun said, the important affairs of the country are only for the priests and soldiers.As in a country, so in a place.To fully control Fujian, it is impossible without an army of its own.What's more, Xie Moru needs more than an army. If she wants to reverse the defeat of Fujian in a short time, what she needs is a victory!
It's not what Liu Fufeng said, maintaining stability.

Yu Xie Moru, what she needs is for the fifth prince to stand out among the princes, and maintaining stability is only a measurement needed by a Taiping vassal.

She urgently needs a victory to contain the Jingjiang Palace so that the fifth prince can gain more power, so she cannot take the strategy of maintaining stability.

Xie Moru needed victory, so he needed soldiers and generals.

A thousand troops are easy to get, but a general is hard to find.

Of course Xie Moru understands this truth.

However, Marquis Yongding, who was not considered incompetent, suffered a crushing defeat. Naturally, what Xie Moru needed was not an ordinary general who was not considered incompetent, but what she needed was a famous general who could turn the situation around.

Still need a famous general who can be used by her.

Xie Moru unconsciously rubbed a ruby ​​ring on his left middle finger, Jiang Xingyun said, "There is one ready-made famous general."

Xie Moru said, "You mean the sea bandit Bailang." The name Bailang has a certain reputation even in the imperial capital, without him, the Marquis of Yongding would have suffered a disastrous defeat at his hands.But the emperor knows nothing about who it is.

Jiang Xingyun nodded, "I always feel that this person is not simple."

Xie Moru said, "It's difficult, this person's name is fake, let alone his origin, what he looks like, and he is not even known in a short period of time."

Thinking of the disastrous defeat of Marquis Yongding, Jiang Xingyun shook his head, "There is really no one in the court who is good at naval warfare." Marquis Yongding is not considered a famous general, but he is not incompetent either. the same.

"It doesn't have to be a naval battle, a famous general in a land battle is also fine."

Jiang Xingyun said, "As far as I know, Mrs. An is one of them."

Xie Moru is satisfied with Mrs. An's candidate, but, "Mrs. An is in Nan'an Prefecture, so she can't leave her residence for a long time." Mrs. An can't leave Nan'an Prefecture and stay in Fujian forever.

There is no solution to this topic for a while, so we have to stop for a while, Xie Moru asked another question, "By the end of the year, can the ancestral temple of the vassal prince's mansion be built?"

Jiang Xingyun has always been clear about the affairs of the division. She said, "The ancestral temple has been built, and the utensils inside are missing." Those who want to worship ancestors will naturally build ancestral halls first.

Xie Moru said, "That's good." Otherwise, it's okay to celebrate the New Year in the Governor's Mansion, but it's not appropriate to worship the ancestors in the Governor's Mansion.Xie Moru also didn't want her husband to go to the temple to offer sacrifices.

Jiang Xingyun said, "The outer wall of the Wangfu has been enclosed. From the center of Ning'an Gate to Duanli Gate, Chengyun Gate, and Yin'an Hall used by His Royal Highness, passing through Yin'an Hall is Chongde Gate, Chongde Hall, and Chongde Palace. Later, it was the Changchun Palace, the main palace where the empress lived, and the Ningtai Gate of the Changchun Palace. The main gates of these main halls have been built, and they can still be constructed now, but I heard that there are always a few days in the twelfth lunar month in Fujian Province. Day, at the latest on the second day of next year.”

When the five princes heard about the construction progress of the feudal palace, they all praised Jiang Xingyun for his ability.The matter of Jianfan Prince's Mansion is a trivial matter after all, the fifth prince said, "Fufeng is back."

"How do you say it?" Xie Moru looked sideways at the Fifth Prince, but the Bu Yaozhu hanging down on the side of his face did not move at all.

The fifth prince said, "there are different opinions. Some sea people are unwilling to go back, especially the mountain land they opened up, and they cultivate it. Haiyanzi is not flat after all. There are also some people who think that their ancestors are in their hometown and their roots are in their hometown, so they are willing to go back. .”

Xie Moru handed the fifth prince a cup of warm tea, and said, "What did Marquis Yongding say?"

"The Marquis of Yongding suspects that the sea people are colluding with the sea bandits, and he does not agree with the sea people to move back for the sake of the future war." The fifth prince sipped his tea and shared everyone's opinions, saying, "What Fufeng and Jiujiang mean is that You can’t stop drinking water for fear of choking, those who are willing to move back can move back, and those who don’t want to move back can be resettled on the spot.”

Xie Moru said in a flat tone, "This matter, no matter how good it is, it doesn't matter if you are not careful."

"I think it's still according to public opinion. Those who want to be resettled can move back. Those who want to be resettled on the spot can order the counties to do a good job of resettlement." The fifth prince said, "I'm not afraid of Haimin collaborating with bandits. They If you don’t know the bandits, you still can’t catch the pirates by their tails. However, it’s the twelfth lunar month now, so we can’t talk about moving back until next year.” There’s nothing wrong with fishing first.

Xie Moru said, "These are trivial matters, Your Highness should think about conscription."

When it came to conscription, the Fifth Prince's face couldn't help being solemn. He put down his teacup, sat up straight, and said, "Today I went to see the rest of the navy. Hey, there are only two thousand seven hundred and three people left, and there are still five hundred of them." Those who are so disabled cannot fight. This defeat not only killed a lot of people, but also ruined all the ships and equipment. It is not easy to recruit troops to rebuild the navy. Not only does it need people, but rebuilding the ships is a lot of money Expenses. I don’t know about the imperial court’s money. From summer to autumn, before the taxes reach the imperial court’s household, the money goes to different places. At this moment, the imperial court will definitely not be able to provide such a large amount of money. Not even in the next spring. , Waiting for the money will be next summer."

Xie Moru said, "It is not necessary to build a navy. It has been proved that it is not enough to build a navy in the two years of Marquis Yongding, isn't it? If this is the case, why build a navy again."

"If you don't build a navy, how can you suppress pirates?"

"Don't the pirates go ashore? Let them go ashore and fight on land."

The corners of the fifth prince's lips twitched, he held his wife's hand, and said earnestly, "Your husband is not familiar with pirates, why don't I tell them to surrender immediately if I tell them to go ashore?"

Xie Moru gave her husband a look with a smile, "Listen to me, I was thinking that the sea battle is obviously not enough to defeat others, so let's not fight the sea battle right now. Let's guard Fujian as tightly as an iron bucket, and we are afraid that no one will be able to fight. Are you in a hurry?"

The fifth prince was just about to say, so why recruit soldiers like this, Fujian itself has a lot of soldiers... However, the words only twitched in his throat, and he swallowed them back.Before the vassal, the fourth prince and the fifth prince complained, saying that the court reduced the [-] personal guards of the vassal king to [-], and the fifth prince persuaded the fourth prince, that [-] was about the same, and he was considerate of the court.But Nima didn't know until after the feudal clan, not to mention five thousand personal guards, even eight thousand is not enough!Just like in Fujian, Marquis Yongding said that the sea people were in collusion with pirates. Of course, Marquis Yongding did not say this publicly, but told the fifth prince in private, and the fifth prince still believed it in his heart.Bad things come from the inside, mostly from the inside.That's it for the sea people, what about the generals stationed along the coast?What about the resident officials?
The fifth prince didn't suspect that the generals were unfaithful, but he didn't believe that these generals would be loyal to him if he raised his arms.The fifth prince has never been naive, loyal, it is not such an easy thing, nor is it such a simple thing.The five princes now trust their personal guards the most. The feudal prince's mansion is not in the imperial capital. Think about it, [-] personal guards may not be enough for a feudal prince's mansion with [-] acres of land!
Therefore, when his daughter-in-law said that he wanted to recruit the army, the fifth prince didn't say no. He first calmed down and thought about it for a while, and finally said, "You are right, but you reminded me. We can't fight at sea for a while, so we have to recruit troops first." , training on land is also good, it’s not good to waste time like this.”

The fifth prince also had his own considerations about the generals who would be recruited. He said, "Now the generals in Fujian have their own garrison duties. I'm afraid they don't have time to participate in the training of the new army. Only General Li and General Wang are left under the Marquis Yongding. The new army, I'm afraid there are not enough generals. It's just that the court has been in peace for a long time, and the court can't choose outstanding generals for a while. I have been working in the Ministry of Rites for these years. I am in charge of civil affairs, and I know little about the affairs of the Ministry of War. We I thought about it for a long time before the feudal lordship, but there is really no suitable general. I thought about it, and we brought a lot of people. If there are people who are willing to train new soldiers, they will go through the martial arts test first, just like when the Dafeng Dynasty was recruiting military jinshi. , although this method is not necessarily the best, but I hope to select a few people."

This is also a way.Xie Moru said, "This method is also good, Your Highness wants to choose someone from the people we brought."

"Everyone should be given a chance. The local martial arts students in Fujian, as long as their backgrounds are clean, are fine." The fifth prince was granted the title of King of Fujian. At this time, we should not be too partial. The gentry in Fujian may be dissatisfied if the bowl of water is uneven. The prince said, "We still want Marquis Yongding to be the general manager." Mou Bing still wants Marquis Yongding's heart.

Xie Moru said, "I think this matter should be cautious. The people we bring, even those from the Eastern Palace, even if they are incompetent, have loyalty. The army is not a trivial matter, and loyalty comes first. If Your Highness is worried about the dissatisfaction of the gentry, It’s better to give them something sweet first.”

"How?" The fifth prince can humbly ask even outsiders for advice. He knows what his wife is capable of, so he often listens to his wife's advice.

Xie Moru said, "The disciples of Jiangbeiling invited by His Highness personally, why not set up a government school to teach the sons of gentry."

The fifth prince is not stupid, he took Xie Moru's words and said, "Not only the children of gentry from Min'an City can come to study, but also the sons of gentry from other places can come to study."

"Correct!"

This categorical word, falling into the heart of the fifth prince, fixed the mind of the fifth prince, and the fifth prince praised, "You have a good idea."

Xie Moru smiled, "Then I will remind His Highness again."

"Just say it."

"This conscription is different from the past. If the name is not correct, the words will not go well, and if the words don't go well, the work will fail. The post of conscription general should be concurrently held by His Highness himself!"

The Fifth Prince stood up in shock, Xie Moru held his shoulder with one hand, and said in a deep voice, "Listen to me, Your Highness, the Marquis of Yongding lost too badly. Not enough. Governor Tang, the prime minister is too busy with the military affairs of the province. If His Majesty had preferred Governor Tang as a candidate for military training, he would not have appointed Marquis Yongding in the first place! Governor Su is a good official, but he always only cares about civil affairs. Not as good as Governor Tang, besides, Governor Tang is not a suitable candidate, and Governor Su is not qualified for the post of general! I suggest that His Highness take up the post concurrently. It has my own selfish and public intentions. Selfishly speaking, His Highness has never managed military affairs. This opportunity should be learned! From the public mind, no one is more suitable than you for His Highness's status, status, and prestige! Your Highness, don't think that this is a fight for power with Yongding Hou. Yongding Hou knows what it's like to be a general. To be honored, to be defeated, to be humiliated! This burden is not easy to pick, so I hope His Highness will take it!"

(End of this chapter)