Dashun Yongchang

It should be said that the land he took over from the Marshal's Mansion at the beginning was almost all farmland of little value. Although the fields outside Yangzhou City were valuable during the Taiping period, after several mutinies and wars last year, the land outside the city It is worthless, because every time the rebels pass through Yangzhou, they will plunder the villages outside the city, so the outside of Yangzhou, which has always been prosperous, is now in ruins.

Even if the Marshal's Mansion is stationed in Yangzhou, all the gambling and evil forces inside and outside the city have been rectified, and the construction land of Yangzhou City has been re-planned, but the villages destroyed by the rebels are not so easy to recover.Even those outside the city who were rescued and released by the Shun Army, many of them sold their fields and ran across the Yangtze River to join their relatives. Compared with the chaos in the north of the Yangtze River, the south of the Yangtze River is always much more stable.

It was also because there were too many people selling land that Li Zicheng had to order not to throw away part of the land and find someone to take over the land for construction.What the Marshal's Mansion really cares about is the planning and zoning of the new urban area and key construction projects, and has no intention of rebuilding a Yangzhou City by itself, because that would be too much investment, and the Marshal's Mansion may have collapsed before the completion of the Marshal's Mansion.

It was under such circumstances that Weng Hanjin was picked by Li Zicheng, and for Weng Hanjin, he also asked for protection from the Marshal's Mansion.After all, although the Weng family in Suzhou is quite powerful in the local area, in this era of war and chaos, the Weng family can only guard against the local gentry who know the basics. As for outsiders, they really have no way to resist.Wasn't Weng Hanjin's father murdered by foreign officials? In this troubled world, having more money is no longer a blessing but a curse.

Weng Hanjin used the money to buy public bonds, and took the money to take over the business for the Marshal's Mansion. He had only one purpose, and that was to get the asylum of the Marshal's Mansion.His gamble could lead to a complete victory. Li Zicheng, who went north, defeated the Qing army who was trying to go south, thus fixing the front line in the Yellow River and the canal.

Even if the Marshal's Mansion cannot take back Beijing in the future, it will not hinder the rise of a new dynasty. Therefore, the land of Yangzhou New City, which no one cares about before, has suddenly become a hot spot.As the intersection of the canal and the Yangtze River, and also the center of the salt industry, Yangzhou itself is a commercial city that businessmen flock to, but because they are worried that the war will spread to Yangzhou, so the Quartet merchants dare not settle down.

As the situation in the Marshal's Mansion stabilized, more people wanted to settle down in Yangzhou. Apart from businessmen, these people came from all over the country to seek official positions, no, scholars who were studying.At Li Zicheng's request, the Marshal's Mansion opened a university and an agricultural college in Yangzhou, and then required all officials of the Ministry of Industry, Household Affairs, and Criminal Affairs to obtain a professional diploma from the school before they could become full-time jobs.

At the beginning, everyone dismissed the fake job because Nanjing was the orthodox side in their minds. However, after Emperor Hongguang abdicated and the Marshal’s Mansion began to guide the Nanjing court, the fake job became a full-time job. After defeating the Qing army that went south, everyone felt that the world would be peaceful and that a new dynasty was about to begin, so Yangzhou became lively.

Once businessmen, scholars, and officials gather in one place, the place will naturally prosper, so the land held by Weng Hanjin begins to skyrocket. So for Yangzhou City, where land was starting to become scarce, Weng Hanjin, a native of Suzhou, gradually became famous.

The people surrounding Weng Hanjin right now are all businessmen who made money by speculating in land with him, and it is precisely because Weng Hanjin made them money that they surrounded Weng Hanjin, calling each other Brother Weng and Brother Weng. with.

Although it is already September, the weather in Yangzhou is still very warm. This is obviously an autumn tiger.Weng Hanjin held a folding fan made in Japan in his hand, and while fanning it, he commented on the excellence and shortcomings of the girl music on stage with several people, but stunned a few uneducated businessmen.But we don't get together to hear

Weng Hanjin performed his artistic attainments, and they have a theme in Japan today.

So someone finally couldn't stand Weng Hanjin's ramblings, forced to change the topic to the main topic, and asked him: "Brother Weng, I don't quite understand what you said, but if you like that one on stage so much?" Prostitute, why don’t you take it home and appreciate it slowly. We gathered together today, in fact, we want to ask my brother, can the land price go up again?”

Weng Hanjin glanced at this impatient man, then at the others, and then said slowly: "The land price in Yangzhou must still be bullish. It is said that the planning plan for this new city has been finalized. The Great Council Hall, the Dali Temple, and the Maritime Court will all be located in Yangzhou. Think about it, the Great Council will hold a meeting every year, with [-] to [-] members from all over the country and businessmen from all over the country. It can be called the accompanying capital. Can the land price of the accompanying capital not increase?

And although Xi'an has a royal air, the scenery in Yangzhou is better. His Majesty will definitely come to Yangzhou to live in the future. His Majesty's presence here means that the imperial court will follow. With such popularity, how can the land price in Yangzhou not rise? "

After hearing Weng Hanjin's words, all these businessmen burst into smiles. This was the second best news they heard after Marshal Du's Mansion rectified Yangzhou's salt industry. The first was that Marshal Du's mansion defeated Azig After hearing the news, they knew that the government bonds they bought would not become waste paper.

But at this time Weng Hanjin started talking again, "But don't be too happy too early, the current land price has exceeded ten times that before the war. If you want the land to continue to rise, you have to wait for the construction of the entire new city to be completed. However, that The capital city did not take two to thirty years to complete, so land prices should not rise in the near future, and maybe they will fall."

Everyone was stunned when they heard this. If they had to wait 30 to 20 years for the price to rise, then the business would be successful. After all, no one would wait [-] years to start a business, or they would have starved to death.

Chapter 545

At this time, Weng Hanjin said to everyone: "The increase in land prices is due to the concentration of population, and the increase in population is due to convenient transportation. Therefore, if you want to increase the land faster, you must improve transportation. Yangzhou has two convenient canals and the Yangtze River. The waterway connects the north to the south and the east to the west, so it is a place with extremely convenient transportation, so Yangzhou has been one of the most prosperous cities in the south of the Yangtze River for so many years. Three parts of the world are bright moonlit nights, and two parts are rascals, so Yangzhou is."

After hearing this, all the merchants present echoed their support, and the owner Zheng Yuanhua even said: "Yangzhou is indeed a good place. As long as the world is in peace, it must be a place where merchants gather, so what my brother said is not bad. The land in Yangzhou will indeed increase, after all, at the beginning of the new dynasty, there will be at least a hundred years of peace to live in."

Although Zheng Yuanhua's words sounded like cursing the new dynasty, the people present didn't pay much attention to it, because there is one person in this world who likes to complain about Dashun the most, and that is Emperor Dashun himself.When Li Zicheng was in Yangzhou, he often said that if Dashun did worse than Daming, then they are welcome to rebel and overthrow Dashun.

Although Li Zicheng didn't stay in Yangzhou for a long time, he left a deep impression on the people of Yangzhou. They knew Li Zicheng far better than Chongzhen, who had been emperor for 17 years.Because Chongzhen's words were all ancient prose polished by Ci officials, many people could not understand them, while Li Zicheng's words were all vernacular, and they were all targeted.

So much so that now when Yangzhou people quarrel and litigate, they like to quote what Li Zicheng said, because it is mean enough.In such an environment, the people of Yangzhou, who were not very concerned about the superiority and inferiority, became even more lawless, because they felt that they were also people under the emperor's feet, not country bumpkins who could be fooled by officials at will.

After listening to these people's praises for Yangzhou, although these people are almost all from other places, they have indeed regarded themselves as Yangzhou people, so they are very proud of Yangzhou, a good place.But Weng Hanjin didn't come here today to chat with them. He got together with these people today because of business, so he quickly brought the topic back.

Putting away his fan, Weng Hanjin stood up, turned around, looked at the crowd and said, "Actually, I came here today to discuss with you, one is how to increase the value of our land, and the other is what business is worth doing. I don't know if you have any ideas. not interested?"

All the people here are businessmen. For them, as long as it is a profitable business, they are naturally interested.Seeing everyone agreeing with him and leaning forward to hear what he wanted to say clearly, Weng Hanjin also took advantage of the situation and said: "I also said just now that the reason why Yangzhou City is so prosperous lies in the convenient transportation brought by the canal and the Yangtze River. Conditions. Therefore, the land price in Yangzhou can continue to rise.

However, although the rivers in the Yangzhou area are criss-crossed, places that are conducive to development have already been developed.Almost all the land we purchased is in remote places on the outskirts of the city. Although these places are also in Yangzhou, they were not developed in the past because they could not share the convenient transportation of the canal and the Yangtze River.

Now because the Marshal's Mansion is preparing to build a new city in Yangzhou, the land in these places will appreciate in value.However, although these lands have appreciated in value, their inconvenient conditions have not improved, so the land prices will not rise.Therefore, if we can spend a little money to improve the traffic conditions of these plots, then the stagnant land prices will rise. "

After hearing Weng Hanjin's words, all the people present were silent. It's not that they don't know the benefits of improving traffic, but Zheng Yuanhua spoke out for everyone, "Improving traffic can indeed increase land prices, but the best way to improve traffic is It is to open the river, but the cost of opening the river is too high, in order to increase the land price to open the river, it seems that the profit has not been spent."

After hearing this, Weng Hanjin smiled and said: "I went to Huai'an shipyard this time, and I found a new transportation method in the shipyard, called: horse-drawn railway. It costs less money and takes up less space. The most important thing is that the horse-drawn railway not only transports more than ordinary carts, but also travels faster than ships. It is really a very good means of transportation. I think if the railway is moved to Yangzhou, If we set up a ring railway outside the new city, then our land outside the new city will increase rapidly.”

Everyone still didn't believe that this new means of transportation was so useful. Zheng Yuanhua expressed doubts and said: "The horse-drawn railway, that is to say, horse-drawn railways are used. It is not easy to raise horses in the south. Moreover, the railway is set up outside the new city." , so is it set up inside the city wall, or outside the city wall? The government inside the city wall may not agree, and it is not convenient to travel outside the city wall, right? "

"Yes, yes. What Zheng Gong said is reasonable." "Is this railway really more convenient than a cart?" "Since the railway is laid on the ground, will the people crossing the railway damage the railway?" ? What if someone has bad intentions and pries the rails away..."

Just as they were chattering and expressing various worries about the new thing of railways, Weng Hanjin finally said: "First, as far as I know, Yangzhou New City will not have a city wall, and the Marshal's Mansion will only Barracks will be set up in the suburbs, and a branch road leading to the barracks will be set up on the railway. If there is a police in the city, then the army will quickly deploy the new city along the railway to calm the threat.

Ladies and gentlemen, I, Dashun, is a newly established dynasty. Which new dynasty have you ever seen was beaten to the capital by the enemy at the very beginning?Therefore, there is no need for you gentlemen to worry about the city walls of Yangzhou New City, because when the enemy really hits Yangzhou, Dashun will also be finished.Oh, I didn't say this sentence, it was His Majesty who said it to me.

Second, railways are different from ordinary roads and waterways. Railways need to be managed by a special agency, and the Marshal's Office is ready to issue an order that no one or livestock is allowed to walk on the railways. Pedestrians or owners will be responsible, and the railway company can also recover losses from the dead and injured...

Therefore, according to the above, there is actually no risk in investing in the construction of a railway around Yangzhou. "

Liang Wenhuan and Wang Linbo had always supported Weng Hanjin, and they were the first to change their tune and said, "If that's the case, then you can vote for it, but I don't know how much the horse-drawn railway will cost?"

Weng Hanjin immediately said: "Just laying the railway, about 1 taels per kilometer."

This price immediately frightened all the businessmen present. They thought that this was simply laying silver on the ground. At that time, nearly half of them said that they had meager financial resources and could hardly support such an investment.

Weng Hanjin immediately waved the folding fan to calm everyone down, and then said solemnly: "The new city is 4 kilometers long from north to south, 6 kilometers wide from east to west, and a circle around it is only 20 kilometers. The cost of laying the railway is 20 taels. The expenditure, I think, will not exceed 40 taels at most. The Marshal's Office has decided that the railway companies built in the last three years will be given a 10-year tax holiday.

Therefore, I think this business can still be done, and I will not say much else. I am willing to contribute half of the equity of this new company. After everyone subscribes, there is still the rest, and I will also underwrite it.If you think this business really can't be done, let's get together and break up. If there is any business in the future, I won't bother you any more. "

Liang Wenhuan and Wang Linbo glanced at each other, and while others were whispering, they stood up and voted 2 taels each.With these two people taking the lead, others got up and subscribed hesitantly. Everyone made money in the previous land speculation, and they also knew that Weng Hanjin actually represented Li Zicheng's official businessman. Of course, they were unwilling to break up with each other. contact.

Zheng Yuanhua thought for a long time, and after everyone had subscribed, he asked aloud, "How much share capital is left?"

Weng Hanjin glanced at him and said, "There are still 7 taels that have not been subscribed."

Zheng Yuanhua nodded and said, "Then I will make up for the rest."

Weng Hanjin nodded to Zheng Yuanhua with a smile, then turned around and said unquestionably to the two people present: "Huang Weng and Li Weng, one of you subscribed for 3 taels, and the other for 5 taels. Brothers feel satisfied." Your kindness. However, the shares subscribed by everyone here are not less than 1 taels. From this point of view, the financial resources of the two of you may be a little bit reluctant to invest with us.

Weng remembered the friendship between Huang Weng and Li Weng, but the two of you should go back first. Next, we shareholders will discuss the establishment of the railway company. I am afraid it is not easy for outsiders to stay. "

Of the two named by Weng Hanjin, one was dumbfounded, while the other quickly came to his senses and quickly changed his words: "I am willing to increase subscription, I am willing to increase subscription..."

But Weng Hanjin ignored the two, and directly ordered the attendants to ask the two to leave. Although this is Zheng Yuanhua's mansion, seeing Weng Hanjin's domineering style, Zheng Yuanhua did not say a word.Seeing this, the others also avoided the sight of the two of them.

After sending the two away, Weng Hanjin said with a smile: "Your Majesty once said to me that people are divided into groups and things of a kind flock together. This business also needs to be based on a common advance and retreat. When you see the benefits, you want to Yes, I don't want to do it when I see a loss-making business. How can such a person work together?

There is a sentence I didn't mention just now. Railway construction is a new thing after all, and the investment is relatively large. The Marshal's Office decided to give the railway company considerable compensation.That is, the Marshal’s Office will come forward and ask North Korea and Japan to build railways, we will give priority to these projects, and the Marshal’s Office will guarantee the construction costs of these projects...”

Zheng Yuanhua asked with some surprise: "Will North Korea and Japan be willing to build railways? Such expensive roads, what's the use of them building this in their own country?"

Weng Hanjin hadn't spoken yet, but Liang Wenhuan on the side had already said, "It doesn't matter if they demolish the railway, as long as we can get the money..."

Zheng Yuanhua was speechless for a moment, but the businessmen nearby clapped their hands and praised: "It's true. We only care about construction. Whether the Koreans and Japanese use the railway is their own business."

Chapter 546 The Bank That Makes Money

Outside Yangzhou Beiguan, the Xiaoshi Bridge spans from east to west, with a market in the east and a natural scenery in the west. There are nunneries and gardens along the river in the west, and Meiling and Baobao Lake are in the west.

Due to the beautiful scenery here and not far from the city, quite a few rich families built gardens here.However, after the military chaos last year, it has declined again.However, Xi Benzhen took over a garden adjacent to the relic nunnery before Li Zicheng went north, repaired it and named it Xi's thatched cottage as his residence.

The name is a private residence, but in fact it is the meeting place of the board of directors of Xinjian Bank, and the bank's treasury is placed in Tianning Temple.With the victory of the Marshal's Mansion on the battlefield, Xi Benzhen's reputation among businessmen gradually increased.

Because of the military victory of the Marshal's Mansion, the public bonds issued by the Marshal's Mansion have been guaranteed to a certain extent. In addition, the Marshal's Mansion has no intention of reneging on the debt, so the public debt of the Marshal's Mansion has become a big cash flow. banknotes.Although merchants do not price these public bonds at face value, when the war was unfavorable, it once fell to [-]% off the face value. After the war gained an advantage, it once rose to [-]% off the face value, and now it has dropped to [-]% off.

Although the price of public bonds fluctuates greatly, public bonds that can fluctuate up and down are still much more valuable than Daming Banknotes that have been falling all the way.Moreover, after some businessmen realized that speculation in government bonds can actually be more profitable than doing other businesses, the daily transaction amount of government bonds has continued to increase.

There are actually quite a few types of public bonds issued by the Marshal's Mansion. Some are long-term public bonds, such as salt industry and water conservancy bonds, and some are short-term public bonds, such as war, industrial, agricultural and city bonds.Xi Benzhen, who knew little about the banking industry, soon discovered that it was a more profitable business than a pawn shop.

For example, in the issue of banknotes, in principle, you can only do business with a cost of one dollar in other businesses, and you cannot do business with a cost of one dollar for two dollars. But the banking industry is different. Banknotes are exchanged one-to-one, but the bank holding a silver dollar of one dollar and a banknote of one dollar is two dollars, because both can be circulated in the market at the same time.That is to say, the bank can do business with two yuan with a capital of one yuan, as long as it can issue banknotes by itself.

Although the deposits deposited in the bank do not belong to the bank, the bank can use the deposit to issue banknotes, which is tantamount to making profits without capital.In addition, the issuance of government bonds is also a very profitable business, because the government bonds are issued at a discount. From last year to this year, the bank received more than 70 taels of handling fees for issuing government bonds, and the banks benefited from the private lending business. Less than 10 taels.

Xi Benzhen, who was originally pushed to the shelves, now really wants to do a good job in this business, because he finds that the future of the banking industry is indeed much higher than that of pawn shops, because pawn shops mainly make money from the poor, while Banks have even made money from the rich.Therefore, after hearing the news of the retreat of the Qing army, he invited famous gardeners to renovate this building, and it will really be the long-term residence of the Xi family.

When Xi Benzhen was discussing with the gardener how to renovate the garden, his nephew Jin Runai came to report to him about the bank affairs for this month, so he ended the conversation with the gardener and let the bank manager come in to report.

Jin Runai first reported the bank's daily affairs last month. Apart from the steady expansion of business, there was no bad news. Then he said to his uncle: "There are a few things to tell you. The first thing is that His Majesty sent Someone sent a message, thinking that the current loan from the imperial court is one-year, and it is obviously impossible to repay it, so he asked to adjust the loan period. It is divided into one-year, two-year, and three-year periods, and the Marshal’s Office is willing. Mortgaged by commercial taxes and overseas duties."

Xi Benzhen was a little surprised and said: "Will Your Majesty be willing to use the tax as a mortgage? That's no problem, but the loan period is different, and the interest is also different. Of course, the final decision lies with Your Majesty, and we will definitely obey it." .”

Jin Runai also agreed and said: "I think what your Majesty said is right. The loan from the bank has reached 1200 million taels, which is almost one and a half times our share capital. Of course, the Marshal's Mansion cannot afford to spend such a large amount of money." It has been paid off. However, if these loans are extended, the interest rate will not go up, because we are under too much pressure.

In order to solve the settlement problem between banks and merchants, I think that bills that can be used as cash should be introduced. In fact, many businesses only need a bill for circulation, and only need to withdraw cash at the final settlement.These merchants are now coming in and out to withdraw and deposit cash, which is also a big burden for us.We endorse the merchant and agree on a cash bill that will be redeemed within one to three months, so that the merchant can conduct business with the bill instead of having to go to the bank to withdraw cash. "

Xi Benzhen thought for a while, then nodded and agreed: "Then, we must do a good job in the anti-counterfeiting of bills. In addition, prepare a more detailed document, and I will report it to Mr. Jiang, requesting that forging bills and banknotes be the same crime."

Jin Runai nodded in agreement, and then said: "Also, the Longyou Merchant Gang and the Huizhou merchants seem to be planning to raise funds to establish their own banks. Should we suggest to the Marshal's Mansion to prohibit them from doing so?"

Xi Benzhen thought for a while, then shook his head and said: "Although it is good to eat alone, it also means that the banking industry will be monopolized by the imperial court in the future. Is this really a good thing? With these banks popping up, the Marshal's Mansion will not We only asked our family to borrow money, and it would be a good thing for someone to share the pressure for us."

Jin Runai thought about it carefully, and felt that this was true. If the imperial court could really repay the money on time, then the bank would be the most profitable business in the world, but if the imperial court did not pay the money, it would be a bottomless pit. It is indeed a good thing for banks to help each other.

When he was pondering carefully, Xi Benzhen said again: "Of course, we won't stop them, but it doesn't mean we can't manage them. After all, we are the central bank, and we have half a public status. I will talk to Jiang Let's talk about it, and study how to manage those private banks, at least not let them put their hands in our bowl."

Jin Runai went on to say: "Most of Taiwan's gold mining area has been explored. From last year to this year, more than 800 taels were mined, and the gold produced in the main mining area accounted for 7%. According to the agreement, the sand gold in the river will be mined by the local garrison, and the mining area will be owned by the Marshal's Mansion. , All gold must be sold to the bank. Now the Marshal’s Mansion means that Taiwan’s gold mines are used as collateral for the loan, and the bank organizes the mining, and the Marshal’s Mansion provides assistance.”

Xi Benzhen immediately said: "This is a good thing. We have pushed the price of gold to close to 15 taels, but the gold in our hands is less than 140 million taels. According to our estimation, private gold reserves are at least 8 to 9 taels of ours. [-] times, if someone starts a run on the bank, we will be in trouble. If we have a gold mountain in our hands, it will be different. Sooner or later, the gold in our hands will exceed that of the people, and then we can completely switch to the gold standard.

I think that not only in Taiwan, we should also look for more gold mines overseas. As long as there is a steady stream of gold coming in, then we will have the confidence to issue banknotes.And if the banknotes can be exchanged indefinitely, the credit of the banknotes will increase, and in the end it will be no different from gold and silver. "

Jin Ru-nai was also extremely excited about the search for gold. Although he knew that the bank was not his own, he couldn't help but feel happy when he saw the gold continuously flowing into the bank's vault. This may be a common problem of human beings.

Then, after reporting a few trivial matters, Xi Benzhen ended the conversation with Jin Runai. At this time, he lost the ability to continue discussing gardening matters with the gardener. Instead, he took out his pen and ink and wrote a long letter to Li Zicheng.After finishing writing, he called the housekeeper to send the letter to the newly opened post office for posting.

Speaking of the post office, it should not be a new thing, because the business of sending letters has existed since the Ming Dynasty, but one is the post station system used by the government itself, and the other is the private letter delivery service for a fixed line. Service, the latter was originally for the convenience of serving fellow villagers, not for making money, so the impact has been small, because only businessmen can support the fixed-line mail delivery business.

This time, the Marshal's Mansion reorganized the post station and launched a postal route for both government and civilian use.Although the Marshal's Mansion has only established post office delivery services along a few of the most densely populated routes, it has quickly been welcomed by the people.Because densely populated areas must have developed commerce, and areas with developed commerce must have the need for information exchange, and mail delivery naturally meets their needs.

For a big businessman like Xi Benzhen, the emergence of the post office has greatly enhanced his grasp of the semicolons in various places, and has also greatly reduced the expenditure on personal delivery.In the past, he had to send a clerk to send a letter. Compared with the cost of postage, the travel expenses for a clerk to and fro were enormous.

It took only 9 days for the letter to arrive in Xuzhou, and it was delivered to Li Zicheng on the 10th day.At this time, the discussion on the agreement in the meeting finally had a clue. Li Zijing submitted the compromise conclusions reached by everyone to Li Zicheng. Everyone has the right to pursue freedom, but the interests of others must not be hindered."

Li Zicheng couldn't help but said: "Only limited to the equality of good people, isn't there still a sense of superiority and inferiority? Freedom that does not interfere with the interests of others. This is against slaves fighting for freedom? After arguing for half a month, they came up with these two sentences nonsense?"

Seeing how dissatisfied his elder brother was, Li Zijing had no choice but to say: "If elder brother is not satisfied, just change it directly. I think those congressmen will not object."

Li Zicheng looked at him and said, "If I change it, what will they do? When the time comes, they will all shout long live wise, and one by one will scold me for being a fool. What can I do with them?"

Chapter 547 New Framework One

Li Zijing stopped talking, he was different from his brother, he was an honest farmer.Although he is satisfied with enjoying wealth, he really doesn't understand politics.And he is also very clear that everyone respects him now because of Li Zicheng, not because he has anything to respect, so he will do whatever his brother says.

Li Zicheng has nothing to say about Li Zijing's performance. After all, a well-behaved relative is much better than a talented and ambitious relative. At least the former will not hold him back.

After looking through the draft resolution, he put it down and said to his younger brother, "Let's vote tomorrow according to the draft they decided."

Li Zijing had just exited the room when he saw Ruan Dacheng walking towards him. Seeing that the other party was smiling and bowed to him, he saluted seriously and left.

After Ruan Dacheng walked into the room, he paid homage to Li Zicheng and congratulated him. Li Zicheng couldn't help but asked in surprise, "Why do you like it?"

Ruan Dacheng got up and walked forward, and said to Li Zicheng: "It is reported in the newspaper that Shaanxi and Henan are both very prosperous this year. Especially in Henan, the wheat grows double ears. Doesn't this mean that God blesses me with Dashun, and it shows that Your Majesty is the destiny." That’s why it’s such an auspicious omen.”

Hearing this, Li Zicheng just smiled and said: "The grain harvest is indeed a happy event. Fortunately, last year he gritted his teeth and beat Azig out of Henan. If you believe in the destiny, then you will really be cheated to death by God. Thinking about it this way, Emperor Lie died really badly. If he carries on for another two years, maybe the situation in the north will be better."

Ruan Dacheng really couldn't answer these words, he could only stand aside with a stiff face.However, Li Zicheng soon noticed his embarrassment, so he changed the subject and asked, "Mr. Yuan Hai came to see me tonight, what's the matter?"

Ruan Dacheng breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "Return to Your Majesty, the agreement has been discussed, but I really don't know what to do next, so I want to ask Your Majesty for advice."

Li Zicheng pondered for a few seconds before asking: "Mr. Yuan Hai has participated in the meeting for so many days, I want to ask you, is it a good way for everyone to sit together to discuss state affairs?"

Ruan Dacheng looked up at Li Zicheng quietly, and then said: "Based on my personal experience, this way of discussing state affairs is beneficial or not beneficial."

Li Zicheng then asked: "How do you say?"

After thinking for a while, Ruan Dacheng said: "The advantage is that Father Jun can hear the opinions of all parties. As the saying goes: if you listen to one side, you will be dark, and if you listen to both, you will be clear. These councilors come from all over the world. Naturally, they will not speak for officials, but will safeguard the interests of the local people. , so it is very difficult for officials to collude with each other to deceive the court in the past.

But the disadvantages are also here, because the councilors all have local interests to protect, so they cannot maintain the overall situation, but they are prone to disputes with the imperial court. If they are not good, they will become a banner of local opposition to the imperial court, which will hinder your majesty's sageness. "

Li Zicheng looked at him and said: "There is no perfect way to govern the country in this world. If you sit in the palace all day and don't know the sufferings of the people, even a talented and intelligent monarch like Tang Xuanzong will eventually become a fool.

What is the overall situation of a country?Is it to maintain the rule or to protect the interests of the people?I thought it should be the latter.Even old slaves know that there is no such thing as a monarch without people, and we cannot be inferior to a barbarian's insight.

Members of Parliament to safeguard the interests of the local, this is exactly the responsibility of the members of parliament after being elected, and the overall situation is nothing more than the interests of the minority to give way to the interests of the majority.

Therefore, I think that the way of discussing government affairs, such as the council, should be fixed and form a four-level conference of county, province, province, and country. The members of the upper-level conference are elected by the lower-level conference, and the members of the county-level conference are selected by taxpayers. out.So that people everywhere can also participate in the governance of the country. "

In fact, Ruan Dacheng did not object to the establishment of the parliament. After discussing these days, he found that being a member of parliament was more suitable for him than being an official.Because being an official has to bear responsibilities and maintain the relationship between superiors and subordinates, but being a member of parliament does not need these. Members of parliament can freely express their opinions in parliament without worrying about someone labeling themselves as eunuchs. The decision is to be handed over to the officials. If it is done well, the merits belong to the parliament. If it is done poorly, it means that the officials are not dedicated.Isn't this the treatment of the emperor?

Therefore, seeing that Li Zicheng seemed to be very determined to maintain the parliament, he immediately turned around.Since Li Zicheng himself didn't mind the fall of the imperial power, why did he oppose the increase of local autonomy?After all, he is also a local squire.

Li Zicheng then expressed his intentions to Ruan Dacheng. He pointed at the corner of his table and said to Ruan Dacheng, "My younger brother Li Zijing is not suitable to be the speaker. I need someone who can help the local government to establish a parliament and improve the four-level parliamentary system." , but also to contain the government's decision-making. I think..."

Ruan Dacheng held his breath, thinking whether he should accept it directly?Or should I say goodbye first?But if he declined, would it give Li Zicheng the illusion that he really didn't want to be the speaker?

While he was having a fierce ideological struggle in his mind, Li Zicheng said: "...Qian Muzhai is actually very suitable to be the speaker. He has a high reputation and is recognized by scholars in the north and south. Let him be the speaker. Or it could reduce conflict between parties in parliament."

"This, this, what kind of nonsense are you talking about?" Ruan Dacheng held his breath and was instantly vented by the name Li Zicheng mentioned, but he still cheered up and objected: "Your Majesty, I don't approve of what you said. Chairman Li is sincere and unpretentious, and he has balanced the affairs of the parliament these days very well, and I don't think that Chairman Li is not suitable for this position at all.

But Qian Muzhai, the minister felt that he was not suitable to be the speaker.In front of His Majesty, I am not afraid of being a villain. Qian Muzhai actually has no major problems, only two problems, one is greedy for money, and the other is soft ears.Let him be the speaker, this parliament will be messed up..."

Hearing Ruan Dacheng's slander against Qian Qianyi, Li Zicheng was silent for a long time, then spoke kind words to him to comfort him, and decided to talk about the replacement of the speaker in the future.As for what the council will discuss next, Li Zicheng said that he still needs to think about it and will make a public announcement at the venue tomorrow, so Ruan Dacheng said goodbye and left.