New Shun 1730

With seven or eight taxes from Henan Province, the temptation is really big.

In the eyes of the emperor, Liu Yu didn't lie much, especially when it came to money issues, and he always kept his word.

Although it sounded a bit awkward to compare the Netherlands with Henan, it was so intuitive that Li Gan was very excited.

No one in the court knew more about the affairs of the Western countries than Liu Yu, and even the emperor did not know how Liu Yu found out the information.

If asked, say so-and-so once said it.

After investigation, he did say that it can only be thought that no one in the court cares about the affairs of the Western countries, and because Liu Yu learned more about Western knowledge, he was not convinced by the previous dynasty Xu Guangqi's statement that "the great disaster in the future will be in the Western countries." I care too much about the predictions, so pay more attention to them.

This makes sense.

Seventy-eight taxes from Henan Province...

The temptation is too great.

In the previous battles, Dashun became a gunpowder empire at the level of the Thirty Years War after undergoing the Jingxiang military reform, and it had a crushing advantage over its surroundings.

The second is that after these years of recuperation and the weather getting warmer, I have a family foundation.

However, these battles we fought were all economically costly and politically unavoidable.

In the Western Region, in the next few decades, one million taels of money may be thrown into it every year.

In Mongolia, after the policy of using business to control Mongolia in recent years, the emperor recovered a lot of internal funds, but the expenditures of the household government were real.

In addition to the tribute of several hundred mink skins every year, Nuer Gandusi, if immigration is included, it will only be considered as an economic account. If the household government can compensate, all the compensation will be ceded to the Rakshasa Kingdom, and all the way to the Songhua River will be considered as no compensation.

Liu Yu always said that war can make money. Although this matter has not been verified, from a general perspective, the incredible words Liu Yu said seem to be credible.

It seems that Pingzhun and the Navy have nothing to do with each other, but it seems like the first sentence of a set of prophecies has been fulfilled.

His heart moved, Li Gan asked: "In the Rakshasa Kingdom, women can succeed. I think the customs of Yi and Di are different from those of the Celestial Dynasty, and things like hens and chickens are common. In the Ori Kingdom, is it necessary for a woman to succeed to the throne? Are you going to make a big fuss?"

Liu Yu also talked about Shinra’s weird emperor-electing system.

Li Gan had known this before, but when Liu Yu spoke in more detail, he frowned and said, "You mean, the Princess of Austria can be the King of Austria, but she can't be the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire? You want to?" When the husband-in-law becomes the emperor, he must give up some of his benefits. Are the kings of these Western countries all related to each other? It seems that war is inevitable, just like in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

Of course, the reason was not that. Liu Yu gave some more explanations and finally convinced the emperor that it was inevitable that a war in Europe was imminent.

The starting point of this war is the death of the King of Austria.

After these things were said, Li Gan felt refreshed.

The current situation in Europe is too favorable for Dashun.

The Russian-Austrian alliance and the upcoming war between Russia and Turkey allowed Dashun to maintain the initiative on the issue of border demarcation in the Western Regions. Although the lion cannot speak loudly, it is completely feasible to get Russia to make appropriate concessions.

The European war will inevitably involve the Netherlands. Although France is very cowardly and does not dare to provoke the Netherlands in the ongoing war of succession to the Polish throne, in fact the Netherlands and Britain are also ready to make a move.

It's just that because of the previous South China Sea Bubble incident and the major stock market crash when the bubble exploded, Britain and the Netherlands were temporarily in debt and were unable to intervene anymore.

This kind of vertical and horizontal manipulation is easy to understand once it is explained clearly.

The Dutch occupied Taiwan, of course Li Gan knew about it.

If only the Dutch participate, it seems that winning is not a problem.

"Monopoly on spices, seven or eight Henan taxes... from that Henan tax..."

These words circled in Li Gan's mind over and over again, and he couldn't stop at all.

It sounds easy to get, but if you don't take it, it will be a waste of money.

Liu Yu quietly glanced at the emperor and saw the emperor pondering over it, knowing that the emperor's heart was already relaxed.

Afraid that the emperor would have to think about losing the tail, Liu Yu added: "I think that once Japan pays tribute and the Netherlands is defeated, please split the navy into two."

"One unit is stationed in Weihai and Tianjin to defend the capital."

"One unit is stationed in Fujian."

"Strong internally but weak externally. If there is a war, the main force will be mobilized from the East; if there is no war, then conquer the South Sea. If the navy officers and families are all on land, then..."

Li Gan laughed twice and interrupted Liu Yu's words.

"You are really careful in everything."

Li Gan thought to himself, you want to accomplish something great, open up new territories for the country, and make great contributions. Also, beware that I am the kind of person who is extremely cautious.

It's quite tiring, isn't it? "

But he didn't say this. Li Gan thought about it and thought that if he could win decisively on the ocean, the navy could also be abolished.

The fleet is divided into north and south, and the main force is to defend the capital, which is indeed what must be done.

But at this time, it is not yet time, the navy affairs still have to be left to Liu Yu.

The less you do, the more results you get.

Now it seems that Li Gan feels that there is nothing untrustworthy about Liu Yu except that he is a little opaque and always does things that intentionally or unintentionally push the court.

"Your Majesty, I trust no one. Since I've told you to command the Whale Sea, I'll naturally trust you. I'm just telling you that you shouldn't interfere in matters that are not within your jurisdiction. You can do whatever you want within the scope of commanding the Whale Sea. If you are willing to make decisions and govern, you can make new achievements and enter the Tianyou Palace, and then it will be legitimate."

"Calculate how much silver you need? I've said that if the Qingzhou Army can make great achievements in this battle, I will also go against the public opinion and invest money in the navy."

Liu Yu didn't have an exact account book in his mind, but said "So I have to go back to Weihai first. Craftsmen need to be familiar with things like casting cannons and building ships. Buying ships is too expensive. I have to calculate how much a ship costs, and I have to find out how many ships the Dutch have in Southeast Asia. This is not an answer I can give now."

"I dare to go back to Weihai. The reward will be decided after the Western Regions are completely pacified and the army returns. I will also take this time to calculate a number."

Li Gan heard Liu Yu's anxiety and knew that this matter really needed to be rushed.

Since he had already knocked on the door, he should show more trust at this time.

"It's just right. When you are officially appointed as the governor of Whale Sea, you will still be in charge of the Jinghai Palace Official School. You often say that navigation and artillery are inseparable. This Jinghai Palace Official School will not only train the navy, but also train artillery and build cities and attack cities. Since you are in charge, you can handle the enrollment and school management at the same time."

"The illegitimate sons of good families can also be used, but not too many. They can be used in the early stage, but practical schools must be run in the future. You can try out practical schools in Wendeng. If it can be used, try it in Jiaoliao."

"You should also compile a charter for school expenses and send it to me at that time. It is already August, and I still need to deal with the aftermath here for a while. Go back as soon as possible. You will return to Beijing in February next year to reply to this matter. You can go and come back quickly."

…………

Running all the way along the post station towards Weihai, although it was late autumn, Liu Yu really felt a taste of spring breeze and horse hooves.

Liu Yu was happy that he was in charge of the Jinghai Palace official school, and that he was in charge of it completely, not just trying it out like last time.

The emperor was far away, and it would be much easier if he opened this loophole.

Reform was not something that could be done overnight, and there was no chance of success if the talent pool was insufficient.

Wendeng was not big, and Jiaoliao was not big either, but the whole world did not need so many practical talents. Not to mention the Jiaoliao area, the population of Wendeng plus the surrounding areas was equivalent to that of the Netherlands.

If practical learning could be established, and a promotion route other than the imperial examination could be guaranteed, and with the mentality of "learning well and becoming an official", becoming a naval officer, an artillery officer, or a customs clerk would also attract enough people to study.

In Liu Yu's view, the road to reform of Dashun, the recognition of the Russian throne in the first battle in the north, and the dispatch of envoys to visit Russia and France, were like opening a window to see the outside world; and the attempt to establish practical learning was like opening a crack in the door of this house.

The imperial examination system could not be abolished for the time being, and no one dared to abolish it.

But one day, when hundreds of thousands of graduates of practical studies find that the Confucian scholars who monopolize the court do not recognize their "academic qualifications", they will let the world know what chaos is.

Either, Dashun recognizes that those who study practical studies are equivalent to scholars, juren and jinshi; or...

Of course, we still have to be loyal ministers now. Weihai is too close to the capital.

As soon as I returned to Weihai, I met my father who was living here, and told him about the situation in the Western Regions, and then I hurried to check the situation everywhere.

Kang Budai has been doing things according to Liu Yu's previous arrangements in the past two years, and everything is done step by step and in an orderly manner.

"Sir, the navy now has four warships. Those two were bought, and these two were built by ourselves, and their performance is almost the same as the bought ones."

"There are also a lot of stockpiled teak from Southeast Asia and cypress from Taiwan, and the harvesting of thick oak from Liaodong and Nurgan has also formed a scale. A large amount of shade-dried oak is piled up in Liaodong and Vladivostok, and has not been shipped. Because it costs money to ship it over, and the money is not enough for the time being."

"As long as the money is in place, it can be built in batches. Cannon casting can also keep up. Our cannon casting level is not bad. It combines Chinese and Western, and the performance is better."

"If all copper cannons are cast, the cost is high, but the quality is better than the French cannons purchased. The rest of the gun carriages, threads, etc. are also managed by Western craftsmen, and those novices have learned a lot."

"The musket is the simplest, and the French new musket is what we learned."

Liu Yu is very concerned about the price of muskets. Since the emperor wants military reforms, he must have arms. This is an opportunity to make money. It would be a waste if the wool of the national treasury is not taken. As long as the price is lower than that bought from France, it will be fine.

"How much is it about one gun?"

"Including the bayonet, four taels of silver."

Liu Yu was shocked.

"How can it be so cheap?"

"Because the adults don't pay wages to hired workers. Many of them are apprentices of disaster victims. Now the adults don't pay money, but only provide food. If the salary is included, the cost of a gun is about six taels of silver."

Six taels of silver is really not expensive. Kang Budai is a practical person, so he naturally counted the cost of wear and tear and unqualified products.

Calculating the price here, Liu Yu thought, small profits but quick turnover, so he sold it to the emperor at nine taels of silver. If it is a government-run business, taking into account the loss, corruption, and wear and tear, this price should be very advantageous.