The most unlucky crossing in history

In mid-November, when the people in the country were afraid of the war and scolded the imperial court, and when the rice and grain in the two lakes were in a hurry, Menxia Province formulated a decree to reduce agricultural taxes and announced it to the world in all states, cities, villages, and towns.

The announcement shows: From December of the first year of Shengning, the original agricultural tax of 33 is reduced to 55.

"What, what does this mean?"

"What do you mean? I don't understand? Didn't we have to pay one catty to the court for every 33 catties of grain after the harvest? The announcement said that from now on, we only need to pay one catty of grain for 55 catties!"

"Such a good thing!"

"No! Emperor Shengning is a good man!"

Seventy to eighty out of [-] people in the Daqing Kingdom are farmers. As soon as the news of the reduction of rice grain came out, just as Xie Wenyuan expected, the Northwest War, which was hotly discussed in the country, was covered in the past. The flames of war that have not yet been ignited, paying less food taxes and taxes is closer to the vital interests of the people, and instantly stabilized the hearts of the people.

Some people with ulterior motives wantonly spread harmful words in the court, which made this tax reduction order smashed and scattered.

One day after that, there was also a Maritime Law, which was provisional for two years, which stated: The Great Qing Dynasty imposed a maritime tax of one forty and a foreign customs duty of one thirty, and opened the door. Hangzhou, Quanzhou, Yuhuan, Songjiang, Maojiang, Qingzhou, Yanwei, and Yingzhou are eight commercial ports connected to the sea.The Ministry of Households added a Department of Shipping and Seas, and the coastal prefectures added Haijishu to specialize in matters such as coastal inspections and records, and stipulated in the law the requirements for sea travel and the rules for maritime business travel, the content of which is the same as that mentioned by Zhong Qiyun and Feng Ping are similar.

The rest of the matters involved are nothing more than the duty of the government to inspect and protect maritime merchants. Anyone with a little brain can see that the eight major ports happen to be the Xinghai ports built or under construction by the Zhong family. Family, doesn't that imply that Xinghai is almost in charge of Zhong's family?What's more, the government patrols the sea to protect the ship merchants and maintain the order of the maritime merchants. To put it bluntly, it is almost regarded as protecting the Zhong family's ships.

The imperial court wanted the Zhong family to come up with money, so they opened the door to the Zhong family.

In this way, the rest of the merchants in the court who were still on the sidelines went to Chengfeng Station to find stewards to discuss future business.

Although some things in the current Maritime Law have not been perfected yet, Zhong Qiyun is quite satisfied with the things listed on it.

Therefore, when I heard that the two lakes were short of food again, I knew Xie Wen

Yuanzhong Qiyun waved his hand, and bought rice with a lot of money in the upper and lower parts of the country where rice and grain were abundant, and then sent the Zhong family caravan to the two lakes.

In this way, the rest of the merchants who have recently become friends with the Zhong family can't turn a blind eye, and more or less took out some food stored at home to help the two lakes survive the catastrophe.

Zhong Qiyun didn't mention this matter to Xie Wenyuan, he just knew that the two lakes had no harvest this year, but he didn't know what Xie Wenyuan planned.

Therefore, at the end of November, when Xie Wenyuan took some time off to think about asking Emperor Shengning to use the treasury money to buy grain and rice for disaster relief, Feng Ping rushed to report that the rice grain problem between the two lakes had been resolved.After listening, Xie Wenyuan's expression was rarely surprised.

"...If you say that Zhong Qiyun is really a benevolent and virtuous businessman."

Feng Ping smiled and praised Zhong Qiyun's righteous deed there, and Xie Wenyuan also understood why Zhong Qiyun did this.In Hangzhou before, he did mention to Zhong Qiyun about the disasters in the two lakes for two years, but this time he never asked Zhong Qiyun to help him pay for his own money, he just did business at a loss, so he only mentioned it once in a conversation .

According to his mind, let the court open the treasury and use money to buy rice and grain. Although he may have to mediate with those people in the court who do not agree with the war, he also knows that those people are waiting for this time to make up a few sentences. Kind of annoying, but eventually doable.

Where can I think of...

Xie Wenyuan lowered his eyes. He also received Zhong Qiyun's letter yesterday, but Zhong Qiyun didn't say a word about this matter in the letter. If this disaster relief is one of his strategies, Zhong Qiyun will definitely mention it to him, but Zhong Qiyun doesn't Said, there is only one possibility, this is not a strategy, this matter is not beneficial to him who is now at the top of his reputation and status.But he did.

why?

Why else?

What else in this world could make him so reckless and cautious?

Xie Wenyuan understood that if Zhong Qiyun told him first, he would not agree. Zhong Qiyun has always listened to him, so naturally he would not do it, so Zhong Qiyun never mentioned it once, just to help him solve some unnecessary problems. Trouble.

There was some helplessness in my heart, but I couldn't hide the growing warmth.

Feng Ping in the political affairs hall still talked eloquently: "I estimate that the Zhong family has given out at least one million taels of silver this time. Now that I think about it, this big businessman is really incredible. He can take a million taels as he pleases.

It's like worthless running water," Feng Ping sighed and shook his head at this point, "Hey, if I have so much silver, how can I worry about the two lakes?Still thinking about how to fight with those stubborn ones? "

Ji Xingyan, who was promoted to Minister of Shangshu, sneered, and said, "Lord Feng thinks beautifully, but how can the officials in our hall have so much money?" He looked at Xie Wen as he spoke. Yuan Yuan asked casually, "Prime Minister, are you right?"

Xie Wenyuan glanced at Ji Xingyan, and nodded slightly as if in agreement.

Seeing this, Feng Ping wanted to say something more, but the guards outside the Political Affairs Hall suddenly sent an urgent report. The stalemate in the Northwest has changed. Two cities were lost.

Before Shangshusheng, Menxiasheng, Zhongshusheng and others from Zhengshitang discussed to go to the palace, Emperor Shengning's urgent call followed.

Emperor Sheng Ning hurriedly summoned officials above the third rank in Beijing to the meeting hall behind the palace hall, and at the same time summoned the old general Xie Cheng who had already abdicated.

As soon as the Northwest War broke out, Babaili urgent battle reports were sent to the palace every day. Tan Yuanyong called counselors, generals, and civil officials into the palace several times to discuss countermeasures, and then issued military orders to the Northwest Army.But never before have all the ministers of the DPRK and China been summoned to the council hall to discuss matters together, and even the old general was called away.

"I'm afraid the battle situation is not good this time." Feng commented.

Xie Wenyuan didn't say much, just said: "Let's talk about it after entering the palace."

In the middle of the huge hall, sand table models of Pingcheng and other places in the northwest were placed. Tan Yuanyong stood at the top, frowning and asked Zhen Xianke, a counselor beside him, to explain the battle report from the northwest.

Zhen Xianke responded and walked to the place where the sand table was close to the city, and said: "My lords have also seen that the city is surrounded by mountains on both sides, like a bowl mouth, with a large opening to the west and a small opening to the east. Speaking of which, there is only one place here. It is a good place that is easy to defend and difficult to attack, but five days ago General Xie led the Northwest Army and the Uyghurs in the battle of Gecheng and lost power. They were forced to come here. They planned to retreat behind the two mountain ranges, but it snowed heavily that day and the mountains collapsed. Seal that opening, so that the [-] troops in the northwest are now turned into bait in bowls, if they are trapped here again, it may take half a month..."

After saying this, there was a loud explosion in the meeting hall. For the people of Dazhu, the collapse of the mountain was a big deal. It was a sign of the wrath of the mountain god.

The escape route is blocked, this...

"There has never been a mountain collapse at the Takashi Pass! This is really unknown!"

"Everyone said that it was not a war at the beginning! Why did you have to do something that the mountain gods and the heavens don't approve of!"

If this is the case, the ears of the people in the hall are numb from the noise, and Pei Yong, the guard of the imperial city standing beside Xie Cheng, snorted after hearing this, his voice was like a loud bell, "My lords have stayed in the capital for a long time, see How strange is it that it is so rare without the collapse of the mountain? Why don’t you go to the southwest and ask, is there often landslides and rocks during the heavy rain in summer?”

Hearing this, Ji Xingyan also smiled and said: "Yes, the snow is too thick in winter, and there are always times when the rocks are crushed. The adults have never seen it, so don't say anything about the anger of the gods. Back then, the Taizu When we seized the world and fought in the Southwest, didn't we also encounter mountain slippery things several times? Could it be that the adults also thought that it was Taizu who angered the mountain god?"

"I, I never said that! Ji Shilang don't want to spout blood!"

"Okay, okay!" Tan Yuanyong frowned and said sharply: "I didn't order you to come here to argue whether you should fight or not, but to make suggestions and find a solution! If you continue to quarrel like this, then Get out of the chamber!"

After Tan Yuanyong said this, the hall really fell silent.

Tan Yuanyong glanced around at the officials and asked, "Now, let's talk about what's on your mind."

He Qinyan, the provincial servant under the door, said: "I don't know how many other soldiers are there, and where are they?"

Zhen Xianke leaned forward and pointed to Yunqing City, fifty miles east of Qiucheng, and said: "The nearest is Yunqing, and the guard Jiang Hupin led 12 troops to garrison here." Then he pointed to Changtai Prefecture, which is more than a hundred miles southwest of Pingcheng, "Secondly, here is the [-] troops led by General Zhang Pan."

"How many rubbles have collapsed? Can the army be moved back after being cleared from the rear?"

Zhen Xianke shook his head: "If I can't move, it's too late."

After that, several people talked about various strategies, but they all refuted them in the discussion.

Tan Yuanyong sighed for a long time and closed his eyes. It was only at this time that he felt that there were not many generals in the court.

Linghu thought for a long time, and then asked: "Then can you dispatch the Yunqing defenders to detour outside the mountains, and let General Zhang Pan lead an army of [-] straight into the northwest, forming a situation of encirclement to surprise the Uighurs and guard the soldiers?"

Zhen Xianke thought about it, but he was not sure, he wanted to whisper a few words to Tan Yuanyong, and then Tan Yuanyong

Yong nodded, and asked Xie Cheng: "I shouldn't bother the old general Xie, but today is urgent, so I have to invite the old general to come." how?"

Xie Cheng sat on the chair and said: "If Xia Ri's army can rush and attack quickly, it would be a solution, but right now there is heavy snow in the northwest, and it is difficult for the two defenders to move forward. The Uighurs over there are fighting."

Tan Yuanyong asked again: "Then, does the old general have other ideas?"

Xie Cheng thought for a while, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he looked at Xie Wenyuan and asked, "Speaking of which, when the prime minister was still in the general's mansion and went to the northwest with the army, he was stationed in Bicheng for three months. Knowing the situation there, I wonder if the Prime Minister has any ideas now?"

After Xie Cheng finished speaking, all the ministers in the court looked at Xie Wenyuan in astonishment. Although they knew that Xie Wenyuan was forced by Xie Cheng to join the army when he was young, they didn't know these details.

Xie Wenyuan listened, and looked at Xie Cheng, knowing that Xie Cheng had already made up his mind, but he asked him this way deliberately, wanting to see if he had abandoned these marches and wars. It stands to reason that his identity should be taboo now, But he still said: "Your lords mentioned more than a dozen methods just now, but in the final analysis, they only mean 'retreat' and 'rescue'. But I want to come, since the Pingcheng Mountain Range is a bowl, the defense at the moment is blocked. Compared with the vast west, the Wankou is not a natural guard place? Why should the Northwest Army retreat? Wouldn’t it be better to hold the pass and wait for an opportunity to counterattack? No matter how many rocks fall at the pass of Pingcheng, it is not as huge as the mountains Instead of detouring around the mountains and looking for distance, it is better to let General Jiang lead the army to clear the movable rocks from the back of the mountain pass, and then reinforce from the mountain pass."

The author has something to say: Thank you for your support. wanan