Chapter 839 Across the Seven Seas
Boom boom boom!
The roar shook the capital.
The Taoist priest changed into the imperial attire and was waiting for the generals to come and see him.
When the roar came, Zhang Tong said, "It's thundering!"
"It's Thunder!"
"There is continuous thunder. Oh my god, what is this...what is this omen?"
Amid the continuous roar, the eunuchs looked panicked.
Emperor Jiajing sat there and sighed, "Is this the person who is by my side?"
If rebels attack, who among these people can be trusted?
Zhang Tong ran up to him and said in panic, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid God is angry."
His clear eyes were filled with anxiety, and Emperor Jiajing said gently, "It's not thunder."
"What is that?" Zhang Tongyueju asked.
"It's...a firearm."
Emperor Jiajing thought of the arrangements that Jiang Qingzhi had mentioned when he came to the palace yesterday.
——There will be something big tomorrow.
What is truth?
In the Central Plains, truth is the words of saints!
Jiang Qingzhi said that what he had created was the truth, and once it was made famous today, it would surely shock the world.
What is it?
After the great victory, Dao Ye became more interested in firearms than ever before.
"Listen!" A eunuch suddenly listened attentively.
"…Who says I have no clothes? I will share the same pond with you. When the king raises his army, I will sharpen my spears and halberds. I will work with you."
"It's Wu Yi!" Emperor Jiajing stood up in surprise.
Jiang Qingzhi said that there would be some arrangements today, and Emperor Jiajing thought that they were just some words to encourage the soldiers and the people and liven up the atmosphere.
First there was a roar, then there was no clothes...
"Father!"
Prince Yu and Prince Jing are here.
The father and his two sons were separated by a door, so close to each other, yet unable to see each other.
"What's making this roar?" asked Emperor Jiajing.
"Father." Prince Yu knew about this. "This is a firearm recently created by the Mohist school. It is similar to the Portuguese blunderbuss."
Emperor Jiajing knew about firearms. The two naval battles off the coast of Guangzhou gave him a preliminary understanding of firearms and the West.
I remember that the Ming navy was defeated at that time. If it weren't for the capable craftsmen who quickly imitated the Portuguese musket, the coastal areas would have been in danger.
"Yes." Prince Yu said, "Father, in this battle, the enemy cavalry came like a tide. A hundred steps away, the seemingly weak array of flintlock rifles fired at the command. In the smoke, the enemy fell one after another..."
Emperor Jiajing seemed to see that scene: countless Ming army soldiers fired at the command, and the flintlock rifles fired dense projectiles, and the large net formed by the projectiles hit the enemy head-on...
The enemy attacked the net in vain, and their heads were broken and bleeding again and again.
The blood is quietly rising.
"Long Wilbur said that the name of the big gun is inappropriate and difficult to classify."
"What is this thing used for?" asked Emperor Jiajing.
"This thing is actually a large flintlock rifle, but the bullet is much larger. Father, the bullet is bigger than a human head. After firing, it whistles away. Long Wilbur said... no matter what is ahead, it will be daunted!"
Emperor Jiajing was eager to see the new firearms. He took a deep breath and said, "Tell Qingzhi that I want to go and see them tomorrow."
"Yes."
"Wan Sheng!"
"Wan Sheng!"
"Wan Sheng!"
There's cheering outside.
"Your Majesty." A eunuch hurried in and said happily, "The army has entered the city, and the soldiers are cheering!"
"The army is strong enough to fight!" Emperor Jiajing said with a smile, "With such a strong army, why should I fear foreigners?"
"Long live!"
"Long live your Majesty!"
"Long live your Majesty!"
Cheers overwhelmed the roar and rolled in.
No one can resist the temptation of such cheers from the crowd.
Emperor Jiajing couldn't help but step out of the hall.
Prince Yu and Prince Jing were stunned and subconsciously stood with their backs turned.
"Long live your Majesty!"
The troops have entered the city.
The majestic military posture, the shocking and orderly footsteps, accompanied by the roar of artillery outside the city, made the people of the capital excited and intoxicated.
"Long live your Majesty!"
People at this time are blind, and they will follow whatever information is input from the outside world.
Sun Chonglou was the first to shout "Long live the emperor", which immediately triggered cheers from the crowd.
The emperor, who was called a tyrant by the people, changed the Ming Dynasty when he walked out of the Western Garden and the cage he built.
Farmers' income increased, Altan Khan was defeated, and people in the north were able to live and work in peace.
Is that a tyrant?
This thought came to the minds of many people.
If Emperor Jiajing was a tyrant, why did the Ming Dynasty get better and better in the past two years?
This did not fit everyone's perception of a tyrant. "You did all this?" On the top of the city wall, Huang Jin's face flushed with blood boiling.
"The Confucian ability to create public opinion has been passed down for thousands of years, and they think it is invincible. But in fact, it is just that good." Jiang Qingzhi lit the medicinal incense, took a puff, and through the smoke, he seemed to have returned to the afterlife.
Playing with public opinion, using the methods of later generations at this moment, can kill those people.
"Actually, it's just buying trending searches." Jiang Qing subconsciously touched his right thigh, but didn't feel the phone.
"Hot search?"
"It's just to create a hot topic, that's all. I can't explain it to you clearly." Jiang Qingzhi shook off the cigarette ash.
The prisoners are coming.
Teams of so-called grassland warriors, who were once ferocious and made the Ming Dynasty uneasy, came.
It’s a long line with no end in sight.
"Why didn't you build a Jingguan this time?" Huang Jin was a little curious.
"There are too many corpses and it's smelly." Jiang Qingzhi said casually.
"This is not your character." Huang Jin said with a smile.
"From now on, the offensive and defensive positions will change. What the Ming Dynasty needs is a docile grassland. Deterrence is enough, and there is no need to build a Jingguan anymore."
The existence of Jingguan is to intimidate one's enemies. After this great victory, according to Jiang Qingzhi's plan, the Ming Dynasty's attitude towards the ethnic minorities on the grassland will be mainly based on attack and appeasement.
That is to say, give him a beating and give him a meal.
Then there would be no need for a peerless weapon like Jingguan to appear.
"We were wondering why you became a vegetarian. So that's it."
"Don't you understand?"
"we……"
"You don't understand." Jiang Qingzhi smiled.
At this time, a eunuch came up and said, "Chang Wei Bo, His Majesty summons you."
"Well! Here comes the matter of firearms."
Jiang Qingzhi immediately entered the palace.
As soon as the Emperor Jiajing saw him, he asked, "Why didn't you tell me about the firearms earlier?"
Jiang Qingzhi knew it would be this. "Your Majesty, that firearm is actually not quite good enough. I originally wanted to wait until it was improved before inviting Your Majesty to observe it. But this happened in the capital, so I thought of pulling it out and giving it a try. After all, it is a way to recycle waste."
"Waste?" Emperor Jiajing asked, "Is it inferior to the Portuguese gun? Yes, it has just been made, so it is definitely not as good as it could be."
"Flagship?" Jiang Qingzhi was stunned. "I have never used the Flagship as an opponent."
Emperor Jiajing was startled. Jiang Qingzhi said calmly, "Once this thing is launched, it will be invincible. It can capture cities and strongholds, destroy the enemy's morale, and strike important enemy targets... In addition, after being installed on a warship, it can help the Ming navy to roam the seven seas!"
"Roaming the seven seas!" Emperor Jiajing clenched his fists. "After Zheng He, the Ming navy gradually retreated. The two battles off the coast of Guangzhou showed signs of decline. If we can rebuild the navy..."
The Jiajing Emperor suddenly lowered his voice and sneered, "During the Hongzhi period, there was a plan to go to sea, but it was opposed by the ministers. The reason was that it would be extremely wasteful."
"Your Majesty, this is a lie!" Jiang Qingzhi said, "When Zheng He sailed to the West, his fleet was huge. Wherever he went, the barbarians were submissive. The fleet not only showed off its power overseas, but also carried a huge amount of goods to trade, making a lot of money every time. If it was a loss, how could Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Revenue at the time, not object?"
"Those ministers..." Emperor Jiajing looked at Jiang Qingzhi, "You are right, Confucianism is conservative."
"Some people once said that Mohism is radical, Taoism is conservative, and Confucianism is impartial and takes the doctrine of the mean. But in my opinion, this so-called doctrine of the mean is actually not striving for progress."
Jiang Qingzhi thought of the Ming Dynasty navy that shocked the world. If it could continue... when the navy arrived in the Western countries, what impact would it have on the Ming Dynasty and the world?
What a pity!
Just one sentence of huge waste destroyed that invincible navy.
"After Emperor Chengzu, if the ministers had some ambition, they would not have used petty tricks to hinder the Northern Expedition." Jiang Qingzhi said: "They like to bury their heads in the sand and stick their butts out, thinking that no one can find them..."
"Mean!" Emperor Jiajing pointed at Jiang Qingzhi, but he agreed deeply. After ascending the throne, Emperor Jiajing wanted to reform the Ming Dynasty and show his talents. But he was held back by his ministers.
What is the reason?
Your father is not your father.
A major ritual debate shattered all the brilliant plans in Emperor Jiajing's mind.
"The new policy will begin!" Emperor Jiajing looked at his cousin with sharp eyes, "The first step is money and grain!"
There are thousands of new policies, but without money and food they are all empty talk.
"Your Majesty, I..." Jiang Qingzhi was a little entangled. Once the new policy was launched, it had to start with taxation. But what would happen if he started by poking the lungs of the meat eaters?
"Lü Song has told me that the people of the world are already overwhelmed. If we raise taxes, it will inevitably sow the seeds of disaster for future generations." Emperor Jiajing's eyes were solemn, "Taxes must not be raised!"
Taxation is the foundation of a country, but most of the Ming Dynasty's taxes came from agriculture, while the prosperous commerce became a bystander.
The literati own a huge amount of land and population. If all of them were taxed...
Jiang Qingzhi felt that Lu Song would smile so hard that his old face would turn into a chrysanthemum.
Whether it's military expansion or navy...all expenses are not a problem.
"Are you scared?" Seeing Jiang Qingzhi looking a little melancholy, Emperor Jiajing said, "I also want to proceed step by step, but time is running out! Qingzhi."
"Yes." If we don't take advantage of the great victory to launch the most difficult tax reform, those people will become alert, and they will collude with each other to obstruct the tax reform.
Chen Yao, who committed suicide, once told Jiang Qingzhi that the new policy should not be based on taxes, at least not at the beginning. That would cause the literati to turn against each other.
Choosing hell difficulty at the beginning is not a mature innovative idea.
Somewhat radical.
Jiang Qingzhi was full of things on his mind. Later, Emperor Jiajing was going to review the three armies, and Jiang Qingzhi accompanied him.
When the emperor appeared above the palace, he was cheered by everyone.
"Wan Sheng!"
"Long live your Majesty!"
Looking at those fanatical soldiers and civilians, Jiang Qingzhi suddenly laughed.
"Even if there are mountains of swords and seas of fire ahead, just wade through it!"
(End of this chapter)
