Qiming 1158

Chapter 977 Why is Chen Xianggong sighing?

Regarding Su Yonglin's expectations, Su Haisheng's letter also gave Su Yonglin great affirmation.

Knowing that Su Haisheng was eager to get his own magic battalion belonging to the Qilu Corps, Su Yonglin couldn't stop laughing bitterly.

At present, the production efficiency of the entire firearm is still not high, and large-scale investment is required to ensure a certain amount of production. The production efficiency and production methods need to be changed urgently, and this change also takes time.

It is not a simple matter to replace the firearms and equipment of the entire Ming army and completely transform the Ming army into a magic battalion. Not only are there technical problems that need to be broken through, but the bigger problem is production.

When will it be possible to produce firearms in a streamlined operation, and it will not be far from the Ming army's full replacement of firearms.

Therefore, Su Yonglin can only reply to Su Haisheng and tell him not to get too excited. Although the Shenji Camp is powerful, the production of firearms and equipment consumes a lot of money and the speed is slow. It is not easy to set up more Shenji camps, so let him not be so impatient.

More haste less speed.

Also, this Shenji battalion is directly under the Central Imperial Army, and its establishment belongs to the Imperial Army. Let him not be greedy and send them back honestly, otherwise he will feel better!
Look I don't smoke you!
But it should be said that it is naturally a good thing for the firearms troops to be recognized by the military. In the future, the promotion of semi-firearms and full-scale firearms in the Ming Dynasty will not be a problem.

With such a good mood, Su Yonglin personally welcomed the envoys of the Southern Song Dynasty at the Wanmin Hall in Zhongdu in late September of the fourth year of Hongwu.

The envoys of the Southern Song Dynasty, led by Chen Kangbo, Yu Yunwen, and Lu You, set off in mid-August and waited for a while after entering the territory of the Ming Kingdom. The Ming Kingdom planned their travel routes and arranged their treatment along the way.

In late August, the 100-member mission officially set off, passed through Shandong and Hebei, entered Yanyun, and finally arrived in Zhongdu.

The route they took along the way was the same as that of general Ming officials on business trips, and the inns they passed through were the same, and the three meals and lodging treatment along the way was no different from that of officials on business trips.

If you travel normally, you can take a boat where you can take a boat. After planning the route reasonably, you can rest at the station at night, and basically three meals a day can be solved at each station.

It was this distance and the standard of three meals a day that made Chen Kangbo and others feel inexplicable emotions.

They felt the difference in the way of life between the Ming and the Southern Song Dynasty, and for this reason, they were quite puzzled.

"The time and frequency of meals in the Northern Dynasty seems to be different from our country."

After advancing for two days, in Shandong, Chen Kangbo, who felt the difference, took the lead and asked Wang Qi, an official of the Ministry of Rites of the Ming Dynasty who had come to welcome them from Zhongdu.

Wang Qi looked at Chen Kangbo and smiled.

"Is the dining time of the Southern Dynasty different from that of the Ming Dynasty?"

Chen Kangbo nodded.

"It's different. The Northern Dynasty has three meals a day, and our country has only two meals. If the family is richer, there is a snack. That's all. I never thought that the Northern Dynasty would have three meals a day."

Wang Qi smiled.

"This is stipulated by His Majesty the Emperor himself. From the official to the private, the three meals a day are changing. At present, except for a few remote areas, most regions have started three meals a day."

"People too?"

Lu You, who had been eating without saying a word, raised his head and said in surprise: "Ming people also have three meals a day? Is there enough food? Will there be no shortage of food?"

Chen Kangbo and Yu Yunwen looked at Lu You together, Lu You was stunned, then lowered his head.

Wang Qi watched this scene, and his heart became clear.

Of course he had to answer that question.

"Naturally, it is also true of the people. My Emperor Daming has abolished many harsh taxes and miscellaneous taxes, and only kept the most basic agricultural taxes to benefit the farmers and implemented various policies to benefit the people. Therefore, the life of the farmers in Daming is relatively easy and can keep a lot of food. Therefore, the three It's not difficult to have a full meal."

Chen Kangbo looked at Lu You with a stern gaze, then raised his head and looked at Wang Qi with a smile.

"In this way, His Majesty the Emperor Daming is really diligent in government and loves the people."

"That's natural. His Majesty the Emperor Daming has the heart of benevolence, righteousness and love for the people. No one knows about the people of Daming, and no one knows it."

Wang Qi looked at Chen Kangbo and said with a smile: "For example, the salt of Daming is much cheaper than the salt of the Southern Dynasty. It is really easy for the people of Daming to eat salt without any difficulty. Now the taste of the people of Daming is even a little heavier."

This yin and yang strange answer made the three envoys embarrassed.

But there was no way to refute it.

Because the salt in the Southern Song Dynasty was really very, very expensive. It used to be expensive, but it is also very expensive now. Moreover, the price of salt has been increased recently because of the war. Now the average price of salt in the Southern Song Dynasty has almost exceeded [-] cents.

It is said that the increase in the price of salt has caused complaints from the people, and the sale of illicit salt has become more rampant. It is even more difficult for officials in the Southern Song Dynasty to crack down on illicit salt. Even because the navy was severely damaged by the Ming army, it was difficult to recover, so it was impossible to dispatch the navy to the sea to kill the illicit salt group at sea. .

Therefore, the current Southern Song Dynasty salt service is in chaos.

In contrast, the price of salt in the Ming Dynasty was basically about five cents, but the people of the Ming Dynasty were very cheap to eat salt. This is a fact.

Lu You was embarrassed, and the embarrassment of Chen Kangbo and Yu Yunwen was mixed with anger and dissatisfaction.

After a while of silence, Chen Kangbo suddenly remembered something.

When Xin Qiji went south to the Southern Song Dynasty twice as a messenger, the officials of the Southern Song Dynasty gave him the best treatment. The cook entertained him.

As a result, they are now sent to the Ming Kingdom as high-level envoys, and the treatment they get is a bit... ordinary?
Yes, it's normal.

Ordinary frame, ordinary station, ordinary table, chairs, bench, ordinary room, ordinary cook, and four dishes and one soup that tastes good but still does not change its ordinary character.

We did our best to entertain you the envoys of the Ming Kingdom, so you entertained us like this?
The foreign exchanges between these two countries are so petty?
Chen Kangbo then thought of a way to respond to Wang Qi.

He picked up the bowl on which he was riding the rice and sighed deeply, the movement was quite loud, for fear that Wang Qi would not notice.

Wang Qi looked at Chen Kangbo.

"Why is Chen Xianggong sighing?"

Chen Kangbo looked at Wang Qi and sighed again.

"I remember when President Xin of the Northern Dynasties went south on an envoy to our country. Our country worked hard to give President Xin the highest treatment. Even the frame was specially made. Although the weather was cold, the inside of the car was as warm as spring. The chef came to make it, and President Xin was very satisfied with what he ate."

Yu Yunwen and Lu You heard what Chen Kangbo meant, and of course Wang Qi was not stupid, and also heard what Chen Kangbo meant.

Do you think our specifications are not good?

I'm sorry, it's really not good to be as extravagant as you are.

So Wang Qi smiled.

"Yeah, I have also mentioned that matter to President Xin. I have always heard that the Southern Dynasty was rich, and it was a well-deserved reputation. We were very envious when we heard it, and originally wanted to apply the Southern Dynasty in Daming. Specifications, unfortunately out of reach.

You also know that the Ming Dynasty was only four years old, the country was just established, and it was a waste of time. There were too many places to spend money. I won’t say anything about using troops to fight and exterminate unscrupulous officials from all over the world. Well, the money that should be invested should still be invested.

Liaodong needs money, Yanyun needs money, Guanzhong needs money, not to mention that I am still promoting the construction of the Yellow River. Oh, that dog thief Du Chong dug the Yellow River embankment back then, causing thousands of displaced people and dozens of casualties. One hundred thousand, Huainan and Huaibei almost become white land.

Originally, we didn't plan to repair the Yellow River so soon, but His Majesty the Emperor was benevolent and righteous, and couldn't bear to see the Yellow River breaking frequently and changing its course, causing the people to suffer, so we decided to repair the Yellow River. Daming's financial budget, this is the predicament that Daming has faced since the founding of the country.

Under such circumstances, His Majesty the Emperor is still benevolent to the people and knows the suffering of the people, so he abolished a lot of extortionate taxes and hidden wealth for the people, so that the people can leave more food, three meals a day, and enough to eat.

Your Majesty said that when the peasants are full, the world will be peaceful, and we officials are all for the well-being of the people and should not be luxurious, so there are many regulations on the life of officials. Among them, this official is treated like this when he travels to a distant place on business. .

Don’t look at this as only four dishes and one soup. This is already the highest treatment for officials on business trips. There is also rice and rice. I know that the envoys of the Southern Dynasty are in the land of fish and rice in the south. …”

(End of this chapter)