The Concubine Wushuang of Red Mansion

Chapter 152 Differences between offense and defense
The fleet led by Tan Jing, with a total of hundreds of ships and more than 2000 people, sailed southward for nearly a hundred miles and encountered Jia Cong's warship.

Atop the high battleship, the young man leaned on the railing and looked at him. Under his sword-shaped eyebrows, a pair of cold peach blossom eyes were like knives and arrows, seeming to penetrate the morning fog and rush towards Tan Jing.

"General, they are here!" Wang Lang of Qianhu looked at the mighty battleships approaching, and he could not suppress his nervousness. If he faced Japanese pirates, he would have nothing to say. He could only say "kill", but facing him were all his former brothers. Although there are many people who don't like it, it is still a good thing.

"These people are different from the previous bandits who pretended to be Japanese pirates. Capture the thief first and capture the king. Pass my order and let the ship pass. The general will have something to say!"

Jia Congming knew that Tan Jing would definitely not let him go, and he had long thought of burying Tan Jing in this sea area, but he still had to act. If he disagreed, he would take out the gold medal of emperor's life. , if you issue a shoot-to-kill order, you will be notorious for "abusing power". This is laying a thunderbolt for yourself in the future.

"But..." Although Wang Lang knew that the general's order could not be disobeyed, at this time, the other party had many people and was approaching menacingly, so he did not believe it. The other party could not see that the flag raised by their bow was one of their own.

Tan Jing seemed to want to confirm whether the bow of the opposite ship was really Jia Cong. When the other party's ship came over, Tan Jing was also standing on the bow. He was dressed in military uniform. The breastplate in the middle of the armor was illuminated by the light of the setting sun. Sparkling.

There was a thin layer of mist between the two, and the other's figure and face were vaguely visible.

As soon as the two sides met, Tan Jing started to kill without saying a word, "Generals, listen to the order, the Japanese pirates are coming, kill!"

He pulled out his long sword and made a virtual gesture towards the front. In an instant, thousands of arrows were fired. On the deck of the ship in front, there were a forest of arrows, and one of the powerful arrows flew towards Jia Cong.

Wang Lang was about to block Jia Cong, but was pushed by Jia Cong. When the arrow reached this point, it was already at the end of its crossbow. It could not kill anyone, but when it whizzed past Jia Cong's shoulder, his arm was still burning. The ground hurts.

"General!"

Seeing that the leader was injured, Wang Lang's eyes turned red and he shouted, "General, give the order, the other party clearly wants you to die!"

"Fire!"

Jia Cong covered his bleeding shoulders and faced the ship full of angry soldiers. He closed his eyes and seemed to give the order with great difficulty.

He was injured, whether it was a slight injury or a serious injury, he was injured anyway, and it was almost done by the end of the play.

The soldiers on the ship also saw that their leader was injured, and everyone was filled with resentment. This is also the result that Jia Cong has achieved since he led the troops, a team that can fight to the death!

"Fire!" Wang Lang waved his arms, jumped up, and protected Jia Cong towards the cabin. Tan Jing's roar came from the opposite boat, "The Japanese pirates want to escape, rush up and intercept their way!"

At this time, a scout rushed up and said in panic, "Uncle, someone is coming from behind us. General Zhong Shen failed to stop Deputy General Zhang."

"Useless trash!"

An hour ago on the shore, Zhang Han led 1000 people and wanted to rush to the pier. Zhong Kehuai led 2000 people and stopped in front of them. Zhang Han walked over alone. Zhong Kehuai did not take precautions. After all, he had been with them before. The account is the general.

"Vice General Zhang, what do you want to do with leading so many people?"

"General Zhong Shen, Uncle Lin'an has rebelled, do you know?"

Before Zhang Han could finish his words, Zhong Kehuai was kicked by him and he knelt on the ground. Zhang Han suppressed him with a backhand cut, and stared at the sergeants under Zhong Kehuai with a pair of tiger eyes, "Uncle Lin'an wants to rebel. Are you going to rebel too?"

The emperor did not dare to use the word "rebellion" casually. Rebellious people would be punished by the nine tribes.

"Don't listen to his nonsense!" Zhong Kehuai saw that his subordinates were looking at each other, and they didn't dare to move at this time. If he fell down and Jia Cong came back, they and the others would definitely die.

Zhang Han pushed his knee towards Zhong Kehuai's chest. Zhong Kehuai groaned and felt that his ribs were broken. The pain made him sweat.

"Am I talking nonsense? Everyone, do you know where Uncle Lin'an went at this time? General Zhaoyong led the army in Jinghai to sweep away the Japanese pirates. Not only did he not send troops to assist, at this time, he led the army to intercept General Zhaoyong's retreat. , You should cooperate with the Japanese pirates inside and outside. Do you also want to follow these measures to communicate with the Japanese?

General Zhaoyong holds the imperial gold medal in his hand. Needless to say, you all should understand what this means. Uncle Lin'an is pointing swords at General Zhaoyong. Do you also respond to such a treasonous move? "

Cai Chuang and other Qianhu households were in a dilemma, not knowing whether to believe this or not.

At this moment, a voice sounded at the right time, "Vice General Zhang told the truth, Uncle Lin'an rebelled!"

Zhang Han was startled and looked up, only to see Huang Yinn and his subordinates, a total of three thousand sergeants, each holding a weapon, coming majestic and high-spirited.

He was dressed in military uniform, with his red cape and black cape swaying in the wind behind him. He pressed his hand on the handle of the wild goose-wing knife. His slender eyes were filled with golden light. He looked at his robe and said categorically, "Lin'an Bo is rebellious." , if you want to survive, return to the camp as soon as possible! Cai Chuang, hurry up and gather people to go back!"

"Yes!"

As soon as Cai Chuang made a move, the other Qianhu households didn't dare to stay longer. They quickly gathered their troops and left in an instant.

Zhong Kehuai's mouth was gagged, but his ears were still intact. At this time, he looked at Huang Yinn with hateful eyes. If eyes could kill, Huang Yinn would have been executed by Lingchi.

Huang Yinen came and left in a hurry, as if he only came here to say these two sentences.

When Zhang Han slipped Zhong Kehuai and led the people to the shore, the boat they had prepared had already been set on fire.

"Damn it!" Zhang Han's eyes turned red and he kicked Zhong Kehuai angrily.

After putting out the fire, there were still five or six ships left. Zhang Han led half of the people on standby, threw Zhong Kehuai to the remaining people, and ordered them to watch carefully.

After Jia Cong gave the order to fire, a shell headed towards Lin'an Bo.

Tan Jing looked at the shells flying towards him coldly. General Hou Denggao shouted at him, "Uncle, stay away!"

Tan Jing, however, looked nonchalant and looked at the cannonball with contempt. He had known the Franco machine gun ten years ago. It was of no use to him. If Jia Cong thought that he could get it from him with just one hand. If he escaped, he was just dreaming.

"Welcome!"

The two sides were already fighting, so Tan Jing naturally didn't have to worry about his men retreating when they saw that the other side was one of his own. If the two armies were facing each other, if he hesitated, he would be seeking death.

boom!
The artillery shell fell in front of Tan Jing, a burst of fire rose, and the shrapnel shot out, like sharp arrows piercing the people around him. A soldier rushed over and pressed Tan Jing under him. There was a boom, and Tan Jing could only I felt my eyes go dark and fell unconscious.

When Lin Anbo woke up, he was in prison uniform and locked in a cell. He was so surprised that he climbed to the cell door dragging his bracelets and anklets and shouted, "Someone is here, someone is here!"

A jailer trotted over and when he saw Uncle Lin'an, he said with disgust in his eyes, "What are you shouting for? I'm just waiting for you!"

Uncle Lin'an only wished that he did not die in the sea. He closed his eyes and held back his breath, "Where is this?"

There is no doubt that he became Jia Cong's prisoner.

"Where? Of course it's in the prison cell of the General Military Mansion. How come you don't even recognize your own territory?"

"General Military Mansion Yamen?" Uncle Lin'an looked around and felt that this place looked really familiar. He murmured, "Why am I here?"

The jailer said angrily, "You are a traitor to the Japanese. If you don't come here, who will come here?"

"Where is Jia Cong? I want to see Jia Cong! Tell him, I want to see him!"

"The general doesn't have time to see you!"

The General Military Office has been taken over by Jia Cong, so naturally everyone here is his, including the jailer.

In the capital city, when winter comes, heavy snow falls. This winter, Emperor Taiqi seems to be particularly afraid of the cold, and the ground dragons started to burn early in Linjing Hall.

Song Hong walked in quickly from the outside with a secret box in his hand. The little eunuch opened the curtain cage, and a stream of hot air rushed towards him, mixed with the smell of ambergris and medicine, making people feel depressed.

"Cough cough cough!" Emperor Tai Qi coughed, and the imperial doctor wanted to use a needle. Emperor Tai Qi waved his hand, glanced at the box in Song Hong's hand, and asked the imperial doctor to go down.

"Your Majesty, the dragon body is very important and needs to be taken good care of!" The imperial doctor stood up and knelt on the ground to admonish.

"Okay, I don't know what's going on with my body. I still have important things to do. Please step back first."

The imperial doctor lowered his head and retreated slowly. When he came to the door, he heard the emperor asking, "Are you from Jiangnan?"

Apart from Jia Cong, there is no doubt that there is him. "Yes!" Song Hong handed the box of secret music to the emperor, and he hurriedly retreated to the door. As always, the secret music was not left in the hands of others, and Song Hong did not dare to exceed the rules.

The emperor opened the box, and inside was a secret report and an account book.

Emperor Taiqi first took the secret note and looked at it carefully. It was sent by Jia Cong. Firstly, it was about the current situation in Jiangnan. Secondly, the Zhejiang General Soldiers and the Japanese pirates had colluded with each other in recent years. Thirdly, shipping was almost monopolized by Jiangnan aristocratic families, and the court issued repeated orders. No piece of board is allowed to go into the sea, but these people are eating a lot of fat and making a lot of money through shipping; fourth, in order to prevent the imperial court from opening the sea, these people are doing evil, good at raising private soldiers, and have a disobedient heart. If exposed.

Now that the evidence is in hand, the people involved in the case have been detained. Finally, Jia Cong said, "The silver recovered from Lin Anbo's family alone is more than 400 million taels. In addition to the income from other shops, farms, paintings, calligraphy, jewelry, etc., I predict It is estimated to be no less than 600 million taels, far more than the Zhen family."

"As for the five families involved in the Jiangnan incident, I believe that their properties are also immeasurable. I dare not act rashly. I have sealed all their properties and urgently wait for the emperor to send reliable people to inspect them."

The emperor's hand holding the secret record was trembling slightly. If he just talked about these treasures, that would be it. Later, Jia Cong also talked about his own ideas. First, the progress of the Shenbing camp. The reason why he could easily get here this time. In the encirclement and suppression of the Jiangnan officialdom, firearms accounted for most of the victory.

"If firearms can be produced on a large scale, the war in Liaodong may undergo earth-shaking changes. Your Majesty may feel at ease, and his subjects may not be afraid of the Eastern captives."

Secondly, regarding the issue of increasing the revenue of the imperial court, Jia Cong once again raised the issue of opening up the sea, and used the wealth of the Jiangnan family to explain it.

Emperor Taiqi was naturally very excited. Jia Cong proposed that in the name of the emperor, he would send his favorite generals to form a fleet and use local utensils to travel to other countries. The return profit would be several times, dozens of times, or even a hundred times.

"If the sea is opened, the Shipping Department can extract [-]% to [-]% of the tax based on the value of the goods. This can also increase taxes for the court. Although it is taken from the people, if it is used for the people, how can it compete with the people for profits? ... "

During the reign of Taizu, the Municipal Shipping Department was responsible for inspecting incoming and outgoing ships and cargo, collecting inquiries, extracting goods, and trading. After the sea was banned repeatedly, this yamen was in name only.

The Municipal Shipping Department levies taxes on ships that come and go, including introduction tax, ship tax, price tax, and additional tax.The introduction tax is aimed at domestic maritime merchants, and they have to spend money to purchase the introduction at the Yinzi Governor's Rate House. Since the sea is banned, there is no market for the introduction.

The bulk of it is the price tax, which is an ad valorem tax levied based on the value of living things. The tax rate is always less than [-]%. Compared with the [-]% to [-]% price tax proposed by Jia Cong, it is like dust.

But Emperor Taiqi didn't think Jia Cong was a big talker. Looking at the property of those involved, there was no need to use his brain to calculate how much profit there was.

When Emperor Taiqi read this, his face flushed, and he couldn't help but think in his heart that Jia Cong has a pure heart. If everyone in the court could be like Jia Cong, he would take the court into his heart and serve the court and the people everywhere. Think about why he is so difficult.

Emperor Taiqi once again read the secret memorial written by Jia Cong, thinking carefully about every suggestion in it, and became more and more fond of Jia Cong. This is a loyal minister!
When he changed the account book and looked at it, he saw shocking data and familiar names. At this time, Emperor Taiqi was as angry as leaves falling in the wind.

Very good, very good. Among them, Zhao Song, the first assistant, gets 20 taels of silver from Lin'an Bo every year, and the rest of the cabinet ministers get 10 taels each, which is richer than him, the emperor.

Regardless of when the Supreme Emperor was in power, in the past five years, Zhao Song had received one million taels of silver.

Jia Cong was wrong. The protective umbrella of Jiangnan was not Lin'an Bo, but the cabinet and everyone in the cabinet. No wonder they fought against the Japanese every year and were defeated every year, but the money was spent in a hurry.

Fortunately, the emperor was not stupid either. Holding the account book, he soon burst out laughing and coughed until he couldn't breathe.

Song Hong hurriedly wanted to go up and help him regain his breath, but the emperor waved his hand to prevent him from coming over. He put away the account books and secret notes himself, and lay on the kang for a while before he calmed down.

The little eunuch was gesturing quietly at the door. Song Hong saw him and gave the medicine bowl to Emperor Taiqi to drink, "Your Majesty, several pavilion elders are waiting outside. Will the Emperor announce the summons?"

Emperor Tai Qi was silent for a moment, and became a little excited again, which made him want to cough. He clenched his fist, covered his lips, and coughed twice softly, "Explain it!"

It was also about the division of money, 300 million taels of silver. In addition to taking 50 taels for emergencies, the Supreme Emperor also asked for another 20 taels to go to either the Star-Zhaing Tower or the Moon-Wangling Tower, specifically for the dedication.

Simply bullshit!

Seeing that the 150 million taels of silver were about to be lost, Emperor Taiqi became anxious and angry. Qianer stayed up a little late, caught a cold, and had a cough. It took half a month for him to feel better.

Several pavilion elders came in. Seeing that the emperor's face was not good, they first greeted him with a few polite greetings. During this period, the emperor coughed a few more times. Zhao Song couldn't help but raise his head and glanced at the emperor. He was silent, not knowing what he was thinking. .

"Your Majesty, I still came here for the purpose of climbing the Moon Tower. The Ministry of Industry has already started to build it. 20 taels of silver have been invested long ago. Now the foundation has been laid. It is about to celebrate the New Year. You can owe a large amount of money for materials first, but you cannot owe the craftsmen's wages. Your Majesty, I think that you can first remove the money from the Zhen family's property and temporarily pay the craftsmen's wages. It’s about royal decency.”

The cabinet and Emperor Taiqi have fought for this money no less than ten times. The cabinet has not come so far in the past few times, but today they have come, and this situation is inevitable.

Without Jia Cong's secret report, Emperor Taiqi would have gone crazy at this time, and he might have been unable to restrain himself and wanted to kill these cabinet ministers with a sword, but at this time, he suddenly calmed down.

Isn't it silver?

Not mentioning the money of the five major families in the south of the Yangtze River, just talking about the money of Lin'an Bofu, 600 million was stolen, which was more than that of the Zhen family.

As for the fact that the Zhen family only embezzled more than 300 million yuan, the emperor did not become suspicious. The Zhen family has always been the emperor's money maker. Over the years, they have tried to support the emperor, but they are far from being as rich as they appear on the surface. Firstly, they dare not, and secondly It is also the head of the family of this generation, Zhen Yingjia, who is not capable.

The Zhen family is going downhill.

But Lin'an Bo was different. He commanded the army of Zhejiang and was responsible for fighting against the Japanese. Not to mention that he always took empty pay and drank the soldiers' blood. He only said that he protected the Jiangnan family. He also had a maritime business. His identity was different from that of the Zhen family. It is natural that the wealth far exceeds that of the Zhen family.

Moreover, he has pinched this account book, and his offensive and defensive momentum is different.

Emperor Taiqi's eyes passed over several cabinet ministers one by one. His palm gently touched the secret box beside him. His voice was indifferent and slightly hoarse from a long illness, "Three million taels of silver, now There are still 300 million taels left. Let me ask you, how do you plan to spend this year's New Year? The coming spring is the time when the economy is in recession. Do you need money for spring plowing and disaster relief? I think this year's settlement and next year's settlement should all come out, right?"

Zhao Song knelt down, took out a statement, and offered it with both hands, "I and the Ministry of Revenue have already reported the expenses for this year according to the actual expenses of each ministry and the two capitals and thirteen provinces. What should be settled, For those that should not be settled, the Ministry of Accounts has made a comprehensive calculation and the cabinet has also drawn up a vote."

Song Hong hurriedly took it and presented it to Emperor Tai Qi.

Emperor Taiqi opened it and read it word by word. After reading it, he closed it.

He looked at Zhao Song and said, "Last year, there were severe droughts in three provinces, no harvests, several wars in the north and southeast, plus several heavy snowfalls after the beginning of winter, snow disasters in the north, and the people were displaced. I don't even know what happened. How did it come about? The total tax revenue of the two capitals and thirteen provinces for the whole year was 4205 million taels, which was 900 million taels less than that of Emperor Taishang, and more than 300 million taels less than that of Emperor Sejong. The various expenditures planned at the beginning of last year It’s 530 million taels, but how much is in your report?”

Emperor Taiqi threw the memorial back to Zhao Song, and a corner of the memorial touched Zhao Song's face. I don't know whether it was intentional or unintentional. This veteran minister and chief minister's face was completely lost today.

For the first time, Zhao Song felt a sense of fear in his heart. This was something he had never felt before when facing Emperor Taiqi. He kowtowed and said, "I am guilty! The total amount is 830 million taels, and the overspending is 410 taels." Ten thousand taels."

"It's 410 taels, and the deficit is 970 taels. I really don't know how you became the Minister of Household Affairs?"

These words were very serious. Several pavilion elders felt their hearts twitching. They had different feelings. Could it be that something happened over there in Jiangnan?

Several cabinet ministers only dared to look at their noses with their eyes, and their noses at their hearts, and they did not dare to expose the corner of their eyes.

Emperor Taiqi asked, "Then tell me what happened to these overspending?"

"Back to the emperor, of the overspending, the Ministry of War accounted for 200 million taels, and the remaining 210 million taels were overspending by the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Personnel. Not to mention the overspending by the Ministry of War, part of the overspending by the Ministry of Industry was the construction of sea-going ships. The budget reported at the beginning of the year was 200 million taels, the actual settlement is 400 million taels, part of which is Tailing, and then the Daming Palace... The Ministry of Industry for repairing Yongding River, Xin'an River and Huaihe River reported 500 million taels at the beginning of the year, and the settlement was 750 million taels, which is an overrun. The deficit is 450 million taels." Yan Weiyong said.

"The Hedao Yamen has detailed accounts for the money for river construction. The money for the construction of Tailing Mausoleum and Daming Palace was overspent by a total of 400 million taels."

"I heard that some provinces have already levied taxes for the tenth year of Taiqi, right? These ministers really have confidence in my body. I have never thought of living until the tenth year of Taiqi. .

Tell me, where did the deficit of 360 million taels come from?Oh, not counting the 360 million taels. Jia Cong got 300 million taels of silver from Jiangnan and gave another 50 taels to Liaodong as an emergency. Have you forgotten that here and there, there was an extra 10 taels of silver? . "

"I await the death penalty!"

Zhao Song took the lead in kowtowing, and the other four people also followed suit, showing respect on their faces, but I don't know what they were thinking in their hearts.

Emperor Taiqi's eyes were dim and he looked at them one by one, and he had the urge to call Jia Cong back. With the addition of silver weapons, he had the strength to confront these people.

This was also the reason why he dared to attack Zhao Song just now.

"Zhao Song stays, you guys wait outside first, I have something to say to Zhao Song alone!"

Zhao Song was shocked. He raised his head and boldly glanced at the emperor, then quickly lowered his eyes. He really couldn't guess what the emperor was thinking, and inexplicably panic arose in his heart.

After several other cabinet ministers climbed out, the emperor rubbed the cloud and dragon patterns on the secret box and said slowly, "Old sir, I remember that you were a Jinshi in the ten years of Yongjia, right? I heard that at that time, Emperor Sejong After reading your policy document, I said that you are a sage and have the ability to assist in politics, and I named you the number one scholar. Please tell me, what is a sage?"

Zhao Song lay on the ground, sweating like rain. He didn't know what happened, and he didn't dare to take a gamble. He had no choice but to follow the emperor's words, "I have betrayed the emperor's favor and shall be punished by death!"

(End of this chapter)