mtl008 Chapter 935 I don’t like these!
Chapter 935 I don’t like these!
Chapter 935 I don’t like these!
With the offering of jade as a symbol,
In the 22nd year of Zhengde, the largest "bribery operation" began.
This guy Zhu Houzhao has repeatedly said that officials are not allowed to plunder rare treasures from the people and then bring them to the palace.
That being said, it is absolutely true.
But if someone really presented him with something good, this guy would happily accept it.
Isn’t that the chieftain of Yang family?
Then others began to think that maybe it wasn’t the gift-giving that was wrong, but that the gift didn’t touch the heart.
These are actually two forces. On the one hand, some people are punished for giving gifts, while on the other hand, some people get good results by giving gifts.
Then the people below would naturally start thinking about what the emperor would like.
The reason why Zhu Houzhao did not block this avenue was actually to hold on to the power in his hands. He wanted the people below to please him in various ways, otherwise how could he control these people?
So in the end it became this neither inside nor outside look.
As for the huge piece of jade half the height of an adult that everyone in the capital saw, it was presented by Han Shierlang, the general of the Xinjiang Military Region.
When he arrived before the emperor, he did not mention the good meaning first, but first came up to clear himself and explained: "Your Majesty, this piece of jade was born naturally and happened to be discovered by a local herdsman. It didn't cost much money."
Zhu Houzhao walked down from the dragon chair and called out to the people, "It's dark in the room, lift it up to the sun."
"Someone come, someone come." You Zhi couldn't do it anymore. His old waist couldn't take it anymore. He could only give orders from the side and remind them, "Be careful. If you break even a little bit, you won't be able to pay for it even if you lose your heads!"
"Tsk." Zhu Houzhao said to him in a nonchalant tone, "What are you talking about? No matter how beautiful the jade is, it is just a piece of stone. How can it be compared with a human life? Everyone is born by a father and raised by a mother. Does this stone have a father and a mother?"
"Uh, I know I was wrong."
Han Shierlang's excitement was immediately dampened when he heard this.
He had already emphasized that this thing was free, but it seemed that the emperor was not very pleased.
In fact, sometimes he was in trouble.
You said why not give it to yourself? Is it appropriate for him to keep such a precious thing in the eyes of the world? Does it count as a private treasure? Some people even say that such a rare treasure is a good omen. You keep it for yourself and don't give it to the emperor. What do you mean?
Zhu Houzhao was a humanist. Seriously speaking, sometimes such a large piece of jade was more valuable than a human life.
But if he were carried to the capital, the result would be the same as now.
"What's the use of this thing?" Zhu Houzhao asked, blinking his big eyes.
In fact, how could he not know how valuable this thing is? A piece of jade with such delicate texture and so big could be carved by a master and it might become a rare treasure.
It can even become a national treasure after being passed down to future generations.
But as an emperor, he couldn't set a precedent for liking pearls and jade, otherwise he would be plundering the whole country continuously and unstoppably. On the contrary, he had to tell everyone clearly that he didn't like these things, so you should spend less, because it would be a waste if you spend too much.
Han Shierlang was also stumped by the question. He scratched his head and said, "Well, I have also heard that jade of this quality is extremely rare and valuable. I think it is precious, so I am presenting it to Your Majesty."
After saying this, he also knew that he was wrong, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I was rude in this matter."
"Just be thoughtful. Giving gifts is a difficult thing in itself. Why don't you find a few craftsmen to carve it?" Zhu Houzhao touched his chin and said this casually. Then he glanced at Han Shierlang, "Is that all? I specially transferred you from Liaodong to Xinjiang. In a year, you got me such a piece of stone?"
This really spoils the fun.
You Zhi on the side was originally very excited, what a treasure, his eyes were about to be blinded by the brilliance, but then a basin of cold water was poured on him, freezing him from head to toe.
"Take it away, take it away, take it away." The old eunuch waved his hands impatiently.
"Father-in-law, where are we going?"
"Put it wherever you want. Are you asking for help from us even if it's just a broken stone?!"
Several eunuchs were in a difficult situation.
After all, how can you just do this with such a precious thing? Shouldn't you send someone to look over it carefully? If you leave it there with your eyes closed, what if someone steals it? Whose the hell will it belong to?
In order to straighten his attitude in front of the emperor, the old eunuch described it as a broken stone!
Old fox!
Han Shierlang followed the emperor closely. Of course, he didn't have only this one stone.
"Your Majesty, I have something to report to you." He knelt down and clasped his fists. "Your Majesty, I would like to ask for a fight! Conquer the Kazakh Khanate!"
Zhu Houzhao stopped and said, "If you have this idea first, then this piece of jade will be a gift, which is quite interesting. Otherwise, even if it is twice as big and twice as delicate, what benefit will it bring to the country?"
"Your Majesty is teaching me that I am confused."
"When you are in a high position, you will hear many different opinions. I completely understand. I would like to remind you that as a military commander, victory on the battlefield is always the foundation of your career. No matter how good other things are, they are just a foil."
Han Shierlang broke out in a cold sweat.
Although he was a general at the border with powerful troops under his command, he still felt psychological pressure when facing Emperor Zhengde.
This is a kind of psychological fear brought about by long-term submission, not to mention that his strength is not enough to challenge the central government.
"Get up." Zhu Houzhao raised his arm, retracted his expression and returned to normal. "Tell me, what are you going to do about the Kazakh Khanate?"
"Your Majesty, since the death of the last Great Khan of the Kazakh Khanate, Hasim Khan, and the succession of Taher Khan, the Kazakh Khanate has been in civil strife. There is a tribe in the central highlands, commonly known as the 'Middle Tent'. The area east of the Middle Tent to the east and south coast of the Yibo Sea is called the Big Tent, and the area west of the Middle Tent to the sea is called the Small Tent. The three tribes are not subordinate to each other and are fighting each other. I plan to start with the Big Tent."
"The seaside?" Zhu Houzhao frowned. "Is the Kazakh Khanate that big? Does the western border extend all the way to the seaside?"
"I heard that at the end of the Central Highlands, there is a lowland connected to an ocean. It may not feel like an ocean, but it is indeed vast."
After hearing this explanation,
Zhu Houzhao was still muttering in his heart: Hasim Khan was indeed a great ruler, but he did not unify the whole of Central Asia, all the way to the Mediterranean Sea? Oh, yes. It should be the Caspian Sea.
The southern shore of the Caspian Sea is the Iranian Plateau, which is indeed very far away from the Ming Dynasty.
"It can't be the sea. From the geography we know today, the western part of Ming Dynasty is a vast land. Otherwise, why can't Westerners come directly from the land? Our people have hardly ever been to the far west. It must be too far away to reach. Maybe it's just a big lake. How many troops do they have?"
"Not many. The combined forces of the three camps, large, medium and small, are less than 150,000. Moreover, in the four years since Hasmukh's death, the Kazakh Khanate has been in constant strife, and at the same time, it has been at war with the Bukhara Khanate."
"It's true that they are not strong. But this place seems to be completely different from the Central Plains. Most people still live a herding life like the Mongols. And the area is vast. If we really want to conquer it, it is not impossible as long as we spend some money, but it is difficult to govern it effectively."
Han Shierlang was worried that the emperor might change his mind, so he said, "If we follow the Ili River down, we can reach Yibohai. Yibohai was the land of the Han and Tang dynasties and should be taken back. Moreover, after entering the Kazakh Khanate, the Tianshan Mountains in the south gradually disappeared, and the Altai Mountains in the north gradually turned into flat land. From a defensive perspective, the fortresses between these mountains should also be taken as Ming territory, otherwise it will be more difficult to guard the border."
"Don't worry, that's not what I mean. We still have to ask for the Kazakh Khanate, and we have to take back Yi Bohai. The Ili River Valley is a beautiful place, how can we give it to others so easily?
In the 22nd year of the Zhengde reign, you were ready to go on an expedition. That place is really vast, and the artillery is too heavy to move. You should bring more fire guns. Genghis Khan also led his troops to fight there. If he could do it, why can't the Ming Dynasty do it? "
In fact, Zhu Houzhao still remembered that Yibohai, which later became Lake Balkhash, was a good place rich in minerals, and the Kazakh Khanate was defined as an energy-based country.
This title is not so easy to get.
Although he occupied it in the 16th century, it does not mean that he occupied it for the next few hundred years, but after all, he left behind a "since ancient times" mark.
Moreover, he still has time and opportunity to deepen governance and strengthen control over that place.
"Do you have any request?"
Han Shierlang thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, Xinjiang is a vast area, and it is not easy to supply food and grass. I just need enough food and grass. As long as there is enough food and grass, I can conquer even the area west of Yibohai."
"Good!" Zhu Houzhao thought proudly and said, "Since ancient times, emperors have been divided into different ranks according to their achievements. When you succeed, I think in the past few hundred years, I should be the emperor who has fought the farthest, right?"
"I am willing to help your majesty achieve hegemony!"
"Food and grass are not a problem, the problem lies in transportation. But don't worry, I will definitely support you with all my strength."
Han Shierlang was excited after receiving this assurance.
He was not just talking empty words. As long as there was enough food, he would definitely beat those people and make them flee in all directions.
What Zhu Houzhao said about the transportation problem was true, because Xinjiang is really too big, and there are often hundreds of miles of uninhabited areas, so it would take a lot of effort to build a road.
The Ming Dynasty's current method is to adopt relay transportation. Grain from Gansu is transported to Hami, and grain from Shaanxi is transported to Gansu. In this way, people from each province only have to travel a certain distance. In short, the garrison sent from the Central Plains should be provided for first.
If we want to increase the transportation volume on this basis, we will have to mobilize the people to pay for transportation. Five or eight million yuan is not a lot of money thrown in this place.
But if there was a real need, Zhu Houzhao would agree. After all, the money would just be lying there in the national treasury, and returning it to the hands of the people in this way was also a way of keeping wealth for the people.
The problem is that Xinjiang has already been transported in this way. After the Kazakh Khanate is conquered, the area there will be even larger and the number of troops stationed there will inevitably increase. At that time, how will they supply the area? Will they still transport grain from the Central Plains?
It's unlikely. No matter how you calculate it, it's a loss.
It is estimated that it is still necessary to reclaim arable land and establish supply areas in the local area, but in this way, this area will be relatively independent. If you want to form effective rule, you probably need a system similar to the Western Regions Protectorate and the Anxi Protectorate.
(End of this chapter)