Mao Ding and Liang Tou

  (In the 28th year of Yongli) In November, Zhou Lord Wu Sangui sent ceremonial official Zhou Wenji to pay respects to Zheng Jing.

  Wu Sangui had rebelled, and the state was called Zhou. He sent an envoy with silk and a letter to Dongning to gather troops, and Zheng Jing ordered the official Chen Kejun and deputy general Chen Wenxuan to respond. Wu Sangui again sent the official Qian Dian to pay his respects. At that time, Geng and Zheng were at war, so Dian returned to report to Wu Sangui. Wu Sangui then sent Wenji to negotiate a truce, with the intention of saying "Fighting within the same family brings ridicule from enemy states."

  "Min Hai Ji Yao"

  Geng Jimao originally had only 15 battalions (note: during the Kangxi period, one battalion was about 300 people) and more than 7,000 Green Standard Army soldiers as his old foundation. After several battles with Zheng's army, he had already lost a lot, while at this time the Qing court had sent Prince Kang Jishu as the commander-in-chief and Prince Jian Labu as the general of Yangwei to garrison troops in Hangzhou and Jiangning, intimidating Zhejiang and Fujian. Due to concerns about being caught between two enemies, Geng Jingzhong weighed his options repeatedly and eventually negotiated a peace treaty with the Ming Zheng faction through Wu Sangui's envoy, so that he could free up his hands to face the strong enemy in the north.

  The Zheng army, although repeatedly victorious in battles against the Geng army, was no longer the powerful and prosperous force it had been during Zhu's time, when tens of thousands of troops could be mobilized at will. The Zheng army, facing a shortage of soldiers, was caught between two vastly different choices: supporting Wu or opposing Wu, with Shi Lang hesitating in the middle. Feeling powerless, they saw an opportunity in Geng's intention to make peace and took it, leading both sides back to the negotiating table.

  ??

  "Your Majesty, at present, the great army of our province has gathered in Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Chaozhou and Xiamen. The military strength is increasing day by day, and it is inconvenient to transport supplies from Dongning. I think we should still recruit local troops and collect taxes to meet the needs.

  Minister Zheng Shengying, who was previously the prefect of Chengtian Prefecture in the Eastern Capital and is now the administrator of Siming Prefecture and the Pacification Commissioner of Fujian and Guangdong, is Zhu Sheng's cousin and Zhu Jin's uncle. As a veteran of the Ming-Zheng regime, his words carry significant weight.

  "I have already prepared a proposal with Yang Ying, which includes two items: Mao Ding and Liang Tou. Mao Ding refers to the poll tax, which is levied on all citizens between 16 and 60 years old in each county, with each person paying five cents of silver. Liang Tou refers to the ship tax, which is levied on ships according to their size. With hundreds of ships gathered in Siming Prefecture, this revenue should not be less than that from Mao Ding."

  "Your Majesty, apart from this, I and Zheng Gong have also discussed setting up salt farms in Quan, Zhang, Chao and other places." Yang Ying, the Minister of Revenue, added. "For now, the price of salt is temporarily set at two coins per dan, with an additional surcharge of four coins to make up for the shortage of military rations."

  "This proposal is very good." Zhu Jin nodded, in fact, when it comes to financial management in the Ming Zheng regime, the most authoritative person should be Chen Yonghua, who is in Dongning. However, since Chen Yonghua is far away in Taiwan, Zhu Jin can only rely on Zheng Shengying and Yang Ying. "The salt administration is a matter of great importance, do you have a suitable candidate?"

  Zheng Xiangying and Yang Ying exchanged a glance, then slightly bowed their heads: "This is a matter of great importance, we dare not take it upon ourselves, please instruct us, Your Majesty."

  Zhu Jin's gaze swept across the faces of the people in the hall, and since the salt administration had always been a lucrative position, many people showed eager expressions. Zhu Jin's mouth curled up slightly, feeling the pleasure of having great power and being able to grant favors: "Chen Tingzhang was quite good at his post in Wan Nianzhou, and he was also appointed as the Salt Transport Commissioner of Quanzhou."

  Recommended by Chen Yonghua, Zhongshu Sheren Zheng Debiao quickly recorded it, and then heard Zhu Jin continue to say: "Xi Ke can be appointed as the salt control officer of Zhangzhou."

  As soon as he heard that his younger brother had been granted such a high position, Feng Xifan, who was standing beside Zhu Jin, flashed a smile on his face.

  "Let Li Jing of the Chengxuan Department take care of the salt tax." The largest piece of cake was cut by Zhu Jin himself, and he naturally had no interest in cutting the remaining scraps one by one. So he threw them to Zheng Shengying and Yang Ying, who were specifically in charge. "As for the county taxes, Ming Shu will discuss with Yang Qing how to handle it."

  "Yes!" they replied in unison.

  When the two of them returned to their own ranks, Officer Hong Yue stepped out and reported: "The surrendered generals Liu Yan, Xu Hongbo, and Liu Chenglong have arrived at Siming's court to pay respects to Your Majesty. I don't know what instructions Your Majesty has for them."

  Due to the insufficient military strength of Zheng Jun, the Ming-Zheng side has always given generous treatment to the surrendered generals. For example, Zhao De-sheng, who was the first to surrender and was promoted to Left Commander-in-Chief and enfeoffed as Duke Xingming; Zhang Xue-yao, a general from Tong'an, was appointed as Left Vanguard General; Huang Fang-duo, son of Huang Wei, who had defected from Zhu Yigui and surrendered Haicheng to the Qing court, was enfeoffed as Duke Dehua for his meritorious service in capturing Chaozhou. If nothing unexpected happens, Liu Yan, Xu Hong-bo, Liu Cheng-long, and others will also receive similar treatment.

  "This matter will have to wait for now." But unexpectedly, Zhu Jin did not immediately come out to comfort the three surrendered generals. "At present, our province and Geng Province are negotiating a peace treaty. If we make a big show of it now, I'm afraid Geng Province will be alarmed. Let's talk about it later, but Hong Cheng, the Ministry of Officials must not neglect these three people, lest they harbor resentment."

  Hong Lei retreated at the sound, and at this time, as Liu Guoxuan was not present, He You, the highest-ranking official among the imperial guards, stepped forward to ask: "Your Majesty, if we can reach an agreement with Geng Huan this time, how should our vassal behave in the future?"

  "What's wrong, Minister Liu? Did you see the big battles in Quanbei and feel itchy, fearing that the two provinces are harmonious and the northern line is peaceful, so there won't be any more battles to fight?" Zhu Jin naturally knew the thoughts of his subordinates. As a military man, how could one get promoted or rich without fighting? However, he didn't answer directly, instead shifting his gaze to Chen Xiangwu's face. "Chen Zanhua, you come and answer."

  Chen Xiangwu, in charge of military strategy, took a step forward and stood in the middle of the courtyard. First, he bowed deeply to Zhu Jin, who was seated above, then straightened up and looked around at the officials before speaking: "His Majesty has ordered me to respond, so I will not be presumptuous."

  Chen Xiangwu pointed south with one hand, making a gesture of a pre-Qin debater: "Although Geng Zhongming and the others are harmonious, they still have doubts. The previous defeat of Sun Yuanliang in Guangxi can be said to be due to their mistaken trust in Shang Kexi and his son. However, this is a good thing for our side. We can take advantage of the situation and march south to capture all of Guangdong Province."

  Guangdong is far more prosperous than Fujian. As soon as they heard that the next target was Guangdong, the commanders, generals and governors who were standing by, fully armed, suddenly lit up with excitement, each rubbing their fists and palms, looking eager to take action.

  However, at the military meeting before the Western Expedition, Ke Ping, the judicial officer who was not optimistic about the prospects of the war, stood out again to sing a different tune: "If Zhou Zhuang can persuade Ben Fan and Geng Fan to negotiate, what if he intervenes again at that time? It must be known that San Fan is closely related to each other, far more than Ben Fan. If Ben Fan follows his will at that time, San Fan will join hands, and how can Ben Fan deal with it?"

  "Mr. Ke's words are quite right," Chen Xiangwu did not get angry, but instead nodded in agreement with the other party's statement, obviously having already considered it. "However, Shang Jun is repeatedly unpredictable, and Wu Jun must be very headache, if this Jun can suppress Shang Jun, I'm afraid Wu Jun will also be happy to see it happen. Taking a step back, if Shang Jun sends sincerity to Wu Jun in exchange for Zhou Jun's intervention, but Wu Jun has to face the enemy army, how much strength does he have left to drive troops into Guangdong Province?"

  Seeing Chen Zongwu's complacent appearance, Feng Xifan, who was also in charge of military strategy, didn't want to let him take all the credit, so he jumped out and supplemented in a confident tone: "Even if it ends up being a peaceful resolution between the two sides, just like the current situation with Quanzhou and Zhangzhou prefectures, can you spit out what's already been swallowed?"

  ??”

  The plan has been decided, and the officials quietly dispersed. Zhu Jin rubbed his forehead with some fatigue, and at this time, Feng Xifan suddenly changed from his earlier hesitation to a humble and obedient appearance, and spoke to Zhu Jin: "Your Majesty, the troops are fighting outside, and it's likely that we won't be able to return to Dongdu to celebrate the New Year this year. Should we send someone to pay respects to the Empress Dowager?"

  "Yes, can't spend the New Year in Tokyo anymore. The war has been going on for years, and I don't know when it will end. It's also strange to think of Qin She and others." Zhu Jin was struck by a wave of nostalgia by Feng Xifan, and since the other party was a close friend, Zhu Jin didn't avoid his meaning either. After sighing lightly, he made a decision. "Wait a minute, send someone back to ask Mother about her well-being." Although there was only one person mentioned in the conversation, Dong Guotai, Feng Xifan understood Zhu Jin's true intention and nodded. Seeing that his trusted aide had grasped it, Zhu Jin casually asked: "Is there any new news from Dongning recently?"

  "Any new news?" Feng Xifan's eyes rolled around. "Recently, Dongning has come out with a new type of rock sugar that is far superior to the best sugar products currently available. Additionally, there is also a new type of ice sugar that looks like an ice block from afar. These two types of sugar are selling well in Siming and should bring in considerable profits."

  "Oh? Gong Bu has made a great achievement this time," Zhu Jin still didn't know the details of the matter and subconsciously thought it was Gong Bu's masterpiece. "Summon someone to pass on my decree, let Chen Ai Qie generously reward Gong Bu and his men, and also appoint Yang Xian as (fourth rank) Zhong Yi Da Fu."

  "Wait a minute." Feng Xifan immediately stopped him. "This matter has nothing to do with the Ministry of Works, but is a sugar refinery opened by Marquis Funing."

  Zhu Jin's face stiffened, facing these younger brothers he had never been in a good mood, but Confucianism emphasizes filial piety and fraternal love, so even if he was furious, he couldn't easily scold his own brothers. However, the sugar industry has always been one of Ming Zheng's most important sources of profit, so he can't help but handle it carefully.

  "What's going on with Fu Fu? How can he just watch as Fú Níng Hóu becomes this national pest? Unacceptable, you must immediately dispatch someone to thoroughly investigate and handle the matter."

  "Wang Shang, this matter also involves the Crown Prince." Feng Xifan was still only jealous of Chen Yonghua's power at this time, and since he had not yet directly conflicted with Zheng Kecang, he did not dare to easily target Zhu Jin's intended successor. "It is normal for General Chen to be cautious in his handling of the matter."

  "What's going on?" Zhu Jin's face sank. "Tell me clearly."

  The emperor, it is said that the eldest prince found the techniques for refining snow sugar and making rock sugar in several agricultural books. He wanted to ask Chancellor Chen to try manufacturing them, but Chancellor Chen refused outright, citing the reason that the prince was indulging in frivolous pursuits. Having no other choice, the prince could only find Marquis Fu Ning.

  ??”

  Zhu Jin listened with a changing expression: "This Qin She, really doesn't know the height of heaven and earth. Last time in his letter, he mentioned something about Jia Zhang, Award Certificate, which had already been granted to him, but it wasn't over yet. Now he's making another fuss about Xue Tang, Ice Sugar, with his cunning tricks. It seems like he has forgotten the great way of the sage."

  Listening to Zhu Jin's tone, Feng Xifan knew that he was actually more pleased than displeased, so he added: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince's intention is good, it's just that Chancellor Chen failed to recognize it, causing the benefits to spill over. Fortunately, they ultimately fell into the hands of Funing Hou, which can't be considered an outsider."

  "It's his own brother!" Zhu Jin sighed and stood up, walking towards the back of the hall. "Let his own brother be, as long as the official gains are not reduced, this matter will no longer be mentioned."

  ??”