Chapter 181: Become my minister (Additional watch for the alliance leader’s distant mountains!)
Zhu Houzhao was also sizing up this Grand Master. As a Grand Master, he was a first-grade official. In the Ming Dynasty, only important officials of the empire could get this honor after their death. Now the only Ma Wensheng who was awarded the title of Grand Master during his lifetime was Zhu Houzhao's use. Imposed by imperial power.
But Zhu Houzhao didn't expect that the Mongolian grand master would be so poorly dressed. He didn't even have brocade, and he still smelled of sheep.
Seeing the action of Jiao Fang, the chief minister of the cabinet, pinching his nose, Zhu Houzhao couldn't help pinching his nose himself and asked: "Are you the Grand Master of the Yongxie Department?"
"Exactly, I have never met His Majesty the Ming Emperor!"
Yibula saluted Zhu Houzhao. Although the Ming emperor in front of him looked very young, he did not dare to express his contempt directly.
"Excuse me. The Yuan Dynasty has long been replaced by the Ming Dynasty. Why do you still retain your official positions in the previous dynasty?"
Zhu Houzhao changed the topic at this time and asked directly in a cold voice, with a rather stern tone!
After hearing this, Jiao Fang, the chief minister of the cabinet, couldn't help but feel a little bit in her heart. She thought to herself: What is your majesty trying to do? Isn't it to form an alliance with others? Why is there such a meaning of questioning in his words?
Liu Jin, the ceremonial supervisor, was also surprised and wondered what his prince wanted to do.
Zhu Houzhao naturally had a purpose in asking this. To make these Tatars completely lose their ambition to restore the Yuan Dynasty, the first thing to do is to completely remove all Yuan Dynasty symbols from their bodies, including their official positions in the Yuan Dynasty.
Yibula was also surprised. He didn't expect that he had just thought that the Ming Emperor in front of him should not be so majestic at a young age, but who knew that he would directly ask himself why he retained his previous official position? How could he explain this? If he explained that he was still nostalgic for the previous dynasty and intended to restore the Yuan Dynasty, wouldn't that directly make the Yongxie Department an enemy of the Ming Dynasty, and he might even be hacked to death on the spot.
"Your Majesty, this matter is excusable. Since the new dynasty has not awarded them, they can only temporarily receive the officials of the previous dynasty. Your Majesty, why not follow Taizong's example of granting Alutai, and granting the title will not offend?"< br>
At this time, Jiao Fang, the chief minister of the cabinet, replied.
Zhu Houzhao was waiting for Jiao Fang's words, but he did not say it directly. He wanted to wait but not take the initiative to seek an official position.
Yi Bu Lai also saw that the Ming Emperor in front of him wanted to join the Ming Dynasty and become a minister of the Ming Dynasty, but now as a tribal lord, he was the Tu Emperor, and he did not even recognize the little prince as the Great Khan. Now He rashly wanted to surrender to the Ming Dynasty, and to a young emperor who looked like he had no hair on his head, so he hesitated.
Zhu Houzhao also saw Shi Yibula's thoughts, and asked Jiao Fang, the chief minister of the cabinet: "Jiao Aiqing, who is more worthy of being the lord of the Yongxie Department, between Jia Silan, Yisima and Shi Yibula?"
When Zhu Houzhao asked this question, the implication was that there was not only one lord of the Yongxie Department, but also one who was unwilling to join the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty could choose one of the other lords of the Yongxie Department to take a high position, and then help others. Unify the Yongxie Department.
He was neither harsh nor stupid, so he naturally understood what Zhu Houzhao meant when he asked the civil servant in front of him.
He also thought that no matter what the young Ming emperor in front of him wanted to do, he would never allow the other lords of the Yongxie tribe to have the opportunity to join the Ming Dynasty. In that case, they would get Ming's support and drive him out of the Grand Master. position, he must take advantage of the opportunity that he understands Chinese and is now the first to come to see the Ming Emperor to seize the opportunity to join the Ming Dynasty.
Therefore, Ye Bulu suddenly knelt down directly: "As the Grand Master said, I had to succeed the previous dynasty because I was not granted the imperial title of the Ming Dynasty. Now the Ming Dynasty is the dynasty to which destiny belongs. I have no desire to be loyal to the Ming Dynasty. I have long been willing to surrender to your majesty. Now I just ask your majesty to accept me as your servant.”
At that time, the Mongolian nobles often called senior officials of the Ming Dynasty Taishi, just like I called Wang Chonggu Taishi during the Jiajing period.
Zhu Houzhao smiled. He had to admit that this Yibula was still very smart and knew how to adapt to changes.
Zhu Houzhao hurriedly helped him up and said, "Why are you doing this? Please get up quickly. Please get up quickly. I always treat ministers of the previous dynasty favorably, especially those like you who are willing to learn the words of the Ming Dynasty. This shows that there is indeed a heart." My heart is toward heaven!”
Zhu Houzhao turned around and ordered with a serious face: "Pass the decree! Feng Yibu assassinates King Shunzhong Zhong! Charge him with leading the Yongxie tribe and give him a hundred pieces of brocade! A hundred short crossbows!"
Short crossbow?
The chief minister of the cabinet, Jiao Fang, looked solemn.
Crossbows are different from bows. Crossbows focus on mechanics, while bows focus on materials. However, the former has always been more valued because it contains technical aspects. After all, a crossbow allows an ordinary person to shoot a ball that can pierce a tree with a hundred steps, while a bow needs to shoot a ball that can pierce a tree with a hundred steps. To be effective, the bow must be a good one, and the person who pulls the bow must have good arm strength.
Therefore, the manufacturing technology of crossbows is often kept top secret.
Especially the newly manufactured short crossbows in the Ming Dynasty, which are powerful weapons for cavalry combat. As the chief minister of the cabinet, Jiao Fang has also seen the shocking scenes of the Guards cavalry using short crossbows in military exercises, but now he does not understand why His Majesty wants to use them. The most advanced weapons from the Ming Dynasty were given to him.
What if the Tatars mastered this technology? "Your Majesty! I think the people of the Yuan Dynasty have always been brave, and their arm strength is particularly amazing. The short crossbow and other ingenious weapons are only suitable for the people of the Central Plains and not for the people of the Yuan Dynasty! Therefore, I think it is better to give him a hundred taels of gold!"
At this time, Jiao Fang, the chief minister of the cabinet, hurriedly raised objections. Of course, he could not directly say that Your Majesty cannot give such advanced ordnance to others, and could only find other reasons.
Zhu Houzhao also understood what Jiao Fang meant, but he felt speechless about it. He had to admit that although officials in this era were smarter than monkeys in officialdom, they were limited by their ignorance of future history, so that in this era they always It seems so narrow-minded.
But Zhu Houzhao himself knew that if he wanted to be ahead of the enemy in military equipment, he could not rely on confidentiality. The only reliable way was to be faster than the enemy in technological updates and improvements, and to sell some better advanced weapons to the enemy. It is not disadvantageous, but advantageous, because it allows the enemy to rely on its own military supplies, as long as you can ensure that the enemy cannot copy them, and does not improve the strength of such weapons.
Zhu Houzhao now has this confidence. He believes that even if the Yongxie Ministry wants to imitate the short crossbow after obtaining the short crossbow, it will not be successful because they cannot make high carbon steel, let alone make springs. Even if they can be made by craftsmen, they will cause problems. The cost is too high and the quality is not up to standard.
For a traditional Mongolian tribe like the Yongxie tribe, which has no industrial technology at all, if they want to have more short crossbows, they can only rely on the Ming Dynasty to provide them. Even if the Yongxie tribe learns to assemble them in the future, in terms of some important parts Will also rely on Daming to provide.
Moreover, once the Mongolian cavalry of the Yongxie tribe get used to using short crossbows, they will neglect their archery training and will be completely inseparable from the short crossbows. Naturally, they will become more dependent on the Ming Dynasty, and it will be easier for the Ming Dynasty to control these tribes. .
Zhu Houzhao is not willing to give gold and silver to others. Gold and silver are generally equivalent and necessary for future financial reform. Zhu Houzhao will not give them away casually, especially gold!
Therefore, Zhu Houzhao did not adopt Jiao Fang's suggestion: "Gold is a thing of metal and stone. King Shunzhong is one of the lords of the Yongxie tribe. How can there be a shortage of gold? The short crossbow is what King Shunzhong lacks most!"
After Zhu Houzhao said this, Jiao Fang, the chief minister of the cabinet, could not say anything. He could only draft a decree and have Liu Jin seal it.
Yi Bu La never expected that he would become King Shunzhong of the Ming Dynasty so quickly!
Under the influence of Chinese culture, Yibula also knew what the title Wang meant, which meant that his status was now higher than that of the Grand Master, and he could legitimately conquer the tribes of other Mongolian Grand Masters.
For the short crossbow.
Yibula had no idea yet, but when he saw Zhu Houzhao letting the cavalry from the Imperial Guard Battalion practice, he realized that the Ming Dynasty already had such a sharp weapon. He couldn't help but secretly rejoice. Fortunately, he agreed to join the Ming Dynasty and did not become an enemy of the Ming Dynasty. .
Because once there is such a short crossbow, it means that an ordinary cavalry can become an elite soldier who can draw a strong bow on horseback!
This also means that tens of thousands more elite cavalry can be produced at once.
Yibula couldn't believe how powerful his tribe would become if he could get so many short crossbows.
"I gave you these one hundred short crossbows, but if you, King Shunzhong, want more short crossbows, you can only pay for them! After all, this crossbow is expensive to make! I can't afford to give it away for free! ”
Zhu Houzhao said this, making Yibula very surprised: "Your Majesty! What do you mean, this short crossbow can be sold?"
"King Shunzhong misunderstood that this crossbow is extremely difficult to make! The Ming Dynasty only had a thousand crossbows. Your Majesty said to buy it, but if you still want dozens of them, you can only buy it!"
The chief minister of the cabinet, Jiao Fang, first explained it to Zhu Houzhao, but he was roaring in his heart, Your Majesty, how can you say you want to buy it? Is this short crossbow for sale? This is more secret than a cannon! Guns and muskets are prohibited for sale outside the country, let alone this short crossbow!
"What I said is not what I mean. What I mean is that King Shunzhong can buy short crossbows from the Ming Dynasty, but the price is high. Each crossbow can only be exchanged for gold, good horses from Three Rivers, or high-quality wool. The price is mine. I will ask people from the Ordnance Bureau to discuss it with you, but I have a condition! If you want to be qualified to buy, you must help me eliminate the little prince!”
Zhu Houzhao said directly.
He wanted to give the Ordnance Bureau an opportunity to make money from outside the country, otherwise the Ordnance Bureau would become an unprofitable organization and would continue to eat up the savings of his Royal Taxation Bureau by being responsible for the supply of weapons to the Ming army.
Only by allowing the Ordnance Bureau to make profits by selling weapons to the outside world through the central court can foreign enemies provide the court with the financial resources to manufacture ordnance.
In this way, one day in the future, Ming Dynasty will be able to use the money of foreign enemies to eliminate foreign enemies.
Yibula naturally didn't expect Zhu Houzhao to be so far away. He only knew that if his tribe had such short crossbows, he could have tens of thousands more elite iron cavalry! I don’t have to be afraid of the little prince’s threat!
Although he was not well dressed and smelled bad, it was because he didn't like bathing and brocade was expensive, especially in the grasslands, but as a Yuan noble, there was no shortage of gold, horses, and wool.
(End of chapter)