Chapter 285 The Only Path to Choose (I)
"Gong Yu." After Huo Chong read the records found in the document, he found that there was indeed such a person.
Unexpectedly, Huo Chong actually had the habit of taking notes. Kong Bugeng quickly said, "We have already invited him."
Huo Chong saw that Zeng Jing looked unhappy, so he asked this staunch supporter of the land, "Brother Zeng, don't you like this person?"
Zeng Jing bowed slightly, "General, this man is very arrogant."
"Being arrogant because of one's talent?" Huo Chong immediately became interested. Huo Chong didn't like this kind of person at first, but Kong Bugeng and Weber's suggestions made Huo Chong feel that he was probably the arrogant one. Huo Chong used to think that people of this era were smart but not very wise. After the attack on Jiangning, he had to admit that people of this era really understood this era.
Weber immediately responded: "General, although Gong Yu is arrogant because of his talent, he has real ability. He is really arrogant. When he meets a great talent, he also knows how to be impressed."
Zeng Jing was already very unhappy, and now she was furious, "General, Gong Yu really looks down on people..."
After being told this by these three people, Huo Chong had already made up his mind, "Haha. At most we can't cooperate, let's meet, let's meet."
Not long after, a man in his early thirties was brought in. He had a clear face and a smart demeanor. He would have been even more handsome if he didn't have the money rat tail.
After a simple greeting, Huo Chong asked Gong Yu to sit down. Kong Bugeng was used to sitting half, and Weber and Zeng Jing sat two-thirds. Gong Yu sat down slowly and steadily, neither hurried nor slow. Seeing this, Huo Chong was very happy.
In the Han army, Huo Chong had to work hard to make the whole army know that it was wrong to sit tremblingly. It was proper for everyone to sit firmly.
If Gong Yu was not too nervous, then he was really confident in his knowledge. Huo Chong did not test him and asked directly: "Brother Gong, after I conquered Jiangning, I felt like leaving, but I also didn't want to leave. I wonder what Brother Gong thinks."
"Why should the general withdraw? Why not?"
"We retreated because our original goal was only to capture Jiangning City. Now that we have Jiangning City in our hands, we can't help but start considering the various trade-offs after occupying Jiangning City."
"If that's the case, General, why don't you temporarily hand over Jiangning City to someone you trust to guard it."
"If my troops stay in Jiangning City, it is inevitable that we have to maintain a transportation line from Shandong to Jiangning City. I didn't have this idea at first, and I couldn't make up my mind for a while."
Gong Yu closed his eyes slightly and answered slowly: "From Shandong to Jiangning. Go through Jining, Suqian, Huai'an, Yangzhou, Zhenjiang. If Hangzhou is also guarded, I wonder how many troops do you think are needed to defend these key points."
"I don't know actually. That's why I find it hard to choose."
Gong Yu opened his eyes, "General, I heard from Brother Weber that you want to distribute the land equally. Starting from Shandong, we will gradually push forward to the west and south. It will take about three or four years to push it to Jiangning. However, in the past three or four years, Henan, Jiangsu, Jiangnan and other places may have been in flames. If you insist on doing this, you might as well hand this place over to those who have surrendered. Let them defend it. If the gentry in Jiangsu and Zhejiang resist, you can still make them contribute. These people will inevitably have their own plans, and even if they are pretending to be submissive, they will temporarily obey orders. If you act quickly, you may be able to hold on."
Huo Chong nodded repeatedly, and his mind suddenly became clearer. Huo Chong had always believed that "the reason for not being able to make a decision is either because you want too much or because you are not aware enough". So he couldn't figure out why he was so worried about gains and losses. After Gong Yu's analysis, Huo Chong felt that his mind gradually became clearer, as if he had found some reasons.
As if seeing through Huo Chong's thoughts, Gong Yu asked, "General, why do you think you can't make a decision?"
"Maybe I want too much. Since I conquered Jiangning, I feel I have a responsibility to the people of Jiangning. If they retreat rashly because of me and fall into the hands of others, they will inevitably suffer a lot."
Gong Yu had been calm when answering before, but now he finally frowned slightly, "General, you... are too self-indulgent. I'm afraid the local people only want you to leave quickly and welcome the Qing army back. If you really leave, how can the people be unhappy? They will never blame you for it."
Huo Chong didn't hate this at all and couldn't help laughing. However, when he glanced at Kong Bugeng and Weber, he saw that both of them had some fear on their faces. They were probably really scared by Gong Yu.
Gong Yu also laughed: "General, I think you are arrogant because of your talent."
"Haha. This is what others say about you. I always thought I was very modest and prudent."
"General, I heard that Yongzheng, who died at your hands, commented on you that he could make the truth sound like a lie. I didn't expect it to be true. Haha ."
After saying this, Huo Chong and Gong Yu laughed together. After a moment, they both felt that it was not funny anymore and regained their composure.
Zeng Jing beside him snorted coldly. Kong Bugeng and Weber's faces turned pale, they were really scared.
Gong Yu asked calmly, "General. I see that you know very well what will happen if you distribute the land equally, so I am particularly puzzled. Although the landlords use land rent to exploit, they dare not act rashly against the government because of this. After all, if they rise up against the government, the government has plenty of ways to deal with the gentry. If you distribute the land equally, there is actually no benefit except that you will eventually become the only landlord in the world. However, all the gentry in the world will fight against you. I personally think that the exploitation of landlords is indeed very cruel. But how can the general manage so much land? Does the general think that with the land in hand, everything will be fine?"
"Of course not. The production method of small farmers is not resistant to natural disasters. The reason for land reform is to prevent small farmers from being exploited by landlords and gentry. Let them jump from the line between life and death to a state where they will not starve to death despite the hardship. This requires providing small farmers with enough iron farm tools and building water conservancy facilities. Digging iron ore and smelting farm tools will definitely not work if we use the previous methods. This business must be done with greater investment and greater risks to develop industry. Industry means the same daily labor, the same number of people working, and the output is a hundred or a thousand times that of the past. If this cannot be achieved, it is just equal distribution of land, and its use is very limited."
Gong Yu thought for a moment and immediately replied, "If the general is not lying to me, then he must have a unique skill. Please teach me."
"Science! What craftsmen have now is technology, which is nothing more than a person's view on iron smelting. Everyone is different. And it is based on experience, that is, it is obtained by chance. But the essence is not understood. The so-called science, the judgment standard is whether it can be falsified. For example, I say that the earth is a big sphere. The moon is a sphere. The moon revolves around the earth, and the small earth-moon system composed of the earth and the moon revolves around the sun. This is a conclusion. Then I put forward the basis for my judgment. Opponents can also put forward the reasons and basis for their judgment. In the end, as long as it is proved that my basis is wrong, it proves that what I said is wrong. But proving that I am wrong does not mean that the person who opposes me is right. The other party's point of view must also be tested. Maybe I am right, maybe the opponent is right. Or we are both wrong. But it is impossible for us to be both right."
Zeng Jing looked impatient. Kong Bugeng and Weber listened. Huo Chong did not force them to listen, but told them that if they wanted to listen, they could listen. If they did not want to listen, they could leave.
Just as Huo Chong expected, the arrogant Gong Yu was very motivated. When Huo Chong ordered someone to give him paper and pen, Gong Yu picked up the pen very smoothly and wrote down the key points he thought. It can be seen that this guy is really a scholar.
This discussion ranged from basic astronomy to the structure of matter. Although Gong Yuzhi was just listening, he could tell that his comprehension and understanding were extraordinary. Even with guesses and imagination, he could barely construct a system.
After Huo Chong had roughly established a coal-iron complex industry, replaced manual labor with metal tools and mechanical equipment to promote productivity. Gong Yu nodded, "I know nothing about these. I just understand what the general meant by developing productivity. If it can really be done, land reform will be really profitable, not just wishful thinking."
Zeng Jing, who had been out for several times, came back to listen reluctantly. After Gong Yu finished speaking, Zeng Jing immediately shouted, "Do you realize now that equal distribution of land is right?"
Gong Yu rolled his eyes but ignored Zeng Jing. "The general must understand what kind of backlash the land reform will encounter. There is no time to rush. We have to do it village by village. Sometimes it is necessary to force the gentry to rebel. If the general wants to hold on to Jiangning during this period, it will not be easy. There is nothing wrong with giving up. If you don't want to give up, there is probably only one way."
"What method?" Weber asked quickly.
Having been seized by Weber, Kong Bugeng stared at Huo Chong and Gong Yu with burning eyes and listened attentively.
Gong Yu pointed at the simple map that Huo Chongzhong took out and said, "Dig the Yellow River and make it flow north. The Yellow River is not suitable for boats to cross, and it is a natural barrier. As long as the Yellow River flows north, it will be difficult for the court to go south. The general will be able to travel south of the Yellow River. The Yellow River flowing north has been a major event in the past few hundred years. The general killed Yongzheng first, and made the Yellow River flow north later. Even if the gentry in the world have the intention to rebel, they will be afraid of the majesty of heaven. They have to weigh their own weight first. After a little hesitation, the general can be given three years. At that time, the general will first seize Henan, and with Lianghuai in hand, they will respond to Jiangning. Jiangning should be safe and sound."
Even Zeng Jing, who had always opposed Gong Yu, almost popped her eyes out of her sockets when she heard this. Weber and Kong Bugeng's eyes widened, their mouths unable to close in fear.
Huo Chong didn't think there was anything wrong with this. He was even happier. Although Gong Yu's thinking was unconventional, it was an extremely effective method. If you want to solve the problem, his method is really the best.
However, Huo Chong also understood why Zeng Jing had such a low opinion of Gong Yu. Zeng Jing's mindset was indeed incomparable to Gong Yu. Although Huo Chong admired Gong Yu, he did not dislike Zeng Jing at all. This was because Zeng Jing's desire to distribute the land equally was out of "morality".
Whether it was because he had seen the fickleness of the world, or because his relatives were tortured to death by the world, or because he was full of sympathy for the suffering of the people, in short, Zeng Jing agreed with the equal distribution of land with a firm attitude on the moral level.
Gong Yu did not have such an attitude. Zeng Jing's equal distribution of land was not desirable from Gong Yu's perspective. Because the effort was too much, the reward was almost negative. And there was also a problem of not being able to last.
However, a guy like Gong Yu is not perfect. If Gong Yu was perfect, Kong Bugeng and Weber would have dragged him to see Huo Chong long ago.
Although Gong Yu's suggestion was good, it would require a huge amount of manpower and material resources. Let's not talk about how many people can really realize how correct Gong Yu's strategy is. Even if they can understand the benefits of these strategies, for anyone who holds actual power, the existence of people like Gong Yu in the system means that they are the host.
After all, this is an era of no management. In terms of cultural characteristics, it is already an era of eating the blood and flesh of the people below. It is not an era of culture where the people in power move forward, cut through thorns and thorns, and open up a path for those who follow them.
Seeing that Huo Chong didn't say anything but looked at the others calmly, Kong Bugeng asked tentatively, "General, do you feel something is wrong?"
"No, I think everywhere is right." Huo Chong replied.
Kong Bugeng obviously didn't expect Huo Chong to say that, and didn't know how to answer for a moment. Gong Yu said calmly: "If that's the case, please leave three to five thousand troops and lead the army to Hangzhou first. Leave a few thousand troops. Then collect the grain transport again. If the general is not short of silver, he can buy grain along the way. After all, the grain transport received from the local area is not expensive when purchased locally."
Hearing this, Huo Chong smiled bitterly and said, "Haha. Mr. Gong is really good at spending money."
"Jiangnan looks down on the poor. The general is unwilling to start a war in Jiangnan, so it is not a bad thing to buy peace for half a year with money. Besides, occupying Yangzhou and Zhenjiang, the salt business in the two places alone is worth millions of taels of silver. Every founding of a country has its own founding spirit. Does the general think that his brothers are as greedy as the Qing Dynasty? If the general is worried, the Weber brothers and the Kong Bugeng brothers are both sensible. It is definitely right to give them the salt business."
Kong Bugeng and Weber's faces turned green when they heard this. But they turned red again after a moment. Although they did try to appear calm and composed in front of Huo Chong, they lost their sense of proportion when there was even a slight chance of becoming the Lianghuai Salt Administration.
Huo Chong's evaluation of Gong Yu was even higher. At least the guy who could come up with such an opinion, even if he was a corrupt official, was at least a powerful corrupt official. Maybe Gong Yu was as capable as Heshen.
Without waiting for Huo Chong to make a decision, Gong Yu continued, "General, after you killed Yongzheng, you should have headed south immediately. But it's not too late to head south now. However, if the Yellow River is opened during the autumn flood season this year, the Qing Dynasty and the general will be separated from both sides of the Yellow River, and the courts will surely fight each other. It will take at least until next spring, which is a bit late."
Huo Chong discovered that Gong Yu's views on the world were beyond his own understanding, so he quickly asked for advice.
At this time, the people in Jiangning really didn't know that Gong Yu's judgment was true. The Shengjing court had already started a bloody battle with the Beijing court for the legitimacy.
At this time, the fourteenth brother already knew that he must not fail. If he failed, his mother would die. Although the fourteenth brother still felt that the eighth brother was his brother, no matter how close a brother was, he was not as close to his mother as he was to him.
However, the fact that the Fourteenth Old Man completed his psychological reconstruction does not mean that the people in the capital have also completed such reconstruction.
When many people heard that the imperial court had ordered the Green Camp to abandon Henan and move north, they were extremely dissatisfied.
The rise of the Qing Dynasty relied on its powerful Eight Banners Army. As the territory expanded, the Qing Dynasty absorbed some Mongolian and Han forces. In response, Huang Taiji established the Eight Banners of Mongolia and the Eight Banners of Han Army to strengthen the military and strengthen the management of Mongolian and Han subjects.
After the Qing Dynasty entered the Shanhai Pass, although the Eight Banners Army had 200,000 soldiers, it was still far from enough. In order to strengthen its effective rule over the territory , the Qing government recruited the Ming army and Han people to organize an army, using green flags as a symbol and battalions as units, so they were called "Green Camp Soldiers", independent of the Eight Banners Army.
Using the Green Camp to destroy the Manchus was seen by the Manchus as a rebellion. However, the leader of the rebellion was Emperor Hong Zhou, and everyone was unhappy, but they dared not speak out.
However, unknown to Hong Zhou, the Eighth Brothers had already begun to connect with each other. More and more Eight Banners began to waver.
The Eight Banners originated from the hunting organization of the Manchus (Jurchens). It was the military organizational form of the social life of the banner people in the Qing Dynasty and also the fundamental system of the Qing Dynasty.
In the 29th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1601), Nurhaci reorganized the army, with Niulu Ezhen, Jiala Ezhen and Gushan Ezhen as leaders. Initially, four flags of yellow, white, red and blue were set up, forming four banners. In the 43rd year of the Wanli reign (1615), four more flags of yellow, white, red and blue were added, and the system of eight banners was established. The Manchu (Jurchen) society implemented the eight banner system, and all men and women were soldiers in wartime and civilians in peacetime, which made their army extremely powerful.
Nurhaci then set up the Mongolian flag during the Tianming period, and organized it into the Mongolian Eight Banners in the ninth year of Huang Taiji's Tiancong (1635). Huang Taiji first organized a Han Army flag in the fifth year of Tiancong (1631), and completed the organization of the Han Army Eight Banners in the seventh year of Chongde (1642). Together they were called the Eight Banners, commanding the Eight Banners Manchuria, Eight Banners Mongolia, and Eight Banners Han Army, and the Eight Banners system was perfected. Before entering the Pass, the Plain Yellow and Bordered Yellow Banners of the Eight Banners were directly commanded by the Khan (Emperor), and the other six banners were commanded by the Khan's sons and nephews. In the eighth year of Shunzhi (1651), Dorgon died, and Emperor Shunzhi took power and took over the Plain White Banner under Dorgon's jurisdiction, thus forming the upper three banners and the lower five banners.
Each of the Eight Banners had three governors-general, one Manchu governor, one Han army governor, and one Mongolian governor-general; each Manchu governor-general had five lieutenants under him, each Han army governor-general had five lieutenants under him, and each Mongolian governor-general had two lieutenants under him.
There were eight Manchu generals, eight Han army generals, and eight Mongolian generals, for a total of twenty-four generals; there were forty Manchu lieutenants, forty Han army lieutenants, and sixteen Mongolian lieutenants, for a total of ninety-six lieutenants.
Lao Ba got the news that among the 96 people, at least 59 had begun to lean towards Lao Ba.
