March of the sixth year of Zhengde

This year, God is particularly appreciating. A few spring rains fell early, and the weather was getting warmer. The inside and outside of the capital was green and full of vitality. The West Garden was even more picturesque, attracting many tourists to linger.

Today, the West Garden is no longer open every five days, but it is open every day, but the passenger flow is constantly increasing every day, and it is even more crowded during festivals.

Now that the examination has been completed and the results have not been released, it was when the students were busy making friends. The Xiyuan Garden has become the first choice for literati communication due to its beautiful scenery and many restaurants and tea shops. It can be heard everywhere and the sound of chanting poems and essays has become even more lively.

Because of the excellent viewing location, the Xiyuan Lake Feng Tower is full every day. The private rooms are all booked three or five days in advance, which is really hard to find.

However, the largest Tianzi private room on the top floor of Hufeng Building is particularly empty.

The huge Eight Immortals table was filled with delicacies, but only three people sat next to the table.

The young man in the top was about twenty years old, with short beards on his lips, and he showed a bit mature and steady when he didn't say or laugh. But as long as he opened his mouth, his eyebrows and eyes were bent, he felt full of youthful aura.

At this moment, he chewed his mouth very heavily and said in a vague way: "Well, this dried fish is really good! I should list it as a tribute as well!"

It is the current emperor, Shou Ge.

Shen Rui, who was sitting opposite him, couldn't chew it up immediately when he heard this. He smiled bitterly and said, "This is just a specialty to invite the emperor to taste it and eat it for wild pleasure."

"This kind of fish is not available all year round, but it is the most plump when it first begins winter. It only has such a umami flavor after it is dried. The yield is not large. If you really want to be a tribute, it will not be available in the future, and the fishermen will be punished by death."

Brother Shou glared and complained: "The fruit cannot be offered, and the dried fish cannot be offered, so let me eat it! It's really hateful!" As he said that, he chewed two more bites, as if he was angry.

Shen Rui held back his smile and said, "But it was my fault for filial piety. The emperor forgives the crime!"

Brother Shou rolled his eyes wide, "Well, if you continue, you will have nothing to eat. I will give you good things next time, and I may not make it difficult for you to give you the tribute."

As he said that, he laughed and praised the dried fish again. He asked Shen Rui to prepare more for him next year.

Shen Rui also responded with support.

Pang Tianqing, who was beside Brother Shou, ate with a smile, but his tongue was amazed. He had known that Shen Ruijian was in the emperor's heart, but he didn't expect the emperor to treat Shen Rui as casually as a friend. But seeing Shen Rui was not nervous at all, he was like an ordinary friend.

Looking at them again, even the emperor's confidant, Cai Liang, his elder brother-in-law who is in charge of the Leopard Warrior, is also generally respectful and restrained. He occasionally jokes and takes a good sense of responsibility.

But then again, even if the emperor really talks to them like a friend, they are afraid they should think more and be more cautious.

Seeing that Shou Ge only brought Pang Tianqing to him today, Shen Rui was a little clear about what he would mention today.

When Li Dongyang rectified the Four Noble Halls, he chose Yang Shen to enter the hall. Shen Rui recommended Pang Tianqing to Yang Tinghe, and later communicated with Pang Tianqing through letters.

The eldest princess Chun'an and the son-in-law Cai Zhen are both smart people, so they will naturally not miss this good opportunity.

Pang Tianqing was also very interested in the military intelligence agency hidden under the Siyi Pavilion and happily joined the company.

This institution will never be exposed to the sun, and many of Pang Tianqing's contributions may not be made public, but this does not mean that his career will be limited.

On the contrary, with this experience, it will be extremely smooth to enter the Ministry of War as the Minister of the Secretariat and the Minister of the Shang Dynasty in the future. It will even be of great help to enter the cabinet.

If you take a step back, you have always been in this position and cannot be promoted. Pang Tianqing has an advantage that others do not have, and his wife is a royal family.

In the future, we cannot express our appreciation of his merits, but we can also give his wife a title of a county monarch or even a princess. The descendants of the Pang family are also a guarantee.

Pang Tianqing did a very good job.

He was originally an extremely smart person and was very transparent about human relationships and worldly affairs.

The Grand Princess's Mansion in Chun'an can stand tall for all dynasties and has always been respected by holy relatives. The political wisdom is also extraordinary. With the guidance of the Grand Princess and the Prince Consort, Pang Tianqing naturally goes to the next level.

Yang Tinghe later conveyed Li Dongyang's appreciation for Pang Tianqing to Shen Rui in the letter.

As for Yang Shen, as Yang Tinghe and Shen Rui expected, it would be better to be a simple scholar. He buried his head in books every day and did his translation work with relish.

Starting with this local specialty dried fish, Shen Rui talked about the details of his business in Shandong in the past two years, the details of the sea trade, and the acquisition of materials on the Liaodong Horse Market.

This time he was recalled to Beijing to report his work, reported various people's livelihood policies in the court, and also discussed various Shandong's various things in the Hongde Hall to the emperor and the cabinet.

But this time, the emperor summoned him alone, and on such occasions, he naturally had to listen to something different.

In fact, Shen Rui secretly reported many things to Shou Ge, but in a coherent way, Shou Ge still listened very carefully.

Pang Tianqing even listened and secretly wrote down useful information in his heart, especially his actions on Liaodong.

Compared with the prosperity of the city of Liaodong, since the 13th year of Hongzhi, the trade between the Ming and Mongolia has entered a freezing period, and the city of horses has been completely interrupted. Mongolia has been constantly committing border confessions in the early stage, and later it has directly killed and plundered...

There is a huge lack of supplies within Mongolia.

The herdsmen in Mobei are not familiar with farming and weaving, and they have no other products. They can still support themselves. They are really unable to use cloth pots and pots. They all point to obtaining them from the Ming Dynasty. The horse market is closed, and there is only one way to rob.

"In the ninth year of Xuande, Datong wrote a memorial saying that 'The Northern Barbarians were poor, and those who came to surrender had their clothes that were damaged, their bodies were not covered, and those who had men and women on the border were captured and plundered and returned home were all without clothes'."

After Shen Rui's story came to an end, Pang Tianqing said, "Some new reports in the north come back, which means that there is no clothing there, and the felt fur cannot help but heat the summer, and satin cloth is particularly rare.

"I heard that many tribes are now rushing to buy cloth from the Liaodong tribes. Shandong's cocoon silk is already at a high price in the Liaodong Ma market. It has been sold to various Mongolian tribes, but it has been several times more.

"Originally, Uryanha and others went to Liaodong to trade. After the Ministry of War, the best horses were assigned to the top, each horse had eight silk and twelve cloths; each horse had four silk and six cloths; each middle, each horse had three silk and five cloths; each horse had two silk and four cloths; each horse had two silk and one silk and three cloths.

"Now, the best cocoon silk is replaced by one cow in Liaodong and transported to Mobei, and can be replaced by two top-quality horses!"

The cost of cocoon silk is much lower than that of the silk in the south. The cost of transporting cocoon silk from Shandong and cloth is naturally much cheaper than transporting from the south.

Shen Rui felt that Pang Tianqing's eyes were shining when he said this, and he couldn't help laughing, saying, "I didn't expect that cocoon silk was so expensive in the north of Mobei. At that time, for the purpose of farming in Dengzhou, I only exchanged a large number of oxen in Liaodong. Moreover, I always have to make Liaodong feel that it is profitable to spread this 'good news' to the grassland and the north of Mobei."

"Hengyun is quite a bit like buying horse bones for a thousand gold coins." Pang Tianqing nodded repeatedly and said meaningfully: "Collection of large-scale oxen, livestock, and poultry is also a wonderful step."

The northern grasslands are limited and a large number of cattle and sheep are raised, so they cannot raise many horses. In the long run, Mongolia will not be able to raise cavalrymen who can often be hundreds of thousands or hundreds of thousands.

Shen Rui only told Shou Ge dictated this point, and did not mention it in his letter to anyone.

But there are so many smart people in the world. Pang Tianqing is now specializing in intelligence, so how can he not know the profound meaning of it?

Shen Rui smiled and said, "Dengzhou Weaving Factory now has some experience in wool spinning."

Shou Ge's eyes lit up in one sentence, "Is it the wool weaving cloth tailoring you had imagined?"

Shen Rui had only seen female elders flew over and knitting clothes quickly in his previous life, and had also received scarves knitted by his girlfriend, but he knew nothing, so he only had a rough idea.

Therefore, when describing Shou Ge, he still talks about the principle of spinning and weaving.

Seeing Shen Rui nodding, Pang Tianqing praised vigorously: "Wool is not worth much in Mongolian tribes. It's just a felt blanket. It takes time and effort to make one. It will not be damaged for several years. No one values ​​it.

"The wool is light, and a large truck can be transported back a lot, but the inside and outside cost little.

"When the wool is woven into a cloth, it must be warmer than cotton. It is cold in the north of the world. If you sell it back, it will definitely be several times more!"

Brother Shou laughed and pointed at Pang Tianqing and said, "I used to tell my grandmother that you, Pang Zikuo, have a lot of insights in military affairs, but go to the Ministry of War. Now, seeing that you know how to calculate, you should go to the Ministry of Revenue!"

Even if it is a joke, it is hard to answer. After all, it is the king and the official position. Pang Tianqing sighed in his heart. He was not as free and easy as Shen Rui. He dared not joke with the king, so he could only say: "I am afraid."

Brother Shou waved his hand unconsciously and said, "I'm so frightened? Don't be restrained!"

He asked Shen Rui seriously again, "So, can you trade like Liaodong in Yansui, Ningxia, and Gansu Kaima Market?"

From the third year of Zhengtong to the thirteenth year of Hongzhi, Ma City was in Datong. (The Tumu Fort closed during the Incident and opened again in the sixth year of Tianshun.)

Although many horses could be obtained through the horse market trade, the Datong horse market rewards and the Wasan envoys at that time paid a lot of money to receive tributes, and the local governments and military and civilians were responsible for raising them, which made the local people unable to bear it.

Later, the relationship between Ming and Meng was tense and the city of Ma was closed, so no one mentioned restarting again.

This time, Shou Ge did not plan to open the Ma market in Datong, but wanted to open it in Yansui and Ningxia. Shen Rui also guessed some of his thoughts.

Yang Yiqing has been working in a tea-horse trade between Ningxia borders. Shen Rui clearly remembered that Shouge had mentioned to him that Yang Yiqing exchanged bad tea for mules and horses, and 900 mules and horses saved more than a thousand taels of silver.

With this foundation, it is easier to open a horse market in Yansui and Ningxia.

However, after Juegong, Dayan Khan led his troops to the south to attack the border many times. Just the previous year, in September of the fourth year of Zhengde, he had just invaded Yansui and surrounded Wujiang and was in Longzhou City. In November of the same year, he invaded Huamachi and died in battle.

I am afraid that the court officials will have a lot of resistance when opening a horse market here.

Of course, Xuanda is even more unsafe... At the beginning of Shouge's ascension, Dayan Khan once plundered Xuanfu. The Ming army killed and injured more than 3,000 people, and suffered heavy losses. People at that time even believed that this was a major disaster that had never happened since Tumu Fort.

Unexpectedly, Shen Rui remembered King Anhua again.

Although there is no abnormal movement from King Anhua, what if the Horse Market opened in Ningxia?

Although the rebellion in the history of previous life was soon defeated, what if the horse market opened and he colluded with foreign enemies?

After talking for a few times, he never said it. Shen Rui thought about it for a long time and said, "I am not very clear about the specific situation of the border, so I really dare not make a conclusion. This market generally has its pros and cons..."

Shou Ge frowned slightly and said, "From the situation in Liaodong, the only advantages in the Ma market are not only good, but I don't know where the disadvantages are?"

Shen Rui sighed: "It's a good idea to see it now. Mongolia wants our cloth, our pots and bowls, and they don't produce anything that suits life needs, and they have to exchange them with us. This is what we can control them.

"How long does it take to raise silkworms? Weaving cloth is not too much manpower, and how many years will it take to raise a cattle and horse?

"They can only change cattle, horse and sheep. When cattle, horse cannot be raised, when cattle, horse is replaced..."

When Mongolia's trade deficit with the Ming Dynasty accumulated to a certain level, Mongolia's character would inevitably plunder again.

But the current Ming troops...

Brother Shou's face turned dark and he said that he would consume Mongolia while scattering the army, but who could make the decision?

Before Tumu Fort, no one thought that he would be defeated.

But Pang Tianqing said: "Everything has its own limits. Horse markets always need to be opened. Open a few places and control the limits. The Mongolian territory is so vast, and there are countless cattle and horses. It is not something that can be eaten in a year or two. The border troops cannot be trained."

Shen Rui also agreed, saying that the trade deficit is just a reminder to Shou Ge, not to regard open border trade as a magic weapon for profit.

"It's true that Brother Pang said. In this matter, it's appropriate to have an old man who understands border trade like Yang Yiqing and Lord Yang." Shen Rui said.

Yang Yiqing was once framed by Liu Jin for refusing to surrender to Liu Jin.
To be continued...