Xu Guangqi was not so confused by Chongzhen, he repeated again: "Then Your Majesty, please hand over the power of compulsory conscription to the old minister, and the old minister can also select young and strong to form a new army as soon as possible." ”

Zhu Youzhen touched his forehead and said with a puzzled expression: "Did I forget to say it just now?" What I mean is that after the compulsory military service system is extended to the three regions, the original guard post commander will be responsible for collecting the full number of soldiers in the local area.

Then Mr. Xu, you just have to accept the soldiers of the new army, and if there are unqualified candidates, you can return them to the guard station and complain to the military department, and the military department can punish the officer in charge of recruitment. ”

Chongzhen's words blocked what Sun Chengzong wanted to say, although he couldn't directly control the Yingzhou Santun Guard, but Chongzhen guaranteed that he could provide qualified soldiers to the new army, and Sun Chengzong couldn't help but acquiesce to the emperor's conscription plan.

However, Zhu Youzhen seemed to remember something, he stopped Sun Chengzong and said, "I don't know how many students Mr. Sun's Army Military Academy has recruited now?" ”

Hearing this question, Sun Chengzong's face seemed to brighten, and he said with his fingers straight: "According to His Majesty's order, 144 people have been sent to the Beijing camp, including 34 original martial arts students, 51 people from the Beizhili Guards, 9 people from Denglaiwei, and 28 people from all over the country who have passed the registration and assessment, a total of 266 people.

However, there is no place for martial arts training in the city, and these students can only carry out cultural education. If we want to carry out all kinds of military exercises, I am afraid that it will not be until the beginning of spring next year, when the Fengtai battalion is initially completed. ”

"I don't know, can Mr. Sun add the mathematics and natural sciences I asked for to his study curriculum?" Zhu Youzhen is obviously more concerned about what these students are learning.

Sun Chengzong nodded and said, "Sun Yuanhua, Wang Zheng, Deng Yuhan, and Li Zhizao have been teaching these students for nearly half a month..."

Sun Chengzong was introducing to Chongzhen what courses the students of the Military Academy were studying, Liu Zongzhou suddenly interrupted Sun Chengzong's words and said: "Your Majesty, the ministers have heard the way of using soldiers, the benevolence and righteousness of Taishang Tang Wu, and the second is the temperance of Huan Wen. This Western learning is just a small skill, and it is not worthy of His Majesty's attention.

The minister thinks that this martial arts should talk more about the way of the sage. As the saying goes, governing the army first governs morality, and governing morality first governs the heart. If the soldiers can be made to be benevolent and righteous, will the king be invincible? ”

Regarding Liu Zongzhou's pedantic remarks, even Han Yi lowered his head and stopped talking, but Huang Daozhou and other low-level officials nodded one after another, but did not speak out in support.

"What Mr. Liu said is not unreasonable." Chongzhen unexpectedly echoed Liu Zongzhou's statement, which made Huang Liji, Sun Chengzong and others fall through their glasses.

After these time of contact, they don't think that Chongzhen is a person who can be persuaded by Liu Zongzhou with such a roundabout speech. Whether it was Han Yi, Huang Liji and others, they immediately pricked up their ears and waited to hear Chongzhen's next words.

Sure enough, Zhu Youzhen only paused for a while and said: "But the words of the sage are full of subtle words, even if there is a famous teacher like Mr. Liu to guide the way, it takes decades of hard work to get a glimpse of the court." ”

Hearing Chongzhen's admiration for the way of the sage, whether it was Liu Zongzhou, Huang Daozhou or some Donglin Party members, they all bowed their heads slightly, expressing their agreement with the emperor's statement.

However, the students in the military academy are not students who specialize in the study of classics after all, and their main task is to go to the battlefield. If all your energy is wasted on studying the classics, there will inevitably be some misalignment. ”

Liu Zongzhou suddenly said with some anxiety: "Your Majesty, the study of a saint, even if you study for one day, you will have a day's harvest; An hour of learning also has an hour of gain. As the so-called morning news, it is okay to die at night.

The minister does not require that these martial arts students be proficient in the scriptures and righteousness, but only hopes that they can accept the influence of the words of the sages, and that they can have a little benevolence and righteousness when fighting, and not become beasts.

The minister thought that it was enough to take out the time for these students to study Western studies and study the words of the sages. ”

Xu Guangqi suddenly couldn't listen to it anymore, and when he immediately stepped forward half a step forward to refute Liu Zongzhou's statement, Zhu Youzhen waved his hand at him, signaling that he didn't have to step forward.

"Mr. Liu probably misunderstood what I meant, what I meant was that it was a waste of time for these students to go through so many commentaries on the classics. It is better to select the essence from the scriptures of the saints, and compile the meaning of the saints into a textbook in the form of vernacular texts in a straightforward and simple way.

Wouldn't it be nice for these students to be able to learn about the ways of the sages? I don't expect these martial arts students to take the imperial examination, as long as they can understand what the way of the sages is. ”

Chongzhen's words didn't sound like a problem at all, and Liu Zongzhou replied with some hesitation: "Your Majesty's idea is not impossible. But who is going to make this textbook? ”

Qian Qianyi's eyes rolled, and he suddenly stepped forward and volunteered: "Your Majesty, although the minister is dull, he is also willing to share his worries for His Majesty, please give this task to Weichen." ”

Lu Chengyuan suddenly stepped forward and retorted: "Qian Shilang is good at historiography and is good at poetry and writing. However, this melts the words of the saint and expounds the way of the saint, and the non-emotional and simple cannot reach it. The minister thought that the editor had to be Mr. Kiryama. ”

Seeing that the supporters of the two below were about to start arguing, Zhu Youzhen spoke again: "I also want Mr. Liu to edit this concise reading of the sage classics. ”

Chongzhen opened his mouth and made a final decision, and immediately made the officials below shut down. Zhu Youzhen glanced at Qian Qianyi, who had a lost expression on his face, and said again.

"In addition to this, I also wanted to edit a brief history of China as a history textbook for teaching elementary schools. Since Qian Shilang is good at historiography, would you like to write this abridged version of Chinese history? ”

Zhu Youzhen's words suddenly resurrected Qian Qianyi, and he said energetically: "This is the minister's honor, and the minister is willing to share his worries for His Majesty." ”

"Although the Shunyi rebellion was quelled, nearly a quarter of the local county town was destroyed during the war between the army and the mutants, and the local people were displaced, so the minister asked the household department to allocate 10,000 taels of silver for relief to the victims." Zhang Ruitu saw that Chongzhen wanted to end the court meeting, so he hurriedly stepped forward and said.

When Guo Yunhou, the secretary of the household department, was about to refuse, he suddenly thought of something, so he hurriedly stepped forward and said: "Now it is almost the end of the year, and this year's tax in the hands of the household department has long been spent, and next year's tax has not been paid. ”

Huang Liji looked at the military department on the side, and said slowly: "The minister heard that the ministers of the Beijing camp returned a sum of silver and handed it over to the military department, so it is better to borrow 10,000 taels for the time being to help the victims." ”

Wang Zaijin, who was originally silent with his head bowed, immediately defended: "This money is used to supplement the equipment of the Beijing camp, and Your Majesty said that it cannot be embezzled." ”

Zhang Ruitu suddenly said with some dissatisfaction: "The replenishment of the Beijing camp's armament is not bad for so many days, right?" If these victims are not relieved as soon as possible, how will they survive this winter? ”

Seeing that several people were arguing, Guo Yunhou said slowly: "Your Majesty, the minister has an idea, you can borrow a sum of money, which can not only solve the cost of disaster relief, but also add some income to the treasury." ”

Without waiting for Chongzhen to speak, Huang Liji opened his mouth and said: "Guo Shangshu, if you have any ideas, just say it, if you can solve the current disaster relief problem, how can Your Majesty not agree to you?" ”

Guo Yunhou glanced at Huang Liji and said slowly: "The minister thinks that the Changlu Salt Farm can be sold to the Four Seas Commercial Bank to alleviate the problem of an empty treasury. ”

"Sell the Changlu Salt Farm? How much? ”

"What's the Four Seas Firm?"

Zhang Ruitu and Huang Liji couldn't help but ask one after another.

"The Four Seas Commercial Bank was built by a group of imperial merchants, who offered 600,000 taels and paid 120,000 taels of silver to the treasury every year as usual, and 60,000 taels of salt to the border army.

The minister thought that this business could be done, and after the sale of the salt farm, the imperial court did not have to bear the operating expenses of the Changlu salt farm, which was equivalent to net income. Moreover, it can eliminate the Changlu Salt Transportation Division between the rivers, and save a sum of silver. Guo Yunhou obviously supported the idea of increasing the income of the household department, and couldn't wait to throw out this plan.

Although the Salt Transportation Division belongs to the subordinate institutions of the Ministry of Households, because of its semi-independent status and the fact that the salt silver accounts for more than half of the Taicang silver every year, the Salt Transportation Division does not look at the officials of the Ministry of Household Affairs very much.

Moreover, the officials of the Salt Transportation Department have the right to sell surplus salt, and they are all rich in flowing oil, although the household officials are also fat, but for a Ming treasury that is in deficit every year, these officials are also as big as a fight.

In this situation, the officials of the Salt Transportation Department, who can make a lot of money without doing anything, have become the jealousy of the household officials.

Moreover, since Chongzhen ascended the throne, he ordered the suspension of the printing of all treasure notes and salt quotations, and the household officials, who could still rely on the resale of salt quotations to make a profit, were even less interested in the Changlu Salt Farm.

The most profitable in the Changlu Salt Field were Shanxi merchants, and a group of relatives and royal families. However, Xun Qi was still unable to go to court under the prohibition order today, and several Shanxi officials associated with the salt merchants suddenly felt a little weak.

They only objected a few words, and they were forcibly suppressed by Huang Liji and Zhang Ruitu.

was able to get a windfall of 600,000 taels at the end of the year, not to mention Guo Yunhou, the two elders were also very excited, with this money, they could do a lot of things.

Yushi Yang Weiyuan was a little anxious, he had a good relationship with the Shanxi salt merchants who specialized in the surplus salt business of the Changlu Salt Farm, and even had some dry shares in the salt merchants.

Seeing that several officials who opposed it were defeated one after another, he had to bite the bullet and say: "Your Majesty, this Changlu Salt Farm has been sold, what should I do with the Changlu Salt Lead?" 188,000 tains are issued every year, and it is estimated that there will be as many as 3 years of salt inductions that have not yet been cashed out. The minister thought that it was necessary to solve the salt introduction before selling, so as not to cause merchants to gather in the capital to make trouble. ”