Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

"Well, His Majesty is here, what can I say? Just tell the truth.

Let’s just say that it was Lord Fang who told me, Admiral Yang Sichang, about his extravagance. Lord Fang didn’t know about it, and Your Majesty was also angry when he found out!

The strange thing is that Yang Sichang was originally very angry, but after hearing this, he is no longer angry. I still can’t figure out why. Does Lord Fang know?”

Fang Fengnian staggered when he heard this and almost fell down.

He originally wanted to reveal the news that the Ministry of Works had military equipment and supplies, so as to cause a fight between Zhang Shikang and Yang Sichang, and then other colleagues in the court could benefit from it.

I never expected that Zhang Shikang was such a fool that he actually revealed everything.

Is this guy crazy? It won't do him any good to expose himself. I was so kind to give him advice, why did he betray me?

Fang Fengnian couldn't understand why a good thing turned out like this. Now, Yang Sichang would definitely not let him go in the future.

What should I do? Fang Fengnian was in a state of confusion.

Zhang Shikang pretended to know nothing and even went to support Fang Fengnian.

"Hey, Master Fang, what's wrong? Is it because you've worked too hard? Master, you should take care of your health!

The admiral is gone?"

At Zhang Shikang's command, Qi Dazhu immediately led a long convoy towards the Xishan camp.

Half a quarter of an hour later, the owner of Chen's Restaurant and the chef ran away. Soon, Chen's Restaurant became empty.

After the shopkeeper left, the beggars living near the restaurant saw that there was no one in the restaurant, so they sneaked in.

Quarter of an hour later, Zhou Kui finally got the news and hurriedly took his eldest son to the restaurant to check.

But the restaurant was empty. Not only were all the valuable furnishings gone, but even the tables, chairs and plates were gone.

Seeing such a good restaurant turned into this state, Zhou Kui was furious:

"Zhang Shikang! I will never forgive you!"

After saying this, he took another look at the miserable state of the restaurant. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He wailed and fainted on the ground.

In the Qianqing Palace, Yang Sichang was still talking with Emperor Chongzhen.

He told Emperor Chongzhen about the current situation of the bandits and his general plan for this expedition. Seeing that Emperor Chongzhen had no objection, he continued:

"Your Majesty, the money raised is only enough to support us for about four months. The battlefront is far away from the Beijing camp, and we are short of food. It is difficult to supply it for the time being. I dare to ask Your Majesty to allow me to collect food locally when the food and grass supply is insufficient."

Emperor Chongzhen did not give a direct reply when he heard this, because Zhang Shikang had once told him that given the current situation in the Ming Dynasty, the burden on the lowest level of people should not be added, otherwise something serious might happen.

But Yang Sichang's worries were not without reason. The bandits were roaming everywhere. This month they were in Henan, and next month they might be in Sichuan, and maybe in Huguang the month after that.

They are so good at running.

The army was exhausted from the long journey, food and fodder were in short supply, and the speed of transportation could not keep up with the speed of the bandits.

"Mr. Yang, I'm just worried..."

"Your Majesty, I know your concerns. Don't worry, I will first ask the gentry and landlords to donate grain. Unless it is absolutely necessary, I will try not to disturb the people."

Yang Sichang rarely interrupted Emperor Chongzhen. He really wanted to wipe out the bandits as soon as possible, not only to clear his own name, but also to avenge his father Yang He.

His father, Yang He, was the governor-general of the three borders of Shaanxi. He was impeached by the ministers for his failure in suppressing the bandits, which allowed the bandits to grow stronger. Although Emperor Chongzhen did not kill him, he exiled him to Yuanzhou. Yang He died of depression after only a few years in the garrison.

Yang Sichang has always been brooding over this. He even felt that no one wanted to wipe out the bandits more than he did, and he was willing to pay any price for it.

This should be his last chance. If this expedition fails, those guys from the Donglin Party will definitely not let him go.

Therefore, he could not tolerate any mistakes this time. Even if he had to collect grain locally, he had to wipe out the bandits in the Huguang area.

After listening to Yang Sichang's explanation, Emperor Chongzhen felt a little relieved. He hesitated for a while, and felt that there seemed to be no better way, so he agreed.

"Mr. Yang, I will give you the important task of suppressing the bandits. The people of Ming Dynasty can no longer bear the turmoil, and we must not let the bandits revive.

Anyway, I’m counting on you.”

Emperor Chongzhen was unusually serious, and Yang Sichang burst into tears of gratitude. It seemed as if the emperor and his subject had regained their trust in each other.

On the other hand, a long line of horse-drawn carriages creaked along the outskirts of Beijing. After getting food and military equipment, Zhang Shikang felt much better.

He sat next to the carriage driver and waved to the craftsmen who had just been cheated from Fang Fengnian. Mao Yuantong and the craftsmen hurried over.

"I'm sorry, I was so busy that I forgot. Don't worry, everyone, when you arrive at the Beijing Camp, just treat it as your second home. I guarantee that no one will dare to bully you."

Zhang Shikang said with a smile.

Although these craftsmen were highly skilled in producing muskets, they had become numb after being stuffed into a small room and forced to work under pressure by the Ministry of Works for years.

Their clothes were similar to those of the soldiers in the Beijing camp, all tattered, and they carried a small package on their backs, which was all their belongings.

In fact, most of them were unhappy when they learned that they were taken away by this high-ranking official, who was said to be the commander-in-chief of the Beijing camp, because of Mao Yuantong's recommendation.

Even though Mao Yuantong said so, Admiral Zhang promised to give them two taels of silver per month and provide them with three meals.

But Mao Yuantong himself didn’t quite believe it, so how could others dare to believe it?

What's more, this admiral is so young and his words don't seem to be very reliable.

"Admiral, are you really going to give me two taels of silver per month?" A craftsman saw that Zhang Shikang was very gentle, so he bravely asked.

"Is it true that they provide three meals a day?" Another craftsman also asked the question that concerned him most.

"Of course! This admiral always keeps his word. If you don't believe me, you can ask them." Zhang Shikang knew that no matter how much he promised, it would not be as real as if other people spoke for him, so he pointed at Qi Dazhu and the others and said.

"Don't worry, everyone. My Lord is a man of his word. Have you seen these grains?

These were all promised by our master before. If the Ministry of Revenue dared not to give them, our master would take us to surround the Ministry of Revenue, and the Minister of Revenue would not dare to say a word.

As for these brand new military equipment and uniforms, Your Excellency only needs to use a little trick to get the Minister of Works to deliver the equipment to us immediately.

What’s the big deal about three meals a day? We have more than 20,000 people in the Beijing camp, and now we all have three meals a day.

Would the master really lie to you? You don't need thirty more mouths."

Qi Dazhu was dressed like a low-level soldier. He looked simple and spoke in a reliable manner. As soon as he finished speaking, the other soldiers around him also echoed him with a few words.

Seeing this, Mao Yuantong and others no longer had any doubts and they all became happy.

"Admiral, I am timid. I dare to confirm with you again. Do I really not have to go to the battlefield?" A thin craftsman confirmed again.

This is actually the core issue that they really care about. After all, they are not soldiers and have no obligation to go to the battlefield.

But they also know that they have little influence and if their superiors insist on dragging them to the battlefield, they will be powerless to do anything.

"Don't worry, everyone. When we get to the Xishan camp, I will protect you like my treasures. You want to go to the battlefield, but I won't allow it!"

If it were anyone else, they would probably be angry at this moment. After all, asking the same question twice and being distrusted would make them anxious.

But Zhang Shikang patiently promised them.

There was really no support for technical talents in this era. Not only that, craftsmen were looked down upon, exploited by officials, and taken advantage of by gentry. It was really miserable.

Craftsmen like Mao Yuantong who worked in the Ministry of Works were better off, after all, they received monthly wages. However, those craftsmen who were conscripted not only did not receive monthly wages for working in the Ministry of Works, but were also often called upon by local officials to work in their registered places, and they also received no money.

You get free stuff everywhere you go, and most of the time, even after getting free stuff, you still have to put on a smile, for fear of offending those officials.

Zhang Shikang felt that this was too outrageous. If a country wanted to develop its science and technology, it could not rely solely on those good talkers in the court.

Science and technology are the primary productive forces. With these technicians, Zhang Shikang can finally put some of his ideas into practice.

For example, he thinks the most urgent thing at the moment is to upgrade the musket. The turtledove-foot musket needs to be copied, and the sniper rifle must also be studied as soon as possible.

Thinking of this, Zhang Shikang asked casually:

"You are all old firearms craftsmen, and I think you all have some family training. Do you know anyone who is good at making firearms?"

These are all artisan households. As we all know, according to the household registration system of the Ming Dynasty, the sons of a craftsman household can only be craftsmen households, and the same goes for grandsons, and so on and so forth.

I think most of these people's family and friends are in the same industry. Zhang Shikang is actually just trying his luck to see if he can find some talented people to work with him.

After hearing what Zhang Shikang said, no one else could say anything, except Mao Yuantong, who looked as if he wanted to say something but was hesitant. It seemed that he wanted to say something but was a little afraid to.

Zhang Shikang encouraged:

"Master Mao, oh no, Mao Yuantong, if you have something to say, just say it. This admiral will not offend you."

Mao Yuantong then said carefully:

"I have a distant cousin named Mao Yuanyi..."

……