Chapter 1103 The purpose of the southern tour!
Facing Cui Shao's gaze, Zhu Xiaowen did not hesitate and spoke very seriously:
"Master, I think Lord Sun Jingan is in great danger this time..."

"It was only a few months ago that Lord Liu Zhengyue got into trouble, and now Lord Sun is in trouble again, and it happened to economically important towns like Youyan and Qilu. I think the Marshal has made up his mind to carry out a major reorganization and reshuffle in the local area this time!"

Zhu Xiaowen paused for a moment, looking a little hesitant, and then continued:
"And I heard that the Lord from Jiyu might have to move as well!"

Hearing what Zhu Xiaowen said, Cui Shao smiled and said:

"Xiao Wen, you are very well-informed, aren't you?"

Zhu Xiaowen smiled modestly when he heard this. As the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple, Zhu Xiaowen had a strong political sensitivity to possible rectification movements!
It was for this reason that he tried to guess Ye Mingsheng's intentions, and felt that Ye Mingsheng wanted to launch another large-scale anti-corruption operation by taking down two provincial governors in succession.

Although Zhu Xiaowen thought so, the matter was of great importance and Zhu Xiaowen was still a little undecided. So he came to see Cui Shao today just to get the upper hand from his old mentor and see how Cui Shao viewed these things...

Under Zhu Xiaowen's inquiring gaze, Cui Shao hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking:
"Xiao Wen, you should have heard that the Marshal wants to tour the south?"

Zhu Xiaowen nodded without hesitation when he heard this:

"I have indeed heard such news, but is there any connection between Master's southern tour and this incident?"

Cui Shao stroked his beard and said calmly:

"Xiao Wen, do you know what the purpose of the Marshal's southern tour is?"

Zhu Xiaowen blinked his eyes after hearing this, and then fell into deep thought. After a moment, he replied very cautiously:
"Master, in my opinion, the Marshal wants to tour the south just to inspect the situation in the south, appease the people in the south and maintain stability, and at the same time deter some evil-minded villains!"

After waiting for Zhu Xiaowen to finish speaking, Cui Shaocai shook his head and said:

"What you said is correct, Xiao Wen. The Marshal has these purposes for this southern tour, but the most crucial reason is not what you said!"

Zhu Xiaowen was also very surprised when he heard this. Seeing this, Cui Shao said in a deep voice:
"In my opinion, the Marshal wants to tour the south for two main reasons!"

"The first goal is silver!"

“The Marshal has always attached great importance to economic development, and economic development is inseparable from people and money. We have no shortage of people, but the court and local governors are short of money. So one of the purposes of the Marshal’s southern tour this time is to go to Jiangnan to get money, so that the money in Jiangnan can flow to inland areas and help the economic development of these areas…”

"Xiao Wen, you were previously an inspector in Liaoyang, so you know the situation there. Liaoyang reformed early, so the situation is better. Areas like Yunbing, Guanzhong, Huainan, etc., are devastated by war, and their previous foundations have been completely consumed!"

"Although the imperial court has conquered the territory now, this is only the first step. Next, we need to help the people rebuild their homes and develop the economy, which requires a lot of silver!"

"You should also be aware of the current situation of the court. I have racked my brains to rob Peter to pay Paul, but the only thing I can do is to maintain the normal operation of the court, to ensure that there will not be a major disaster, and that the salaries of officials can be paid as usual!"

Hearing Cui Shao talk about this, Zhu Xiaowen couldn't help but nodded. He also climbed up step by step from the local level, so he naturally understood the hardships and fatigue at the grassroots level!

At this time, Cui Shao continued:
"In recent years, Jiangnan has been a safe haven. The big merchants have relied on foreign trade to ship out porcelain, silk, and tea from Jiangnan, and then brought back tons of silver!"

"The Coordination Office has conducted a secret investigation and believes that the available silver in Jiangnan is conservatively estimated to be at least 50 million taels, and even more boldly, it may be over 100 million taels!"

“Xiao Wen, let’s not talk about how we can use all the money in Jiangnan for the court, but just half or even 30%. Then the problems the court is facing now will be greatly alleviated. We don’t have to rob Peter to pay Paul and live a frugal life like we do now. We can even do some large-scale projects…”

After hearing Cui Shao's explanation, Zhu Xiaowen nodded first, and then spoke with some doubt:

"Master, if the Marshal wants the money from Jiangnan, there is no need to go on a southern tour. Just give an order to Lord He Jingyun and ask the big merchants in Jiangnan to pay the tribute. I don't think many of these merchants would dare not pay!"

Cui Shao shook his head and said:

"Xiao Wen, your idea is too simplistic and crude. If you do this, you will be killing the goose that lays the golden eggs!"

"Although the Marshal wants the money from Jiangnan, what he wants more is a hen that can continue to lay golden eggs and provide blood transfusions for the court and the inland areas!"

Cui Shao's words made Zhu Xiaowen more and more confused. He felt that Cui Shao's words were confusing and he couldn't understand what he was saying!
Seeing this, Cui Shao also patiently explained:
"Xiao Wen, if you follow your method and let He Jingyun put the knife on the necks of these merchants, they will pay for their lives, but you will also destroy the business environment in Jiangnan!"

"People say that every failure makes you wiser. These big merchants are so smart. After being ripped off by you once, they will certainly not let you rip them off a second time. With this lesson, they will naturally not keep their silver in Jiangnan. They will put their silver in places they think are safe!"

“If this happens, Jiangnan will decline from its former glory and will no longer be as prosperous as it once was…”

"And the Marshal is not thinking about this time, but focusing on the future, in the Marshal's words, which is called sustainable development, rather than exhausting the pond to catch fish like you do!"

"The purpose of the Marshal's southern tour is to use his own actions to promote the policies of our Fengwu Army, encourage the big merchants in Jiangnan to go abroad and develop further overseas, and then bring back the money they earn!"

After saying this, Zhu Xiaowen looked a little hesitant, and after a moment's hesitation he said:
"Master, forgive me for being blunt. The Marshal's idea is very good, but is it really feasible? Merchants forget morality when they see profit. Will they really be willing to bring the money they earn from overseas back to the Great Zhou?"

Cui Shao smiled and said:

"And this is the second purpose of the Marshal's southern tour!"

"The Marshal has always wanted to develop the navy and build a powerful fleet to conquer Dongdao, Nanyang and even further away!"

"But because of our tight finances, the development of the navy has always been on paper and has not been truly implemented!"

"In the Marshal's blueprint, the military expansion of the Fengwu Army and the merchants' development of trade are complementary to each other. Military expansion provides a guarantee for the development of trade, and the development of trade brings economic benefits to the military expansion!"

“The shipbuilding and shipping industries in Jiangnan have always been very developed, so the Marshal’s southern tour this time also wants to make full use of Jiangnan’s shipbuilding and shipping industries to build a powerful navy…” “In addition to this, the Marshal also plans to provide tax incentives and exemptions to merchants who invest in the inland of Dazhou, and improve their social status! In order to lure these merchants’ money to flow to those places where it is needed!”

Listening to Cui Shao's series of narrations, Zhu Xiaowen also said with some emotion:

"The Marshal is really good to these merchants!"

Cui Shao nodded and said:

"The Marshal has always attached great importance to the role of these merchants, and he always gives them some benefits when he asks them to do things for him. Without benefits, who would be willing to work for you?"

Zhu Xiaowen hesitated for a moment and said:
"It's natural to give them some sweet treats, but human ambitions are never satisfied. I'm afraid these merchants will eventually become too powerful to be eliminated!"

Listening to Zhu Xiaowen's concerns, Cui Shao smiled, shook his head and said:

"Xiao Wen, remember this sentence. Power always has the final say in this land!"

"When the Marshal needs them, he will naturally give them some benefits, but when the Marshal changes his mind, that's another story!"

"The fat sheep are always lured in first and then killed!"

Zhu Xiaowen seemed to be lost in thought after hearing this. After thinking carefully for a while, he found that although he had talked so much with Cui Shao, he seemed to be getting further and further away from the original question.
Thinking of this, Zhu Xiaowen couldn't help but ask:
"Master, forgive my ignorance. I still don't understand what the Marshal's southern tour has to do with the upcoming rectification campaign."

Seeing that Zhu Xiaowen still didn't understand what he meant, Cui Shao sighed and said:

"He's usually a very smart kid! How come he can't get around this little trick?"

Zhu Xiaowen felt a little ashamed when he heard this. Cui Shao thought for a moment and gave an example:

"Xiao Wen, this is like if I host a banquet at home and invite people to dinner, but I can't just say that there is some garbage left at home and invite guests to come, right?"

"I will definitely make my house clean and beautiful before inviting guests over, right?"

After hearing Cui Shao's vivid example, Zhu Xiaowen's eyes suddenly lit up, and he blurted out:
"Master, do you mean that the Marshal is carrying out the internal rectification movement in order to bring the silver from Jiangnan to the inland areas?"

Seeing Zhu Xiaowen's reaction, Cui Shao nodded and said:

"I think it's like this. The Marshal calls this a business environment. The Marshal believes that these merchants are chasing fame and fortune. Therefore, when you create an environment where they can make money, they will swarm over like wolves smelling blood on the grassland and deliver the money to you without you having to advertise too much!"

“Besides, the Marshal hates corrupt officials all his life, and this money is so hard to come by, so the Marshal naturally does not want to let this money flow into the hands of those corrupt officials…”

Zhu Xiaowen nodded and said sincerely:
"Thank you for your guidance, Master! I understand now. It seems that the Marshal is really going to start a big war this time!"

Cui Shao shook his head again and said:

"Xiao Wen, you only understood part of it, not all of it!"

"Master, what do you mean by this?" Zhu Xiaowen said with some doubt:
Didn’t the teacher just say that the Marshal hates corrupt officials and doesn’t want the money to flow into their pockets, so he has to clean the house before welcoming guests?

How come the teacher changed his mind before he even finished speaking?

Seeing Zhu Xiaowen's puzzled look, Cui Shao continued to explain:

"If we want to investigate thoroughly, a large number of people will be implicated, which will cause unrest and instability. The Yijing court was established not long ago, and it is a critical period that needs people's support. Therefore, it is very important to maintain the stability of the regime!"

"Also, I believe the Marshal understands the principle that if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. So in my opinion, the Marshal will find a suitable balance between a thorough investigation and maintaining stability!"

"So in my opinion, none of Sun Jingan's followers in Qi and Lu can escape, but Sun Jingan himself will not be in any serious trouble. At least his life is safe. At most, he will have to spit out what he has greedily taken, and then he can live out his days in Yijing!"

“As for the guy from Jiyu, nothing will happen to him. The Marshal is still counting on him to drive the development of Huainan. How could he have the heart to kill him…”

･･････････
･･････････
Three days later, in the study of Ye Mansion

Ye Mingsheng, who had just finished processing a batch of memorials in the morning, was sitting in a chair. He looked at Ye Cheng moving a new batch of memorials to his desk and shook his head with a wry smile.

Ye Cheng, who originally wanted to introduce the contents of these memorials to Ye Mingsheng, wisely shut his mouth when he saw Ye Mingsheng's expression.

Because he was almost exhausted, Ye Mingsheng simply stopped dealing with these memorials and casually instructed Ye Cheng:
"I want to relax in the sauna. Ye Cheng, go and make the arrangements!"

"Yes!"

Because the servants in the mansion needed to prepare for the sauna, Ye Mingsheng did not waste the time waiting for the sauna. He called a maid to give him a massage.

I don’t know if it’s because of sitting in a chair for some time, but Ye Mingsheng’s back and waist are very sore and need a good massage.

Ye Mingsheng, who was lying on the bed enjoying the massage from the maid, suddenly had an idea and asked Ye Cheng:
"Ye Cheng, is there anything fun happening in Yijing City recently?"

Ye Cheng thought for a moment after hearing this and said;
“To answer your question, sir, there aren’t many interesting things. It’s just that some people say that the whole city is full of grooms…”

(End of this chapter)