***
The Duke of Wei's Mansion is located near Wende Bridge, close to East Garden. It is a wealthy and powerful family with extraordinary grandeur.
It’s just that the current emperor advocates frugality, and the ministers’ houses are generally not very luxurious.
Although the Duke of Wei's mansion is full of buildings and pavilions, which is in line with his status, the interior decoration is relatively simple.
Near the west wall of the back garden, seven or eight craftsmen were building a biogas tank using newly produced cement from Nanxiang. Now, every family in Nanjing that can afford it has started building a biogas tank.
It is said that after the biogas pool was built, not only did the toilets get rid of the bad smell, but the biogas produced could also be used for burning firewood. The maids and servants in the mansion were very curious and went to watch. The craftsmen mixed the mortar and were scraping the pool wall. The cement slurry alone was enough to make the maids and servants in the mansion feel fresh.
Different from the bustling west wing, in the inner study on the east side, Sima An, who had just come off court, changed into casual clothes and was working on ink at the sandalwood desk. His calm and neutral demeanor made it hard to believe that he was the powerful prime minister of the cabinet.
The ink in the Duan inkstone is so gleaming that one can see through it, and there are a few wolf-hair brushes hanging on the pen holder; in the red stone incense burner beside the table, the smoke of cigarettes lingers in the air, making the study seem even more peaceful.
Sima Kai came in and greeted him with great respect.
"What's the matter?" Sima An asked without raising his head, concentrating on writing.
"My lord father, when I was meeting Your Majesty in the Huagai Palace yesterday..." Sima Kai said this and waved his hand to let the two maids serving in the study leave. Then he told Sima An everything that happened in the Huagai Palace.
Sima An put down his pen, picked up the Jingdeqing flower tea cup, took a sip, and began to ponder.
He was both surprised and confused.
Surprisingly, the emperor, at such a young age, has mastered the concepts of governing a country from Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism, Diplomacy, Military Science, and Mohism so smoothly that even he cannot help but sigh that he is inferior to them.
What was confusing was that the emperor was just using his son to convey these things to me. After all, no matter how good the strategy of governing a country is, someone has to implement it. But why didn't the emperor discuss it with me directly
"What else did your majesty mention?"
"My Lord Father, other than that, His Majesty did not mention anything else."
Sima An knew Qin Mu very well. Although he was young, many of his seemingly childish actions were actually full of hidden meanings. Since ancient times, it has been believed that the most feared thing for a minister is to be too successful and shock the ruler.
Such an important national policy. The emperor did not discuss it directly with the Prime Minister, but wanted to convey it through his son. Sima An could not figure out the deep meaning of this.
Could it be that some of my actions have displeased the current emperor, so he is implicitly trying to distance himself from me and warn me
Sima Kai did not think so deeply. He was full of admiration for Qin Mu's strategy for governing the country. He could not help but say, "Father, your majesty is thoughtful and far-sighted. If this strategy for governing the country can be implemented, the prosperity of the Qin Dynasty can be expected."
"Your Majesty has already implemented this strategy for governing the country." Sima An glanced at his son calmly and said, "When you walk in front of Your Majesty in the future, use your brain more. With your slow response, this family will be ruined in your hands sooner or later."
Sima Kai was so frightened that he immediately knelt down and apologized: "My child is stupid, please punish me, father."
After all, his son is still young. Sima An sighed secretly. The emperor has been very kind to the Sima family. If this son can work harder in the future, it will not be difficult for him to succeed.
But serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. With his scheming mind, he needs to be disciplined, otherwise, I don’t know what will bring him disaster.
He pointed out one by one: "Your Majesty, why did you build the Navy and Army academies?"
"Father, I have already thought of this. Your Majesty is using military strategies. He also encourages industry and commerce, streamlines institutions, reduces taxes, and transfers shipyards and government-run weaving bureaus to private ownership. These are examples of the Taoist strategy of governing by doing nothing. It's just that the others..."
Sima An felt a little comforted. This son could still be saved. He said slowly, "Your Majesty has set up research departments in the shipyard, the Military Equipment Bureau, the Textile Factory, the Anshan Mining Administration, the Imperial Household Department, the Sino-Agricultural Department, and the Imperial Hospital. He also offered a large reward in the Daqin Times to seek various inventions. What can you think of from this?"
"Ah, this is Mohist..."
Sima An nodded and said, "As for Confucianism, it has been the only doctrine for thousands of years. Your Majesty does not need to emphasize it. Just don't deny it. Do you understand?"
"Oh, thank you for your teachings, father. I understand. And your majesty abolished the Honglu Temple and set up a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and diplomacy. This is to perfect the school of diplomacy..." Sima Kai drew inferences from one example and figured it out. Among the six schools of Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism, diplomacy, military strategy, and Mohism, only the Legalist school was missing.
Sima An knew what he was thinking and said calmly, "The pre-Qin dynasty used the Legalists to govern the country. Your Majesty inherited the legal tradition of the First Emperor, so the Legalists are the most sensitive."
Sima Kai really understood this time. Qin Mu put the most sensitive Legalists at the end. In the future, he would probably do it in a subtle way. There would be no big moves, but only gradual improvements.
Given the Sima family's achievements, making small mistakes would not lead to big disasters. If they made mistakes based on principle, it would probably bring disaster to the entire family. That's why Sima An was so patient in guiding his son.
Once you have mastered the major frameworks of national affairs, as long as you act within them, you won't go against the dragon's scales.
Sima Kai asked cautiously: "Father, you... "
"Although your majesty is young, he is thoughtful, flexible and prudent. His talent in governing the country is unmatched by any monarch in history. The national policy he has set is in line with the current trend of thought in the world, so I will naturally follow the trend."
Sima An's words were more for Qin Mu than for his son. After he finished speaking, he couldn't help but sigh slightly and began to ponder the deeper meaning of Qin Mu's message through his son's mouth.
***
On Gu Rong's flagship, Zheng Sihai, Zhang Mingzhen, Hai Rufeng, Tong Haifeng, Shi Lang, Wang Guichen, Chen Hui, Zhao Han and others gathered around the map, discussing the strategy of attacking the Port of Manila.
After much discussion, everyone agreed that a storm attack was not advisable. Not only did the Spanish have 20 warships, they also had a large number of coastal artillery fortifications outside the port, so the possibility of a storm attack was almost zero.
Shi Lang said: "According to intelligence, although the Spanish have brought in a lot of warships, their total number is only 1,400. Together with the natives of Luzon, the total number is only 3,000. If it doesn't work, we can find a place nearby, let the marines land in small boats, and attack Manila from the shore."
Hai Rufeng immediately said: "Then let me lead the marines to land. My warships are all damaged. There is no point in staying on board."
Zheng Sihai said, "You should take a rest first. You can't eat all the meat by yourself."
Tong Haifeng and others immediately said, "That's right."
Each fleet of the Great Qin Royal Navy has a marine corps. The Marine Corps Commander He Qingyuan of the South China Sea Fleet and the Marine Corps Commander Li Keyi of the East China Sea Fleet were not happy when they heard this. What are we doing here if you guys snatch away the meat in our bowls
He Qingyuan said first: "You want to lead the Marines ashore, OK, let His Majesty transfer you to the Marines first."
Li Ke was even more direct: "Damn it, you guys treat us like decorations? I've been training hard for a whole year, and now I want to hand over the Marine Corps to you guys. You're dreaming!"
Gu Rong said, "Don't argue, there's nothing to argue about. No one should think of sticking their feet in someone else's crotch."
"I like what you said, Admiral. You guys do the work at sea, and don't even think about getting involved in the work on land."
Hai Rufeng chuckled. He knew that he was being a bit unkind, so he said, "General He, Brother Li, I have nothing to do. How about this? I'll go ashore with you and help you. Is that okay?"
"That's more like it."
In the Manila Port, Andre and others also estimated that the Qin army might choose to land nearby, so they sent people to patrol the coastline closely, and once the Qin army really landed, they would immediately strike back.
Andre then ordered martial law in the city, strictly prohibiting all Han people from leaving the city, otherwise they would be killed without mercy.
This time, the Qin army came with more than 20,000 troops. Although it was heard before that the Chinese would collapse after a few rounds of volleys and were very vulnerable, the disparity in the strength of the two sides was huge, and the atmosphere in Manila was still very tense.
At the intersections of the Spanish community, fortifications have been built, and Spanish soldiers armed with live ammunition are patrolling back and forth, looking as if they are facing a formidable enemy.
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.(To be continued..)
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