***
Huang Zhenlin came to the Huagai Palace and reported to Qin Mu about the negotiations with the British.
The British have now extended their reach to India and Burma. In order to obtain the exclusive right to sell goods from Daqin, they are willing to join forces with Daqin to defeat the Dutch and Spanish. They also promise not to march eastward and give all the interests in Nanyang to Daqin.
As for asking them to withdraw from India, the British refused.
Qin Mu was playing with the black and white chess pieces in his hands. After listening to Huang Zhenlin's words, he thought about it while placing the black pieces in his hand one by one on the imperial desk.
"Huang Qing must often play chess with others, right?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Huang Zhenlin seemed to be thinking about something, and he said, "Your Majesty's intention is to build momentum first."
Qin Mu was still pressing the black pieces onto the table one by one. As the number of black pieces on the table increased, Qin Mu smiled and said, "Now, the relationship between Great Qin and Britain is like the two sides of black and white at the beginning of the game. In a sense, it was the British who took the initiative. It is unrealistic for Great Qin to expect others to give up half of their territory after just one move."
Huang Zhenlin nodded and said, "Your Majesty, do you intend to start limited cooperation with the British?"
"It can be said that since it is unrealistic to ask the British to give up half of their territory now, the Qin Dynasty should just make its moves one by one. When the situation is strong, it will be no problem to squeeze the British out.
There are no permanent friends or permanent enemies between countries. Today, it is in the interests of the Qin Dynasty to cooperate with the British to a limited extent and defeat the Dutch first. Why can't we turn around and unite with the Dutch to defeat the British in the future
Furthermore, once the Qin Empire becomes powerful in the future, as long as the British are smart enough, they will gradually give up what the Qin Empire wants without fighting."
"Since your majesty has ordered this, I will go back and talk to the British again."
Qin Mu nodded. Huang Zhenlin left.
Then a message came from outside the hall that Lu Zhenfei and Yang Tinglin wanted to see him.
Qin Mu seemed to have expected the two of them to come to the emperor together and was not surprised at all.
"Your Highness, this is Lu Zhenfei."
"Your Majesty, this is Yang Tinglin."
"Your Majesty!"
"Stand up, and take a seat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Qin Mu put down the memorial he had just picked up and asked calmly, "Lord Lu and Minister Yang are both important ministers of the country. You have come to see me today. I guess there must be something important, right?"
Lu Zhenfei was also a gentleman. He did not use Yang Tinglin as a pawn. Of course, Yang Tinglin was probably not someone he could use as a pawn at will, so he still led the charge today and called Yang Tinglin along just to add some help.
He bluntly expressed his concerns about the army's superficial strength and the navy's independence.
Especially the navy, in his opinion, the navy is far away from overseas. It is difficult for the court to control it. In addition, its ships are strong and its guns are powerful. It can achieve self-sufficiency in supply and is not restricted by the court. If this continues, there will be problems.
Qin Mu could understand their concerns, and he also knew that Lu Zhenfei was not the only one who had such concerns. I'm afraid there were many ministers in the court who had such concerns.
He looked at Yang Tinglin, his father-in-law, a traditional scholar. He was upright and honest, and was very suitable for managing the most complicated personnel department. Those who wanted to buy an official position would find it difficult to get in his door.
But his traditional literati thinking sometimes makes Qin Mu stumble. This is probably because there is always a loss when there is a gain, and no minister can be perfect.
"Lord Lu, do you want me to send an eunuch to supervise the army?"
Qin Mu's sudden proposal to employ eunuchs caught Lu Zhenfei off guard. It could be said that it hit his soft spot. The eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty still make civil officials feel frightened. Of course, the emperor must not be allowed to employ eunuchs.
In this contest between the monarch and his subjects, Qin Mu hit the vital point with one move, causing Lu Zhenfei to lose the upper hand from the beginning. Because he was worried that Qin Mu would really use eunuchs, he became restrained and his attitude immediately changed a lot: "Your Majesty, this is not my intention. I just want Your Majesty to make some adjustments in the military deployment."
The Qin army actually has two sets of mechanisms running in parallel:
First, officers at all levels under the Five Military Governorates held the command of operations.
The second type is the assistant official under the Ministry of War, who is somewhat similar to the political commissar of later generations. He is in charge of the army's political propaganda, merit evaluation, rewards and punishments, and the power to impeach generals of the same rank.
In addition, there are often spies who are not intercepted at night in the military forces above the battalion level.
Qin Mu knew very well that having eunuchs supervising the army would greatly weaken the military's combat effectiveness, so he asked this question just to shut Lu Zhenfei up.
"How do you think we should adjust it, Elder Lu?"
"Your Majesty, the army is still easy to deal with, but once the navy goes out to sea, it is like a kite that has been released. If we do not strengthen the control, there will be problems in the long run."
"What Elder Lu said is not without reason. As the external war subsides, the army will naturally have to make some adjustments."
Lu Zhenfei was secretly delighted and immediately said, "Your Majesty is wise."
Qin Mu continued, "But everything in this world has its pros and cons. Even if people eat grains, they still get sick. Do we have to go on a hunger strike for this? I believe in the Royal Navy, so Lord Lu and Minister Yang don't have to worry too much about the navy."
As for the army, Qin Mu readily accepted the suggestion and agreed to make adjustments in the deployment.
This is based on practical considerations. As the situation in the four borders gradually calms down, it is necessary to reduce some border garrisons to reduce national consumption.
At the same time, it was also a way for Lu Zhenfei and Yang Tinglin to save their lives. The two were important officials in the court, and it was not appropriate to let their relationship become too strained. Their reasonable suggestions should be adopted.
But in terms of the navy, Qin Mu insisted on his own opinion and refused to give in. Chinese people are more family-oriented, and Qin Mu believed that if it were not for the last resort, the navy would not be willing to be independent overseas and abandon their wives and children.
Even if the South China Sea Fleet brought back tens of millions of taels of gold and silver treasures for the Qin Dynasty, and then they felt that they had lost out and established their own independence, this would be more beneficial than harmful to the Qin Dynasty. If it really came to that, it would be like letting the rain fall and letting the mother marry.
Qin Mu planned to build at least four fleets. If two of them went on an expedition, at least two would have to stay at home.
Even if both expeditionary fleets betrayed, they were unlikely to come back and threaten the Qin regime.
Moreover, the possibility of the two expeditionary fleets mutinying together was extremely small and could be almost ignored. Therefore, Qin Mu would never throw the baby out with the bathwater and tie up all the navy at home.
Qin Mu directly changed the topic from the navy and asked, "What do Lord Lu and Minister Yang think is the best way to adjust the deployment of the army?"
Lu Zhenfei and Yang Tinglin looked at each other and sighed inwardly. In fact, Lu Zhenfei's main target this time was the navy, because the navy took too big a step, which would prompt Daqin to speed up its pace of external expansion. This was what Lu Zhenfei was most worried about. After all, Daqin had just been established, so it was not advisable to make too much trouble.
But the emperor was so resolute, and he did not completely ignore their suggestions. At least he was willing to follow their advice on the issue of the army deployment that was related to domestic security. This finally comforted them a little.
As for the navy, we should take our time and first solve the problem of the army, which is more threatening but weak inside. This is the right thing to do.
Yang Tinglin said: "Your Majesty, the Mongols in the south of the desert should not be a major threat in the short term, and the court now has two heavy troops stationed in Liaodong and Xuanda, which will cause great losses in logistics and supply, and is not conducive to internal and external checks and balances.
I suggest that we withdraw some of the heavy troops from Liaodong and Xuanda and station them in Beijing and Luoyang respectively. Beijing and Luoyang are connected by water, and the logistics supply can be transported by water, which can greatly reduce losses and reduce the burden on the court.
In addition, these two places are also strategic locations. If there is an incident in Liaodong or Xuanda, they can quickly reinforce them, while taking care of the Central Plains and stabilizing the country. In this way, they can check and support each other and ensure peace of mind. "
Obviously, Yang Tinglin's words were well thought out, and even a strategy reached after repeated discussions with Lu Zhenfei. Qin Mu thought about it carefully and felt that this strategy was indeed good;
Now the North Sea Fleet is stationed in Lushun, which can play a certain stabilizing role in Liaodong. In addition, Meng Ke's "Eight-Tribe Coalition" has been formed, which has formed an absolute advantage over the tribes in the south of the desert.
Under such circumstances, there is indeed no need to maintain the two heavy troops of Meng Ke and Ma Yongzhen in Liaodong and Xuanda.
If the troops in Ningyuan were transferred back to Luoyang, and Ma Yongzhen's troops were transferred back to Beijing to be led by Han Gang or other trusted generals, this would have a deterrent effect internally, preventing the Central Plains from being too empty of troops, and externally provide support relatively quickly. It would also greatly reduce the huge loss of daily supplies during long-distance transportation, which can be said to kill three birds with one stone.
"Minister Yang has given it a thorough thought. I think it is feasible. I will discuss it with the military officers at the court meeting tomorrow to see if there are any areas that can be improved. I will then issue an order to implement it."
"Your Majesty is wise."
As for Xijing, it is not advisable to reduce the military strength now, and Lu Zhenfei and Yang Tinglin did not suggest reducing the garrison in the northwest.
In the past two months, news has been continuously reported from the Western Regions that the Dzungar Khanate has already fought from the northern Xinjiang to the southern Xinjiang, and is heading towards Yarkand City, the capital of the Yarkand Khanate.
The envoys sent to the Khoshut tribe in Qinghai-Tibet did not report any progress in the peace talks. It was still unknown whether the Khoshut tribe would join forces with the Dzungar tribe to invade the Qin Dynasty.
Although Li Dingguo has been sent to Hexi to take active precautions, Hexi is still Qin Mu's biggest concern. It is impossible to reduce the military forces in the northwest at this time.
In this regard, Lu Zhenfei and Yang Tinglin were still public-spirited. At least they knew where they could move and where they could not move.
**************************
ps: I haven't seen the sun for half a month. The sky is either rainy or gloomy, which makes me feel bad. There has been no recommendation for two weeks. I clicked on the recommendation and subscription, and everything has seriously declined. The results are just like this damn weather. Brothers, please support me with some monthly tickets, so that I can see a glimmer of hope. I beg for monthly tickets!
.(To be continued..)
...