novelAbuy Chapter 218 Is this tomb-raiding family really that rich?
Chapter 218 Is this tomb-raiding family really that rich?
He can raid tombs, read feng shui, and even read stars!
These were the earliest geologists, geographers, and astronomers. Look, look, these are the talents!
It's not just the 21st century that's lacking talent; our great Han Dynasty is too!
Liu Mu stroked his beard, revealing a thoughtful expression. Those familiar with him knew that the emperor was about to bestow an official title upon him.
Sure enough, Liu Mu clapped his hands!
"Good, good, very good!"
"Judging from your appearance, you don't seem like a military officer. The Han Dynasty is currently lacking an Imperial Observatory, so appoint you as its director and you will be responsible for court sacrifices and the study of feng shui and astrology!"
Chen Ergou felt like a windfall had fallen from the sky.
In the Ming Dynasty, the Imperial Observatory was a fifth-rank official. Regardless of how much power they wielded, the key was that they were the first to reach the emperor and tell him about good or bad omens.
Who knows, one day the emperor might suddenly have a dream that warns him of the chaos caused by the Han and the barbarians, and then he might seek out the Imperial Observatory to interpret the dream.
If Chen Lao Er says "Hu people" at that time, that's fine. But if he says "Hu" first, then those with the surname Hu among the civil and military officials will have to think twice about whether they should run away in advance.
To think that a mere tomb raider could reach such heights, Chen Lao Er immediately knelt down and kowtowed in reverence.
"I, Chen Moxing, have adopted the alias Chen Lao Er because I fear the flames of war will spread back to my homeland. Today, I have received Your Majesty's grace and have no way to repay it. I wish to donate twenty-eight pieces of calligraphy and paintings from the Song Dynasty, one hundred pieces of gold, silver and jade artifacts, a luminous pearl the size of an egg, thirty thousand taels of gold, and five hundred thousand taels of silver to assist in the fight against Wu Sangui!"
The Chen family was a family of tomb raiders, and Kaifeng was the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty. Over the past hundred years, there have been countless large tombs in the surrounding area. Being close to the source, they were able to make a fortune.
As for Chen Moxing, he was the second son of the third generation, so how could he possibly mobilize so much gold and silver from his family? But now that he has become the Imperial Observatory, things are different.
In the future, who the hell would bother digging up graves if they were to work in officialdom?
Liu Mu was overjoyed upon hearing this, his fingers even trembling slightly. It turned out that this Chen Lao Er was not only incredibly talented, but also so wealthy that it was hard not to like him.
"Chen Moxing, loyal to the emperor and devoted to the country, is rewarded with a set of imperial sable fur, a royal ivory flintlock pistol, and three members of the Chen family will be granted the hereditary title of Hundred-Household Commander of the Imperial City Guard!"
Chen Moxing was so stunned by the reward that he almost forgot to express his gratitude. If Jiang Muning hadn't secretly kicked him, he would have almost lost his composure.
He genuinely felt that the Imperial Observatory was too expensive.
Liu Mu, however, felt that he should not take advantage of his subjects, not to mention the antique luminous pearl, but the nearly one million taels of silver.
If it were a conscription system, it could support 50,000 elite soldiers for a year. The Han Dynasty's garrison system had very low expenses, which was enough to purchase the 1 million shi of military rations prepared for this 100,000-strong army, not to mention that it also contained mixed grains.
Is tomb raiding really that profitable?
Why don't you give it a try?
When Chen Moxing donated money, Zhou Peigong knew something was wrong. He knew how desperately the emperor needed money, because in the north of the Han Dynasty, roads were being built everywhere and wars were raging, so money was scarce everywhere.
Therefore, Zhou Peigong had been observing all along. When he saw Liu Mu's eyes light up, he immediately coughed and stepped forward to clasp his hands in greeting.
"Your Majesty, there are still two meritorious officials who have not been rewarded!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Mu immediately glared at Zhou Peigong, who always interrupted his thoughts. However, thinking about it, it was indeed not a good idea to dig up someone else's ancestral graves, so he gave up.
"Jiang Muning, you held a high position in Wu's army, yet you were able to abandon the darkness and embrace the light. Very good. I hereby appoint you..."
"His Majesty!"
Before Liu Mu could finish speaking, Jiang Muning stepped forward.
"The second credit for this battle goes to General Gao Qilong, who is standing beside me. Your personal library contains more than ten thousand volumes. It is thanks to him that we were able to successfully open the North Gate and welcome the army into the city!"
Kind of!
You have good manners!
They just gave up the credit as they pleased!
Standing behind, Gao Qilong was incredulous at the sight. He felt that Jiang Muning was a gambling god. He couldn't think of anyone else who would be so trustworthy!
Liu Mu was aware of this matter, but Jiang Zhaoning was, after all, his own brother, so he would definitely promote him. He originally wanted to get away with it, but Jiang Muning didn't take the bait!
"Then don't regret it!"
Liu Mu muttered to himself, then opened the booklet belonging to Jiang Muning, crossed out her name, and changed it to Gao Qilong's.
"Fangcheng is crucial to the campaign against Wu Sangui. Since you are credited with opening the city gates this time, I, as the Emperor, will certainly grant your request!"
"Today, Gao Qilong is hereby appointed General Who Subdues Rebels, granted the hereditary title of Earl of Fangcheng, a three-courtyard mansion in Beijing, a black fox fur coat, a white jade belt, a pair of precious pearls, and an ivory flintlock pistol bestowed by the Emperor!"
It was actually a hereditary earldom. Although he was also the Earl of Yichuan in the Southern Ming Dynasty, the prestige of that title was nowhere near as high as this one.
As for Wu Sangui, he didn't receive it!
Yes, he risked his life to capture more than a dozen cities, killed 20,000 Green Standard Army soldiers and 3,000 Eight Banner soldiers, but all the credit was given to Ma Bao, who was then the first to be granted the title of Duke Bao.
Gao Qilong prostrated himself on the ground and kowtowed three times.
"Your subject, Gao Qilong, thanks Your Majesty for bestowing upon me the title of Earl. In this life, I am loyal only to the Han Dynasty and follow Your Majesty unconditionally! But if any traitors appear before me, I will surely lead the charge, charge into battle, and annihilate the enemy to bring peace to the world for Your Majesty, thus repaying the grace bestowed upon me today!"
Liu Mu nodded. Historically, Gao Qilong was skilled at deploying troops in tight, impenetrable formations, always taking a steady and methodical approach and rarely making any remarkable achievements.
This might seem ordinary, but in Liu Mu's eyes, it was actually quite impressive, because in large-scale decisive battles, the key is money and supplies. As long as the commander holds firm and doesn't lose, that's a victory.
Yes, Liu Mu has already seen someone at the commander-in-chief level.
Just like Xu Da, Zhu Yuanzhang focused on procuring funds and supplies, building up elite troops, and then finalizing a marching plan with the court officials before steadily implementing it!
The Northern Expedition succeeded, and Emperor Yuan fled north. Most people would have tried to go, but Xu Da refused. Instead, he resolutely carried out Zhu Yuanzhang's military order to first cut off Wang Baobao's rear in Shanxi and completely recover all the lost territories.
As it turned out, he was right. Wang Baobao was no pushover, and if the final battle had taken place in Hebei, they might have actually lost to him.
……
"Lord Fangcheng, you may dispense with the formalities!"
"Take your seats!"
Liu Mu raised his hand, then looked at Jiang Muning!
"How is it? Do you regret it?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Muning didn't even blink. He simply knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and straightened his back with his head held high.
"No regrets, a true man keeps his promise!"
Liu Mu wasn't angry. Most people who kept their promises would become loyal to the death, as long as the emperor wasn't incompetent.
"Excellent, what a promise kept!"
"Jiang Muning has rendered meritorious service in organizing the opening of the gates. Effective immediately, he is promoted to the rank of Third-Rank Commander and sent to Korea to organize the training of the Seoul Guard!"
Indeed, Portugal has already begun shipping goods to Malacca, and once those goods are distributed in the West by the middle of the year, they will surely attract the attention of the Dutch and British.
Portugal would suddenly become a thorn in the side of both countries, and they might even take the risk of attacking the Portuguese mainland.
Therefore, Liu Mu had already made preparations, having Jiang Muning train a Korean army, and then mix in some Japanese samurai, to fight the first battle in Portugal.