Chapter 408: Political Affairs Are Busy, God Bless the Ming Dynasty
Chapter 408: Political Affairs Are Busy, God Bless the Ming Dynasty
At about 4:00 in the morning,
The night has not yet faded, and the Yingtian Imperial City is still covered with a layer of gloomy veil, with solemnity in the silence.
Crown Prince Zhu Biao moved his tall and upright body on the imperial road of the palace, his steps eager and light, afraid of disturbing the peace before dawn, and hurried all the way to the Wuying Palace.
When I stepped into the palace, I saw that it was brightly lit, and the halo of light opened up a world in the darkness.
Zhu Yuanzhang, whose hair was almost completely white, had already sat firmly on the main seat.
It is like an ancient rock that has been carved by time and weathered by wind and frost.
He was a little thin, and in his casual clothes.
The golden patterns on the robe sparkled in the interweaving of light and shadow.
His face was covered with wrinkles, and the corners of his lips drooped slightly under his high nose bridge, making him look intimidating without even being angry.
His brows were furrowed like a "川" shape, his eyes were sunken and his gaze was as sharp as a torch.
At this moment, he was concentrating on the memorial on the table, writing with the red brush in his hand.
The tip of the pen rubbed across the paper, making a rustling sound.
Zhu Biao was no longer surprised by such scenes.
Then he straightened his robe, letting the hem flutter, and respectfully bowed, saying loudly:
"My son, I pay my respects to my father."
Zhu Yuanzhang kept writing, and only raised his eyes slightly.
He glanced at Zhu Biao and said calmly:
"Biao'er, get up. It's not too late since it's still dark."
Zhu Biao stood up, stood aside with his hands hanging down, and responded softly:
"I know that your father is busy with state affairs every day and dares not slack off. I didn't expect that your father would be here much earlier than your son."
Zhu Yuanzhang put down his brush, leaned back in his chair, rubbed his brows, and a flash of fatigue passed through his face:
"The major events in the world are like a tangled mess, and my eyes are almost blinded by these memorials.
Now that you are here, please take a look with me. There are few things that are worrying that have been reported from various places. "
As he spoke, he casually threw a few memorials onto the empty space in front of the desk.
Zhu Biao smiled lightly and took two steps forward:
"Father, why don't you serve the meal? You can take a rest first, and I will take care of the work for you."
Zhu Yuanzhang raised the corners of his drooping mouth, and a smile appeared in his eagle-like eyes.
He leaned over to look at the eunuch standing respectfully beside him.
Pointing at Zhu Biao, he nodded back and forth:
"Look, look, my son has grown up and knows how to share my worries."
The eunuch lowered his body and smiled:
"Your Highness the Crown Prince is virtuous, and Your Majesty can rest assured."
"Hahaha." Zhu Yuanzhang laughed.
Crown Prince Zhu Biao stood in front of the table and also smiled.
Then he opened the memorial and quickly glanced at it, with surprise flashing in his eyes.
[Zhang Wen, Marquis of Huining, and Zhou Xing, the commander of Beiping, reported the repair of Daning and other cities, and issued the following order:
Daning City has five gates, the circumference of the city is three thousand sixty feet, the moat is three thousand one hundred sixty feet long and one foot nineteen feet deep.
Huizhou has four city gates, the circumference of the city is 1,120 feet, the moat is 1,189 feet long and 18 feet deep;
Fuyu City has four gates, the circumference of the city is 900 zhang, the moat is 982 zhang long and 13 zhang deep;
There are four Kuanhe city gates, with a circumference of 812 zhang, a moat 859 zhang long and 15 feet deep.
Forty-seven granaries were built, totaling 550 rooms, and barracks totaling 7,333 rooms.]
Crown Prince Zhu Biao read it again, then raised his head and said in a clear voice:
"Father, this city was built so quickly?
If I remember correctly, the memorial was not sent until the first month of the year.
It’s only April now, and they’ve already finished the repairs?”
Zhu Yuanzhang laughed, and his dry voice echoed in Wuying Hall:
"The establishment of the Beijing Xingdusi, it seems that these two have made preparations in advance."
"It would be great if all officials in the world were like these two.
Everything has been prepared, so Father can be more at ease."
Zhu Biao said as he picked up another memorial.
[Your Majesty has made a wise decree, ordering all soldiers in the country to learn skills in order to strengthen the military and enrich the country.
Upon hearing your order, we, the ministers, were all delighted and encouraged, and vowed to carry it out personally to live up to Your Majesty's high expectations.
In compliance with your majesty's order, I will write to the Five Military Commands Office.
He ordered him to send officials to various capitals to convey the emperor's will and supervise its implementation.
All the guards responded positively and quickly set up technical training offices.
The soldiers were strictly selected, four from every hundred households, and those with weaker physical strength among the regular soldiers were also taken into consideration.
This gives them the opportunity to learn a skill, which not only strengthens their physical fitness but also cultivates practical talents for the country.
As for the materials needed, such as silk, iron, chopsticks, horns, leather, pigments, etc., they were all supplied by the government in compliance with the order, without causing any trouble to the people.
Ensure that people’s strength is not lost and their hearts are stable.
Today, April has passed.
Everywhere in the country, from the capital to the frontiers, the technical training bureaus of each garrison have been set up.
The soldiers are following the routine and studying various skills diligently, and it is expected that initial results will be seen within a year.]
Zhu Biao's eyes flashed with satisfaction, and he nodded gently:
"Father, since my uncle returned victorious,
The procedures of the Governor's Office are much faster and not as slow as before."
"Humph, these people are willing to work only when someone forces them to do so."
Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, placed his right hand on the side of the bench, tapped it lightly, his eye sockets deep.
He glanced at the large table and motioned for the eunuch beside him to take a memorial and pass it over.
"Biao'er, take a look. The Censorate sent us some memorials.
I was shocked to hear the sufferings of the people described above.
Now that the treasury has some surplus, a lot of money that was originally used for war has been saved, and I plan to distribute some money for disaster relief."
Zhu Biao raised his head after hearing this, and nodded slightly in thought:
"Father, the Ministry of Works reported to me yesterday.
After testing, the new horseshoes have been found to have 20% less wear and tear than previous horseshoes.
It happened that the wars in the north and south were over, and most of the horseshoes needed to be replaced.
If they were built together, at least 200,000 taels of silver could be saved.
Since the court has saved this money,
There is absolutely no point in holding it in your hands, it would be better to distribute it to the people to help them get through this difficult time."
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and nodded:
"Very good! Gold, silver, money, and state taxes are merely tools for controlling the world.
If we cannot use them to improve people's livelihood and strengthen the country, these things are no different from waste paper."
"My son, I will remember it."
After Zhu Biao respectfully agreed, he turned his head and looked down at the memorial in his hand.
[I heard that there are many poor people in Jiujiang, Huangzhou, Hanyang, Wuchang, Yuezhou, and Jingzhou counties,
They sent people to carry money for relief, one ingot of money for each man.
Each water postman along the river was given five ingots, totaling 912,617 ingots.
Each Shandong refugee living in the capital was given 20 ingots of banknotes.
A total of 269,210 ingots of banknotes were used to provide relief to the starving people in Laizhou and Yanzhou prefectures in Shandong Province.
A total of more than 1,468,700 ingots of banknotes were distributed to the poor in Changde, Changsha, Chenzhou, Jingzhou, Hengzhou, Yongzhou, Baoqing, Chenzhou, De'an, Mianyang, Anlu, and Xiangyang in Huguang.]
Looking at the large amount of silver above, even though Zhu Biao had already made preparations, he was still a little frightened.
"Father, the total amount of money distributed this month is nearly 2.7 million.
Although the Ministry of Revenue has a surplus, the Governor's Office will begin to formulate the reward silver for the Southwest War next month. Should we make a decision on it at the same time?"
Zhu Yuanzhang, who was at the top, waved his hand:
"Disaster relief is one thing, and military pay and rewards are another.
Tell the Governor's Office that the money for the war should be calculated quickly and that it should come from Luchuan. Order Si Lunfa to send the money to Yunnan."
Zhu Biao looked a little strange, and said hesitantly:
"Father, the letter from the Yunnan Provincial Government stated frankly,
Silunfa hastily dispatched troops because of the disaster in their country. They probably don't have that much money."
"If silver is not enough, use other things to make up for it!
Salt, sugar, ore, timber, fruits and vegetables, the Ming Dynasty wanted everything.
Soldiers on the front line fought to the death.
If we have to pay for this, then wouldn't this war be fought in vain?"
Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, looked at him carefully, and said slowly:
"Biao'er, you have a kind nature, but sometimes you need to be tougher and don't let others take advantage of you.
What does the life and death of the people of Luchuan have to do with us Ming people?"
Zhu Biao still showed hesitation, and said in a deep voice:
"Father, I still think that we should help the world.
Si Lunfa is going against the grain, and this is a good opportunity for us to win over the people of Luchuan.
The Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Revenue have already calculated how much sugar cane there is in Luchuan.
The deep mountains and old forests are full of wood, so it’s a good place.”
Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly laughed:
"Biao'er is ambitious, Luchuan is indeed a good place,
But not now, Yunnan has not been completely pacified yet. It will not be too late to think about expanding the territory after the people and natives of Yunnan have returned to their hearts.”
"However." Zhu Yuanzhang changed the subject and said lightly:
"Since the sugar cane and trees in Luchuan are excellent,
Submit a petition and ask Luchuan to send a batch every year.
This way, I have the things and don’t have to deal with all those messy things in Luchuan.”
Zhu Biao's face froze, and he was suddenly speechless.
at last.
I smiled helplessly. This is indeed a good idea.
Seeing his son like this, Zhu Yuanzhang was filled with joy and said:
"Now that the Chancellery has been built, I plan to let Tang Duo be the Chancellor.
He used to be the Minister of War and has always been ruthless. You should learn more from him.
As a crown prince, you must practice the kingly way and benevolent governance, but you must also be hegemonic. "
Crown Prince Zhu Biao bowed and saluted: "Thank you, father!"
Nowadays, most of the officials in the Chancellery and the six ministries under the Crown Prince are concurrent officials.
It can prevent court officials and palace officials from conspiring against each other and creating estrangement between relatives.
In this way, Your Majesty and the Crown Prince share some court officials.
It can reduce most of the conflicts and make the father and son closer.
Zhu Yuanzhang thought for a moment and said:
"Biao'er, Tang Duo went to work as a secretary.
You can ask him about matters related to the court's military affairs, he is always capable. I think we should find a military commander to teach Biaoer the art of war.
I am an emperor on horseback, conquering the world along the way.
If you can also learn some military skills, you can avoid a lot of trouble in the future.
At least some treacherous officials will be wary of your military power and will not dare to rebel."
As soon as these words came out, Crown Prince Zhu Biao immediately smiled bitterly:
"Father, I am already thirty-four years old and have been busy with government affairs all day long.
Please don't make things difficult for me, as I don't have the time to study military tactics.
If there is a chance, I will study the art of war with my uncle.
Is there any better teacher in this world than my uncle?"
Zhu Yuanzhang thought about it, ignored Zhu Biao, and said to himself:
"On the southwest battlefield, Lu Yunyi made another great contribution.
He is now a guest of the Crown Prince, so it is reasonable for him to enter the Chancellery, what do you think? "
Zhu Biao was stunned. If he remembered correctly,
Lu Yunyi is only a young man, just 20 years old.
Asking him to be his teacher? That's a bit absurd.
He quickly said, "Father, Lu Yunyi is young, so it's a bit abrupt for him to enter the Zhanshi Court."
Most of the officials in the Zhanshiyuan were important officials of the imperial court, or learned old gentlemen from the capital.
A young man in his twenties entered and looked extremely strange.
More importantly, Zhu Biao felt that
He didn't have to take care of military affairs himself, as the military officers from the Governor's Office were waiting for him.
What's more, my uncle, brother and others are strong in military affairs, so it will never be my turn to fight in the war.
Zhu Yuanzhang leaned back, tapping the armrests of the chair with his fingers, smiling:
"Wenying has found a good son-in-law this time. He has made great contributions at a young age.
But it's a little difficult for me to do.
I don't know how to reward him, so I plan to put him in the Zhanshiyuan.
Then give him some more money, and when Wenying comes to Beijing, he will ask me about it.
I can make sense of it, and it saves him from nagging."
Perhaps he remembered that his adopted son was about to go to Beijing.
The hostility of Emperor Ming Zhu Yuanzhang eased a lot, and became a little gentler.
He continued, "As for studying military affairs...there are many generals in the capital, so he is not needed.
It is better to let him go to Daning, as the city of Daning has been built.
As an important official of the Ming Dynasty, it is not enough to just be able to fight.
You must mount your horse to command the troops and dismount to pacify the people.
If he does well again, it won’t be too late to promote him then.”
At this point, Zhu Biao finally understood his father's arrangement and knew that he would be the focus of training.
Now the imperial court has no shortage of generals who can fight.
But what is lacking is a general who can defend the local area and be loyal to the court.
In the eyes of the imperial court, only such generals are worth training so that they can ascend to high positions and enter the Governor's Office!
Taking a deep breath, Zhu Biao bowed slightly:
"Father, I understand. I understand."
As soon as he finished speaking, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the Wuying Palace.
The two looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man in armor.
Guo Ying, Marquis of Wuding, holding a long sword and a document, walked over quickly.
He stood quietly below, clasped his hands and saluted, and said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty, Your Highness, urgent news from Yunnan!"
Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes suddenly became sharp.
After exchanging a glance with Crown Prince Zhu Biao, he spoke in a deep voice:
"Send it up."
The eunuch in red hurried over, took the document, and then quickly handed it to His Majesty.
Zhu Yuanzhang took the document, opened it quickly and read it.
When he was halfway through, the solemnity on his face disappeared.
Instead there was astonishment and some disbelief.
Zhu Biao, who was standing by, narrowed his eyes when he saw this. What happened?
He had never seen his father like this before.
Zhu Yuanzhang had finished reading the memorial, and felt his lips dry.
After calming himself down, he looked over again and read quickly.
Slowly, a smile appeared on his lips, and a blush appeared on his old cheeks.
"well!!!"
"God bless the Ming Dynasty, God bless the Ming Dynasty!!"
He looked at the eunuch standing beside him and quickly ordered:
"Jixiang, go and tell those old men to get up. Things are going to change in the Ming Dynasty!"
The eunuch standing beside him was wearing a red robe and his face changed slightly.
Knowing who Your Majesty was talking about, he bent his waist to the extreme:
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After saying this, he ran out quickly.
The body is stable, but the speed is very fast.
Zhu Yuanzhang, who was in charge, read the memorial again.
Then he looked at Zhu Biao who was approaching from the side, laughed, and handed the memorial to him:
"Look, old man Gao has made his conclusion. Sweet potatoes are really good."
Zhu Biao couldn't wait to take the document and read it quickly, his expression gradually becoming strange.
[Petition for the introduction of sweet potato]
[I, Gao Fusheng, Junior Secretary of the Yunnan Agricultural Administration, respectfully present this memorial to Your Majesty.
At this time of the Luchuan expedition, many things were going on.
Suddenly, something appeared in the army, which seemed to have the power to change the world.
I, your ministers, dare not underestimate this and will report this to Your Majesty immediately.
Lu Yunyi, the commander of the front army scout unit, was known for his agility and competence.
After defeating the Luchuan army, they were surprised to see a strange potato, which they called sweet potato.
Although it is not yet time to plant and harvest, after careful investigation, extensive consultation with local elders, and combined with the research and judgment of the wise and capable people in my court who are experienced in farming,
I can conclude that sweet potatoes have unlimited potential and astonishing yield, which is several times higher than other common grains such as rice and wheat.
Looking at the posture of the plant, the vines are stretched and vigorous, the leaves are lush and thick, and it looks prosperous when covering the ground.
The tubers produced, even in the native paddy fields, without any elaborate farming work, can already be seen in a single nest with several tubers, and they are full and strong in shape.
And the adaptability of sweet potatoes is beyond imagination.
Whether it is red soil, thin gravel land, or wet depressions in the valleys, or dry plateaus on hills and ridges, it can tenaciously take root and grow new stems, without any sign of being delicate and difficult to grow.
When I think about the vast mountains and rivers of our Ming Dynasty, there are many places that were once considered barren and difficult to grow crops.
If sweet potatoes could be planted everywhere, it would be like a drought-stricken area turning into fertile land, and the risk of starvation could be largely alleviated.
Indeed, we have also noticed some hidden concerns.
Sweet potatoes are as damaging to the soil as garlic is to the soil, and the soil's fertility is easily exhausted, making it difficult to maintain a high harvest in the future.
However, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Compared with its obvious high yield potential and almost undemanding growth adaptability, these problems are by no means unsolvable.
I dare to make this suggestion and hope that Your Majesty will order the departments to pay immediate attention to this matter.
First, the original sweet potato seeds are already on the way, and they must not be left behind or damaged. After arriving in Beijing, they must be properly placed and propagated to serve as the foundation of the seed source.
Second, quickly mobilize the elites in agriculture and the capable soldiers in the army to form a training team.
A study on the best way to grow sweet potatoes.
The second is to explore ways to resolve the loss of soil fertility, such as what kind of crops to rotate with and what kind of fertilizers to apply to cultivate the soil, in an effort to ensure long-term high yields.
Third, when the seed sources are sufficient and the techniques are mature,
Then the imperial edict can be issued to the counties and prefectures of the capital to promote planting at an appropriate time.
We will start with a small trial using idle farmland, then gradually expand to acres of normally cultivated land, and proceed step by step to benefit all people.
I know that military and national affairs are complicated, but agriculture is the foundation of the country.
If this sweet potato can be used properly, it will be of great help in ensuring people's livelihood and increasing tax revenue.
I humbly implore Your Majesty to pay attention to my request. I will do my utmost to live up to Your Majesty's grace and make this matter a success, so as to ensure the prosperity of our country and the well-being of our people.
I am extremely terrified and respectfully present this to Your Majesty for your review.
April 16, the 22nd year of Hongwu.
Gao Fusheng, Junior Secretary of the Yunnan Agricultural Administration Institute, kowtowed.]
Crown Prince Zhu Biao looked just like Zhu Yuanzhang at this moment, his face flushed red.
The palm holding the memorial was shaking slightly.
He just felt his lips dry and he kept pursing them.
He read the memorial again, then looked at his father with some realization.
"Father, God bless the Ming Dynasty!!!"
"It's already April this year, and the Yellow River management has had little effect. Several cities have been affected by the disaster, and the people are starving.
The government had no surplus food either, so it had to transfer it from other places.
If this thing is really so magical, its yield will far exceed that of rice and wheat, and it is not picky about the land where it grows.
By then, granaries everywhere will be fully stocked, and the people will no longer have to suffer from hunger or disasters."
Crown Prince Zhu Biao felt extremely happy.
Even the frown on Chuan's face gradually relaxed.
He felt light and airy, the discovery of this thing,
Not only can it allow the people of the Ming Dynasty to say goodbye to famine,
It can also provide a great boost to the relocation of the capital.
He had only one thought in his mind at this moment.
Plant it in Guanzhong! ! You must plant it in Guanzhong! !
(End of this chapter)