Brother Zhu Youxiao

"Yang Wenyue of Yingzhou sent a message that Yingzhou can supply another 200 million stones of rice and wheat to Beizhili."

"Shen Tingyang of the old port said that the old port can supply 500 million shimi to Nanzhili."

"Hong Chengchou of Southwest Biography, Yunnan, Guizhou, Jiaozhi, and Guangxi provinces can supply 600 million shi of rice to South Zhili."

"In this way, the six provinces raised a total of 300 million stones, which is 100 million stones more than what your Highness requested in your decree."

On October 27th, three days before Zhu Youjian's wedding, Bi Ziyan came to the Qi Palace with a letter from the six provinces and reported the food situation to Zhu Youjian.

Even though there are still three days before the big wedding, and the mansion has already started to decorate with lights and festivities, Zhu Youjian is still wearing a sky blue round collar robe and wearing a jade crown sitting in the Chengyun Hall to handle government affairs.

After Bi Ziyan finished speaking the biography of the six provinces, Zhu Youjian leaned back on the chair and said relaxedly:

"In this way, the food shortage in the south of the Yangtze River can be subsided, and there will be a surplus of 100 million shi for northern Zhili, right?"

"Return to Your Highness, that's true." Bi Ziyan sat on the chair and responded respectfully, not daring to play tricks.

Although Zhu Youjian was not an emperor, and he was not sitting on a dragon chair, but he was sitting on that simple wooden chair, which made people feel that what he was facing was not the King Qi of Ming Dynasty, but the son of Ming Dynasty.

Even if the yield per mu outside the customs is only six or seven buckets, as long as there are enough machines, 30 people can manage tens of millions of acres of land, and their rations only need one-tenth of what these fields produce.

"I want to come back after Your Highness has calmed down." Cao Huachun's voice echoed in the side hall, and Zhu Youjian looked at him sideways.

In this way, on the surface, the people in Jiangnan are hungry, but in fact it is the people in other provinces who are hungry.

The corrupt officials killed by Zhu Yuanzhang were less than one-third of those killed by Zhu Youjian, and the corrupt officials he exiled were less than one-third of those exiled by Zhu Youjian, and the extent of the spread was even worse.

"The imperial court distributed a machine to the common people this year, and next year you can see hundreds of acres of land appearing outside the customs, and the next year it will be more than [-] acres, and the previous year's more than [-] acres of cultivated land can pay five or six stones of rice and wheat. .”

"However... there are less than 430 million people in Sichuan, and the local needs are only 800 million shimi and wheat. Therefore, in addition to the 600 million land tax, the imperial court can also purchase tens of millions of shimi and wheat locally."

When the war is not tense, he will suggest suspending the war and recuperating, so that the common people will have more money for promotion.

"Your maidservant takes orders." Wang Chengen responded, and he also knew why Zhu Youjian made a special confession.

This year alone, the investment in the steam factory has reached 300 million taels. You must know that the financial revenue of the UK at this time is less than 400 million taels, and Zhu Youjian has invested almost a whole year of British finances.

The two nodded in greeting, and then Cao Huachun cautiously walked into the Chengyun Hall, while Wang Chengen glanced worriedly.

Zhu Youjian interrupted his actions, and Cao Huachun could only slowly raise his head, looking at Zhu Youjian's calm and majestic appearance, feeling a little afraid in his heart.

Properly operated, opening hundreds of acres every year is equivalent to opening at least one and a half acres for each group.

In the mouth of Confucian scholars, his reputation has long been rotten, but he doesn't care.

He has a little more kindness and patience than Zhu Yuanzhang, and a little more disdain for power than Li Shimin.

Some civil officials and Confucian scholars called him cruel and heartless among the people, far surpassing Hongwu.

Even the eastward spread of Western learning in the late Ming Dynasty was the result of decades, and it took only six years for Yanshan to spread it.

But if the industrial steam engine and the large high-pressure steam engine are lost, then all the research results of the Armament Academy over the years will be stolen.

Cao Huachun finally admitted his mistake, although it was a bit late.

"This number increases every year, and it will not stop until there is no more to grow on the earth, and the human species cannot survive."

The drought in the previous three years only affected more than 7000 million, which made Zhu Youjian very busy. The abacus of the household department was ringing day and night, and the population of these three provinces was more than [-] million on paper. The real number may not be less than [-] Ten thousand.

If Zhu Youjian raised enough money and food, he would support Zhu Youjian's policy of expanding outward.

He suppressed his anger and put the Zou Shu and Zhubi on the table, then he got up and walked towards Cao Huachun, saying as he walked:

But he knew that this didn't mean he was satisfied with Cao Huachun's attitude.

The four major cases, which were not inferior to the four major cases in Hongwu, broke out in less than five years, with an average of one case a year, each of which resulted in the death of tens of thousands or even 10 people.

Wang Chengen took Zhu Youjian's order to heart, so when he turned around and went out of the Chengyun Hall to explain the matter, he deliberately explained it over and over again.

Zhu Youjian comforted Bi Ziyan, and also asked him to comfort Li Banghua.

The system adds [-] policies related to merchants, including increasing salt imports, enabling merchants to transport millet to the border, reducing redundant soldiers, checking false military salaries, developing paddy fields in Jingdong, investigating hidden fields in the world, setting up military settlements, etc. to benefit the country The policy of benefiting the people.

In ten years, it will be fifteen mu, and in twenty years, it will be thirty mu.

His appearance made Zhu Youjian frowned slightly, and when Cao Huachun saw this scene, he could only bite the bullet and respond:

Zhu Youjian didn't look at Cao Huachun, but just took a Zhu pen to revise and revise the memorabilia in his hand.

But when he explained, he glanced at the entrance of the palace, and saw that Cao Huachun, who had been neglected by his highness for a long time, finally appeared in this palace.

"The lower officials think that 800 million shi should not be a problem, but the premise is that the grain yield per mu cannot be reduced."

"But your Highness, you also know that using the words of the "Yanshan Textbook" to explain, it is normal for grain production to decrease during the Little Ice Age, and Sichuan's previous yield per mu was probably two stones, six to seven buckets, and this year it is rumored that it is only two stones..."

Most of the elders in Xuqin Palace, Zhu Youjian has always been more tolerant towards Wang Chengen, Lu Wenzhao, and Cao Huachun.

With the support of the state machinery, the steam engine factory developed rapidly, especially with the national power of Daming.

"At that time, I am afraid that those ten families will be able to open up [-] or even [-] mu of arable land and hand over dozens or even hundreds of shi of rice and wheat."

"..."

"Go down first and tell Li Banghua not to put too much pressure on him. The reduction in food production is a natural disaster and has nothing to do with him."

Bi Ziyan watched Zhu Youjian's order to expel the guests, immediately got up and bowed, and then withdrew from the Chengyun Hall.

It is tiring to operate this initial version of the tractor, but compared to digging the ground with a hoe, this machine saves a lot of labor.

Cao Huachun's back disappeared into the hall, and when he reappeared, he was already in the side hall.

Regarding his question, Bi Ziyan pondered for a moment, then bowed and explained:

Putting aside Bi Ziyan's question, he set his sights on Sichuan's New Deal.

Wang Chengen's hesitation is justified, because the cost of a tractor is 130 taels, and ten families range from 20 to 70 people.

Although the temptation to relocate Jiaozhi, Yingzhou, and Jiugang to directly distribute the land is not as strong, the strength is not small.

Because the people in the south of the Yangtze River have silver, they can buy grain at a high price, so the grain is sold out before it can be transported to the north.

After he took office, he was mainly similar to the policies implemented by Zhu Youjian in this plane, starting from saving resources and opening up streams, reducing redundant troops, rejuvenating farmland, and local officials were evaluated by the speed of economic development.

"Your Highness, this servant is guilty..."

Bi Ziyan served as Minister of the Ministry of Households in the Tianqi and Chongzhen dynasties in history, and was in charge of the national finances.

He bent his back and lowered his eyes, looking at the expensive gold bricks on the ground.

"The next official will retire..."

"The factory can be prepared in the second half of the next year. According to the standard of [-] industrial steam engines for each factory, the scale and production quantity of the factory will be gradually expanded."

He was sure that as long as the imperial government dared to distribute the machines to the village collectives, and then distribute the machines in groups of ten households, then there would be no need to distribute grain for relocation, and the people in the north would rush to Nuergan.

"Sichuan's new policy will resume tax collection next year. According to the estimates of the Ministry of Household Affairs, if there is no disaster in Sichuan, will it be possible to collect 800 million Shitian taxes?"

The sunlight outside the window spilled into the room and shone on Zhu Youjian's face, his pupils were illuminated crystal clear, without anger or majesty.

Zhu Youjian doesn't blame him. After all, it is difficult for people of this era to accept Yanshan-style education and teaching materials from the very beginning.

"The agricultural steam engines are temporarily stored until the Jianlu are wiped out next year, and after the people move north in the spring of the following year, the steam tractors will be distributed with the village as a collective."

This is one of the few ways he can think of to transfer power smoothly.

Come to Zhu Youjian, the "Three Niangzi Arms Smuggling Case", "Northern Shaanxi Civil Uprising Case", "Jiangnan Flood and Corruption Case", and "Sichuan Embezzling Army's Field Land Case" in the past five years since Apocalypse.

His words made Zhu Youjian frown slightly, but it is undeniable that these two thousand agricultural tractors are more useful to Qi.

After all this, I am afraid that a year will pass. By next year, the output of tractors may reach more than 4000 units, and [-] units is only half a year's output.

Bi Ziyan was thinking about Zhu Youjian's character and behavior in his heart, but Zhu Youjian was not thinking about him.

"At present, it has reached one-third of the level temporarily, with an annual output of [-] large-scale high-pressure steam engines, [-] industrial steam engines and [-] agricultural steam engines." Wang Chengen responded and explained:

Zhu Youjian has the confidence to build Qi State better than Daming, which is the reason why he dared to let the generals accompany him to Qi State.

"What? You, like those Confucian scholars, feel lonely, tyrannical, murderous, moody?"

Zhu Youjian closed his eyes and opened his mouth, but Wang Chengen hesitated after hearing this: "Your Highness, is it too much to have one for ten households in each village?"

"You seem to have admitted your mistake a little too late."

Zhu Youjian's questioning was full of anger, and everyone could hear it. The palms and foreheads of the two Xiaoqi guards were sweating, and Wang Chengen was also ready to go in to intercede for Cao Huachun.

During his reign, the four major cases of Hongwu were considered cruelty unprecedented in all dynasties, but even so, the four major cases spanned 13 years.

This fear was reflected in his eyes from the heart, and Zhu Youjian could see it clearly, he frowned slightly:
"The three of you are old people in Xuqin Palace. If you can't handle things well, if you admit your mistake, just keep doing it. The only thing you need is your attitude."

In the end, Zhu Youjian chose to send the two thousand steam engines to Qi State, but that would have to be Yang Wenyue's confirmation that the expedition team had established a firm foothold in North America.

Zhu Youjian leaned on the chair, half-turned his body and looked at the memorial in his hand, but did not respond to Cao Huachun.

The same is true for solving the food shortage problem in the north, but it is the northeast that needs to be developed.

Wang Chengen had made up his mind to go to Qi State with his Highness, and he naturally wanted to develop Qi State, so he took the initiative to speak.

The currently identified population of Nanzhili is more than 400 million people. The rations of these people alone require nearly [-] million shimimai, which is not considered a hidden household.

He does not form a party, does not pursue personal interests, and is not greedy for money. He is a rare good official who knows the hardships of ordinary people.

But compared to Zhu Youjian, Zhu Yuanzhang became the "Lord of Benevolence".

When the people were hit by a disaster, he would raise food and prepare food coupons according to what Zhu Youjian said.

Among the three, Wang Cheng'en made the least mistakes because he took care of things most leisurely, while Lu Wenzhao and Cao Huachun took care of the most things and made the most mistakes, but Zhu Youjian had tolerated them time and time again.

Zhu Youjian has publicly intervened in cabinet affairs since the fifth year of Tianqi. In the past six years, nearly 50 corrupt officials have been executed, and nearly 400 million relatives have been affected.

But even so, there are more than [-] acres per capita, which is no worse than overseas, and there is no need to travel across the ocean to stay away from home.

Right now, Huanglong is the most unstable factor, so Zhu Youjian plans to build industrialized towns in northern America first, let Huanglong see the power of industry, use him to appease other generals, and then let the generals one by one before the drought ends to go to Qi.

In June, Zhu Youjian felt that if Cao Huachun confessed his mistake honestly, this would be the end of the matter.

"Your Highness, if Yang Wenyue writes back and the expedition fleet returns to North Asia, do you need to send a batch of tractors to Qi for construction?"

Since he presided over the New Deal in the fourth year of Tianqi, he has killed batch after batch of corrupt officials and exiled batch after batch.

Zhu Youjian was clear about this situation. Unless the population of the three provinces decreased, the people of the three provinces would consume half of Daming's rations.

"..." Cao Huachun didn't respond for a while, but just avoided Zhu Youjian's gaze.

During this process, Zhu Youjian kept looking at Wang Chengen, and only asked after he finished, "How is the steam engine factory going into production?"

Only by building Qi State well can the generals feel at ease and go to Qi State with Zhu Youjian. This is also a helpless move.

When Zhu Youjian heard Cao Huachun's words, he felt a little wronged, but more angry.

If the slaves moved 10,000+ households to the north at once, the court would be able to spend tens of millions of taels of silver and more than 1 tractors.

It should be known that during Zhu Yuanzhang's reign, nearly 15 corrupt officials were executed, and nearly a million people were implicated, so that when civil and military officials left home to go to court, they would cry and bid farewell to their families, just like experiencing life and death.

Zhu Youjian often temporarily puts aside things that he can't figure out, and it's the same now.

To solve the food shortage problem in the south of the Yangtze River, one needs to emigrate, and the other needs to develop Jiaozhi and Jiugang.

He has been struggling with this question for a long time, and now that Wang Chengen brings it up, he is naturally a little moved.

"Don't underestimate the people..." Zhu Youjian glanced at Wang Chengen:

If the tractors are lost and stolen by the Europeans, they may improve, but not too much, and Ming can still crush them with technology.

After he withdrew, Wang Chengen came out from the corner and put the chair back.

"You... have indeed changed..."

From the second year, the local area can accept [-] to [-] immigrants every year.

It has to be said that an official like him who knows who to tax, who to exempt, and who dares to make suggestions is a miracle in the officialdom of the late Ming Dynasty. This is why Zhu Youjian remembers him and reuses him.

The expansion of the steam engine factory mainly requires large-scale high-pressure steam engines and industrial steam engines, and agricultural steam engines are only accessories.

He always believed that he was still accompanied by old people such as Brother Huang, Wang Chengen, Cao Huachun, Lu Wenzhao, Man Gui, Huang Long, and Sun Yingyuan.

Bi Ziyan is very clear about Zhu Youjian's appeal, which is to put it bluntly, to store food.

Of course, not only Chongzhen, but also all officials could not accept his opinion.

There are few people in Qi State, and it is completely possible to reach the level of an industrialized country during the years when Zhu Youjian was in power.

What made him wrong was that Cao Huachun didn't come, and he didn't appear in front of Zhu Youjian until today.

"A machine can pay back its capital in only six or seven years, so don't worry too much."

For example, Nanzhili, in just one province, has more than 500 million mu of arable land, with an annual output of more than [-] million shi rice and wheat, but is this useful?

The Northeast will be the initial place where Zhu Youjian used machines to attract immigrants. As long as the people of Ming Dynasty know the benefits of machines, then Zhu Youjian can use machines to attract people to Qi and Jiugang to immigrate.

"Have I ever been angry?" Zhu Youjian asked knowingly, Cao Huachun also bowed his hands, ready to raise his hands to cover his face, and answered at the same time.

He had doubts on his face, and as someone who had seen such industrial power as tractors, Wang Chengen knew very well that these two thousand tractors were a drop in the bucket for Daming, but if they were given to Qi, they would be the foundation of his life.

"Yes..." Seeing that Zhu Youjian agreed, Wang Chengen couldn't help being a little happy, but Zhu Youjian still reminded:
"Tractors can be transported there, but no one can move large high-pressure steam engines and industrial steam engines without my order."

The worst time for Li Zicheng's resurgence was when these three provinces suffered severe drought.

"Your Highness Chitose..."

Zhu Youjian calculated the account carefully, otherwise he would not have made this policy.

Let these 7000 to [-] million people go hungry, and Ming Dynasty will not be far away from extinction, even if it is only for a year or two.

In the following year and the fourth year, these more than 2000 units are only a few months or even a month's production.

This is just the beginning, because Zhu Youjian's plan needs enough machines to support it, and Daming's territory also needs enough trains and ships to control it.

There is demand for production capacity, and Daming's demand is undoubtedly desperate, and Zhu Youjian's investment in steam engine factories can also make countries dumbfounded.

For example, the more than 3000 million mu of arable land in Liaodong only needs 30 tractors, and [-] people can easily cultivate it, but management still requires a million people.

Wang Chengen's sudden opening made Zhu Youjian look at him.

Li Banghua's data was correct, but he didn't read the Yanshan textbooks and didn't know the impact of the Little Ice River on crops, so he made a wrong judgment.

It's just that Cao Huachun said "you have changed" right now, which filled him with aggrieved and puzzled.

Cao Huachun didn't forget that Zhu Youjian didn't like to kneel down, so he bowed respectfully.

"Could it be that you think that when you walk out of Xuqin Palace alone, you will change?"

With the cooperation of only 10,000 reformed-through-labor workers, these two thousand tractors can reclaim [-]+ mu of arable land in one year to support the local garrison and reformed-through-labor workers.

He saved the country's wealth and knew the people. When all the officials insisted on raising the people's salary by more than five million taels, Bi Ziyan asked the emperor to pay attention to the fact that the people had reached a situation where every family was in danger. He suggested suspending the Liao affairs and reducing the world's taxes. , so that people have savings to tide over the drought.

Therefore, he sometimes wonders whether Bi Ziyan is acting out, or whether his shortcomings are in places he cannot see.

In the Sichuan New Deal, Li Banghua clearly guaranteed that he would receive 800 million Shitianfu rice and wheat in case of disaster, but Zhu Youjian was skeptical about this.

"Head up..."

"Do as you wish."

Counting it, Bi Ziyan has been in the household department for four or five years, and what he has done during this period has really satisfied Zhu Youjian.

Therefore, embezzling these two thousand tractors will not slow down Ming's industrial progress much, but it will allow Qi to take root in North America faster.

To put it bluntly, the steam engine of an agricultural tractor is not enough to make other steam engines. These three steam engines have different generations, and the materials used are different.

300 million people can manage nearly 2000 million mu of arable land and feed [-] million people. At that time, the life of the people of Qi will be better than that of Daming.

It's just that no one is perfect, and after Zhu Youjian went through the corruption cases of Yanshan, Qi Wangdang, Yumajian, and Jinyiwei, he was a little suspicious of everyone.

Zhu Youjian used the self-proclaimed "solitary", which is enough to show how angry he is.

Therefore, Southern Zhili, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi are all major provinces that compete with the north for grain, and the grain of Sichuan and Huguang, the two major grain-producing provinces, is basically imported to these three provinces.

He has long since let go of his heart, and he also knows that Cao Huachun has no ability to manage the imperial store and the army at the same time.

In the current situation in Sichuan, nearly 2000 million shi of grain can be stored every year, but even so, it is still unable to supply the three provinces in the south of the Yangtze River.

"The standards outside the customs and inside the customs cannot be the same. In the Northeast and Jiugang, one for every ten households in each village will be distributed."

"There are still four steam factories whose machines are not ready. According to this situation, next year it should be able to reach four-fifths. In the year after, all six factories will be put into operation, and three more factories will be built in the second half of the year."

"..." The air froze for a moment, and the two knight guards standing at the entrance of the side hall were sweating profusely when they heard this. Wang Chengen, who had returned, stopped quickly after hearing this, and stood on the side of the entrance of the side hall, hiding while listening.

In general, when the financial resources were exhausted in the late Ming Dynasty and the income was beyond the means, he was able to carefully coordinate and calculate carefully to support the Ming Dynasty's finances for nearly ten years. Unlike ordinary officials, he only knew how to collect taxes and did not care about the people.

It is useless to produce too much food, it depends on how much can be saved.

In other words, the relationship between him and Zhu Youxiao has maintained the current situation. If he is as passionate about power as Li Shimin is, then he may be the one sitting on the dragon chair.

When it is necessary to march and fight, he will coordinate the money and food in advance to ensure that the money and food arrive at the front line in advance to prevent the soldiers from starving.

Bi Ziyan paused, glanced at Zhu Youjian's expression, and found that there was no change before continuing:
"According to the grain yield per mu, and the ten taxes stipulated in the New Deal, the land tax for next year may be around 600 million shi."

After getting through the severe drought first, the guarantor survived, and then Zhu Youjian had to think about how to solve the employment problem of nearly [-]% of the farmers in Ming Dynasty.

Distributing a steam engine to ten households is equivalent to distributing two to six taels of silver to each person, which is a living waste of money.

When he came to office, Ming’s treasury had already been embezzled and squandered by eunuchs. The country’s annual deficit was nearly 200 million taels of silver, and the Nine Sides owed more than 900 million taels of payment.

He wanted to see what Bi Ziyan thought, so he asked specifically.

Others don't know him, Zhu Youjian, but Cao Huachun, who have been with him for ten years, can't understand him?

It was just Cao Huachun's next sentence that made him dispel this idea...

"Your Highness, you have changed too much, and the servants can't keep up with your footsteps. You have become more decisive, more thoughtful, and more resourceful than before."

"The slaves respect you, but they are also afraid..."

As Cao Huachun said, he spread his clothes and knelt on the gold brick ground, kowtowed three times before saying:
"The servant knows that he can't lead the army to farm the land, so please find someone to lead it for him..."

Going home today, two updates should be resumed tomorrow. The update time is temporarily undecided. It should be at [-]:[-] pm and [-]:[-] pm.