Jingming

Chapter 303 Everything is Connected
"I'm ashamed and ashamed, I'm reluctant to deal with it, it's too difficult." Tang Shunzhi sighed humbly three times, and saluted, "This question involves a lot, and I realize that I know very little. I want to go back and look through the history books again. I hope I have realized something. Everyone, let’s take my leave first.”

He said both sentences very sincerely, and he really seemed to be preoccupied.

Now others feel more at ease: it's not an act.

The performance of being the first in the test made others breathe a sigh of relief: I am not the only one who suffers.

Tang Shunzhi really wasn't pretending, he just thought of one thing: the imperial examination questions are so difficult, what kind of inhuman difficulty will it be next year?

The real boss knows that his answer must not be very good, but he is already starting to study the topic of next year's department.

Yang Yiqing, Zhang Zilin, and Wang Shouren intend to train him to develop in the direction of a Confucian commander, and military affairs are never just military affairs, but also include rations, transfers, military order transmission, military power constraints and many other related content that are extremely troublesome.To be able to fight and win, you need excellent armor, changeable battle formations, and a deep understanding of the enemy's situation.

In comparison, how difficult is it if the palace examination questions only examine the pros and cons of banking and money law?

The palace exam is over, and the marking will start the next day.

From this palace examination, the palace examination is no longer just a name, but a copy.

Or transcribed into simplified characters and a new style.

This inconspicuous change not only further emphasizes the importance of simplified characters in the highest examination occasion, but also hides a small but important change: When you answer the questions, do you add sentences or not?If you don't add it, the transcriber will add it for you.

Although it was mentioned in advance in the examination system, more than forty people still forgot this point due to nervousness or carelessness in this palace examination.

Now when the answer sheets of these 40 people are transcribed, the punctuation marks are added by others, and they are added at a lower position to show that he did not read the sentence in the first place - there is no need to worry about whether these people will misinterpret the original meaning , Such an important palace test, if you don't even remember this little detail to do it well, these people will directly rank lower in principle.

In the early morning of the next day, the [-] copied answer sheets were sent to Wenlou.

The lineup for marking papers was also higher than ever before: 24 counselors, everyone participated.

Although there are rough men like the governors of the five prefectures among them, they are still given this power—anyway, it is an average score.

It's a status symbol.

"...It looks like a national policy meeting." Fei Hong naturally presided over it, "Your Majesty has given oral instructions before, this question is difficult, and the counselors have no good methods. The first thing that Gongshi answers the paper is to check the structure of the answer and explain it. Thoughts on the topic, rich knowledge. Secondly, the meaning and details of the text are used to identify his temperament, and the literary talent comes last. Of course, if there are tribute scholars who have unique insights, they will be selected."

This is another clarification of the scoring principles.

Questions without reference answers naturally depend on the candidates' thinking and knowledge reserves.

In the first year of full implementation of the new law, the palace examination ranking will be the guide.

Fei Hong said solemnly: "This subject is one of the top three, and the policy article will be published in "Ming Pao". Although His Majesty will give another score to the top fifty, our score is also extremely important."

The scores given by 24 people are added to the average by one person. Although the last person's score is important, it should not be too deliberately adjusted to the existing ranking.

To put it bluntly, if the scores given by the counselors are a bit far from the emperor's score, is it because the counselors have a problem with their vision or have not comprehended the holy will?
At the same time, the points given by the emperor were added into the average. In this trivial matter, it was "equal" with the consultants.

If the No. [-] picks who were judged fairly were not recognized after their articles were published, wouldn't that damage the prestige of the examination system?
The work of grading the papers began, and Zhu Houcong didn't specially transfer the originals of their answer papers to read.

He also needs to ensure a little fairness, and don't have preconceived opinions because he saw the name and the article first.

Now that the Minister of National Policy has been given this power, he, the emperor, must respect their right of preliminary screening.

On the contrary, the struvite sent by Yan Song from Zhejiang, as well as the memorial, have already been delivered in the official document express delivery system specially set up by the Tongyi Bureau for the important ministers of the provinces.

The north is relatively fast, and it can be reached in three to five days.In the south of the Yangtze River, it has also been shortened to 20 to [-] days.If it's a top priority, it can be done a little faster.

The palace examination time is March [-]th, today is March [-]th, Zhu Houcong called Jin Kela over again.

"This should be the struvite I mentioned. Let's take three pieces first, grind one piece and try it directly, one piece is broken and then retting it, and one piece can be figured out by yourself." Zhu Houcong asked Huang Jin to give him three pieces. Block, "Open a few small ridges alone in Huangzhuang, and try their efficacy."

"The grass people lead the way."

Jin Kela turned out to be directed by the emperor himself, and the line was full. At the same time, he felt more and more that the emperor attached great importance to his "career".

After he left, Zhu Houcong continued to look at the remaining pieces of struvite in the box.

Knowing that this thing is definitely a treasure, but how to use it, you have to try it first.

Next, there is the question of how to obtain it.

Undoubtedly, historical experience has told him that this thing is mainly produced on low-latitude islands, so it must be transported by sea, and there is no need to dig out his own.

But to do it from overseas, the method and cost must be considered in the long run.

Zhu Houcong's thoughts rose even higher.

More land and less tax is fundamental to increasing agricultural production and income, and the new law will do this.

Farm tools and fertilizers actually belong to the category of icing on the cake and intensive cultivation.The popularization of iron farming tools has been arranged as a practical matter to be promoted this year, and the matter of fertilizers is also done together with the cultivation of the subject of chemistry.

In fact, the importance of building water conservancy and controlling floods should be placed ahead of these two.

In an industry that depends on the weather, flood control and drought relief are eternal things.In this regard, Zhu Houcong has been working on it since nearly five years ago, and it will take a lifetime.

Liu Tianhe has been the governor of rivers for more than a year, and the flood in the Yellow River and Huaihe River has always been a haze hanging over the Daming granary.Once you encounter floods, no matter what iron farm tools and fertilizers you have, they will not be useful.

Professional water control methods and skills, Zhu Houcong can not give opinions lightly.

But there was one thing he was sure of.

Averting his eyes from the guano stone, Zhu Houcong stood up, walked slowly to the map of Daming in the study and stood, looking up at the place that provided most of the sediment to the Yellow River.

Shanxi Chengxuan Political Envoy Division, its scope is much larger than the later Shanxi Province.

Because in the north, outside of the Great Wall to the west of Datong Prefecture, many places that belong to today's Inner Mongolia also belong to Shanxi.Today's Hohhot City is now very close to Guihua City Hall and Suiyuan City Hall.

And along the Great Wall to the west, in the larger concept of the Loess Plateau in Zhu Houcong's impression, northern Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia... These are currently the border towns.

How can there be a leisurely mind and an environment, so that the faculties there can be solidly planted one after another?Planting trees there, what are the benefits to the people there in the short term?
Therefore, although Zhu Houcong knew that controlling the water and soil environment there would definitely help control the floods in the Yellow River and Huaihe River, there was no good way to start this matter.

Zhu Houcong had only one path to take to manage the environment on the Loess Plateau with peace of mind.

Push the defense line north.During the slow implementation of the Nanyang economic strategy, as long as the idea of ​​setting up overseas ports can be implemented, it is time for Daming to plan to repeat the plan and hurt Beiyuan.

South and north, this rhythm will be important.

As for intelligence, Zhu Houcong has always attached great importance to it.

Now that Huang Jin saw the emperor staring there, he leaned forward and asked in a low voice: "Your Majesty, do you want to announce Zhang Ting again?"

The Internal Inspection Factory also made contributions to suppressing the rebellion in Huguang. Zhang Tong was promoted to a higher level and is now the governor of the Internal Inspection Factory.

"No need." Zhu Houcong shook his head, and then suddenly said, "Brother Emperor is a hero. If it weren't for the battle of Yingzhou, I wouldn't have had a few years of stability. But now that Alak Khan has spent six or seven years, Bei Yuan The political situation is gradually stabilizing, and things are going to be troublesome in the northern border. After 11 years of Hongzhi, the Northern Yuan Dynasty has cut off the tribute for almost 30 years. Although Boer Jijin Bodi has stabilized the internal situation, it is not enough to rely on smuggling in some border towns for so many years. Many people in Beiyuan are satisfied."

Huang Jin couldn't agree with anything, it could be heard that the emperor was just talking to himself to sort things out.

But since His Majesty took the throne, the north has not always been peaceful.

In August of the 16th year of Zhengde, when Yang Yiqing had just arrived in the northwest, the "little prince" who was still used by the Ming people to call Dayan Khan before was actually Alak Khan Borjijin Bodi, who is now the new Khan of Beiyuan. Attacked.

In May and August of the second year of Jiajing, Beiyuan also invaded.

This is because of the victory in Yingzhou in the 12th year of Zhengde, the death of Dayan Khan, and the fact that Beiyuan experienced the current struggle between Alak Khan and his uncle for the position of Great Khan.

Although there was Yang Yiqing sitting there and no major disturbances occurred, the north has never been called calm.In the past few years, some officers and soldiers have also died in battle in Bianzhen.

Zhu Houcong felt a little bit emotional, and felt the lack of handsome talents.

After all, he still remembered that during the Jiajing period, Mongolian soldiers came to Beijing.

This year's military generals competition and martial arts examination, and next year's department examination, I don't know if I can find a few good seedlings.

……

Zhu Houcong suddenly thought of military affairs in the north from fertilizer, because of Yan Song's memorial.

In Yan Song's memorabilia, it is not about this matter, but a strategy: in places like Fujian and Zhejiang, where there are many mountains and few fields, those families who are forbidden to go to the sea do have their difficulties.Taking advantage of Zhejiang's implementation of the new law and the selection of local talents, can we set up a city ship department in Ningbo and the Shuangyu Islands that are already quite large outside of Ningbo?
But this Shibo Division is not continuing to deal with tribute trade - the emperor's attitude has been very clear, and interests between countries are important.

Yan Song just judged that the emperor attached great importance to struvite, so he gave a plan: Zhun Xiangxian's family's maritime merchant registration book, unified in the Ningbo Municipal Shipping Department to collect taxes.When leaving the port and returning to the port, the corresponding amount of struvite should be transported back according to the number of ships.

In order to avoid conflicts with the Guangdong Shipping Department, Fujian and Zhejiang maritime merchants only traded in Luzon, Japan, and Ryukyu under the command of Huangming Jifenhao.

Zhu Houcong admired Yan Song a little bit.

He not only judged that he was very concerned about struvite, but also judged that he didn't want to just dig things on the islands along the coast of Daming, or he judged that the struvite at home was not enough given the vast land of Daming.

But more importantly, Yan Song took this opportunity to really consolidate his network of people along the coast—if this happens, Fujian and Zhejiang maritime merchants will no longer have to sneak around. It is always stronger than the suppression of previous years.

How many officials, gentry and wealthy households in Fujian and Zhejiang would be grateful to Yan Song?

This proposal is actually a switch proposal.

Although only some sages of the village are allowed to do this business now, the scale will naturally become larger and larger after the opening is opened.Not to conflict with Huang Mingji at Guangdong Ships Division, but to test the emperor's intentions.

Will the large-scale foreign trade be detrimental to His Majesty's national policy of "The Great Wall of the South Seas"?

So to let some people do it in a controllable way is still to adopt the strategy of Huang Mingji as the leader.

Zhu Houcong thought about the pros and cons.

It cannot be said that there is no cost to using struvite instead of the tax to be paid when returning to Hong Kong, but it does save some costs incurred by purchasing separately.Ships go out with cargo and come back with cargo, there are too many things that can be more profitable than this struvite.

This is indeed a method that can initially guarantee the required quantity and cost, but if it is to be effective, people must organize people to find and mine this stuff in the first year, right?
Therefore, it is very likely that in the first year, only the accounts are kept and the debts are owed.In essence, it is also beneficial to the money turnover of the family of maritime merchants.

Encouragement is not small.

But how to determine this ratio?How much tax can be discounted for how many catties of this struvite?

To get these struvites overseas, you have to pay the cost, unless...the cost is passed on, and the people over there are made to be black-hearted bosses and use slave-like coolies to dig...

The last ton of struvite can be exchanged for Ming porcelain and silk...

Does it also help to mess up some countries and make people resentful?
It was precisely because of Yan Song's proposed method that he thought of another possible way to play chess in Nanyang, Zhu Houcong thought of the north.

But he didn't give any advice first.

The memorial was sent by the Tongzheng envoy, who would also send it to the State Affairs Hall.These matters are currently only government affairs on the surface, and they are related to the new law. Zhu Houcong has to wait for them to finish reading the papers and listen to their opinions.

When it comes to whether to switch or not, it is not for the prime minister and the minister of state to decide on his own. This matter must go to the national policy meeting.

When to switch and how to switch, this matter is very important.

Yan Song was afraid that there were struvites in Japan, so he said that the Fujian-Zhejiang Sea Trade went east, and the Guangdong Sea Trade went south.

Whether there is struvite in Japan, Zhu Houcong is not sure, it is very likely that it is rare.

But Japan has silver mountains, and Zhu Houcong is very clear about it, and he is very greedy.

The imperial examination has just passed the currency-related test. In order to prepare for the future, the Ming court first needs to try its best to reserve silver.

Japan has cut off trade with Ming Dynasty for three years. Do you want to use this trade to add fire to their "Warring States Period"?

I'm afraid that some Japanese pirates would dare to snatch some of the cargo ships of private maritime merchants.

If it is robbed, it will be a reason in the future.

So I'm afraid this matter is not just discussed at the national policy meeting, but also discussed at the military affairs meeting.

"There are so many things." Zhu Houcong sighed, "Let's go and see my children first."

After another winter, Zhu Houcong had two daughters.

Now, he has deeply rooted in this era, pushing Daming to take on a new look according to his ideas.

To protect all these, Zhu Houcong has to face too many things.

So he can't be a single husband, he can only make decisions by himself, and he has to wait for the important ministers to express their opinions.

"You sent someone to tell Yan Song that this matter needs to be planned comprehensively, and it cannot be decided in a hurry. He is still young, and I often think of him. There is no need to rush to win the hearts of the gentry from Fujian and Zhejiang."

Huang Jin was stunned, these words were a bit heavy.

And Yan Song is almost fifty, is he very young?
Zhu Houcong wanted to beat Yan Song.

Smart is smart, if he had a bigger picture, he shouldn't have made such a memorial just because of a struvite.

Although Zhu Houcong knew that struvite had a great effect, what about Fei Hong and the others?Thanks to Yan Song for resetting Zhejiang Shipping Department on the grounds of a struvite.

Zhu Houcong had to help him explain the role of struvite at the national policy meeting, and it would be better to have the results of the preliminary experiment at Jin Kela as evidence.

"Don't say it too hard."

Zhu Houcong added another sentence. After all, everyone in the local area really wants to make contributions now, trying to see if they can return to Beijing and enter the State Affairs Hall in three years - there are three of them, and they are really old.

But Yan Song can live to more than 80, why worry!
After hearing this, Huang Jin had a hard time: Then what should I say?
(End of this chapter)