Jingming

Chapter 414 The Invisible Great Wall

After reviewing the military, being knighted, receiving gifts and listening to congratulations, and meeting the envoys, Zhu Houcong had one more thing that he had planned for this year's Longevity Festival.

Before dawn the next day, many people were waiting outside the Xihua Gate of the Forbidden City.

They all came here, some wearing silk brocade, and some wearing commoners.

But it can be seen that they are basically pampered on weekdays.

But at this moment, whether it is a total of 16 provincial-level Xiangyuan officials from 36 provinces in the two capitals, or business representatives from major business gangs and guilds across the Ming Dynasty, most of them are nervous and excited.

Today's banquet is actually arranged in Qianqing Palace. This is a glorious event worthy of being written about after returning home.

Although it was not the business of these businessmen to enter the palace to celebrate their birthdays yesterday, they were basically invited to the military parade the day before yesterday because they had previously subscribed to buy national debt.

This time I came to Beijing and the harvest was extraordinary.

At this moment, Zhang Fujing, Xia Yan, Yang Shen, Yan Song, Liu Long, Liu Tianhe, and Gu Dingchen were waiting outside the Meridian Gate.

Naturally, everyone knew what the purpose of today was, although they still didn't know exactly what the emperor was going to do.

But now, Zhang Fujing spoke to Liu Tianhe first: "Brother Songshi, Your Majesty met with the wealthy businessman today and gave a banquet to the Qianqing Palace. The Ministry of Industry and Commerce is probably the top priority. Although Brother Songshi was appointed Minister of Industry and Commerce mainly for Huang Huai Flood, since Tang Zonghe is in charge of that major matter, Brother Songshi still needs to worry about other things."

Liu Tianhe was promoted from the Prime Minister Hedao Yamen to the Minister of Industry and Commerce, and the scope of work he was responsible for was indeed much larger.

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce is an increasingly important part of this ministry reform.After the implementation of the procurement method, although most projects only require the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to formulate plans, recruit construction firms, and supervise project quality and payment, at the same time, administrative procedures such as registration and filing of enterprises, companies, firms, and stores all over the world are also under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. The Ministry of Industry and Commerce system has become an extremely important part of the new law on commercial law and tax law.

Hearing what Zhang Fujing said at this moment, Liu Tianhe bowed slightly to show respect: "Since the chief assistant said this, there must be other important matters, right?"

Zhang Fujing nodded and looked at Liu Long and Yang Shen first: "Your Majesty has worked hard in these years to save money in the palace. In addition to renovating Yangxin Palace, Qingning Palace, and Rijing Gate at the beginning of his succession, In addition, other large and small projects in the palace in recent years were all for the governmental offices of the outer court. Yesterday's ceremony was grand in the outer court area, but in recent years, there has been a lot of trouble in the harem. Especially in the eighth year of Jiajing, the Seventh Western Institute Fire. In ten years, another fire destroyed Weiyang Palace."

Yang Shen didn't know why he mentioned these things at this time.

One code after another, Zhu Houcong has been on the throne for more than ten years, and there have indeed been some fires in the palace.

The most dangerous one was indeed the tenth year of Jiajing, when the fire spread to the Weiyang Palace, which is immediately northwest of the Yangxin Palace.In Weiyang Palace, not only the concubine Wen Suyun lived, but also the Western Zhaoyi Carolina and the third prince who was only four years old at the time.

A repair plan had been planned, but preparations for the Northern Expedition were already underway. At the end of the next year, the Duoyan tribe was attacked and Yu Dayou resumed the Tucheng war. Later, troops were deployed in Outer Yunnan, Nanyang, and Mobei last year, and the project was delayed. Now.

"The national treasury is unified. Your Majesty is the emperor, and the amount has been set and spent on an annual basis. However, your Majesty is now powerful and virtuous all over the world. This time when foreign countries come to court, I don't know how many female officials and ministers are presented to you. With his beautiful appearance, The precedents of Lanna and Ordos being harmonious and respectful will naturally be followed by others. Your Majesty's dragon body is healthy and your heirs are prosperous. As a minister, you should be far-sighted."

Zhang Fu looked at everyone respectfully and said: "Your Majesty set up the Royal Academy in the Zhongyuan Hall, it is just a last resort. Your Majesty has to teach by words and deeds, so that the princes, clans, and relatives will know the etiquette and justice. Nowadays, there are more people who have been awarded in the first battle, and they can be honored. I have entered the Forbidden Palace and received your Majesty’s attention and orders from many of them. They are very old. How can the Royal Academy be located in the Zhongyuan Hall? For a long-term plan, the Ministry of Rites and Communication and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce should come up with a strategy and submit it to the Holy Inquisitor."

Zhang Fuking, who was bound to be re-elected for another term with the emperor's approval, brought up the plan to re-plan and renovate the Forbidden City at this moment. Yan Song immediately said: "What the general assistant said is true! Although the Imperial Academy has Dean Wen, Zhang Xuezheng and other imperial officials as teachers, But if it is located in the south of Qingning Palace, then all the state officials in Wenhua Palace and those in Hanlin Academy can serve as teachers!"

Yang Shen was shocked.

The prince has reached the age of ten, and it is time to consider setting up a dedicated east palace.

As for the education of princes, clans, and descendants, if civil servants do not exert influence from now on, there will be great hidden dangers.

It’s not that everyone wants to have a hand in this group that the emperor intends to directly influence, but now that the Ming Dynasty is powerful, if we don’t make some preparations now, when the emperor is older or even the next generation, old and new ministers will still be fighting for military glory. The continuous expansion of power is a huge concern for the country.

Zhang Fujing wanted to help the emperor re-plan and renovate the Forbidden City, leaving a framework for the future crown prince affairs and the balance between civil and military matters.

Yan Song couldn't help but look at Zhang Fujing: He is still brave. This matter can easily make the emperor overthink and be dissatisfied.

Xia Yan was on the spot, but he nodded: "What Mao Gong said is true!"

Although he represents the interests of the military, as a civilian serves as the military general staff, he himself must do the same thing.

But he had other opinions: "The place in Renzhi Hall is big enough."

One is the ready-made Renzhi Hall to the north of Wuying Hall, as long as it is no longer used as Jiyan Hall.One is located to the northeast of Wenhua Palace and there are still many open spaces on the east side of the Forbidden City to the north and south of Qingning Palace.

One is closer to the Wuying Hall, where the military affairs conference is held, and the other is closer to the Wenhua Hall, where the ministers of state gather.

Zhang Fujing just smiled and said: "We might as well mention it today to see what His Majesty means."

So before the emperor summoned them, the important ministers had already had a preliminary exchange of opinions on a new matter.

When representatives from the most prestigious Xiangxianyuan in each province and representatives from the most prestigious business firms in each region met the most powerful ministers of the Ming Dynasty, they understood that today was not just a simple banquet.

Zhu Houcong was very interested.

He was purely polite to those rural sages who were mainly from local prominent families and had at least a Juren background.Under specific historical conditions, using local clan power to stabilize rule was only a situation that would inevitably occur when the Xiangxianyuan system was first established.

Zhu Houcong was naturally more interested in these wealthy businessmen of the Ming Dynasty.

In the current political and business environment, these people can stand out because they are all extremely smart and resourceful people.

Among them, there are Shanxi merchants, Hui merchants and Guangdong merchants.

In addition to the old salt, tea, rice, cloth, paper, ink, and porcelain industries, they also operate new light industries.

The most special one among them is naturally the fertilizer industry tycoon Jin Gaila.

To be honest, the production capacity of his Jinke fertilizer plant has been unable to increase, and the cost has been difficult to truly suppress.Until now, only the most established grain storage accounts and other wealthy families who don't care much about costs can afford it.

Jin Kaila was very ashamed of this.Because he knew that the reason why the emperor looked at him differently was because he expected his fertilizer factory to benefit ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty.

However, struvite can only be transported thousands of miles away from overseas, and once the fertilizer made from it is transported over a long distance, it will not be able to compare with the cost of farmers finding a way to make some fertilizer to be self-sufficient.

For the improvement of agricultural technology in Ming Dynasty, agricultural tools, water conservancy and breeding at the Agricultural College of Huangming University are more important at present.

After everyone was greeted, several important ministers sat on the two sides closest to the emperor, while others were given seats and sat in several rows in the hall opposite the emperor.

Zhu Houcong saw it interestingly, and after speaking, he said: "If the presidents of the enterprises under the Huangming Assets Bureau also come, this can become the Ming Dynasty Economic Work Conference."

One sentence made many wealthy businessmen excited: How could businessmen like them be qualified to participate in the Ming Dynasty Economic Work Conference?
It seems that today is not just to meet them and hope that they will buy more of the rumored ten-year national bonds that will be implemented soon, but also has another highlight.

"Today I will give a lecture first and talk about your profession."

Wang Zhi's "employee" Xu Dong listened blankly to the emperor's speech.

Agriculture, industry, commerce and services, means of production and labor, consumption and markets, the environment created by the state to improve transportation and provide a stable internal administrative system...

There are many concepts, some of which do not need explanation, and some of which are easy to understand once explained.

Except for Jin Kaila, many businessmen who had never met the emperor could only hide their shock at this time: Does the emperor, who is so superior, understand the situation of all walks of life and have such a clear view of the old business they operate?

Naturally, Zhu Houcong could not fully understand some of the little tricks and means they used in doing business, but he could only talk about the essence. "Farmers pay taxes, and merchants pay taxes. There is no need to elaborate on this truth." Zhu Houcong looked at them, "I am focusing on important matters, and all the ministers are assisting me. Of course, a lot of the grain and money collected from the entire Ming Dynasty need to be used. In terms of salaries, wages, and many other expenses, the ultimate goal is to stabilize the Ming Dynasty both internally and externally, so that the people and you can also benefit."

There is so much foreshadowing, not just to make this point.

Zhu Houcong said again: "It's not like the ancient times. If you have a stutter and have a place to spend the night, you can live to be 30 or [-] years old and leave heirs. If conditions permit, who wouldn't want to live a few more years and have more food and clothing?" Better? I am implementing a new law to make people's lives lighter, and that is for the future. We need to give people a way to live, and let people live better. The more people who have spare money to buy things to improve their lives, the more you can do business in the future. The market will be bigger!”

"For example, during this Northern Expedition, so many people surrendered to the Mongols. Logically speaking, it would be settled once and for all by killing them all. However, that is not the case. As long as they do not cause trouble, there are hundreds of thousands of people. If they want to survive, their descendants will If you want to survive, you have to buy some goods. So, why bother killing them all? Not only them, but also the Tatars who were driven away, I am not prepared to kill them all. If we are close to the Ming Dynasty, we can live a better life. The problem is really gone. Therefore, the imperial court is preparing to expand the scale of the border market."

Having said this, these wealthy businessmen were naturally convinced and overjoyed and all called them saints.

In the past, because the restrictions were too strict, they could only come and transfer some domestic salt, tea, rice, grain, etc.The profits of the border market need to be carefully managed by the civil and military classes in the border town before they are qualified to do it.

Although the requirements for paying taxes are higher nowadays, it has to be said that it is much easier for them if business practices are well regulated.

In the future, the scale of the border market will be expanded and the maritime ban will be lifted. This will indeed be a good era for doing business that they have never experienced before.

"I have said so much, you should also understand the reason why we set up various enterprises and manage some key industries." Zhu Houcong paused, "It is not to compete with you for profits, but because of the relationship between those industries. When it comes to the important national economy and people's livelihood, there must be no chaos. I close one door and open another for you. Behind this new door is not only the relaxation of restrictions on business, but also that you no longer have to be inferior to others."

Jin Gaila couldn't help but look up at the emperor. Being more familiar with the emperor, he vaguely felt that this so-called not being inferior to others was definitely not just meeting them at this moment, but facing the entire business group.

Zhu Houcong said with a smile: "The imperial court is studying how to change the household registration system. Since ancient times, it has been said that people are farmers, industry, and commerce, and there are three religions and nine streams. Although some people are also common people in the Ming Dynasty, they must be divided into three, six, and nine classes. Times are changing, and the situation is also changing. Soon. , In terms of laws and regulations, the Ming Dynasty will no longer distinguish clear household registrations, families with military registration do not have to have someone in the military, and families with merchant registration do not have to pretend to be commoners in order to avoid violating the prohibition."

Sure enough, everyone in common clothes couldn't believe it, and couldn't help but glance at the faces of the important ministers: If this happens, wouldn't etiquette disappear and order be in chaos?
But Zhang Fujing and the others didn't have too many surprises.

The discussion on household registration has not happened for a year or two.

It can only be said that by this time, the emperor has gained enough prestige to promote these things, and the important ministers in the court have also seen through it: in the stage of change, those who know the direction of the general trend can always make preparations in advance and take advantage of it.

Zhu Houcong said at this time: "No matter where you come from, everyone should study and be sensible. If people are enlightened, they will find ways to live a better life. If life is good, there will be spare money to buy goods, and all industries will prosper. All industries will prosper. , the court's tax revenue will also be high. People are no longer divided into three, six or nine, and it is difficult for the government and the court to control them, but this is also my new request for all officials. If you can still manage the Ming Dynasty well if you are not able to control them, then only It is a truly heroic talent.”

"You all saw the generals being reviewed the day before yesterday. Please note that in my heart, the Ming Dynasty will need three armies, one light, two dark, and three in the future!" Zhu Houcong then got to the point, "The Ming army is the great army of the Ming Dynasty. The generals are brave and capable. The strategy and weapons are invincible, and the guarantee is foolproof. The two dark branches are one called economy and the other called culture!"

"Let the foreigners live a better life, and then earn their money back. How can they still cause chaos if they are economically dependent on the Ming Dynasty?"

"Let all foreigners have their hearts set on Ming culture, learn our Ming writings, and practice our Ming system. Life will get better and better, so why do they still want to cause chaos?"

Zhu Houcong raised his hand and pointed at them: "You are my economic army! The diplomatic envoys not only help you, but are also the vanguard generals of the cultural army. Everyone in Ming Dynasty is well-educated and educated, and the atmosphere of that day is also yours. The confidence!”

Tu Qiong saw that the emperor summoned them, and it was already clear why.

The word "Army" has a very cold meaning, but it is for the future of the Ming Dynasty.

The atmosphere in the Qianqing Palace has changed somewhat. Most of the rural sages are just local big landowners, but the wealthy businessmen all know that since the emperor wants to encourage them to use goods to "attack cities and demolish villages" in the surrounding vassal states, there will naturally be some deployment arrangements.

So they are expecting.

"In the past, in order to protect the country, the Ming Dynasty had to send officials to manage the territory after it conquered some territories. Officials were unwilling to stay away from the Ming Dynasty. When they went to the border, they often committed evil, so their successes often failed." Zhu Houcong said first, " In the future, let’s change our thinking. There are no longer three, six or nine classes in the Ming Dynasty. Han people and Yi people are actually all human beings. The Celestial Dynasty has been transformed into kings. Over the thousands of years, countless people from foreign races have been naturalized."

"When you go out to do business, you should also remember this. The economic army and the cultural army are to turn them into Han people. Support those who aspire to the Ming Dynasty, so that their lives will be better; suppress those who are selfish and have too much power, so that they can live a better life. It is difficult to move forward. One generation, two generations, three generations, and the surrounding areas of the Ming Dynasty will no longer be troubled."

"Come up!"

Zhu Houcong gave an order, and a screen was carried out by the ministers and placed in front of everyone.

They looked up and saw that it was a map.

This map covers the world, not just the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Houcong looked around and said slowly: "Today you are called into the palace, you have the qualifications to participate in a great opportunity that has never been seen in the world in a thousand years, and to build the foundation of the country that will last forever. The imperial court will implement a ten-year national bond for the construction of the Ming Dynasty. Of course, you have heard the news. Those who subscribe to the fund will be able to buy shares in two new companies. "

They were still staring at the screen, and they saw it starting from Ming Dynasty, like two armies.Every time an army leaves the border, there are several arrows.

The road heading west points directly to the west, which seems to be the ancient Silk Road during the Han and Tang Dynasties.The east branch includes those that turn to the northeast and east, and some that point directly to the surface.

"One is the Great Wall Company on land, and the other is Great Wall Company on sea." Zhu Houcong explained, "In these two companies, the Huangming Assets Bureau and the Ministry of Finance and Taxation hold the majority shares, and the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Literary Affairs, and the Ministry of Culture and Education are all involved. . You participated, contributed money, people, and effort, but did nothing. Because these two companies opened the way, with generals, cannons, and warships. After occupying the fortress, a protective palace was set up, which served as a border The city commercial station is also a base for diplomacy and etiquette.”

"My army will lead the way, followed by your respective trading houses, opening trade routes, selling goods, purchasing raw materials, and making friends with the local people."

After a brief pause, Zhu Houcong looked at them meaningfully: "If you encounter any obstacles, you can hire generals from these two companies to protect them outside the territory."

Everyone in the hall, including Zhang Fuking and others, were shocked.

Does this allow businessmen to borrow military power?

Yes, just borrowing.

After much thought, Zhu Houcong still couldn't allow these wealthy businessmen who had the courage to go abroad to arm themselves like the West. The consequences would be too great.

Xuanwei can only be the official power of the Ming Dynasty.Propaganda through commercial means is the main thing they are allowed to do.

But when you go out, there are always dangers.Sporadic small incidents do not affect the overall situation.

By hiring people, there is only one bumper to at least tie down the beasts that Ming Dynasty is about to unleash.

The Ming Dynasty is about to lay off its elite troops, and there are many soldiers who need to be diverted.

If they have this ambition, it is also a way out for re-employment.

On this day, the "economic meeting" in the Qianqing Palace was held for a long time.

The most outstanding wealthy businessmen of the Ming Dynasty had definitely heard about many places and the products there from the emperor.

For example, the New World filled with gold and silver was passed down by the Western Yi people.

For example, there is a huge and vast island to the south of Naguwa Island, with coal and iron almost scattered on the ground.

For example, in the Persian desert, there is a lot of oil that Shen Kuo mentioned in "Mengxi Bi Tan". His Majesty said that this kind of thing will be more important than coal and iron in the future.This is the conclusion that he and Tao Zhenren have studied for a long time.

There is no need to emphasize it so much. Shen Kuo himself said: This thing will become popular in the world.

By noon, before the feast, the screen was removed.

After the banquet was arranged, Zhu Houcong raised his glass and said: "The Prime Minister, the Minister of State, the General Staff of the Military Affairs Council, and several ministers are here. You must know that this is the supreme achievement of the Ming Dynasty to carry forward the past and open up the future, and to lay a foundation for China for generations! The guns of the Western barbarian warships cleared the way, The merchant ship accompanying them has already arrived at the door of Daming's house. Those people are arrogant and want to carve up the world. Now that I am far away, what I am focusing on is the age of great strife in the world that has not changed for thousands of years!"

"The frequent conflicts are just a means! The Ming Dynasty's economic and cultural army is the invisible new Great Wall on land and sea. I understand new learning, value practicality and practical benefits, study physics and human principles, and do not strive for hegemony in the world for great achievements. , just so that the descendants of the Ming Dynasty can enjoy peace and prosperity forever! Although the people of China have settled down and relocated, they are never afraid of spreading their branches!"

Zhu Houcong circled around from afar: "Drink this cup! If this achievement is successful, in the future the Ming Dynasty will have a huge territory, the family and the country will be rich, and the territory will be stable. How can I be grudge to the princes and princes?"

(End of this chapter)