At the beginning of the civil castle, the Ming God of War was a little panicked

Chapter 56
Kuang Ye felt like he was going crazy.

The emperor personally led [-] battalions of solitary troops to go deep into the desert, fighting in and out behind the enemy's rear, and now they returned safe and sound, which can be described as a great joy.

It stands to reason that he should return to the capital as soon as possible, but now he is stuck in this small Huailai city, leading Luotong to survey the terrain every day, discussing where to build roads, where to drain water, where to build houses, and even planning. A commercial street comes out.

In this kind of frontier town, what are you doing in the whole commercial street?
"Your Majesty, Luo Langzhong is a Jinshi in Yongle for ten years. He has been an official for more than [-] years and has rich experience. It is enough to entrust the reconstruction of Huailai City to Luo Langzhong. The old minister suggested that the Emperor should hurry up and leave to avoid embarrassment from the empress dowager." Hundreds of officials are worried!"

"Don't be in a hurry, Qing family, I'll leave as soon as I finish speaking!"

Zhu Qizhen waved his hand, and continued to say to Luo Tong: "I wrote very clearly in the plan that this place is suitable for growing grapes!"

In fact, Luo Tong didn't understand the plan at all.

For example, why not grow grain, but grapes.

"Grape?"

"Yes, it's grapes!"

"But..." Luo Tong scratched his head, expressing his doubts, "This thing can't be the staple food..."

"Who told you that you must grow staple food, cash crops, do you understand cash crops?"

"Chen... stupid..."

"You are really blunt!" Zhu Qizhen thought for a while, and said, "Just now you said it yourself, the weather here is dry and dry, it is not suitable for growing grain, so what should I do?"

"Yeah, what to do?"

"Then plant something suitable, such as grapes."

"But... grapes are not the staple food..."

"It doesn't have to be a staple food!"

"Chen... stupid..."

Zhu Qizhen wanted to beat someone, really, if he hadn't seen Luo Tong's age, he would have done it long ago.

Why can't I understand it!

"Let me put it another way, if you grow grain here, how much will you produce per mu?"

"This kind of place..." Luo Tong thought for a while, and said, "It can be roughly one or two stones."

In the Ming Dynasty, one stone was 150 catties. Generally speaking, the output of a good paddy field is about two to three stones. In this barren land, two stones is not bad.

"Do you know, if you plant grapes, what will be the income?"

"I don't know!"

"Let me tell you this, although there is no profit in the first year, but from the second year onwards, the annual output converted into money is at least three to five times that of growing grain!"

Luo Tong asked: "Why is there no profit in the first year?"

Zhu Qizhen was taken aback, and had no choice but to explain: "Grapes are a crop that takes two years to mature, and there will be no fruit in the first year."

"So that's it!" Luo Tong nodded again and again, then shook his head and said, "But what do the common people do now? If there is no food, how can they survive? Also, this place is not rich, so many grapes are planted, who will sell them to?" go?"

"The Qing family will look at this map again!"

Zhu Qizhen pointed to the map and said: "It is less than three hundred miles from Huailai City to the capital. If the road is leveled and widened in the later stage, the carriages for goods can arrive in a day. No matter how big the output is, as long as it is transported to the capital, it will be guaranteed. Sold out."

Luo Tong scratched his head and said, "Your Majesty, forgive me for being stupid. The common people are in urgent need of rations, and they are afraid that they will starve to death before the grapes grow in the fields..."

"What do I want you to do?" Zhu Qizhen shook his head and said, "Your task is not to lead the people to build houses and farms, but to become bigger and stronger, and to have ideals! No food, right? Go to the court. Borrow, use taxes as collateral, and I will personally approve it for you!"

Luo Tong's face was extremely tangled, he asked the court for a loan, instead of growing grain, he grew grapes, and returned cash crops?

There are also those roads and drainage channels, I don’t know how much food they will cost, is this necessary...

Seeing Luo Tong's hesitant expression, Kuang Ye couldn't help but said, "Mr. Luo, if you have any questions, please explain clearly at once, so as not to delay the emperor's schedule."

He thought that the emperor would return to the capital immediately, so he didn't write a letter to the capital. Now there is no news of the emperor's return.

If I had known about the delay for so long, I would write a letter first and let the people in the capital prepare it!

Luo Tong really had a problem. He pointed to the location of the school in the plan and said, "About building the school...the emperor doesn't know anything. Where do ordinary people get the money to study..."

"Didn't I write it down? This is compulsory education. All six-year-old children must go to school. Moreover, all expenses for the first six years will be borne by the imperial court!"

"This..." Luo Tong almost scratched his scalp, "How much will it cost..."

"You don't have to worry about money. Huailai City is the first place where I will introduce the old and bring forth the new. We must make bold decisions and not be bound by traditional concepts. The Qing family now knows how heavy the burden is on their shoulders, right?"

Luo Tong's forehead was covered with sweat stains, he said bravely, "I understand!"

"There is also the matter of recruiting soldiers. You can just recruit refugees on the spot. I will leave Ha Ming to help you train soldiers, and I will leave you five hundred elite soldiers. Huailai means so much, I am not willing to hand him over to you!"

Luo Tong nodded again and again: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

He has rich experience in leading troops. When he saw the [-] Battalion for the first time, he was shocked. There was an invisible murderous aura exuding from these soldiers, which could only be obtained after a long battle.

What's even more commendable is that after these sergeants took over Huailai City, they patrolled the city defense and security inside the city every day, never disturbing the people.

On the street, it is common to see soldiers helping the common people build houses, or providing some help within their ability.

As a result, there is a strange phenomenon in Huailai now, when the common people have any difficulties, they will take the initiative to find soldiers in the street to help. In Luo Tong's view, this is very unreasonable.

In his impression, the soldiers would be thankful if they didn't harass the common people. It's unbelievable that the soldiers and civilians can get along so well.

If all of Daming's troops were like this, what would it be like...

After explaining everything, Zhu Qizhen finally embarked on the road back to Beijing again.

Ha Ming brought 500 people to stay in his arms, and the remaining 2000 people were ordered to pack up and set off immediately.

When passing through Juyongguan, he left Kuang Ye behind.

Luo Tong went to Huailai to serve, and the Juyongguan garrison was temporarily vacant. Fortunately, there was a ready-made Minister of the Ministry of War, who could take the lead for a while.

Zhu Qizhen led the cavalry, and they marched very fast. They set off from Juyongguan at noon and arrived in Changping before sunset.

Looking at the city wall ahead, Li Zhen stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, it's getting dark, will you go to Beijing overnight? Or should you rest in Changping for the night?"

Zhu Qizhen looked at the sky and said: "There's no need to hurry, rest in Changping for one night, and go to Beijing early tomorrow morning!"

"Yes!"

"Wait a moment!"

"Your Majesty, please order!"

Zhu Qizhen thought for a while and said: "In order not to disturb the people, the soldiers should work harder, so let's rest outside the city!"

"According to the order!"

The 2000 people found an open space to rest in the woods on the outskirts. Fan Zhong walked up to Zhu Qizhen with bread and dried meat, and asked with some puzzlement: "Your Majesty, even if you don't go on a night trip, you should go to the city." Rest, why do you want to sleep with everyone in this wilderness?"

Zhu Qizhen took a bite of the bread and said, "If you inform Changping County, the whole county will be busy serving me tonight, there is no need for that."

"Your Majesty, you..."

At this moment, I heard the outer sentry shouting: "Stop, who is it?"

Fan Zhong immediately became alert, the road from Juyongguan was not a barrier, and he did not enter the city when he arrived in Changping, so no one knew the emperor's whereabouts, who could be in this wilderness?

After a while, Li Zhen trotted over and said, "Your Majesty, a man named Feng Yi has come, and he said he was ordered by his commander Cao Qin to discuss something important."

"Feng Yi..." Zhu Qizhen thought for a while, and seemed to have no impression of this person, "What does this person do? Is Cao Qin the son of Cao Jixiang? How did he know my whereabouts?"

Li Zhen shook his head and said, "This person doesn't seem to know the identity of the emperor."

"Oh?"

Zhu Qizhen was a little puzzled, did he admit the wrong person?
Li Zhen continued: "Because this person keeps saying that he wants to see General Chahantai!"

Zhu Qizhen's expression changed, and he asked, "Did you reveal my identity to him?"

"Back to the emperor, the minister only said to come in and report, and didn't say much."

"Well, let him come over, I want to see what tricks this person is up to!"

(End of this chapter)