Jingtai Fengyun: The First Absurd Emperor of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 872: New prefectures and counties are established, farmland is reformed, and additional ministers are dispatched to supervise the construction of straight roads.
Zhu Qiyu personally demonstrated to Zhu Wenfang how to win over ministers. The most important thing is to make ministers feel safe.

This is also the lesson that Zhu Qiyu learned from studying the history of the Ming Dynasty. A negative example is that in the late Ming Dynasty, there were two two hundred and fifty, which added up to exactly five hundred: Zhu Youjian, the Chongzhen Emperor, was killed by the Donglin Party in the name of the Mingjun Holy Lord. Because of his position, he went crazy and insisted on killing Wei Zhongxian.

The result was that none of the eunuchs and royal guards dared to work for the emperor anymore.

The other was Zhu Houzhao, the Zhengde Emperor, who was even more exaggerated. He cut Liu Jin to Ling Chi. It was said that he had to be cut with 4,200 cuts, which exceeded the 3,600 cuts of Donglin boss Zheng Juan.

This saucy operation is simply jaw-dropping and jaw-dropping.

He was so willful that Zhu Houzhao fell into the water twice and died inexplicably, so it was not very unjust.

Therefore, the idea that Zhu Qiyu has always instilled in Zhu Wenfang is that his cronies must be protected to the death. No matter how great the pressure from the government and the opposition is, they must grit their teeth and withstand it, and they must not take a step back.

Once this happens, everyone is watching from top to bottom. If you can't withstand the pressure and retreat and compromise, then it will be a big collapse and complete destruction.

Enemies will think that you are strong on the outside and capable on the outside, weak and can be bullied; neutral people will feel that the direction of the wind has changed; and your own people will think that you can no longer protect you.

As the boss, if you can't protect your younger brother, then the boss will do it. This is such a simple truth.

In this way, Eastern Mongolia can be firmly controlled, and it will also make it easier for merchants to do business in Kaiping.

Zhu Qiyu didn't wait for Li Bing to ask, and took the initiative to explain: "This is a stupid way. If the cultivated land of the military camp is ten acres in the east and five acres in the west, in a few years, those gentry and powerful people will come to annex and occupy it.

It will not be so easy for the powerful gentry to snatch it again. At least it will be very eye-catching and there is no way to encroach on it piecemeal and step by step.

This is like Cao Cao's chain of iron chains during the Battle of Chibi. A ship is rocking on the river, but hundreds of ships are put together to stop it from rocking. "

Zhu Qiyu added: "In the future, Xuanfu and Datong will each build a transit warehouse for the household department, and all the grain and grass collected by Shanxi every year will be included in the new warehouses of Xuanfu and Datong.

Zhu Qiyu also knew that Li Bing was burying himself in his heart, but it didn't matter. At this point, you have to do this job whether you want to or not.

After drinking for three rounds, Zhu Qiyu smiled at Li Bing and said: "Shanxi is not stable yet. I have to let you be the governor for another three or four years. After that, I will arrange for you to be the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment and the Bachelor of Dongge University. You have been an official outside for many years. It’s time to return to the capital.”

Although Li Bing was not a confidant at the moment and had passively sold his life to the royal family, he still had to be properly accommodated. The civil and military officials in the dynasty should know that there was nothing wrong with following the emperor.

So we connected tens of thousands of acres of land together into a patch, and then circled it for cultivation by the garrison.

Li Bing didn't know what to say, and Zhu Qiyu continued to draw: "A straight road is being built from Shaanxi to Gansu and then to Hami. I have been thinking about the strategic layout of the Ming Dynasty at home every day recently, and I thought that we should build another road from Xuanfu to Kaiping. , and then a straight road running north through the Hulunbuir Grassland.

Li Bing was a little confused at first. Why did he have to connect the land into a whole piece?

Then these farmlands were handed over to the garrison for cultivation. "

We need to establish a complete set of systems to thoroughly develop Dongsheng and Kaiping, so that future generations will not give up on Dongsheng and Kaiping. "

Then Datong transferred grain and grass to Dongsheng and other guards, and Xuanfu transferred grain and grass to Kaiping and other guards.

Li Bing was overjoyed when he heard this. It was very rare for the emperor to personally make career arrangements, and it was a very honorable thing for ministers.

Zhu Qiyu was also afraid that Zhu Wenfang would be involved. As an emperor, he must protect his cronies and the ministers who work for him.

Zhu Houzhao chopped off his top horse Liu Jin with more than 4,000 knives, which is really an amazing brain circuit. Unless Zhu Houzhao is killed by the alliance between the harem and civil servants, God will not allow it.

Li Bing sighed secretly: Sure enough, the benefits are not free, this is another laborious and extremely cumbersome job. Moreover, this method is stupid, stupid and not elegant at all.

Cities, fortresses, and inns were built along the way. In this way, the imperial army can quickly maneuver between Xuanfu, Kaiping and Hulunbuir grasslands, and food, grass and weapons can also be quickly deployed.

Zhu Qiyu added: "By inspecting the property and fields of these powerful gentry in Shanxi, the imperial court obtained a large amount of land. I need you to merge these lands into whole and continuous farms through replacement.

As for what 'that thing' refers to, Zhu Qiyu wanted to say that he had given up Dongsheng and the emperor and ministers in Kaiping were all two hundred and fifty, but thinking that Taizong had also done it, he was embarrassed to say it.

Using the Kaizhong method improved by our Jingtai Dynasty, we encourage merchants to transport grain to Kaiping. We provide them with salt and the qualification for tax-free transactions in Kaiping City.

Only by mobilizing the enthusiasm of the people can Kaiping maintain prosperity for a long time and reduce the burden of the imperial government to subsidize Kaiping.

Prevent Kaiping from becoming a burden to the court, and future generations of monarchs and ministers will no longer abandon the defense so easily. "

Zhu Qiyu's heart disease is that he is afraid that a wise emperor like Zhu Zhanji will appear in the future. It doesn't hurt if he throws it away here, and it doesn't matter if he throws it away there. This is not a traditional Han land, and there is no value of governance there. It would kill him to think about it. But we have worked so hard to conquer the empire on which the sun never sets.

During this meal, Li Bing listened to the emperor's ramble for a long time, and generally understood the emperor's intention.

Although the errand sounds a bit difficult and is not easy to do, it is still acceptable. Considering that the emperor's integrity was unparalleled and he kept his word, and he would be appointed Minister of the Ministry of Punishment and Grand Scholar of Dongge in three years, Li Bing believed that this transaction was not a bad deal.

After talking about business, the banquet continued. Li Bing has a dull personality and doesn't take the initiative to speak. The monarch and his ministers were chatting about political affairs, and Lin Xiangyu and Ningxiang didn't interrupt. Zhu Qiyu could only lead the conversation by himself, so he smiled at Wang Shan and said:

"Last year, those powerful gangs in Shanxi lost their minds and assassinated the governor's convoy. It was all thanks to Mr.'s efforts that we were able to keep all the officials safe. This is a great achievement and must be rewarded heavily.

I plan to establish Kaiping as a state and place it under the jurisdiction of Xuanfu. I want Mr. Lao to be the magistrate of the state. Kaiping is an important trade town with the Mongols. I hope that Mr. Lao will run the business well for the court. "

Wang Shan was overjoyed and wanted to kneel down to thank him.

Zhu Qiyu waved his hands repeatedly: "Today is a family dinner, sir, there is no need to be polite. Come on, let's finish talking about business, let's continue drinking."

Wang Shan was extremely happy because Zhizhou was from the fifth rank and was under the Xuanfu. Because of entering the Jingtai Dynasty, the Xuanfu was placed under the jurisdiction of Northern Zhili by the emperor, so now Kaiping also belongs to Zhili.

Although the states in Northern Zhili are outside the Great Wall, they have a higher status than ordinary states.

The most important thing is that Kaiping's business is huge. The trade between the Mongols and the mainland now mainly relies on Kaiping, Daning, and Guangning.

If you do this well, it will be easy to achieve political achievements.

After explaining the business, Lin Xiangyu and Ningxiang began to persuade them to drink, and they drank for another half a day before leaving.

When leaving, it was Zhu Wenfang who personally escorted Li Bing and Wang Shan out of the house. The two of them got into the car and were already a little drunk. Li Bing's attitude towards Wang Shan was much more polite than before. The prince was sent to the gate just now, obviously not for his own sake. A governor and minister with no extraordinary achievements is not worthy of being sent to him personally by the prince of the supervising country. In Li Bing's mind, Wang Shan's image became extremely high: when he came, the two most favored imperial concubines personally picked him up; when he left, the prince of the country personally saw him off. During the banquet, the emperor frequently toasted to the magistrate who had been promoted from the seventh-rank county magistrate to the fifth-rank magistrate. The growth of the Holy Family is jaw-dropping.

But he said that Zhu Qiyu was also drunk. He returned to the Hehuan Hall, got on the couch and leaned against the bed, shaking his head and waiting to drink the imported honey water.

Ningxiang said angrily: "Why do you drink so much, husband?"

Zhu Qiyu spread his hands: "Aren't I trying to save face for your sisters today? Who knew they were so good at drinking.

Wang Shan used to be a businessman, so I don’t blame him for drinking. You said that Li Bing was silent and looked like a high-ranking official. How could he drink so well? "

Ningxiang comforted: "They may be holding on, they should vomit when they get back."

Zhu Qiyu nodded: "That's okay, I feel better. Next time when we are hosting a banquet for our nobles and our generals, I won't drink like this. We know that we can't drink these generals, so we will avoid fighting. ”

Ningxiang teased: "Husband, you are really cunning. You are just looking at what others are doing. You bully the weak and avoid the strong. You are flexible and adaptable. You don't have to worry about someone really getting you drunk."

"I can't help it. How can I not play tricks with the ministers?"

"Then tell me honestly, have you been playing tricks on the concubines?"

Zhu Qiyu nodded again: "It's a joke, it's a joke. If you want to coax a woman, you can't do it without being cunning. But to be honest, I only play cunning with you and Qi'er. Xue'er, Xi'er, and Linglong are the ones who want to catch up. Someone who is willing to be obedient to me.

The remaining ten are not clever, and they are not in tune with me. "

Lin Xiangyu advised from the side: "Actually, if the husband pays more attention, ten of them can also fall in love with him."

Zhu Qiyu waved his hand: "I never lick a woman. Besides, three or five women are enough. I don't need more."

Ningxiang asked with a surprised look on her face: "You never lick a woman? Why are you telling lies with your eyes wide open!"

Zhu Qiyu smiled and said: "I'm talking about the kind of licking, not the kind of licking you think of. The kind of licking you think of is okay, but the kind of licking I said is not okay."

"You can see that you've had a good drink today, so why are you making tongue twisters. Have you thought about what you're going to do tomorrow?"

"I have thought about it. Call Ma Ang, Wang Yue, Yu Zijun, and Ma Wensheng here tomorrow, and I will have a chat with them."

Ningxiang asked curiously: "What is there to talk about with them?"

"Ma Ang is the governor of Gansu. Wang Yue and I plan to let him governor Eastern Mongolia. I called them here to talk to them about how to build a straight road.

Yu Zijun is a crazy person who is particularly obsessed with building fortifications on the border. Let him participate in the construction of straight roads, that is the real use of everything. Ma Wensheng also has similar hobbies, but he is not as crazy as Yu Zijun.

Besides, Wang Yue, Yu Zijun, and Ma Wensheng are all my direct disciples of the Emperor, and I have to support them.

Call me Li Bingyi again. He is also my direct disciple. Because of his ugly appearance, the Ministry of Personnel refused to assign him an official.

Although I personally took care of him later, I guess he received a lot of cold treatment. So I invite him to come up tomorrow and I will personally stand up for him. "

Ningxiang praised: "My husband is really kind-hearted. I remember that this matter was caused by the delay in letting Li Bingyi be assigned to Shi Zhong. In the end, the officials all gave up to Shi Zhong. Zhang Rang couldn't stand it anymore. So I reported it to you husband, and then you personally caring.

Zhang Rang just mentioned this, it's been several years, you still remember it! "

"Well, actually I keep a lot of things in mind, otherwise I would be tired of shouting all the time. You should prepare some gifts for him tomorrow. It is best if they are made by you newbies, can be worn, and are decent. .”

Ningxiang asked curiously: "Is this also possible? The imperial concubine can also make things to wear with her own hands and give them to the ministers?"

Zhu Qiyu nodded. I don't know the precedent for this kind of thing, but I know the precedent. Liu Lishun, the number one scholar in the Chongzhen Dynasty, received a palace flower patch from the Chongzhen Emperor. It was extremely exquisite and was embroidered by the imperial concubine Tian.

It can be seen from this that things embroidered by the imperial concubine can be given to ministers. Especially for the patches on the official uniforms of ministers, it is most appropriate to embroider a piece and give it as a gift. For officials, it is also a great honor and dignity.

Ningxiang asked: "Can I give you a cloak? It happened that our sisters embroidered five pieces for my husband at the end of last year. It just so happens that we will have one for each of us tomorrow. It would be a thoughtful idea to give it to them."

"Yeah, Shan. Let Xi'er come over. I'll take a sip of milk, a sip of bees, and then go to sleep."

Early the next morning, the five summoned civil servants came to the mansion. Zhu Qiyu first took them to talk about the straight road project in Qingyun Pavilion.

Regarding the construction method of straight roads, Zhu Qiyu once again gave instructions to several people: "Those straight roads in the Qin Dynasty were still a bit narrow. Let's build them wider. It would be best to build them three to four feet. The terrain is not suitable, and it is not suitable." It must be built two feet wide.

Not only do we need pedestrians and horses to move around, but we also need to allow tanks and heavy artillery to pass on it.

What I want is that together with the war, tanks, heavy artillery, grain, armor, and ordnance energy can be transported continuously and unhindered to Hami, Turpan, and even further west, extending into the territory of the Timurid Empire.

Back then, Timur's empire killed our envoys from the Ming Dynasty, but I haven't avenged this revenge yet. Now that they have captured Hami again, it is really unbearable. "

The five civil servants looked at each other. Everyone originally thought that the emperor had stopped recently. Unexpectedly, it has been a hundred years since the feud with Timur's empire, and the emperor still remembered it in his heart.

Zhu Qiyu said with a smile: "Don't look like this. The emperors and dignitaries of Timur's empire are just chickens and dogs, and they are just selling their heads. Let's be honest. You should dig out the soft soil on the surface first. Open and dig all the way to hard soil.

Then lay large stones on both sides of the road, and then lay a layer of stones on the road.

On top of the stones, lay a layer of gravel.

After the stones and gravel are laid, lay a layer of mortar. Finally, it is compacted and leveled repeatedly.

It is best to plant trees along the roadside. Our Ming Dynasty was rich and built many inns, villages and inns along the way. Build more cities, fortresses, and beacon towers.

I want to use the straight road to continuously transport supplies to the Western Region and the northern grasslands, and completely control those areas. "

(End of this chapter)