Daming: The most ruthless tyrant in history

Chapter 622: The Year of Great Change (4)

Wars and conflicts raging on all sides will inevitably have an impact on the Ming Dynasty. The most intuitive manifestation is the continued increase in food prices.

It is quite different from other things. All crops grown on land require a certain cycle. The level of farming is relatively low and is affected by climate, region and other aspects. Topdressing technology is still in its infancy, and farming technology is still in the exploratory stage. …This will inevitably lead to the fact that Ming’s grain output per mu is still very low!

Riding horses and slashing are really exciting. On the battlefield of golden horses and iron horses, chasing powerful enemies and violently beating them, pressing them to the ground and rubbing them fiercely. But every man with blood longs for such a thing. However, The rapid progress of the frontline war requires steady support from the rear.

When guns go off, gold is worth ten thousand taels. This is by no means an empty cliche, but extremely realistic and cruel!

"Your Majesty, you have to make a choice between Liaodong's quelling the rebellion and Sichuan-Guizhou's quelling the rebellion!!"

In the Dongnuan Pavilion of Qianqing Palace, Sun Guozhen, the young minister, was very emotional. He bowed to the emperor and said, "If the war continues like this, it will have a huge impact on the country!!"

"Right now, food prices not only in Beizhili, but also in Shandong, Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Huguang, Sichuan, Guizhou and other places have increased to varying degrees. I compared the memorials and official documents submitted by various places, starting from the resolution to aid Korea and fight against the invaders. Obviously, in just a few months, the lowest increase is nearly 30%, and the highest increase is 50%!”

"If this matter is not taken seriously, regardless of the order in various places, just talking about the major projects launched by the Shaofu in Beizhili, and even the disaster relief carried out in Henan and Shandong, it will inevitably have an impact!!"

"Especially through the work-for-relief program, people in the disaster-stricken areas have finally regained their support. If there are any delays during this period, I'm afraid people's support will rise again."

"Not to mention the Lianghuai River. Although the army led by Qi Jin has stationed, the situation in the two Huaihe River continues to be turbulent. Zuo Guangdou and others have repeatedly petitioned Shu. The court should stabilize the situation in the two Huaihe River as soon as possible, otherwise the water conservancy in the two Huaihe River will be weakened. It’s impossible to move forward smoothly!”

Zhu Youxiao, who was sitting on the throne, rubbed his swollen temples. A deep feeling of fatigue arose in his heart. Just because the discussions with the Military Academy, Upper Study Room, Ministry of War, etc. were over, it did not mean that the matter was really true. It's over, other departments are involved, and there are still piles of other matters ahead of us.

It can be said that with the emergence of some wars, the sharp central differences in the past were temporarily transferred due to the emergence of these wars.

But the conflicts are still there, the differences are still there. These have not disappeared directly, but there are bigger things affecting them, and they have been covered up.

Sometimes Zhu Youxiao was thinking that he might as well lead the army regardless, imitating Emperor Taizu Gao in his northern campaign against the Mongols, leaving domestic affairs to his trustworthy people, and first dealing with all the foreign aggression of the Ming Dynasty. Clean it up and concentrate on governing the Ming Dynasty.

But he couldn't do this.

I'm afraid that in this life he will never be able to personally control the army and conquer the forces that are hostile to the Ming Dynasty, because there are too many things and contradictions in the country that he, the Ming Emperor, needs to personally handle!
The conquest of external forces can only be promoted by the pillars he trusts and relies on, in batches and stages. Without affecting the governance and development of the Ming Dynasty, he should try to ensure that every war launched can achieve the results in the Ming Dynasty. The strategy must be achieved before the war.

"How long will the grain storage in the granary under the jurisdiction of the Shaofu be enough?" While sighing, Zhu Youxiao frowned and looked at the ministers of the Shaofu, and said in a calm tone.

"Your Majesty."

Lu Guanxiang, who was in charge of grain storage, stepped forward and said: "Based on the large-scale construction and disaster relief projects taking place in Beizhili, Henan, Shandong and other places, without any new grain replenishment, it will only be enough to meet the needs for half a year. If we continue to purchase grain from the private sector, it may last longer, but this will affect private grain prices. The most important point is that the proportion of the Shaofu's expenditure will also increase. "

"Stop buying food first."

Zhu Youxiao thought for a while, frowned and said: "In half a year, some things should be finalized. During this period, the Shaofu Department will pay close attention to the trend of food prices in various places." "Your Majesty, think twice."

Sun Guozhen heard the emperor's unintentional meaning and hurriedly remonstrated: "Even if we stop buying grain, it will only treat the symptoms rather than the root cause. The top priority right now is..."

"I have made up my mind!!"

Zhu Youxiao interrupted: "Things involving war are not within the scope of the Shaofu's authority. Whether the war starts or stops is decided by the Military Academy and other departments. What we are talking about now is matters of the Shaofu!!"

There is an advantage to letting the corresponding department be responsible for the corresponding matters. All matters involving large-scale central planning need to be adjudicated by Zhu Youxiao. As long as Zhu Youxiao is not confused and does not act out of impulse, then the deployment and development in various fields will be This can be implemented efficiently through the corresponding department.

Of course, there is a lot of pressure, which will always be on Yuji!

Certain things must be done well.

The promoted deployment must be implemented.

When Sun Guozhen and Lu Guanxiang heard this, they all showed different expressions. They all knew that the emperor's will for some things would not be easily changed due to other factors.

"The overall construction of the Haihe River system in the northern Zhili region must be accelerated!" Zhu Youxiao leaned forward, looked at Sun Guozhen and the others and said: "Grain supply is the lifeblood of the Ming Dynasty. We cannot place our hope on unified purchasing by the private sector. , Increasing food production is what must be done.”

"I have never farmed, but I also know that a lack of water will reduce food production or even eliminate the harvest. If there is too much water, it will be even more troublesome. It is very important to regulate the demand for agricultural water, whether to release or store it. !”

"I won't mention other places for now, but here in Beizhili, we must first protect it. Water conservancy construction is a major event related to the national destiny. Since the young master has accepted this errand, he must handle it well for me. There can be no mistakes!”

"The minister obeys the order!"

Under this situation, Li Ruoxing, who was standing in the crowd, immediately stood up and bowed in response. At this moment, many eyes came to him.

Among the many arrangements established by the Shaofu, the Haihe system accounts for a relatively high proportion of expenses, but compared with other arrangements, the Haihe system has the least return, at least for now.

This has also led to many voices within the Shaofu. Even though water conservancy rectification is very important, there is no need for such a large investment. Appropriate reduction of some financial allocations for the Haihe system can make other established deployments more efficient. promotion and implementation.

However, there is no such voice among the senior officials of the Shaofu, because Sun Guozhen and Lu Guanxiang know better than anyone else that the industrial workshops that have emerged in the Shaofu have gathered so many out-of-work groups under their names. If there is no stable Food security is bound to cause a big problem sooner or later.

If the regulation and construction of the Haihe River system can achieve the expected results, it will directly boost the grain production in Beizhili. In the event of drought, there will be water to irrigate the land, and in the event of floods, there will be land to store water. This will reduce the number of people affected by disasters. The impact of the epidemic has led to a reduction in grain output or no harvest. This economic account can still be calculated clearly by the senior officials of Shaofu Yousi...

(End of this chapter)