unclear

Chapter 743 They are all talents
"...Of course you have a badge, in addition to an official position and subordinates. I intend to make you the seal holder of the Surveying and Mapping Bureau. Not only will you draw maps for the Ming Dynasty, but you will also go to Luzon, Annan, Liaodong, and the Western Regions in the future."

But in Hong Tao's eyes, these numbers are more precious than any books. He just casually planted a tiny seed at the beginning, but he didn't expect that it would bear rich fruits ten years later.

Mapping these coordinates can provide very important parameters for road construction and water conservancy construction in addition to military use. In addition, the descriptions in the travel notes can help us better understand the local customs and living conditions of the people, which is crucial to strengthening governance.

Having made such a great contribution, but not using any of the court's resources, it would be unreasonable not to give him a reward. Even if Liu Shimin was a eunuch, he should be given a fifth-rank official position and allowed to carry out the surveying and mapping work systematically.

"Why don't you thank me now!" The reward seemed a little small, and Liu Shimin kept silent for a long time. This made Wang Chengen very anxious. After all, he was a member of the Cuju team, so he had to help him.

"Of course I am willing to serve Your Majesty, but without the help of Xu Xiake and Zhang Xie, my contribution would be greatly discounted. However, they are not internal officials, so please show some mercy, Your Majesty."

Liu Shimin really didn't complain about the low reward. He wanted to ask for rewards for Xu Xiake and Zhang Xie, and didn't want to take all the credit for himself.

"Well, it's only right that one should not forget friends when one is rich and powerful... How about this, we don't need the Surveying and Mapping Bureau, but change it to the Surveying and Mapping Department. You will be the doctor, Xu Xiake and Zhang Xie will be the deputy director and the chief official respectively, and it will be under the General Staff.

Wang Chengen, send someone to summon Yuan Keli and the staff officer to the palace, and immediately sort out these coordinates and draw a map, and meet the new subordinates by the way. Hey, this book "Eastern and Western Ocean Studies" is quite interesting... It seems that I can't leave now, let Xu Xiake and Zhang Xie enter the palace!"

After hearing what Liu Shimin said, Hong Tao suddenly came to his senses. The seal of the Surveying and Mapping Bureau sounded like an internal official position, and it was obviously not suitable for Xu Xiake and Zhang Xie to take the position. But this was easy to deal with. Just change the word from Surveying and Mapping Bureau to Surveying and Mapping Department, and put it under the General Staff Department. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?

As for whether eunuchs could leave the palace to hold official positions, if they were placed in other departments, it would definitely cause controversy, but no one in the General Staff could make irresponsible comments. In the eyes of court officials, the navy, the army, the new army and the General Staff were all the emperor's personal followers, and no one could, let alone dare, manage them.

He had originally wanted to finish it like this, but a book in the box made Hong Tao give up the idea of ​​going to the back hall to rest. He didn't need to look carefully, the table of contents alone was very attractive, and the author was Zhang Xie.

This time, I not only want to meet Zhang Xie and ask him about the process of writing this book, but also meet Xu Xiake. After all, he is a famous person in later generations, and it would be inappropriate to ignore him.

"Your Majesty, we have to inspect the chemical plant today..." But Wang Chengen was a little unhappy. The emperor had been up all night, and it was almost dawn. He couldn't keep his eyes open and had to work non-stop during the day.

"Send someone to tell them to change the inspection date. I'm a little hungry, so breakfast should be brought forward. Make more and leave some for Chief of Staff Yuan and the staff officers. Oh, yes, take the three of them to take a shower and change into staff officers' clothes first."

Hong Tao really didn't plan to work day and night. Since he had encountered an accident that he couldn't get away from, he could only focus on the present. When Yuan Keli and the staff came, he asked them to draw a map first, and he would sleep on the sofa for a while. It was estimated that it would be about time for lunch.

Hong Tao couldn't tell whether Xu Xiake was talented or not, after all, he was only in his twenties and still had a long way to go. But Zhang Xie was a very talented guy, Hong Tao was very sure of that.

He did write the book Dongxiyang Kao (A Study of the East and West Oceans), which consists of twelve volumes. Although it contains few words, the content is very practical. In the book, Zhang Xie introduced more than thirty countries that had maritime trade with the Ming Dynasty, including shipping routes, approximate locations, culture, taxes, and products. Although it cannot be said to be extremely detailed and accurate, it is relatively comprehensive, at least more detailed and specific than the archives of the Ministry of Rites.

Interestingly, Zhang Xie had never been abroad except to a few ports in Guangdong, and had never even been to Macau. The content of his book was all from the boatmen, shipowners and sea merchants in Fujian and Guangdong.

Moreover, he did not intend to write this book. He was asked by the prefect of Zhangzhou to write it for the reference of maritime merchants, just like writing a county annals. It took him just over half a year to complete it.

"I originally wanted you to be the director of the Surveying and Mapping Department, and continue to travel around the country with Liu Shimin and Xu Xiake, but now I have a new idea. Would you like to listen to it?" Is what is written in the book correct? Hong Tao really couldn't comment. Anyway, judging from the words, it gave people a very reliable feeling.

It was precisely because of this feeling that Hong Tao thought it was a bit of a waste to let Zhang Xie go to the Surveying and Mapping Bureau as a sixth-rank official. This kind of person is born to be a propaganda material, and at present, besides Ma Jinglun, he is also lacking such talents.

"I dare not act rashly..." Zhang Xie was still a little dazed. Although he could be considered a family of officials, he was still a long way from meeting the emperor in the palace. And when he heard that the emperor was going to grant him an official position, how could he dare to be picky?

"Do you know the Commercial Daily?"

"…For example, the Commercial Daily, founded by Li Baiquan, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, was subscribed to by ordinary people all year round and read every issue."

"Well, that's good. I plan to let you be the deputy editor-in-chief of the Commercial Daily and publish more foreign news so that the people can learn more and gain more knowledge."

Although Li Zhi is no longer around, his reputation has not disappeared among the people. When talking about the New Deal, the people of Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian will first think of the former Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and what is even more memorable is the Commercial Daily.

After years of development, this newspaper, which was originally founded by Li Zhi, has become the second national folk reading material after "Ban Yue Tan". Especially in Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian, "Shang Bao" is like a child of the locals and is more popular.

But since Li Zhi's death, the newspaper has been managed by Zhuque. In Hong Tao's opinion, the effect is just enough to keep the newspaper alive, but it has not achieved any great development. Of course, this cannot be blamed on Zhuque. He is good at business, but he knows nothing about newspapers. It is not easy to have the current situation.

Over the years, Hong Tao has been looking for a suitable candidate for the Commercial Daily, but unfortunately he has never found one. This book, Eastern and Western Studies, just proves that Zhang Xie is qualified for this job.

"...Can ordinary people also publish articles in newspapers like Tongzhou Ma Zhuyi?" Upon hearing this, Zhang Xie's demeanor immediately changed significantly. His uneasiness and fear were replaced by surprise and enthusiasm. He even dared to look directly at the emperor and ask questions.

(End of this chapter)