Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 541 Return to Jilin City

"Moo..."

Summer comes in April, with the sound of the flute.

When little children passed by a team riding on the backs of cattle, they looked curiously at the convoy protected by cavalry.

On a carriage in the motorcade, Zhu Gaoxu also looked at the group of cowherd boys through the window.

The four eyes faced each other without any lingering, and the two sides just passed by each other.

Like Changchun City, this area is also an endless stretch of cultivated land, filled with people working in the fields.

However, compared to Changchun City, farmers here usually have three or four men operating two or three cattle to work on their fields.

When it comes to animal power alone, there is nothing like it in the world today.

Zhu Gaoxu looked at them. Many people in the field also looked here curiously, but they were not afraid at all. This was all because this was the Jilin area, and a brick thrown down could hit a military attache or a relative of a distinguished minister.

The royal guards took off their coats, revealing the scarlet robes underneath, and hung up their tooth tags.

The carriage stopped, Zhu Gaoxu opened the door himself, and got out of the carriage with unknown mood.

But even so, only a certain household has suffered a sharp decline. Overall, Jilin City still maintains considerable power.

Zhu Gaoxu walked onto the horse path and came to the head of Jixiguan City, which was three feet high.

The descendants of the collateral lineage, or those with potential, basically work as the two guards on the left and right sides of Jilin.

Although they still have the title of Jilin Guards, in fact most of these soldiers are the children of the second and third generation Bohai generals who migrated to the interior.

Too many years have passed, and the forest that was cut down has grown back, covering up the defense line designed by Zhu Gaoxu based on the mountains.

In their view, the Twelve Bohai Guards are His Majesty's old team, among which Jilin Guards have the highest status, followed by Zhaozhou Guards, Andong Guards, and Changchun Guards.

The city defense of Jilin City did not wait for Zhu Gaoxu's arrival and replaced all the elite Jilin Guards.

"If there had been such a grand pass back then, why would so many brothers have been killed and injured..."

Some poems, which he could not remember in full but only some short sentences, were also written down.

But even so, the standing soldiers still held their weapons tightly and glanced around sharply.

It is so indestructible that even with the most advanced artillery today, it would take hundreds of artillery bombardments day and night for more than ten days to destroy it.

This is not a rule set by Zhu Gaoxu, but a rule subconsciously believed by the Bohai generals.

Under this city gate, there are many people buried, including their own people, but more of them are enemies.

That was the feeling he had when he fought here. It was here that he led thousands of men in Jixiguan to fight Wu Liangha.

In front of him, what was replaced was a concrete city wall three feet high and three miles long.

Yishiha reminded him, and Zhu Gaoxu also nodded and said, "Stop at the pass, I'll go down and take a look."

He looked across the city and towards the Hadal Ridge where they fought bloody battle.

On the way north, Zhu Gaoxu seemed to be worried that many poems would be lost because of him, so he kept reciting them.

All the children of military generals from Bohai have to go to the Bohai Twelve Guards to serve for three years before they can be devolved as generals.

He put his hand on the female wall of Jixiguan. Although it was a little tingling on his palm, he still felt a sense of familiarity.

While feeling emotional, Zhu Gaoxu recited the song "Qinyuan Spring·Snow" by a great man of later generations, and this scene was recorded by the historian who followed behind him.

Under the Four Guards, there are the Jurchen Eight Guards of the past, including the Jilin Left and Right Guards, the Zhaozhou Left and Right Guards, the Andong Left and Right Guards, and the Changchun Left and Right Guards.

On April 26, the thirteenth year of Hongxi's reign, after being away from Jilin for thirty-two years, his feet finally set foot on this black land again.

They passed through a corridor that was more than two feet long and saw the vast Guancheng. There were many people trading in the Guancheng, and it seemed like a small market.

Only the eldest children of military generals and ministers can serve as Jilin Guards, while the second-born children can go to Zhaozhou, Andong, and Changchun Guards.

"The scenery of the North, thousands of miles of ice, thousands of miles of snow..."

Of course, with the outbreak of the Guimao corruption case, Li Qi, Li Chi, and Li Cha were sent back to their hometowns by Zhu Gaoxu. After they were deprived of their titles, the status of the six guards including Zhaozhou Zuo, Andong Zuo, and Changchun Zuo began to decline. Therefore, In the army, they are also called the upper four guards, the middle second guards, and the lower six guards.

As for those who committed the Guimao case or were selected without any background, they were serving as errands in the Lower Six Guards.

Because of this, their eyes looking at Zhu Gaoxu were filled with an indescribable emotion.

After the Guimao case, the strength of Xunchen was sharply reduced, and after the Yan Li case, the strength of Jilin's early New Deal faction was also sharply reduced.

Under Zhu Gaoxu's instructions, the team stopped in front of Jixi Pass as he expected.

While the population continues to pour into the Bohai Sea, Jilin City has become the only place not subject to foreign immigrants for various reasons.

Zhu Gaoxu personally did not like this hierarchical arrangement, but even though he disrupted the organization many times, the guards still subconsciously regarded Jilin Guard as the most sacred place of the guards.

"Your Majesty, just ahead is Jixi Pass."

Maybe this is not a good attitude, but because of this, Zhu Gaoxu did feel a lot of intimacy when he arrived.

"Yes……"

They guarded Zhu Gaoxu. Wherever Zhu Gaoxu went, they showed signs so that the guards along the way would not dare to stop him.

From "Langtaosha·Beidaihe" to today's "Qinyuanchun·Spring", dozens of poems that he memorized and could recite were recorded along the way.

They would rather transfer large areas of land to other prefectures and counties for management than accept immigrants.

In order to help him make up for it, the historian called it a "short sentence" and made a collection.

At this time, the sound of rapid footsteps came from the horse path. Yishiha and others looked back and saw a forty-year-old fourth-grade official trotting up and kneeling behind Zhu Gaoxu.

"Your Majesty, I am the governor of Jilin, Zhang Chengshan, to see your majesty. Long live your majesty!"

Zhang Chengshan knelt down and bowed, and Yi Shiha took the initiative to say: "Kneeling ceremony has been stipulated for a long time, so we don't need to do things under the old system anymore."

"Yes, I was impolite because of my excitement. Your Majesty, please forgive me..."

Zhang Chengshan stood up and returned the greeting, and Zhu Gaoxu also turned to look at him: "You are Zhang Bohai's brother, right?"

"Your Majesty, Minister Zhang is my younger brother." Zhang Chengshan was flattered.

"It's no wonder, your political achievements are pretty good, and your brother Zhang Bohai is also quite capable."

Zhu Gaoxu commented: "Your father fought with me in the early years. Although I don't remember him, he can teach you, and as the eldest brother, you can also teach Zhang Bohai, which shows family education."

"I'm ashamed..." Zhang Chengshan said modestly, while Zhu Gaoxu said, "Tell me about the big and small things in Jilin Mansion."

"Yes!" Zhang Chengshan perked up after hearing this, and told Zhu Gaoxu everything about Jilin Mansion like a treasure trove.

Jilin was the land of Conglong in the New Dynasty, and Zhu Gaoxu, Yi Shiha, Sun Cheng, Wang Yi, Meng Zhang and others spent five years fighting here.

For Zhu Gaoxu, Jilin is not his hometown but his hometown, and the same is true for other officials.

Because of this, the officials who can serve in Jilin Prefecture must be capable people with solid political achievements. Therefore, Jilin Prefecture has also been very prosperous by the eleven prefects.

The former Jilin Shipyard is now one of the three major river shipyards in the Ming Dynasty, second only to the Bashu Shipyard in Sichuan and the Huguang Shipyard in Huguang.

There are as many as 1,200 workers in Jilin Shipyard alone, half of whom are responsible for maintenance and half of whom are responsible for shipbuilding.

In addition, Jilin's mining areas and factories also accommodate nearly 14,000 workers, and the cement, wood, iron and other resources produced every year are considerable.

Not only that, Jilin also has an agricultural college second only to Beijing, and has a branch of Taixue studying various technologies suitable for Northeast China.

Thanks to the fact that dignitaries return to Jilin from the capital every year to escape the summer heat, Jilin's prices are cheap, there are many jobs, and its economy is very developed.

Most of the people in the government leased their fields to others for cultivation and only enjoyed it in Jilin City.

Even so, last year Jilin Prefecture paid a land tax of 256,000 shi and a tax of more than 66,000 guan. After the two were reduced, Jilin Prefecture paid a tax of 150,000 guan.

This achievement is not dazzling when looking at the entire Ming Dynasty, but it is top-notch in the north. After all, the population of Jilin is there. Although it is a prefecture, the population is far less than that of some large counties.

But on a per capita basis, Jilin was the best in the entire Ming Dynasty.

Although there are few people, there are not many literati who gather with Jilin as the place name.

Scholars from the north within the Pass gathered in Beijing, scholars from the south of the Yangtze River gathered in Nanjing, and scholars from outside the Pass gathered in Jilin.

There are no less than 400 people in Jilin City who are successful in the examination every year, and there are about 20 people who are successful in the examination.

This situation made this place one of the places where the New Dealers focused on cultivating talents, and this situation was brought about by Zhu Gaoxu.

Only by allowing the Northeast to have a sufficient voice in the court can the court always pay attention to the Northeast instead of ignoring it.

"Let's go to Jilin City and have a look."

After listening to Zhang Chengshan's explanation of Jilin City, Zhu Gaoxu took the initiative to go to Jilin City to take a look.

Without taking a rest, Zhang Chengshan hurriedly escorted Zhu Gaoxu off the horse path, got on his horse, and rode to clear the way for his convoy.

"His Majesty!"

"Your Majesty! It's me! Zhang Wusi!"

"Your Majesty, I am Wu Zhong, do you still remember me?"

"His Majesty……"

"His Majesty……"

After all, the news of Zhu Gaoxu's arrival in Jilin could not be concealed. Not long after the carriage left Guancheng, people were already pouring out of Jilin. On both sides of the wide five-foot official road, they excitedly waved their arms to Zhu Gaoxu in the carriage. .

Among them were many old soldiers who had lost their limbs. Even in wheelchairs, with crutches and gray hair, they still wanted to see the Majesty who led them to conquer the north and south.

"Get off the car and walk over."

Looking at the indescribable eyes outside the car window, Zhu Gaoxu chose the most tiring but most refreshing way to go to Jilin.

He got out of the car, and instantly the people around him became agitated.

The sound of "Your Majesty" as the mountains roared and the tsunami kept ringing in Zhu Gaoxu's ears. The last time Zhu Gaoxu faced such a scene was when he returned from an expedition to Xiyangha.

Scenes of history seemed to reappear before his eyes, and Zhu Gaoxu felt particularly emotional.

He hugged or clapped hands with the veterans one by one, trying to get as close to them as possible.

Hu Ji, Yi Shiha and others looked around cautiously, fearing that someone might be hiding among them and harm Zhu Gaoxu.

"Your Majesty!" A familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar voice came. Zhu Gaoxu paused for a moment. After he came to his senses, he saw a few familiar faces in the crowd outside the isolation room of Jin Yiwei.

Li Shi, who had returned to his hometown for retirement, stood in the crowd with a group of people with their heads lowered. Even if those people didn't raise their heads, Zhu Gaoxu could read their names.

Li Qi, Richard Cha, Li Chi...

This group of capable generals who were once the Eight Jurchen Guards, veterans who were deprived of their titles due to corruption in the Guimao case also appeared in front of him.

Looking at them, Zhu Gaoxu was filled with emotion.

For them, Zhu Gaoxu was more angry than resentful.

"Let them in. When we return to our hometown, we have to give them some face."

Zhu Gaoxu sighed and motioned to Yi Shiha to let them in.

Seeing this, Yi Shiha could only signal the Jinyi guards to let Li Shi and others in.

Li Shi didn't care. He had been doing things according to Zhu Gaoxu's words and had not participated in the Guimao case. He was returning to his official career as a normal official, so when he came back, he said shamelessly: "Your Majesty, why didn't you tell us when you came back?"

"You seem to have recovered well and are in much better spirits."

Zhu Gaoxu commented on Li Shi's condition. Although Li Shi was already in his fifties, he still smiled and said:
"I still feel comfortable living here in the white mountains and black waters. Besides, Jilin is not much less prosperous than the capital now. Life is just like that."

As he spoke, he stepped aside, allowing Zhu Gaoxu to see Li Qi and others with their heads lowered.

"His Majesty……"

Li Qi and others bowed to him with red faces. Zhu Gaoxu sighed: "We are all old..."

One sentence made several people's eyes turn red, and their faces turned red with embarrassment.

If Zhu Gaoxu had shown off to them, scolded them, or ridiculed them, they might not have been so uncomfortable.

But Zhu Gaoxu's usual concern for them made them feel very ashamed.

"Every time you suffer, you will gain wisdom. When you come back, you can train your descendants who have made no mistakes and let them atone for their sins."

Zhu Gaoxu explained to everyone, and then continued walking towards Jilin City, while greeting the old soldiers with missing limbs.

Although many of them were properly resettled, the hereditary descendants of the sixth and seventh grades were also granted posthumous titles.

But these things cannot replace their mutilated flesh and blood.

Looking at them, Zhu Gaoxu's eyes were also red.

He never regretted raising troops to suppress the war, nor did he feel sorry for his grandfather.

The only ones I have to say sorry to are the brothers who died in the battle, the brothers who are disabled.

"Does this wound hurt on rainy days?"

Zhu Gaoxu looked at the broken arm of a sixty-year-old soldier, stretched out his hand and touched it carefully, his eyes red.

"It won't hurt anymore when I think that this arm was broken for His Majesty!" The old soldier grinned with a bright smile.

Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu said in dismay to his side: "All the brothers who are still alive will gather in the military camp tomorrow. I will speak to them face to face in person!"

"Yes!" Yi Shiha agreed, and Zhu Gaoxu also approached Jilin City amid the crowd.

There is a tall concrete city wall with a circumference of 24 miles on the outside of Jilin City. Outside the city wall are areas of divided residential areas.

The original city wall has not been changed, it still maintains its original appearance, but it has become the current inner city.

As for this tall concrete city wall, it is the city wall of the outer city.

Passing through the corridor of the Arc de Triomphe in the outer city, the people in the city had already learned the news of the emperor's arrival and looked at the city gate one after another.

Seeing the banner representing the emperor appear, the city suddenly roared with excitement.

"His Majesty--"

Regardless of adults or children, they are all cheering enthusiastically at this moment. Even some elderly people in their 70s and 80s stretch their necks, eager to take another look at the person they once were.

An elderly man in his seventies was sitting in a wheelchair and was blocked from the Jilin Guards' formation, but he could still see the team walking on foot through the gap.

"Grandpa! Look, your Majesty is here!"

A young man shouted excitedly, but the elderly man in the wheelchair looked around for a long time and said confusedly: "Where is it?"

"It's the one at the front, the tallest one at the front!" The young man blushed anxiously, but he couldn't point fingers. He could only describe the emperor to get his grandfather's attention.

He thought he had made it clear, but after looking at it for a long time, the elder said confusedly: "No..."

"That's the one at the front!" The young man was extremely anxious, but the old man squinted his eyes and looked carefully, and finally shook his head:

"Nonsense, Your Majesty is still young, how can he be so old..."

As soon as these words came out, the elders around who were still standing in their sixties looked at each other, but the young man sneered at the Jilin guards who came angrily and said: "My grandfather is seventy-eight. He is too old and he remembered it wrong." …”

"I remember correctly!" The elderly man sitting in the wheelchair suddenly opened his eyes and said loudly:
"Your Majesty is young and brave. When I was cooking for Your Majesty in Jixiguan, Your Majesty was charging back and forth on the horse road alone. Hundreds of barbarians could not stop Your Majesty. They jumped up and tried to hug Your Majesty. They hugged the children. Just like adults, they were all beaten to death by His Majesty."

After he finished speaking, he looked at the figure that had walked away and shook his head: "That person just now was not His Majesty. His back was too curved. His Majesty's back is always straight!"

"..." Upon hearing this, everyone looked around in silence, but Zhu Gaoxu had already walked away.

In the afternoon of this day, Zhu Gaoxu finally fulfilled his dream of returning to Jilin. He was extremely happy to face the people who came to welcome him.

In order not to cause a stampede, Zhu Gaoxu walked to the former Bohai County Prince's Mansion.

Under his deliberate instructions over the years, not a single brick of the Bohai County Prince's Mansion has changed.

It is still the same as before, not like a royal palace, but like a compound of some powerful people.

Perhaps it is precisely because it exists in Jilin that the dignitaries who return to Jilin do not dare to surpass him in size and area, which can be regarded as a disguised form of spreading frugality.

"Let's go in..."

After standing in front of the palace and looking at it for a long time, Zhu Gaoxu's dusty memories began to hit him.

He led people into the palace and saw the wide Chengyun Hall Square and the high-altitude Chengyun Hall.

He walked into the Chengyun Hall with hundreds of former veterans. The decorations inside were still the same, and he couldn't wait to walk up to the main seat and sit down.

Although it was just an ordinary chair, Zhu Gaoxu felt more comfortable sitting on this chair than the dragon chair.

He patted the armrests with both hands and sighed to the smiling faces in front of him: "Back then, I was sitting here, wearing armor and facing the envoys and soldiers sent by my eldest brother to deal with me."

Time had passed so long that he could no longer remember the name of the official who arrogantly wanted to take him away with his troops.

He only knew that this man died in his own hands.

"Your Majesty, since everyone is here, why not follow the example before and hold another annual party!"

Li Shi stepped forward and suggested. Zhu Gaoxu smiled and nodded, but he was worried about extravagance and waste, so he couldn't help but ask:

"Nowadays, it is no better than before. If we want to achieve the excitement of Zhengdan in the past, I am afraid we will have to waste a lot of things."

"No, Your Majesty!" Li Shi grinned and said:
“In Bohai now, whether it’s pasture or farmland, the output is much more than before.”

"You are usually so frugal, so you should save money to attend this annual meeting!"

The only two barbarians who dared to talk to Zhu Gaoxu like this were Li Shi and Xu Sheng.

"Haha... OK!" After hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu also looked at Yishuhah:
"According to what Li Shi said, the city-wide banquet will be even grander than the one held back then!"

"Yes!" Yishi agreed with a smile, and at the same time walked up to the crowd and said:

"Everyone, please stop standing and find a place to sit down. I'll ask someone to bring the chairs. I'm afraid Your Majesty has a lot to say to you."

"While I'm at this moment, I'll have someone arrange this banquet!"

"Take the order!" Everyone bowed in response. Zhu Gaoxu was very happy to see this scene and couldn't stop stroking his mustache. It seemed that this was the only way to make him appear easy-going.

After everyone got their chairs and sat down, facing the crowded Chengyun Hall, Zhu Gaoxu also talked with everyone about the changes outside the customs over the years, as well as their respective changes.

Listening to their words, Zhu Gaoxu also said to them: "Recalling that when I came to Jilin and established this base area, many fellow brothers and talented generals sacrificed their lives for me. For example, Zhang Chengshan's father was very happy when he sacrificed his life. young."

Having said this, Zhu Gaoxu stood up and couldn't help but think of what he did when he was sitting here.

After a long time, he spoke again: "Some of you made a mistake, and I have already punished you."

"I don't know if you know where you went wrong. If you know, then educate your children and grandchildren well and let them forgive you for your mistakes today."

"If you don't know what's wrong, that's okay. If your family is in trouble in the future, just don't resent me."

"Even if you resent me, I am not worried or afraid of your resentment, nor will I feel guilty."

Zhu Gaoxu straightened his back, glanced at the crowd and said:
"Today's Jilin is very different from thirty-two years ago. Official roads have been built, trains are connected, supplies are constant, food is diverse, and there is a lot of dignity..."

"All this is the same as the future I envisioned back then, and I believe Jilin will be even better and more impressive in the future."

"In order for the people of Jilin and the world to live a good life, I will definitely become the necessary villain. You don't need to test me like those people in the south."

"Here, I am not advising you as the emperor, but as your former highness and former Bohai County Prince."

"Although we have lived a good life, our spirit of hard work must not be lost."

"If we didn't have these arduous and tenacious spirits back then, we wouldn't have the victory of the people of Kangtai today."

Zhu Gaoxu's words made some people lower their heads, but he was not finished yet.

"Before you commit corruption, think about it first. The reason why you can reach such a high position is who is supporting you behind you."

"It's not the court, it's not me, it's the soldiers who shed their blood for you."

"How are you different from the corrupt officials who exploited and exploited you in the past when you squeeze money and food from the people?"

"Are you worthy of your former selves and worthy of those young soldiers who fell on the road!"

After the words fell, most people in the hall lowered their heads, and this scene was also seen by Zhu Gaoxu.

But he knew that even though they lowered their heads now, it didn't mean that they had reflected on it.

After he leaves, they will continue their previous behavior, and this is something he cannot stop...

(End of this chapter)