Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 542: Name Bo
"Pattering..."

Although it was not the rainy season, Jilin City still had a drizzle in the early morning when the banquet was being prepared.

It cleared up after the rain, and the sun shone on the green hills. Accompanied by Yi Shiha, Li Shi, Hu Ji and others, Zhu Gaoxu climbed back to the Hadal Ridge where the bloody battle took place.

Here, many of the city defense layouts from the past have been repaired from time to time. The rows of thick wooden houses and long trenches can make people feel the bloody wind here.

People don't know whether the dark brown land is soaked in blood or whether it is what it originally looked like.

Looking from afar, Zhu Gaoxu walked down Hadal Ridge without leaving much words. Concrete steps 2 feet wide were also built up and down Hadal Ridge.

"I remember that when I climbed this mountain, many people rolled down the mountain because they were rushing to clear the way. Fortunately, the mountain was not steep and no brothers were killed."

After several sighs, Zhu Gaoxu lamented the difference between the current conditions and the previous ones.

Not long after, they walked down Hadal Ridge and came to the plain.

On the official road back to Jilin City, Zhu Gaoxu sometimes stopped to take a closer look at the growth of seedlings in the fields on the roadside, and sometimes asked about the types of crops planted.

Zhang Chengshan, the prefect of Jilin, introduced all this to Zhu Gaoxu like a treasure trove, and Li Shi and others would also interject a few words from time to time.

After hearing their replies, Zhu Gaoxu said meaningfully: "This kind of work is just like educating people. You can't be careless. Once you are careless, there will be no harvest."

Faced with his words, Li Shi and others smiled and nodded.

There are many pavilions where you can rest on the way to Jilin City. Most of these pavilions were built for local farmers to stop for lunch or to rest during the hot summer.

Jilin City already has many public facilities. Zhu Gaoxu was very satisfied with this awareness and said with deep feeling: "My return to Jilin this time is really a snap."

"I am very happy and satisfied to see that you are managing Jilin so well."

"I hope you can do these things in Jilin and build these facilities that are good for the people. I also hope you will not give special treatment to Jilin, but bring this spirit and practice to other prefectures and counties, both inside and outside the customs..."

After pausing for a moment, Zhu Gaoxu cast his gaze into the distance, thinking deeply, and revealed his inner worries:

"I often worry about whether the world will quickly become corrupt because of the children and grandchildren of a small number of us."

"The interests of the Northeast are tied to the imperial court. Without the imperial court's inclination of so many resources, the Northeast would not have been able to rise in just thirty years."

"I want you to know that I don't hate corrupt officials, I just hate those who take advantage of the common people and take advantage of important government projects."

"The Guimao case is the hardest thorn in my heart to pull out, because whether it was then or now, although the north briefly caught up with the south, this catching up was the result of the support of the imperial court."

"Only when the imperial court is strong enough and centralized can it mobilize more resources to invest in the north and integrate the resources of the north with the economy of the south."

"When I think of the sacrifice of so many Paoze brothers in Jingnan, I can't help but worry about the future of the Ming Dynasty."

"The royal families of the two Song Dynasties gained a lot of political and economic benefits by marrying big merchants, and this dynasty also faces this danger."

"I can look after the Tian family, but I can't look after you, so you can only look after yourselves."

"You should all know that those people in the south are testing me this time."

"I'm still here, and they don't dare to be too presumptuous. But if one day I leave, and your children and grandchildren fail to live up to expectations and cannot help the court, then the environment in the north will even be worse than that during the Hongwu period, or even worse."

"On this point, you know better than me, but you always report the good news but not the bad news."

"I know what you are thinking. It's just that being an official has privileges, political needs, and personal connections, but you can't hide your face."

"I believe that Li Chi and others did not want to be corrupt from the beginning. Without exception, they have become corrupted by these easily corruptible habits."

"Because of this, I will specifically remind you when I come here this time to keep an eye on your children and grandchildren and let them know that the interests of the Northeast and the interests of the imperial court are highly consistent. They cannot abandon some spirit that cannot be discarded just because of some gold, silver, and food."

With a sigh, Zhu Gaoxu turned his gaze to Li Shi:

"I won't stay long in Jilin this time. I will leave for Mobei on the tenth day of May."

"You make some preparations. In addition to the old brothers I mentioned yesterday, we will find some workers and farmers to go to the military camp after noon."

"You don't need to teach them how to fool me. Even though I'm old, I still have a clear mind."

After Zhu Gaoxu finished speaking, Li Shi and others lowered their heads in shame.

After the explanation, Zhu Gaoxu led the team on foot to the military camp at the foot of Fortress Mountain.

Before noon, there were already two to three hundred veterans gathered here.

They greeted Zhu Gaoxu excitedly, and Zhu Gaoxu responded with a smile, greeted them one by one, and then asked them to go sit and wait in the military camp.

If there is no meal, the army chef will open the fire again to cook for everyone.

At this, everyone waved their hands and said that the banquet in Jilin City was already being packed and they would eat together after returning to Jilin City after the meeting.

Zhu Gaoxu smiled and nodded when he heard this, and then sat down with everyone in a row of pavilions in the military camp.

After the drizzle in the early morning, the sky over Jilin City became clear and cloudless.

As time passed, more and more people gathered in the military camp.

From the veterans of Jingnan to the young men of the Five Expeditions in Mobei, hundreds of workers of various types and more than 200 farmers, a total of more than 1,200 people came here.

When the hot noon ended, chairs were placed on the campus. Everyone walked onto the campus and sat down, and Zhu Gaoxu walked out of the pavilion in high spirits.

"His Majesty!"

"His Majesty……"

As soon as he appeared, the campus immediately became excited. People cheered and were intoxicated by the surprise of seeing the emperor.

Zhu Gaoxu moved slowly towards the crowd. He started to meet with these representatives from the first row. During the process, he stopped and asked questions.

Whether follow-up subsidies for disabled soldiers can be obtained, and whether pensions for sacrificed soldiers can be implemented...

Have workers’ wages been deducted, and farmers’ grain collection prices have been lowered by the government...

Zhu Gaoxu asked all questions with concern, starting with money and food, the basics of survival.
During this period, Zhu Gaoxu did understand some issues.

Since the invention of the oil lamp, many factories began to light oil lamps for night shifts.

Originally, one class went up from Chen hour to You hour, five hours a day, with an hour's rest in the middle.

Now we are divided into two shifts, starting work at 10:00 a.m., each shift lasts four hours, with only half an hour's rest in between.

Zhu Gaoxu asked Yi Shiha to write down all these things and asked him to tell the local Zhang Chengshan to correct this kind of thing.

In addition, with the lack of jobs, fertilizers are still too expensive, and various other problems have been raised one after another.

Due to time constraints, Zhu Gaoxu could not write down everything, so he asked Yishiha to write them down and prepare to deal with them after the banquet in the evening.

Time passed little by little, and as the smell of meat began to fill the air, Zhu Gaoxu also received all the retired and disabled soldiers, workers, and farmers.

After sorting out all the questions, he said to everyone: "The banquet is about to begin. Let's go back to the city to have dinner with our families first!"

"Your Majesty, are you leaving tomorrow?"

"Your Majesty, when will you leave?"

"Your Majesty, will you come back after you leave?"

"His Majesty……"

Questions came one after another. Zhu Gaoxu smiled and waved his hands: "I'm not leaving just yet. If you have any questions that need to be solved, come to me in the former palace. I have already told them that they cannot stop any people who petition. ”

Zhu Gaoxu's words made everyone breathe a sigh of relief, and finally reluctantly walked out of the military camp.

After they left, Zhu Gaoxu took everyone by car and rushed to Jilin City.

The reason why I took the bus was because I was afraid of causing a disturbance.

Half an hour passed in an instant. After returning to the palace, Zhu Gaoxu took Li Shi and others around the palace while there was still some time.

He has a deep memory of this place, because for him, this is the first place that only belongs to him after he came to this world.

After wandering around for half an hour, when Hu Ji came to announce that the banquet was about to begin, he took Li Shi and others to the Chengyun Hall.

There were more than two hundred tables for banquets in the square of Chengyun Hall, and nearly two thousand people were seated.

Zhu Gaoxu did not go down to eat, but placed five tables on the platform in front of Chengyun Hall.

When he came here, the first thing he saw was a familiar figure.

"The King of Caomin returns and brings his dog to see His Majesty. Long live Your Majesty..."

Wang Hui, who was wearing a wide robe and long sleeves, led two young men, namely his eldest son Wang Yu and his second son Wang Yu.

As Wang Hui appeared, the atmosphere instantly became tense.

Wang Hui had a special status. After he returned to Jilin, although his ministers and dignitaries bought his calligraphy, paintings and calligraphy, they did not dare to meet Wang Hui in private.

Now that Wang Hui appeared, everyone turned their attention to the emperor. After all, without the emperor's permission, there was no way Wang Hui would appear here.

"Where is your youngest son?"

Zhu Gaoxu asked, which let people around him know that the emperor had been caring about Wang Hui's situation.

Wang Hui's youngest son was only two years old. If you didn't pay special attention to him, you wouldn't even know that he had a younger son.

"The youngest son is still young, and he is noisy at that age. He is afraid of disturbing His Majesty, so he has been placed at home."

The king returned the favor respectfully and bowed. Zhu Gaoxu nodded upon hearing this: "You sit at the head seat, and the two boys can sit at the table next to them."

"The grassroots received the order to thank you..." The king bowed in return, and then ordered the eldest son and the second son to sit at the table next to him.

During this period, Zhu Gaoxu paid attention to Wang Hui's two sons and saw that they behaved calmly and not panicked because they were meeting the emperor for the first time. He instantly looked up to Wang Hui.

"Have these two boys passed the imperial examination after graduation?"

After sitting down, Zhu Gaoxu asked Wang Hui, and Wang Hui also replied: "They are the third and fourth levels of middle school respectively. They are one and two years away from graduation respectively."

"The common people are planning to wait until they grow up before letting them take part in the imperial examination." Seeing Wang Hui's response, Zhu Gaoxu nodded and put his eyes on the table.

Rice and rye noodles produced in the Northeast, as well as various types of pork, beef, mutton, and poultry meat are placed on the table. Vegetarian dishes are also mainly vegetables from new crops.

"The rice and rye noodles from the Northeast are very fragrant. I ate them in the palace and they were delicious."

"You have lived in Jilin for a long time and can eat it every day. Isn't this a blessing?"

Zhu Gaoxu commented, and then continued:
"It will take more than ten years for the people of China to have enough to eat."

"If this could be done more than a hundred years ago, the king should be satisfied, but this dynasty is different from previous dynasties. The territory of this dynasty includes vassal states, so under the rule of this dynasty, there are still many places and people who are not I can eat enough.”

"The imperial court must continue to work hard to ensure that all Ming people in the world have enough to eat."

When Zhu Gaoxu talks about the world, he obviously refers to the entire vassal system, and the population in this system has reached 300 million.

It is undoubtedly very difficult to feed 300 million people in this era, but the reason why Zhu Gaoxu said this is because there was also a North Korean official at the table who learned about his northern tour and came from North Korea to flatter him. .

He turned his attention to the North Korean official: "I allow Shandong and Liaodong to transport grain to North Korea every year. Can the people of North Korea have enough to eat now?"

When the official heard this, he immediately flattered him and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. Although the people of North Korea cannot eat as richly as the people of the Central Plains, they can barely eat enough compared to other countries."

"This is the best." Zhu Gaoxu nodded with satisfaction, and did not think that eating North Korea would be bad for the Ming Dynasty.

Now the Ming Dynasty has begun to influence North Korea in all aspects.

Once it is affected to a certain extent, and the productivity is liberated and North Korea's land can be used, the Ming Dynasty can fundamentally control North Korea, and North Korean people will not feel anything is wrong.

Zhu Gaoxu used this method against various vassal countries.

Cultural recognition is far more effective than military deterrence, but maintaining both cultural recognition and military deterrence is the perfect combination.

Zhu Gaoxu stopped talking, but exchanged glasses with everyone, changing the topic from government affairs to interesting things about the daily lives of Li Shi, Li Chi, Li Cha and others.

Looking down from the sky, the entire streets of Jilin City are filled with tables and chairs, just like streets filled with people.

Although the people of Jilin City are not short of beef and mutton, such a banquet where the whole city celebrates has not happened for many years.

Hundreds of thousands of people enjoyed themselves with you, which planted a deep friendship between Jilin and Tianjia.

An hour passed and everyone saw that they had almost eaten. Zhu Gaoxu wiped his mouth and made tea to clear the taste in his mouth before continuing to speak.

"I want to tell you something." As soon as he spoke, everyone put down their chopsticks and looked at him.

"The whole world has changed a lot in the past thirty years, but in the next thirty years, the imperial court will change even more."

"This time I went north to see how the people in the Northeast are living. This is what makes me most satisfied."

"Although the Northeast is getting richer, many places are still very poor."

"The Liaodong Railway is now completed, and I am also planning to build a railway from Songyuan to Zhaozhou and to Andong."

"After this railway, there will basically be no shortage of railways in the Northeast, so future railway resources will have to move closer to the south."

"Only when the railway is well built can the world's materials be circulated and people's lives get better and better."

Zhu Gaoxu was discussing with them, or in other words, informing them.

Everyone looked at each other in shock and were unwilling to stop the railway project.

But at this moment, Zhu Gaoxu looked at Wang Hui: "Wang Hui, what do you think of what I said?"

Everyone looked at Wang Hui, who bowed slowly and said: "The common people are already ordinary people. Logically speaking, they should not discuss state affairs in private. However, when Your Majesty asks, the common people can only answer."

"The common people would like to ask Your Majesty, where does the imperial court plan to build a railway?"

Wang Hui asked what everyone was most concerned about, and Zhu Gaoxu took a sip of tea and said:
"Although the Southwest Railway cannot be built, some scattered short-distance railways can still be built."

"When the court has the technology in the future, it will be able to connect these railways in series, which will save time and effort."

"In addition, the imperial court has returned to Burma and Babai Dadian. I believe you all know that."

"Local railways, as well as railways in Guangdong and Guangxi, must be built, and Ryukyu Prefecture must also build a railway running from north to south."

"In addition, the same goes for Luzon and Old Port."

Zhu Gaoxu revealed his plan, but this plan was only the transportation part. His biggest plan was to reduce the cost of making phosphate fertilizer from sulfuric acid.

Once this plan succeeds, the existing grain production of the Ming Dynasty can increase by at least 20% on the original basis.

Based on the current foundation of the Ming Dynasty, an increase of 20% in agricultural output can be said to be an increase of more than 100 million acres of arable land out of thin air, which can feed more than 30 million people.

The current average yield per mu in the north and south of Ming Dynasty is 186 jins. If phosphate fertilizer can be popularized, the yield per mu will reach 223 jins.

With the increase of non-staple food, the 700 million mu of arable land in the Ming Dynasty could feed at least 300 million people. This was the most valuable asset that Zhu Gaoxu left for the Ming Dynasty.

If cultivated land is opened overseas in the future, even if the Little Ice Age comes two hundred years from now, the Ming Dynasty will be able to survive it safely.

Even if they can't make it through, the people will not suffer too many casualties due to hunger.

In comparison, places in Europe, Central Asia, and West Asia are not having a good time.

For the Ming Dynasty, this was an opportunity for the Han people to become the dominant nation in the world.

"If this is the case, then the common people will be grateful to Your Majesty for the people in the southwest, and I believe the people in the northeast will also understand."

Wang Hui bowed and saluted, but Zhu Gaoxu waved his hand and said: "I understand, but the current railway project affects the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of people in the Northeast."

"Behind these hundreds of thousands of people are hundreds of thousands of families and millions of people."

"Although I haven't gone to Daning yet, I know that Daming has enough potential for arable land. In addition, there are vast swamps in the eastern part of Andong City and beyond the mouth of the Three Gorges."

"If we can properly lead these millions of people to develop these places, even if the railway project is lost, the livelihood of the people in the Northeast will be guaranteed."

"In this regard, I plan to order after returning to Beijing that from now on, all grains in Bohai, Daning, and Liaodong will be used to support people to open up wasteland."

"I know that you have a lot of arable land in the Northeast. I hope you can sell this arable land to the government and let the government distribute it equally to the people below. And you must take the lead and send your children to open up wasteland in these places."

Zhu Gaoxu stated his goal, which was to let the Bohai dignitaries who had enough tenants and servants send people to open up wasteland in these places.

Compared with mobilizing already stable people, mobilizing them can not only give some people opportunities, but also speed up the reclamation project.

It is much easier for them to go to the government to ask for food from wasteland than for ordinary people to go to the government to ask for food from wasteland.

Although this will create many large farmers, this is exactly what Zhu Gaoxu wants to see.

Regarding this, Li Shi and others looked at each other, and finally had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree.

"Our wealth was given by His Majesty. Since Your Majesty still needs us, we will continue to work hard."

"Okay!" Zhu Gaoxu nodded with satisfaction: "The court will not let you suffer a loss. The court will buy back the land for eight guan per mu."

"In addition, food for land reclamation is five stones per person per year. You can use the money to hire people to open up wasteland. You don't have to worry about food."

"I promise you that after these fields are cleared, you will not receive land taxes for three years. As long as you do not bully your tenants, but rent according to the June 4th regulations of the court, no one can touch you."

Zhu Gaoxu made a promise, and Li Shi and others could only nod in agreement.

"It's so clear!"

Seeing that the matter was settled, Zhu Gaoxu raised his glass and drank it all with everyone, and the whole banquet began to disperse gradually.

After the banquet dispersed, Zhu Gaoxu left Wang Hui behind, and Wang Hui also knew that the emperor would keep him.

In Chengyun Hall, Wang Hui stood alone in the hall, while Zhu Gaoxu sat in the main seat and looked down at him.

"Has the glitz washed away in four years?"

Zhu Gaoxu asked Wang Hui, but Wang Hui bowed with a dull face and said: "The common people have never been flashy and anxious. The common people only do things for the people and Your Majesty."

"In the name of Bo?" Zhu Gaoxu asked Wang Hui, but Wang Hui shook his head and said: "In the name of ordinary people, it is not in the name of Bo."

"In order to obtain a direct name, the emperor's father must be deceived and his ministers can directly remonstrate. But your majesty is a brave and powerful king who has never been seen in thousands of years. Why do you need direct remonstrance?"

Wang Hui said this, but Zhu Gaoxu still refused to trust him. He frowned and said, "Why is he famous?"

"To gain fame by benefiting the people." Wang Hui bowed his hands to the outside world and continued:
"Although the common people are dull and easy to be confused and incited, they are also the most direct."

"The grassroots benefit the common people. Even if the people do not remember the kindness of the grassroots, they should still respect the grassroots."

"This is the name that the common people have gained, and it has also been the name that the honest and virtuous ministers of the past dynasties have gained..."

"An honest and virtuous minister will not admit his reputation!" Zhu Gaoxu interrupted him, but Wang Hui remained silent.

"Have nothing to say?" Zhu Gaoxu asked, but Wang Hui shook his head:

"My father never trusted the common people, and the common people gave me various explanations, which in my eyes were just sophistry."

"In this case, why explain..."

Wang Hui saw why the emperor didn't trust him. Zhu Gaoxu did not show his embarrassment after being exposed. Instead, he leaned on his chair and said calmly:

"I have to be responsible for the world. If you deceive me, the people's lives may not be as good as they are now..."

"If this is the case, Junfu can deal with the common people immediately!"

Wang Hui was categorical, and Zhu Gaoxu was silenced by what he said, but finally chose to trust him for once.

He stood up and walked to the back hall, the candle light flickering in and out with the wind.

As his figure disappeared into the darkness, his voice came from that side.

"I will leave for Mobei on the tenth day of the lunar month. You can go south and return to Beijing to wait for your job..."

(End of this chapter)