Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 543 Yao followed Shun’s footsteps
"The matter is over, it's time for me to go to Mobei to see..."

On the tenth day of May, after Zhu Gaoxu settled Wang Hui's affairs, he stayed in Jilin for another half month with peace of mind and visited some places he had visited before.

He visited the working environment of the miners and solved the problem they mentioned about working two shifts. Later, he solved many people's livelihood problems, large and small, and understood the problem.

During this period, Zhu Gaoxu was either discussing the issue of land reclamation in the north with Li Shi and others, or helping them resolve their concerns about land reclamation in the north.

When the time came to this day, it was time for Zhu Gaoxu to leave.

He stood in front of his carriage and looked back at the Bohai County Prince's Mansion, which might not come back again, and was filled with emotion.

"Let's go..."

Zhu Gaoxu got on the carriage, and the team began to set off outside the city.

Before the team had gone far, many people who had been paying attention to this side came over spontaneously and stood on both sides of the street, staring at the departing carriage.

"Your Majesty! Will you come back again?"

Such voices gradually sounded from the teams on both sides of the road. When Zhu Gaoxu heard the words, he just smiled and nodded through the glass without answering.

"Your Majesty smiled and will definitely come back!"

"Just come back..."

The people had smiles on their faces and followed the team step by step out of the city.

As the team was discovered, the number of people behind the team also increased. The city gradually became empty, and everyone gathered in the convoy and headed out of the city.

From the Bohai County Prince's Mansion to the city gate, from the city gate to Jixi Pass...

They followed them for more than twenty miles. During this period, Zhu Gaoxu turned around several times to take a closer look at the people of Jilin City, but he was worried that he would not want to leave after just one look.

Finally, when the convoy arrived at Jixiguan, Zhu Gaoxu asked Yi Shiha to order the team to speed up, and then he kept the people away. "

They rushed to Jilin Station north of Jixiguan, and soon changed to a train and rushed to Mobei in the north.

At this time, Zhu Di and Zhu Qiyue had already arrived in Mobei for half a month.

At this moment, the two grandfathers and grandsons had traveled far away from the Yanran City where they promised Zhu Gaoxu, and instead came to the Moxi area.

The Ming Dynasty established Xiran Prefecture in Moxi, and its administrative seat was Xiran City, which was approximately near the city of Khovd in later generations.

It is more than 1,800 miles from Yanran City to Xiran City, so the court built small cities in suitable areas along the way to Xiran City.

For example, Anbeicheng and Hunhe City are small towns on the road from Yanran City to Xiran City.

At present, the railway has been built to Anbei City, which is the Bayanhongor area in later generations. It is still more than 1,200 miles away from Xiran City.

According to the current speed, it will take at least four years to reach Xiran City.

In addition, people from the Ministry of Industry are also studying routes from Anbei City to the northern part of the Tianshan Mountains in Hami, as well as routes to Hami that bypass the Tianshan Mountains.

If there are no problems in the survey of this route, the Mobei Railway in the north will be connected to the Northwest Railway.

In the future, it will be very simple to transfer troops from the Western Region to Mobei, and from Mobei to the Western Region.

"Bang!!"

The sound of explosions echoed across the vast grassland. Zhu Di and Zhu Qiyue, who were riding horses and standing on a low hill, looked at the rising dust with interest written on their faces.

"Your Majesty, that is quarrying gravel to lay the railway roadbed. I am afraid that the court will build two railways from Anbei City to the south and one to the north in the future, so it is necessary to reserve more gravel."

"In addition, the local resources such as coal and lime are also very rich, but there is a lack of manpower and the speed cannot be increased."

Sitting on horseback nearby, an official from the Ministry of Industry in charge of railway construction reported to Zhu Di. Zhu Di nodded and said:
"Well, you have to supervise these things. You don't have to be rushed, but the quality must be guaranteed."

After taking care of Zhu Gaoxu for a long time, Zhu Di gradually began to speak more favorably towards him, but Zhu Qiyue was still rude.

"I think this place is suitable for grazing. When the railway is built in the future, it will be great to use this place for grazing!"

Zhu Qiyue was in high spirits, but the official from the Ministry of Industry smiled bitterly and bowed:

"The Ministry of Industry also thinks so, but His Majesty said that in order to restrict the movement of the desert sea, grazing is not allowed in areas close to the desert sea, and trees must be planted to stabilize the sand."

"Since it was my grandfather who said it, it must be very reasonable." Zhu Qiyue turned to Rufeng, leaving the Ministry of Industry officials at a loss as to how to answer.

"Okay, you go down first, and we, grandson and grandson, can walk around on our own."

Zhu Di signaled the officials of the Ministry of Works to do something, while he shook the reins of his horse and walked south with Zhu Qiyue.

Seeing this, hundreds of cavalrymen behind him quickly followed, but Xia Yuanji was left behind in Anbei City by them.

Without Zhu Gaoxu, there are fewer restrictions on the grandfather and grandson, and there are not too many ways to deal with Xia Yuanji.

"Grandpa, you said those old barbarians have never been to Mobei. Why do you say it's bitterly cold in Mobei?"

"I see that Mobei is rich in water and grass. Apart from a longer winter, there is no big problem."

"Besides, there is coal in Mobei, so the so-called white disaster is not that scary, right?"

It’s not surprising that Zhu Qiyue didn’t know, but Zhu Di smiled and said: “It’s true that they have never been here, so I often take them with me when I go to the north.”

"But you said that this Mobei is rich in water and grass, and there will be no problem for a long time except in winter. This is wrong."

"If it weren't for your grandfather's ability to see the Shandian Mine, we wouldn't have been able to find these coals so quickly."

"Besides, where there is coal, there is not necessarily water. Without water, farming cannot be done."

"Coupled with the long winter, the barley and wheat planted by this group of barbarians have to be harvested before they are even mature."

"As a result, not only will the yield of the grain be low, but the taste will also be bad."

"This time we will stay for two more months. When we go back in early September, you will understand if you go and see the food produced in Yanran City and Dongran City."

"Even if the rye, cold-resistant wheat, and corn that your grandfather had introduced in Mobei are now planted, in the final analysis, they can only be cultivated more than half a month in advance."

“You have to harvest them in mid-August, otherwise they will freeze to death.”

"In the south, we can grow this food for four months, but here in the north, if Grandpa You and the others hadn't made improvements, we wouldn't be able to grow it for even three and a half months."

"That's the case. Even if chemical fertilizers are used to produce food in Mobei, the yield per mu of land is only about 120 kilograms."

“If you want to feed a person, you have to cultivate at least four acres of land.”

Zhu Di felt a little sad, but at the same time he said with relief: "But with the train, there is no need to rely heavily on food from Mobei."

"Hundreds of thousands of people in Mobei go to work in mining. Although the daily wage is lower than that in Guan Nei, only 80 Wen, but the price of food shipped to Mobei from Liaodong is only 600 Wen per stone."

"One month's work is enough to buy four stones of food, and four months' wages can support a family of five."

Zhu Di said this, and Zhu Qiyue nodded in understanding.

The grandfather and grandson walked south, but because Zhu Di was old, he didn't go far south before embarking on the return journey.

By dusk, they had arrived not far to the south of Anbei City, looking at Anbei City from two miles away.

Anbei City is not small. The city is built of concrete and has a circumference of twelve miles. There are more than 5,000 houses inside, as well as county offices, military camps, warehouses and other government offices that occupy a large area.

In addition, there are still more than 2,000 acres of land that are not in use.

When truly used, it will be enough to build more than 5,000 residential houses and accommodate 80,000 to 90,000 people to live here. Currently, 30,000 assigned workers live here.

Most of them were criminals who were sent to Yanran City, while their wives and daughters stayed in Yanran City. As men, they came to the front line to build railways.

Of course, they can't all live in the city. Most of them still live mainly in tents along the railway. Every month after working, they can return to Anbei City to do some light gravel work to rest.

Looking at the city, Zhu Di lamented: "In a dozen years, Mobei will be our Han family's place."

"It's almost more than 1,700 years since the Huns."

"This war finally stopped in the hands of your grandfather and I. In the future, the only enemies left for you will be the enemies in the west."

Zhu Di looked at Zhu Qiyue, who puffed out his chest and said, "I will take care of them."

When he said this, Zhu Di also smiled and said nothing.

The grandfather and grandson returned to Anbei City. Soon after entering Anbei City, they saw Xia Yuanji sitting at the door of the county government office with a chair in his hands, looking forward to it.

"The Supreme Emperor..."

Seeing Zhu Di and others appearing, Xia Yuanji quickly bowed and stepped forward, trying to help Zhu Di dismount.

Zhu Di gave him a helpless look, and finally accepted his wishes and helped him turn over and dismount.

However, Zhu Di was too old after all, so he still staggered slightly after dismounting.

Seeing this scene, Zhu Qiyue's heart was in his throat, and he quickly went over to help him.

Zhu Di touched his dizzy head. After coming back to his senses, he could only sigh: "I'm old..."

After sighing, he took Xia Yuanji and Zhu Qiyue into the backyard of the county government office, which had been arranged for Zhu Di and Zhu Qiyue to live.

As soon as he sat down, Zhu Di saw Zheng He quickly walking into the main hall and bowing to him: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty has already set off from Jilin. Judging from the time, he will almost arrive at Baicheng."

"Your Majesty will be able to reach Yanran City in five days at most. You see..."

"This kid came here so fast." Zhu Di clicked his tongue a few times, and then said: "You can see the same thing in the west. It's time to go back."

"Tomorrow we will set off to Yanran City to wait for him. When the people in Mobei finish farming, we will return to Beijing in due course."

After saying that, Zhu Di looked at Zhu Qiyue: "You still have a long time to live. This time the food in Mobei is mature, grandpa will not accompany you. You will have plenty of time to see it in the future."

"Yes!" Zhu Qiyue knew what his great-great-grandfather meant, and it was simply that he would probably stay in Mobei after joining the army.

After being enlightened by his grandfather and great-grandfather, he was no longer so resistant to joining the army and serving as an official, and regarded it as an important part of his life.

After a few brief greetings, Zhu Di ordered everyone to retreat and rest.

Early the next morning, they took the train back to Yanran City. From Anbei City to Yanran City, the specific distance is still 700 miles, and it takes a day and a night to reach it.

After arriving in Anbei City, it was already May 13th.

In the next few days, Zhu Di took Zhu Qiyue to see how the people in Mobei farmed. By the way, Zhu Qiyue went to the fields to work with the farmers himself, which exhausted the eleven-year-old Zhu Qiyue.

Although he is taller and stronger than his peers, strength does not suffice for farm work, and being tall is not necessarily a plus when working.

After a few days, he felt as if his waist was about to break. Therefore, when Zhu Gaoxu arrived at Yanran City, he only saw Zhu Qiyue with a stooped back and Zhu Di who seemed to be smiling but not smiling.

"What's wrong, boy?"

Looking at Zhu Qiyue in front of him, Zhu Gaoxu asked with interest, but Zhu Di laughed and said:

"After working for a few days, the boy became tired of the work and seemed to have lost his waist."

"Hahaha..." Zhu Gaoxu laughed heartily, making Zhu Qiyue blush with shame.

"What do you think?" Zhu Gaoxu asked Zhu Qiyue. Zhu Qiyue hesitated for a long time, and finally said:
"This kind of land is really not for people to work, and these farmers are really hard-working. No wonder so many of them want to go to the construction site. I would rather work at the construction site for a year than work in busy farming for three or four months."

"Well, I understand what suffering is." Zhu Gaoxu nodded with satisfaction and took the initiative to sit at the head of the county government office, with Zhu Di sitting next to him.

The two of them looked at Zhu Qiyue. Zhu Qiyue also sat down with his back bent, and suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that he couldn't work anymore.

Zhu Gaoxu also understands this. Farming in this era is not just about physical pain.

Since all the tools were very primitive, my back ached after working all day, and sweat flowed through the grass-cut areas, which made it painful and itchy.

Farming in Mobei is pretty good, but if you farm in the south, you will still be bitten by leeches and mosquitoes.

If you are a novice, a month of busy farming may cost you half your life.

"Farmers are suffering, so we have to treat them well."

Zhu Gaoxu taught Zhu Qiyue, and Zhu Qiyue nodded and said: "It would be great if all those things from Imperial College could be learned, then the work of the farmers would not be so hard."

The things Zhu Qiyue mentioned are tractors, harvesters and planters powered by internal combustion engines.

These things have been studied since the appearance of trains in the early 19th century, and it was not until the thermal efficiency of internal combustion engines was improved at the end of the 19th century that they slowly appeared in people's sight.

With these agricultural machinery, if combined with enough farmland, working as a farmer will not be a tiring task.

Although the Central Plains is a vast land and rich in resources, it is not very good when it comes to per capita.

However, given the current territory of the Ming Dynasty, if it can expand steadily, the per capita agricultural income in the future will still be very considerable.

"My generation can no longer see these things, but if you work hard, you might be able to see them."

Zhu Gaoxu placed great hopes on Zhu Qiyue, and he felt that there was nothing wrong with this.

"Okay, let's take a short rest for a day and go see outside Yanran City tomorrow. Let's return to Beijing in a few days."

Zhu Gaoxu stood up and saluted Zhu Di: "Father also pays attention to his health. Daily check-ups are essential."

"I know, I know." Zhu Di waved his hands slightly irritably. Zhu Gaoxu was not angry when he saw this. He just felt that it was very happy to see the old man angry.

After a few exchanges of greetings, he went down to rest, and Zhu Di and Zhu Qiyue also felt tired from the hard work of the past few days, so they also went for a lunch break not long after.

However, when the three of them, father and son, were taking a lunch break, there was quite a commotion in the southern capital city because of Wang Hui's return.

Regarding Wang Hui's return, the New Deal faction had different opinions, but the conservatives in the south held stubborn objections.

Even though they knew that Wang Hui's return was a sign from the emperor, they continued to explain the disasters Wang Hui brought.

Facing their memorial, Zhu Zhanhe also felt very headache.

"His Majesty signaled the king to return, but these people blocked him in every possible way, probably because they thought I was easier to deal with than Your Majesty."

In the afternoon in the Chunhe Hall of the East Palace, Zhu Zhanhe was sitting in the main seat with his brows furrowed and a trace of sadness appearing.

In addition to Wang Ji, Gao Guan, and Lu Yu, the people sitting below also include Zhang Bohai, who works in the Ministry of Industry.

When the four of them saw Zhu Gaoxu like this, the old and solemn Wang Ji took the lead in speaking:
"His Majesty did not indicate any official position for Wang Weizhong. He just asked him to return to the capital to wait for his post. I am afraid that the main reason is to see what position your Highness dares to give Wang Weizhong."

"At present, Jiang Huai was transferred away, and Guo Zi, the Minister of Household Affairs, also kept asking for an official position because of his old age."

"His Majesty is aware of these matters, but His Majesty has not made any arrangements. I am afraid he just wants His Highness to make arrangements for you."

It's not surprising that Guo Zi requested to become an official. He was older than Xia Yuanji, and now he was seventy years old. He couldn't do it anymore. After all, there were many more errands in this era during the Hongxi period than in the previous Xuande period.

If he continues to work, Guo Zi may die of illness two years early and take office.

Therefore, Zhu Gaoxu gave Zhu Zhanhe two choices, either to promote Wang Hui to be the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, or to be a bachelor of the palace.

There is no third option between these two paths.

"How about the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance?"

Zhu Zhanhe asked everyone, and Lu Yu bowed and said: "It would be best if Wang Weizhong serves as the Minister of the Ministry of Husbandry. However, given Wang Weizhong's character, I am afraid that not long after he takes over the position of the Ministry of Husbandry, something big will happen in the Ministry of Husbandry. "

After Lu Yu finished speaking, Zhang Bohai also echoed: "The Ministry of Household Affairs inherited the old system. In fact, it should have been restructured long ago. Although Wang Weizhong has a reputation for being honest, if there is a real trouble, he may not benefit much."

Zhang Bohai finished speaking, but Wang Ji objected: "You underestimate Wang Weizhong."

Wang Ji shook his head and sighed: "If Wang Weizhong is appointed as the Minister of Household Affairs, let alone others, Zhang Mengcun and other former subordinates will definitely take him as the leader."

"The last time he had such strength, he had a heated argument with Sanyang, and ended up with both sides hurting."

"Of course, it is said that both sides suffer losses, but except for Wang Hui, who was deposed, the others have been promoted by His Majesty."

"On the other hand, Sanyang's side was not only distrusted by Jiangdong, Zhexi and other factions because of its inability to quell the dispute with Wang Weizhong, but also a large number of officials from Jiangnan were arrested."

"If Wang Weizhong is appointed Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, even if His Highness takes action personally, he may not be able to defeat him..."

When Wang Ji said this, although Lu Yu and others felt that Wang Ji had some high regard for Wang Weizhong, they had to re-evaluate it in their hearts.

"This Wang Weizhong is a sharp sword from the Ming Dynasty, but if used improperly, it will scratch the owner's hand."

Gao Guan spoke at the right time, and this was what Zhu Zhanhe was worried about, but after thinking about it for a while, he couldn't help but solemnly said:
"This Wang Weizhong is not an easy person to get along with. If you want to understand him, you and I are not enough. Only three people understand him well enough."

"The first is Your Majesty, the second is Yang Shiqi, and the third is Xu Shuo and Xu Mengming."

"Since His Majesty gave me a choice, he would naturally not take the initiative to help me. Although Yang Shiqi had no choice but to bow his head because his eldest son was kidnapped, he only bowed to His Majesty."

"Among the three, only Xu Mengming can help us, and Xu Mengming follows His Majesty's lead..."

Zhu Zhanhe pondered for a moment, and finally said: "Gao Guan, go and ask Xu Mengming in person."

"Yes!" Gao Guan stood up and accepted the errand without thinking, and then walked out.

Zhu Zhanhe and others were waiting for news about him in the palace. When Gao Guan walked out of the East Palace, he first saw nearly a thousand officials kneeling in front of the East Palace gate.

They ignored Gao Guan and blocked the gate of the East Palace without singing to disturb Zhu Zhanhe.

Gao Guan left here quickly, then walked out of the palace city and walked towards the Ministry of Punishment.

Two-quarters of an hour later, he arrived at the Yamen of the Ministry of Punishment and was received by Xu Shuo, the Minister of Punishment.

Xu Shuo placed the meeting place in his office study room and asked people to stay ten steps away.

"Master Bo, you want to come here because of Wang Weizhong's affairs, right?"

Xu Shuo went straight to the point. Gao Guan did not hide anything and said directly: "Now His Majesty intends to let His Highness take charge. I think Xu Shangshu should understand."

"How big the commotion Wang Weizhong's incident is this time, Xu Shangshu should also understand without asking the lower officials to speak."

"If Shangshu Xu can help His Highness pass this test, the future will be promising..."

Although Gao Guan said this, he was also very uneasy.

After all, Xu Shuo worked his way up from the grassroots level, so he had many officials under him.

Wang Hui's strength lies in the fact that he himself is not greedy, nor does he allow his relatives to be greedy.

Although Xu Shuo could not be as perfect as Wang Hui, he could ensure that he was clean.

As long as he doesn't get involved in some fights, then given his situation, he can stay out of it and work for another ten years, and then successfully complete his official career.

Of course, based on his current political achievements, it would be difficult for him to receive a posthumous title even if he died, so Gao Guan could only use "future" to imply it.

People who are not greedy for money are either greedy for power or fame.

Zhu Zhanhe can afford all three, and it depends on whether Xu Shuo accepts them.

"Although my chair is stable, it will shake over time."

"If the chair is like this, what about the owner?"

Xu Shuo made a riddle, and the meaning was quite obvious, that is, Zhu Zhanhe's position was not as secure as they thought.

Putting aside everything else, now the King of Yue and King Zheng have already joined the feudal clan, but as the second prince, King Zhu Zhanqi of the Song Dynasty has not joined the feudal clan. This is unimaginable.

"The chairs in the East Palace are more stable because there are two more horizontal beams on both sides."

Gao Guan looked at Xu Shuo with burning eyes, and Xu Shuo also knew what the two horizontal beams he was talking about were.

One is Guo Yong from the Wuding Marquis Mansion, and the second is Mu Chun from the Duke of Guizhou Mansion, represented by the Crown Princess.

However, facing his words, Xu Shuo chuckled and shook his head: "The beam seems to be stable, but in reality it is not necessarily..."

As he spoke, he picked up a letter from his desk and pushed it in front of Gao Guan.

Gao Guan frowned and looked at Xu Shuo in confusion, but finally opened the letter, but the content in the letter made him frown more and more...

(End of this chapter)