Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 582 Postscript: Xuande (1)

“Don’t miss it if you’re passing by!”

"Silk from Jiangnan, cotton from Anxi, brown sugar from Guangdong and Guangxi... they are all top-quality goods!"

"Everyone, look here! The price of meat is very low today. Pork is sold at twelve cents, and beef and mutton are sold at ten cents!"

“Don’t miss out on the beautiful jade from Nanzhong and Yunnan!”

In late summer in June, amid the hustle and bustle of people, shop assistants came out from the shops on both sides of the street and shouted their wares.

The four-zhang wide street has two zhang of road and one zhang of sidewalks on each side.

There are green trees every ten steps or so on the sidewalk, and there are cement benches under each tree where you can sit.

The nearly one-mile-long street with two-story white walls and black tiles stretches side by side. If you don't know, you might think it is a street in a prosperous city. However, if you walk carefully to both ends of the street, the two archways in the north and south will make you drop your jaw.

[Gaoqiao Town, Baichengfu, Daning]

The content of the archway makes it hard to believe that this prosperous place is just a town, and the silk clothes worn by the bustling people on the streets are even more astonishing.

"Shut up!"

A man of medium build appeared under the archway and found a two-story restaurant at the entrance of the town.

He handed out the reins and signaled to the waiter standing at the entrance of the restaurant: "Brother, help feed the horses!"

"Sir, what kind of feed does your horse eat?" When the servant saw the man was coming to the store, he immediately put on a smile and walked up to take the reins.

"Get some cornmeal, and put half a pound of dried beans in it, and put it on the account."

The man said this, then took out a coin from his pocket and threw it over.

"Hey! Okay!"

The servant took the coin and looked at the "Ten Wen" written on it. He couldn't help but sigh at the generosity of this man.

Since the Xuande period, the economy outside the Great Wall has declined. Except for Jilin, which is not affected, the economy of other places is not as good as that of the Hongxi period. Occasionally, someone would give a reward of only two or three cents, and rarely ten cents.

"Guests!"

The waiter sang towards the restaurant, and soon another waiter came hurriedly to greet him.

"Would you like to sit on the first or second floor?"

"Is there a seat by the window on the second floor?"

"Of course, please come this way."

The two asked and answered each other, and the servant took the man to the second floor.

Although it is a small town, there are quite a few customers in the restaurant.

Most of the seats on the first floor were occupied, and even on the second floor, two of the three window tables facing the street were occupied.

The man happened to get the last table, and after sitting down, he took the menu handed to him by the waiter.

"Give me a pot of rice wine, made in Zhaozhou or Jilin. If it doesn't taste right, I have someone here with you."

"What are you talking about? Our store won't do such unscrupulous things."

While the two were asking and answering each other, the man ordered one meat dish, two vegetable dishes and two bowls of rice.

If such an action had taken place during the Hongwu or Yongle eras, the guest would have been treated as a distinguished guest.

However, in today's world, it is not exaggerated for one person to eat like this, even in Daning where the economy is declining.

The waiter took the menu and left. On the way, he passed by a calendar hanging on a pillar, on which was written "June 17, the tenth year of Xuande, Jiachen".

Ten years had passed since the Hongxi period, and Emperor Xuande had also been in power for ten years.

In the past ten years, the policies of the Ming Dynasty have been biased towards people's livelihood, and factories have sprung up everywhere.

The goods produced by these factories were transported by ships and trains to Hezhong, Nanyang, Xiaoxiyang, Dongzhou, Beizhou and other places. Some were even sold over the ocean to Xizhou.

However, as overseas markets gradually became saturated, factory construction gradually slowed down.

Just like this man who returned to his hometown from outside, he was an official from the Ministry of Industry who had returned from outside.

Even though he was only a ninth-rank deputy envoy of the Construction Bureau, it was still a good job with an annual salary of thirty strings of cash.

"Alas, the world is getting worse and worse. This year, apart from the half-month job I hired for the government office, the rest of the time I have to farm."

"Who says it's not true? It was better a dozen years ago. There were jobs everywhere."

"You said that we only earn a dozen strings of cash a year from farming, but the people who went to the north to open up wasteland for the master were said to be rewarded three strings of cash per acre of land. What do you think of this?"

"Humph, next year I will rent out the land and go to the north to open up wasteland!"

"It's good enough if you can stay. Several families in our village have used their connections to migrate south. Sigh..."

The man had sharp ears. He took the words from the next table to heart and listened quietly.

"I heard that many people from the imperial court came to the prefectural capital these days. They all came from the capital. The newspaper also said that they were going to build a railway directly connecting to Beijing. Do you think it's true?"

"Directly connected to Beijing? That means we have to pass through the sand in the south?"

"The sandy land was a thing of many years ago. I heard that the imperial court started sending people to plant trees in the sandy land a few years ago."

"If this railway can be built, I can do odd jobs for at least two years, and I won't have to live so frugally."

"Yes, yes, yes..."

While everyone was talking, the men's food and wine were served.

After hearing these meaningless words, the man quickened his eating pace, and in less than a quarter of an hour he got up and went downstairs to pay the bill.

"Thank you for your care. The total is fifty-two cents. I will take fifty cents from you."

"No loose ends, just fill me up with bean feed."

The accountant smiled and gave the account, and the man threw out a Tongbao coin with a face value of 100 Wen.

The manager smiled and nodded when he heard this, and said to the servant next to him, "Give this distinguished guest twenty kilograms of bean feed."

"I'll go right away!" The servant happily found a sack and then walked towards the place where the horse feed was stored.

Soon he came over with 20 jin of bean fodder, and the man weighed it and asked, "The price of this bean fodder has dropped to 2.5 cents per jin now?"

"There has been a bumper crop recently, so the price has dropped a bit."

The manager replied with a smile. The man didn't say anything else. He walked out carrying 20 kilograms of bean feed in one hand. With the help of the servant outside, he mounted his horse and left.

He passed through Gaoqiao Town. The entire town had only one main road and a dozen small alleys, with a total of no more than four or five hundred households and no more than three thousand people.

The town is prosperous, and the area outside the town is not bad either.

Walking out from the archway, you can see endless farmland.

These arable lands have been reclaimed for more than 20 years, and most of them were reclaimed during the Hongxi period.

These places were not suitable for farming in the past, but after the imperial court allocated water pumps, many saline and alkaline wastelands were washed away and turned into land suitable for farming.

In addition, the output of phosphate fertilizer and soil fertilizer has increased and the price has dropped in recent years. As farmers in the original place of production of fertilizer, many local people can use fertilizer, and the output of crops such as wheat and corn can basically be stabilized at about 180 kilograms per mu.

Such a yield would have been unimaginable fifty years ago. Even twenty years ago, the arable land near Gaoqiao Town could only produce more than 90 kilograms per mu.

In just twenty years of environmental transformation and fertilizer application, the miracle of doubling the yield has been created, which is truly amazing.

Of course, not all places can double their yields. At least some already good fertile fields only increase their yields by 20% to 30% after using chemical fertilizers.

"drive!"

The man rode his horse at full speed on the official road. About half an hour later, after running more than thirty miles, the man reined in his horse and turned into a country road about ten feet wide, where tall corn was planted in the fields.

After walking for another quarter of an hour, he saw a village at the end of the road.

"came back!"

The man rode his horse forward. Even in this small village, there was a memorial archway and a concrete ground.

The man looked at the cement floor and a small courtyard next to it. A plaque with the words "Wanghetun Village Official Office" was hung high in the small courtyard, and the cement floor in front of him was also paved for the convenience of collecting taxes.

Without causing any trouble, the man returned home in a low profile.

Since it was lunchtime and many people were eating at home, I didn't meet many people along the way.

"Yunniang, I'm back!"

The man walked in through the back door and led his horse into the house, and soon he heard a noise in the front yard.

Soon, a well-proportioned woman in a wide-sleeved jacket came hurriedly from the front yard, holding two children of seven or eight years old in her hands.

"have you eaten?"

"have eaten!"

"Dad~"

The family had a brief conversation, and the woman took the reins. Even though she was wearing a wide-sleeved jacket, it did not prevent her from removing the saddle and bean feed, and pouring a bucket of water into the trough.

"Okay, let me do the rough work for a while."

The man smiled and said, but the woman said, "You've been working hard outside, and I've been living like a noble lady at home for a few months. If you don't work harder when you come back, then this family will break up sooner or later."

"I'm out here just to make money so you can be a lady." The man held his two sons in each hand and walked forward and said, "I got a promotion!"

"Really?!" the woman asked excitedly, "Ninth rank?"

"Yes, ninth rank." The man said proudly, "Also, we came back this time to build a railway from Baicheng to Beijing. I estimate that we can stay here for one or two years."

"That's great!" Even though the woman was reserved, she couldn't help but hug the man happily.

The man smiled and said, "Although I just ate, I'm still a little hungry now."

"I'll do it for you!" The woman walked to the front yard without thinking, and the man followed her.

Their yard has two entrances and exits. The small courtyard with blue bricks and gray tiles covers an area of ​​about one mu. Even if it was built in the countryside, it would cost at least fifty or sixty strings of cash.

The wide-sleeved jackets worn by women are also worn by some female relatives who do not work, which shows that the salary of men can take care of the whole family.

"After being promoted to the ninth rank, my salary is 40 strings of cash. Although it is only an increase of 10 strings of cash, our lives will be easier."

"In a few days I will ask my brother in the capital to buy a little Hu Ji and bring her home to do some work for you."

The man carried the child and walked into the kitchen with the woman. The woman heard the words and said, "From Kunlun Continent or from the river? I don't want the one from Kunlun Continent. Don't you know the gossip of the villagers?"

"What nonsense! Aren't all the slaves in Kunlun Continent castrated?"

The man asked in confusion, but the woman whispered, "It's a man and a woman..."

"Ah?" The man obviously didn't expect that there would be someone who would be interested in the female slaves from Kunlun Continent.

Although the female slaves from Kunlun Continent in the Ming Dynasty were all female slaves with three-dimensional facial features captured from the north and northeast of Kunlun Continent, whenever the word "Kunlun slaves" was mentioned, people subconsciously thought of the short black people in Southeast Asia and the short, flat-nosed people in the southwest of Kunlun Continent.

"Who did it? Where did you buy the Kunlun slaves from?"

"It's He Zhao from the village entrance. The slave girl he bought seems to have been bought from Yaide'er."

The two of them talked, and the man nodded and said, "Yade'er's slave girl is okay. I have seen her in a master's house. Except for her darker skin, she is actually no different from the slave girls born in the river. She has a high nose, a good figure, and her eyes are..."

The man didn't dare to continue speaking because he saw the unfriendly look from his wife.

"Hehe, although it's good, it's still not as good as you."

The man tried to make amends, but the woman didn't bother to argue with him and said directly:

"It's good that you guys came back to build the railway this time. The imperial court has been focusing on the interior of the country these years. Although farming in the village can provide enough food and drink, it's still impossible to make money." "The seven households of the Wang family went north to help the masters of Jilin open up wasteland, and the five households of the Li family went south to Shaanxi, I heard."

"Alas...after the late emperor passed away, it felt like our lives here suddenly became difficult."

"Ahem, don't say that." The man said cautiously, but the woman said:
"I didn't tell anyone else. Besides, many people in the village talk about it every day in the drying yard. I haven't seen Village Officials Zhao and Sun say anything. What are you afraid of?"

"So bold?" The man obviously didn't expect people from his hometown to be so bold, but the woman said:

"Not only in our village, many people feel that since the death of the late emperor, the court no longer pays attention to us outside the Great Wall."

"Some people in the village went to the south, saying that even places like Yunnan and Nanzhong in the southwest are better than here, where they can do odd jobs for at least three months a year."

"On the contrary, here we can't even get one month together in a year."

The woman's attitude actually represents the attitude of the people living in the vast land of Northeast China.

In response, the man could only nod and appease: "Okay, the court sent us here this time for the development outside the Great Wall."

"I heard that the imperial court allocated 20 million strings of cash to the Ministry of Works to develop Yanran, Daning, and Bohai. Good days are coming soon."

"I hope so." The woman sighed, and then concentrated on cooking.

The conversation between the couple is just a microcosm of the lives of the people outside the Great Wall at that time.

Thanks to the support and care during the Hongxi period, the people outside the Great Wall can still live off their savings, but their lives are getting worse day by day.

Of course, compared to their lives, there were many people in the Ming Dynasty who lived worse than them.

"clang……"

In the early morning, when the bells rang from the magnificent bell tower, the city of Beijing, with a population of over one million, gradually woke up.

Inside the Wuying Hall, more than twenty officials from the Six Ministries, Six Government Offices, Palaces, and the Censorate were sitting on both sides of a table that was about ten feet wide and twenty feet long. As footsteps sounded from the side hall, they stood up one after another and bowed when the master of the footsteps walked onto the golden platform.

"Long live His Majesty, long live His Majesty, long live His Majesty!"

"Please take a seat!"

When a powerful voice came down from the golden platform, Zhu Zhanhe, who was only fifty years old but still young, glanced at everyone.

Next to Zhu Zhanhe, the thirty-year-old Zhu Qiyue was much calmer than he was ten years ago, and most of the ministers' eyes were on him.

Since the death of Emperor Shizong Wu, many changes have taken place in the court, the most important of which is the promotion of officials from the former Eastern Palace.

This can be seen from the more than 20 officials who can now come to Wuying Hall to discuss matters.

Minister of Personnel Lu Yu, Minister of Revenue Wang Hui, Minister of Punishment Xu Shuo, Minister of Rites Jiang Huai, Minister of War Wang Ji, Minister of Works Zhao Gui...

Although they were all old ministers in their sixties and seventies, Zhu Zhanhe still employed them simply because they had managed the Ming Dynasty well in the past ten years.

In addition to the six ministries, the six government offices are basically composed of the Eastern Palace staff.

Among the Six Military Commanders' Office, there were the commander-in-chief of the Central Army Guo Deng, the commander-in-chief of the Southern Army Jiang Gui, the Earl of Nanzhou, the commander-in-chief of the Northern Army Zhu Yong, the Duke of Cheng, the commander-in-chief of the Western Army Yang Shuo, the Duke of Yue, and the commander-in-chief of the Navy Meng Mao, the Duke of Liao.

Looking at these people, Zhu Zhanhe was very satisfied, but he was also worried about their age.

But when his eyes swept over the palaces and officials of the Censorate, his slightly uneasy heart was relieved.

Zhu Zhanhe had been the crown prince for forty years, and he had been regent for more than ten of those years. In fact, he had always been quite tired, and his father asked him to listen more to his son. So after Zhu Qiyue became the crown prince, Zhu Zhanhe would appoint him as regent for one or two months every year, while he himself would go to Nanjing to worship his ancestors.

Over time, Zhu Qiyue also quickly developed his own team.

The palaces and the Censorate were where he trained his teams.

"Your Majesty, the 20 million strings of cash in the north have been allocated to each household, and construction can begin at any time."

The Minister of Revenue Wang Hui bowed and saluted. Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhanhe calmed down and turned his gaze to the hall.

"I understand. I have read all the memorials submitted by the Ministry of Revenue."

"Over the past ten years, although the court's fiscal revenue has continued to increase, reaching more than 95 million guan to date, its expenditures have also increased."

"Last year, the court had only 4 million guan in reserves, which is even less than when the previous emperor was in power. What do you think?"

Zhu Zhanhe's words revealed the financial situation of the Ming Dynasty. The ministers looked at him with their eyes and noses, and an official in his forties came out of the palace and bowed, saying:

"Your Majesty, in the past ten years, the court's expenditure has been mainly on administration, and in administration, the largest expenditures are on official salaries, teacher salaries, and military pay."

"I have read the memorial of the Ministry of Revenue. Among these three items, the salaries of officials amount to more than 44 million, the salaries of teachers to more than 24 million, and the military pay to only 18 million."

"Among these, the military payroll can no longer be cut, but needs to be increased. Official salaries have been increasing since the first year. There are more than 180 million people in the country, but there are more than 76,000 civil servants, and the number of clerks has reached new highs, reaching more than 750,000 so far."

"When the previous emperor was in power, one official could govern 300 people. Today, the ratio is far higher than that of the previous emperor, but the governance of officials is getting worse. In many places, the population is gradually increasing, but the tax revenue is decreasing year by year."

"Most of the difference is due to corruption by these clerks. If we don't rectify this, I don't know how many more years our Ming Dynasty can continue to be a place for them to suck our blood."

This person stood up and spoke frankly. Zhu Zhanhe nodded with satisfaction, and Zhu Qiyue also puffed out his chest. It was obvious that this person was his man.

"Li Xian is right. What do you think?"

Zhu Zhanhe questioned the officials, and an official from the Censorate immediately bowed and said, "Redundant officials and clerks should be rectified. I, Yu Qian, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, request to be ordered to inspect the whole country!"

Faced with Yu Qian's standing up, everyone had different expressions, and many of them had a hint of ridicule in their eyes.

Wang Hui had a calm face, and without waiting for Zhu Zhanhe to speak, he took the initiative to stand up and bow:

"The official ratio of the previous emperor is still applicable to the world today, but even if 150,000 officials are eliminated, it will only increase revenue by 3 million."

"In recent years, the annual expenditure of the Education Department has increased rapidly. If we still follow the rule of one teacher for thirty people left over from the previous emperor's time, I'm afraid that the education expenses will continue to rise until the court can no longer bear it."

"I, the Minister of Revenue, Wang Hui, have advised that the old system should be changed to one division to manage 40 people. If this method is implemented, it should save 6 million."

"This will save 9 million guan."

As soon as Wang Hui finished speaking, Jiang Huai frowned and stepped forward, bowing and saying:
"Your Majesty, I think this is inappropriate. The country is based on education. If the official schools had not sent scholars to the Imperial College in recent years, many current scientific and technological products would not have been able to improve. Even if we tighten our belts, we cannot be harsh on education."

Jiang Huai knew how important official education was in the Ming Dynasty, and Wang Hui was also aware of it, but they stood on different standpoints.

"Your Majesty, how about changing the old system to one division governing thirty-five people?"

"It's just adding five people. I think it shouldn't have much of an impact."

Lu Yu stood up and bowed, and Zhu Zhanhe frowned slightly when he heard that.

"Your Majesty, I think we should start cutting costs and increasing revenues early."

The 77-year-old Minister of War Wang Ji bowed slowly. He was still in good health and no one dared to ignore his words.

Feeling everyone's gaze, Wang Ji slowly said: "There is nothing wrong with what you are discussing, but the country has spent too much in recent years, and more than half of the money and grain left by the late emperor has been spent."

"Now that Transoxiana Kipchak is divided, Timur is growing stronger and has the intention of annexing Kipchak."

"In addition, Japan has secretly annexed many small countries in Kansai and Kanto, and there is a tendency for Japan to rise again."

"India's currency has been used up, and they should have been mining resources to trade with us, but the local countries refused to cooperate and even insulted the court."

"Although there is no open war between Korea, Siam, Japan and other countries in Kunlun Continent, there are constant frictions behind the scenes."

"It is said that countries such as Portugal, England, Spain, and France have also begun to use matchlock guns introduced from the Ottoman Empire."

"These barbarians have great ambitions. Although they have not posed a threat to the imperial court yet, they will inevitably pose a threat in the future."

"Eighteen million strings of cash is certainly a lot of money for military expenditure, but in order to protect the court's territory and trade, it is imperative to expand the navy."

The Ministry of War is in charge of the military and logistics of military supplies, so it is normal for Wang Ji to make suggestions.

After he spoke, the Navy Commander Meng Mao took the initiative to bow and said, "Your Majesty, I suggest expanding the navy to eighteen guards. In addition, the navy's large treasure ships and large fortune ships can also be gradually phased out and used as supply ships."

"The navy's capital ships should be changed to the current 5,000-ton battleships, and 3,000-ton destroyers and 1,500-ton frigates should also be increased."

After Meng Mao finished speaking, Zhu Zhanhe took the initiative to ask: "How many steam warships does the navy have now?"

"Your Majesty." Meng Mao took a deep breath and reported immediately:

"There are currently only three 5,000-ton battleships, eight 3,000-ton destroyers, and 32 frigates under 2,000 tons."

"If we are only defending the sea, we have more than enough warships now. However, the countries have obviously despised the imperial court. If a war breaks out in the future, the navy's current steam warships may not be able to sustain multiple operations."

Steam warships have been equipped to the army for no more than fifteen years. As technology continues to advance, the construction speed has been controlled, so the number is not large.

The current Ming Dynasty navy is still mainly based on the sail-powered Dabao ship and Dafu ship as its main battleships.

"According to the navy's plan, how many warships does the court need at sea to meet the needs of multi-point control and operations in the Atlantic Ocean, the Lesser Western Ocean, the Eastern Ocean, and the Southern Ocean?"

Zhu Qiyue took the initiative to speak, as he knew more about military affairs than his father.

"Each sea area will require at least three fleets. I'm afraid we'll need at least 36 battleships of 5,000 tons or more, 108 destroyers of 3,000 tons, 324 frigates, and 24 supply ships of 10,000 tons or more."

Meng Mao spoke slowly, and the ministers took a deep breath one after another after hearing his words.

The cost of building a warship is no secret. For example, the latest 5,000-ton battleship "Lian Po" cost 300,000 strings of cash.

According to Meng Mao, the thirty-six battleships alone would require more than 10 million strings of coins, while the remaining destroyers, frigates, and supply ships would cost between hundreds of thousands and tens of thousands of strings of coins.

If we calculate carefully, the total price is probably no less than 30 million guan.

With such a huge expenditure, it is no wonder that everyone looks like this. After all, the current Ming Dynasty does not need such a large fleet.

Of course, Zhu Qiyue was not frightened by the huge size and expenditure of the fleet, because he knew that the navy did not spend so much money and food at one time.

With the shipbuilding capabilities of the Ming Dynasty's six major shipyards and more than ten state-owned shipyards, it would take at least ten years to launch these more than 500 warships and supply ships one after another.

"For the warships, you should communicate with the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works, and draft a charter with the shipyard. The court will allocate money and grain to the shipyard on time every year."

"During this period, if several major shipyards successfully launch larger warships, the navy can also modify the orders to continuously improve its capabilities."

Although Zhu Qiyue was the crown prince, he had already read the five books left by his grandfather.

He understood very clearly that if the Ming Dynasty wanted to continue to be strong, it had to ensure its internal circulation and overseas interests, and the latter required a sufficiently strong navy to support it.

"I accept the teaching order..."

Meng Mao bowed in response. Seeing that the navy's affairs were decided by his son, Zhu Zhanhe also spoke:
"The education system will be reformed as you said. In addition, the situation in Timur and the Kipchak is tense. Although the Western Region Railway has been open for several years, the number of immigrants in the three Western Regions is particularly insufficient."

"Although Nanzhou has been operating for more than 20 years, there are only a few hundred thousand immigrants. It has countless mineral veins but cannot mine them."

"I have decided to recruit thirty-six military households in Zhejiang, Nanzhili, Jiangxi and other places, of which twenty-four will be stationed in Beiting and Hezhong, and twelve will be stationed in Nanzhou."

"The six ministries should handle this matter well, so that the people will not suffer any loss, and corrupt officials below will not gain any advantage."

After Zhu Zhanhe finished speaking, he looked at Yu Qian and Zhang Mengcun, the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate who was standing beside Yu Qian.

"The court has not held an inspection in Beijing for many years. Now that there are too many officials and inefficiency, an inspection is necessary."

"Yu Qian, I order you to lead the five officials to inspect the whole country."

"Your Majesty! I obey your order and thank you!" Yu Qian bowed without hesitation and accepted the task that was giving everyone a headache.

Wang Hui, Wang Ji, and Xu Shuo each glanced at Yu Qian without saying much, but their eyes were filled with indifference.

Jiang Huai and Lu Yu frowned slightly, as if they had said something, but also as if they hadn't said anything.

"Retreat!"

Zhu Zhanhe said lightly, then stood up and walked towards the side hall with Zhu Qiyue.

"Long live your Majesty..."

All the ministers bowed and waited quietly for the two to return to the side hall before they looked at each other.

Yu Qian turned and walked out of Wuying Hall. Lu Yu sighed when he saw this, but he quickly followed him the next second.

Looking at the backs of the two people, one is calm, and the other is worried...

(End of this chapter)