Daming, originally wanted to destroy it, but the system came

Chapter 302 News from all aspects

Regarding the news about the current Eastern Chagatai Khanate and Tibet, and even the news about Timur of the Western Chagatai Khanate, Zhu Zhen could only keep it in his mind for the time being and secretly be vigilant because he was beyond his reach.

However, some good news came from Yunnan.

For example, the construction of the Nu River Bridge seems to have nothing to do with it even now.

But don't forget that Zhu Chu had the ambition to conquer Southeast Asian countries.

However, there is such a Nu River on the border of Yunnan, so even if he wants to send a large army, he has to think about how to cross the river.

Speaking of which, you can also choose to go through the Lingnan area and enter Cochin Annan from there.

Taking the Ming Dynasty as an example, the current Lingnan region generally refers to the Guangdong and Guangxi regions.

Therefore, a certain eighteenth son established a vassal in Lingnan, which was equivalent to becoming the governor of two provinces in one go.

Even Hainan is now included in Guangdong.

I'm afraid not even the nine vassal kings have such an honor.

Is this the governor of the three provinces?

But then again, if one day he really wants to use troops against Southeast Asian countries, how far will Zhu Chu have to go from Yunnan to Guangxi?

What's more, this is an inter-provincial one, and there are a lot of troubles.

It's better to build a bridge yourself and cross it whenever you want.

Apart from the Nujiang Bridge, it was the news about Simoden that made Zhu Chu feel elated.

"Did the red cannon really come out? How powerful is the cannonball?" Zhu Zhen asked.

The technology of the red cannon is actually not difficult. In addition, there were already local firearms in the Ming Dynasty. So compared to the local artillery, the red cannon only has a longer barrel, a thicker barrel wall, and a much larger caliber. '.

Of course, it sounds simple, but actually building it requires repeated attempts and research.

And the red cannon should be called the red barbarian cannon, but I don't bother to pay attention to this detail.

Zhu Zhen was more concerned about the power of the cannon.

In fact, the most difficult part is the structure and manufacture of the cannonball.

Similar to the previous explosive packs, what is now being created is just the most primitive solid cannonball, with a large amount of gunpowder loaded into the iron wall. If you want to increase the lethality in a wider range, you can also fill it with various stones, iron pellets or iron pieces. , nails and the like.

If this exploded from the Ten Thousand Army, the power would be overwhelming.

In addition to gunpowder cannonballs, there is also a kind of solid iron cannonball, which is blasted with the power of gunpowder and can reach a range of up to four or five kilometers. If you are attacking a city and seizing territory, how many shots are fired at the city wall or gate, what kind of city can Can you bear it?

If a few gates are installed on the city, what kind of army can break through?

Catapult? Before it even got close to the strike range, it was shattered by a cannon.

Why have all the city walls been demolished in modern times?

Because in the face of modern weapons and firepower, city walls are meaningless. In addition to being a hindrance, people have to be sent to guard the city gates, and a lot of money is spent on repairs every year. The gains outweigh the losses.

"It's a pity that there is still a lack of experienced craftsmen. If the bullet technology could be reproduced, it would be a huge improvement," Zhu Ming sighed, still a little dissatisfied.

The reason is also very simple. Modern bullets use primers, but although the Hongyi cannon is powerful enough, it still uses the oldest filling method. It is at most stronger than the fire gun, but it is also a bird gun, that is, a matchlock gun. Level it.

Before firing the cannon, a large amount of gunpowder must be filled and compacted at the bottom of the barrel, and then a fuse is connected to the fuse to ignite it, and the cannonball is sent out with the power of the gunpowder.

It takes a long time to refill after a shot.

If this were primer shells, even if we got the most primitive Krupp cannon, we would be able to bombard them one after another.

It can be said that one Krupp cannon is worth the firepower of a dozen Hongyi cannons.

The thought of leading a fully armed force to fight not only the invincible enemies around the Ming Dynasty, but also opening up battlefields throughout Eurasia and the other side of the world would give those Western barbarians a little shock.

Zhu Ming couldn't help but pick up the wine glass and drink it all in one gulp. It was so satisfying just thinking about it.

In fact, with Zhu Chu's current resources, if he just wants to buy a few Krupp or so-called Italian guns, it will be no problem.

But he is not in a hurry, and wants to slowly develop technology so that it can become a sustainable long-term war preparation.

You can't always rely on the system to govern the country, right?

Therefore, the technology tree cannot be messed up with gaps. It can only be guided and developed step by step. This is the right way.

Next, Shen Wang continued to report work news to Zhu Zhen.

For example, many new commodities have been developed in Yunnan. For example, although corn has been recognized and proven, it not only has a satisfactory yield, but can also be used as food to fill the stomach.

But people can’t just eat roasted corn or ‘Yangbao rice’, right?

And after 'someone' discovered that corn can be ground into cornmeal, corn has truly entered the ranks of staple foods.

And corn has its own sweetness, which makes it very popular.

The existence of potatoes has also given rise to more food choices, especially sweet potatoes. Before the end of the year, some people boiled sweet potatoes into syrup, and the candy bars or desserts made are also delicious. The key is that they are cheap.

After all, Yunnan was the first experimental site for planting.

The common people have benefited. By the beginning of spring this year, I am afraid many people will have to plant a sweet potato field.

But in this way, the value status of white sugar will inevitably be affected.

Originally, according to Shen Rong's intention, he wanted to reduce the production of sugar.

But how could Zhu Zhu agree? In addition to eating sugar, it can also increase the power of gunpowder. This is a proper strategic material. Even if you lose money, you have to reserve a lot of it.

So Yunnan’s sugarcane has somewhere to use.

There is still a lot to explain, after all, Zhu Zhen has been out for too long.

Not to mention toothpaste, Shen Rong even made candles.

It was Zhu Zhen who provided the technology and ideas, and then Shen Rong found people to conduct experiments and research. Initially, it was boiled with animal oil used to make soap. Later, paraffin was finally developed, which greatly reduced the cost of making candles and allowed mass production. .

It's just that it was not allowed to be enjoyed by the people at first. Instead, it was used as an important foreign trade material, and Shen Rong led the caravan to make money outside.

Including the three agents that Zhu Chu originally found, such as the Mu family in Lijiang, the Dao Gong family in Tengchong, and Yingjiang Etao who replaced Dao Ganmeng, they also followed and made a lot of money.

"The distiller that your highness mentioned before has also made some achievements recently. According to what you said, it can indeed purify wine and greatly increase the so-called alcohol content," Shen Wang continued.

Zhu Ming nodded, listening to the news from Yunnan, his mind began to wander, as if he had returned to Yunnan, Lian Muqiu's graceful figure, and his exquisite appearance, which was more beautiful and pure than a modern star, slowly appeared in front of his eyes. out.

But immediately Xu Miaojin's figure broke in, making him shiver, and he didn't know how to explain to Mu Qiu in the future.

Mu Qiu is very knowledgeable and well-behaved.

But this matter was extraordinary, and God knew what kind of temper she would explode.

Comparing one's feelings with one's own, if Zhu Ming were to share his woman with others, he would go crazy and kill someone.

So how can she ask Mu Qiu to share the man who belongs to her alone with others?

Thinking of this, Zhu Xi started to feel a headache.

But as a man, if you dare to do something, you must dare to do it. Can he still back down?

Shaking his head, Zhu Zhen returned to business and said to Shen Wang: "Tell Shen Rong that the distiller will be of great use in the future besides purifying the alcohol content and trying to make perfume in the future."

For example, when oil fields are developed, diesel and gasoline can be produced using distillation technology.

Crude oil contains a variety of hydrocarbons with different boiling points. Through distillation, the crude oil can be decomposed into fractions with different boiling points, and these fractions can be further used to make petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel, and lubricants.

In addition, with the arrival of distillation technology, it can also play a vital role in pharmaceutical research and development.

For example, anti-inflammatory drugs and penicillin, etc., although Zhu Chu still doesn't know whether they can be extracted by distillation technology, they are still useful.

"By the way, how is the cotton?" Zhu Zhen remembered that he had thought about vigorously developing cotton fabrics a few years ago, considering the harsh environment of the grassland in winter.

But there was no time to wait for news about Shen Rong, as he had already returned in triumph.

I have to ask now.

"Your Majesty, the textiles you mentioned using cotton are indeed very promising. Moreover, cotton fabrics are softer and absorb sweat. Especially in winter, they have a very good thermal insulation effect. Not only can we spin clothes and pants, but we can also make many things. I just want to promote it but It's very troublesome," Shen Wang looked embarrassed.

Zhu Xi thought about it for a while and finally understood.

To put it bluntly, Zhu Zhen took it too much for granted. In ancient times, the first thing people thought about was eating enough, and then clothing. So compared to grain, oil and sugar crops, cotton is secondary.

Speaking of which, cotton has been introduced to the Central Plains a long time ago, but it has never been developed. This is the reason.

After all, in ancient times, output was low, land was scarce, and taxes were heavy. People didn't have enough to eat, so why did they care about clothing and warmth?

This was because Zhu Ming specially asked people to grow cotton. In addition, he had previously developed Yunnan and had a lot of "landlord fights". He also provided many practical benefits to the people, so he did not encounter strong resistance.

Can you try another place?

There is really too much news about Yunnan, because Zhu Chu has been away for too long, and he arranged a lot of things before leaving, so that the entire Yunnan is developing and changing rapidly, even if it is not at the level of rapid change, then It’s also amazing.

Because now is the era of small farmers. Except when farming is busy, every household seems to have nothing to do, and the entire society is stagnant. There is no concept of rapid development at all.

But Yunnan is different. There are hidden lines laid by Zhu Xi all over Yunnan. In terms of military industry, Simodian is the main one, and in terms of people's livelihood and commerce, Shen Rong is in charge. Even Yan Shitai is in Yongchang Mansion, not only responsible for the construction of the Nujiang Bridge for future use. , he is also responsible for research and development of smelting technology.

If we usher in the era of industrialization and there is not enough smelting technology, but it is not enough, will we probably enter an era of large-scale steelmaking in the future?

What's more, Yunnan is already rich in mineral resources. It would be a waste not to use them.

There were too many things to say. Shen Wang talked for a full hour before his mouth went dry and he finally came to an end.

"By the way, Your Highness, here is a letter from you, sent from Dali." Shen Wang finally took out a letter from his arms and sent it to Zhu Xi with respectful hands.

Zhu Chu didn't take it seriously at first, but when he saw that the envelope was blank and there was no signature, he couldn't help but feel moved.

"You should have taken it out a long time ago," Zhu Zhen grabbed it anxiously, because he had already guessed that it was a letter written by his Aqiu to him.

As expected, it was a letter from Mu Qiu.

Because Zhu Chu's expedition to Mobei came suddenly, he did not have time to write a letter to Mu Qiu, which made Mu Qiu very worried.

At the same time, she also knew her identity and did not dare to use the official Yiqi Station at will. She was even afraid of causing unnecessary trouble to Zhu Xi. She did not even dare to leave her signature and carefully asked Zhu Xi about his current situation in the letter.

However, Mu Qiu is Mu Qiu after all, and the letter also vaguely revealed how fierce she was when she followed Zhu Chu into battle to kill the enemy, implying that if Zhu Chu couldn't do anything, she would dare to stand up as long as he sent a letter to Dali. Phew, raise a million soldiers to snatch her man back.

Zhu Ming burst out laughing, this girl is really tough.

"Go get some paper, ink, pen and inkstone," Zhu Chu said without raising his head.

"Yes," Shen Wang hurriedly went out to organize things. After a while, good paper and inkstone brushes were delivered.

Zhu Ming didn't care about this at all, even his handwriting was ugly.

But now as he writes and writes, Shen Wang can't help but feel relaxed and happy, as if he can move freely and become his own style.

Zhu Chu's calligraphy implies an edge. It doesn't look like it was written with a brush, but more like it was carved with a knife and an axe.

But now he was writing a reply to Mu Qiu, and there was a touch of tenderness in his handwriting.

The so-called hero is saddened by beauty, even a great hero, his eyes are full of tenderness at this time, as if his Muqiu is right in front of him.

However, Zhu Zhen frowned, sighed, and finally wrote down what happened between him and Xu Miaojin.

"Aqiu, the truth of love is really complicated. I won't hide it from you. Sister Xu and I are in love, and of course I am in love with you. You will always be my Aqiu, and she will always be my sister. You are indispensable, I want them all.”

He simply didn't even want to show his face. To be honest, he wanted it all.

It seems that he finally remembered that he is a prince. Xu Miaojin said at the beginning that it is normal for him to have three wives and four concubines. Others can do it, but you can't?

For example, didn’t King Qin Zhu Chen also have a main concubine and a partial concubine?

I don't dare to say more, Zhu Ming can at least give Mu Qiu the status of a partial concubine, and will never let her be a concubine.

From this point of view, even if Zhu Zhen were a modern person, he would not be able to have two concubines. Even if he became an emperor in the future, he would not be able to have two queens.

Just like there are no two masters in the country, there can't be two mistresses in the harem, right?

Zhu Chu knew that he was sorry for Mu Qiu, who was still silently waiting for him to go back in Yunnan, but it turned out that he had another woman outside, and he was just like a scumbag.

So he didn't dare to hide it, and told Mu Qiu in his letter how he and Xu Miaojin met and fell in love.

Even if Mu Qiu is angry, he can understand.

But anger is still anger, and it’s okay to lose your temper. The only thing is, you can’t break up, and men and adults naturally want it all.

Let him use the privilege of being a prince once in a while.

In the end, Zhu Ming also saved the envelope and gave it to Shen Wang. When he sent news to Shen Rong, he would send it to Yunnan to Mu Qiu.

At this time, Zhu Zhen raised his head and looked outside, and suddenly realized that it was already evening before he knew it.

It took more than two hours for Shen Wang to report the situation, and it took more than an hour for him to write a reply to Mu Qiu after reading the letter.

I have to say that a writing brush is still not very convenient. It would be faster to use a ballpoint pen.

Then Zhu Chu continued to chat with Shen Wang.

"Shen Wang, I told you something years ago, do you remember it," Zhu Zhen asked suddenly.

Shen Wang quickly said: "Your Highness once asked me to secretly investigate and pay attention to the court officials based on the Shen family's business in the capital, and record the amount of each person's property and land, whether their daily consumption is luxurious, and the expenses in the palace."

After all, the Shen family is in business, and they are still very big businessmen. Even if the Shen family cannot control all the business in the capital, most businessmen are related to their family.

Under this condition, if Shen Wang was willing to inquire, he could still get some information.

So Zhu Zhen once asked him to investigate these things secretly.

At this time, Shen Wang began to report one by one, such as which house occupied an area, which house was luxurious, how many servants there were in that house, how many wives and concubines there were in that house, and so on.

Although he couldn't clearly know the specific situation of each official, he still got a lot of information.

"What about Huang Zicheng, Qi Tai and others? Have they been involved in corruption or bribery, or have they occupied people's land?" Zhu Zhen lowered his eyes, seemingly careless, but there was murderous intent in his eyes.

In court this morning, Zhu Zhen did not show any obvious hostility, but in fact he understood that the Emperor Taisun's faction had already begun to exert force against him.

Especially Zhu Yunwen actually wants to marry Xu Miaojin?

Nephew, don’t really seek death.

Fortunately, Zhu Yuanzhang had always known that the relationship between Zhu Zhen and Xu Miaojin had been unclear for a long time, so he promptly proposed marriage to Zhu Yunwen at court, interrupting the rhythm.

Otherwise, Zhu Ming would definitely not be able to bear it. This was already a bully to the head. If he continued to bear it, would he still be a man?

But whether it was the attacks on him by the ministers who surrounded Zhu Yunwen, or Zhu Yunwen's incident, Zhu Ming had to fight back.

It's a pity that Shen Wang smiled bitterly and said: "I dare not hide it from Your Highness. Not only do Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai not take bribes, but they hate corrupt officials. They have advocated more than once that all officials should be honest and serve the public, and take loyalty to the emperor and the country as their duty."

In fact, I also know that if you can serve as a minister under Zhu Yuanzhang and hold important positions, such as Qi Tai is the minister of the Ministry of War, and Huang Zicheng is the companion of the East Palace, and was pointed out by Zhu Yuanzhang to be half a teacher to Zhu Yunwen, he is naturally not a corrupt person.

On the contrary, in Shen Wang's information, many of the people who made great contributions to the founding of the country were later dishonest.

Such as occupying people's land, buying and selling by force, and so on.

Zhu Chu actually heard Li Jinglong's name.

As a qualified playboy, how can he be qualified if he doesn't do something bad?

In fact, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhu Yuanzhang often granted land rewards to meritorious officials.

But who thinks there is too much land?

It was precisely when Huaixi's nobles and soldiers were arrogant and arrogant, and relying on their merits, some people began to do evil, and even formed cliques for personal gain, so they were ruthlessly exterminated by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Otherwise, the Huaixi nobles should have been Zhu Yuanzhang's fellow villagers, and they should have been the most trusted and relied-upon group standing beside the emperor.

But when interests conflicted, they became the biggest threat to the imperial power.

Unexpectedly, although Lao Zhu kept killing people, there were still people who dared to annex the land.

This is quite a hidden danger.

"Sooner or later the land must be publicized."

(End of this chapter)