The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 144 The Living Gongcao God

"Hehe..." Chen Jingke said confidently:

"The future of the Ming Dynasty will definitely reach far beyond the Han and Tang Dynasties."

He drew a few circles on the map: "During the Han and Tang Dynasties, these places either had not yet been included in the Central Plains Dynasty, or they were just Jisi areas."

"Now, all these places are the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and Huguang has become a prosperous place."

"When the Ming Dynasty was founded, it had a population of more than [-] million, exceeding the peak of the Tang Dynasty..."

"With hundreds of years of accumulated experience and productivity...we are now standing on the shoulders of our ancestors."

"If you can't surpass the Han and Tang Dynasties, you will be ashamed of the ancestors of China."

Zhu Biao was also excited by what he said about this situation, and he laughed and said:

"Haha, Jing Ke is so ambitious."

"The descendants of us must create the achievements of our ancestors, so that we can be worthy of them."

The entourage were surprised when they heard the movement in the carriage.

I don’t know what happened to make His Highness the Prince lose his composure.

Create achievements far beyond those of previous generations?

His Royal Highness the Prince indeed has lofty ambitions and a broad mind.

Zhu Biao quickly calmed down and continued the topic:
"You just said, take one step and see the other."

"The first step should be to move the capital to Luoyang. What is the second step?"

Chen Jingke drew a circle around Peiping with a pen: "Focus on the construction of Peiping, and we can even build it as a companion capital."

Zhu Biao asked in confusion: "Why?"

Chen Jingke explained to him one by one according to the terrain:

"The northern front is too far away from us. If we want to operate better, we need a support point."

"Providing all kinds of support such as food, grass, materials, etc. to the north."

"Beiping's geographical environment determines that it is the most suitable place to serve as a support point."

"First of all, there is a huge plain at its feet, enough to support a huge population."

"The transportation is also very convenient, and there are conditions for economic development."

"Secondly, to the north is the Yanshan Mountains, which is not only a line of defense against foreign enemies in the north, but also a bridgehead for proactive attacks."

"For the Central Plains Dynasty, Yanshan is the line of life and death, and there is no room for failure."

"Again, it's Liaodong. In the future, the imperial court will also need a rear area to operate Liaodong..."

"With Peiping as a support point, the imperial court's control over Liaodong can be strengthened."

"Only in this way can we have the opportunity to completely digest Liaodong."

"Finally, there is the Bohai Bay, which is very suitable for developing the navy..."

"If Ming Dynasty had an invincible navy..."

Chen Jingke drew seven or eight lines in succession, all starting from Bohai Bay and arriving at various places.

"Goryeo, Liaodong, Japan... and even countries further north will be within our strike range."

Zhu Biao couldn't help but nodded repeatedly, it was indeed the case.

What he attaches more importance to is Liaodong. If there is a strong navy in the Bohai Bay, it can directly deter Liaodong.

Whether it is sending troops or transporting food and grass, it will be more flexible.

Although it is not as safe as the land route, it is faster and more convenient.

"There are also Japanese pirates. The total number is only a few thousand."

"But my country, the Ming Dynasty, has been shut down by them."

"Relocate the coastal people from their homes where they depend for survival."

Zhu Biao was very embarrassed and forcefully explained: "This move is not entirely because of the Japanese pirates, it is also to wipe out the remnants of Zhang Shicheng's troops."

Chen Jingke just smiled and did not refute.

The remnants of Zhang Shicheng's army have been under the Ming Dynasty for many years. Even if they existed back then, they would have given up long ago.

However, you can't always expose Lao Zhu's shortcomings, you can only pretend to be like this.

He picked up the pen again and drew a semicircle in the north of Peiping:
"Once Beiping is built, it will be able to radiate over this large area..."

"Da Ming will change from passive to active."

"We want to start a war, and all enemies in this area will be targeted."

"If we want to defend, we can shrink our troops and rely on Yanshan Pass to resist."

"With Peiping as a strategic support point, Ming Dynasty can fight unlimited wars of attrition with its enemies."

"Even if we can't defeat them all at once, we can wear them down slowly."

"And without Peiping, it would have cost several times more to achieve such a strategic goal."

By making Peiping its companion capital, Ming Dynasty would gain a rich and strategically important land.

It can not only revitalize the situation in the entire northeast, but also reduce the consumption of national power.

It can be said to serve multiple purposes.

Zhu Biao looked at this map full of lines and praised after a long time:
"I finally got a glimpse of the ravine in Jing Ke's chest today."

"If the Ming Dynasty can really complete this layout, its achievements will be comparable to those of the Han and Tang Dynasties."

Chen Jingke took a long breath and said modestly:

"Your Highness has given me the compliment, but it's just some delusion. I hope it can be of help to you."

Zhu Biao said: "It was a great help. It gave me a clearer understanding of the world and gave me many new ideas for future planning."

"Let's go to Luoyang for an on-site inspection first to see if it can be used as a new capital."

"As for Peking's plan...it won't be too late to complete the move of the capital first."

Zhu Biao's trip was not to return to Yingtian, but to inspect Luoyang.

This move was naturally communicated with Zhu Yuanzhang.

Even though they are thousands of miles apart, the two father and son still maintain close contact.

The results of the inspection of Shaanxi have already been sent to the sky by water.

Lao Zhu was naturally very disappointed. He liked Guanzhong too much.

But he is a very pragmatic person. Since Chang'an is not suitable, he will hurry up and inspect Luoyang.

It can be said that after Chen Jingke's explanation, Zhu Yuanzhang became more determined to move the capital.

This time, he made up his mind to let Zhu Biao determine the target before going back.

The prince drove into Henan again, and the attitude of local officials was more respectful than last time.

The chief envoy and the inspector led a team of hundreds of people and ran to the junction of Henan and Shaanxi to greet him.

After all, Zhu Biao deposed a prince in Shaanxi and cleaned up the Qin King's gang members. He smelled of blood.

Zhu Biao reprimanded the Henan Chief Envoy and others on the spot. It was really inappropriate to waste so much effort on the troops.

He also warned that if he disobeys orders and goes out to meet without permission in the future, he will be punished for disobeying the emperor's order.

This moment can scare the Henan Governor and others to the point where their legs and feet become weak.

This time the flattery really hit the mark.

After that, Zhu Biao ordered all the irrelevant people to return to his jurisdiction, leaving only the chief envoy, the prefect of Henan Prefecture and others.

He took them to Luoyang County, Henan Prefecture.

Don't get me wrong, Henan Prefecture is just a prefecture under the jurisdiction of the Chief Secretary of Henan Prefecture, and Luoyang is the seat of Henan Prefecture.

As for the provincial capital of Henan Chief Secretary, it is in Kaifeng.

In other words, Luoyang at this time has been reduced to a county at the state capital level.

It will no longer regain the glory of the Eastern Capital.

Looking at the depressed and dilapidated Luoyang City, Chen Jingke couldn't help but sigh.

It is true that all the palaces and palaces have been turned into dirt.

After arriving in Luoyang, Zhu Biao started to work after simple repairs.

First, I learned about the local situation on paper.

It can only be said that the disadvantages brought about by the reduction of status are very obvious.

Population, commerce, arable land, transportation, etc. are far inferior to those of the past.

But overall, it's still above the standard.

At least it is quite outstanding among the same prefecture-level offices.

This made Zhu Biao very satisfied. It was indeed the ancient capital of the Thirteen Dynasties, and its heritage still remains.

In addition to these, they are more concerned about environmental advantages.

After the field investigation, the results obtained can be said to be very gratifying.

The natural environment has not changed much.Taihang and Wangwu Mountains in the northwest, Weishan Mountain and Xiong'er Mountain in the west and south, and Songshan Mountain in the east.

The main passages of these mountains have not been changed due to earthquakes and other reasons, and can be re-opened with a little repair.

They will also form Luoyang's first line of defense.

Even rivers, which are most susceptible to change, don’t change much.

Yishui and Luoshui, two rivers that have accompanied Luoyang for thousands of years, are still there.

Like a pair of open arms, protecting the city.

This is not only a line of defense, but also a natural water source and water transportation channel.

Needless to say, it goes without saying that desertification is difficult to occur in the hinterland of the Central Plains.

With ample water, the land here is fairly productive.

Just because of the destruction caused by the war, large areas of land were left in ruins.

This is actually a good thing for the court, which can reduce development and construction costs.

In short, after the inspection, Zhu Biao was very satisfied.

Just when he was about to conduct further investigation, several messengers came from Shandong, saying that Kang Shuqing, the chief envoy of Shandong, had something to report secretly to His Highness the Crown Prince.

Zhu Biao was very surprised, if you were secretly playing, why did you do it with such a big fanfare?I'm afraid that others won't know.

If it wasn't a secret performance, why would it be so mysterious?
He was even more surprised when he saw the so-called secret memorial sent by Kang Shuqing.

A stack of paper half a foot thick.

what is this?Do you have too many secrets?
There is a memorial at the top. When you open it, skip the compliments at the front and read directly the content at the back to understand what is going on.

The diversion of the Yellow River.

Who is most concerned about the diversion of the Yellow River?

There is no doubt that it must be Henan and Shandong.

It can be said that agriculture in these two places basically depends on the Yellow River for irrigation. Without the Yellow River, we can only rely on the weather to make ends meet.

Henan is a little better. Even if the Yellow River changes its course, part of it will still be within its borders.

Shandong is in terrible shape, having directly lost its largest water source.

Don’t forget that a large area of ​​land here is close to the sea, and salinization is very serious.

Without the water pressure and salinity of the Yellow River, large areas of land will become salinized, which can be said to make things worse.

Therefore, Shandong is currently the country most hoping for the Yellow River to return.

Ever since news suddenly broke out that the Yellow River was changing its course, locals have begun to pay attention.

But they didn't hold out hope at the time. After all, it was unprecedented for the Yellow River to change its course, and they didn't think it was possible.

It wasn't until Zhu Biao went to inspect it in person and spread the news before leaving that the people of Shandong became excited.

Doesn't the Crown Prince need more evidence? Then we will sort it out.

So local officials mobilized everyone who knew water conservancy to collect various evidences.

Then a genius-like figure emerges.

This person inspected the environment in Henan and Shandong at his own expense and planned a detailed diversion route.

And also came up with two different diversion plans.

His plan was unanimously approved by everyone.

The chief envoy of Shandong even risked his life and property to report this plan to Zhu Biao.

Seeing this, Zhu Biao was even more surprised.

This happened?Suddenly a flood control genius appeared?
Could it be that Heaven really wants to change the course of the Yellow River?

Or are Shandong officials deceiving themselves?

He put down the memorial and picked up the paper below, which was to introduce the benefits of changing the course of the Yellow River.

It's just that when there was the Yellow River, Shandong, Henan and other places were so rich, but now they are so poor.

More detailed data is attached.

Zhu Biao already knew these, so he just glanced at them and flipped through them.

Next, there is the diversion plan.

First there was a huge map with dense lines and text marked on it.

Just by looking at the lines, you can tell that this is the newly planned Yellow River channel.

Picking up the text introduction, it is indeed very detailed.

The general idea is that the existing river channel can be used to reduce the workload of diversion.

It also gave a detailed description of which river channels can be borrowed.

Looking at the map, it is even more clear.

However, Zhu Biao didn't know how to control water and couldn't see whether it was feasible.

But at least this plan satisfied him.

After the introduction of the new river channel, there are two specific factual plans.

The first one is faster, but dangerous.

That is to fix the river channel first, and then directly change the channel during the dry season.

The second one is slower, but safer.

It means building a sluice on the Yellow River and releasing a small amount of water into the new river channel.

While releasing water, the river embankment will be strengthened, and the amount of water released will be gradually increased while ensuring safety.

Finally, the Yellow River diversion work was completely completed.

The disadvantage is that it may take several years to complete.

Zhu Biao was overjoyed when he saw the second option.

"Okay, okay, why didn't I think that I could do this?"

"Quickly, go ask Chen Bandu to come see me."

Chen Jingke arrived soon and was pleasantly surprised when he saw the detailed plan.

"What a genius design."

Zhu Biao said happily: "Do you think this method is feasible?"

Chen Jingke nodded, then shook his head and said, "I don't know how to control floods, but judging from the paper, this plan is very feasible."

"However, the diversion of the Yellow River is of great importance and needs to be verified by multiple parties."

Zhu Biao nodded in agreement and said, "Yes, no matter how cautious you are about this matter, you can't be too cautious."

Chen Jingke turned to the end and saw the name of the person who made the plan.

Bai Ying.

Um?Bai Ying?

Why is this name so familiar?
I just can't remember where I heard it.

Chen Jingke knew very well that there was a high probability that he had heard this name in his previous life, but was not very familiar with it.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but get interested.

There are few simple people who can leave their names in history.

Moreover, Bai Ying was also good at controlling floods, and it is very likely that he left his name in the history books for his flood control...

Water control, Bai Ying...

Damn it, it can’t be him.

Chen Jingke finally remembered where he had heard this name.

This is not a human being... to be precise, he was a human being when he was alive and became a god after his death.

He was a water conservancy expert born and raised in Shandong. During the Yongle period, he assisted the court in managing the Grand Canal.

The "Wenshang Jining Section" of the Grand Canal, a world-famous water conservancy project, was designed by him.

The Grand Canal was repaired, but he also died of vomiting blood due to fatigue.

After hearing the news, the people along the canal spontaneously built shrines to pay homage to him.

During the Zhengde period, he was officially named the God of Gongcao, and the Manchu Qing Dynasty named him the God of Yongji.

In his previous life, Chen Jingke heard about his deeds many times.

It's just that the majors are different. He only listened to them as stories and didn't take them to heart.

So I didn’t think about it for a while.

It wasn't until he saw the plan with his own eyes that he remembered this water conservancy expert from the early Ming Dynasty.

When Bai Ying's identity was confirmed, Chen Jingke had only one idea in his mind.

It's done.

(End of this chapter)