Zhu Yuanzhang can see my dreams

Chapter 375: Give Them More Money
Wang Buli, who was walking in front, rolled his eyes and couldn't help but complain, "What do you mean I have never been an emperor?"

It sounds like everyone is eyeing the position of emperor!
Sure enough, ever since he took this position, he has been suspicious of everyone, thinking that anyone could try to seize his world.

After all, it is not easy for a beggar to reach this point today.

“Father-in-law, what I said is that not everyone has the ability to sit in that position.”

Wang Buli's indirect compliment made Zhu Yuanzhang very happy.

He had a smile on his face as he looked at the people riding horses towards him in the distance.

After Xu Da returned from Beiping, he was summoned by Crown Prince Zhu Biao. He told some things at home before riding to find Zhu Yuanzhang.

At this time, he was not wearing any official uniform, but just ordinary clothes. He saluted immediately after getting off the horse.

Zhu Yuanzhang attached great importance to Xu Da. As the war weakened and the treatment of civil officials improved, the military generals of the past were gradually neglected, but Xu Da was obviously not among them.

"I have met His Majesty."

"Get up, get up. There's no need to be like this outside. Otherwise, others will see us and it will be detrimental to our secret visit."

Xu Da then stood up quickly and said, "I have kept in mind what the prince said."

"Ah."

"There's no rush to talk about this."

Zhu Yuanzhang did not bring a map with him, so he had to go through all matters related to foreign wars to avoid any mistakes.

It can be said that the current war in the Ming Dynasty is a huge sandbox game, which is controlled by Zhu Yuanzhang, and everyone has to obey his orders.

"By the way, we plan to accept the invitation of the Japanese King in a year or two to help him fight the rebels. What do you think of this?"

Only a few people knew the real purpose, even Li Wenzhong was not clear about it. He even submitted a memorial to advise against this matter, but Zhu Yuanzhang did not tell him.

When Xu Da heard this question, he was also thinking about it.

"Your Majesty, have you made up your mind?"

"Not yet." Zhu Yuanzhang sighed, "We have learned the lesson from the Yuan Dynasty. We encountered storms both times we sent large armies across the sea. We had no chance to escape."

Xu Da understood, glanced at the son-in-law Wang Buli who was walking beside him, and thought again: "If your majesty says to fight, then fight. Besides, not all of Japan has submitted to our Ming Dynasty and become a vassal state."

"Ah."

After seeing Xu Da's statement, Zhu Yuanzhang gave him a reassuring look and said, "We are thinking of taking advantage of the civil unrest in Japan. When the party that is loyal to the Ming Dynasty can no longer hold on, the rest will be traitors and rebels, so we will naturally need to send troops to teach them a lesson.

Of course, the main reason was what the prince consort said. The coastline of our Ming Dynasty is really too long. How can we guard against thieves for a thousand days?

So we thought, find an opportunity to put an end to the chaos caused by the Japanese pirates."

"Your Majesty, if you want to cure it completely, I'm afraid you will have to station troops in Japan for a long time."

In his early years, Xu Da built some defensive fortifications along the coastline and had some understanding of the Japanese pirates.

Many of them were organized, and Japan was always in chaos, so it was simply impossible for the Ming Dynasty to send envoys again and again to deal with the Japanese pirates.

"garrison?"

Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes and thought for a while. The only way to ensure safety is to appoint a certain prince as the emperor in the future.

But there are silver mines there, so we can't just release one prince easily.

"Bu Li, what do you think?"

"Sure." Wang Buli said bluntly, "They are willing to be the dogs of the Ming Dynasty."

Xu Da felt that what Wang Buli said was a bit too arbitrary. If that were true, how could the Japanese pirates come?

"The problem can be solved by killing those who are unwilling."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said nothing more.

After Wang Buli said this, Xu Da felt that there was no problem.

This matter has been settled.

"Xu Da, when you go to Beiping, collect some information about Japan. We will also send the Royal Guards to assist you."

"Yes." Xu Da responded.

Wang Buli glanced at Xu Da.

As expected, stationing troops is the easiest way to maintain "stability" in one area, and it can ensure that the interests of the Ming Dynasty in Japan can be continuously delivered.

Everyone was walking leisurely.

"We remember that Zhang Shicheng's salt workers were extremely fierce and independent. He used to sell private salt, but the rich families who took the private salt turned around and bullied them. As a result, Zhang Shicheng and his 18 heroes took revenge on those who tortured them, killed the soldiers, and ran away before gathering people to make a big move."

Zhu Yuanzhang stroked his beard and said: "Various smuggling groups; gangs of salt workers who are dissatisfied with the exploitation of the government and seek revenge; former bandits who have accepted official appointments; wealthy merchants who have ties to the corrupt salt monopoly system.

I actually think that Zhang Shicheng’s strength is not here.”

Wang Buli knew that Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to see the salt besides the granary. However, such a profitable business did not bring in much tax revenue in the middle and late Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang was also afraid that the Ming Dynasty would face the same situation as the Yuan Dynasty, so he decided to come and see it with his own eyes.

This time when he left the palace, it seemed that he was just strolling around, but every step was taken after thinking about what he was going to do and what he was going to see.

"It was because he withstood the attack of Tuotuo's million-strong army that Zhang Shicheng felt lucky."

Xu Da took over the conversation directly. As the person who had led the attack on Zhang Shicheng back then, he was familiar with Zhang's rise to power.

"That's right." Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head again:

"His brother Zhang Shide was a big shot. We fought with him for the port of Changshu and captured him. We took him to Nanjing. We wanted to use his brother's life as a bargain to persuade Zhang Shicheng to surrender or cooperate.

However, Zhang Shide secretly wrote a letter to his brother, asking him not to cooperate with us or surrender to him. If his fate was to be like this, he would rather surrender to the Yuan Dynasty. Then he starved himself to death in prison and did not give us any chance at all. "

Xu Da continued, "Your Majesty, Zhang Shide's death is a great blessing for us. He was the most ambitious and capable of Zhang Shicheng's field army generals, and the most principled and energetic of his political assistants.

Without him, Zhang Shicheng's Wu Kingdom began to change its previous style. "

"Yes, he faced pressure from two fronts: on the one hand, we had increased pressure from Nanjing, and on the other hand, the Yuan Dynasty strengthened the pressure from the new factor of Hangzhou's army. Then he listened to his brother and surrendered to the Yuan Dynasty."

Wang Buli listened to the two of them reminiscing about the past, so he just acted as a listener and didn't say much.

"I envy him a lot." Zhu Yuanzhang sighed:

"His brother's death made him even more lucky. In addition to the possible tax revenue from the salt fields in northern Jiangsu, plus the surplus grain produced by the agriculturally rich areas on the south bank of the Yangtze River, Zhang Shicheng's supply was the best among all the rebel leaders.

Because his land is more tightly connected and controlled than other people's land.

In addition, he was not at a disadvantage like the leaders of the Red Turban Army who needed gang recognition.

This wealth made it possible for him to enlist the support of all sorts, thus legitimizing his mandate from heaven to rule.

But in fact it wasn't him.

But the one among his opponents who is said to have the least chance of receiving the destiny is me!"

After Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, a smug smile appeared on his face.

Don’t underestimate Zhang Shicheng, as he has such a huge advantage and claims to have a destiny.

What happened was that we, the person who was considered by everyone at that time to have the least chance, took over the world.

This reversal alone made Zhu Yuanzhang extremely proud in the face of all his opponents.

Not to mention that he now has such a fortuitous encounter, what is destiny?
The destiny belongs to us, Old Zhu!
"We have read the official documents of the Yuan Dynasty before. The Lianghuai Salt Field produced half of the country's total salt production and one-third of the Yuan Dynasty's tax revenue. This was after all the bandits, smuggling by big households and corrupt officials paid it.

We don’t know how much tax revenue we can generate if we hold the money in our hands.”

Finally, the topic was brought to salt water. Wang Buli didn't know what purpose Lao Zhu wanted to achieve, so he didn't say much.

"We have set up the salt permit system to stimulate production among the people living in the border areas, and it also provides us with a stable grain price. We have always thought it is a good idea."

Zhu Yuanzhang pointed to the distance and said, "But the Ming Dynasty's treasure notes are not that valuable anymore. The livelihoods of the farmers are getting poorer and poorer. Many people are fleeing. How can we solve this problem?"

I just used the Zhang Shicheng incident as an excuse because I didn't want the Ming Dynasty's salt industry to follow the old path of the Yuan Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang didn't take Wang Buli's words that the Ming Dynasty's treasure notes would depreciate, and even thought that they should be printed more while they were still valuable!
Now we are experiencing the first bitter consequences.

He made it all by himself.

Wang Buli stood there for a long time without saying a word. He was not very good at economic issues, but he had no experience in salt field management either.

But as a civil engineer, he still managed workers.

Zhu Yuanzhang heard Wang Buli utter a few words: "We need to give them more money!"

Xu Da was stunned.

If it were in the past, Zhu Yuanzhang would definitely refuse first. Why should he give them more money?

Now that Zhu Yuanzhang owned a mine, he was obviously richer. He began to think about how much more he should pay them to alleviate this situation.

Zhu Yuanzhang also figured out the accounts. As long as he gave them some extra money, they would work honestly as long as they could survive.

"Then how do you think we should increase subsidies for so many people? It's impossible to increase subsidies for all of them, right?"

Wang Buli thought for a while and said: "There are definitely some workers who are new to the work and some who are experienced. The subsidies for each worker will be increased according to the tiers. The specific amount still depends on the calculation of the Ministry of Households. However, the Lianghuai Salt Field is divided into several areas, so we can have a skills competition.

For example, the amount of salt produced is counted every month and used as a collective reward, which is also a way to increase production.”

"Okay, that's a good idea."

Zhu Yuanzhang was very satisfied with Wang Buli's suggestions, which not only reflected his personal feelings but also reflected his control over the collective. The details could be further refined.

"So, if the salt production increases, will it become unprofitable?"

Xu Da certainly knew that Wang Buli’s idea was good, but he had also been at the bottom, and many people would do more things just for the reward, and then the salt would come up.

"It doesn't matter. The profit from salt is still considerable. Not to mention that we can smuggle it to the grasslands, or do business through the Hexi Corridor, which can make up for it."

At present, the method of boiling salt is still used, and this has been the way it has been for thousands of years.

The use of the salt drying method did not begin until the Jiajing period.

"Yes, the salt tax is very profitable."

Zhu Yuanzhang had a deep understanding of this. Moreover, in the tea-horse trade, he could directly exchange it for coarse salt, which made the Mongols extremely happy.

They can't even afford some expensive fine salt.

Wang Buli did figure out a method of salt-drying, but he left it to his son.

At present, the technology of rock salt is still not mature enough.

Zhu Yuanzhang strolled around and watched the cooks busying around, and chatted with them at the same time.

Wang Buli did not follow him in, and Xu Da was also waiting outside.

"Is the Duke of Wei going to war?"

"almost."

Although Xu Da didn't understand why the prince wanted to go to the Prince of Yan to find a map himself, he didn't refute it.

Since his son-in-law had just arrived in Peking, how could he know more than him who had been in Peking for a long time?

"It all depends on how many fish Mu Ying can catch. Let's try to catch one more fish, or else we will fail due to the lack of water in the hot summer."

Xu Da had some experience in attacking the Northern Yuan Dynasty. The great defeat in previous years was still fresh in his mind, and he was always thinking about how to avenge himself.

However, there are not many opportunities at the moment, so we must seize this time.

"Mu Ying also captured many war horses in the battle in the northwest, which will be helpful to our Ming cavalry, so we won't be too harsh."

Xu Da was very optimistic about Mu Ying's ability to lead the troops into battle. This guy was good at both civil and government affairs, as well as military skills, and was also a talented commander.

A new generation of commander-in-chief of the Ming Dynasty has emerged.

"At present, the number of horses in the Ming Dynasty is still too small for the Mongols." Xu Da couldn't help but sighed: "Fortunately, the court now has some money to raise horses, and His Majesty has set up many horse farms in the north.

Maybe in the next war, we will have more cavalry from the Ming Dynasty."

Both cavalry and horses require time to train, which is not comparable to the Mongols who start training from a young age.

They can do some fancy moves on horseback, but many Ming cavalrymen are not as fancy as the enemy, they can just do some fighting.

The key is that once they escape, the Ming cavalry will be at a disadvantage and unable to make up the gap.

"The current situation is that Ming is strong and Yuan is weak. When we are at war, Duke Wei can hire a group of Mongols to lead the way and fight. Perhaps we can gain more military merits."

In order to strengthen the credibility of his words, Wang Buli said: "I heard that there are many Xiongnu people in the cavalry under the command of the Marquis of Guanjun."

"Well, there are quite a few Mongols who surrendered under our command." Xu Da spread his hands, "But most of them surrendered within the Great Wall. There are fewer Mongols who surrendered on the grasslands, and most of them escaped."

Wang Buli nodded. He remembered that most of the Mongolian soldiers in the north took the initiative to throw themselves into the arms of Zhu Yuanzhang because the Yuan Dynasty was so inhumane.

Even among these people, not many can protect their own interests and instead become targets of exploitation.

Therefore, it is normal for them to change their allegiance.

"Do you know about the military academy?"

"I know." Wang Buli pointed at himself proudly and said, "I gave it to you."

"It's a good idea. The only thing we need to worry about is that many soldiers won't be able to use the general's command method. Besides, how can such a major military event be spread casually?"

"The military academy can be divided into junior and senior classes."

Wang Buli did not hide it from Xu Da: "Some military books of senior generals can be studied by descendants when they become senior officers, so as to strengthen their own minds with theoretical knowledge, so as to avoid the death of the capable generals of the Ming Dynasty and the absence of outstanding generals for many years. This can also be regarded as a kind of inheritance."

Xu Da agreed to the prince's request to write a book, but he still didn't quite understand it.

In this way, the descendants of many generals will no longer have any advantage and may be opposed by others.

Xu Da did not have this concern. Fighting a war is not something that can be learned simply by studying. It requires extremely high talent.

Otherwise they can't even become Zhao Kuo!
Wang Buli listened to Xu Da's concerns, so he didn't say much, but just smiled:
"Duke Wei, let's do this according to His Majesty's wishes. He doesn't want his brothers to take all their life experiences to the grave without passing them down. He even plans to write it down himself."

"Oh, is that so?"

"The master can only lead you to the door, but the practice is up to you." Wang Buli didn't care at all:

"This kind of learning is not something that everyone can learn. It is always a certain level of popular science. Once you have the theory, you still need to put it into practice on the battlefield."

Xu Da glanced at Wang Buli and asked, "Does your Majesty think that the Ming Dynasty cannot eliminate the remaining forces of Mongolia in a short period of time?"

"The Ming Dynasty does not have that many cavalry, and they are not very familiar with Mongolia's geographical environment. When our army attacks, they avoid fighting and then flee. When we return in vain after spending a lot of time and effort, they come back to live and harass the south from time to time."

Wang Buli smiled faintly and said, "So we can only continue to weaken the strength of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, but we cannot completely eliminate them.

The most important thing is that once the war is over, the weapons are put into storage and the horses are released into the mountains. How much say will the generals in the court still have?
I don’t even dare to think about how bad an army would become if it didn’t fight for a long time.”

Xu Da was silent.

He felt that what Wang Buli said was too bold.

Although he had long known that His Majesty had begun to suppress the military generals, Xu Da had never spoken for this group of people in the court.

Because the tone is set by the emperor, it is difficult for others to change it.

"What you said is true."

After a long while, Xu Da spoke again: "But you are so straightforward. You are really not suitable to hang around in the court."

"Of course." Wang Buli said with a smile:

"It is because Duke Wei has such good character that I speak so recklessly. If it were someone else, I would not bother to say such words.

What's more, the enemies that Your Majesty is targeting are not only inland, but also outside. In the future, there will be opportunities for our Ming soldiers to demonstrate their strength."

Xu Da did not show any joy at Wang Buli's praise:
"I have always known the wisdom of the Prince Consort. My useless son should learn more from you."

(End of this chapter)