King Luhuang of the Ming Dynasty: My father, Ming Taizu

Zhu Tan said calmly: "Our dynasty now has iron mines in 254 counties, and the annual iron production is as high as million kilograms! This has also made the dynasty's supply of iron exceed demand. Even in the fifteenth and sixteenth years of Hongwu, a large number of iron mines were stopped. Production in government-run iron works.

During this period, the price of iron has remained at 800 yuan per catty, which is 2 yuan of silver per catty!
However, in recent times, according to a survey conducted by Lushang Salt Company near Jiubian, iron prices in Datong and Beiping have increased significantly!
It has reached 1 yuan or even 2 yuan per catty!
The manufacturing of imperial ordnance was completed by the Ministry of Industry years ago, and the annual ordnance manufacturing is also subject to a quota. Logically speaking, iron prices should not be allowed to rise so fast.

Secondly, in addition to the price of iron, the price of food in Peking has always been 2 yuan per stone, but recently the price of food has risen to 3 yuan per stone!
In addition to Peiping, the price of food in Datong has risen to 4 yuan per stone!
The food and grass raised by the imperial army were all transferred from treasuries from various places, and there was no local purchase. Logically speaking, there should not be such a big increase! "

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned when he heard the rise in food and iron prices.

Regardless of grain or iron, if there is an abnormal rise, it can only mean one problem, and that is.
Some people are buying in large quantities, and the place where these prices are rising is on Jiubian.
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Tan and asked: "You mean those Mongols bought a lot of grain and iron from us?"

Zhu Tan shook his head and said: "I have no evidence of this! I just ordered Lu Shang Salt Company to check the price of materials in Jiubian!"

Zhu Tan added: "I also ordered someone to check the price of saltpeter! The increase is even more astonishing! Last year at this time, the price of saltpeter was five guan yuan per catty, but now it has risen to fifteen guan yuan per catty! This thing , is the key raw material for making gunpowder!”

The words fell.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Tan with surprise on his face.

"Unexpectedly, Lao Shi, your investigation and intelligence have taken a different approach, which is refreshing!"

In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang was also a master of spies and intelligence.

Before the establishment of Jinyiwei, Zhu Yuanzhang had established an organization called Jiaoxiao.

The main job of this organization is to spy on the enemy and carry out espionage work.

For example, Yang Xian, a famous minister in the early Ming Dynasty, was the main leader of this organization.

Therefore, every time before Zhu Yuanzhang uses troops, he will definitely ask the Jin Yiwei to collect useful intelligence from all over the place, so that he can be well aware of the situation and be able to target the war in a targeted manner.

As for Zhu Tan's method of investigating the price of strategic materials, Zhu Yuanzhang could immediately understand his intention, but this was the first time he had thought of this angle.

Suddenly I felt like my mind had been opened.

Xu Da and others are also veterans on the battlefield, so they can naturally tell the truth.

Xu Da smiled and said: "His Royal Highness King Lu has solved a lot of doubts for us all of a sudden! It seems that those people in Mobei Yuanting are not as negative as the intelligence showed!

Instead, they seem to be actively preparing for war! "

Fu Youde looked at Zhu Tan and said in admiration: "It turns out that battlefield information can not only come from the enemy's commander and army, but also the price of materials! I admire you!"

With that said, Fu Youde said to Zhu Yuanzhang: "Your Majesty, I still insist that Naha Chu cannot be attacked first! Once Mobei Yuanting fully cooperates with Na Ha Chu, then our 200,000 Northern Expedition troops will be in danger! What's more, Now the price of materials has reflected that Mobei Yuanting has bad intentions!"

Suddenly, Zhu Di gave a dry laugh and said: "Although the prices of these things seem to have increased, I remember that prices have been rising every year. Is the treasure money worthless again?"

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, his face suddenly turned red and he glared at Zhu Di angrily.

He said angrily: "Nonsense! The Ming Dynasty treasure notes have not dropped much since last year!"

Zhu Tan smiled.

Ever since he supplied a large amount of silver to the imperial court, the issuance of treasure banknotes has had an anchor. It has been true that the purchasing power has been maintained at 1:4.

Of course, this is also related to Lao Zhu's strict frugality.

In addition to wars, there are now fewer and fewer large projects, and the expenditure on royal and official salaries is not large, so the issuance speed of treasure banknotes has slowed down a lot.

In this way, on the one hand, the court had a lot more real gold and silver as reserves, and on the other hand, it printed a lot less money, so the currency value of the treasure banknotes naturally stabilized.

Xu Da frowned and said: "If it is according to what His Royal Highness King Lu said, someone is collecting these strategic materials, and in places like Jiubian, the only ones who need these materials are the Mongols!
However, all nine sides of the Ming Dynasty were closed to Mongolia. Who could transport these things out? "

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly.

"Those things that forget their ancestors! That's all they can do!"

Xu Da was stunned.

Then I remembered an old friend.

An old friend who stirred up the situation at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and joined forces vertically and horizontally. When the Ming Dynasty was just established, he drifted away, hiding his merits and fame.

He couldn't help but said: "Is it Shanxi merchants?"

The words fell.

Song Guogong Feng Sheng and Ying Guogong Fu Youde also widened their eyes.

They had also experienced the troubled times of the late Yuan Dynasty, so they naturally remembered that experience deeply.

At that time, Zhang Shicheng occupied the land of Wu and became the richest in the world.

Fang Guozhen occupied eastern Zhejiang, owned thousands of warships, and did overseas trade from time to time. He was also extremely wealthy.

Chen Youliang, on the other hand, conquered the Dongting Lake Plain and Jianghan Plain, controlled the land of four provinces, and ranked first in taxes among all rebels.

And what about Zhu Yuanzhang?
Starting from Huaixi, even after conquering the city of Huijing and Nanjing, the finances were still stretched thin.

One is because the land occupied by Zhu Yuanzhang is not very fertile.

The other is that Zhu Yuanzhang levied less taxes on the people under his rule in order to win people's hearts, unlike other rebel armies that levied arbitrary taxes.

In troubled times, wars are fought for money and food!

But when Zhu Yuanzhang captured Yingtianhou, he did not worry about money!

At that time, the generals often found a middle-aged man who liked to wear white shirts often coming in and out of Zhu Yuanzhang's Duke Wu's mansion!

At that time, many people said that this person was the superior God of Wealth.

But not many people know his name.

And Xu Da, as a fellow Privy Council member at the time and a serious military commander, participated in many confidential matters presided over by Zhu Yuanzhang, and only then did he know the identity of the middle-aged man!
Shanxi merchant leader.

Wu Qingchen!
for this person.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Xu Da both knew it.

They Shanxi merchants put it plainly that their support for Zhu Yuanzhang was an investment. If they won, the Shanxi merchants would make a lot of money. If they lost, they probably had other investments!
For example, Zhu Yuanzhang knew that these Shanxi merchants had a close relationship with Yuanting.

When Zhu Yuanzhang fought with Zhang Shicheng, Zhang Shicheng could not defeat Zhu Yuanzhang, so he accepted Yuanting's offer and promised to transport 110,000 shi of grain to Yuandadu every year in exchange for Yuanting's help.

When the two sides were fighting over Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou and other places, Yuan Ting originally wanted to go south from Xuzhou and other places to attack Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang was originally worried that he would be attacked from both sides.

But Wu Qingchen just sent a letter, and the Yuanting army miraculously stood still!
In the end, he sat back and watched Zhang Shicheng being beaten by Zhu Yuanzhang and retreated to western Zhejiang.

Also during the battle between Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang, Yuan Ting, still under Wu Qingchen's lobbying, still sat on the mountain and watched the fight between tigers and tigers. In the end, Zhu Yuanzhang won and then conquered the world!
From that time on, Zhu Yuanzhang had a deeper understanding of merchants. On the one hand, I hate them, but on the other hand, I am also afraid of them.
For ordinary people, since salt, iron, and grain are banned from Jiubian, you can't carry a grain of salt or a piece of iron through it!
But to these Shanxi merchants with great magical powers, the nine sides are like a sieve, full of loopholes!
They have the ability to send anything they want to ship to the Mongols!
Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly and said: "In the last Guo Huan case, we ordered people to deal with these Shanxi merchants. Unexpectedly, they still have the ability to cause trouble! Jiang Yu, check for us, how many Shanxi merchants are there among the people! We caught them all!”

Xu Da smiled bitterly and said: "Your Majesty, if the Shanxi merchants really unite with the Mongols, I'm afraid something might happen this time! Just now, I heard His Highness King Lu say that even the price of saltpeter has increased so much! Those The Mongols are no strangers to the use of firearms."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and frowned.

Lan Yu couldn't help but said: "Your Majesty! I think we can't conclude that the people of Mobei Yuanting are preparing for war just because of the increase in the prices of some things!

Last year, because of the Yan case and the Guo Huan case, I also saw it! Those Shanxi merchants were dealt with miserably, and some fish that slipped through the net must have escaped!

Those people may have gone to Mobei, but their value to Yuanting is only sending supplies! After all, those people in Yuanting are not short of gold, silver and jewelry. They have plenty of money, but they just can't spend it!

Therefore, although those materials were bought by Shanxi merchants and given to Yuanting, they might just be showing their loyalty and accepting the certificate!

Not necessarily preparing for war!
I have heard that those grassland people have been blocked by our Ming Dynasty for so many years, and they can't even afford an iron pot!
When a girl from a herdsman family gets married, she has to see if the other party has an iron pot at home! If not, you won’t get married!

Moreover, the broken iron pots they use will be patched with leather to make do!
In recent years, when those Mongolian cavalry entered the interior, the first thing they grabbed was the iron pot!
Since we have lost so much iron, maybe they have used it all to make iron pots!

There’s no need to worry too much! "

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head.

"Yongchang Marquis, as a soldier, in important matters of the country, wishful thinking will lead to losses!"

He put his hands behind his hands and thought for a moment.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Xu Da and asked with a smile: "Wei Guogong, what can you do?
If we were to clean up Mobei, this vast grassland, finding Yuanting's main force would be like finding a needle in a haystack, and we would have to catch him by surprise!

But now it seems that they are obviously on guard!

If a large army were to send troops to Mobei, they would only be able to wipe out a few small tribes and return in vain!

But if Naha Chu is attacked first, and if Mobei Yuanting comes prepared, and then joins Naha Chu, the two sides will have an army of more than 500,000 in total!
Our Northern Expedition army may still be in danger! "

Xu Da frowned for a long time and said with a wry smile: "Return to your majesty! If I must say it, I would rather fight Naha first! At least, I won't worry about not finding an opponent! But in this way, there is indeed a risk. It is better to let the army Change the Northern Expedition route! Instead of starting from Peiping, we will detour to Liaodong and start from Liaodong!

In this way, if they encounter the main force from Yuan Ting and Naha, the army can return to the east guard at any time without being cut off by Yuan Ting from behind! "

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said: "It's safe, but I'm afraid it will be delayed for a long time! Moreover, there is a risk of returning in vain!"

talking.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the others again.

Everyone has their own opinions.

Fu Youde, Zhu Di and others insisted on attacking Mobei.

Feng Sheng, Lan Yu, Zhu Xi and others wanted to attack Naha first.

at this time.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Tan and saw that he was smiling. He snorted and said, "King Lu! Where do you think we should attack first?"

Zhu Tan smiled and said, "Father, didn't you say that? My five thousand King Lu guards are enough to sweep across the world! Why are you still here worrying about how many enemy troops there are?"

Everyone was stunned when they heard this.

Then I thought of the terrifying scene on the martial arts field!
Yup!

How could I forget the terrifying combat power of King Lu Wei!
With so many guns and artillery placed there, wouldn't the enemy's soldiers be in vain?
What's there to worry about!
Fu Youde slapped his head suddenly.

"Why did you forget King Lu Wei!"

talking.

Fu Youde cupped his hands to Zhu Yuanzhang and said, "Your Majesty! I also think that we should attack Naha first! It would be best if people from Mobei Yuanting also come. By then, we will save trouble!"

The words fell.

Zhu Di also said: "Father! My son also thinks that Naha should be attacked first! It would be better if my father asked my son to command Lu Wangwei!"

When Zhu Yuanzhang thought of the overwhelming artillery scene on the martial arts field that day, and then recalled the terrifying musket array that made people despair, he also made a decision in his heart.

Subsequently.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Tan, frowned and said: "King Lu, are your muskets and artillery stable? How long can the attack last? We also use a lot of firearms in our troops! But this thing is heavy and afraid of rain and snow! If the gunpowder gets wet, will it happen? All void?"

Zhu Tan smiled and said: "The muskets and artillery are made of steel with a quality far higher than that in the world! It will never explode easily! The durability is also guaranteed! Father, you can rest assured!

At the same time, the artillery used now is the first small artillery. I called it a mortar. It can be carried by two or three people, which is very convenient!

The second type of artillery can be pulled by horses. Erchen also ordered people to make special tires, which is also very convenient to transport! It will not slow down the march on the battlefield!
As for the gunpowder issue
The gunpowder used by Erchen is not the traditional powdered gunpowder, but granular gunpowder, and the bullets and cannonballs used in the muskets are also wrapped accordingly, so it can be used in ordinary rain and snowy days! "

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Tan and couldn't help but sigh.

"We really don't know who you learned these things from! But if this is really the case, then the Northern Expedition army can set off at any time!"

Zhu Tan saw the eyes around him looking at him as if they were looking at monsters, and felt a little helpless.

Didn’t I just come up with something a little ahead of the curve?

Have you never seen a genius?

but.

As the saying goes, if the trees are beautiful in the forest, the wind will destroy them.

If you are too pushy, I'm afraid it won't be a good thing!
Zhu Tan couldn't help but sigh.

If you come up with these inventions by yourself, any one of them will be enough to leave a mark in history!

It's a pity that I can't be an all-rounder like Leonardo da Vinci, so I can only push away all these achievements.

Zhu Tan frowned and thought for a while.

Firing glass is studied by an experienced person.

Refining salt was created by another veteran.

The enhanced version of gunpowder was created by a veteran
It's better not to talk about being sophisticated, since there is a ready-made shield anyway.

Zhu Tan smiled and said: "Father, when it comes to these firearms, I still want to ask my father for credit for one person!" (End of Chapter)