Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 159 There is a plan
Zhu Gaochi and others had no choice. Since the emperor and the crown prince were unwilling to let them return to their fiefdoms easily, they had to stay.

It was like this when they were young. Their parents and brothers had to go to the vassal state, and they stayed in Yingtian Prefecture to study. They were used to it, but this time they were just going back to their hometown, so it wasn't a big problem.

Chang Sheng hurried to Wenhua Palace and said, "Your Highness, the army has returned."

"Failed to find the Tartars again?" Zhu Yunhuan said unhappily, "The imperial court mobilized so many troops, but failed to gain anything?"

Chang Sheng explained awkwardly, "The Tartars are smart now. They were fighting among themselves, and now in autumn they are running north. The army was unable to pursue them relentlessly, and could only wipe out some small tribes."

The reality is so interesting. In this era, it is the army of the Han dynasty galloping on the grassland, and those nomadic peoples are running towards the northern desert when their cattle and sheep are fat, for fear of being caught by the Ming army.

Chang Sheng also continued, "This time the three armies did gain some gains, including some cattle, horses and livestock."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "That's about right. Let the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue prepare and decide how to distribute the captured spoils and how to reward the meritorious service. The Five Military Commands Office should also keep a close eye on them. The soldiers have shed blood and sweat, so we can't let them shed tears again."

There was no great victory, which was also within Zhu Yunhuan's expectations, because the imperial army was always rampaging in the south of the desert. Some larger nomadic tribes did not dare to graze in the south of the desert, and some small tribes were swept away by the autumn wind, but there was not much impact.

Chang Sheng thought about it and said, "Your Highness' birthday is coming soon, and some court officials are discussing whether to hold it."

"No." Zhu Yunhuan said directly, "Grandfather's birthday was not celebrated in a grand manner, so it's not easy for me to hold a birthday banquet. Besides, I'm in mourning, so let's do it next year. We'll talk about it next year."

Zhu Yunhuan had said so, so Chang Sheng naturally knew what to do. He just couldn't be held by the ministers to test the waters. Since the Crown Prince didn't want to do it, then don't do it. This would be a relief for some officials.

Yu Xin came over after Chang Sheng left and said with some complaints, "Your Highness, the Duke of Ying is here to ask for money again."

Zhu Yunxun asked with a smile, "What's his reason for coming here?"

Yu Xin said, "It's because the preparations for the Martial Academy are too much. I've already seen the dormitories for the students in the Martial Academy, and they are really great. Now they say the training grounds are not big enough, so we need to build a few more."

"Looking at the dormitories of the students in Wuyuan, the students in the Imperial College may feel dissatisfied." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "But don't just look at that. The dormitories of the students in Wuyuan also have different levels, and many of them are officials."

Now even if Yu Xin wanted to complain, he had nothing to say, because many people knew what the situation in Wu Yuan was.

It is said that His Majesty is personally the head of the school and the chief priest, and he may also select and train military candidates in the Wuyuan in the future. In addition, there are also some middle and senior officers who will go to the Wuyuan to study, which are incomparable to the students of the Imperial Academy.

The students of the Imperial College could only obtain the title of Juren at most, and some were even just Xiucai. They could not be compared with the third and fourth rank military commanders, so they could not expect to enjoy the same treatment as them.

Yan Zhenzhi must have come at the right time, and said, "Your Highness, Wu Yuan is too difficult to serve."

Zhu Yunxun asked with a smile, "Minister Yan, how did the Duke of Ying embarrass you again?"

"I understand the importance of the Martial Garden, but the Duke of Ying is really going too far." Yan Zhen complained, "Ladders are fine, but he also wants us to build cities and passes, saying that they are for exercises."

Zhu Yunhuan couldn't help laughing. "That's a bit too much. I'll go discuss it with him later. But it's not good for the Ministry of Works to handle so many things. We can just transfer some people to work in Wuyuan, and the craftsmen can stay in Wuyuan."

Yan Zhenzhi was suddenly speechless. He had come here to complain and make a grievance, but some of the power in his hands had been weakened.

Since the construction of Wuyuan began, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works have naturally contributed a lot, not to mention the Five Military Governor's Office, which will certainly do its best to support it.

But Wuyuan already had a small team of craftsmen, who were said to be researching weapons, etc., and had previously drawn a certain number of professional and technical personnel from the Ministry of Industry, the Gunpowder Department and other government offices. Now, the crown prince was still not satisfied.

After sending away the two ministers, Zhu Yunhuan was content: a simplified version of the military academy and a junior polytechnic university were in the process of taking shape.

Looking at Zhang Fusheng, Zhu Yunhuan said, "Go and have someone prepare something. I will go to Dongling in a few days."

Zhu Yunhuan was born on the ninth day of the eleventh month of the lunar calendar, and Crown Princess Chang passed away on the twenty-first day of the eleventh month at the age of twenty-four.

Zhang Fusheng said cautiously, "Your Highness, I'm afraid it's not easy to go there on your birthday, right?"

"Then let's go there a day in advance." Zhu Yunhuan said directly, "It's my son's birthday and my mother's hard day. There's no need to discuss this matter anymore. My sister and I can go alone. There's no need for all the officials to accompany us."

Since Zhu Yunhuan said so, Zhang Fusheng and others naturally had no objections and could only do as he said.

A moment later, Zhang Fusheng sent another memorial, "Your Highness, His Majesty has approved the memorial and ordered Your Highness to publish it." Zhu Yunhuan picked up the memorial and looked at it carefully. It was also a memorial that said something he was unsure about before. Basically, it could be a relatively good move, which was similar to what he thought in his mind.

But occasionally one or two memorials would be left behind, which obviously meant that they disagreed with Zhu Yuanzhang and would discuss the matter further.

After reading it, Zhu Yunxun said, "Turn it over to the officials, they will naturally know what to do."

It was not the first time that Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Yunxun had disagreements on politics. The two would occasionally quarrel. But it didn't matter much. This was a political matter. When there were disagreements, everyone could express their own ideas and seek solutions.

He insisted on some of his own views and sometimes made some compromises or changes. Zhu Yunhuan didn't think these things were a big deal, nor did he think that such practices would make Zhu unhappy.

When it was almost dark, Zhang Fusheng came to report that Zhu Zhong had returned.

Zhu Zhong's trip to Zhejiang this time did have some effect. In fact, he did not uncover too many major cases. He only dealt a heavy blow to a few small families and merchants.

The major case of collusion with Japan did not break out, and not many Taihai merchants were found, etc. But even so, this is acceptable. Now it is just a minor punishment and a major warning, and it can be regarded as a political order and peace, which is still within the controllable range.

Summoning Zhu Zhong, Zhu Yunhuan asked directly, "How many people from Zhejiang went out to sea without permission?"

"Your Highness, there aren't that many people who go out to sea privately." Zhu Zhong replied, "But we have learned from interrogation that many Zhejiang merchants have dealings with merchants from Fujian and other places, and those people are more likely to travel the sea."

Zhu Yunhuan did not find this answer strange at all. Originally, Fujian and Guangdong were more popular for going out to sea, whether in the past, present, or future.

Zhu Yunhuan asked again, "How many people have been found to be selling illegal salt?"

Zhu Zhong immediately replied, "We did check a few, but they are not big salt merchants."

Salt is a highly profitable industry. It is said that the salt and iron monopoly first began in the State of Qi during the Spring and Autumn Period. The rulers of the early Han Dynasty advocated laissez-faire governance, implemented a policy of recuperation, opened up private enterprises, and adopted a laissez-faire policy towards salt and iron, making merchants who operated salt and iron as wealthy as princes.

The feudal rulers of all dynasties strengthened the salt monopoly, but also made some changes, such as imposing a tax on iron, and no longer treating it the same as salt. The salt and iron monopoly brought considerable profits to the feudal state, especially salt, which has always been the most important monopoly commodity firmly controlled by the feudal governments of all dynasties, and its income has been an important source of revenue for the governments of all dynasties.

Zhang Shicheng started out by selling contraband salt, and throughout all dynasties there has always been a shortage of people selling contraband salt, or big salt merchants who made profits through various means.

Zhu Yunhuan said, "Keep watching these things, and collect more overseas intelligence in the future, archive what needs to be filed, and report what needs to be reported."

After finishing his business with Zhu Zhong, Zhu Yunhuan stood up and walked towards the Qianqing Palace.

Seeing Zhu Yunhuan, Old Zhu said impatiently, "The food is cold, and you don't even come to eat."

"Something happened, so I was delayed." Zhu Yunhuan poured a cup of rice wine for Old Zhu and said, "Marquis Wuding should be back in the next two days. This autumn hunt was average. We only encountered some small tribes, but they were not enough to provide supplies for the Ming army."

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Look at the long term. War is bound to cost money. The cattle and horses we brought back are not enough for supplies, but the number of Tartars on the grassland is decreasing, and the territory controlled by the Ming Dynasty is increasing. This is worth it."

Zhu Yunhuan also understood this truth, so he said, "I didn't say I wouldn't fight, nor do I think it's a losing business. I just thought that if I could get richer by fighting, that would be great."

Old Zhu laughed and scolded, "You are always thinking about good things. Can you make more money by fighting wars? If that is true, it would be strange! Besides, if there is a war, we must also pay attention to the population of our Ming Dynasty. If there are fewer people, it will be difficult to fight."

Zhu Yunhuan naturally understood this principle. The population base needs to be paid attention to in any era.

Especially in feudal dynasties, the population base was relatively large, which meant huge potential. The Ming Dynasty is now in a period of continuous recuperation, and its population is in a period of rapid growth.

After all, there has been peace for nearly thirty years, which is considered a generation. Of course, we have the confidence to say that the Ming Dynasty is becoming increasingly powerful.

"This year is almost over, and there are still many things to do next year." Old Zhu glanced at Zhu Yunhuan and said, "It's almost the end of the year, so you should focus on it. Get things sorted out and after the New Year, we can plan other things."

Zhu Yunhuan nodded. Although there were still many things to do, there was no rush.

It is very necessary to sort out this year's affairs first and then consider a series of work arrangements for next year.

(End of this chapter)