Daming: I am the Crown Prince

If we talk about the most expensive government office in the imperial court today, apart from the Ministry of Works, it is the Five Military Commissioners' Office.

Although the Ming Dynasty implemented the Wei Suo system, many Wei Suo were "self-sufficient" and had some military farms. While striving to provide for their own needs, they also paid taxes to the court.

But some things are indispensable, such as military pay. Moreover, not all garrisons need to cultivate land, so military expenses and so on will naturally be higher.

These are necessary expenses and certainly cannot be saved. Even if you want to accept them, there is nothing to say.

As for the Ministry of Works, there are naturally some things they can't help. After all, there are some basic construction projects, which are naturally the responsibility of the court. This is also something that must be done.

Zhu Yunhuan summoned Yu Xin and Yan Zhenzhi again to discuss some serious matters. After all, the construction and promotion of a series of major projects, as well as the continued restoration and development of people's livelihood, are definitely big things.

Zhu Yunhuan gave seats to Yu Xin and Yan Zhenzhi, and said, "It seems that the court does not need to use foreign troops this year, which should save a lot of money."

Yu Xin and others also agreed with this statement. Judging from the current situation, the Ming Dynasty does not show any signs of using military force for the time being, which is certainly a good thing.

Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, wars of all sizes have been fought. Whether it is to recover territory, suppress rebellions, or continue to fight against the Mongols, wars have never stopped, it's just a matter of size.

So based on the current situation, there is no need to continue using troops this year, which is naturally a good thing.

Zhu Yunhuan also said, "I have always been worried about the lack of financial resources in the court. The military operations everywhere cost a lot of money and food, and I am afraid that this will increase the burden on the people."

Yu Xin said in a somewhat flattering way, "Your Highness's kindness is truly a blessing to the country."

There seems to be nothing wrong with this. If Zhu Yunhuan insists on sending troops everywhere, it is not without reason. He can also provoke some wars, etc. Now that he chooses not to fight for the time being, it is of course a good thing.

In fact, the burden on the court was not that heavy. After all, the Wei Suo system was not necessarily a perfect policy. It was just that at the current stage, it would reduce the burden on the court, and the court could still afford to fight wars.

Zhu Yunhuan waved his hand and said with a smile, "Let's put aside the flattery for now. The court will need to spend money on many things in the future. Now we should think about how to make the people live better."

Not fighting may only be a temporary solution. After all, no one can absolutely guarantee when the war will break out, not even Zhu Yunhuan.

Yan Zhen said directly, "Your Highness, I think the court has been developing water conservancy projects in recent years. The court should continue to do so. This will benefit the people."

Zhu Yunhuan agreed with this very much. "Yes, it is not easy for ordinary people to farm nowadays. It all depends on God. If there is no good weather, the people should prepare in advance."

Sometimes natural disasters are beyond our control, and we all know this. If the weather is good and the crops are abundant, that would be the best. But when there is nothing we can do, we can conquer nature.

It is very necessary to prepare some in advance, not only to resist disasters in years of famine, but also to have more food during years of good weather and harvest.

Zhu Yunhuan said, "It's fine during the busy farming season, but we will continue to recruit civilians during the slack season, and we still need to build water conservancy projects in various places."

Zhu Yunhuan then looked at Daoyan and ordered, "Go tell Ruhong that the evaluation of local officials, water conservancy and people's livelihood in various places are also important matters, and we must not relax on these."

The emperor attached great importance to farming, and the crown prince also attached great importance to it, so the officials of the Ming Dynasty naturally needed to pay great attention to farming.

As for the evaluation of officials, people's livelihood is naturally one of the most important evaluation criteria, and there is nothing to say about it. This is not only true for the Ming Dynasty, but also for other dynasties.

Zhu Yunhuan said to Yan Zhenzhi, "These craftsmen and officials in the Ministry of Works should also be asked to do something. Many people are in poverty, not because of laziness, but because the methods they use are outdated and they miss the farming season."

Yan Zhenzhi naturally understood this truth. Some people seemed to be very busy and hardworking, but they still could not change the situation of poverty. The reason was very simple, that is, sometimes they were busy but not busy in the right way.

"Government offices at all levels should also be careful and not just think about collecting taxes and getting their work done." Zhu Yunhuan then looked at Yu Xin and said, "You have to know how and where to spend the money."

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Yu Xin seriously and continued, "You are the money bag of the court, you must manage the money well. Don't just give it to any government office. You should know whether the money should be spent or not."

In fact, Zhu Yunhuan didn't need to say much about these things, as the Ming Dynasty naturally knew the situation of its purse.

Yu Xin said, "This year the court has no war expenses, only some military pay, weapon manufacturing and replacement, etc. I think the money saved can be used to build reservoirs and canals in various places."

Zhu Yunhuan was very satisfied and said with a smile, "Although some wealthy villages or local elders will build water conservancy projects, roads and bridges. However, we should not expect the people to do these things themselves. Some things should be done by the court."

If some wealthy families wanted to build bridges and roads, the imperial court would of course support and be happy, as this would help relieve some of the pressure on the imperial court.

However, Zhu Yunhuan knew better that in most places, it was difficult to expect local people to complete a series of large-scale infrastructure projects.

In the final analysis, the people's ability to resist risks is relatively average. Sometimes they are willing but unable to do so. If they are busy repairing reservoirs, they may miss their own farming season.

Or they think that if they build the ditch, other villagers will benefit from it, which is not cost-effective.

Under such circumstances, we can only rely on some official power to guide and drive the economy. Even if it is impossible to take care of everyone, or to be absolutely fair.

But if we can ensure that the vast majority of people benefit from it, then that is naturally the best thing and is worthy of recognition.

"The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works should prepare these things. After the autumn grain harvest, all regions should start preparing to build water conservancy projects." Zhu Yunhuan said, "Especially in places like Jiangnan, arrangements must be made."

During the slack season, people would do more corvee labor, whether it was building cities or digging ponds and ditches, which was part of the corvee labor for many people.

There is no other way to focus on Jiangnan and other places now. In the final analysis, it is impossible to arrange all places in the country at once. Jiangnan is now an important tax area, and the foundation is relatively good, so it needs to be further consolidated.

Yan Zhenzhi was still very confident and said, "Your Highness, I don't think there will be any major problems in Jiangnan and other places. Now there are still canals, and I think some canals should be dredged." Since the Northern Song Dynasty, many places have been under management, and constant wars have also led to the blockage of some rivers and canals.

Now that the world is at peace, we should hurry up and put these major projects on the agenda.

Yu Xin suddenly felt like a hand reaching into his pocket. If it was just building reservoirs in some rural areas, it would not be too difficult.

However, if it is to dig a canal or dredge a river, it is a major project, and the cost of such a series of projects will naturally be very high. But there is no other way, this is also something that the court must do well.

Yan Zhenzhi, the Minister of Works, particularly likes to preside over some large projects and has a persistent passion for dredging rivers and so on.

Zhu Yunhuan thought about it carefully and said, "Report some of them first. It is difficult for the court to do everything at once. Select a few key canals and rivers first. These things will have to be done sooner or later."

Since these things need to be done sooner or later, Zhu Yunhuan will naturally not delay. If he can do it well, he will not leave it to future generations. After all, no one can guarantee that the emperor will care about farming by then.

Yan Zhen replied without thinking, "Your Highness, I think we should first control the Huai River."

Zhu Yunhuan suddenly had a headache. He said that he was controlling the Huai River, but in essence he was controlling the Yellow River. After all, the Yellow River at that time flowed into the sea through the Huai River, and the floods in the Yellow River and Huai River were quite serious.

After a moment of silence, Zhu Yunhuan said, "This is a serious matter, and we still need more discussions. It is right to manage the Yellow River and Huai River, but we should not make a decision right now. This matter may take a long time. I think you should call more people from the Ministry of Works to discuss it clearly and come up with a specific plan. I want to see an overall plan and the key nodes."

Hearing Zhu Yunhuan say this, Yan Zhenzhi was full of motivation. Although the grandson did not agree directly, the implication of his words was that he attached great importance to this matter and had extremely high requirements.

It doesn't matter if the requirements are high, Yan Zhenzhi doesn't think this is a problem. As long as the crown prince seriously considers governing the Huanghuai River, it is enough. This is the most important thing, and everything else can be put aside for a while.

Yu Xin was even more nervous. The court seemed to have become a little more well-off in the past two years, but there were too many people who wanted to spend money.

A lot of money was spent on water conservancy projects in the south of the Yangtze River, but it was nothing compared to the management of the Huanghuai area.

If we really want to start managing the Huanghuai River, it will take more than one or two days, and investing a million taels of silver may not necessarily produce any results.

But even as the purse of the Ming Dynasty, Yu Xin was usually frugal and careful with his money. He also understood that the money could not be saved and had to be spent.

Governing the Huanghuai area well is a great achievement. It will save countless lives and allow many people to truly live and work in peace and contentment.

So even if the court will feel some burden because of this, it still has to do what needs to be done, and this is an absolutely serious matter.

He carefully reminded Yu Xin and Yan Zhen of the key work areas that needed their attention, and kept telling them to start preparations in advance, waiting to begin a series of relatively major projects after the fall.

It is natural to prepare a series of things in advance. After all, if you make a plan now, you will be able to execute it better later, instead of waiting until the moment comes to start preparing in a panic.

As soon as the two ministers left, Jiang Li came to ask for an audience, "Your Highness, the fleet will be able to return to Taicang in five days."

Zhu Yunxun nodded and said, "Got it. You continue to arrange people to keep an eye on it. I will take care of the rest."

Jiang Lin didn't waste words. He knew that he was a spy and his position was the eyes and ears of the emperor and the grandson. He only needed to find out some information, and the rest would naturally be decided by the emperor and the grandson.

Just do your own job well, and don't think too much about other things, let alone ask for more. Doing more things does not necessarily mean you can make achievements, but may make mistakes.

Jiang Li was naturally very clear about this. After all, he knew a lot. Moreover, the Jinyiwei was a special department and was somewhat different from other government offices.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Daoyan and said, "Master, you have heard what happened. I think you should go over there. You know how to deal with some things."

Daoyan naturally understood, but still said with some worry, "Your Highness, this matter is really too big. I claim to have some ability, but I am afraid that I am not up to the task. I am not really proficient in matters of money and grain."

This was a rather modest statement, and it was also to avoid suspicion. After all, Daoyan was very clear about the gains from this voyage, and the importance that the Crown Prince attached to the voyage, so he didn't dare to mess it up.

Even though he is now regarded as the crown prince's confidant in the eyes of some people, Daoyan believes that if things are not done well, the crown prince will definitely be punished.

Zhu Yunhuan thought about it and it made sense. He smiled and said, "Xia Yuanji, you should go with me. I would be worried if you don't go and keep an eye on it."

Only when the two great secretaries of Wenhua Palace went together could Zhu Yunhuan feel at ease and think that this matter should not be a big problem to handle.

Daoyan, needless to say, was a strategist who also knew some of Zhu Yunhuan's thoughts. Therefore, sitting on the scene, he could arrange some things more clearly without worrying about major omissions.

There is no need to mention Xia Yuanji. If it were not for the outstanding ability of the current Minister of Revenue Yu Xin, Xia Yuanji would have had the potential to become the Minister of Revenue immediately. He is indeed an outstanding financial expert.

One is in charge of the overall situation, while the other focuses on professional matters. Now you can feel at ease.

Xia Yuanji glanced at Daoyan and felt that this colleague was really too thoughtful. He had to be more careful when dealing with this strange monk.

Daoyan didn't think it was a big deal, and he felt relieved now. Now that he thought about it carefully, it was not a bad idea. Now that he and Xia Yuanji were going to Taicang together, it was truly safe and secure, and there would definitely be no mistakes in this matter.

After all, several of the crown prince's confidants had already gone to Taicang before this, and the two of them were taking action now just to put an end to the matter thoroughly.

"The news can't be concealed. The capital will know about it soon." Zhu Yunhuan reminded, "You two should go there and get things done as soon as possible, so as to avoid causing controversy in the court."

Daoyan and Xia Yuanji knew better. They wanted to control the situation before the civil servants. This was the fundamental reason why His Royal Highness arranged a group of confidants to handle this matter! (End of this chapter)