Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Never mind how the emperor and the crown prince get along; those seem to be minor matters. The more important thing now is to discuss some major issues concerning the country.

It may also be that the relationship between the emperor and the crown prince is now extremely harmonious. Except for a very small number of ambitious people, all civil and military officials should feel relatively safe and secure.

There have been many lessons in the succession of the throne in all dynasties. Not only will the country be in turmoil, but there will also be some bloody storms.

Such a situation is naturally very ideal nowadays. Even though some people may feel that this crown prince does not suit their wishes and is not a wise leader, this is still an acceptable choice.

Zhu Yunhuan was not joking, and said to Old Zhu, "Grandfather, it is definitely difficult to dredge the Grand Canal all at once. We can only focus on the key points first. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages."

Old Zhu nodded and said, "That's right, but if you want to be the emperor in the future, don't just think about this or that. You have to make a decision so that you can deal with the next thing."

All the civil and military officials present were accustomed to it. Even if the emperor said something shocking, it was nothing. They just had to get used to it.

Zhu Yunhuan said, "Grandfather, I think the section from Tianjin to Beijing is not difficult. It will be fine after a little dredging."

Old Zhu said, "This is difficult. That section is short and the siltation is not serious. It's just that there are fewer people in the north. You are naturally aware of this."

This is true. Even after three decades of development, the population, economy, and other conditions in the north have improved to a certain extent, but it still cannot change the overall reality that the situation is still relatively desolate.

Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunhuan and asked directly, "Tell me, what do you think? South or north, you have to make a choice."

"Start construction in both the north and south." Zhu Yunhuan said directly, "I don't think this will delay things."

Seeing that Zhu was about to glare, Zhu Yunhuan immediately said, "Now we are just worried about not having enough laborers, and worrying that conscripting too many people to perform labor service will affect farming. I think this is not a big deal. There are many people in Jiangnan, so conscripting enough will be enough."

No one seemed to have any objections. The actual situation was that there was no need to worry about insufficient population in Jiangnan. Conscripting laborers, civilian workers, etc. would not be a big problem.

It is mainly in the north, where the population is sparse. According to expectations, in addition to the laborers in the north to perform labor service, a lot of people will also be needed to support from the south. This is the most ideal situation.

Don't talk about traveling thousands of miles and so on. It was not just the Ming Dynasty that was like this. It was actually the same in previous dynasties. It was common for laborers to walk hundreds of miles to perform labor service.

If you are lucky, you can build city walls, dig ditches, etc. in a nearby county. If you are unlucky or the court needs you, you really have to travel hundreds of miles. This is why many people are afraid of corvee labor.

Death outside is a common occurrence, which is why many people spend money and use connections to smooth things over.

Zhu Yunhuan then continued, "As for the Beiping and Tianjin section, I don't think it's a big deal. The guards under the control of Fourth Uncle and Seventh Uncle don't have many wars to prepare for now, so they can be replaced with military farm guards."

Old Zhu immediately kicked towards Zhu Yunhuan, and the other civil and military officials did not dare to say a word. The idea thought of by the Crown Prince was indeed a good one, but it was obviously a bit tricky.

Old Zhu said unhappily, "The three guards of the King of Yan and the three guards of the King of Qi are all elite veterans. How can we let them do what civilians should do!"

This is natural. Elite soldiers are extremely valuable assets in any era, not to mention that Qingzhou and Beiping also have considerable defensive tasks to undertake.

"That's why I said we can change it to a military farm. It won't be a problem." Zhu Yunhuan was thick-skinned. He looked at Chang Sheng and said, "Duke Kaiguo, do you think we can allocate a few military farms now?"

Chang Sheng prepared to answer, while Old Zhu looked at Fu Youde, "Duke Ying, what do you think of the Crown Prince's idea? Can we allocate some garrisons now?"

Now it was Fu Youde's turn to be nervous, but he had to answer, "Your Majesty, I think your Highness the Crown Prince has thought it through, and I second the proposal."

Old Zhu looked at Fu Youde with interest and asked, "Oh? Then tell me, how did he think it through?"

Fu Youde had no choice but to continue to speak, "Your Majesty, I think there won't be any major wars in the next few years. Besides, some of the soldiers are old, so we should find a way out for them."

Zhu Yuanzhang said sarcastically, "You think those old soldiers are no longer able to fight, so you let them dig mud and repair ditches for me, and change their military households to farming?"

Zhu Yunxun said hurriedly, "I didn't say that the household registration was changed. Besides, I thought that this is not to cultivate land while increasing the population. Some old soldiers will be settled on both sides of the canal, and there will be more people in the north."

Old Zhu was so angry that he wanted to curse, "Settle down? Doesn't that mean they are no longer military households? I'm afraid they will just have to dig ditches first, and then let them settle down there!"

This is exactly what Zhu Yunhuan meant. He really planned to transfer some old soldiers to be responsible for the work of military farming and garrison, and they could also do the dredging of the canal.

But after the matter is completed, they will be changed to civilian nationality, and then they will be able to take root on both sides of the river, which will also increase the population in Tianjin and Beijing.

"The old soldiers are getting old, and we can't keep them in the army forever." Zhu Yunhuan said, "We don't have to move all of them out. At least one family should leave a son to serve in the army."

Zhu Yunhuan would naturally not abolish the military household system immediately. If he made drastic changes right away, it would not necessarily be helpful, but would instead destroy the Ming Dynasty's national defense.

So first make some small adjustments and experiments, call out some veterans, and give them some relative freedom, and that's about it.

Old Zhu stared at Fu Youde and asked, "Do you think what the prince said makes sense?"

Fu Youde, who had suffered an unexpected disaster, lowered his head and then gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, I second the motion."

Old Zhu snorted coldly, then looked at Lan Yu and Chang Sheng, "You two have no idea what to do. Do you two do whatever the Crown Prince says?"

Lan Yu and Chang Sheng knelt down immediately, and Lan Yu said quickly, "Your Majesty, I think your Highness the Crown Prince has thought it through, so I second the proposal."

Then Old Zhu looked at Xu Huizu, "You are a mature and steady person. Do you think what the Crown Prince said makes sense?"

Xu Huizu thought about it carefully before speaking, "Your Majesty, I think the Crown Prince's plan is reasonable. But we must be cautious when recruiting old soldiers. If we do so, I'm afraid many military households will have concerns."

Everyone actually understood this principle. Even in the early years of the founding of the country, some military households had fled. Now, naturally, there would be more military households who wanted to flee. Old Zhu still had no expression on his face, which made the civil and military officials who were carefully observing him very nervous, fearing that they would be the next one to be asked.

The reason is very simple. The Crown Prince now wants to change the Wei Suo system and household registration system established by His Majesty the Emperor. It is easy to understand why the Emperor is unhappy at this time.

Zhu Yunhuan looked calm, as if he was not worried at all about being scolded by Old Zhu. He also did not think that there was anything wrong with his suggestions and was very open-minded.

Old Zhu spoke up, "After all, the Five Military Commandery is in charge of the Crown Prince, so that's good. If this thing is really to be done, it can't be done recklessly, it must be reported to me."

Zhu Yunhuan couldn't help but glance at Old Zhu. His grandfather was suspicious and always wanted to test people. But this time, the people he was testing were the nobles of the Five Military Commandery.

Even though he had tried many times before, Lao Zhu still felt that it was not enough. He decided to try it whenever he had the chance, since he had nothing to do anyway.

The most important thing is to find out whether these nobles are loyal or not. To know whether they can be used now, there is nothing to be said if we test them more.

The others seemed to be relieved at this time. Although things were not completely accomplished, the emperor did not seem to intend to ask more questions about these things. Everyone did not have to continue to be frightened and tread on thin ice.

Zhu Wenyao suddenly grabbed a memorial, and started pulling and tearing it. Old Zhu hurriedly helped Zhu Wenyao open the memorial, and happily watched his precious great-grandson drooling and playing.

While coaxing the child, Old Zhu looked at Yu Xin and asked, "Can the Ministry of Revenue come up with enough silver?"

Yu Xin quickly replied, "Your Majesty, this year's tax revenue is sufficient, and the court does not have much expenditure. If there is money to dredge the canal, it can still be used."

Old Zhu nodded with satisfaction. "Don't think about it just this year or next year. Dredging the Grand Canal is not a matter of one or two years. It may take several years or even more than ten years to complete. You should take good care of your money bag and make sure nothing goes wrong."

Such a long-term project naturally needs to be treated with caution, which also means that the court will have a certain burden. However, such basic engineering construction must be carried out.

Zhu Wenyao was getting a little impatient. He opened his arms and asked Old Zhu to hug him while pointing outside the palace door. It was obvious that he didn't have the patience to stay in Wenhua Palace any longer.

Old Zhu did not waste any time, picked up Zhu Wenyao and said, "Yunhu, you should discuss this matter with the other ministers, and you should have an idea in your mind on how to do it. Whether we are happy or not, it is what we do."

Seeing Zhu Yunhuan about to speak, Old Zhu said, "We can't take care of those things. You have to do them when you become the emperor. We just take care of Wen Yao and teach this little prince well."

After saying that, Old Zhu stood up and teased Zhu Wenyao happily as he walked, "Wenyao, let's take you fishing, shall we?"

Zhu Wenyao was very happy with his babyish smile. He liked it most when someone spoke to him in a clipped voice and he liked to see adults with exaggerated expressions, which always made him laugh.

Old Zhu held Zhu Wenyao and left Wenhua Hall with the farewell of all the ministers. He basically knew something about the dredging of the Grand Canal. Although he had his own opinions, he did not want to interfere.

Although I feel that some of Zhu Yunhuan's plans are a bit rash and a little too bold, I also don't think there is anything wrong with them, and there is nothing wrong with doing so.

Since his grandson is reliable and can handle such a big thing, Old Zhu naturally has nothing to worry about, as someone will take care of dredging the canal.

Seeing Old Zhu leaving, Zhu Yunhuan also spoke up, "You have heard what Grandfather said. Think carefully about how to get things done in the future."

A number of ministers expressed their acceptance of the order. As for how many people would care about this matter, there was no need to worry too much about such things.

The reason was naturally the dredging of the Grand Canal, which was not the responsibility of some ministers present, and there was basically no room for them to interfere.

If you do something right, you may not be rewarded, but if you do something wrong, you cannot shirk responsibility just because it is beyond your ability. In this situation, it is better to talk less and listen more.

Of course, it is not ruled out that some people are bent on climbing up, or really care about the world, and at this time they are trying hard to do these things.

Although it is difficult, accomplishing such a thing will not only gain political achievements and official reputation, but also have the potential to go down in history. This is an extremely huge temptation and motivation.

Zhu Yunhuan had a rough idea of ​​what his officials were thinking, but he basically didn't care too much about it. As long as he got things done in a down-to-earth manner, it was enough.

No one is perfect. Who doesn’t have some selfish thoughts and ideas?
This is completely understandable. Zhu Yunhuan himself has many selfish desires and ideas, so naturally he would not require everyone to care about the world like a saint.

After all the officials left, Zhu Yunhuan looked at Daoyan and asked, "Do you think the court will have enough manpower and money if construction starts in both the north and the south at the same time?"

Daoyan replied cautiously, "Of course we can draw laborers from all over the country. If we send some old soldiers back to fill the northern area, I think there should be enough manpower."

At this time, Xia Yuanji said, "Your Highness, I think that requisitioning old soldiers is not as simple as requisitioning them. Money, food and salaries should still be given."

Compared with conscripts, the expense cost of old soldiers is obviously higher. After all, it is impossible to immediately remove them from military registration.

"That's true. If we stop working, the expenses will be higher." Zhu Yunhuan frowned and thought seriously, "But we still have to do what needs to be done. The North can't be left empty like this. People have to be transferred from all over the place."

It is one thing to be reluctant to leave one's homeland, and migration is also going on in various places, but people prefer to come to the south rather than to the north. Only veterans with families are used to wandering around.

Zhu Yunhuan thought about it carefully and said, "There is nothing we can do about this. We cannot let the old soldiers down. If we want to settle down again, we must have some assets."

Everyone naturally understands this truth. Moving is never a small matter, especially when you have to bring your family along.

"In this case, it must be reclassified as civilian land." Daoyan said, "In this way, more farmland will be reclaimed in the north."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "That's a good idea. We really need to open up more fields in the north." (End of this chapter)