Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 99 Long-lasting plan

The wealth of the Zhu family is known to the world, and as citizens of the imperial city, many people know even more.

Although many people migrated here later, there are still many local people.

Zhu Yunhuan seemed very approachable, especially in front of some elders. He did not have the airs of a crown prince at all and chatted with them about family matters.

The small city of Fengyang produced a group of kings, princes, generals and ministers, and many people were deeply touched by this.

Some old men also felt very regretful. Not to mention compared with the Zhu family, just look at Tang and those people, each of them is very rich.

There were even some old men who still told Zhu Yunhuan stories about how they used to herd cattle together, fish in the river together, etc., but that was all.

It was nothing more than Zhu Yunhuan rewarding him with more rice, flour or cloth, but it was impossible to ask for an official position.

These old men only saw the current success and fame of Tang He and others, but they did not remember that it was also the result of the fighting of Tang He and others.

Back then, Old Zhu returned to his hometown to recruit soldiers. Although not all of those who survived were like Tang He, at least they had some official position.

But what about those who didn’t survive? Many of them even lost their incense and inheritance.

These old men did not go out to fight with them back then. It is useless to feel regretful now. The most they can do is reward them something out of friendship.

It is also natural to hold a grand banquet to entertain the elders and fellow villagers.

Those who need to be worshipped should be worshipped, and those who need to be visited should still be visited.

The head of the huge Xin Guogong Mansion is Tang He, who has suffered a stroke. Of his five sons, the only one alive is the second son Tang Fu, but fortunately there are still several grandchildren around.

Looking at Tang He who was suffering from hemiplegia due to a stroke, Zhu Yunhuan said intimately, "Duke Xin, there is no need to be so polite. We are all family, there is no need to be so polite."

Tang He tried hard to speak clearly, but his words were still vague, "Your Majesty, I am guilty."

When Zhu Yuanzhang was invited to join the Red Turban Army, he was already a thousand households, but as a superior, he was still respectful to Zhu Yuanzhang. There is a reason why Tang He, the Duke of Xin, gained Zhu Yuanzhang's trust.

Seeing Tang He's current state, Zhu Yunhuan felt unhappy. "Duke Xin, if you have anything to tell me, I will do my best to do it."

Tang He pointed at Tang Yu and said, "I, your highness, hope that Your Highness will support me as your eldest grandson."

Zhu Yunhuan immediately agreed and said, "Originally, he should be serving you the medicine, but since Duke Xin said so, how about letting him serve you?"

A smile immediately appeared on Tang He's face, "Thank you, your Excellency."

Tang He's biggest worry now is the inheritance of his title, which was also the case in history. However, his son, grandson, and great-grandson all died young and could not inherit the title, so it was not until more than a hundred years later that Tang Shaozong was allowed to continue his title by Emperor Jiajing, but he was demoted to Lingbi Marquis.

Zhu Yunhuan didn't know if keeping Tang Yu by his side would change anything, but now it seems that at least it can make Tang He feel at ease, and that is enough.

When it comes to matters of life and death, even the emperor is sometimes powerless and can only leave it to fate.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Tang He and said, "My grandfather asked me to tell the Duke that he couldn't do anything about Jiang Xiahou's matter."

Tang He replied with difficulty, "I don't blame him, really."

This is also the reason why Tang He wanted Zhu Yunhuan to take Tang Yu away. He really didn't want the family business he had worked so hard to build to be destroyed in an instant because of his unfilial descendants.

Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "It would be best if you could understand. Although some nobles have been punished for illegal acts in recent years, it was their own fault. Don't worry, Grandfather will definitely be lenient with the nobles."

Tang He's originally cloudy eyes brightened up a bit in an instant. He knew very well what kind of personality Zhu Yuanzhang had.

Zhu Yuanzhang's leniency towards nobles was limited, or he would be more lenient towards his close relatives.

And what the Crown Prince said now is obviously referring to himself, which is the most important thing.

Visiting Tang He is also what Zhu Yunhuan should do, but it is not just visiting Tang He.

Summoning the local officials of Fengyang, Zhu Yunhuan carefully inquired about the people's livelihood, whether it was population, land, taxes, etc.

Especially for the people who moved here later, we need to ask them about their daily lives.

Even though there will be flower drum opera in the future, which talks about the constant disasters in Fengyang, this is the imperial hometown now, and life here is still slightly better than other places in the Ming Dynasty.

Because whether it is policy support or the integrity of officials, they are second to none in the Ming Dynasty, and no one dares to act recklessly in the imperial city.

After all, it's not just the emperor who is watching. The underage princes and grandchildren have to come here to worship their ancestors or train troops from time to time. If anyone gets tired of living, they can just act like a tyrant here.

After carefully looking at the training of the soldiers of Zhongdu Liaison Office, it was found that these soldiers were all trusted and elite troops, and their combat effectiveness was considered to be among the best in the world.

Zhu Yunhuan also went to Changhuaiwei on purpose, because it was the official warehouse of Fengyang Prefecture. All grain from Huaibei and Bengbu official warehouses were transported to Fengyang via Changhuaiwei, and Huai salt produced in the lower reaches of the Huai River was also transported to various places in the north via Changhuaiwei.

Therefore, some officials, businessmen and travelers by water and land often stayed in Changhuai Wei for a short time. As one of the eight guards of Zhongdu, commanders, garrisons, generals and other court officials gathered in Changhuai Wei.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at these carefully, then summoned Xu Huizu to inquire about the matter of the armory.

Many of the Ming Dynasty's arsenals were established based on the principle of proximity and proximity to mines. Where there were iron or coal mines, they naturally had to take on the responsibility of making military equipment.

Fengyang Prefecture naturally also had an arsenal, and Huainan was under the jurisdiction of Fengyang Prefecture, divided into Shouzhou and Huaiyuan counties.

"Send someone to search for coal in Shouzhou and Huaiyuan." Zhu Yunhuan spoke directly, "Now that we have found a coal mine within their territory, we will look carefully to see if we can find a large mine."

The history of coal mining in Huainan is quite long, dating back to the Southern Song Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty.

Zhu Yunhuan couldn't ignore this huge coalfield. Although it was impossible to mine more and deeper under the current mining conditions, he could first mine some of the easier-to-mine areas, which would be enough for Ming's current needs.

In fact, coal mines are not the most lacking thing in the Ming Dynasty. The most lacking things are actually copper mines and iron mines, and gold and silver mines are also relatively scarce.

Zhu Yunhuan was so obsessed with the idea that the mining resources in Indochina were well developed, with plenty of copper and gold mines. Not to mention the Japanese, the Iwami Silver Mine was enough to drive people crazy, because it was a real silver mine.

All of these need to be carefully planned. It is not realistic to swallow them all at once. We have to develop them slowly and take them down in one fell swoop after being well prepared.

"Unconquered countries?" Zhu Yunhuan laughed. "Grandfather just thought those places were desolate and unproductive. If he knew there were mountains of gold and seas of silver there, he would immediately change the "Record of Ancestral Instructions". Anyway, it's not the first or second time that he changed it."

If that time really comes, no civil or military officials will persuade the emperor to withdraw his troops.

Zhu Yuanzhang recognized the legitimacy of the Yuan Dynasty, so he naturally retained the initiative in some matters.

Japan was indeed not conquered by the Mongols, but a lot of Indochina was conquered. This means that the Ming Dynasty did not even need to find too many reasons to send troops south.

"I have to hurry up. Some things need to be started when my grandfather is still alive, otherwise the ancestral system will frame me to death." Zhu Yunhuan murmured to himself, "Reform is easier said than done."

If there were a large amount of gold and silver, some of the troubles with treasure notes could be better solved.

The further development of the shipbuilding industry will use the Indochina Peninsula as a springboard, making it more convenient to open sea in the future.

What's more, the Indochina Peninsula itself is a tropical region, and crops can be harvested three or four times a year, which is not a problem. Although it will be more difficult to transport food, it is also a good thing to have an extra granary.

Gold and silver cannot be eaten or drunk, but they are very useful in governing the country. And food, in any era, no one will think that there is too much of it. Only with enough food can we achieve long-term peace and stability.

"Jinyiwei, I have to use Jinyiwei first." Zhu Yunhuan pondered, "Jinyiwei already has a lot of spies, let them find it!"

Iwami Silver Mine has not yet been excavated and mined, and the situation in Indochina is also very turbulent.

It is a bit difficult to fight directly across the sea. Should we consider the Korean Peninsula first?

Lee Seong-gye must have just usurped the throne and may have sent envoys to Ming, hoping that the Ming, as the suzerain state, would recognize his legitimacy.

That’s not right. I didn’t hear about these things when I was in Beijing. Could they still be on the way?
We have to hurry back soon, even though the Joseon Dynasty was very submissive to the Ming Dynasty, its suzerain state, for most of the time in history and was a relatively model vassal state.

But the situation is different now. Zhu Yunhuan is not thinking about the bows, paper and Silla maids that Korea pays as tribute. What he is thinking about is whether he can use this as a springboard to continue external development.

If all else fails, it would be a good idea to place some vassal kings there.

Chen Youliang's son Chen Li and Ming Sheng, the last emperor of Ming Xia, were both settled by Zhu Yuanzhang to live in Korea.

Zhu Yunhuan felt that some things really needed to be done urgently. He had to get a good understanding of the Ming Dynasty's financial situation, and also had to have a clearer understanding of its current strengths and so on.

Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you make more correct arrangements for some future matters and have the opportunity to make your plans successful.

The coal mines in Huainan are both big and small matters, and are naturally things that deserve attention.

However, in Zhu Yunhuan's view, he still had some other important things to do, and he was even racing against time.

Now that I don't need to go to court, I can try to take over many things myself. There are fewer restrictions, so I can let go and "do something stupid".

Anyway, he has been appointed as the crown prince now. Although not all the civil and military officials are loyal to him, there are not too many dissenters.

We don't need their absolute loyalty, as long as they can get things done in a down-to-earth manner.

Then try your best to see if you can follow a development trajectory for the Ming Dynasty that is different from that in history!

(End of this chapter)