Ming Dynasty: Zhu Biao's younger brother, the most rebellious son in history

After Zhu Gang finished speaking, he immediately said to Zhu Kai:

"Second brother, I am different from fourth brother. I don't want money. I will work for you for free."

"?????"

Zhu Gang turned his head in disbelief and looked at Zhu Chong in surprise.

Does this sell me out?

That's not what we said when we came here, Brother San!

"for free?"

"for free!"

"Nothing?"

"Do not need anything!"

Zhu Chong answered very straightforwardly, as if a slight hesitation would make Zhu Kai change his mind: "Second brother, don't worry, I will definitely not cheat you. If I say I don't want money, then I don't want money."

“It’s really free.”

As an old man who cheated people, how could Zhu Kai believe Zhu Chong’s lies?

There is no free lunch in the world. Zhu Chong wants to do voluntary labor for him, but Zhu Kai doesn't believe it.

This little bastard is getting smarter and smarter. It's hard to trick him.

Good thing Zhu Gang is good, as cute as ever.

Zhu Kai looked at Zhu Chong and asked, "If you don't want money, then what do you want?"

Zhu Chong said directly: "That's right, big brother, with so many of you, eating is always a problem, right? My place can recruit some cooks to help them cook."

"Well, that's a good idea."

Zhu Kai nodded, "How much is the fee?"

"I don't want money. Money is useless."

Zhu Chong smiled and said, "Second brother, how about using cattle and sheep as money?"

"not so good!"

Zhu Kai could hear the meaning behind Zhu Chong's words. "You get one price for the cattle from the grassland and another price for the cattle sold in the Central Plains. You are such a ruthless person. You are still trying to make money from your second brother."

Zhu Kai directly pointed out the way for Zhu Chong to make money. Zhu Chong was not embarrassed. Instead, he said to Zhu Kai with a sad face: "Second brother, I don't want to do this either, but you and eldest brother have seen it before. The people there are hungry and poorly clothed. We are poor in Qin... I don't have much ability, but I also have a heart to let the people live a good life. Second brother, please help me."

That's so sad.

Seeing Zhu Chong start to cry poor, Zhu Gang also changed his strategy: "Second brother, there is still me, Western Jin! How about I help you build a house? I don’t want money, I just want cattle and sheep... Big brother, have you been to Western Jin? When I came here, I took a look around, and there was no land there, only bare mountains everywhere..."

These two brothers have nothing else to do but cry poor.

Seeing them talking nonsense without doing anything, Zhu Kai sneered: "Why, are you begging here? You two are so useless that you only want to take advantage of me. Why don't you dare to do it in other places?"

A king of the Sai region had to rely on begging to earn money in order to govern his fiefdom.

These two...who did they learn to be so mean?

Zhu Di looked at Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang crying and couldn't help but pursed his lips... Looking at their expressions, begging might be a good idea.

I will have my own fiefdom in the future... I also have an eldest brother, a second brother, a third brother, and a fourth brother. I can fleece four people at once!
Zhu Di immediately found a way to make money, and his eyes twinkled with little stars.

Looking at Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang again, they looked like they would cry to death in front of Zhu Kai if he didn't agree. Zhu Kai simply laid his cards on the table:
"Don't cry, or I'll beat you up!"

These two guys are just itching for trouble and deserve a beating.

Sure enough, when Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang heard Zhu Kai's words, they immediately stopped talking and looked up at Zhu Kai: Second brother, since you don't let us speak, why don't you give us a solution to the problem?

"There is nothing much to say. We brothers are out there, so we should be united and work together to achieve our goal."

Zhu Kai looked at Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang, "I support your development. Qin used to be fertile land, but now the land has been severely damaged. It will take a long time to make good use of the land. I support your business. You will be responsible for the supply of the grassland. I will give you some poultry, cattle and sheep."

"what?"

When Zhu Chong heard what Zhu Kai said, he was very unconvinced.

When did this second brother, who had always enjoyed tricking them, become so easy to talk to?

It’s just the beginning and Zhu Kai has already agreed to it?

Why does it sound so unbelievable?
"What? You don't believe it?"

Zhu Kai's face immediately fell, and he looked at Zhu Chong: "If you don't believe me, forget it. My fourth brother and I will go do business."

"No, no, second brother, how can I not want to do it? It's just that second brother is so good to me, I am a little flattered."

Zhu Chong looked flattered, and then said, "Second brother, if you have any plans for me in the future, just tell me, and I promise to do it for you."

"Well, okay."

Zhu Kai looked at Zhu Chong and said, "There is one thing that I really need you to do. You see, your fiefdom is in Qin. The Ganlong area next to it is also vast and sparsely populated, but the land is still good. Do you want to expand the territory and let the people open up the wasteland?"

"What do you mean?"

Zhu Chong looked at Zhu Kai with an incredible look on his face: "Second brother, you want to expand my fiefdom? How can this be possible!"

Zhu Chong's fief was conferred by Zhu Yuanzhang himself, then the imperial edict was read out in the court and finally registered with the clan affairs office.

It can be said that if Zhu Chong expanded his fiefdom and the ministers in the court knew about it, those ministers who had always been at odds with Zhu Chong would definitely use this incident to attack Zhu Chong.

At that time, it would be most appropriate to charge him with the crime of "intention of treason".

Zhu Kai now directly said that he wanted to expand his territory, and Zhu Chong immediately panicked.

How could this be possible! You know, when Zhu Chong was first enfeoffed to Qin, he only had a territory of Chang'an. Later, Zhu Yuanzhang felt that a city was not enough to give full play to his advantage of establishing the King of Sai, so Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao joined forces to expand Zhu Chong's fiefdom. Now Zhu Chong just came to the western border to meet Zhu Kai, and Zhu Kai actually told him that his territory would be expanded.

Doing so would not only put Zhu Chong in danger, but would also affect Zhu Kai.

"Brother, this is too dangerous. You and I will be trapped."

Zhu Chong immediately expressed his disagreement, and then said to Zhu Kai: "Before coming here, my eldest brother told me that what you are doing in the Western Territory is of great benefit to the country and the people, and asked me and my fourth brother to do our best to help you. Second brother, I don't want the Gansu-Long area anymore. If you need any help from me, just tell me. I promise to help you well. Gansu-Long is short of people, right? Can I bring some people with me? I don't want anything, I just want to help you, second brother."

"..."

Zhu Gang and Zhu Di were standing nearby, their faces filled with confusion.

Haven’t we already discussed how to make money?

Why did you suddenly change your mind at this time?
I actually want to work for Zhu Kai for free... How is this possible!

An anxious Zhu Gang suddenly winked at Zhu Chong, indicating that his third brother had let the cat out of the bag. However, Zhu Chong seemed not to see Zhu Gang's look and just told Zhu Kai that he wanted to be a free laborer and provide free services to Zhu Kai.

How could Zhu Kai accept this?

His face darkened: "What are you afraid of? With my second brother here, how can I let you take the blame?"

Zhu Kai looked righteous and said to Zhu Chong, "What can a court official do? The Ming Dynasty has gained so much territory in the north. What's wrong with letting my brother govern more areas? Whoever blames you, let him come to me and tell me that I am the head of the Zhu family and the head of the royal family. Can't I give my brother a piece of land?"

Are you kidding? How could Zhu Kai let go of the free labor he had finally found?
A few cattle and sheep have no impact on Zhu Kai...at all, but the entire Ganlong is what Zhu Kai needs. Zhu Kai needs to revitalize these areas.

The people in the Central Plains have ten mu of land each... In areas like Gansu, Long, Qin, and western Shanxi, there are not so many people, so each person has twenty mu... thirty mu of land, and they are given free oxen so that they can cultivate more land without any effort.

The cattle and sheep that Zhu Chong wanted would be given out for free by Zhu Kai in the future. Zhu Chong did not understand the policy given by Zhu Kai. He thought he had got an advantage and was feeling complacent. Now Zhu Kai has handed over the Gansu-Longnan area to Zhu Chong for management, which is equivalent to getting a manager for free.

Moreover, Zhu Chong also wanted to select capable officials from various regions to find the most suitable people for the job. Zhu Kai did not get along with the civil servants, and he was unwilling to argue with them, so Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang became the best choices.

Unfortunately, Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang could not understand these plans and could only listen to Zhu Kai.

Zhu Chong was sent out by Zhu Yuanzhang to do things, and Zhu Chong himself was full of confidence in doing it. Before coming to the fiefdom, Zhu Chong thought that he just needed to manage his fiefdom well. Who knew that when he arrived at the fiefdom and met Zhu Kai, Zhu Kai gave him a big surprise.

Not only was he to manage his fiefdom, but he was also to expand his territory. This trust and heavy responsibility moved Zhu Chong to tears, and he began to worry about Zhu Kai: "Second brother, you will be in trouble. What will you do if you secretly hand over the fiefdom to me to manage? When the time comes, the ministers in the court will rise up to attack you, and you..."

"Why are you thinking about these things? You are always timid about everything you do. What can you do for the Ming Dynasty?"

Zhu Kai reprimanded Zhu Chong, "As a descendant of the Zhu family, you cannot be afraid of trouble. Why did we become the King of Sai? For the Ming Dynasty! For the people of the Ming Dynasty, as long as I can do something for them, I will go even if there are tens of thousands of people against me!"

Zhu Chong was aroused by Zhu Kai's simple words, "Second brother is right. As descendants of the royal family, we should devote ourselves to the Ming Dynasty and the people until our death! Please rest assured, I am willing to bear the attack in the court with you."

Zhu Kai was very satisfied with Zhu Chong's answer: "That's right."

"Second brother! And me! And me!"

Zhu Gang was also excited by Zhu Kai's words, and he wished he could serve Zhu Kai right now:

"Brother, look at me, what can I do for you?"

Another free laborer is ready to work.

Zhu Kai was overjoyed, but he looked very conflicted: "Your situation is different from that of my third brother. Fourth brother... you should manage Jinxi first. Jinxi is a good place. If you do it well, there is a lot to be done. Fourth brother, you have a heavy burden on your shoulders."

Zhu Kai's approval made Zhu Gang happier than being crowned King of Jin. "Yeah, yeah, I think so too, second brother. I plan to let the people of Jinxi help others build houses. I've heard that people on the grassland don't have enough houses to live in. Having no place to live will greatly affect work efficiency. So let's get the people of Jinxi moving, do you think this is okay?"

"We can make bricks and build houses. We will definitely be able to provide housing for every household before winter."

"Yes, of course."

Zhu Kai nodded, "But, fourth brother, you don't have enough arable land in western Shanxi. Even if I give you oxen, they won't be of much use."

"It's not very useful, there must be other ways."

Zhu Gang trusted Zhu Kai immensely. When Zhu Kai raised questions, Zhu Gang did not think about what to do if these problems could not be solved. Instead, he said to Zhu Kai: "Second brother, since you have discovered these problems, there must be ways to solve them. Tell me, what should I do? I will listen to you."

"I suggest that you cooperate with the craftsmen camp in Liaodong, recruit a group of craftsmen to join the camp, and then develop industry in western Shanxi after they return from their studies."

As Zhu Kai spoke, he called Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang to the map. Zhu Di was still young, but the powerful genes of the Zhu family had begun to awaken. He followed his three brothers and came to the map together. He didn't say a word, but listened carefully beside them.

"Brothers, look at the map. As the war on the western front progresses, our supply pressure will become greater in the future. Food and weapons cannot be obtained locally. They need to be transported from Huguang, Qilu, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and Liaodong. The longer the transportation line, the more materials will be consumed. If our army keeps advancing westward, our supply in the future will be a huge burden. Therefore, we must use local materials and grow food and manufacture weapons in the place closest to the western front... and we must also build a highway that runs through the east and west, and the north and south..."

Zhu Kai told them his plan. Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang looked at the densely packed locations on the map and couldn't help but clench their hands. They finally understood why Zhu Biao asked them to listen to Zhu Kai before he came. It turned out that what Zhu Kai did was much bigger than they thought.

Let alone anything else, just the two highways running through the east and west and the north and south are enough to make one's blood boil.

Zhu Di thought differently from Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang.

His eyes were fixed on the war on the Western Front; he was thinking about the war.

As for what his brothers were talking about, Zhu Di didn't want to think about it. Those things about development, farming, and building a material supply base for the Western Expedition... Zhu Di was not interested in any of these. He even wondered if his third and fourth brothers would serve him if he became the general of the Western Expedition.

Zhu Di felt infinite satisfaction just thinking about being able to fight in wars and having his brothers serve him. This was exactly what he wanted.

"Western Shanxi is different. You have coal and iron. With these two things, you can build an industrial base and industrialize Western Shanxi."

Zhu Kai was more interested in Zhu Gang's territory, so he talked about it more.

Zhu Gang was very curious: "Second brother, what is industrialization?"

"Human labor is no longer the main labor force. Machines will replace part of the labor force. With development and advancement, machines will play a greater role..."

The most important thing about industrialization is to make machines the driving force of production and gradually replace human labor.

Zhu Gang seemed to understand what Zhu Kai said. He had heard Zhu Kai talk about Liaodong several times, and he was telling himself in his heart: "If I want to understand what Zhu Kai meant, I need to go to Liaodong and see how it is done in Liaodong, and then follow his example in Jinxi and build up Jinxi."

Zhu Yuanzhang was a dragon among men, and his sons were also outstanding.

In the original history, Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang were not stupid people. They were taught by famous teachers since childhood and were smarter than many people. They just had character flaws. For example, Zhu Chong... It is recorded in the History of Ming Dynasty that he was smart, stern and heroic in his childhood, but he did many evil things and was absurd after he grew up... He could lead troops to fight and govern the place, but he was very harsh to his servants and was finally poisoned to death by three old women.

Zhu Gang was similar, he had considerable skills but liked to beat up the chefs, and in the end Zhu Yuanzhang disliked him. (End of this chapter)