Brother Zhu Youxiao

Chapter 612
"Woooo-"

In late September, with the whistle sounding off the coast of Tianjin, Jin Xuan, who was the first to return to Daming by ship, finally returned to Daming, where he had been away for ten years, after traveling for more than half a month.

"Finally back..."

Looking at the Tianjin port on the sea level in the distance, Jin Xuan had mixed feelings.

Today, the route from Daming to Qi has been developed early, and as long as there is fresh water on the islands along the way, there will be military towns belonging to Daming on the islands.

Coal transported from Daming and Qi to the local area is stored on the island.

Although wooden sailing ships were slow and inefficient, it was feasible to use them to transport coal.

Therefore, each island has stored a large amount of coal and fresh water as a replenishment point for ships on the route.

However, normally speaking, as long as the coal and fresh water are replenished in Yingzhou, it can basically reach Xijing City in Qi State in one go within [-] days.

It only takes seven days to reach Nanzhili from Beizhou Prefecture in Yingzhou, and two days to reach North Zhili.

Therefore, counting the supply time, the time needed to travel from the Xijing City of Qi State to Tianjin Port of Daming is only [-] days.

Of course, this is a one-way journey. After the one-way journey, the ship only needs to conduct a one-day inspection and some parts maintenance work, but even if this time is counted, it only takes 51 days to go back and forth.

It has been shortened from the original 51 days to the current [-] days. This is the best channel that countless ships have found in the past.

Although it seems that there is not much progress, each round trip can shorten nine days, and six round trips can save a month of time.

Therefore, the current ship can carry out seven immigration operations back and forth within a year.

"Woooo-"

The sound of the siren shattered Jin Xuan's knowledge of the journey, and when he came to his senses, they had already entered Tianjin Port.

In Jin Xuan's memory, Tianjin Port was considered prosperous ten years ago, but it was still slightly inferior to the current Jingmen Port in Qi State.

Of course, the "loss" here refers to the construction of Tianjin Port and the tonnage of ships that can berth at the port.

However, after so many years, Qi State is making progress, and Tianjin is not standing still.

Tianjin port facilities were upgraded in the 15th year of Tianqi, and the area of ​​the port expanded from 12 mu before the upgrade to [-] mu after the upgrade, which also made Tianjin Port the world's largest port in this era.

It has 120 sea routes leading to all parts of the world, with about 6000 seagoing vessels and [-] inland river vessels berthing every year, and the annual cargo throughput of the port is as high as [-] million tons.

The port's equipment is very advanced. It has cranes and various machinery transformed from small steam engines. It can easily load and unload goods that do not exceed one thousand kilograms. It also has a large warehouse that can store 1000 million tons of materials and can dock [-] tons. above ships.

Although this scale is a bit large for Daming whose largest ship tonnage is only [-] tons (Ming Dynasty), it is not built for the present, but for the future.

"Woooo-"

The whistle sounded, and the officials belonging to the Shipbuilding Department at the port began to guide the ships into the port and guide the ships to stop at a suitable ship position.

When the ladder started to come down and Kim Hyun stepped off the ship, he still can't believe he's back.

The Ming style concrete port is not just decorations, but houses as well.

"My lord, please get on the carriage. After going to Tianjin Railway Station, we only need three hours to reach the capital."

After getting off the boat, the guards of Qi State brought by Jin Xuan began to tell him all the news they had learned.

Regarding this, Jin Xuan also smiled and said: "When I left Daming, the Beijing-Tianjin Railway had already been built, so I naturally knew about it."

"Let's go, don't make His Highness wait too long."

While speaking, Jin Xuan boarded the carriage prepared by the guards of the Qi State, and now Jin Xuan has not reported his duties in the Daming Ministry of Officials, so his actual identity is still an official of the Qi State.

According to the "Law of the Fan King of the Ming Dynasty", officials of the general etiquette department of the feudal state can only bring no more than five guards when they come to Daming.

If it is at the level of six ministers, you can lead a team of 17 people, Changshi can lead a banner of 90 people, and the feudal king can lead a sentry, 540 five people.

Of course, this is the highest limit, so normally speaking, officials of the vassal state will not touch this bottom line, and normal officials only bring two entourages.

Therefore, even though Jin Xuan is still the chief history of Qi, he only leads a team of 17 people.

With the crowd, they almost didn't stop in Tianjin, but went straight to Tianjin Railway Station.

Tianjin Railway Station, as the second railway of Ming Dynasty and the terminus of Beijing-Tianjin Railway, was large in scale from the beginning, enough to accommodate 3000 million people every year.

Compared with the railway station in Qi State, Tianjin's railway station is naturally much larger, and because of the uncertainty of Qi State's future population, even the largest Xijingdong Railway Station can accommodate only 500 million people per year.

"Decades from now, I hope Qi will have a train station like this."

After getting on the train, sitting by the window, watching the train gradually leaving Tianjin Railway Station, Jin Xuan couldn't help but encourage himself.

Qi State is naturally capable of building such a railway station, but whether there will be so many passengers after it is built is a problem.

To have the flow of people at Tianjin Railway Station, the population of Qi must be at least 5000 million.

Jin Xuan was thinking about the future, and the sound of the "bang chi bang chi" train and the occasional siren made Jin Xuan stare out the window in a daze for a long time.

From Tianjin to Beijing, the scenery along the way is not so beautiful.

The parched land speaks of the drought suffered by this land.

In this land, compared to the time when Jin Xuan left, it can be described as sparsely populated.

"What is the population of Beizhili right now?"

Jin Xuan couldn't bear to ask about the principal who accompanied the Ministry of Rites of the Ming Dynasty, and the principal bowed and replied: "About 560 million people, which is 200 million less than when Jin Changshi went to Qi."

The population of Beizhili has decreased by a quarter, which makes Jin Xuan understand why Beizhili is so "sparsely populated".

He no longer asked, but looked at the drought outside the window on the train, feeling a little sad in his heart.

The people and officials of Qi State are living so well that they have forgotten that the people of Daming are still in dire straits.

"Chang Shi, how are the people of Qi State doing now?"

The head of the Ministry of Rites asked about Jin Xuan, and Jin Xuan looked at him, only to see that his eyes were full of curiosity.

"Qi country..."

Jin Xuan said these three words as if sighing, and then talked about the current living conditions of the people of Qi State.

Although Qi State currently only has more than 200 million mu of arable land and a population of just over [-] million, Qi State is rich in meat, so there is not much demand for grain.

The current state of Qi is advancing at a rate of more than one million mu of newly cultivated land every year, and it will reach 200 million mu of newly cultivated land every year in two years.

This is naturally slower than the increase in population.

However, the people of Qi State can still eat meat every day, eat well and be full every day.

In the future that Jin Xuan can see, he only knows that after this wave of immigration passes, if the annual number of immigrants in Qi State is less than 10, it will take ten years for Qi State to reach a well-off level of ten acres of arable land per capita.

"I will be well-off in ten years?!"

The head of the Ministry of Rites was a little surprised when he heard this. After all, he was also an official who graduated from a government school, so he naturally knew what the word "well-off" represented.

In "Social Construction" written by King Qi, countries with per capita arable land of two mu or less belong to absolute poverty, which means that it is difficult to eat.

A country with three acres of arable land per capita is a poor country, which means that it cannot take in enough other nutrients.

Countries with five acres of arable land per capita are relatively poor countries, which means that although they can consume protein, they cannot satisfy other materials such as clothing, housing, and travel.

Ten mu per capita belongs to a well-off country, which can basically meet all the material needs of daily life, except for some luxuries.

The [-] mu of arable land per capita belongs to developed countries, and the disposable income is much higher than that of poor countries.

Of course, there is another set of criteria, which is wealth and income.

People whose annual income is less than one tael are considered to be absolutely poor, two taels of silver are considered poor, three taels of silver are considered relatively poor, five taels of silver are considered well-off, and 15 taels of silver are considered developed.

Judging from the book "Social Construction" written by King Qi, the current Ming Dynasty is a relatively poor country in terms of arable land and wealth income.

As for Qi and most of the feudal states, they are in absolute poverty.

But Jin Xuan doesn't think so, because in his opinion, the price of goods in Daming is too high, and although the income of the people of Qi is low, but because the price of goods in Qi is extremely low, Qi is more like a relatively poor country, and Daming should be poor. nation.

Daming has a lot of resources, but has a larger population. It will take a long time to get rid of poverty and become rich.

Qi State has a lot of resources, a small population, and many machines. Therefore, Qi State must be at the forefront in getting rid of poverty and becoming rich.

"Hasn't Daming made a plan? For example, when will we get rid of poverty and enter a well-off society?"

Jin Xuan didn't know that Daming didn't have such a planned economy as the "Five-Year Plan", so he couldn't help but questioned his soul.

Regarding this, the head of the Ministry of Rites could only smile awkwardly: "King Qi once said that it would take at least 20 years for Ming to successfully enter a well-off society."

It seemed to be too embarrassing, so the head of the etiquette department changed the subject and said, "By the way, there are already people waiting to welcome Jin Changshi at the train station."

"Welcome me?" Hearing this, Jin Xuan thought it was his good friend Cheng De.

Therefore, his face suddenly became a little weird.

He is full of puzzlement about Chengde's actions, but he also knows that standing in his position, he is very helpless.

"Woooo-"

"We're almost at East Station."

When the train whistle sounded, Jin Xuan and the others realized that it had been so long since the two of them chatted about Qi Guo and the changes in Daming.

From early morning to afternoon, a full three hours passed in a flash.

Not long after they said that they were approaching the East Railway Station, the speed of the train gradually slowed down, and the whistle began to sound frequently.

In the end, under their watchful eyes, clusters of houses began to appear all around, instead of dry river courses and dry and cracked cultivated land.

After about 5 minutes, the train pulled into Beijing East Railway Station, which is currently the second largest railway station in Daming.

When the train stopped, Kim Hyun and the others got off the train together with many merchants engaged in trade.

Under the guard of the guards, Jin Xuan couldn't help but looked at Dongzhan.

The Han people did not stick to one form in architecture, but changed according to the change of materials.

This point, especially among the craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty, is particularly flexible.

The reason why folks build wooden houses and fences is because it is easy to obtain local materials and the cost is cheap, and palace buildings cannot escape this factor.

In the Qin, Han, Sui and Tang dynasties, the eaves protruded from the walls and the walls were pressed below the eaves. The main reason was that the walls at that time were of rammed earth structure, which could not be exposed to rain or bear weight independently, so the houses were supported by wooden frames.

In some palaces, the eaves have to be lifted out to keep the walls from the rain.

But by the Ming Dynasty, masonry technology had begun to be popularized, and it also began to step onto the folk stage.

At this time, the brick wall has begun to independently bear the load and prevent rain. Naturally, there is no need to be restricted by the frame and the roof, so the frame is embedded in the wall, and the structure has changed from a wooden structure to a brick-wood hybrid structure.

Then, craftsmen in this period began to try to make the gables (both sides of the house) taller, thus forming the "horse face wall" in the southern area of ​​later generations.

Of course, this is a step back for those who like "pure wood" aesthetics, but for the Ming Dynasty people, they preferred the gable under the brick-wood mixed structure.

The craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty had a strong ability to learn and improve, so when concrete appeared, the craftsmen also began to dare to create buildings that they did not dare to build before.

Tall palace gates, high hollows...

In other words, the craftsmen of Ming Dynasty began to enter the "stone-made" aesthetic track in the form of concrete.

The stone-made aesthetic track, of course, is the most suitable for various churches and palaces in the West. The sense of shock when entering it can be regarded as the unique aesthetics that Westerners have played with stones for 2000 years. After all, there are not so many suitable places in other places. of stone.

But it is still a detour, as long as there are materials, the craftsmen of Daming can still make aesthetic buildings that are not inferior to European stone buildings.

For example, Beijing East Railway Station is twelve feet high, and its main entrances and exits are square gates with oriental characteristics.

The twelve-foot-high space makes Beijing East Railway Station even more shocking than the Forbidden City's Huangji Hall, making people feel very small in it.

When walking out of the train station, the twelve tall square doors of nearly six feet make people feel small.

The sun shines into the interior through the square door, giving the train station a dusty smell.

"teacher……"

When Jin Xuan was still lamenting that the craftsmen of Ming Dynasty had played with the concrete, a familiar but somewhat unfamiliar voice sounded behind him.

He suddenly turned around and saw that standing in front of him was a young man of eighteen or nineteen years old, dressed in a blue round neck robe, with wheat-colored skin.

Although ten years have passed and his voice has changed due to the voice change period, Jin Xuan still recognized Zhu Ciran at first sight.

"Your Highness..."

Jin Xuan saluted subconsciously, but Zhu Ciran supported him, and said with a smile:
"There are a lot of people here, how about the teacher accompany me to a nearby restaurant for dinner?"

"Okay..." Although Jin Xuan wanted to go to see His Royal Highness King Qi after a long absence, the reunion of master and apprentice made him temporarily choose to have dinner with Zhu Ciran.

Because he knew that His Royal Highness King Qi would not be angry because of his actions.

Therefore, under the guidance of Zhu Ciran, the two got into the carriage one after the other, and then drove into the east city of Daming.

Entering Dongcheng, the large population allowed Jin Xuan to enjoy the dense population of a real capital.

Since concrete can be used in commercial buildings in Daming, the appearance of many houses in commercial streets is particularly novel, unique and colorful.

The city of Beijing was originally a city built on swampy land, so in the Ming Dynasty, its river network was quite dense.

In the city, there are many artificial rivers built by the Ministry of Industry, on which there are various boats moored by the river.

Although the city is densely populated, the transportation in the capital is very convenient. There are two-horse four-wheeled carriages that can take six people, as well as bicycles, horses, donkeys, two-wheeled carriages and other means of transportation.

In the carriage, through the glass, Jin Xuan saw the neat and clean streets of the capital, the biggest feature of which was the green trees and colorful flowers planted beside the roads and sidewalks.

These flowers, together with the flower dealers who are constantly picking and selling flowers on the road, can be said that the current Beijing city is a veritable inland garden city.

Zhu Ciran found a restaurant by the river, and it was quite quiet here.

Sitting on the third floor, looking at the numerous street scenes of Daming and pedestrians coming and going in the distance, the dense population and familiar faces, as well as the many official words coming from his ears, made Jin Xuan very happy.

"How is the development of Qi State?"

"Qi Kingdom..."

Like most people, Zhu Ciran is also very curious about the current situation of Qi State.

In this regard, Jin Xuan naturally took the trouble to introduce Zhu Ciran.

From construction to transportation, from transportation to people's livelihood, from people's livelihood to officialdom.

As soon as the two met, the conversation on Qi's situation took up half an hour.

If it wasn't for the food, Jin Xuan might have been able to talk longer.

After listening to his description of Qi Guo, Zhu Ciran couldn't help picking up a glass of wine, and took a sip with a bit of awe:
"Qi Guo... is indeed very good."

For Zhu Ciran, what he envied the most in Qi State was the new officialdom of Qi State.

Since there are no luxuries, everyone's expenses are the same, so for officials, a salary of 15 taels is enough to put an end to most ideas of corruption.

In addition, most of the officials of Qi State are mainly officials who go there voluntarily.

Many officials had already prepared that Qi State was a small town rammed into the wilderness, but after they arrived, they discovered that the situation in Qi State was not inferior to that of some prefectures and counties in Daming.

It can be said that everyone went to Qi State with the idea of ​​living a hard life in the future, but Qi State's performance exceeded their imagination.

Therefore, they in Qi State are particularly satisfied.

Once people are easily satisfied, they will naturally not think about taking extra things that do not belong to them.

"Although Qi's officials are clean and honest at the moment, there will be many corrupt people in the future, so the investigation of corruption is also the top priority of Qi's national policy."

Jin Xuan took a sip of his wine. He usually doesn't like to drink, and always feels that drinking is a waste of time, but today he saw a student he hadn't seen for a long time, and his student had already matured, which made him very happy, and he couldn't help but drank three glasses in a row.

Seeing his appearance, Zhu Ciran couldn't help but smiled and stretched out his hand to stop him:
"Teacher, don't drink too much. Don't forget to see your uncle later."

"Hehe...it's my fault." Jin Xuan shook his head with a smile, and stopped drinking.

Immediately afterwards, he put away all his smiles, and looked at Zhu Ciran seriously.

Zhu Ciran didn't show any timidity, and just let him watch.

After a long time, Jin Xuan nodded with satisfaction: "Now you can be your own, and it's not in vain for His Highness's cultivation for so many years."

"It's only limited to one side..." Zhu Ciran sighed, which made Jin Xuan see that he had suffered a lot during this period.

"Teacher, you don't know..."

Perhaps it was due to the long-lost confidant, or because he knew that Jin Xuan was safe, so Zhu Ciran confided all the anger he had suffered during this period of time.

The memorandum could not be distributed, and it was strictly enforced by the people below. Several months passed, and all the policies that came out of the East Palace had not been implemented in place.

Such a situation frustrated Zhu Ciran, who had been going smoothly all along.

Regarding this, Jin Xuan didn't interrupt or intervene, but just quietly listened to Zhu Ciran's talk.

He is clear that what Zhu Ciran needs right now is to vent, it is a feeling of powerlessness that the building is about to collapse and he can only watch helplessly.

To his East Palace, the Yanshan School is like a speeding train, while his East Palace is just an ant blocking the rails, trying to overturn the train.

If he resisted, the final result would be that the ants were crushed to death.

In such a situation, the only thing he can rely on is Uncle Qi who is in the Qi Palace.

Compared with his decree, Uncle Qi's decree was carried out without hindrance.

It can be said that although the Yanshan faction wants to decentralize power, they still dare not defy Zhu Youjian's order in the open.

The same decree, one unimpeded, one frustrated, although Zhu Ciran always knew that he was able to go smoothly because Uncle Qi was standing behind him, but when this scene actually happened, he still felt melancholy.

"I know all about His Highness's arrangements, and I can think of the general idea, but I can't understand the specifics until I meet His Highness."

After Zhu Ciran finished speaking, Jin Xuan first comforted Zhu Ciran, and then asked Zhu Ciran: "Did Your Highness send you a letter?"

"Give it off..." Zhu Ciran let out a sullen breath, and seemed to be a little more relaxed.

"Uncle Qi asked me to study hard in the East Palace, which is also the last time I can relax before I really take power, but I am still worried that this matter will not end so easily..."

Zhu Ciran spoke with a bit of worry, his frowning brows seemed to be able to pinch a fly to death.

However, facing his worries, Jin Xuan put a chopstick of meat and vegetables into his bowl: "Don't worry..."

Hearing these two words, Zhu Ciran couldn't help but look up, and Jin Xuan who was sitting opposite him had a smile on his face:
"The next thing, King Qi and us..."

　Update at [-] p.m.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)