Daming Jingtai: I am the eternal benevolent king

Chapter 431: Treating all things as stupid dogs, fighting for power without caring about the common people

Bohai Bay tourism focuses on feelings.

In recent years, the people have become richer, and the memory of the ocean among the people in the cities along the Bohai Bay must be deeply rooted in their genes.

When the ocean is about to be filled, the hometown will change drastically, which will definitely attract groups of tourists to return to the hometown to record their childhood memories.

Emotional cards never go out of style.

Especially for the older generation who have lived through hard times, they cherish the sweetness of the present and the hard times even more.

They are different from young people. Young people do not have much feelings about nostalgia. Instead, they are at home everywhere. Wherever there are job opportunities, there is home. Wherever family is, there is home.

But the elderly are different. They have a strong sense of nostalgia.

It is difficult to move, so they are forced to work in the city. They come out to work for their children to get married, to buy a house, and for their children and grandchildren to live a good life.

They experienced Jingtai's difficulties eight years ago and Jingtai's glory twelve years later. They caught up with the best of times and the worst of times.

Their thinking cannot keep up with the latest trends.

They can't stand the fast pace of life.

They are also the most nostalgic generation, a generation full of memories.

However, when they enter old age, they cannot return to their hometown and die quietly in their hometown.

They want to stay in the city to coax their sons and daughters; they want to stay in the city, because their children are worried about them returning to their hometown; they want to stay in the city, because returning to their hometown means that their children are not filial, and they cannot bear to let their children bear the stigma.

And their hometown will continue to be beautified in their memories.

The feeling of homesickness lingers in my heart like a hundred claws scratching my heart.

When you hear that your hometown is going to be relocated, your homesickness will collapse in an instant, and going home is impossible. Then buy a ticket, travel home, and take another look at your hometown.

But young people cannot understand this feeling.

Only when they grow old will they realize how nice their home is, and their home is in the city. The buildings in the city always lack a bit of memory and a bit of nostalgia.

Playing the emotional card never goes out of style.

The core of tourism is curiosity and emotion.

Bohai Bay tourism accounts for both.

Zhu Houyong saw nothing in Dalian and took a boat directly to Pyongyang.

Pyongyang is also a super city with a population of 2100 million, with a population of million. It is the population center of the entire northern North Korea.

North Korea has three major cities, Pyongyang, Seoul and Busan.

Among them, Pyongyang is the least distinctive.

North Korea's chief envoy has been thinking a lot. If he wants to develop tourism in Pyongyang, he cannot compare with Dalian, Seoul, or even Changchun in the north.

As for the characteristics of the Korean ethnic group, don’t be ridiculous. There is no such characteristic in North Korea. Do you have to come to Pyongyang?

The key is that prices in Pyongyang are extremely high, and prices in Northeast China are the highest.

Prices here are high, mainly due to the high shipping costs.

Pyongyang is not close to the sea, but it is not far from the sea. North Korea can barely farm, but it cannot feed Pyongyang's 20 million people.

All daily necessities in Pyongyang must be imported from Heiji.

There is sea in Jilin, so ships must either stop at Wonsan Port or go around the entire Korean Peninsula and stop at Pyongyang Port. The freight is indeed high.

Another point is that Pyongyang is unreliable.

There are no big cities in the north and south of Pyongyang, and they are far away from Shenyang, Dalian, and Seoul, making it impossible to form a city agglomeration and help each other.

Also, Pyongyang became a big city because of political reasons and the support of the imperial court.

Because fifty years before Jingtai, the population of North Korea was all moving south. There were too many people in Seoul, Busan, and Chuncheon. The entire north of North Korea was empty, and the population was highly densely concentrated in the south.

The terrain in the south is harsher than in the north.

North Korea is a rotten land. The north is particularly rotten, and the south is extremely rotten.

So the ancient Central Plains dynasty really looked down upon this place and really didn’t want it.

Otherwise, how could Datang not want it? In the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were records attached to North Korea's requests, and they were all rejected without exception.

The terrain of North Korea is similar to Guizhou, with hills and ravines, no good place, no grain harvesting for farming, and no grassland for grazing.

At the limit of the local geographical environment, it can feed a maximum of 20 million people without eating meat.

If you eat meat, it will only be three to four million.

It's the limit.

North Korea in the Jingtai Dynasty ate Northeastern food. The reason why the south was prosperous was because it was close to the Northeast. Starting from the seaport in Jilin, there was no need to go around the entire peninsula, which saved shipping costs.

Another point is that the capital of North Korea is in Seoul, which has natural advantages. Secondly, the climate and environment are better.

Fifty years after Jingtai, the imperial court focused its resources on the development of Pyongyang.

In fifteen years, Chuncheon's population dropped rapidly, Seoul's population dropped from 2700 million to 2300 million, and Busan's population dropped from 2600 million to 2000 million.

The northward flow of population is also to protect North Korean land and prevent desertification of the south-facing land.

Alleviating the serious population shortage in the north.

Therefore, prices in Pyongyang are extremely high, and the imperial court would rather pay for it than allow the population to flow south.

Balanced development is the main tone of Jingtai Dynasty.

After Zhu Jianji Bingzheng, he was consistent in this regard.

A box lunch in Pyongyang can be sold for 60 yuan. In an era when the per capita salary is 3000 yuan, who dares to believe that it can be sold for 60 yuan?
This is the general price.

How about the capital? The entire Beizhili has a population of 1.7 million. How prosperous it is. Every inch of land is precious. A box lunch only costs 15 yuan.

Prices are lowest in Northeast China, with a box lunch in Changchun at 6 yuan, Harbin at 7 yuan, Vladivostok at 6 yuan, Shenyang at 6 yuan, Dalian at 7 yuan, and Seoul at 8 yuan.

It’s more expensive than Pyongyang!

It was so expensive that he vomited blood. Zhu Houying bought a few portions, opened them and ate them in one bite.

"Is this sixty?"

Even Zhu Houyong felt that he was robbing money. As the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he felt that it was expensive.

The key point is that the taste is not bad, it smells like toilet paper.

This is the cheapest lunch box with the lowest price, so it’s normal that it doesn’t taste good.

He asked people to go to a better restaurant to buy it.

When the price list came back, Zhu Houying was stunned. A small bowl of food was 108. With this amount, one person would have to eat three bowls.

"No wonder people here are so thin. It turns out they are hungry."

Zhu Houyong discovered that people in Pyongyang are very thin and stylish. He thought that local people were willing to exercise, but now he realized that they were mean.

He asked his attendants to investigate private prices.

As a result, he was really stunned.

A pound of spinach is RMB 17, a cabbage is RMB 44, a pound of rapeseed is RMB 16, a pound of cantaloupe is RMB 70...

"Is this the Ming Dynasty?"

Zhu Houyong was stunned. His attendants went to several vegetable markets, and the prices were almost the same.

After asking local people, they also said that Chinese cabbage is cheap. Last month, Chinese cabbage cost 50 yuan. At the peak, the price of Chinese cabbage increased to 70 yuan per pound. Who dares to believe it?
Zhu Houying loves to eat cabbage. He knows that cabbage costs 10 cents per catty in autumn in Beizhili. After the autumn vegetable storage period, the price will drop. In the spring, when it is the most expensive, it only costs 50 cents per catty, which is already very expensive.

The cheapest place for Chinese cabbage is in the Northeast.

Jilin cabbage costs five cents when stored in autumn. The most expensive spring cabbage is only ten cents per catty. The price in Heilongjiang is similar. It is slightly more expensive in Liaoning, but not more than two cents.

Chinese cabbage is the most important winter vegetable in the north. It is the only source of vitamin supplements in winter and is what every household eats every day in winter.

Because the planting period is short, in the Northeast, an additional round of planting will be done after the grain harvest, which will mature in two to three months and be harvested when the freeze is approaching.

So, the price is really low, Pyongyang is surprisingly expensive, but it can’t be 70 yuan, right? What a money grab.

No wonder people here regard spicy cabbage as a high-end meal.

In the Northeast, every household is tired of eating spicy cabbage.

"Why is it so expensive?" he asked the Pyongyang governor.

"The freight is high. Vegetables are not easy to store. On the basis that the use of chemicals meets the standards, the storage cost is very high. In addition, it has to be transported from Jilin, and the price has doubled several times."

"Even if it is doubled ten times, it is only 70 cents per pound, how can it become yuan?" Zhu Houzhen didn't believe it was a freight issue.

"Don't disturb me for a thousand years."

"70 yuan is the highest price, and the average price here is between 40 yuan and 50 yuan."

"I'll let you settle the account."

"For Jilin cabbage, the shipping cost for this distance from the origin to the port is one yuan per catty, and the loading and unloading labor costs three yuan."

"The ship leaves the port and docks at Pyongyang Port. The freight is two yuan, which is not high."

"To transport goods from Pyongyang Port to Pyongyang, sea ships must be converted into river ships for transportation. The loading and unloading fee is 3 yuan and the freight is 1 yuan."

"The loss caused by repeated loading and unloading of goods can be as high as 1 yuan."

"The cabbage from Jilin costs 11.5 cents per pound. Not counting the profits of various dealers, the cost is cents."

"The profit from several dealers' resale is three and a half yuan, which is not high, so the cost is 15 yuan."

"Moreover, the imperial court attaches great importance to food safety and strictly controls the dosage of medicines. Chinese cabbage cannot be medicated, and storage is extremely difficult."

"The cost of a kilogram of storage is at least 5 yuan."

"Add the cost of medication, transportation cost, and one yuan per kilogram, and it's 21 yuan."

"The owner of the wholesale market must earn at least two yuan per catty, because there are losses, such as when the cabbage dries and the water evaporates off the scale, so even if you earn two yuan, there is no profit."

"The cost has risen to 23 yuan. Adding 1 yuan to the cost of packaging at all levels makes it 24 yuan."

"Vegetarians can only make a profit if their gross profit reaches 50%. Because they are the last ones, they cannot sell, the vegetables are picked to pieces, stall fees, labor costs, storage fees and other costs, the net profit is already very low. ”

"So, a pound of cabbage sells for 44 yuan. This is because the court subsidized it. Otherwise, it would have to sell for 48 yuan or even 50 yuan before the entire industry chain could make a profit."

The governor of Pyongyang said truthfully: "You want to say why prices in Seoul are low?"

“Because cabbage is grown around Seoul, the price is low.”

"You can't grow cabbage in Pyongyang. It's surrounded by mountains. We don't do planting, we do animal husbandry."

"You will know when you go to Seoul. The price of meat in Pyongyang is lower than in Seoul."

“Fresh fruits and vegetables are relatively expensive in Pyongyang.”

"Meat is relatively expensive in Seoul."

Zhu Houying always felt that he had been deceived.

This account doesn't seem to be calculated this way.

Prices in Seoul are low, prices in Busan are even lower, but Pyongyang is raised by a stepmother?

In fact, the Pyongyang prefect did not dare to say that Pyongyang has a tax called the return tax. This tax is not collected per capita, but is a tax collected from top merchants.

For example, if you do not collect tax from vegetable vendors, but you will collect tax from wholesale vegetables, this must be kept strictly confidential.

This tax is huge.

The main reason is that the funds used to build Pyongyang and the allocation of resources to allow the population to return have been passed on to every citizen working in Pyongyang.

The imperial court has an account. The resources spent on Pyongyang amount to about 20 billion yuan, and the construction costs and miscellaneous expenses are about 2 billion yuan.

This money will always be paid back.

This is why we set up this return tax.

Only Pyongyang collects this tax.

Therefore, prices in Pyongyang are extremely high, outrageously high.

But no matter who does the calculation, the prefect's account is very reasonable. People have also said, don't compare it with Seoul. Seoul's meat is expensive, but our Pyongyang meat is cheap.

It’s true, the price of meat in Pyongyang is cheap, but the difference is only one yuan!

Meat price in Pyongyang: chicken 6 yuan, duck 4 yuan, pork 11 yuan, beef and mutton 27 yuan, donkey and horse meat 35 yuan, milk 6 yuan per pound, eggs 3 yuan per pound.

This is wrong.

The north of Pyongyang is full of pastures, and transportation costs are relatively low. Road transportation and freight transportation are all possible, and the cost is not high.

Seoul is different. It relies on northern North Korea to supply meat.
Transportation costs are much higher than in Pyongyang.

It is true that the price of meat in Pyongyang is low, but it is only one yuan lower, so it is nothing short of low.

Wait, the price of meat is indeed low, but the price of milk and eggs is high. There is something wrong with this.

Oh, the price of meat was one yuan lower, but I got it back in the price of eggs and milk. You really know how to settle accounts.

The prefect of Pyongyang settled another account for Zhu Hooyong.

From shipping costs to labor costs, each company's profits were calculated in detail. Zhu Houxing listened carefully and nodded.

Suddenly, he felt that he had been deceived again: "Your name is Zeng Mian? Jinshi in the 60th year of Jingtai?"

"It's Wei Chen."

At the age of twenty, Zeng Mian was ranked Jinshi and seventeenth in the second list of high school.

After observing politics for a year at the Central Committee, he took the initiative to work locally, starting as a section chief, and was promoted repeatedly. At a young age, he took charge of a large city, became the prefect of Pyongyang, and concurrently served as the mayor of Pyongyang.

Zhu Houying looked at him: "I will remember you."

"Thank you Qiansui for keeping it in mind." Zeng Mian was also interested. If it were another official, he would just say the return tax and that would be it, but he didn't say it.

Zhu Houying told him to get lost and was angry.

For several days, he sent people to visit, but could not solve the mystery of Pyongyang's extremely high prices.

Why has the Center remained silent these years?

It seems that they don’t know about the extremely high prices in Pyongyang, or they are deliberately turning a blind eye.

There must be something evil here.

He investigated the local chronicles in detail and found that prices in Pyongyang became extremely high starting from the 56th year of Jingtai. Fifty years before Jingtai, it was just a small city. The old emperor drew a circle, and then the city became Rise up.

By the 56th year of Jingtai, the population officially exceeded 20 million, and prices began to skyrocket.

In the meantime, the people of Pyongyang also had troubles and lost population.

The court issued some subsidies, but they were of little use.

Later, the people of Pyongyang accepted their fate and stopped making trouble.

Zhu Houyong discovered an interesting phenomenon. With such extremely high prices, housing prices in Pyongyang are actually much lower than those in Seoul. It is the city with the lowest housing prices among cities of the same level in the country.

This is interesting.

With the high consumption here, housing prices should rise accordingly.

What's even more strange is that the profits of street vendors are similar to what Zeng Xian said, not too high, so the money earned by vendors and part-time workers is about the same.

Over the years, some people have left Pyongyang, and some have returned to Pyongyang.

Because housing prices in Seoul have been rising year after year.

As of this year, the house price in a good location in Seoul has reached 3500 yuan per square foot, while the house price in a good location in Pyongyang is only 2000 yuan.

Since the 65th anniversary of Jingtai, housing prices in Seoul have skyrocketed year after year, but not in Pyongyang. They have remained stable and at most outperformed inflation.

So, some people come back.

Prices in Seoul are very affordable, but housing prices are so exorbitant.

Prices in Pyongyang are high, but housing prices are really affordable.

Zhu Hooyong decided to go to cities near Pyongyang to have a look.

However, on the ninth day of October in the 7.6th year of Jingtai's reign, a major earthquake occurred in Shenghu near Pyongyang, estimated to be around magnitude.

When the earthquake occurred, the entire Shenghu Lake was cut off from all contact with the outside world.

Zhu Hooyong was still in Pyongyang at the time of the earthquake, and the earthquake was extremely strong in Pyongyang. There were also incidents of cracks in bridges and collapse of buildings.

But the phone lines stayed open.

After receiving news of the earthquake, the central government immediately organized rescue operations.

Zhu Jianzhen personally called Zhu Houyong and asked him to take charge of Shenghu and follow the people of Shenghu to overcome difficulties.

At the same time, Liu Daxia, the chief minister of the cabinet, immediately set off to take up residence in Shenghu.

Zhu Houyong definitely didn't want to go. He was also worried about aftershocks. If it collapsed again just after he arrived, he would be out of luck.

So he walked slowly towards Shenghu Lake.

What he didn't expect was that Zeng Xian, the governor of Pyongyang Prefecture, rode his bicycle to Shenghu to take charge and personally organized the rescue.

He always thought that Zeng Mian was a corrupt criminal and that the extremely high prices in Pyongyang were related to him. However, he did not expect that Zeng Mian actually took the lead and dared to go to the disaster area to take charge.

You must know that the emotions of disaster-stricken victims can be unstable. If they are not handled well, if a civil commotion occurs, the central government will anger officials. This is a thankless thing.

Correspondingly, a major disaster means great relief and an opportunity to make a fortune.

It's a little better these days. The emperor doesn't have to issue edicts to sin against himself. The Jingtai Dynasty is getting rid of superstitions. The idea of ​​the divine right of kings has long been swept into the trash.

The divine right of kings can make the power of kings mysterious, but it is also linked to natural disasters, and the emperor will always issue edicts to punish himself.

Now is the time to talk about science.

When the old emperor abolished superstition, officials in the court and the central government unanimously opposed it. Because the divine right of kings was abolished, the emperor would have no legal authority. How could he rule the Ming Dynasty?

The old emperor didn't think so. He believed that rule did not depend on the legal system, but on the people's hearts. If you control the people's hearts, you can rule. If you lose the people's hearts, the dynasty will still perish if there are legal systems.

Therefore, since the thirty-fifth year of Jingtai, the imperial court has been gradually getting rid of superstition.

Nowadays, there are earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes. The emperor does not need to issue edicts to punish himself. He only needs to provide disaster relief in time.

Imperial power is no longer mysterious, but no one dares to get involved in it.

Zhu Houyong did not dare to go deep into the disaster area. Instead, he set up a tent in the open wilderness as a temporary command post.

He personally directed.

The actual commander was Zeng Mian.

He found that Zeng Mian was very talented, commanded well and properly, and handled affairs in a very orderly manner.

After staying in Shenghu for two days, volunteer teams from all over North Korea came. With sufficient manpower, the victims were quickly counted.

It is estimated that 30 people were killed, and the death toll was around 2. There are still people missing, and search and rescue efforts are currently underway. "Why are there so many?"

Zhu Houyong was shocked: "Twenty thousand people were killed in a magnitude 7 earthquake? Shenghu is just a small city with a total population of just over 600,000. How could 300,000 people be killed?"

"Chitose, it was time to get off work during the earthquake. When we were crowded on the road, if there was a sudden earthquake, there would naturally be more people affected." Magistrate Katsuko said.

"Then why are you okay?" Zhu Houying asked him.

Magistrate Shenghu was speechless.

"I'm asking you again, I'm on the road after get off work, and I don't go to bed at night. How could something happen on the road? Did the stone fall from the sky? Is it a meteorite?" Zhu Houying felt that this earthquake was not simple.

He wanted to send his attendants into the disaster area to understand the situation, but was blocked by horizontal bars. Zhu Houying could not see anything. He was obviously in Shenghu, but he was blind.

"Zeng Mian, tell me!" Zhu Houzhen put the pressure on Zeng Mian.

Zeng Mian's eyes were heavy: "What Chitose said is true, it should be investigated."

"Sir..." Magistrate Shenghu wanted to say something.

Zeng Mian waved his hand: "The chief assistant of the dynasty will arrive tomorrow. It will be more beneficial to you to find out by yourself today than if the chief assistant investigates clearly."

The magistrate of Shenghu County spread his hands and said with an innocent face: "I have been here in Shenghu for three years. There is no disadvantage. I am just worried about His Highness's safety. Since His Highness wants to investigate, then let's investigate."

Do not check, I don’t know, I’m scared.

At the time of the earthquake, just after get off work in the evening, the bridge across the river collapsed, causing thousands of people to fall into the river and drown because no one came to rescue them.

The old man at home was making dinner and was crushed to death inside before he could escape.

The most frightening thing is that the statistics of Shenghu County Magistrate are inaccurate.

Moreover, after the accident, there was no timely rescue at Shenghu. Public officials fled without caring about the safety of the people. During the subsequent rescue, they tried their best to cover up the facts.

The attendants sent out by Zhu Houyong were unable to learn in detail. For example, the communities that were severely affected by the disaster were blocked by the rescue team and were not allowed to enter. They could not see the people in the disaster area.

Most of the information collected was hearsay and folk rumors.

However, Zhu Houying's eyes were visibly red.

"Ms. Zeng, is your Pyongyang government all a shoddy project?"

Zhu Hooyong said in a solemn tone: "Your Majesty attaches great importance to the quality of the project, and the court has strict decrees and it is clearly marked in the law. The building must be able to withstand an earthquake of magnitude 8 or above."

"Bridges collapsed, train stations collapsed, buildings collapsed, and trains derailed. Are these projects really qualified?"

"Zeng Mian, what do you do as a prefect?"

Zeng Xian also didn't expect that things would develop to this point.

In fact, the old emperor's words were good and his policies were good, but they were not implemented by the local government.

Building materials that can withstand a magnitude 8 earthquake are expensive. If you want to afford them, it means rising housing prices.

But in order to recover the lost tax, housing prices in Pyongyang must be kept low, otherwise the population will disappear. You get what you pay for, and good things are of course more expensive.

"Why don't you say anything!" Zhu Houying was very angry.

When something goes wrong, instead of solving the problem, they cover up the facts and escape accountability from the superiors. This is the attitude of Ming officials!

No wonder the old emperor was dissatisfied with the place.

It’s a place like this that needs to be killed!

"I don't know!" Zeng Mian would never take the blame. This matter had nothing to do with him.

"You didn't know? Did you know during the rescue? How many people were still alive in those collapsed buildings?" Zhu Houying asked.

Zeng Mian didn't answer.

During disaster relief, it is more cost-effective for one person to die than to live.

If one dies, the court will issue a subsidy. This is an opportunity to take action.

But if only one person survives, the subsidy must be paid in real terms, otherwise people will cause trouble. Once the trouble becomes known to the whole world, it will be officials like them who are unlucky.

The number of dead must also be falsely reported.

Ming Law stipulates that when a force majeure natural disaster occurs, there are detailed regulations on when to rescue, how to rescue, rescue strategies, etc., and local officials are guilty as long as they violate the law.

Therefore, in order not to commit crimes, local officials will strictly follow the Ming Law.

But in this world, nothing is straightforward, and local officials need to learn and apply it. But how can the officials care about the life and death of the people? They will only stare at the buttocks of the officials above them.

As long as they are not caught or prosecuted, that is enough.

Therefore, whenever a disaster occurs, they will act in full accordance with the rules. They can obviously save people, but they may violate the Ming Law and they will never save people.

As long as something is different from what is written in the Ming Dynasty's laws, just turn a blind eye. Keeping your official title is more important than anything else.

There is another layer of benefit here.

For earthquake disasters like this, the bigger the better, the support teams from all directions come to support, the local government has to provide food and accommodation, and the account has to be reported to the central government, so how to report it is a big problem.

Another thing is donations.

I have been donating materials for the past two years, and I feel sad for all the donations.

After the disaster, the court will allocate a sum of money for reconstruction, and the water will be deeper. How to report the disaster as serious, and still let the local officials be exonerated, and preferably get commendation from the superiors, is a big question.

Anyway, this disaster is a gluttonous feast.

Zeng Xian knew all about the bad things happening in the place.

But the person in power, Zhu Houying, didn't know that he pretended to be the people at heart. It was good for such a person to be an emperor, but it was also easy to be deceived. He didn't understand the underlying logic, nor the thoughts of the officials below. .

Therefore, Zeng Mian had nothing to say to him.

"Okay, don't say anything!"

"The matter of Shenghu will be at your disadvantage at best!"

“A building collapsed in Pyongyang, how do you explain it?”

Zhu Houying was angry.

This is the place, the place that central officials dare not look at.

"Chitose, that house in Pyongyang was 47 years old. The concrete technology was not mature at that time, so it collapsed after strong aftershocks."

"There was only one death and one injury, so it was not a serious accident."

"Relevant departments in Pyongyang have solved the problem in a timely manner, properly resettled the affected people, and provided resettlement and compensation to the casualties."

Zhu Houying will make up for it here.

If no one is there, compensation will be made, but it’s hard to say when the money will arrive.

The world is as black as crows.

Zhu Houying was so angry that he didn't want to speak.

He felt that when his investigation was peaceful, everyone would be happy and let everyone see it. However, if he discovered the slightest bit of darkness, he would encounter unimaginable resistance and nothing would be seen.

He is a thousand years old when he is on false inspections, but he is a disaster star when he is really on inspections.

Zhu Houying felt helpless in his heart.

Until the afternoon, Liu Daxia arrived.

He did not question the inaction of local officials, but organized rescues, saving every one he could.

However, the rescue opportunity has been missed.

It was expected that 60,000 people would be killed and countless injured. In fact, more than 500,000 people would be affected, and almost the entire county's population would suffer varying degrees of losses.

Liu Daxia knew very well how bad the place was, especially after hearing Zhu Houyong's accusation. He just nodded lightly and did not arrest anyone.

"This veteran has understood this. You haven't had any rest for a few days. Go and rest first. Your health is important." Liu Daxia issued an order to expel the guest.

When Zhu Houying walked out of the tent, he sighed and the world was as dark as crows.

Liu Daxia called Zeng Mian over.

"Teacher, His Highness Chitose may have misunderstood you." Zeng Mian turned out to be Liu Daxia's student.

In fact, he was not his disciple. Liu Daxia was Zeng Mian's disciple, so he became one of Liu Daxia's confidants.

"It doesn't matter."

Liu Daxia didn't care: "I'm asking you, do you know that the Pyongyang Prefecture project is seriously substandard?"

Zeng Xian nodded: "I know. When the student took office, he personally investigated it and found that it was indeed unqualified."

"But this is excusable. Pyongyang has to impose a return tax and use low housing prices to attract people to live in Pyongyang, which can only reduce raw materials."

"What you don't know is that due to the central government's deliberate suppression, Pyongyang has the lowest housing prices among all megacities of the same level."

Liu Daxia knew about this.

"Not to mention the building, is the bridge also cutting corners due to cost reasons?"

Liu Daxia raised his eyebrows and asked him: "I remember that the bridge at Shenghu was built when Li Kan was the governor of North Korea. The imperial court allocated every cent, so there should be a surplus that was returned to the treasury, right?"

Zeng Mi nodded: "Teacher, I really don't know about the bridge. The students only know that the house is not up to standard."

"Also, where are the railway tracks? The railway tracks were built by King Wei (Zhu Jianlu) when he was supervising North Korea. I remember correctly, right?" Liu Daxia said.

The old Thirty-Seventh Guard King Zhu Jianlu, whose mother was a North Korean concubine, so he stayed in North Korea for four years.

"That's right, the entire railway track in North Korea was built by King Wei."

Zeng Xian replied: "The train station was also a supporting facility at that time. Although the students were prefects, railway matters were under the direct control of the North Korean Railway Branch, and the students had no control."

Railways, tobacco, oil, and electricity are all independent systems, and local officials do not interfere.

The main reason is that the court does not trust local officials. These national lifeblood or tax-backbone industries cannot be left in the hands of others. They are all directly managed by the court.

Liu Daxia narrowed his eyes: "You picked yourself up clearly."

"The students are wronged."

Zeng Mian knelt on the ground: "Teacher, the student has just arrived in Pyongyang not long ago, so he really doesn't know the twists and turns involved; besides, don't you still know what kind of character the student is?"

Liu Daxia's expression softened and he asked him to get up: "I will help you cover up this matter. As for whether you can escape the disaster, it depends on you."

"Thank you, teacher."

Zeng Mian didn't understand what Liu Daxia meant in the second half of his sentence.

During the Jingtai Dynasty, the old emperor placed the responsibility on officials. He didn't care how local officials governed. If anything went wrong, he would come to you.

Therefore, regardless of whether Zeng Mian had anything to do with it or not, he would be held accountable.

He won't be dismissed from office, but it will become a stain on his resume.

The court will also trace back to the previous officials, whether you retired or not, even if you are dead, your son will take the blame.

Liu Daxia was also depressed. As soon as he was promoted to the first assistant, he had to fight directly with Zhu Jianji, because Zhu Jianji would not give up the opportunity to criticize him.

really.

He telegraphed the center.

Zhu Jianjun scolded him and told him to investigate thoroughly.

The magistrate of Shenghu County and other officials were arrested the next day.

It is the central decree.

The imperial court sent officials to inspect the quality of Pyongyang's projects.

The substandard quality of the projects in Shenghu County caused a nationwide uproar.

Because every city's stone tablets are engraved with Ming laws and important imperial edicts. Among them is an imperial edict written by the old emperor himself, which clearly states what standards the country's projects are required to meet. The standards are so detailed that they require several screws. .

Officials from relevant departments conducted an investigation and found that more than 95% of the buildings in Pyongyang Prefecture were substandard.

Not only the buildings are unqualified, but also the dams, bridges, asphalt roads, railways and other aspects are unqualified, and there is a phenomenon of cutting corners.

The center was furious.

Zhu Jianji personally issued an imperial edict to arrest the successive prefects of Pyongyang Prefecture and all relevant personnel, as well as the director of the North Korean Railway Branch and other cadres of railway-related departments.

Immediately, the Central Committee issued another imperial edict, requiring officials across the country to conduct self-examinations to see if the quality of the projects was up to standard. If they were found to be unqualified, they would be thoroughly investigated.

The aftermath of the purge is still there, and Zhu Jianji's reputation is well known.

Zhu Jianji, who had been extremely depressed during this period, finally got rid of his depression and launched a counterattack against Liu Daxia. The battle between the prince and the emperor began.

Zeng Mian was also arrested.

As a student of Liu Daxia, he was given special care by the jailers and was the first to be tortured.

Zeng Mian felt that he was wronged. He was just a new prefect, and it was obvious that he had nothing to do with him, but he was still tortured.

What is he confessing to?

He can only hope that his teacher, Liu Daxia, can help him.

However, when he was tortured, he understood the meaning of the second half of Liu Daxia's sentence. He really had to rely on himself. If he couldn't stand it, his teacher couldn't help him. He knew that he had stepped into the whirlpool of power. He would live and die without looking at the truth. He, instead, depends on who wins and who loses in the fight above.

Liu Daxia was also very worried.

Someone spit out Li Kan, and Liu Daxia passed through Li Kan's path back then. Zhu Jianji took advantage of this and launched an attack on Liu Daxia.

Liu Daxia became passive.

His fight with Zhu Jianjian began when he sided with the old emperor.

Regardless of whether there was this earthquake or not, Zhu Jianji would have done it.

The worst thing about Liu Daxia was that instead of fighting back, he called the old emperor and made the old emperor worried.

Let their father and son bite each other, while he pretends to be pitiful.

If Liu Daxia was a loyal dog, he shouldn't bother the old emperor, but it's a pity that he is not.

When Zhu Qiyu heard about this, his face was gloomy: "It has been many years since Li Kan died. If the prince wants to whip the corpse, let him do whatever he wants."

"I issued an imperial edict in the sixteenth year of Jingtai, and again in the twenty-first year of Jingtai. It has been engraved in all cities in the world."

"Whoever dares to cut corners will be investigated and punished according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty."

"The same goes for Liu Daxia. I am bothered by this trivial matter. I tell him to rescue the disaster area properly. The people's affairs are a big deal."

"I'm going to have eye surgery again. Let him return to the center as soon as possible. I'm waiting for him."

Zhu Qiyu was protecting Liu Daxia.

Because he needs Liu Daxia to save his life.

These words reached Zhu Jianjian's ears.

His father stopped pretending at all.

Compassion? He only has mercy on himself.

How could Zhu Jianzhen let Liu Daxia go? He wanted to take the opportunity to expand it and spread it to the whole country, in the name of inspecting the project, to clear out the old emperor's party members.

Anyway, he doesn't even protect his own members, let's see if he will become disloyal this time.

But he soon discovered that he was too optimistic.

Local officials have come forward one after another to say that local projects have passed inspections.

Zeng Mianshangshu, who is in prison, said that the unqualified projects of Pyongyang Prefecture are closely related to the return tax. Because the central government had to levy this tax and attract people with low housing prices, it could only make a fuss about the quality of the projects. This matter is a local issue. It is agreed upon with the central government.

"They are all lying to me!"

Zhu Jianjian was very angry: "All the projects in the world are qualified? Then why are there cracks when there is an earthquake? Don't you know anything about it?"

"Send people to investigate, city by city, every residential building, every bridge, every dam!"

"I don't believe it. All the projects in the world are qualified? What a fool!"

But after he vented his anger.

But he discovered sadly that if he sent people to check, they would all be qualified.

Now the officials have been purged and fearful.

They all work as officials, greedy to the point of death, and enjoy to the point of death. No one knows whether they will see the sun tomorrow.

They don’t even care about local affairs.

The Jingtai Dynasty did not treat officials favorably. After Zhu Jianji returned to China, he purged the officialdom, killing tens of thousands of people, and exiled, dismissed, and retroactively over 200,000 people.

Some people are indeed corrupt, but they have made political achievements and are considered good officials by the people.

A capable corrupt official is ten thousand times better than an incompetent Qingliu.

However, Zhu Jianji didn't care about that and killed them all.

Then who will be a good official in the future?

No matter what you do, you will die. Being an official has become a high-risk profession, so you can just lie down. You can be greedy, cuddling, or playful. If you die early or late, you will die. I'm afraid of nothing.

Many officials who wanted to make political achievements have just laid low, thinking that what they had done is useless.

Zhu knew how to kill people when he saw him.

This time it broke people's hearts.

There must be bad guys and corrupt officials in the team, but generally speaking, the Ming Dynasty is still improving. After Zhu Jianji was killed like this, everyone did not want to be an official well, but thought about how to enjoy themselves and how to save their lives.

Not to mention local officials, central officials are all like this.

Enjoy one day at a time.

Even people around Zhu Jianjian are worried that one day the purge will fall on themselves.

Zhu Jianji entered a strange circle.

Let's continue to clean up, people's hearts will be freed from chaos.

Stop purging, slap yourself in the face, and Ming Dynasty will return to its original state.

But if you don't clear it up, the people below won't listen to Zhu Jianji.

Then clean it up, everyone below will lie down, and Zhu Jianji will be so angry.

Therefore, Zhu Jianji is now going forward, which is wrong, and going back, which is not possible, and going left, which is a dead end, and going right, which is a dead end.

In the past, when encountering this kind of dilemma, Zhu Jianjian would consult the old emperor for his opinion.

Now father and son are enemies.

He didn't want to see that person either.

The key person would not tell him the answer, because Zhu Jianji's current predicament was created by him.

Just when he was in a state of despair, news came that Zhu Youping had drowned!
"Boss, are you going to force me to death?" Zhu Jianjian was furious!
(End of this chapter)