The Great Industrial Ming Dynasty Started from Beiping

Ming Dynasty Yongle seventeenth year.

Autumn.

There are four armies in Jiaozhi Province, namely Lang Son Army, San Giang Army, Chang Giang Army, and Thanh Hoa Army, totaling 50,000 troops. Among them, Jiaozhou, the provincial capital, belongs to the defense zone of Chang Giang Army. Tens of thousands of soldiers are divided into battalions to garrison important areas and important roads.

At its peak, there were more than 100,000 troops in Jiaozhi, but after all, Jiaozhi was different from other areas. It originally belonged to the Han Dynasty, and with the protection of Laos and Champa, stability was quickly restored and it was no different from the mainland.

Dragon boat racing and making rice dumplings are popular during the Dragon Boat Festival in Mainland China, and the custom in Jiaozhi is no less than that in Mainland China.

The Dusi Yamen of Jiaozhi is in Guangwei Prefecture. It manages the large and small guard posts in Jiaozhi, which has become a means for the imperial court and the government to blackmail the military attachés. The life and treatment of the soldiers before and after serving are inseparable from the management of the guard posts, so the soldiers They relied more on local governments and the imperial court.

Coupled with logistical supplies, Ming's military system has become increasingly stable.

Stability is the prerequisite for everything.

The local area is peaceful, management is convenient, people are unified, the economy is developing rapidly, and there is no need for a large number of military garrison, which reduces local expenses and plays an important role.

Rice is harvested three times a year in many areas of Jiaozhi. With the supply of technology and materials from the mainland, local food is not only self-sufficient, but also provides crucial support for the Ming Dynasty's expansion in Southeast Asia.

The chief officers of each camp are responsible for garrison and separate garrison. Zhao Hong works in the Yamen of Jiaozhou Prefecture.

Forty-year-old guerrilla generals were not uncommon in the Ming Dynasty, but the relationship between Zhao Hong's family and His Royal Highness was particularly different, and interested people had long grasped this point.

Zhao Hong's wife is the former deputy envoy of Jiaozhi Xingdu Division and the legitimate daughter of the current ambassador Huang Zhong.

When Jiaozhi was recaptured, the three commanders of Jiaozhi were appointed. The commander-in-chief was Lu Yi, and the deputy commander-in-chief was Huang Zhong. Lu Yi died of illness and Huang Zhong took charge of it. It was also Huang Zhong who took a fancy to Zhao Hong and took the initiative to marry his daughter to him. Got Zhao Hong.

So it is hard to tell whether Zhao Hong's current status is due to His Highness the Crown Prince, or the contribution of his father-in-law.

In the study.

The sunlight filtering through the glass windows made the room bright, and Zhao Hong was sitting behind his desk writing.

For a period of time, Zhao Hong was confused and confused. Finally he came to his senses and fell in love with reading and writing. He wrote down his thoughts three times a day.

I have been a soldier for half my life, starting from a young soldier.

Zhao Hong has experienced things that many people have never experienced in their lives.

Beiping, Kaiping, Daning, Liaodong, Senan, Saibei, Xiyu, Shandong, Jingcheng, and Jiaozhi have traveled no less than 100,000 miles.

"The difference between humans and animals is human thoughts, so the heart is the basis, and the heart determines one's understanding of the world, so the heart is the origin and master of the world. Only by cultivating one's own mind and self-reflection can one purify the heart, Achieve the harmonious unity of nature and the universe, and achieve the unity of knowledge and action."

The beautiful hard-pen characters are unfolded on the white paper. Each character is neatly arranged horizontally and vertically, with even gaps, making it a pleasure to read.

The word is like its person.

People who have been in contact with Zhao Hong for a long time basically like Zhao Hong. He can talk about any topic, and he can talk very comfortably. He has his own opinions, but he is not stubborn and stubborn.

"The same is true for leading troops. If the purpose is to make a fortune, even if you become a general, if your heart is not pure, your path will not be righteous, and if your path is not righteous, you will go astray. The so-called soldiers brought out of a den of raging bears will not be good soldiers. Such an army We can only fight against the wind."

Zhao Hong paused, thought for a while, and then continued writing.

"Xinxue pays attention to the cultivation of conscience and the unity of knowledge and action. It combines Confucianism and emphasizes that people are inherently good. Only when the heart is right can you get good results when you do things. Otherwise, you will be like an unscrupulous businessman. The greater the success of such businessmen, the greater the harm to society."

"The same is true for leading soldiers. No matter what the style is, as long as you love your soldiers like your own children and pay attention to benevolence, then when the situation calls for it and under orders, the soldiers can still regard death as home, because the relationship between people is complicated. , if you don’t pay attention to benevolence, you will become more and more indifferent and alienated, then why should soldiers sacrifice their lives? It’s just a few taels of silver, whose life is not life.”

"Everyone is for me, and I am for everyone. Generals do not fight for their own selfish interests, but only for justice. Under righteousness, only when people's hearts are not afraid of death can they be invincible and never give up."

"An army that pays attention to benevolence is an invincible army. Whether it is an army that relies on profit or robbery, it is just self-interest. When faced with the army of benevolence, it will be vulnerable."

As he writes this, Zhao Hong feels clear in his heart, clear in his thoughts, and has many thoughts. He feels that his heart is extremely strong and he knows his next direction.

It sounds strange.

Zhao Hong knew very well some rumors about the relationship between his family and His Highness the Crown Prince. In fact, Zhao Hong himself knew that his family only had brief contact with His Highness the Crown Prince.

Maybe it was because he was older. When he was in Peiping, Zhao Hong admired more and more some of the thoughts and speeches made by the young prince, which were in line with the truth.

Some nations rely on slaughter to become strong, while others rely on productivity.

The latter is the invincibility of the benevolent.

The reason why Chinese civilization is what it is today is because the continuous development of productivity has promoted achievements in all aspects, of which the explosion of population is only one aspect, although the explosion of population has brought about the strength of the army.

But by reversing cause and effect, we fail to understand the truth.

Productivity is everything, even in the era of agricultural civilization before the prince introduced the industrialization theory.

After get off work, Zhao Hong went home as usual.

Having dinner with his wife and children at home, his wife told Zhao Hong that his father-in-law wanted to see him.

The next day, Zhao Hong took leave and went to Guangwei Prefecture.

The railway to Jiaozhi has been opened to traffic, and there is a railway between Guangwei Prefecture and Jiaozhou Prefecture. Zhao Hong brought a few of his own soldiers, dressed in casual clothes like ordinary passengers, and arrived in an hour or two.

Huang Zhong's sons were in the capital and warmly received his son-in-law.

He could see that his son-in-law was very capable. Although he was just a guerrilla general at the moment, Huang Zhong believed that as long as his son-in-law was given a chance, he would surely rise to the top.

"My time in Cochin is numbered."

Zhao Hong was not surprised when he heard his father-in-law's words.

He is a general leading troops, and his father-in-law is the top leader of the local capital. The court will not let such a situation go. If Zhao Hong has selfish motives, he will be very dissatisfied when he learns this news.

Zhao Hong had no selfish motives, so he felt that this should have been the case.

Seeing his son-in-law's face, Huang Zhong secretly sighed that he felt ashamed. In fact, he was dissatisfied. Their son-in-law had a lot of power in Jiaozhi. Instead, he went back to the mainland. Even though he was promoted, his power was not as good as it is now.

"When will my father-in-law leave Cochin? How will the court arrange it? My son-in-law has not been back to his hometown for a long time." Zhao Hong thought for a while and suggested: "It is better for my son-in-law to take a long leave and take his wife to accompany his father-in-law back home."

Huang Zhong shook his hand and looked serious.

"I heard that Ping An is sick and can't get out of bed."

Zhao Hong was stunned.

"The situation over there is very unstable. We need someone who understands the local situation and preferably can adapt to the local climate. I'm afraid it will be difficult for the court to find such a person in a short time. It will inevitably choose an emergency person from Nanyang. After much thought, , you have a great chance.”

Zhao Hong did not shirk the blame, but began to think seriously.

The situation in Myanmar's Xuanwei Division would be simple if it were a head-on battle. Unfortunately, the local geographical environment is complex, with mountains and forests, and extremely many tribes. It is more than ten times more complicated than Laos. This is why the Laos Xuanwei Division has been able to stabilize it for many years. main reason.

In addition to the chaotic forces surrounding the Xuanwei Division in Myanmar, in order to ensure the smooth construction of the Nanyang Railway, the imperial court left a lot of troops in the Xuanwei Division in Myanmar in recent years, but small-scale riots continued.

As for Ping An, since the father-in-law has revealed the news, it can be seen that it is difficult to recover from the illness.

"At this time, there is news that I am asked to return to the capital. I am 80% sure that the court will probably use you. You must seize this opportunity. If you perform well this time, then you will really come to the stage. Yes."

Huang Zhong looked expectantly.

Zhao Hong has no family behind him, only an opera-singing mother and younger brother. Zhao Hong can only rely on the Huang family. The higher Zhao Hong climbs now, the more help his children will receive in the future.

Zhao Hong knew what his father-in-law wanted, but Zhao Hong did not express his position.

If the court uses you, you have a clear conscience; if the court does not use you, you have no regrets.

Zhao Hong also hopes to lead the army to contribute to the Ming Dynasty, but, as the young prince said back then, nothing can be excessive, and the same is true for his own expectations. If it is too much, he will get carried away and be controlled by interests.

as predicted.

Another month later, Ping An couldn't bear the illness and died in the Xuanwei Department of Myanmar. The local situation immediately became chaotic, and even a railway engineering team was attacked by unknown forces.

Huang Zhong received the official transfer document from the imperial court, and Zhao Hong was also ordered to go to Myanmar's Xuanwei Department to take charge of the overall situation of the army.

Zhao Hong ordered 3,000 soldiers to go to the Propaganda Division in Myanmar. There were tens of thousands of troops there. It was important to control the morale of the troops. 3,000 soldiers were enough.

There are two options from Jiaozhi to Myanmar, one is by sea and the other is by land.

To take the land route, you need to pass through Laos Xuanwei Si and 800 Damian.

Traveling by sea and land requires a detour from Malacca, which is too time-consuming, but the Lao Xuanwei Division is okay. 800 Burmese need to walk on two legs, and the local situation is complicated. Three thousand troops have to rush and be prepared for enemy attacks. It is not easy. If you are ambushed and defeated, you will suffer a big loss.

But Zhao Hong chose land.

Because land is faster, as for the risks, Zhao Hong believes in his soldiers.

Three thousand soldiers carried dry food and weapons and took the railway through the Xuanwei Division in Laos. They received the last supplies at the border of the Xuanwei Division in Laos before entering the Xuanwei Division in 800 Damian.

Without dealing with the local tribes, the entire army marched quickly at Zhao Hong's request.

The roads were not smooth and there were many mosquitoes. The soldiers were tired and bored from marching long distances. An ordinary army would have complained a lot. Zhao Hong and the soldiers hurried on together, and the army was quiet.

There was only the sound of walking in the woods, not even the sound of conversation.

Everyone seems like a robot.

"Are they still human?"

A few natives watched quietly in the dark. The more they watched, the more incredible it became. Even they couldn't do it. With such hard work, everyone could remain silent and drink water without making a sound.

"Where is this army?" "Coming from the direction of Laos. When did Laos have such an army?"

"They are flying the flag of the Ming Army. How could they be from Laos? They should be from Jiaozhi."

"How did Cochin's army get to us?"

"Would you like to come up and say hello?"

The leader shook his head and said, "Forget it. Judging from the fact that they are in a hurry, just pretend you didn't see them." Several people returned and passed the news to the tribe, and the leader of the tribe was not too troublesome.

There was no drawing of silver, and no unnecessary movements. Zhao Hong gave the order, and the soldiers in the army had excellent military discipline.

In the end, this army was not attacked and successfully entered the Myanmar Propaganda Department.

After Zhao Hong arrived at the Propaganda Department of Myanmar, the first thing he did was summon the generals of various ministries, and then inspect the armies of each ministry. He judged the strength and morale of each army based on only brief contact and communication.

Then they gathered local soldiers, killed chickens and pigs to reward them, and used the local soldiers as guides to explore the surrounding situation.

Based on this, he quickly ordered various combat plans.

The first thing to do is to find out the culprit who attacked the Railway Engineering Department. Just like in the Western Region back then, starting from the attack point and expanding outward, all tribes need to confess who they think is the murderer and then compare them one by one.

The tribe did not admit the culprit, or did not know how to shirk the blame. Zhao Hong did not show the slightest courtesy and directly ordered the suppression of the rebellion.

Hand grenades have become mature military weapons. Combined with the Tiger Crouching Cannon and the situation control of each department, no force can stop the Ming army's attack, and the cottage has no effect in front of the Tiger Crouching Cannon.

After questioning one by one, the culprit was soon found.

All ministries need to send troops, and the Ming army is responsible for suppressing the formation.

This set of practices will feel very familiar to those who participated in the Western Expedition.

The culprit's tribe was crushed, and the Ming army showed strong force. The tribal leaders looked ugly. At this time, Zhao Hong entertained the leaders again, toasted to each leader cordially, and enthusiastically praised their achievements. .

"Everyone's merits will be reported to the imperial court by this general."

Hearing Zhao Hong's assurance, the leaders couldn't help but smile, "General Zhao will testify for us. Our loyalty to the previous dynasty can be learned from the sun and the moon."

"I believe that everyone is on their own." Zhao Hong said with a smile.

When they heard the general say that they were their own people, many of the leaders felt relieved and no longer worried. Instead of being proud, they became more respectful.

With a wave of his hand, Zhao Hong gave all the supplies collected from some of the tribes that had been pacified to the various tribes that sent troops. In addition, Zhao Hong changed his harsh attitude in the past, and it seemed that all the tribes were happy overnight.

The combination of pulling and beating, kindness and power, achieved good results.

The situation in Myanmar's Xuanwei Division has been completely stable in just three months, but the disobedient tribes in the Eight Hundred Burma are still determined to invade Myanmar's Xuanwei Division to expand their territory. Zhao Hong is not polite.

Bring the tribal soldiers who have completely supported the Ming Dynasty and jointly counterattack into 800 Damian.

With these soldiers clearing the way, the Ming army only needs to contribute at critical times, and the advantages of the Ming army can be maximized. On the other hand, the mopping up of mountains and forests and the encirclement and suppression of guerrillas are left to the soldiers.

It's nothing more than asserting one's power, integrating resources, and learning from each other's strengths to offset weaknesses. It's easier said than done. Many people don't even understand this, let alone achieve the level of Zhao Hong.

The ability to establish a powerful force is inseparable from the Ming army's force, and whether the army can fight is inseparable from the generals' talents.

By the end of the year, the managers of the Railway Engineering Department discovered that not only the railway construction project of the Myanmar Xuanwei Department was smoothing out, but even the eight hundred Myanmar Xuanwei Department had no resistance from previous years.

No one comes to the construction site to ask for food and supplies. In the past, when faced with such a situation, in order to avoid trouble, the engineering department would give some things to the other party.

After several months of war, Zhao Hong gradually became stricter in managing the obedient tribes, just like boiling a frog in warm water. He asked for a small thing today and a small thing tomorrow. The Ming Dynasty's rules were implemented unconsciously.

Ming businessmen were also surprised to find that various ministries began to reason.

The merchants have abundant goods. The least thing they fear is the unreasonableness of the natives. The most fearful thing is the unreasonableness of the natives. Faced with such an environment, every merchant is very happy and praises General Zhao Hong again and again.

The goods of the Ming Dynasty were not only circulated in the Ministry of Cooking, but also throughout Myanmar, and even in the 800 Damian Xuanwei Department.

The benefits of Ming products were discovered by the indigenous people and became their daily life. The indigenous people could no longer live without Ming products. With demand, the power of food stamps emerged.

The merchants of the Ming Dynasty held up the food stamps in their hands and became masters among the reasonable tribes. They could obtain cheap local labor and the land trade that had been unable to maintain flourished.

Pieces of land were distributed by tribal leaders to Ming merchants.

By the summer of the 18th year of Yongle, in less than a year, the local atmosphere had become completely different from before. The biggest difference was that the indigenous people were reasonable.

This is education.

The education was deeply rooted in people's hearts, and the culture of Ming Dynasty began to penetrate into all aspects.

The indigenous leaders understood the truth. They obtained supplies from the Ming merchants, and this land belonged to the Ming merchants. The economic estates they established there belonged to them, not the leaders anymore.

In short, private property rights were born.

It is often said that only the East had land annexation in ancient times, but not the West. Therefore, some people say that the West was more civilized in ancient times.

The prerequisite for land annexation is private property.

Only when the common people have their own land can they engage in trade. Through trade, it is concentrated in the hands of a few people. If the common people do not have land in their hands, how can land be annexed?

In ancient times in the West, the land belonged to the nobility, not the common people. The common people were the property of the aristocrats. Just like in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period in China, the land and everything on the land belonged to the aristocrats. The common people who left the aristocracy and hid in the swamps were savages.

So naturally there was no land annexation in ancient times in the West.

Everything has pros and cons.

The level of civilization of Goryeo was higher than that of the natives, so their land was annexed by Ming merchants. On the contrary, the tribes of Nanyang, especially the Eight Hundred Burmese and the Burmese Xuanweisi, were not very barbaric tribes, but they were not more civilized. Kingdom, on the contrary, prevented the phenomenon of land annexation.

But it can't be said to be better, because the people in the tribe are slaves. They have no choice but to live a life of exploitation. However, the people in the agricultural era may live a prosperous or miserable life. It is the economic productivity. And the distribution of materials is determined by the limitations of the times.

What the court saw was Zhao Hong's ability.

It only took Zhao Hong one year to achieve a better situation than Ping'an. Ping'an could indeed fight, but it was indeed not as good as Zhao Hong in terms of overall situation. Such a general was highly recognized by the court.

The Ming Dynasty's territory was too large and there were many generals capable of fighting, but what the Ming Dynasty needed was stability.

Generals who can bring stability to the Ming Dynasty and achieve the goals of the court are the talents that the court urgently needs. Not to mention that Zhao Hong has been "obedient" for many years and has not shown any desire for power.

Following the three generals in the west, Zhao An, Jiang Gui, and Ren Li, another general star rose in the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Gaochi smiled extremely happily.

Unlike Zhao An, Jiang Gui, and Ren Li, these three are already famous talents in history, but Zhao Hong grew up under the system he created, which gave Zhu Gaochi a sense of accomplishment.

Xu Ning felt His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's joy and couldn't help but smile too.

Zhu Gaochi finally put away his smile and pulled Xu Ning affectionately.

The two walked side by side in the imperial garden.

"Xu Ning."

"The minister is here."

"The Ministry of Railway Engineering is too big. Many ministers in the imperial court have been impeached. There are too many calls to split the Ministry of Railway Engineering. What do you think about this?" Zhu Gaochi asked with emotion.

Counting eunuchs and other workers in the Railway Engineering Department, the number of direct workers is as high as several million.

With its own schools, canteens, shops, residential areas, and management, it is completely a country. The Ming Dynasty's Railway Engineering Department can actually destroy other countries.

Although the Railway Engineering Department has been split into many departments, and there are even Railway Engineering Departments with different names, in fact they are still united and belong to a whole.

At first, Zhu Gaochi didn't care. No matter how big the racket was, it was internal circulation, and the economic expenses were secondary. However, facing the fierce reaction of the court, Zhu Gaochi had to take it seriously.

After all, this is the beginning of the fifteenth century, and the human environment is different from that of later generations.

Xu Ning is good, but what about the future?

Xu Ning did not hesitate and said directly: "Everything is based on the wishes of His Highness the Crown Prince."

Zhu Gaochi was not surprised by Xu Ning's answer.

Xu Ning also sincerely feels the same way.

What virtues and abilities does he have? A poor boy's achievements today are all due to the prince's emphasis on promotion. Xu Ning has only had eyes for the prince for many years. If the prince thinks that the Railway Engineering Department should be completely split, Xu Ning will have no objection.

Xu Ning's status and identity, as well as the power he controls, can be said to be no less than that of a cabinet minister. However, currently he is only given the third-grade rank. Although it is not low, it should not be so.

However, Xu Ning's prestige in the Ministry of Railway Engineering was too high. He had managed the Ministry of Railway Engineering without moving for decades. If Xu Ning was given the status of a second-rank official, no court minister would agree.

Zhu Gaochi nodded and turned around to approve the cabinet's memorial.

The Ministry of Railway Engineering was officially split into separate branches.

Northern Railway Engineering Department, Southern Railway Engineering Department, Western Railway Engineering Department, Overseas Railway Engineering Department, Nanyang Railway Engineering Department, the five major railway engineering departments belong to the Ministry of Industry, and they are all at the third grade level.

The Sixth Department is a yamen of the second rank. After the Railway Engineering Department was split from the third rank, although it was reduced to the third rank, splitting it into five is not considered suppression.

After the Nanyang Railway Engineering Department was established, the first thing it did was to strengthen the exploration of the New World.

The construction of the Nanyang Railway is inseparable from massive rail tracks, and the smelting of iron is inseparable from coal. The popularization and use of steam engines in Nanyang has led to an increasing demand for coal, and there is an urgent need for resource supply places for economic circulation. (End of chapter)