I, the Ming Dynasty, can still save me

Chapter 27
"Yes, Your Majesty, it is bitterly cold in Liaodong. It is extremely expensive to transport food from the south to Liaodong by land. The consumption on the road often accounts for one-third of the food transported.

Therefore, the imperial court directly provided payment in silver, and Liaodong sergeants received the salary to purchase grain themselves. However, the food supply was small, which made the price of food in Liaodong extremely high.

For example, on the eve of the Battle of Saarhu, the price of rice in Liaodong was 3 taels per stone, four times higher than in the capital area. As of this year, it has risen to 4 taels.

The price of food was so high that the soldiers could not even eat enough, let alone fight against the strong soldiers and captives.

I heard that Xiong Tingbi also wrote to the court about this matter, saying that the Liaodong Army needed three or four cents per day to survive with men and horses, but the monthly salary and horses they received was only eight cents.

It's bitter cold in Liaodong, and I can't even eat enough with this money, let alone buy clothes to keep out the cold.This kind of hardship will lead to poor discipline among Liaodong soldiers. At the least, they will seize local folk grain cellars, and at worst, they will seize horse feed to feed themselves, causing the horses to become hungry and even starve to death.

The result of this vicious cycle is that the soldiers are unable and unwilling to fight.

The Liao people were often exploited by the soldiers, and they were dissatisfied with the imperial court. Many were bewitched by the Jianlu and fled to the Jianlu for their property. "

After Zhu Youxiao heard what he said, he already understood the pros and cons. The war was fought with logistics. The logistics of the Ming Dynasty was so rubbish that the local prices were extremely high. The soldiers did not have enough to eat every day and had no intention of fighting.

But he also had questions: Wasn't the Northeast a famous granary in later generations? There were three major black soil belts in the world and the soil was fertile. Why wasn't grain grown?
So he thought for a moment and then asked:
"I understand what the teacher said, but I heard that the soil in Liaodong is fertile, so why are there no military camps and we can get food locally."

Sun Chengzong was worthy of being from the Hanlin Academy, and he had extensive knowledge and strong memory. He also understood this situation and explained casually:
"The soil in eastern Liaoning is indeed fertile, but the climate is cold and not suitable for planting. Only places such as Jinhai Gaifu and Guangning in southern Liaoning have a slightly hotter climate and are suitable for farming. However, according to my understanding, because the land is relatively barren and the Liao people They don’t like farming and fighting, so there aren’t many of them.”

Zhu Youxiao thought it made sense when he heard it. The development of Northeast China in later generations was relatively late. There was no mechanized agriculture, and the development of Northeast China was too restricted.

"Didn't I implement the Kaichu Law in the early years of my reign? Let merchants escort grain to the border troops in exchange for salt, and use the salt to lead the sales of salt."

"Your Majesty, this law has been changed. During the reign of Emperor Xiaozong, Ye Qi was the Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs. The old system was changed to merchants using silver instead of rice, which was handed over to the Transportation Bureau, sent to Taicang, and then distributed to various parties.

Every time salt was introduced and silver was transferred, it ranged from three to four yuan, resulting in Taicang's silver reaching more than one million yuan, and the country's fiscal revenue increased sharply.Therefore, most of the salt merchants in the border areas moved their families inland. Although they were reset after the Kaizhong Law, they gradually fell into disuse. "

From Sun Chengzong's statement just now, he also understood the other side of the Liaodong issue.What we fight in war is money and logistics, and food is the largest logistics cost in Liaodong. If the cost is reduced, Liao's salary can be spent in more useful places.

After having a plan in mind, Zhu Youxiao couldn't help but admire Sun Chengzong. First, he dared to speak to himself, but he also saw the problem more sharply than others, which benefited him a lot.

So he stood up and left his seat, and bowed to Sun Chengzong, "Thank you very much, teacher, for your teachings. You have benefited a lot from the school."

When Sun Chengzong saw this, he knelt down and said: "Your Majesty, you don't have to be like this. This is my duty. If your Majesty can gain something, I will be very happy."

Zhu Youxiao quickly helped him up.

"It is the duty of students to thank teachers for their teachings. This has been the case since ancient times. Sir, please don't say too much.

But I still have a problem. If this is the case, how should we solve it? Should we encourage farming or not? "

Sun Chengzong was also waiting for this question. As the emperor's teacher, he was extremely touched when he received such respect from Zhu Youxiao. You must know that there were many emperors in the Ming Dynasty who did not respect Japanese officials.

Some classes were silent and only the Japanese lecturer spoke, such as Ming Xianzong.There are also some people who just go to class and whisper to each other, or they don't attend class, so the official has nothing to do, such as Ming Wuzong and Ming Shenzong.

But Zhu Youxiao respects teachers, draws inferences from one example, and likes to pursue the matter to the end.This gave Sun Chengzong a great sense of satisfaction. Who doesn't like a student who respects his teachers, has excellent grades, and likes to inquire into the details? What's more, this student is still an emperor.

So he knew that Zhu Youxiao must want to know how to solve it, and he had already planned this in his mind. "Your Majesty is right. There are two plans for the present. The first is to carry out farming. In southern Liaoning, from Guangning to the capital, we will measure the land, organize soldiers and civilians to farm, and encourage the Liao people to cultivate for the soldiers of Liaodong.

Secondly, the land in Liaodong is small, and the local farmland alone is not enough for Liaodong, so grain must be transported. However, the capital city of Shenyang is thousands of miles away, and the land route is very costly. The minister suggested that shipbuilding be built in Tianjin Wei and Laiden, and more naval forces could be built to carry grain. You can go north and ship from Tianjin and Leyden. The water route is more convenient than the land route and the loss is less. "

Sun Chengzong thought one step further than him and asked the navy to transport food. This method is feasible.

"Yes, this method is good, but I have another suggestion. I heard that a lot of refugees from Liaodong fled to the capital. You can also find land around the capital and hire refugees to work in the fields, which can provide peace of mind for the people and help the army."

When Sun Chengzong heard that Zhu Youxiao agreed, he felt happy and immediately handed over his hand to thank him.

"Big companion, you will give the cabinet a decree later, and let the cabinet discuss it and come up with a charter." Zhu Youxiao told Wang An.

After saying that, I looked out at the sky and felt that it was already very late.
"Originally, today's talk should have ended after an hour. I didn't expect that the discussion would reach this point. You can have dinner with me."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After a brief meal, Sun Chengzong thanked him and went back.

The first day's daily lecture gave Zhu Youxiao a very good impression of Sun Chengzong. He was a talented person. No wonder Zhu Youxiao also liked Sun Chengzong as a teacher in history.

This also made him more sure that those who can leave a name in the history books are all capable.

Historically, there were many capable people in the late Ming Dynasty, including Yuan Keli, Yuan Chonghuan, Hong Chengchou, Lu Xiangsheng, Sun Chengzong, etc.

As long as you use them well, don't be like your paranoid brother, who kills these talents at every turn, and deleting these two words won't accomplish anything.

The Liaodong War was related to the fate of the country and affected the whole body. It was not only a military account, but also an economic account.

Although farming can't bring immediate results now.But as long as Xiong Tingbi wins the Battle of Liaoshen next year and Liaoyang and Shenyang are not lost, the advantages of farming and water transportation will be reflected. Take one step at a time to see three steps, and you must prepare in advance.

But I still don’t know the specific situation in Liaodong, whether Guangning and Liaonan are suitable for farming, whether the population is large, and whether water transportation is reliable.

Thinking of this, Zhu Youxiao had to lament that he had too few sources of information and did not know enough about many local things in detail.

Thinking of this, he called Wang An over and asked:

"Do you know how prepared last time we asked Yang Lian to appease Liaodong, and how the Jinyiwei sent people to follow and escort the money? When will they set off?"

After Wang An thought for a moment, he hesitated and said: "Long live my lord, the previous cabinet report said that it is almost ready, and we should leave Beijing the day after tomorrow."

"Okay, then you can ask Luo Sigong and Yang Lian to see you tomorrow. I have instructions for them."

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(End of this chapter)