Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 487 Caotai Cabinet
"I would like to ask for advice and re-elect the grand master of the palace!"

"I second the proposal..."

On the winter solstice of the twelfth lunar month of the fifth year of Hongxi's reign, thousands of civil and military officials inside and outside the court were dressed in court uniforms, held wat tablets, bowed, sang and knelt down. The scene was shocking.

Diange Grand Scholar is a system established during the Hongwu period after the prime minister was abolished and served as advisors.

Since the twelfth year of Yongle, Zhu Gaoxu has slowly begun to idle the imperial academicians. He writes more than 200 memorials and manuscripts in the inner and outer courts every day, and handles more than 400 state affairs in his hands.

Although he is not as energetic as Zhu Yuanzhang, he can still handle these government affairs within one day.

However, as he grew older, he gradually began to feel powerless, so he delegated some power to the six ministries. The daily memorials to the inner and outer courts dropped to 1,670, and the number of state affairs was only more than 300.

Based on Zhu Gaoxu's personal opinion, he would naturally not reinstate the Grand Bachelor of the Imperial Palace so quickly, but the actions of Xichang and Jinyiwei could not help but make the officials more worried.

Although the three major Yongle cases in the history books were all written by Zhu Di, who among the officials in the temple didn't know that these three major cases were all written by Zhu Gaoxu?

It can even be said that many of these cases were fueled by some people in the temple.

Although Zhu Gaoxu did not need the cabinet system very much, the ministers needed it, and so did the kings of later generations.

"His Majesty……"

"Your Majesty, I will send all my military recommendations to the king!"

"I have thought about this matter for a long time. As everyone said, this Grand Scholar should indeed be selected, and I am also planning to select five people from among the ministers to serve as Grand Scholars. I wonder if you have any recommendations? man of?"

"The grand master of the palace is not allowed to hold any position other than the grand master. In addition, the grand master of the palace is promoted to the fifth rank, and he only has the right to advise and serve."

It seems that the traditionalists have the largest number of people in the temple, but in fact, Bohai and the New Deal are still the most powerful above the temple.

"Your Majesty, I recommend Yang Rong, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy!"

Chen Chang also knew that what he said would disappoint His Majesty, but the territory of the Ming Dynasty was too large, and all the military attachés with some talent were sent to the frontiers. Most of the people in the court were just a group of military attachés who had returned from the frontiers to retire, and they were expected to enter the palace. Ge, isn't that embarrassing...

Zhu Gaoxu knew this very well, so he spoke:

"I respectfully obey His Majesty's will!"

Time passed little by little, and soon the Ming Dynasty entered the sixth year of Hongxi amidst the smoke and sound of firecrackers.

Amidst the singing of the ceremony, Zhu Gaoxu walked to the back of the palace to change into his regular clothes, and then took a carriage to Wuying Palace.

Because Zhu Gaoxu changed the regular period to ten days, and he only received six ministers and six governors, everyone couldn't help but worry.

Zhu Gaoxu suddenly added Xu Shuo, and this name made Wang Hui in the palace couldn't help but look up, but then quickly lowered his head.

"The decree is passed that Xu Shuo will set off for Beijing after the year, and Zhao Guisheng will be promoted to Yunnan Zuobu envoy."

After the words fell, Zhu Gaoxu stood up and left the dragon chair. Seeing this, the ministers shouted long live the mountain.

"Your Majesty, I recommend Yang Pu, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy!"

On the Zhengdan Festival, most places in the Ming Dynasty were relatively cold, and among them, only Yunnan, Guangdong, Guangdong, Jiaozhi in the south, and Xuanweisi in Nanyang could be called sultry.

Zhu Gaoxu turned his attention to the large group of military attachés, and this move shocked the officials.

"Your Majesty, I recommend Xue Xuan, the imperial censor!"

The purpose of reinstating the Grand Bachelor of Diange was not to fight for power, but to create a platform for communication with Zhu Gaoxu at all times.

The salary of a third-grade San-level official was enough for Xu Shuo to buy a house of five or six acres in Beijing and hire a dozen servants to serve him.

The goal was achieved, and no one competed with Xu Shuo for the last spot, because they all knew that Xu Shuo represented Bohai, Wang Hui represented the New Deal faction, and Yang Rong, Yang Pu, and Xue Xuan were slightly conservative and traditional. Sent.

Among the crowd, Chen Chang bowed and chose to be alone. This approach made Zhu Gaoxu's eyes behind Mianqi reveal a bit of disappointment.

"Your Majesty, the Governor-General of the Sixth Army has no objections."

The virtual is virtual, and the real is real. If, like in the middle and late periods, a cabinet scholar concurrently held the post of minister of six ministries, it would be a bit too powerful.

It is for this reason that Zhu Gaoxu made it clear in the temple that bachelors of the Imperial Palace were not allowed to hold any positions.

Facing everyone's expressions, Zhu Gaoxu also nodded and said, "I have already written down the names you recommended. Isn't there anyone in the Sixth Army Governor's Office who can be recommended?"

For a while, everyone was arguing about the Grand Scholars in the palace. In the face of their recommendation, Zhu Gaoxu just coughed softly, and the ministers shut their mouths.

"Da Ming Bao" is published on the first day of the new year as always. People from all over the country have paid to buy "Da Ming Bao". Even poor people will get together to buy a copy and watch it together.

"Your Majesty, I recommend Xue Xuan, the imperial censor!"

Since Xu Shuo was the political envoy to the left in Yunnan, after he was transferred back to Beijing to serve as a bachelor of the fifth rank of the palace, Zhu Gaoxu also had to provide corresponding compensation, at least not to cause any problems in his life.

Although the Grand Bachelor of the Imperial Palace is equivalent to the emperor's secretariat, it is generally held by civilian officials. There has never been any statement that a military attache serves as a Grand Bachelor.

He can delegate some power, but he must also ensure that he can take it back.

As long as it is controlled well and the cabinet bachelors are not allowed to have dual identities, it will be fine.

"Give Xu Shuo, Yang Rong, and Yang Puzheng the third rank, and initially grant them the title of Jiayi Doctor. Grant Wang Hui and Xue Xuanzheng the fourth rank, and first grant them the title of Zhongshun Doctor."

"Your Majesty, I also recommend the military department to the king in question!"

Not only the common people, but also officials are no exception.

Thinking of this, Zhu Gaoxu slowly closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.

"In that case, let's choose Wang Hui, Xue Xuan, Yang Rong, Yang Pu...Xu Shuo."

Therefore, it would be a bit bad if they were the main ones in the palace.

Chefu, as the main battlefield between the Laotian chieftains and the Ming army last year, the security here has returned to a peaceful state, and the local population has also reached 200,000 people after several migrations, only one-third of which are Han people.

Most of the extra white clothes were moved to Pu'er, Kunming and other prefectures in the north.

The city wall made of concrete gave the people of Jinghong a sense of security, and as the Chefu Yamen, it was also built to the standards of artillery-proof fortifications.

The four-foot-thick and one-foot-high concrete courtyard walls make people question their lives, and among them live hundreds of officials from the entire Chefu Yamen, as well as 200 soldiers from the Military and Horse Department.

The climate in Jinghong in the first month is quite pleasant, similar to the climate in late spring in Jiangnan.

Sitting in a brand-new Jiangnan Chinese-style study room, Lu Yu held a copy of "Da Ming Pao" in his hand, and in front of him was a young official making tea for him.

"The imperial court has reestablished the Grand Scholar of the Imperial Palace. It seems that all the ministers are worried that His Majesty will arbitrarily rule the world, so they came up with the office of Grand Academician of the Imperial Palace to have a dialogue with His Majesty."

Lu Yu commented on the things about temples in the "Daming Daily", and then he couldn't help but sigh when he saw the various construction and economic policies in the newspaper.

"Tingyi, although Yunnan is good, the terrain is too complicated. I'm afraid you and I will continue to be trapped in the mountains."

Facing Lu Yu's words, the young man sitting in front of him making tea had a normal expression, but when he spoke, he spoke eloquently:

"If you can't be transferred, just work here. No matter where you go, you will eventually be worthy of the robe you wear."

"Haha... This is what you, Yu Tingyi, can say."

Lu Yu chuckled, and the person he laughed at was a censor sent to Yunnan last year.

"I, Yu Qian, don't care about those things. As long as my salary is enough to support my family and I can do things with a clear conscience, then it will be the same wherever I do things."

"As great as my abilities are, I will do as many things as I can!"

When he finished speaking, the tea had already been brewed, so he skillfully poured tea for Lu Yu.

It can be seen that the two have known each other for a long time and are very harmonious.

As the permanent censor in Che Fu, Yu Qian had to serve in Che Fu for three years before being transferred, and there were more than ten censors under his command who visited.

For him, Lu Yu was a good official, so he could give Lu Yu a good look.

If it were someone he couldn't stand, he would naturally not look good on them.

He is such a person, with an upright temperament and a hard time rubbing his eyes, but he is a bit pedantic and stick to the rules.

"If you ask me, if the imperial court had implemented the New Deal in Jiangnan a few years ago, your temper would have been smoothed out long ago."

Lu Yu picked up the tea and took a tentative sip. After making sure it was not hot, he slowly began to taste it carefully.

Yu Qian didn't reply, just lowered his head and made some tea.

Today is the first day of the year, and even a busy person like him can have a good rest on this day.

"This newspaper said that the imperial court is planning to build several railways, including the more than 300 miles of railway in Longchuan."

"These railways cost tens of millions, presumably all of which were obtained from issuing national bonds."

"This is a good thing. If Longchuan's climate is not much different from ours, if Longchuan can do this, we can also follow their example and grow some cash crops."

"Compared with them, we have more obvious advantages. The Lancang River is right beside us and we can make good use of it."

"Although the chieftains of Laos are poor, Kampuschi, Champa, and Siam all have certain strength."

"If the operation is done well, the livelihood of the more than 200,000 people in Cheche Prefecture will not have to rely solely on cultivated land."

Lu Yu's words were very pleasant to the ear, but Yu Qian didn't respond. This was his temper.

Looking at him, Lu Yu also shook his head helplessly.

While he shook his head, a young man walked into the study and bowed to the two of them.

"Brother, brother Tingyi!"

The two looked at him after hearing this, only to find that their younger brother Lu Hun had appeared in the Yamen.

"Brother, I have already received your salary. Brother Tingyi has to collect it himself."

Lu Hun did not avoid Yu Qian, and it could be seen that he had a very good relationship with Yu Qian.

Taking a drop of silver coins with a denomination of one hundred coins from Lu Hun, Lu Yu didn't mind it and put it away directly.

After more than 20 years of gold and silver inflows, coupled with the opening of the Ming Dynasty Bank, official salaries now come from discovery money.

As the fourth-rank magistrate of Chefu, Lu Yu's salary is twelve guan per month and 144 guan per year.

In addition, because it is a remote place, he will receive an extra two months of salary at the end of the year, so he can get 168 guan at the end of the year.

If Lu Yu was willing to be corrupt, one hundred and sixty-eight strings would be nothing more than what he could get with a little exploitation. However, this comparison does not mean that the amount of money is small, but rather that it is slightly more.

One hundred and sixty-eight yuan, this money is enough to buy ten acres of land in Jiangnan, or a five-acre house with four entrances and exits in Nanjing or Beijing.

If it were used to buy grain, chicken, duck, and fish, it would be impossible to finish. After all, Lu Yu's salary was 460 wen per day.

Compared with the people in remote areas who worked hard for only ten or twenty cents a day, Lu Yu's salary was not low.

Even Yu Qian, who is only in the sixth grade, has an annual salary of fifty guan and a daily salary of more than 130 guan.

Compared to those corrupt guys, their salaries are pitifully small, but compared to ordinary people, their lives are very comfortable.

Although Zhu Gaoxu said that every time an emperor ascends the throne, officials' salaries will be increased by 10%, in fact, sometimes the increase is more than 10%.

For example, during the Hongxi period, the salary of the sixth-rank official in the mainland was 40 guan, which was equivalent to 130 shi per meter, while the salary of the sixth-rank official in the Hongwu period was only 100 gu.

During the Hongxi period, the salary of the sixth-rank official was nearly 30% higher than that during the Hongwu period.

With Yu Qian's annual salary of fifty thousand yuan, there is no problem in raising a concubine, not to mention raising a family.

"Okay, I'm going to receive my salary too."

After all, it was the New Year, and Yu Qian didn't want to stay here for too long. He also had his own family to take care of.

What he wanted to do was to receive his salary and then go home and enjoy the day's rest.

"Go slowly, I won't send you away."

Lu Yu chuckled lightly, but Yu Qian didn't bother to pay attention and walked out of the study.

After he left, Lu Yu's smile slowly eased, he looked at his back and shook his head:
"It would be great if this guy could be a censor in the car for the rest of his life. With his temperament, he will offend many people if he goes to the mainland."

With a sigh, Lu Yu discussed with his younger brother about attending middle school in Kunming.

At the same time, Longchuan Prefecture, hundreds of miles away, also began to publish news about recruiting workers.

"Excuse me! "Longchuan Monthly" has news that the Longchuan Railway will be built soon. Recruitment for workers will begin after the Lantern Festival. The daily wages are 40 cents. First come, first served. The registration place is in the newspaper!"

"I want one!"

"I'll have one too!"

"I want one!"

On the streets of Nandian County, as several people were hawking on the street, the newspapers they were carrying were sold out in a short time.

With dozens of pennies in hand, they happily went to the newspaper office in the county to continue buying newspapers.

In a restaurant, Jiang Huai looked at their backs with a smile on his face.

"This railway is finally going to be built..."

Walking out from beside him, Zhang Bohai also had a smile on his face: "With this railway, the people of Longchuan will live more comfortably."

"It's a pity that we can't lead to Kunming Mansion from here, otherwise... alas!"

Zhang Bohai was still thinking about the so-called railway, while Jiang Huai smiled bitterly and shook his head when he heard this.

He is more open-minded than Zhang Bohai. Since the Ministry of Industry says it can't be repaired, then just don't repair it. If the people of Longchuan can live well, then he, the prefect of Longchuan, will have real achievements.

"Wenqing, there's news!"

While Jiang Huai and Zhang Bohai were chatting, Gao Guan, who was dressed in official uniform, walked up to the third floor of the restaurant with an express copy.

When Jiang Huai saw this, his expression immediately changed from loose to serious. He stepped forward to take it and opened it quickly.

When Gao Guan and Zhang Bohai saw this, they immediately turned sideways and did not inquire about the urgent news.

After watching "Expedited", Jiang Huai was not happy about the news that Zhu Zhanhe was coming. Instead, he had a headache.

In addition to this incident, his biggest headache is Xu Shuo's transfer. You must know that Xu Shuo supports Longchuan a lot. His transfer will undoubtedly bring a blow to Longchuan.

Fortunately, the person who succeeded him was Zhao Gui. He had a deep friendship with Xu Shuo and supported the development of Longchuan Railway.

During the rush, Zhao Gui reassured Jianghuai and claimed that the Long-Sichuan Railway is the throat of Yunnan. As long as the Long-Sichuan Railway is opened, materials from Kunming, Dali and other provinces can travel hundreds of miles overland to Nandian, and then use the Long-Sichuan Railway Transporting goods to the West.

The hundreds of miles of mountain road are similar to the journey to Jiaozhi and the Yangtze River, and the level of difficulty is similar.

Instead of doing business with Jiangnan, it is better to eliminate the middleman Jiangnan and directly communicate with the West through the Chief Secretary of Yunnan.

In addition, the imperial court has approved the establishment of the Yunnan Municipal Shipping Division. The Municipal Shipping Division will be located in Manmo County and will begin operations when the railway is completed.

"Very good……"

Looking at Zhao Gui's promise to him, Jiang Huai finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But when he thought that Zhu Zhanhe was coming to Yunnan, he couldn't help but feel nervous.

At the same time, several cavalrymen wearing mandarin duck jackets appeared under the restaurant.

Seeing them, Jiang Huai knew that they were here to find him, so he quickly walked down the restaurant.

The two parties met on the second floor, and they were familiar with Jiang Huai, so they did not hesitate and bowed directly: "Prefect Jiang, I asked you to give this letter to you."

"Okay!" After receiving the letter, Jiang Huai bowed to the two and expressed his gratitude for sending the letter. Upon seeing this, Gao Guan smiled and put his hands on the shoulders of the two soldiers, hugging them and going downstairs.

It's a bit disrespectful to ask Jiang Huai and Zhang Bohai to come forward to help people. It's better for him as an official to do it.

After Gao Guan and the others left, Jiang Huai and the others returned to the private room on the third floor.

Opening the letter, the content inside was nothing more than a decree from the palace, ordering Yunnan soldiers and horses to eliminate all the banditry in the territory.

Obviously, this is related to the arrival of Zhu Zhanhe, and Jianghuai does not find it strange.

"We may be in some trouble this time."

Jiang Huai couldn't tell Zhang Bohai about Zhu Zhanhe's true identity, so he could only say: "A noble son of the Wuding Marquis Mansion will come to us as an official."

"Wuding Hou Mansion?" Zhang Bohai frowned slightly and thought for a moment before continuing: "Is it the natal family of the current Queen?"

"Yes!" Jiang Huai nodded, not feeling that Zhang Bohai despised the Wuding Hou Mansion.

Since Guo Ying died of illness, the Wuding Hou Mansion has fallen into a situation with no successors. Not only them, but many Xun Mansion during the Hongwu period are also in this situation.

After all, as the Ming army's establishment has shrunk from more than 2 million guardsmen to 700,000 combat soldiers today, it is not only the number of soldiers that has been reduced, but also official positions.

When there is a shortage of official positions and the external pressure is still great, the military naturally adopts a competition system in which the capable are promoted and the mediocre are demoted.

Although the ancestors of many of the founders of the Hongwu period were powerful, it does not mean that their descendants are powerful.

There were so many dukes and earls in the founding of the country, but now the only ones who are still active as the second generation are Li Jinglong, Duke of Cao, Muchun, Duke of Guizhou, Fu Rang, Duke of Ying, and Fu Mao, Duke of Guangnan.

As for the third generation, I haven’t heard of any outstanding third generation emerging.

Except for one Guo Yong in Wudinghou Mansion, the rest of the people seemed to have nothing worthy of praise, and people with Guo Yong's ability were as numerous as carps crossing the river in the Sixth Army Governor's Mansion.

"After all, he is a relative of His Majesty. It is normal to eliminate bandits and bandits."

Zhang Bohai did not think about other aspects. After all, who would believe that the emperor sent the prince to the southwest border?
Even two thousand years ago, the emperor and the princes only sent their children to the north, or on both sides of the Yangtze River.

If Jiang Huai hadn't gotten the exact news, even he wouldn't have believed it.

"Anyway, I will arrange it for him when the time comes."

Jiang Huai felt a headache. After saying something, he was ready to wait for Zhu Zhanhe to arrive and let Gao Guan lead him to manage the place.

Based on his understanding of Zhu Zhanhe, Zhu Zhanhe should not cause any trouble. If trouble does occur, it will most likely be a fight with corrupt officials.

Although Jiang Huai is confident in Longchuan under his rule, he still can't help but be a little worried.

"Oh, let's go home."

Shaking his head, Jiang Huai no longer thought about drinking. He just wanted to go home and think about how to let Zhu Zhanhe understand the people of the southwest while protecting Zhu Zhanhe.

Different from his worries, Zhu Zhanhe was still happy about his long trip in half a month.

"Grandpa, when my grandson comes back, I will tell you about the beauty of that land in western Yunnan!"

In the Daming Palace, a family banquet was held here. There were more than ten people sitting in the Yangxin Hall, most of whom were Zhu Gaoxu's descendants.

At the age of 43, he already has nine sons and six daughters. Fortunately, he has a good memory and knows the mistakes Li Shimin and Zhu Di made in history.

Therefore, he was fair to his descendants except Zhu Zhanhe and Zhu Zhanqi.

Zhu Zhanhe was more fond of Zhu Zhanhe because he was the prince, and Zhu Zhanqi was more fond of him because he was cute when he was a child and liked to act coquettishly with him.

However, Zhu Zhanqi is not a legitimate son, and Zhu Gaoxu also warned Concubine Zhang, so Zhu Zhanqi should not have the courage to jump out and compete for the heirloom.

Things turned out just as Zhu Gaoxu had imagined. Zhu Zhanhe's position as crown prince was very stable, and he was generally satisfied with Zhu Zhanhe.

If Zhu Zhanhe can wash away the stubbornness and black and white of young people, he will undoubtedly be his best successor at present.

"Come on, let's drink!"

Zhu Di, who was surrounded by his grandchildren, raised his glass with a smile. He had more and more gray hair, but his face was still rosy.

At the age of sixty-three, he is not as energetic as he was when he was forty or fifty, but as long as he is in good health, Zhu Gaoxu is satisfied.

"Second brother, come here and have a drink with me!"

Zhu Di raised his glass and motioned for Zhu Gaoxu to walk over. Zhu Gaoxu picked up the jug and wine glass, walked to Zhu Di and poured him a glass of wine.

Zhu Di was very happy looking at the scene of his grandchildren in front of him, and couldn't help but turn around and said:
"If possible, I would like to have a family dinner before the Northern Expedition."

Obviously, Zhu Di was referring to more than just Zhu Gaoxu's lineage. Zhu Gaoxu knew this very well, but he was not worried about any problems.

"You can do whatever you want."

Zhu Gaoxu, with bright eyes, bent down and touched a glass with Zhu Di. The father and son raised their glasses and drank it down in one gulp.

(End of this chapter)