Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 514 The Northern King of Nanyang
"Yang Shiqi, you traitor!"

"Let me go!"

"I'm from Bohai. When I was with Your Majesty, you were still in your mother's womb. How dare you arrest me!"

"Take away!"

In October, while the whole country was still celebrating the great victory in Mobei, farces were being staged in Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Beizhili, Liaodong and other places.

Wang Hui arrested Qingliu for corruption and bribery in Jiangnan, which made people in Jiangnan uneasy.

In order to retaliate, Qingliu also began to use his local advantages to investigate some fields, houses, and villas in Jiangnan.

As long as some evidence about New Deal officials is brought out, they will immediately report it, and Yang Shiqi will immediately start investigating.

Logically speaking, this method of investigating the fields and houses is not a mainstream method, but Qingliu and Xinzheng have become jealous. Now they only want one thing, and that is to kill as many people as they can from the other side.

In just one month, the number of officials under investigation reached more than 6,000, of which 745 were confirmed guilty, and nearly 6,000 officials were implicated.

Wang Huan brought up the major case of the Beijing Procuratorate, and at the same time deliberately explained to Zhu Zhanhe: "The world describes this case as a party dispute between Wang and Yang. Although this is unrealistic, it also makes sense."

After Zhu Di finished speaking, he immediately passed by the ministers and walked out. Upon seeing this, the ministers got up and wanted to chase after him, but Zhu Zhanhe said:

From Beijing East Railway Station to the Forbidden City, the road along the way has long been paved with cement, and the four-wheeled carriage rides smoothly without shaking.

There is no emperor like Zhu Gaoxu in history. It can even be said that there is no one who fits him well.

He was handling memorials in the Qianqing Palace. Without his permission, even cabinet ministers rarely saw him.

"What your Majesty wants is a balance between the two parties, and by the way, you can seize a batch of money and food to replenish the national treasury and complete your majesty's grand plan."

At Beijing East Railway Station, when Zhu Di stepped on the platform, what he saw in front of him was a group of civil and military officials with mournful faces.

There are no overweight trucks carrying goods these days. Even the sixteen-wheeled land carriages common in the Ming Dynasty can only pull 10,000 kilograms of weight at most.

Wang Huan taught Zhu Zhanhe, but Zhu Zhanhe nodded and said, "Wang Huan, what kind of prince do you think my father needs?"

Many officials came later, but they were all dismissed by Zhu Zhanhe with the same excuse.

"This..." Wang Huan was stunned when he heard this, and then thought carefully: "Kings like His Majesty are rare in history, and I dare not make any assumptions."

"Long live your Majesty..."

The journey passed quickly, and soon a large town appeared ahead.

You must know that there are currently only more than 40,000 civil servants in the Ming Dynasty, and nearly 20% of them were suddenly investigated, which caused many problems in local administration.

Zhu Zhanhe asked, and Wang Huan, who was in the same car, nodded and said: "After the railway was built, many officials who were unwilling to transport their relatives also took their families to Beijing. Now the population of Beijing has reached 780,000."

Thinking of His Majesty's methods, the ministers could only bow and leave with a sad face.

"Your Highness, if you go to Qianqing Palace, you should focus on listening and seeing more."

"Of course not." Zhu Zhanhe shook his head. Looking at ancient and modern times, few emperors could compare with his father when it came to playing with his ministers.

Many memorials were forwarded with the help of Yishiha, Zheng He and others.

Wang Huan really didn't know what kind of successor Zhu Gaoxu wanted. If he knew, then he would just let Zhu Zhanhe start the show directly.

"At the Daming Palace, your eldest brother and uncles are enough."

Although the cement in the early years was not as strong as today, it could easily bear this weight.

The one who is slightly more suitable is probably Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, but although Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had great achievements, he was not a model king, and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty always disliked the weakness of the prince Liu Juren.

There are endless fields of farmland on both sides of the road. Although it is already winter and there are no crops in the fields, Zhu Zhanhe still looks at it with interest.

"However, recent major cases have continued, and many officials from the capital have been implicated and exiled. I am afraid it will take some time for even the governor of Shuntian to figure out how many people there are in Beijing."

"Woo-"

"The Emperor is not feeling well. Please go your separate ways. If you have anything to say, please tell me today!"

"You deal with them, and I'll go back to Daming Palace first."

But the result proved that Prince Liu Zhi was not weak, but very strong.

Hundreds of officials knelt down and kowtowed to Zhu Di. The atmosphere at the scene was very depressing because of their expressions.

To say that benevolence is weak, it is only compared to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty that he seems to be benevolent and weak. If compared to others, then he is too strong.

Under such a situation, Zhu Di also returned triumphantly with many generals, but as soon as they returned to Beijing, they noticed how wrong the atmosphere in the pass was.

"The boy is quite self-aware." Zhu Di just wanted to tease his eldest grandson. Seeing his helpless expression, Zhu Di was very happy in his heart.

"We have only been out for less than half a year, and the city seems to have expanded by hundreds of steps?"

Zhu Di frowned slightly, looked sideways at Zhu Zhanhe and said, "Your father took care of them very hard. Do you think you can take care of them to such an extent?"

After doing all this, he took a carriage to the Forbidden City.

When the ministers saw what Zhu Zhanhe said, they immediately hesitated. Although they hoped that Zhu Di would stand up for justice, this kind of thing was taboo after all.

Many officials who did not belong to the Qingliu and New Deal saw this and were anxious in their hearts. They went to the Wuying Hall to kowtow and beg to see the emperor, hoping that the emperor could end this Beijing inspection.

The father and son may not necessarily take action, but those who instigate them will definitely be dealt with.

"What about me?" Seeing Zhu Di say this, Zhu Zhanhe pointed at himself, but Zhu Di said, "Go and learn more from Dad."

However, in the face of their kowtows, Zhu Gaoxu was unmoved and even stopped going to March because of physical discomfort.

Wang Huan couldn't guess it, but Zhu Zhanhe knew it very well, but he couldn't tell it.

Even Wang Huan, who had been helping him, he couldn't believe it at this time.

In the silence between the two, the carriage drove into Beijing.

Beijing is bustling with traffic and very prosperous inside.

In the distance, white billowing fog floated into the air. They were the heating places in various buildings in the city.

The annual heating costs for tens of thousands of households in the inner city are not expensive. It only costs 200 yuan to enjoy winter heating.

People who can live in the inner city will not lack these two hundred coins. After all, an ordinary small courtyard in the inner city can cost more than fifty coins.

Although compared with the house prices in Bianliang in the Northern Song Dynasty, which often cost tens of thousands, the house prices of more than 30 yuan were already very cheap, but the people of the Ming Dynasty who enjoyed the cheap prices still felt that it was very expensive.

Since the capital's roads were built with future problems in mind, they were built to be very wide.

The sidewalks were crowded with people, and the roads were filled with horse-drawn carriages, rickshaws, and donkey carts.

Only when you come here can you feel the prosperity of the northern part of the Ming Dynasty.

During the military parade a few months ago, envoys from various countries were attracted by the prosperity of Beijing.

Although Zhu Zhanhe has never been to a foreign country, he has seen the suffering in the southwest.

It has to be said that the economic gap caused by geography is still very large.

Zhu Zhanhe has seen the situation in the northeast, southwest, and southeast, but he has never seen the northwest, but he thinks he will have the opportunity to see it in the future.

He has always been very supportive of his father's policies, especially after he went to Longchuan, he became even more supportive.

Without the engineering construction of the imperial court, people in many places would have to make a living through farming, and the complex geography of the Ming Dynasty also made the farming situation of local people complicated.

Similar to places such as Guizhou and Yunnan he passed through, most of the local cultivated land is still terraced and sloped land, and there is not much plain cultivated land.

The southwest needs enough granaries. There is one in Chengdu and one in Jiaozhi. Now we also need one facing the Little Western Ocean, and this place is the place for three announcements and ten comforts.

Mengyang and Luchuan are just the beginning of the Myanmar Xuanwei Department, the Mubang Xuanwei Department, and the Dakula Xuanwei Department are the ultimate goals.

Thinking of Manmo's water transportation, Zhu Zhanhe had to admire his father's foresight.

While he was admiring him, the carriage drove into the imperial city and stopped at Donghua Gate.

After getting off the car, Zhu Zhanhe got on the carriage that he had prepared early and walked towards Qianqing Palace step by step.

Sitting on the carriage, he was still thinking about some issues, but two-quarters of an hour later he saw a vast expanse of clear doors ahead.

"Your Majesty, Yang Shiqi and Wang Hui have caused harm to the country and the people, please take back the order of the Beijing Police!"

"Your Majesty, I would like to second my opinion, please take back your order!"

"His Majesty……"

Thousands of officials knelt in front of the Qianqing Gate, singing and kowtowing through the thick Qianqing Palace Gate.

Seeing Zhu Zhanhe's Bu Yu arriving, they immediately stood up and gathered around after hearing the news:

"Your Highness, please advise Your Majesty. The people are already suffering unspeakably. It is the right way to end the investigation as soon as possible."

"I would like to bow to Your Majesty to advise His Majesty..."

For a time, the officials targeted Zhu Zhanhe, which made Zhu Zhanhe feel more irritated.

At this moment, he only felt that these people were really hateful. After all, his position was already threatened. If he really listened to them and tried to persuade his father, he was sure that his father would be extremely dissatisfied with him, and his position would naturally It's also unstable.

"Get in!"

Zhu Zhanhe ordered Wang Huan with a cold face. Upon seeing this, Wang Huan led the eunuchs of the East Palace to separate the ministers and escorted Zhu Zhanhe to the palace gate.

"Please tell your Majesty that I am here to pay my respects."

"Your Highness, please wait a moment. I will go and ask Your Majesty right now."

Zhu Zhanhe stepped down and spoke to the eunuch on duty in front of the palace gate. The eunuch on duty did not dare to ask for help, so he quickly returned the greeting and turned around and walked into Qianqing Gate.

Not long after, the eunuch on duty returned to the door and bowed: "Your Majesty, please come in."

"Thank you very much" Zhu Zhanhe nodded, and then walked into the palace gate alone.

Walking on the long palace road, Zhu Zhanhe also felt that the voices of the officials behind him gradually became smaller and smaller.

By the time he reached the gate of Qianqing Palace, the voice was so small that if you didn't listen carefully, you couldn't hear it at all.

"My son, I bow to your Majesty. May your Majesty live forever."

"Get up." In the Yangxin Hall, Zhu Zhanhe kowtowed, while Zhu Gaoxu was sitting on the couch in regular clothes, holding a memorial and a red pen in his hand.

"I heard about the Northern Expedition. You have grown a lot and deserve praise."

Zhu Gaoxu's eyes were fixed on the memorial, and he ordered without raising his head: "Yi Shiha, please send five hundred coins to the East Palace as a reward."

"My son, I thank my father for the reward." Zhu Zhanhe changed his title. The first time he kowtowed was as a monarch and his minister, but now he is as a father and son.

Zhu Gaoxu had no reaction to this and just lowered his head to deal with the memorial.

For Zhu Zhanhe, he has long been accustomed to his father's indifference in governing politics.

Except for his grandfather and mother's affairs, there were very few people who could let him put down his government affairs and deal with them.

"Grandpa asked me to come to the Palace of the Qing Dynasty to study political affairs with you, my father."

Zhu Zhanhe brought out Zhu Di and his father-son relationship with Zhu Gaoxu. Zhu Gaoxu responded after hearing the words, and then asked casually:

"Many people have been discussing the issue of King Nanyang and North recently. What do you think?"

Zhu Gaoxu was taking the exam, and Zhu Zhanhe was already prepared, so he responded without thinking:

“The national treasury has always been in deficit, either by raising taxes to prey on the people, or by cracking down on corruption and targeting corrupt officials and wealthy households.”

"I think it is much better to deal with a very small number of corrupt officials than to harm tens of millions of people in the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Zhanhe did not mention either Yang Shiqi or Wang Hui, because he knew that these two people were just his father's puppets in front of the stage.

What my father wanted was the money and food in the hands of these corrupt officials, and at the same time, he wanted to straighten out the government so that the salt, wine, and tea policy could continue.

"No one asks you about the treasury."

Zhu Gaoxu interrupted Zhu Zhanhe, but Zhu Zhanhe was not panicked because he knew that his father did not want him to make the problem too direct.

If his remarks were to spread, it would be extremely detrimental to him.

However, these words were originally used by Zhu Zhanhe to communicate between father and son, so naturally he would not just shut up so easily.

"When a father asks his son, he cannot cover up or hide anything. He should tell his father everything."

Zhu Zhanhe sat upright and answered with a smile on his lips.

This answer actually made Zhu Gaoxu stop reviewing the memorials in his hands.

He placed the memorial and the ink pen on the low table on which his right hand was leaning, and looked up at his child.

Zhu Zhanhe grew up a lot after being reminded. Maybe he felt the pressure, so he couldn't grow up.

Of course, his little thoughts looked very funny in Zhu Gaoxu's eyes. After all, even the officials could be pinched by him, let alone the kid in front of him.

"This month, the Beijing Police have confiscated more than 4 million guan of money and food. How do you think it should be used?"

Zhu Gaoxu picked up the teacup and blew on it, then asked Zhu Zhanhe absentmindedly.

"My son thought that this money could be placed in the treasury or let the Ministry of Revenue use it for business."

In the past, Zhu Zhanhe would have answered building a new railway or using it as military expenditure.

But now Zhu Zhanhe knew what kind of heir his father wanted, so his answer was very conservative.

In response to his answer, Zhu Gaoxu did not show too many expression changes. Just as Yang Shiqi and others felt, Zhu Zhanhe also felt that he could not see through his father at all, that he did not understand him at all, and did not know what he wanted.

On the contrary, when I sat in front of him, I always felt uncomfortable, as if my whole body was being stripped naked.

"I hope you will practice what you preach."

Zhu Gaoxu didn't say much, he just patted the short man next to him and said, "Sit next to me and help with the administration."

"My son, I have received the decree..."

Zhu Zhanhe suppressed the excitement in his heart, pretended to be calm and sat down next to his father, and carefully picked up a memorial.

Yi Shiha prepared a red pen for him, and Zhu Zhanhe also cast a grateful look, then picked up the memorial and reviewed it.

This is the first memorial he has handled, but the weight of this memorial is not light.

The content of this memorial is the rewards for the soldiers of the Northern Expedition, and rewards have always been very offensive.

If the person dealing with it was the emperor, then the generals would have nothing to say, but if it was the prince overseeing the country, it would be easy for people to complain.

According to his experience this time, Zhu Zhanhe made various comments on the merits of the generals. Among them, because Meng Ying, Meng Mao, Wang Rong and others all had titles, and they were not the first to make meritorious deeds, Zhu Zhanhe mainly praised them. Rewards are the main thing.

As for the other five sense organs, those who do not have hereditary scattered ranks will be rewarded with scattered ranks that can leave Yin descendants, and those who have scattered ranks will be rewarded.

After the whole canonization, Zhu Zhanhe was very satisfied and handed it to his father.

Zhu Gaoxu took it and read the ten lines at a glance, then put it aside. The meaning was obviously passed.

After passing one copy, Zhu Zhanhe also became energetic and began to deal with the memorials continuously.

When dealing with the memorial, he also knew his father's thoughts based on his father's expression.

When he encountered some memorials that were difficult to deal with, he would consider handling them according to his father's ideas.

Generally speaking, disaster relief for the people is the first priority, dealing with corrupt officials is the second priority, and project details are the third priority.

Although the Ming Dynasty has continued to build water conservancy facilities in various places since the Hongwu period, population expansion and land reclamation have also made local water conservancy facilities obsolete.

The annual maintenance cost of water conservancy facilities all over the world is no less than 2 million yuan, and this money must be paid.

The Ming Dynasty had not experienced the Yellow River bursting its embankments for decades, mainly because the flood control and sand blasting and embankment construction were very effective, so Zhu Zhanhe did not dare to neglect it. If he did not understand, he would ask Zhu Gaoxu to deal with it.

In just one day, Zhu Zhanhe felt somewhat familiar.

After having dinner with Zhu Gaoxu, he waited in Qianqing Palace and met his mother. The greetings continued before returning to Chunhe Palace.

However, after he returned to Chunhe Palace, he learned that his father did not send Zhu Qiyue, who had taken the first step, to Chunhe Palace, but to Daming Palace.

Zhu Zhanhe could only shrug helplessly at this. After resting for a night to recuperate his energy, he went to Qianqing Palace to manage the affairs before dawn the next day.

While the father and son were running the government, local affairs were happening one after another and they couldn't stop at all.

In addition to the domestic situation, the situation abroad can also be described as ever-changing.

Since the Hongxi military parade, except for Majapahit, the other countries in Southeast Asia have switched back to their former Buddhist beliefs. Although the diet has not changed yet, the changes in clothing have begun to change.

The nobles began to tie their hair and wear Ming Dynasty clothes, and the common people below also followed suit.

The population of the Ming Dynasty in Southeast Asia has reached more than 1.6 million, while the population of the entire Southeast Asia countries, even including the countries in the Indochina Peninsula, is only more than 15 million.

It can be said that the proportion of Han people in Nanyang is already very high, and many Han people marry local wives and have children, which makes the proportion of local Han people change every year.

The representative one is undoubtedly the Palembang Mansion, the seat of the Xuanwei Department in the old port.

There used to be more than 700,000 people in Palembang, but more than 600,000 of them were local Malays.

Changes in the past two decades have brought the number of local Han people to 570,000, while the Malays have dropped to 450,000.

This is not because the Han people did anything to the Malays, but because many Malay women married Han people and were gradually Chineseized.

This is not only the case for Malay women, but also for Malay men who look like Han Chinese because they wear Ming Dynasty clothes and study in local official schools.

Although it can be seen from their appearance that they are not Han, it is not difficult for many educated Malays to marry a Han woman who has gone south to seek life.

In the past twenty years, if no one explained it, even the Han people from the Ming Dynasty who rushed here would not be able to tell the difference between this place and the mainland.

The neat cement roads, the Lingnan-style courtyards along the streets, and the frivolous Han Chinese clothing on the streets.

Everything here is moving closer to the mainland of the Ming Dynasty, and as the leader of the Nanyang Dusi, Cui Jun's words are no different from the imperial edict in Nanyang.

All the countries in Southeast Asia need to rely on his breath to live. The country of Sumatra, which borders the old port, chose to convert back to Buddhism and accept Chineseization precisely because of the pressure given by Cui Jun.

The former Srivijaya Palace has been transformed into a Jiangnan style building. Because the area was too small, Cui Jun also expanded it to 140 acres.

The entire Nanyang Dusi Yamen is divided into three parts: north, south and middle. The north is residential, where Cui Jun mainly lives. Various pavilions and waterside pavilions have been built, and a small lake covering an area of ​​several acres has been artificially diverted to open up a small lake, and several temples have been built. view from the loft.

The central part is the residence of senior officials at all levels of Dusi Yamen. Although it is not as prosperous as the place where Cui Jun lives, there are also lakes and gardens for officials to relax and play.

The southern part serves as the office area of ​​the Yamen, with more than 200 officials and more than 1,000 staff passing through it every day.

As the person in power who actually controls Nanyang, although Cui Jun lives a relatively luxurious life, he has not developed any inappropriate ambitions.

At this moment, he was standing on the water-viewing tower of his Cui Mansion, looking at the lake and pavilions in front of him, holding in his hand a letter sent by someone below.

He is in his forties and has already started growing a beard. Now he has a black beard that is more than a foot long, and a long beard next to it.

Because he rests in the Yamen all year round, his skin color is fairer than that of the local people, so others also call him the Beautiful Beard Gong.

He didn't care about these false names. What he cared about now was the letter in his hand.

The turmoil of the Northern King of Nanyang still affected him in Nanyang. He purchased a lot of villas, houses and properties in his hometown in Nanzhili. These things are now being traced by Wang Hui and Yang Shiqi.

Although Cui Jun did not think that His Majesty would attack him, he still wrote a memorial respectfully.

"You go there in person and deliver this memorandum to His Majesty, and ask the second person to send someone to remind those guys in the west. Don't think that this is a civil servant matter and it has nothing to do with us."

Cui Jun looked at the young man beside him. That was his eldest son Cui Jun, who now serves as the governor of Palembang Prefecture.

"Dad, we have so much gold and silver in our hands. If Your Majesty knew, would you..."

Cui Jun was very worried and even felt scared, but Cui Jun calmly said:
"We are different from them. As long as we don't go too far, His Majesty will not deliberately criticize us."

"You can also perform well this time when you enter Beijing. I don't expect you brothers to reach my status in Nanyang, but at least my Cui family must stand firm in Nanyang!"

Cui Jun's eyes were sharp, and Cui Jun quickly bowed in response and walked out of Guanshui Tower anxiously.

Looking at his back, Cui Jun frowned, feeling that his sons were a little too cowardly.

If he hadn't been unable to get away now, he should have gone to Beijing to express his loyalty to His Majesty.

"After I'm done with the Sinicization of Nanyang, I have to go to Beijing anyway."

Cui Jun let out a breath. In fact, he was not afraid of His Majesty in his heart. He was just trying to hold on in front of his children and grandchildren...

(End of this chapter)