Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 580 Hong Xi's Beginning and End
"His Majesty……"

The firecrackers are blasting, and it is the New Year again.

While the whole country was celebrating the New Year, Zhu Zhanhe in Chunhe Palace stood where he was and let the palace maids help him dress.

At this moment, hurried footsteps were heard, and Wang Tao, who had been promoted to the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, walked into the hall and bowed to Zhu Zhanhe's back.

"Your Highness, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived at the Beijing North Station."

"He still knows to come back?"

Turning around, the forty-year-old Zhu Zhanhe's eyes were filled with some secret joy and a bit of resentment.

Since the seventeenth year of Hongxi, time in the Ming Dynasty seemed to have passed very quickly.

In the blink of an eye, six years had passed.

Three years had already passed since Zhu Gaoxu released Zhu Yunhuan and others.

During these three years, steam engines began to equip warships and the navy began to phase out its former wooden sailing ships.

Of course, three years is not enough time for the navy to complete its replacement, and the steam-powered ship technology is still insufficient, so only the Fuzhou ships with a tonnage of 3,000 tons or less have been eliminated.

They were replaced by Ming-style steam warships with a displacement of 1,500 tons.

In terms of tonnage alone, it is on par with the Great Treasure Ship, but its actual size is one-third smaller.

Even so, this is the most advanced maritime killing weapon in the Ming Dynasty today.

The warship's speed of forty miles per hour far exceeds that of all warships of this era, and the number of sixty-two guns determines its power.

Although such warships have not yet been reported in newspapers, merchant ships of some countries have already seen them at sea.

The black muzzle of the gun and the extremely fast speed made many coastal vassal states behave themselves.

Steam warships like these were just a small part of the changes that took place in the Ming Dynasty over the past three years. Compared to warships, the people's livelihood, transportation, and economy of the Ming Dynasty were changing with each passing day.

In the 23rd year of Hongxi, the Anxi Railway was built to Gumo Prefecture (Aksu), the Hezhong Railway was built to Kunling Prefecture (Bortala), and the Beiting Railway was built to Jinshan Prefecture (Altay).

At the same time, the Mobei Railway was completed. From then on, the Ming army could reach Xiran City (Kobdo) directly. The Anxi Railway connecting Mobei and the Western Regions was renamed the Moxi Railway, and it was successfully built to Yiwulu County in the north of Yizhou.

The Jiangnan Railway was built to Jiujiang, and it would only take three years to reach Wuchang.

The Nanyue Railway has been under construction for two years. It now starts from Guangzhou and connects Zhaoqing and Wuzhou. It will take another four years to be completed.

In addition, Hezhong Prefecture is building the Ili Railway, which will run from Yingsu County in the east of Ili Prefecture to Hezhong County in the west of Hezhong Prefecture. It is expected to be completed in four years.

As these railways continued to be laid, the region's economy, population and people's livelihood have also been greatly improved.

Compared with the Jiangnan Railway, which was the icing on the cake, the four railways in the Western Region were undoubtedly the most successful.

Despite the huge cost, as the railways continued to develop, immigrants were settled in every habitable place.

These immigrants were turned into military households, but they were not the kind of military households during the Hongwu period.

Although they were nominally military households of the garrisons, they paid land taxes normally. However, when they encountered some difficult wars, the military households needed to send male adults to serve as auxiliary soldiers to protect the civilians.

In addition, they have a training session every month, mainly focusing on how to use muskets, wear armor, emergency assembly, marching, etc.

The military officers of these garrisons were all retired officers who were assigned to the garrisons. They were rotated every three years, so many of the bad habits that the military officers of the garrisons had previously had did not exist.

Military households also have corresponding treatment. Although the annual allowance of two kan is not much, considering that they only train once a month, it is actually a good job.

In addition, not all immigrants and civilians in the Western Regions are military households, but need to be selected to serve.

In the past few years, there was no shortage of people suffering from natural disasters in the Ming Dynasty. Most of them had their disaster-stricken fields purchased by the government and relocated to the Western Regions. The disaster-stricken fields purchased by the government were monitored by the imperial inspectors in Beijing and distributed to the local poor people.

Today, the three military governors in the Western Regions have 370,000 Hukou and 1.24 million Hankou, totaling 1.61 million people and more than 304,000 households.

Even so, only twelve guards and 67,000 households were selected as military households.

These 67,000 military households are enough to form 67,000 auxiliary troops in wartime, and can protect the rear baggage for the army's main troops.

Zhu Qiyue has been busy with this matter in the past few years.

"I told him to come back earlier, but he went to a remote place to look for me. Now he knows to come back."

Zhu Zhanhe was still complaining when Mu came in and tidied his clothes. She chuckled and said, "Well, at least he's back, and he didn't go out to play."

"Hmph!" Zhu Zhanhe snorted, but couldn't help but smile.

"By the way, have you asked your father?"

Zhu Zhanhe seemed to have thought of something and couldn't help asking Mu, but Mu said, "In the past few years, the grand court meetings have been presided over by you, and His Majesty has not shown up. Do you still need to ask this time?"

"I have to ask." Zhu Zhanhe nodded and said, "Father doesn't have to come, but as a son, I still have to ask the questions."

"Okay..." Mu nodded helplessly, then looked at Wang Tao:

"Tell the Crown Prince to come to Chunhe Palace to meet his parents, change into his crown and robes and attend the court meeting. Also, ask His Majesty whether he will preside over the grand court meeting this year."

"Yes..." Wang Tao bowed in response and then walked out of the hall.

It was now daybreak. According to previous years, the court meeting should have already begun. However, last year Zhu Zhanhe changed the time of the court meeting, and every year the court meeting was pushed back to the 9 o'clock of the same day.

The change in time made the officials who had rushed to the palace before dawn secretly delighted. Many officials who did not like to get up early even praised Zhu Zhanhe in private, believing that he had the qualities of a sage monarch.

Wang Tao walked through the squares and gatehouses of the three main halls and soon arrived at the gate of the Qianqing Palace.

The commander of Jilin Guard, Guo Deng, is still stationed here. Over the past three years, he has been looked down upon by the Bohai and Yanfu factions because of escorting Zhu Yunhuan to Yingzhou to take up his fiefdom.

But for him, he only knew that he was doing things according to His Majesty's will, and that was enough.

During these years, he had learned a lot from His Majesty, and he also knew why His Majesty had not promoted him.

The Hongxi Dynasty is not the time for me to show my talents, but as long as I can get through this period, I will be able to apply all the skills I have learned from following Your Majesty over the years to the battlefield!
"The King's Seal."

Guo Deng, wearing armor, bowed to Wang Tao. Although Wang Tao had become the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, he was kind to others and never acted domineeringly because of his status.

Facing Guo Deng's salute, Wang Tao turned sideways and bowed in return: "Commander Guo, I'm here to invite Your Majesty to preside over the court meeting."

According to Wang Tao's experience in the past few years, Guo Deng would refuse to preside over the court meeting on behalf of His Majesty after a breath.

However, contrary to Wang Tao's expectations, Guo Deng did not play by the rules this time. Instead, he turned sideways and gestured: "Please!"

"Thank you..."

Wang Tao, who had a keen sense of smell, had already sensed that something was wrong. He felt a little nervous, yet also a little excited.

After being away from court for many years and having entrusted state affairs to the crown prince for many years, he finally showed some interest in taking charge of state affairs.

Does this mean that the Ming Dynasty will enter a new stage?

Wang Tao was full of expectations. Just as Zhu Qiyue had taught him, he never considered himself a eunuch. Even though he was disabled, he considered himself a citizen of the Ming Dynasty and a member of the royal family.

As for the man now, whether it was the teachings he received from his godfather or his own personal experience, he had great respect for this person.

While thinking, he crossed the Qianqing Palace Road and walked into the Qianqing Palace carefully: "Your Majesty, this servant..."

Wang Tao's voice stopped abruptly, only because the emperor in front of him, whom he respected, was doing something he couldn't understand.

"coming?"

When Zhu Gaoxu's voice sounded, he turned around and looked at Wang Tao. Even though his temples were gray, his eyes were still sharp.

"Your Majesty, you are..."

Wang Tao stared at Zhu Gaoxu in a daze, and his eyes revealed an indescribable surprise.

"Of course, I will preside over the court meeting..."

Zhu Gaoxu smiled heartily and placed his hands on himself.

Through his hands, what he felt was not the softness of the crown, but its coldness and heaviness.

He wore a set of armor, and underneath it was the most ordinary double-breasted battle jacket.

On such an important day as the New Year's Day grand court meeting, Zhu Gaoxu wore a set of iron armor instead of the normal crown robes.

"Let's go to Fengtian Palace."

Zhu Gaoxu made a gesture and Wang Tao quickly responded.

He followed behind Zhu Gaoxu, and the carriage was already ready.

Zhu Gaoxu was wearing iron armor and a warm fur coat.

Although his temples are gray, he looks more vigorous and seems a lot younger.

When he walked out of the Qianqing Palace in this attire, even Guo Deng and the Jilin guards who had been protecting him for many years were stunned.

"Follow!"

Guo Deng reacted and spoke quickly, leading the team to guard the carriage.

Walking from the Qianqing Palace Gate to the Fengtian Palace, many palace guards saw his outfit along the way and most of them had a stunned expression.

Time passed little by little, as he arrived at the rear hall of the Fengtian Hall and stepped down from the sedan chair and walked into the hall, he glanced at the rear hall which had not changed in the surprised eyes of everyone, and was very satisfied.

At this time, there was a loud noise outside the hall.

"Look at you, what do you look like!"

"That's just how I am. You've known this for a long time."

"Tighten your belt, don't let it sag!"

"I'm so tired after tying it tight..."

Amid the noisy noise, Zhu Zhanhe and Zhu Qiyue, wearing imperial robes, appeared at the entrance of the palace.

Their voices stopped abruptly because they saw a figure that should not appear here.

"His Majesty!"

"grandfather!"

Zhu Zhanhe and Zhu Qiyue reacted and bowed immediately.

Zhu Gaoxu's eyes stayed on the two of them: "Get up."

He looked at the two of them. The forty-year-old Zhu Zhanhe looked very young. Although he handled a lot of government affairs, he did not look old because the current team of the six ministries was good, the court had accumulated a lot of money and grain, and the general direction was controlled by Zhu Gaoxu.

Compared to him, Zhu Qiyue is now twenty years old and has grown up.

The father and son were about the same height, both around five feet eight inches (186cm). Although neither was taller and more muscular than Zhu Gaoxu, they were already very tall compared to people of that era.

The nearly four years of experience were not in vain. Although Zhu Qiyue was wearing a crown and robes, he was more muscular than Zhu Zhanhe, with a firm brow and a sharp look in his eyes.

"grown up……"

Zhu Gaoxu nodded with satisfaction, while Zhu Qiyue scratched his head and said, "Grandpa, why didn't you tell me?"

"If you had said so, I would have come here in armor..."

"Can you compare with your grandfather?" Zhu Zhanhe glared at him. "Okay, it's time to start the court session."

Zhu Gaoxu interrupted the two of them because he had heard the sound of people entering the main hall.

"Your Majesty, you may now proceed to court."

Sure enough, Wang Tao walked quickly from the main hall and bowed to the three people.

"Go to court."

Zhu Gaoxu nodded and walked towards the main hall, while Zhu Zhanhe and Zhu Qiyue hurriedly followed.

"Sing!"

"Long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor..."

The ministers bowed and saluted as in previous years, but when they caught sight of the three figures, they instantly took a deep breath.

"Pingshen..."

When the familiar voice sounded, no matter it was the six ministers, the six army commanders, the seven grand secretaries of the palace, and the left and right censors of the Censorate, everyone fell into a moment of panic.

They never thought that His Majesty the Emperor, who had been away from the court for many years, would appear in the Fengtian Hall, and his outfit was frightening.

Compared with them, many old ministers were enlightened by the views of the meritorious officials.

Meritorious officials who withdrew from the Six Military Commandery, such as Xu Sheng, Lin Su, Zheng Jun, Cui Jun, and Yang Zhan, excitedly clenched their tablets.

In their eyes, the man in armor is far more imperial than the one in crown.

"Why, I haven't attended the Grand Court Meeting for many years, and you guys are slacking off?"

Zhu Gaoxu spoke lightly, and all the ministers bowed and said, "I am sorry for my misbehavior..."

"Six ministries report, let's begin."

Zhu Gaoxu spoke slowly, and upon hearing this, the Minister of Revenue Wang Hui took the initiative to step forward and said, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue has a report."

"Accurate!" Zhu Gaoxu said lightly, and Wang Hui began to report on the situation in the Ming Dynasty.

The 23rd year of Hongxi, the 73rd year of the founding of the Ming Dynasty...

In this year, the population of the Ming Dynasty reached 146.52 million, an increase of more than 86 million from the founding population of 59.87 million.

Nearly 30 million of these people grew through the reform of the system of native officials and the recovery of parts of Annan, Indochina, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. The actual growth was probably around 56 million.

Even so, the population growth of 56 million in 73 years is still something that the king should be proud of in this era.

Compared with the population, the growth of cultivated land has reached more than 754 million mu.

In addition, the country’s fiscal revenue reached more than 78 million, the highest in history.

Among them, the fiscal revenue generated by state-run factories accounted for one-fifth of the total fiscal revenue, and the number of workers under the government-run factories reached 3.72 million.

According to this report card, the Ming Dynasty became a veritable empire on which the sun never sets with the world's largest population, territory, agriculture, military, and economy.

Although all countries are emulating the Ming Dynasty, they can never become the Ming Dynasty, nor can they surpass the Ming Dynasty.

The more they learned about the Ming Dynasty, the easier it would be for them to be assimilated by it, and this was a result that Zhu Gaoxu would welcome.

Seventy-eight million strings of cash is not the tax limit of the Ming Dynasty, because the Ming Dynasty still maintains a tax policy of 10% tax.

The actual taxation of various countries of the same period was relatively high. Even countries like Korea, Siam, and Champa, which learned many policies from the Ming Dynasty, basically adopted a tax policy of five taxes and one tax.

Japan, which is a more strict country, can even achieve a four-tax-one ratio.

With such a huge economic volume, as long as there were no internal problems in the Ming Dynasty, there would be no so-called opponents.

In today's Ming Dynasty, the urban population has reached 16%. With the continuous advancement of science and the continuous implementation of light and heavy industries, the industrial population has begun to gradually increase.

After several blows, collusion between officials, businessmen and capital has not yet emerged, and classes have not solidified.

The Ming Dynasty was the only dynasty that had no strong enemies outside, no internal worries, prosperous people's livelihood, and peace and prosperity for 73 years after its founding.

Such a result is worthy of Zhu Gaoxu's lifelong efforts and the people's efforts.

After listening to everything, Zhu Gaoxu stood up and walked to the golden platform.

He stood on the steps and looked down at everyone. Although he was already sixty years old, the pressure he brought to the entire Ming official system still existed.

When the ministers saw him stand up, they couldn't help but feel frightened.

Even people like Wang Hui, Lu Yu and Wang Ji who had few handles on them couldn't help but feel nervous.

He glanced at the ministers and his eyes rested on the Three Yangs, Wang Hui, Wang Ji, Lu Yu, Xu Shuo and others.

The Minister of Works Huang Fu had retired and was replaced by the Minister of Revenue of Nanjing Jiang Huai, and the position of Minister of Revenue of Nanjing was succeeded by Zhao Gui.

Everyone felt uneasy under his gaze, but they had to remain calm.

This scene was seen by Zhu Zhanhe and Zhu Qiyue. Zhu Zhanhe's eyes were filled with admiration, while Zhu Qiyue's eyes were filled with fascination.

"It is now the 23rd year of Hongxi, and the 73rd year of the Ming Dynasty."

"Time flies. Seventy-three years have passed in the blink of an eye, and I am now sixty years old."

Zhu Gaoxu put his hands on his waist, looked at everyone, and sighed:

"When Emperor Taizu Gao was old, the North-South List Case broke out."

"Now that I am old, I would like to know what you think of the North-South List case..."

"Your Majesty!" Upon hearing this, all the ministers knelt on the ground in fear. Only Wang Hui and a few others stood.

“Have you ever thought about kneeling down?”

Zhu Gaoxu was very interested and his tone changed from sighing to teasing.

But before the ministers could speak, Zhu Gaoxu skipped the topic and continued:

"I was just joking, why are you so panicked?"

He said this, and the ministers could not help but panic.

During the 40 years of the Yongle and Hongxi reigns, the number of ministers exiled reached nearly 100,000, and together with their relatives, the number was probably in the millions, which is difficult to count.

During the Hongxi period, they lived on thin ice and acted cautiously every day.

But no matter how careful they were, they could not stop the emperor from going mad due to his old age.

If the emperor wanted to take action against them, he didn't need any reason...

As the repayment date for the tens of millions of national debts is approaching, many of them are getting worried.

They didn't know whether the emperor would commit another major crime, or whether they would fall.

They were confused about their future and felt deeply afraid of the emperor standing above them...

Facing them, Zhu Gaoxu patted his armor.

"This armor is heavy, just like the world."

"Fortunately, I am in good health and will not fall down because of this little weight."

After he finished speaking, Zhu Gaoxu chuckled a few times, glanced at his ministers meaningfully, then turned and left.

Zhu Qiyue followed him upon seeing this, but Zhu Zhanhe did not follow and instead signaled to the Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

"Retreat!"

When the sound of the ceremony was heard, all the ministers breathed a sigh of relief, having unknowingly been sweating profusely.

"Long live His Majesty, long live His Majesty!"

The sound of the singing could be heard from far away. Many ministers stood up one after another, but they were staggering, and it was obvious that they were frightened.

These frightened officials were still feeling lucky that they were safe, but they didn't know that a Jinyiwei in the corner had already written down the names of these officials who were feeling lucky.

"Grandpa, you looked so majestic just now!"

Zhu Qiyue followed Zhu Gaoxu happily, while Zhu Gaoxu had a smile on his face.

"Don't spoil them, don't ask them to eat less and work more, and don't hold them to saintly standards."

“There are only a few people who can achieve the four words ‘family, country and the world’, and most people are spineless.”

"Soft bones can be used, but we also need to be vigilant. The interests of the country and the nation can be used, but we cannot be partial to them."

"Before the gunshots, anyone can talk big, but after the gunshots, how many people dare to stand up?"

Zhu Gaoxu shook his head, and Zhu Qiyue agreed: "I understand this."

"These old barbarians are only so honest because you are here."

"If you are gone one day, they will definitely come and bully my father and me!"

Zhu Qiyue said angrily, but Zhu Gaoxu looked at him and said, "What will you do if they bully you?"

"I'm not easy to bully." Zhu Qiyue grinned, and Zhu Gaoxu laughed heartily upon hearing that: "Okay, okay..."

"Why are you so hard to bully?" Zhu Gaoxu asked Zhu Qiyue, but Zhu Qiyue looked around and whispered, "I have two legs and two fists, and most importantly, this part of mine is still intact."

He patted his head with his hand and said with a smile: "I know, Grandpa, you also prepared a leg for me and my father. That leg is strong. Even if my two legs are broken, I can still rely on that leg to continue moving forward."

Zhu Gaoxu chuckled when he heard this, and reached out to pat him on the back: "If you finish eating the leg that Grandpa left for you, there will be nothing you can do."

"No." Zhu Qiyue helped Zhu Gaoxu sit on the sedan chair, then smiled and said, "I will also raise it and give it to my children and grandchildren."

"If they are all used up, it will be my descendants' failure. I will be dead by then, so why should I care so much!"

Zhu Qiyue spoke in an open-minded manner. Zhu Gaoxu looked at him and couldn't help but think of the old man.

"You...are more like your great-grandfather than me."

"Hehe..." Zhu Qiyue laughed and said, "As long as I look like one of you, it will be enough for me to sit in a high position."

"It's not easy to sit in the big seats. While your father can still sit, you can go out and take a look."

Zhu Gaoxu leaned back in his chair, chuckled and shook his head.

His attention was attracted by something, and Zhu Qiyue looked in the direction he was looking, only to see a huge sun hanging in the sky.

"Grandpa, the sun is so bright today."

"Well, it is quite big, and it may get bigger in the future."

"It can't get smaller anyway, right?"

"Whether it's big or small is up to you..."

The grandfather and grandson chatted and laughed, and their figures gradually walked away, finally disappearing at the end of the palace road.

(End of this chapter)