Daming: I, Yang Xian, really govern Yang!

Capital City, Imperial Palace.

After learning about Zhu Di's request for the Western Expedition, Zhu Yuanzhang was very pleased and patted Zhu Di on the shoulder with a smile.

Well done, in this regard, the fourth child is indeed the most like me.

However, when Zhu Di asked the court to allocate funds for military rations, Zhu Yuanzhang's face showed embarrassment for a while.

In the past few years, the imperial court has done too many major things. It would be great enough for any major event in the previous dynasties to be completed in the hands of one emperor.

Any major event requires a huge amount of money to support it. Therefore, even though the Ming Dynasty's fiscal revenue has increased several times or ten times compared with before, and there is an overseas silver mine that continuously provides silver, it is still not enough. .

Anyway, there is absolutely no way to divert this money for military rations this year. Due to the previous military reforms and the construction of railways, there is really no money in the treasury.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Di's eyes and said, "The national treasury is really out of money. Even the debt ratio of Daming Bank has reached the red line set at the beginning."

Seeing that Zhu Di still didn't believe it.

Zhu Yuanzhang patted his head angrily and said: "Recently, your mother has taken the lead and even the palace has cut expenses. If you don't believe it, just ask your mother. It just so happens that you haven't gone back to the capital to see her yet."

"I'll take my leave first." Zhu Di shrank his head angrily and bowed to leave.

Zhu Di brought the most exquisite types of canned meat and canned fruits produced by the Grassland Food Processing Factory to Kunning Palace.

He glanced at the furnishings in the room and the fruit snacks on the table, and he had an idea.

The specifications are more than one level lower than before.

The female officer Yu'er next to Queen Ma's eyes shone when she saw the various cans brought by Zhu Di. According to her, the palace had not had good food for a while.

To cut down on expenses, the first place to stop is Ming Kee’s desserts and snacks.

In recent years, Mingji Desserts has not declined, but has become more popular due to the launch of several new products, but the price is still as expensive as ever.

Zhu Di sighed in his heart. It seemed that this trip would be in vain.

His mother was taking the lead in reducing expenses, so how could he have the nerve to ask the court for money.

Zhu Di poured a cup of tea for Empress Ma himself and said, "Mother, all the big things in the court require big money. There are only a few dollars to spend in the palace, so you don't need to be so harsh on yourself."

"I don't know what the Fourth Prince said, but the Queen hasn't had her favorite double-skin milk for a while." Yu'er, who was accompanying the attendant, said.

"Double skin milk? Is it Mingji's new snack?" Zhu Di asked.

"That's right, it's Mingji's latest dim sum." Yu'er nodded repeatedly and said. "After reducing expenses, the palace stopped purchasing Mingji cakes. Although the palace's purchases were stopped, Mingji still continued to deliver free cakes every day at first. Later, the Queen ordered it to stop."

Queen Ma poked Yu'er's head with a finger and said, "You must be greedy and want to eat it, but don't drag me along."

"After the palace stopped purchasing, Mingji still sent it to our Kunning Palace. It was Yue Min and the others' kindness. But we can't accept this kindness in vain. They Mingji opened the door to do business, and they kept making them lose money. What does trading look like?”

Yu'er, who was standing aside, muttered and whispered: "Keep in mind that you have plenty of money anyway. To them, these cakes are just the tip of a feather in the bucket. If you don't eat them, you won't eat them."

The further you go, the quieter your voice becomes.

Queen Ma said: "Since you like eating Mingji pastries so much, I might as well marry you directly. You have reached the age of leaving the court anyway."

The mention of leaving the cabinet immediately hit Yu'er's weakness.

Yu'er hurriedly said: "Yu'er will not marry anyone and will not go anywhere. She will stay in the palace to take care of the queen for the rest of her life."

Queen Ma looked at the girl beside her and shook her head helplessly.

Zhu Di, who was sitting aside, lost his mind for a moment and murmured in a low voice: "Yes, why didn't I think of this?"

Zhu Di stood up and looked at Yu'er, his eyes were shining, and he smiled and said: "Thank you Yu'er for reminding me, my mother, the queen, and my son have important things to do, so I will leave first."

Yu'er was startled by Zhu Di's sudden move and could only freeze on the spot and nodded stiffly.

Waiting until Zhu Di left, Yu'er turned to look at Queen Ma and asked: "Queen, the Fourth Prince thanked me just now. What did he thank me for?"

Queen Ma also wanted to ask.

After Zhu Di came out of Kunning Palace, he did not go directly to Yangzhou, but to the East Palace.

After coming back, I haven't seen my eldest brother yet. Besides, as a vassal king who meets with important ministers in private, he has to say hello to the prince first.

The time was just right, just in time for dinner.

So Zhu Biao took Zhu Di to have dinner together. The two brothers had always had a good relationship. They hadn't seen each other for so long, and they had endless topics to talk about.

But halfway through eating, there was a sudden noise outside.

Zhu Biao called his servants to ask, and it turned out that his two sons were quarreling over a trivial matter.

Zhu Yunwen believed that the imperial court was in a difficult situation now, and the imperial grandmother took the lead in reducing palace expenses. As royal children, they must set an example, so the meals could be as simple as possible.

On the other side, Zhu Xiongying, who had received a new education, said directly that according to what the school taught, they were now at the critical moment of growing taller and nutrition must not be left behind. For this reason, the small kitchen in the East Palace was even asked to prepare a cup of fresh milk for him every day.

Improving diet can actually enhance people's physical fitness, and their height and weight will be affected.

Milk, a natural drink rich in calcium and protein, plays a pivotal role.

A bottle of milk every day makes a strong Chinese. Many people must have heard this slogan when they were children.

There was a period in history when the "Milk Movement" even became an important part of the country's strategy of "riching the country and strengthening the people." Many countries around the world have even made drinking milk a national law to promote improved public nutrition. The most fundamental determinant of a country's prosperity is its people, and the most fundamental and important factor in building a harmonious society is the physical quality of all its people.

In order to ensure the physical quality of the people and for the strong development of their countries, governments of various countries use different methods to improve the physical quality of the people. Milk, known as the most ideal food for mankind, has naturally become an important part of the national strategy. , strengthen the power of the people.

Now Yang Xian is introducing the knowledge of milk, its nutritional value and its importance to human health through various schools.

This was the beginning of the dispute between Zhu Xiongying and Zhu Yunwen.

In the mainland of China, there are very few dairy cows, and milk is indeed a luxury product.

In Zhu Yunwen's view, isn't it a waste of money for his brother Zhu Xiongying to drink fresh milk every day at this juncture?

But it won’t be long before milk becomes a product that ordinary families can afford. Zhu Di, who was sitting in the room eating with Zhu Biao, knew this best.

The technology of milk is actually very mature, and it has been promoted in the Mongolian fiefdom for several years.

Just because its shelf life is too short and the existing transportation methods cannot meet the conditions, it has not been sold to the mainland of the Central Plains. When the fire train opens to traffic, pure natural milk from the grasslands will be continuously transported to various parts of the Ming Dynasty.

This was something Yang Xian had already agreed with Zhu Di a few years ago when he was making canned food.

According to Yang Xian's idea, the first thing to do is to ensure that children in schools across the country have milk to drink. The Ministry of Education of the imperial court will allocate funds to purchase and distribute love milk.

Because the topic of milk was mentioned, Zhu Di talked about it with Zhu Biao.

After Zhu Di heard what Zhu Di said, he called the chamberlain and said: "From now on, the two emperors and grandsons will prepare a cup of fresh milk every morning, and they must drink it up. Go talk to Yunwen and say that this is my request." of."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Fourth, how long do you plan to stay when you return to the capital this time?" After explaining the matter, Zhu Biao turned to look at Zhu Di and said with a smile.

Zhu Di said: "It won't be long. I should be returning to the fiefdom in the next two days. In addition to meeting my father, queen mother and eldest brother, the most important thing for me to come to Beijing this time is to report to my father." I am preparing for the Western Expedition."

Zhu Biao had a look of surprise on his face and said, "Fourth brother, do you want to march westward?"

"Yes, I have had this idea in my mind for a long time." Zhu Di put down the wine glass in his hand and chuckled. "Brother also knows that the fiefdom of Mobei was not actually conquered by me. According to my father's original enfeoffment system, we princes had to conquer our own fiefdoms. We are also the first princes of the Ming Dynasty. No matter what, We have to expand our territory for the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Biao nodded slightly. He should be happy for his brother to have such an idea.

The fourth child in his memory who was always naughty and mischievous is now a prince who is responsible for the safety of the people in the land.

Zhu Biao pondered for a while and then asked: "You want to march westward, do you have enough military rations?"

"Not enough." Zhu Di shook his head and said. "Brother, you also know that our Mongolian fiefdom needs to purchase food from various provinces in the Central Plains. The grain storage in the granary is not full all year round, let alone the military rations for the army's expedition."

"You have gone to see your father. My father must have told you that the imperial court has not been able to come up with so much money recently, and the Ming Dynasty Bank may not be able to come up with so much money at once. Yang Qing said that the money left in the bank The money must never fall below that red line, and the statutory reserve cannot be touched.”

As the general manager of Daming Bank, Zhu Biao is very aware that Daming Bank's loans this year have actually exceeded the quota, especially the portion lent to the imperial court.

But there is really no other way. We have also seen the mutiny of the Youye Army in the Beijing Camp before.

Some money cannot be saved.

Zhu Biao frowned and was seriously thinking of a solution for his brother.

"If that doesn't work, just wait two years before starting the Western Expedition. According to Yang Qing, after the industrial revolution begins, the court will see an explosive increase in tax revenue every year."

Zhu Di smiled and said: "My brother is going to go to Yang Guogong to see if his Mingji can lend some money to our palace, and also ask him to give me some advice on what I need to pay attention to during this Western Expedition? "

After listening to Zhu Di's words, Zhu Biao's brows widened and he smiled and said, "I forgot about the clear note in Yang Qing's hand."

Zhu Biao raised his head and glanced at the sky outside, and said: "It's getting late. If you catch the train at this time, you can arrive in Yangzhou in the evening. You have something serious to do, so I won't leave you alone."

"Then my brother, please retire first."

After bidding farewell to Zhu Di, Zhu Biao looked back at the pile of food cans brought by Zhu Di on the table, silently lost in thought.

Yangzhou, in front of Shenhou Mansion.

"My name is Zhu Silang, I have met the commander-in-chief."

Seeing Zhu Di's sudden visit, Yang Xian was still a little surprised.

He looked at the man in front of him who was giving him a military salute, and couldn't help but feel a little dazed for a moment.

When Zhu Di followed him on the expedition to Mobei, his face had not completely shed its tenderness. Only a few years later, he was a completely different person.

He finally began to have the power of a superior person.

Yang Xian smiled and said: "Fourth Prince, please stop making fun of me."

Fortunately, Zhu Di was wearing regular clothes. If people knew that the current first prince saluted Yang Xian, it would be okay.

When passers-by saw him, they thought Zhu Di was just an ordinary sergeant.

Zhu Di shook his head slightly and said firmly: "I'm not joking. Zhu Silang is a soldier of the commander-in-chief for one day, and he will be a soldier of the commander-in-chief for the rest of his life."

Yang Xian brought Zhu Di into the house, made a pot of tea himself, and said with a smile: "The Fourth Prince is busy with everything today, so there must be something important for you to come to me today."

"The commander-in-chief is still the same as before, and he knows things like a god."

Zhu Di nodded, and then started from the joint construction of the railway by the Meng Palace and the imperial court, to preparations for the Western Expedition, to solving the financial problem by plundering, and finally to the military ration problem.

One-five-ten, no matter how big or small, I told Yang Xian everything.

Nothing to hide.

In addition to trust, Zhu Di also intuitively believed that the best way to face Yang Xian was to be honest with him.

After hearing this, Yang Xian smiled and said: "It seems that the fourth prince has met a good staff. The success of the railway in the west has not yet appeared, and the investment is too large, so now the provinces are still waiting and watching. Your Highness It can be said that he is the first person to see the benefits. ”

"The decision of the Western Expedition was made very well. Now the time is just right."

Zhu Di smiled and said: "This was all Master Daoyan's idea. He has indeed helped me a lot over the years."

"Master Daoyan?" Yang Xian was surprised and said. "Yao Guangxiao?"

"Why, do you know the Marshal too?" Zhu Di said.

Yang Xian's expression returned to normal, he shook his head slightly and said, "I don't know him, I just heard about the master's name."

The combination of Monk Dao Yan and Zhu Di made Yang Xian involuntarily think of the Battle of Jingnan, and he had lost his composure just now.

The reason why Yang Xian quickly returned to normal is naturally because the Ming Dynasty today is not the Ming Dynasty of the original time and space.

Yang Xian was just a little amazed at the drama of fate. (End of chapter)