King Luhuang of the Ming Dynasty: My father, Ming Taizu

"Prince Hanguo, even if Toghon Temur is willing to let the people of the grasslands integrate into the Ming Dynasty, there are many tribes in the grasslands, and many people in Toghon Temur's Tatar tribe are also unruly. How can they be willing?"

Lan Yu couldn't help but look at Li Shanchang.

He discovered that when a war broke out, these civil servants would jump out and ask the emperor to stop fighting, recuperate more, and strengthen the country.

This has a huge impact on those who need military merit.

Hearing this, Li Shanchang said calmly: "With artillery and other firearms, even if the Wala cavalry is brave and good at fighting, they will not be a match!"

Lan Yu was left speechless by this sentence.

He could say that Toghon Temur's tribesmen were not strong enough and were no match for him, but he could not say that artillery and other firearms were not powerful enough.

The firearms made by Zhu Tan are so powerful that everyone who has seen them would be amazed. There is no reason to complain about their lack of power.

"Since Toghon Temur was released back to the grassland and became the middleman, allowing the grassland to integrate into the Ming Dynasty, we should trust each other!"

Li Shanchang spoke calmly.

"What if we fail? Among the 100,000 troops brought by Toghon Temur, 50,000 are Ming Dynasty soldiers!" Lan Yu found a new reason.

"General Lan Yu may question Toghon Temur's grassland army, but the Ming soldiers are not weak, and they have firearms to help them, so they are not afraid of the Oirat army."

Li Shanchang spoke slowly.

Lan Yu had nothing to say, he could only snort coldly, turn his head and ignore him.

"Your Majesty, a war now costs a lot. Even though our country is strong now, we should not squander it at will. We should take from the people and use it for the people."

Li Shanchang spoke respectfully, holding the white jade plate.

"I agree with you. We have already wasted a lot of money and manpower in destroying Yuan and Goryeo. We still have a lot of things to do. We need to stabilize the situation and not send more troops!"

Many civil officials spoke up.

Zhu Biao suddenly looked at Li Shanchang who was lowering his body, blinked, and then looked at his old father.

Just as he was about to speak, he noticed Zhu Tan was looking at him.

"Does Old Ten have any ideas?"

Zhu Biao hesitated to speak and looked at Zhu Tan.

Others did not know about this scene, but Zhu Yuanzhang, who was sitting high up, saw it and felt a little curious.

"Prince Lu, it was you who recommended Toghon Temur to us. Now that the Oirat is attacking the Tatars, what do you think?"

Zhu Yuanzhang spoke calmly, but his face was still angry and slightly gloomy.

Zhu Tan stepped forward, bowed and said, "In my opinion, it is still too early to send troops!"

Oh?
Zhu Yuanzhang was a little curious, and everyone looked at him sideways.

Li Shanchang meant not to fight this battle and let Toghon Temur handle it, but Zhu Tan wanted to fight, but not now.

"Toghon Temur was recommended by your son. I value his vision and ability. Although there are still some unconvinced Tatar tribes, the tribes that support Toghon Temur have already traded with the Ming Dynasty and have achieved initial results. Now it all depends on Toghon Temur's attitude!"

Zhu Tan bowed and said.

There is no doubt about Toghon Temur's talent. Precisely because he had been an emperor, his vision and wisdom were also not weak, so Zhu Tan chose him as the person to integrate the grassland and the Ming Dynasty.

"We should use both kindness and force. The Ming Dynasty's kindness and force will be more effective if Toghon Temur, the former emperor, promotes them. If we win this battle, the Ming Dynasty's prestige will naturally rise. If we lose, it won't be too late for the Ming Dynasty to send troops again!"

Zhu Tan explained to everyone.

Everyone was a little silent.

Toghon Temur led 50,000 grassland cavalry and 50,000 Ming troops. It was for this reason that he understood the Ming Dynasty's ideas very well, but there was no other way.

He couldn't win the war and was not as good as the Ming Dynasty in terms of resources. He had no choice but to do this to keep the people on the grassland alive.

Rebellion is undoubtedly a road to death.

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression eased, and he looked at Zhu Tan and said, "Then tell me, what if Toghon Temur joined forces with the Oirat to rebel?"

Everyone's face changed and they all became worried.

After all, Toghon Temur was a former emperor, and all the hundreds of thousands of grassland people who had surrendered before were released one after another.

There are quite a few Tatars nowadays. If Toghon Temur could not help but choose to rebel, the consequences would be disastrous.

The two tribes merged.

It is still a force that causes headaches for the Ming border troops.

of course.

Headaches are not something that can’t be beaten.

Today, the military power of the Ming Dynasty has exploded.

If these two sides merge, the only result will be faster and more deaths.

for this.

Everyone has a clear understanding.

just.

If it is possible to avoid war, it would be better for both sides to maintain peace.

"Father, we cannot defeat them even if we cannot win. Moreover, Toghon Temur's Tatars are not united. When the Yuan Dynasty was still in existence, there were many large tribes that did not want to obey Toghon Temur's command, let alone now. This is why I want you to send someone to support us.

Besides, it is already autumn now. The Yuan Dynasty was destroyed and the Tatars suffered a lot of losses. Many people may not even survive this winter. They can only rely on the Ming Dynasty!"

Zhu Tan smiled.

He had said something similar a long time ago, but he also understood that his old father was worried about Toghon Temur's rebellion.

Toghon Temur was spared out of consideration for his reputation. If he had rebelled, he would have faced a lot of trouble.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly, agreeing with Zhu Tan's words.

He was extremely worried about releasing Toghon Temur, so he sent people to monitor him secretly. However, Toghon Temur's actions did show that he saw the situation clearly and even saw through Zhu Tan's intentions, but he did not think of rebelling, but carried out his actions seriously.

"Then wait and see for a while!"

Zhu Yuanzhang spoke slowly.

"I have something to say!"

Shaanxi Provincial Secretary Wang Lian stepped forward.

"Play!"

"Shaanxi has recently suffered from drought and floods, causing a lot of losses. The granaries have been opened, but there are hundreds of thousands of victims and there is not enough food. Your Majesty, please borrow food from other places!"

Wang Lian hunched over, his heart full of worry.

Although this was a natural disaster, he was not responsible for it. If there were starving people everywhere and people were eating their own children, his sin would be huge.

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned, stared at Wang Lian, and asked, "Yesterday's memorial did not mention this matter. Why is Wang Lian doing this?"

Wang Lian swallowed his saliva and stammered, "Your Majesty, I, I just learned about this matter!"

“Why weren’t the disasters reported before?”

Zhu Yuanzhang leaned forward with an angry look on his face.

Wang Lian was frightened and knelt down in a hurry, saying hurriedly: "Your Majesty has reduced taxes, and His Royal Highness the Prince of Lu has increased grain production, so the people have more food in their hands, but this drought came first, and then the rain came. In one month, 90% of the crops could not survive.

At the beginning of the drought, the people still had surplus food and were able to survive. They thought it would rain, but it rained for half a month and drowned the crops. After I opened the granary, the situation stabilized, but the number of victims increased, and the grain merchants took the opportunity to raise the price, causing the people to be unable to buy food! "

Wang Lian told the whole story, not daring to hide anything.

If we continue to conceal it now, I'm afraid all nine clans will lose their heads. "These grain merchants deserve to die!"

Zhu Yuanzhang slammed the table in anger.

"Your Majesty, please calm down and take care of your health!" The ministers hurriedly spoke out to persuade him.

Zhu Tan looked at the ground and couldn't help frowning.

Food issues have always been a big deal since ancient times. Once a natural disaster or man-made disaster occurs, no one knows how many people will die.

This matter has probably been going on for a month or two, and the situation has reached a point where Wang Lian can no longer control it, so he can only report it to his superiors.

"We need to find a way to get hybrid rice done as soon as possible, otherwise we won't be able to continue like this!"

Zhu Tan’s thoughts were racing.

He remembered that the Ming Dynasty was actually a Little Ice Age, and natural disasters were very frequent. Even in the Ming Dynasty, many places were not living well, let alone the north.

When disaster strikes, grain merchants and even officials from other regions will take the opportunity to make a fortune. This is willful behavior, but it does not mean that he supports such things.

If rice becomes a cheap commodity that everyone can afford and feed themselves with, then even if this happens, the price can only be slightly higher.

"Father, I think this should not be encouraged. However, the rice in Shaanxi merchants' hands is still limited. They have extra money and want to buy more, which causes the price to continue to rise. Wang Lian, how much has the rice price in Shaanxi increased now?"

Zhu Biao asked.

"It has risen to one thousand dollars!"

Wang Lian said in a low voice.

If he had been able to control the matter, he would not have reported it.

It is precisely because wealthy people want to buy more, whether for speculation to increase food prices or to stockpile more just in case, that prices continue to rise.

The people could not afford it and could only starve to death or become refugees, seeking a way out elsewhere.

"Immediately control the price of grain. Those who disobey will be executed. Transfer grain back from other places as soon as possible. Do not slack off in the slightest!"

Zhu Yuanzhang spoke angrily.

Wang Lian saluted hurriedly, already sweating all over from fear.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Wang Lian and wanted to remove him, but then he changed his mind and realized that Wang Lian was most aware of the disaster situation and he had also stayed in Shaanxi for quite some time, so he would be more adept at handling the situation. Replacing him at this time would slow down the progress.

The most important thing is to solve the problem as soon as possible before the disaster reaches a point where there are dead bodies of famine everywhere, and then punish Wang Lian later!

Retreat!
As the eunuch's voice sounded, everyone left the hall one after another.

Zhu Tan sat in the carriage thinking about how to deal with hybrid rice. When the man passed away, he went to look at the past events and did some research. Although he didn't know much, he had a general understanding of it.

Select two similar species with rich genetic backgrounds that have complementary advantages. After screening, future generations can observe them with instruments, but the Ming Dynasty could only conduct experiments and send people to observe them one by one with their eyes to select a variety of high-yield, disease-resistant, and good seedlings.

Find a third species that can combine with the first two, pollinate it, and continue planting. If a seed emerges, it can serve as the mother plant and combine pollen with the previous two species to complete the final three-line hybridization!

"It should be like this. If I remember correctly, the yield per mu should be 500 kilograms, or even more than 1,000 kilograms, to solve this problem. However, this thing is estimated to take a lot of time, at least one or two years!"

Zhu Tan got off the carriage, muttering to himself.

Although he could bring different types of rice to various places with just one order, it was very troublesome to cultivate them.

Determine the type, carry out breeding, and then continue breeding. Without the right technology, we can only plant, conduct experiments, and use manpower to inspect. Finally, only those that can generally achieve an output of more than 500 kilograms per mu can be considered three-line hybrid rice.

The yield of 500 kilograms per mu is still much lower than that of later generations, but it is much more than the current 200 or 300 kilograms per mu.

One hundred kilograms of rice can support a family for a long time. The extra can be saved, and even more can be sold for money.

Once two-line hybrid rice is developed, the yield per mu will be able to reach 1,000 kilograms. By then, rice will be incredibly cheap and such things will no longer exist.

Pinching his nose bridge, Zhu Tan was in a good mood. He barely remembered the method of three-line hybrid rice. All he had to do now was to send someone to find suitable seeds.

“If we can find a seed that only has sterile and restorer lines, we’ll be able to take off!”

Zhu Tan shouted and swaggered back to the palace.

The guards at the door looked at each other and saw the confusion in each other's eyes, but their expressions were very normal.

Soon, Zhu Tan's order was conveyed to find as many rice seeds as possible.

"What does Your Highness want the rice seeds for?"

"I don't know, but let's all go look for them. If we collect different ones, we can give you 100 taels of silver!"

"There are different types of rice? Is there such a thing?"

"Your Highness said to find rice varieties that can produce more rice. As long as it is correct, there will be money!"

"Then I have to go. There are a lot of good farmlands in my hometown, and the yield of rice seeds is not low. I have to go and get some!"

"His Highness said that we also need to pass the order to other places. We can't forget it!"

"I know, don't worry!"

"..."

Inside the room, Zhu Tan stared at the dirt in the yard in silence.

"What is the matter with you, Your Highness?"

Princess Lu asked, but her tone was always gentle.

Zhu Tan hugged him in his arms.

"In addition to the drought in Shaanxi, the drought has lasted too long and is bound to be accompanied by heavy rain. It's the weather that makes it so. It's just that the people are suffering. These fools don't know how to save some of the surplus food when they have more!"

Zhu Tan said with some regret.

"Your Highness, there is only so much food. Your Highness's previous actions have increased the food output, but it will be difficult to overcome natural disasters!"

Princess Lu gently stroked Zhu Tan's brow and comforted him softly.

Zhu Tan curled his lips and composed himself. He had already sent someone to look for it. He believed that it would not take long before he could start the matching research.

Afterwards, Zhu Tan took Princess Lu back to her room.

……

Ulaanbaatar!

Looking at the grassland people who continued to die in battle, Toghon Temur was filled with heartache. These were the tribes that were willing to follow him, but now he was sending people to kill them.

Tens of thousands of warriors were drawn from other tribes. Many of these warriors had previously fought against the Ming Dynasty, but now they were killing each other.

kill!

Haohaidayu didn't care at all. Seeing that Toghon Temur's cavalry had suffered a lot of casualties, he immediately gave an order for the army to charge.

“I can’t stand this anymore!”

The generals of the Ming Dynasty looked at Toghon Temur with anger.

Previously, Toghon Temur did not allow him to send people to bomb Haohaidayu, and as a result, many people were killed, although most of them were grassland people.

But during this period of time, they went from being at odds with each other to gradually working together, and now they also tolerate each other, and some have even become friends.

Now that their friends have been killed by their enemies, many people are angry.

"it is good!"

Toghon Temur nodded and agreed reluctantly.

When Toghon Temur ordered the cavalry to retreat, Haohaidayu, with a smile on his face, immediately ordered the vanguard to charge, while he led his army to reap the fruits of victory from behind.

boom! ! !
With the sound of cannonballs one after another, shells fell into the battlefield, blood splattered, and broken limbs flew everywhere. (End of this chapter)