Daming: I am the Crown Prince

The matter of maritime trade was naturally a big deal for Zhu Yunhuan, and there were many reasons to pay attention to and take it seriously.

In the short term, what is directly related to this is trade and making the Ming Dynasty more prestigious in the surrounding foreign countries. This is a fact, and it is something that many people can see at a glance.

But in Zhu Yunhuan's view, this is just some short-term things. In the long run, this is also related to the long-term policy of the Ming Dynasty, which is related to the national destiny of the Ming Dynasty.

To put it a little exaggeratedly, this is related to some changes in civilization and concepts. It is a change led by the emperor's will, an exploration from land power and agricultural civilization to maritime civilization.

It is true that this is a major matter and a long-term policy, but Zhu Yunhuan cannot be too ambitious and only think about the future.

It is equally important to do well in the things at hand. After all, if we want to develop maritime civilization, we need to have strong national strength as support and very advanced technology as a guarantee.

Yan Zhenzhi came to Wuying Hall again, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live your Majesty."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "Please show Minister Yan a seat."

Yan Zhenzhi was somewhat touched. According to many opinions, he was the Minister of Works, which ranked last among the six ministers. However, as the Minister of Works, Yan Zhenzhi was almost the most trusted and valued by the emperor.

After two generations of wise rulers, this is what Yan Zhenzhi felt. Moreover, both generations of emperors treated him with great favor, which made Yan Zhenzhi even more fearful, fearing that he would fail the emperor's trust.

Emperor Hongwu recruited talents without any restrictions. He promoted Yan Zhenzhi, the grain chief, to the position of Minister of Works step by step, a height that many so-called knowledgeable ministers could not reach.

And the current Emperor Chengkang is even more fond of Yan Zhenzhi. Not only do he entrust many things to him, but he also rewards and commends him constantly. Even though there are frequent changes in the other five ministries, the candidate for the Minister of Works has never wavered.

This was not just Yan Zhenzhi's feeling; other civil and military officials could also see it.

The so-called Minister of Rites is nominally the head of all officials, but whether it is Ren Hengtai or Chen Di, he should be appointed when necessary and dismissed when necessary.

The Minister of Personnel, Ru Heng, was the minister with the most real power and seemed to be the emperor's confidant, but he was also often reprimanded.

But Yan Zhenzhi was different. The emperor treated him with constant courtesy. When it came to many major projects, the emperor seemed to only trust Yan Zhenzhi and would seek the advice of this minister. This was treatment that was unimaginable for others.

"Your Majesty, I will leave for Hangzhou soon." Yan Zhenzhi reported solemnly, "I also hope that Your Majesty will grant permission for the Jinyiwei and the Five Military Command to send generals to accompany me."

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Yan Zhen and asked, "Then tell me the reason, otherwise it will be difficult for me to agree."

Yan Zhenzhi said more seriously, "Your Majesty, this canal dredging project is too big, and the government along the way has mobilized many laborers and craftsmen. Although the court has sent officials, I am still worried that it is not enough."

Zhu Yunhuan vaguely understood what Yan Zhenzhi meant. "Are you worried that there are corrupt officials who might interfere? Or that there are local clans who might block it?"

Yan Zhenzhi did not hide his thoughts, "Your Majesty, I do have this concern, so I beg Your Majesty to show mercy."

As if worried that Zhu Yunhuan didn't understand, Yan Zhenzhi gave an example and said, "Your Majesty may not know that among the common people, people often fight over water during the farming season. People from the same village or different villages will fight over whose field the water from the canal goes to first, or because the water is intercepted, etc."

Yan Zhenzhi's example is actually very easy to understand, because it is true at this stage and will be true in the future. When it comes to farming, irrigation water, etc., it is a big deal. Once there is a drought, it is not uncommon for fights to break out over water.

It is like this now and will be like this in the future. Zhu Yunhuan can naturally understand this truth.

Zhu Yunhuan nodded and said, "Minister Yan is right. This involves water sources, which is a big deal. Fights will break out over water, and dredging the canal will inevitably cause some fertile fields to lack water sources."

This is something that is bound to happen, since it is about dredging the canal, which seems to be in the public interest and so on.

But in reality it is possible that some existing vested interests will suffer losses. When the canal is not dredged, those people's paddy fields will not lack water.

But if the canal is dredged, the original water source may flow into the canal, and the quality of the original fertile land will decline.

This is definitely a huge loss for some people. They may not consider whether this will benefit the public. What they are worried about is that their own interests will be damaged.

"Your Majesty is wise." Yan Zhenzhi said, "Although the Grand Canal is now blocked, there are still many fertile fields in the area it flows through. Now that it has been dredged, the water system is indeed connected, but some people must be uneasy."

Zhu Yunhuan said, "I understand this matter. I will ask Zhu Zhong and Duke Cao to find you later."

This is the treatment that Yan Zhenzhi can enjoy. Since he is a man who gets things done and is responsible for such a large project, he naturally needs to be given enough support.

Zhu Zhongke is the actual top leader of the Northern Pacification Office and the first powerful person in the hands of the current emperor. The status of this spy chief is very high. In addition, he had previously exposed the Taicang Port case, and his popularity was likely to suppress Jiang Lin, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Needless to say, Duke of Cao Li Jinglong was not only a nobleman, but also a relative by marriage. He was one of the nobles that Emperor Hongwu and Emperor Chengkang relied on the most, and many things would be assigned to this special nobleman to carry out.

Asking these two people to help arrange staff is obviously a special treatment. Other ministers would hardly receive such treatment.

Although the emperor's courtesy and trust remained the same, these were obviously not enough to make Yan Zhen lose his composure or feel that this was a big deal.

Because he knew the emperor very well. No matter whether it was Emperor Hongwu or Emperor Chengkang, they were both very pragmatic people who wanted to get things done thoroughly.

Now, whether Zhu Zhong is asked to arrange personnel, or Li Jinglong is asked to arrange some subordinates, etc., this is all to prepare for the subsequent dredging of the canal and other projects, which are also necessary work for dredging the canal.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "There is Chen Xuan in the northern part. He is originally from the military, so I don't have to worry too much."

"Lord Chen is very capable. Apart from his knowledge of military affairs, he also has experience in dredging canals and building water conservancy projects." Yan Zhenzhi said with a smile, "The dredging task in the northern section is heavier and more difficult, so only Lord Chen can take on this important task."

There is nothing wrong with what Yan Zhen said. Chen Xuan came from a military background and fought bravely with Lan Yu in suppressing the rebellion of Yuletemur, the chieftain of Jianchang.

However, he also participated in the maintenance of Dujiangyan. He was one of the few "water conservancy experts" in the Ming Dynasty, and building floating bridges and other projects was a piece of cake for him.

Now he has been promoted to the position of Dudu Tongzhi, a first-rank official position, so it is reasonable for Yan Zhenzhi, a second-rank minister of the Ministry of Works, to address him as "Sir". "I think the northern section in Shandong is the most difficult to dredge. Now the northern section from Beiping to Tianjin should be repaired first." Zhu Yunhuan sighed and said, "If we really want to dredge the whole section, I don't know how long it will take."

Yan Zhenzhi immediately advised, "Although this will take a long time, it depends on human efforts. We will try our best to make the Grand Canal unblocked as soon as possible, so that the grain in the south can be transported to the north."

Transporting grain from the south to the north is an extremely important and extremely arduous task, which also has many impacts on the Ming Dynasty.

The north is relatively remote now, and the people do not particularly agree with the Ming Dynasty. If the grain from the south is transported there, the population of the north will increase, and it will be more convenient to relocate people.

After all, people migrated there to survive, and it was difficult for the north to support more people. Moreover, whether it was the north or Liaodong, they also needed to continuously transport food by sea.

Once the Grand Canal is dredged, the cost and loss of transporting grain will be reduced, and the transportation of grain will be more sustainable, which will also provide greater security for the Ming Dynasty's border construction.

It is no exaggeration to say that dredging the Grand Canal is a strategic project. It is crucial to bridging the gap between the north and the south, and it also concerns people's livelihood and the military.

Zhu Yunhuan's attitude on this matter was obviously extremely resolute. This project must be done, and the sooner it was completed, the better it would be for the Ming Dynasty.

As for spending a lot of manpower and material resources, there is nothing we can do about it. It will be a burden at this stage, but it will definitely be beneficial in the long run. Moreover, it will not be too much of a burden on the people and the country, and the court can afford it.

It's nothing more than that the noble group has some slight opinions. These people may want to mobilize troops against the Tatars and Oirat in the north and want to continue to make achievements.

After the great victory at Buir Lake, the small Northern Yuan Dynasty was destroyed, and the former Mongol Empire fell apart. Now only the two relatively powerful tribes, the Oirat and the Tatar, have some influence, and seem to pose a threat to the Ming Dynasty.

"By the way, when you go to Hangzhou, let the King of Wu handle some things." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "He is my second brother and also the wise king of the Ming Dynasty. It would be better for him to handle some things."

Yan Zhenzhi was somewhat embarrassed and asked carefully, "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Emperor has previously set a rule that royal princes are not allowed to rule over the people or interfere in local politics, and officials should not have any contact with royal princes."

It is true that this is the rule set by Zhu Yuanzhang, and it is also known to many people because Zhu Yunwen, the King of Wu, had a bad relationship with the current emperor for a time.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "I'm not asking you to ask him to make decisions on everything. It's just that if you meet a famous scholar or a noble family, you can ask him to come forward. He might be able to help."

When it comes to pitting Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Yunwen is also ruthless and will not let Zhu Yunwen suffer any serious injuries or make him panic. However, it is entirely possible to do something that is thankless.

Yan Zhenzhi naturally understood, "I understand. If I encounter any difficult problems, I will definitely ask His Royal Highness the King of Wu to solve them."

That's right, just let King Wu come forward, Yan Zhenzhi continue to be his famous official, and Zhu Yunhuan continue to be his wise ruler.

As for Zhu Yunwen, the King of Wu, he continued to be a wise king. He was despised by the royal family and excluded by the wealthy merchants and gentry in the south of the Yangtze River, but he might have a good reputation among the people.

This way, everyone gets what they need, which is such a good thing!

Anyway, Zhu Yunhuan felt at ease and thought that such tasks were tailor-made for Zhu Yunwen. After all, he was a member of the Ming royal family, so he could not expect Zhu Yunwen to help in military matters.

As for educating the people, he may not have the ability to do so, so he can just come forward to build up his reputation. Now Zhu Yunwen at least has some reputation, so he can keep up the good work.

The Ming Dynasty needed a wise king. The King of Shu who educated Sichuan was one, and the King of Zhou who was busy compiling medical books was one. It would also be nice to add Zhu Yunwen, after all, he was Zhu Yunwen's elder brother.

It is natural to contribute more to the country. It is also what Zhu Yunwen should do to share Zhu Yunhuan's worries.

After Yan Zhenzhi left, Zhu Yunhuan immediately summoned Chen Di and said, "The dredging project of the Grand Canal has already begun. Remember to let the gentry and other people actively participate in it."

Chen Di immediately understood what Zhu Yunhuan meant, "Your Majesty, we will definitely work hard."

As for the gentry, sometimes they would do things like building bridges and roads, which would then erect monuments and earn them a good reputation in their hometown. Such things were also good things for many gentry.

As to whether all gentry are willing to do so, that is another matter.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "If some gentry do a good job and have outstanding virtues, the court can grant them memorial archways and commend them."

Daoyan and others beside him didn't know what to say. One of the current emperor's favorite things to do is to give benefits without spending any money.

For example, now, we mobilize some gentry to participate in this project. These gentry contribute money and effort. They can get the memorial archway granted by the court, and maybe even the imperial edict.

If it really wanted to set an example, the emperor might even issue an imperial decree to reward the person with an official title, or posthumously confer a title on the parents of the gentry.

It would not be a burden for the imperial court, but for some gentry, it was a huge temptation. After all, if they were rewarded by the emperor, their ancestors could be posthumously honored, and the local chronicles could record them.

By then, renovating the ancestral hall, or gaining higher prestige in the local area, etc., might be achieved all at once.

Zhu Yunhuan also thought a lot about how to mobilize more resources to participate in strategic projects such as dredging the Grand Canal.

The imperial court is naturally the main force and has to bear the vast majority of responsibilities and obligations. However, there are some civilian forces that need to be fought for.

The Ming Dynasty now seems to be wealthy and powerful with a lot of foundation, but it should spend what it should spend and save what it should save.

This is Zhu Yunhuan’s attitude, so the Minister of Rites Chen Di and others should also know how to operate better next.

Let’s think of more solutions and dredge the Grand Canal as soon as possible so that we can have peace of mind sooner.

There are still a series of major projects to be carried out, and Zhu Yunhuan has a lot of things to do now. (End of this chapter)