I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 964 Farewell to the Past and Heading into the Future

The "Jiangning" docked at the Wuchang Wharf. Hubei Governor Li Zhibin, Hunan Governor Liu Jianping, Hubei Provincial Governor Tian Le, and Hunan Provincial Governor Yuan Xian'an, led the civil and military officials of Hubei and Hunan to welcome the emperor at the wharf.

Li Zhibin and Yuan Xian'an were transferred from the posts of Chief Secretary of the Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu and Chief Secretary of the Governor of Shaanxi respectively. Tian Le was half a student of Mei Guozhen and participated in the war to recover the Western Regions. He was the first governor of Kushan County, the left councilor of Kunling Provincial Administration, and acting governor.

The three of them are from the Northwestern School.

Zhu Yijun pointed at the three men and said to Xu Zhenming with a smile, "Mr. Rudong, these three are all great officials who, like you, have worked hard and made outstanding contributions in the bitter cold frontier of the northwest."

Li Zhibin, Yuan Xian'an, and Tian Le hurriedly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, we are only fulfilling our duties."

Zhu Yijun pointed at Liu Jianping again and said, "Director Liu, we meet again in Wuchang."

Liu Jianping was the founding director of Luanzhou Iron and Steel Plant. He was later promoted to deputy general manager and general manager of Luanzhou Coal and Iron Group.

Pan Yinglong said, "Your Majesty, when I was appointed as the Minister of Personnel, I presided over the communication between the cabinet and the officials of the Ministry of Finance. The first person I appointed was him. But Eunuch Yang refused to let him go.

It was not until the fourth batch that Eunuch Yang was willing to release them."

Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "Talents are welcome everywhere."

Next, Zhu Yijun attended the joint meeting of the three offices of Hubei and Hunan in the Great Hall of the Hubei Provincial Government.

He first listened to the reports of Li Zhibin, Liu Jianping, Tian Le and Yuan Xian'an, and then listened to the supervisory reports of the two provincial censors.

Next, Pan Yinglong informed officials from the two provinces about the regional economic coordinated development plan of the three southeastern provinces, one capital and one prefecture.
Finally it was Zhu Yijun's turn to speak.

"Hunan and Hubei have been inseparable since ancient times, and are known as one family. It was I who forcibly split you into two provinces."

Zhu Yijun's words made everyone laugh.

"My meaning is very simple. The relationship between the two lakes is closer than the relationship between the three provinces, one capital and one state in the southeast.

Why do you say that?

Zhejiang is not convinced by Jiangsu; northern Jiangsu and southern Jiangsu cannot get along; Nanjing is now alone; Huzhou has the richest pockets and looks down on everyone; Anhui people are poor and want to call everyone "big brother".

Everyone has his own thoughts and his own calculations.

Fortunately, they recognize the problem and are willing to put aside their prejudices and work together.

The two lakes are more united than them."

Zhu Yijun's words made the laughter in the meeting hall even louder.

"The two lakes should also work together. Your location is unique.

You connect the lower and upper reaches of the Yangtze River. If Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou want to go east along the river, they must pass through your territory. With the Yangtze River water transportation, you can collect bribes for a long time."

“North and South, you are the main roads connecting the Central Plains, Northwest and Southwest with Lingnan.

Especially after the Beijing-Hankou, Zhengzhou-Xi'an, and Tongpu railways are completed, as well as the Wuhan-Guangzhou railway which will be completed next year, the capital, Hebei, Henan, Shanxi, and Shaanxi must pass through your two provinces to go south to Guangdong and Guangxi.

The stage has been set up for you, how you perform and how well you perform is entirely up to you."

Zhu Yijun picked up the teacup, took a few sips, and continued.

"You, Hubei and Hunan, had previously proposed to the Cabinet a grand plan to build a steel center in Wuchang. You said there were mines in southern Hunan, coal in Jiangxi, the Yangtze River on the left, and railways on the right. The conditions were extremely good.

I have looked at the actual data and I have to advise you that your mines, with the current productivity, are simply not as cost-effective as the coal and iron in Luanzhou, Taiyuan and Zhuhai. You should just go to bed."

Li Zhibin, Liu Jianping, Tian Le, and Yuan Xian'an looked at each other, their faces changed, but they controlled their temper and continued to listen.

"Don't even think about building a coal and iron center, but I have a suggestion for you, which is to build a regional textile and other light industrial center.
Dongting Lake and the Hanjiang Plain are rich in cash crops such as cotton and rapeseed, which can be put to good use.

In addition, I will secretly reveal a piece of information to you. You can learn from Huzhou and take the lead in electronics.

Huzhou is more clever and has snatched up the promising and popular products first. But you don’t have to worry, you can start with motors.

Raw materials, such as steel, copper, lead, zinc, tin and antimony, can be purchased from Zhuhai. Rubber can be purchased from Yanzhou, Jinghai and Rinnan.

Electric motors and generators are good things.

The Sixth Research Bureau has also developed the internal combustion engine, which is also a good thing. You can contact them immediately, spend money to build an industrial zone, and unite to specialize in internal combustion engines. "

Zhu Yijun's words made the local officials in Hunan and Hubei look at him with sparkling eyes. The emperor was indeed worthy of being the real god of wealth of the Ming Dynasty.

“The two lakes have their own advantages. Wuchang has Jiajing University and Hanyang Institute of Technology, and Changsha has Hunan University and Changsha Institute of Technology.

They are the first and second batch of universities in the Ming Dynasty. They were built early, absorbed a large number of excellent teachers, and formed a good academic style. We can definitely seize the initiative in emerging industries based on these universities."

The meeting lasted for two days. Zhu Yijun, accompanied by Li Zhibin, Liu Jianping, Tian Le, Yuan Xian'an and others, took a temporary train along the northern end of the repaired Wuhan-Guangzhou Railway, inspected the Zehu Farm south of Wuchang and the Dongting Lake Reclamation Bureau in Hunan, and then arrived in Changsha.

There he met with more than one hundred southwestern chieftains who had "abandoned darkness and joined the Light" and surrendered their land and people, and encouraged them to continue contributing to the construction of the Ming Dynasty in their new places.

At the same time, they celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival and Longevity Festival, Zhu Yijun's birthday, with them.

On his 27th birthday, Zhu Yijun personally paid tribute to this representative figure of the Chinese nation who was concerned about the country and the people during the Spring and Autumn Period at the Miluo River, the place where Qu Yuan was said to have drowned himself.

Zhu Yijun left Concubine Song and others in Changsha, and he and important officials such as Xu Zhenming and Pan Yinglong took a train south to Hengyang Station. From there, they rode horses and took a car directly to Luyuanbi, Yanling County, Changsha County, to pay homage to the Mausoleum of Emperor Yan.

After the inspection, Zhu Yijun, along with Concubine Song and Zhu Xuanni, quickly rode on horseback to Xianling in Zhongxiang County, Chengtian County, to pay tribute to Emperor Gongruixian and Empress Qincixiaoxian.

They are Zhu Yijun's great-grandfather and great-grandmother.

The overall layout of Xianling is planned to be in the shape of a "treasure bottle". Looking at the map, Zhu Yijun couldn't help but think of what his grandfather always liked to say: "The clouds are in the blue sky and the water is in the bottle."

I didn't expect it to be here.

Grandpa Emperor, I am here to pay homage to your ancestors and sweep their graves on your behalf.

After the worship, Zhu Yijun and his party returned to Wuchang.

The railway from Guihua to Jiangling passes through Shanxi, Luoyang and Nanyang in Henan, and enters Xiangyang in Hubei, passing through Jingmen. The Shanxi section has been completed, the Henan section has been built to Nanyang, and the Hubei section has been started in various places, but has not yet been connected.

Zhu Yijun and his entourage crossed the river from Wuchang to Hankou and boarded a special train at Hankou Railway Station.

This special train headed north after Zhu Yijun and his entourage arrived in Pukou.

Originally, the closest route was to transfer to the Zhenghai Line (Zhengzhou to Haizhou) from Xuzhou, but there was a section in Shangqiu that was not completed, so I had to continue north to Jinan, transfer to the Jizheng Line to Zhengzhou, and then head south to wait at Hankou Railway Station.

In Kaifeng, Henan, Zhu Yijun inspected for six days, focusing on the Yellow River main channel northward return project. This project has experienced the test of the peach blossom flood in the 11th year of Wanli, and is summarizing experience, checking for omissions and filling gaps, and preparing for the upcoming summer flood test.

Zhu Yijun held Pan Jixun's hand tightly and said, "I am waiting for the news of your victory in the capital. I believe that you will create a miracle in the end!"

Pan Jixun's dark face looked very old, and his eyes, surrounded by thick dark circles, were bright and lively. He answered happily.

"Your Majesty, we are very confident because under your guidance, we have created miracles one after another."

Zhu Yijun and his entourage took a special train along the Zhengxi Line to Xi'an, where they paid homage to the tombs of national heroes such as Huo Qubing, Wei Qing, and Su Wu. They then headed north to Yan'an County and paid homage to the Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor in Huangling County.

Like the Mausoleum of Yellow Emperor and Yan Emperor, there have been many different opinions about its location over the years.

The Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum is located in Zhongbu County, Yan'an County, Shaanxi Province; the Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum is located in Lingbao County, Henan County, Henan Province; and the Yellow Emperor's Tomb is located in Zhenning County, Qingyang County, Pingliang County, Shaanxi Province.
There are three Yan Emperor's Mausoleums in the Yellow River Basin and one in the Yangtze River Basin.

Zhu Yijun decided to build a Chinese nation with the descendants of Yan and Huang as the main body, and on the first day of the fifth year of Wanli, he officially confirmed it in the form of a great edict that the Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor in Zhongbu County, Yan'an County was the officially designated Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor, and Zhongbu County was renamed Huangling County.

Luyuanbi in Ling County, Changsha County was used as the mausoleum of Emperor Yan, and Ling County was renamed Yanling County.

The tombs of the Yan and Huang emperors are located in the south and the north respectively. No one should fight over them anymore.

It was also customary that the sacrifice to Emperors Yan and Huang was the major annual sacrifice of the Ming Dynasty, replacing the previous ceremony of worshiping Confucius and was second only to the sacrifice to heaven and earth.

After leaving Shaanxi, Zhu Yijun and his entourage took a train back to Zhengzhou and then returned to the capital.

After returning to the capital, Zhu Yijun convened several meetings of the Advisory Bureau and promulgated the "Economic Development Plan for the Yangtze River Basin", "Economic Development Plan for the Yangtze River Delta", "Economic Development Plan for the Bohai Rim", "Economic Development Plan for the Pearl River Delta", and "Electronic Motors and Internal Combustion Engines and Other Emerging Industries Development Plan".
Time passed quickly and it was September 15th of the eleventh year of the Wanli reign.

Early in the morning of that day, Zhu Yijun, accompanied by Empress Xue Baoqin and fourth prince Zhu Changyan, and accompanied by Prime Minister Wang Yi'e, Zuo Pushe Qi Jiguang, Chief Censor Wang Chonggu, Zuo Prime Minister Xu Zhenming, Director of the Civilization Committee Zhang Siwei, and secretaries such as Feng Bao, Yang Jinshui, Pan Yinglong, Fang Fengshi, and Nangong Ye, arrived at the Yongling Mausoleum on Tianshou Mountain in Changping County.

After staying nearby for one night, Zhu Yijun and his entourage came to the court room outside the gate of Yongling Mausoleum before dawn the next day, where they changed into sacrificial robes and walked along the sacred path straight to the Zun'en Hall.

Zhu Yijun, Xue Baoqin and Zhu Changyan entered the hall. Wang Yi'e and other ministers offered three sacrificial animals on the platform outside the hall, read sacrificial texts, and performed solemn sacrifices.

Today is September 16th, the 75th birthday of Emperor Shizong, Zhu Yijun’s grandfather.

After the formal sacrifice was completed, Zhu Yijun took Xue Baoqin and Zhu Changyan and continued forward to Minglou to perform the family sacrifice ceremony.

Looking at the tablet of "The Emperor Qintian, Ludao, Yingyi, Shengsheng, Xuanwen, Guangwu, Hongren, Daxiao, Su", Zhu Yijun held three incense sticks in his hands and recited silently in his heart.

"Grandpa Emperor, the Ming Dynasty you handed down to me has undergone earth-shaking changes.

I don’t know what the future will be like, I can only wait and see.

But I believe that the Ming Dynasty will become better and better, the Chinese nation will become more prosperous, and Chinese civilization will become more glorious! "

He respectfully inserted the incense into the incense burner, and bowed five times and kowtowed three times with Xue Baoqin and Zhu Changyan.

After getting up, Zhu Yijun asked Feng Bao: "Are the things ready?"

"It's ready. It's the crane that the emperor used to buy when he was a child. Emperor Sejong really likes it."

Feng Bao carefully took out two paper cranes, one big and one small, and connected them together.

"Seventh Brother, I have a task for you."

Zhu Changyan, who was dressed in sacrificial clothes and looked like a little adult, quickly replied: "Please ask the emperor for instructions."

"Hang these two cranes in this Ming Tower."

"Okay." Zhu Changyan took the crane, turned it around, and wanted to hang it on the hollow carvings on the upper part of the palace door.

But no matter how I stood on tiptoe or stretched my arms, I just couldn't reach it.

Zhu Yijun stepped forward, grabbed him under the armpits, and lifted him up.

Zhu Changyan stretched out his hand and hung the two cranes above the palace gate.

The father and son stood in front of the temple gate, with their hands in their sleeves and their heads slightly tilted, watching two paper cranes, one big and one small, dancing in the wind.

Looking at this familiar yet unfamiliar scene, Feng Bao couldn't help but burst into tears.

"Okay, let these two cranes accompany Grandpa Huang, your great-grandfather, on behalf of my father and me."

"it is good."

Zhu Yijun held Zhu Changyan's right hand with his left hand, stepped over the threshold of the palace gate and walked out.

Xue Baoqin followed him out with shining eyes.

Several people walked along the sacred path towards the Zun'en Hall.

The sun was rising, shining with golden light. The brilliant sunshine dyed everything in the world, including Zhu Yijun and others, golden, a golden color full of hope and vitality.

Zhu Yijun couldn't help but stop and turned to look at Minglou.

The Ming Tower was illuminated by the morning sun, making it dazzling. In the halo, a person was standing on the platform in front of the Ming Tower.

She was wearing a sky-blue Taoist robe and a crown of fresh flowers, with her hands hidden in her sleeves and her head slightly tilted, looking lovingly at Zhu Yijun who was returning to the West Garden from Prince Yu's Mansion.

Tears slowly flowed down Zhu Yijun's face. He couldn't help but raise his right hand and waved towards Yongling Minglou and the dazed figure.

Zhu Changyan looked up curiously and asked, "Father, what are you doing?"

"I am saying goodbye to my royal grandfather."

After a pause, Zhu Yijun continued, "I am saying goodbye to the past."

Zhu Changyan thought about it, raised his left hand and waved at Yongling Minglou.

"Seventh Brother, what are you doing?"

"Father, I am also saying goodbye to my great-grandfather and the past!"

Zhu Yijun smiled with relief.

"Okay, let's say goodbye to the past and move on to the future."

Zhu Yijun walked in front, holding Zhu Changyan, and Xue Baoqin followed closely behind. The three of them were covered in a golden halo and walked forward on the avenue paved with the morning glow.

The end of the book!
(End of this chapter)