Yongle Emperor's grandson: Zhu Yuanzhang with cheats, Zhu Di went crazy

Chapter 33 Saltpeter, Charcoal, and Sulfur, Add a Little Sugar, Big Ivan (Please Read!)
The carriage swayed, and Zhu Zhanjun looked at the situation outside through the window.

The autumn harvest has passed, but instead of the joy of a good harvest, people’s faces show a bit of worry and helplessness.

Zhu Zhanjun roughly knew the reason.

The old man wanted to launch a northern expedition, and the troops he mobilized for Qiu Fu at the beginning were from the north, and not many troops were mobilized from the south.

But Qiu Fu's defeat made the old man furious. He had been so confident in the battle, but ended up in such a mess. How could the old man, who was always strong, bear such humiliation?

Zhu Zhanjun's appearance gave his grandfather some face. If the 100,000-man army had suffered heavy losses, given the old man's temper, he would have gone north to reorganize the army and beat him up.

Although his face was saved, the old man was still furious. He wanted to teach Bayanchur and Arutai, the barbarians from the grassland, a profound lesson.

Before Zhu Zhanjun returned, he learned from Liu Sheng that the old man planned to gather 50 soldiers and lead the army in person.

Five hundred thousand may be an exaggerated number. Zhu Zhanjun conservatively estimated that there are still two or three hundred thousand.

The first batch of northern expedition troops he brought back was obviously not enough for this number. In addition, the soldiers' morale was unstable after the recent defeat, so the old man would definitely reconvene the main force.

The first batch of troops that marched north had almost completely exhausted the north, and coupled with the number of casualties in the Jingnan Campaign, the northern defensive army could no longer move.

Therefore, a new batch of troops for the Northern Expedition must be recruited from the southern region. Nanjing, as a densely populated capital, will definitely be the main place for recruiting troops.

Killing the generals and seizing the flags, becoming a marquis and a general, this is the highest dream in every passionate man's heart.

But throughout history, how many people have achieved these accomplishments? Most of them died on the battlefield, and some even could not bring their bodies back.

I'm afraid no one would be happy when their loved ones are about to go to the battlefield and face the unknown of life and death.

In terms of food and fodder, Jiangnan is also an important area for collection.

If the imperial court wants to fight a war, they not only have to ask them to provide manpower, but also money and food. No one would be happy if this happened to them.

"Your Highness, we have arrived."

While Zhu Zhanjun was looking outside in deep thought, the carriage stopped in front of a manor and the guard who got off called out.

Zhu Zhanjun came to his senses, lifted the curtain and walked out.

"This servant pays homage to His Royal Highness the Second Grandson."

As Zhu Zhanjun stepped out of the carriage, a red-lipped and white-toothed eunuch, led by several village managers, knelt down and saluted.

The area of ​​the imperial farm during the Yongle period was not very large. Its main purpose was to let the royal children experience the hardships of farming and not forget the founding principles of the Zhu Dynasty.

In the middle and late periods, its meaning completely changed and became a term for the royal annexation of land.

Zhu Zhanjun ignored them and stood in the car, looking at the fields in the distance.

Zhu Zhanjun respected Zheng He, but that didn't mean he would be polite to all eunuchs. He was the master, and he had to know when to be polite and when to be cold.

Otherwise, others will really think he is a soft persimmon.

Although it is already afternoon, the autumn weather is still very hot.

Zhu Zhanjun looked around and saw vague figures in the fields, sweating as they turned the soil or led cows to plow the fields.

Planting wheat requires turning the soil, which is heavy physical work. You can see how hard it is to work in this hot weather.

"Tell the cook to send them some soup, and remember to add salt."

After giving instructions, Zhu Zhanjun jumped off the car and went straight into the yard of the imperial farm.

The young eunuch was lying on the ground, his forehead covered with sweat and his body trembling slightly.

"Go, prepare the soup quickly and add more salt."

After giving the order, the young eunuch quickly got up from the ground and trotted to catch up with Zhu Zhanjun.

"Have you received the official document from the palace?"

Zhu Zhanjun asked casually while looking at Zhuangzi.

The young eunuch quickly replied flatteringly: "Your Highness, I have received it. From today on, these thousand acres of fertile land belong to you, your servant..."

Just as Zhu Zhanjun was about to enter the hall, he suddenly stopped. The little eunuch who was following behind him and flattering him didn't stop and almost bumped into him.

Zhu Zhanjun ignored the flustered little eunuch, walked towards a flower bed, and looked at the plants in the middle.

This plant was as thick as a rolling pin, and it was a little crooked, with sections, and its skin was a little black, just like the sugar cane commonly seen in later generations.

He casually drew out the sword from his waist and cut off one of them. He peeled the skin and took a bite, and Zhu Zhanjun frowned instantly.

It's not as sweet as I expected, but rather bland.

But it doesn’t matter, as long as it is sugarcane.

Zhu Zhanjun was worried about how to start his business plan as he had no funds. Now that he had discovered sugarcane, he had a way to generate stable income.

Although grain is valuable, it is still not as profitable as sugar. Moreover, if it is refined a little, it will become the strategic material white sugar.

One nitre, two carbons, three sulfurs, add a little sugar and you get Big Ivan.

This is a witty remark on the Internet in later generations. Although it is a bit exaggerated, it also shows that adding sugar to gunpowder can increase its power exponentially.

After instructing the guards to dig out the sugarcane with its roots, Zhu Zhanjun walked into the lobby in a good mood.

Originally he just came to take a look at the imperial farm, but unexpectedly he discovered a way to make money.

In fact, there have been records of sugarcane cultivation in Jiangnan for a long time, but Zhu Zhanjun didn't know about it and thought it was only found in Guangdong and Guangxi regions.

Just as Zhu Zhanjun was inspecting his manor and planning his next move in his mind.

In the palace, in the old man's study, Jinyiwei commander Ji Gang walked in quickly, holding a booklet in his hand.

The old man who was reading the memorial asked casually without even raising his eyelids, "Have you checked it out?"

Ji Gang knelt on the ground, holding up the booklet in his hand, and said, "Your Majesty, I have checked it out."

Little Sniffle stepped forward, took the booklet and placed it next to the old man.

The old man didn't look at it, but said, "Speak."

Little Nose, who was standing by, realized the seriousness of the matter and waved away the serving palace maids and eunuchs.

Ji Gang didn't say anything. He waited until everyone had left before he spoke slowly.

"Last night, officials from the six ministries mistakenly thought that something had happened to the queen, and they all gathered in front of the palace to prepare to enter."

"After His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the King of Han and King Zhao sent them away, they went to the King of Han's mansion to drink."

"At the wine table, His Royal Highness the King of Han got drunk and said something in front of the Crown Prince and the King of Zhao."

The old man raised his eyebrows and chuckled: "Drunk, what a drunk."

Ji Gang didn't dare to interrupt, and continued lying on the ground: "Your Majesty will definitely train His Royal Highness the Second Imperial Grandson vigorously, and the troops of the world will soon fall into the hands of the Crown Prince."

"Then he said that the Second Imperial Grandson had taken control of the military power. If the Crown Prince could not handle the situation well after he ascended the throne, it would probably cause another chaos."

"When the prince heard this, he just smiled and said no, and then left on the pretext of being drunk."

"After the Crown Prince left, the King of Zhao and the King of Han talked about this matter again. In their words, they expressed their concerns about the future inheritance of the Ming Dynasty."

"After the prince returned to the palace, he spoke to the princess for a few words and then went to the room where the second grandson of the emperor was resting."

"The father and son chatted until dawn, but it's unclear what they talked about."

After saying that, Ji Gang nodded, "Your Majesty, the above are the people and things that the Second Imperial Grandson came into contact with after returning."

At this point he hesitated again and continued, "According to investigations, many officials have expressed concerns about this, and some have already planned to write a memorial to explain the hidden dangers of this matter to Your Majesty."

"Anyone who knows about this, keep your mouth shut." The old man waved his hand, and Ji Gang retreated silently.

As the palace door closed, the old man picked up the booklet that Ji Gang handed to him and began to read it with his eyes narrowed.

It was not until a long time later that he closed the booklet, held it to the lamp next to him, and slowly watched the booklet light up.

Staring at the dancing flames, he thought about how his fat son and a group of officials had opposed his personal expedition in the past few days, saying that the court was too poor.

Even when it came to the idea of ​​a large-scale military expedition to the north, many officials expressed opposition, saying it would be a waste of money and manpower and warlike.

As he thought about it, an idea gradually came to the old man's mind.

(End of this chapter)