Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1245 Establishing a Government and a Military Headquarters

After listening attentively to Sun Hao's words, Zhu Mincheng pondered for a long time before finally nodding.

Zhu Mincheng thought Sun Hao's suggestion was correct. If the Song state continued as it was now, it was likely that once the gold mines' production declined and the profits from gold mining decreased sharply in a decade or so, the Song state would definitely face serious problems.

After all, mineral resources can be depleted at any time, and gold reserves are not unlimited. Moreover, Zhu Mincheng is well aware of the gold mine's output over the past two years. Compared to when the gold mine was first discovered, the monthly revenue has begun to decline slightly. With the large-scale extraction of easily accessible gold from the surface and riverbeds, mining gold has become significantly more difficult than before.

This also proves that gold mining will become increasingly difficult and profitable in the future. Under these circumstances, how long can the gold-mine-based prosperity last? No one can say for sure.

However, a very real problem exists: once the gold mines are depleted, not only will the income of the Song Kingdom decline sharply, but the income of ordinary Song citizens will also plummet, causing this abnormal prosperity to collapse instantly. Without sufficient agricultural support, what will become of the Song Kingdom in the future? Thinking of this, Zhu Mincheng felt a chill run down his spine.

However, this was no small matter, and Zhu Mincheng needed to discuss it with others. The next day, he convened a meeting at the Prince's Mansion. Those who participated in the meeting included not only Sun Hao, Li Dingguo, Jian Hu, Cui Qi, and others, but also other officials from the Prince's Mansion.

Zhu Mincheng directly handed over the meeting to Sun Hao to preside over. At the beginning of the meeting, Sun Hao explained to everyone the problems currently facing the State of Song, including the abnormal state of Song's development. He also put forward new regulations on gold mining and suggestions including further strengthening immigration management and accelerating the transformation to agriculture and industry.

At first, everyone was dismissive, but as Sun Hao explained and presented supporting data, their expressions gradually became serious, especially Jian Hu and Cui Qi. Unlike military generals like Li Dingguo, one was in charge of fortifications and the other of agriculture, making them particularly sensitive to these matters.

The reason they hadn't noticed the problem like Sun Hao before was because they were already caught up in it. Moreover, during the two years of rapid development in the State of Song, they only saw the prosperity but failed to notice the hidden dangers. This made the two of them very ashamed, especially the latter, who felt it was his own fault. After all, Cui Qi was in charge of agriculture, and now that the agricultural problems in the State of Song were so serious, he not only failed to notice them before but also let them go unchecked. It was really wrong of him!

Thinking of this, Cui Qi felt extremely uneasy and hurriedly got up to apologize to Zhu Mincheng.

“Lord Cui, there’s no need for that. Today’s meeting is not about assigning blame, but about filling in the gaps. While Lord Cui bears some responsibility for this matter, if we really investigate, I bear more responsibility. Lord Cui mentioned the issue of abandoned farmland outside the city to me before, but I didn’t take it seriously at the time. So the main responsibility lies with me, not Lord Cui.”

At this point, Zhu Mincheng glanced at everyone present and continued, "The reason I have gathered you all here today is for this purpose. The current prosperity of the Song Kingdom is merely a facade. If we cannot change this situation as soon as possible and lay a solid foundation, everything will just be castles in the air."

Everyone quickly stood up, cupped their hands in greeting to Zhu Mincheng, and said, "Since the Chief Secretary has pointed out the problem, then we should address it directly and solve the problem. Fortunately, the Chief Secretary arrived in time and noticed these problems. If his term had continued for a few more years, it would have been much more difficult to reverse the situation then."

Everyone nodded repeatedly, their gazes towards Sun Hao filled with a unique expression. They hadn't expected Sun Hao to possess such abilities. In just over half a month, he had not only gained a detailed understanding of the entire Song Kingdom's situation but also discovered the hidden dangers within it and directly proposed strategies for change.

It seems like a tiger father has no dog son! The son of the esteemed Lord Sun Chengzong is indeed extraordinary. Otherwise, how could he have such vision and such ability?

Having set the tone, Zhu Mincheng officially announced adjustments to the current political landscape of the Song Dynasty. As he had discussed with Sun Hao the previous day, from now on, not only would the acceptance of immigrants be temporarily suspended, but those already in the Song Dynasty would also be re-registered as citizens and their management strengthened.

Encouraging agriculture, strengthening land reclamation and cultivation, restricting the gold rush, and strictly registering and managing gold prospectors are all necessary measures. Furthermore, plans for the development of industry and commerce in Xinjing were proposed and open for discussion.

Everyone chimed in, offering their opinions and suggestions. Some suggestions were adopted immediately, while others required improvement. Of course, some were impractical, but even though they couldn't be used, the attitude itself deserved encouragement, and the atmosphere became much more lively.

The meeting lasted for a full hour and a half before the basic tasks were settled. At this moment, Jian Hu suddenly stood up, cupped his hands, and said to Zhu Mincheng, "Your Highness, I have something to say, but I don't know if I should."

"Lord Jian, please speak freely. Today's meeting is a time for open discussion," Zhu Mincheng said with a smile. Jian Hu bowed again, then greeted everyone present, finally turning to Zhu Mincheng and saying, "I believe that since Your Highness has established your kingdom here, and Song has been independent for nearly three years, and the capital city is now quite large with a population of 50,000, if we add in subsequent immigrants, even with restrictions on immigration, I fear that within ten years, Song's population will surely exceed 100,000, or even more."

"This doesn't even take into account the subsequent population growth. In a few decades, the number of people will be difficult to estimate. In addition, there is outward expansion. My Song Kingdom occupies a considerable area. According to the permission granted by the court when it was established, although the territory was nominally demarcated at the place of its founding, in reality, as long as my Song Kingdom has the ability, it can occupy as much as it wants in the New World. The court has no restrictions on these."

"In this way, the Song Kingdom will truly become a nation in the future, and it will be impossible for it to only have the city of Xinjing. When that time comes, it will not be a pipe dream for the Song Kingdom to control a prefecture or even a province on its own territory. It may even be more powerful."

"What exactly does Lord Jian mean by these words?" Zhu Mincheng asked in confusion. He understood what Jian Hu was saying; he was simply reminding himself that the development of the Song Kingdom was unstoppable. Even if it was currently restricted due to agricultural issues, once the Song Kingdom solved its agricultural problems and encouraged industry and commerce, it would still develop rapidly.

This development is not just about the economy, but also about national strength. Although the Song Dynasty currently only has one city, Xinjing, with population growth and territorial expansion, it will certainly consider building new cities to ensure effective governance. Otherwise, how could it possibly govern an ever-expanding territory relying solely on Xinjing?

"Your Highness, what I mean is that Your Highness should consider establishing your own residence now, rather than making adjustments later."

"Establish a residence?" Zhu Mincheng was even more puzzled. Of course he knew about establishing a residence; as a vassal king, he already had one! According to the regulations for vassal kings of the Ming Dynasty, he had already established his residence before coming to the New World, and his office was fully staffed with officials at all levels, including the Chief Secretary, the Protector General, and others. Wasn't Sun Hao the Chief Secretary? Wasn't Li Dingguo the Protector General? And weren't Jian Hu and the others his subordinates?

Puzzled, Zhu Mincheng asked the other party what exactly he meant by "establishing a government office". At this moment, Jian Hu hesitated for a moment, but finally gritted his teeth and said, "I believe that the establishment of a government office by Your Highness is no longer suitable for the current situation of the Song Dynasty. Your Highness's establishment of a government office before was just that, but the real establishment of a government office is not like that. I believe that Your Highness should now establish a government office according to the system of the Hongwu period, or equivalent to the system of the previous dynasty."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Mincheng immediately understood. So this was what Jian Hu had suggested all along! Although both were to establish their own residences, Zhu Mincheng's position as the Prince of Song was merely a castrated version. This was because after Zhu Di ascended the throne under the pretext of pacifying the rebellion, he was particularly wary of princes and members of the imperial family, fearing that someone might follow his example and seize the throne.

To this end, Zhu Di imposed numerous restrictions on the princes, including reducing their military power and seizing control of their territories. In addition, he changed the system of appointing officials to the princes' own offices to appoint officials appointed by the court in order to monitor the princes' actions. With the addition of local officials and the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard), the princes in various regions were kept under strict control.

However, what Jian Hu is proposing now is to restore the feudal prince system of the Hongwu period. Although it is the same as the system of establishing a government, it is fundamentally different. The key is that the latter has two other words in addition to the two words "establishing a government", namely "establishing a domain".

The so-called "establishment of government offices" refers to the creation of yamen (government offices), or more specifically, autonomous government offices formally under the control of the vassal king. These offices were entirely under the vassal king's control and not subject to the constraints of the imperial court. As a result, the vassal king's real power increased significantly, and he gained even greater initiative. If we also consider the system of emulating the previous dynasty, as Jian Hu just mentioned, this would be even more different.

According to the systems of previous dynasties, including the pre-Qin period, Zhu Mincheng was essentially a powerful prince. He was no longer just an ordinary vassal king, but a king subordinate to the Ming Dynasty. The difference was enormous. If he were merely a vassal king, his authority would be controlled by the court. However, a subordinate king possessed relative independence. Aside from being nominally a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, and the king being an outer vassal, his domestic power was almost indistinguishable from that of the emperor.

This is not much different from the vassal states such as Korea, Japan, Ryukyu, Burma, and Annam. The vassal kings can directly call themselves the emperor, set up a small court in their country equivalent to the six ministries of the imperial court, appoint officials at all levels, and have their own independent army. As for doing other things, they don't need to consider the Ming Dynasty's opinion. As long as they do not oppose the Ming Dynasty and submit to it, the Ming Dynasty will not bother with how they cause trouble in its own country.

Once Zhu Mincheng understood the true meaning behind Jian Hu's words, it was impossible for him not to be tempted. Although he was a prince enfeoffed from outside the capital, the Song Kingdom was now gaining momentum, but as the Prince of Song, he could still only manage his fiefdom according to the Ming Dynasty's system of establishing a government.

A small fiefdom with a small population is manageable, but it becomes difficult when the fiefdom becomes large and the population grows. It should be understood that although the princes of the Ming Dynasty previously possessed fiefdoms, these fiefdoms and populations were actually managed by the local government. The princes only possessed some privileges and the revenue generated from their land, so the officials under their jurisdiction did not have much to do and did not need to worry about it.

But the Song Kingdom is different. There is no imperial court or government here. All matters, big and small, need to be decided by the Song Royal Palace. The number of officials in the Song Royal Palace is limited, and each person is assigned a specific position. These people need to manage the army, the people, industry and commerce, public security, and so on. Everyone is busy every day, not only inefficient but also exhausted. If the Song Kingdom continues to develop, it will be even more difficult to manage. This is the problem that Sun Hao discovered before. It is not that Jian Hu and others are incompetent, but that they have limited energy and therefore neglected these matters.

(End of this chapter)