Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 264: Big Event

The Minister of Personnel decided to let Chen Jian do the job, and ordered him to go to Yunnan, and then Chen Jian would arrive in Beijing, which would take several months.

Those who have resigned can continue to serve the country if they are still able to do so. Those who are really lacking in energy may have their assistants take over the duties temporarily or appoint someone else to take charge of the affairs.

Among them, Zhu Geng had the worst health.

Although he agreed to hold on, after seeing that Shen Li was successfully retained and showed a new demeanor, and that the Ministry of Personnel affairs were temporarily handed over to the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, he asked to return home first.

This time the emperor agreed directly.

During his years as the Minister in Chief of the Secretariat, he achieved nothing but success. His only achievement was probably the stable publication of the morning newspaper "Xueyong", but that could not be considered his direct credit.

Who signed this book temporarily?
The answer is: Li Tingji.

The Left Censor-in-Chief was temporarily appointed as the Minister of the Secretariat, and the Governor of Yunnan was promoted to the Minister of Personnel. Although the Censorate was deprived of the power of the 13 Censors to participate in the selection of officials above the second rank, the two people who were almost confirmed were both from the Censorate, and the changes in the court were intriguing.

But Chen Jian had not arrived yet, so the court had to be quiet for a while.

Ye Xianggao was worried.

Since he could no longer take charge of the Ministry of Personnel temporarily, he would still only be able to draft opinions on the petitions submitted by the government offices in charge, but would not be able to directly arrange work.

This was of course a warning from the emperor.

He actually had a criminal record. The emperor knew it very well, and he was also involved in the robbery and destruction of grain in the first year of Taichang.

Although he only expressed his attitude at that time, his neglect of the imperial power and national finances did exist. Later, he was the first to defect and provided clues. Now the emperor has made him the Taichangzai, which really gave him a chance.

Since he had a criminal record anyway, he submitted a petition to apologize.

The reply came back with only three lines: Not guilty. What did Taichangzai want to do? What should he do?
The first sentence reassured him, and the next two sentences made him start thinking.

It is terrifying to think about it, but since he is innocent, it cannot be said that the emperor is suspicious of him and wants to cultivate his clique to become powerful officials.

Ye Xianggao was troubled: What is the scale of the personnel power of Jinxianyuan? What should be done?
Since the emperor has questions, Ye Xianggao must answer them.

At the Yan Dynasty court after the first day of April, two of the five ministers were appointed from the Censorate, although one of them was only a temporary appointment.

The emperor arranged for him to go to Zunhua to talk about things in the capital. Looking at Shen Li's expression, Ye Xianggao wondered whether he should find another reason to talk to him in the Fengtian Hall.

Shen Li stayed alone with the emperor for so long that day, something must have happened.

Zhu Changluo also noticed Ye Xianggao's expression, and he silently watched Ye Xianggao in embarrassment.

No one is perfect. Zhu Changluo wanted to use the Jinxian Academy to liberate and unify thoughts, cultivate and select talents. In today's situation where old ideas and old knowledge are still very strong, it requires someone with relatively less "bottom line" to persevere in doing this.

Even if it's done in a form of flattery.

Have you done a good job in learning from Taiyue? Have you done a good job in learning the theory of investigating things and seeking knowledge, and in promoting the new knowledge of the sage king?
There were so many changes in the imperial examination this year that Ye Xianggao was only thinking about the good positions that came with the major reshuffle in the court, and didn't think much about his job.

Now that Chen Jian has been chosen as the Minister of Personnel, and a cooling-off period of several months has been set, Zhu Changluo is also trying to see whether Ye Xianggao can think things through.

If he can't figure it out, it means he only has a little cleverness but not great wisdom, and he is unable to handle big responsibilities.

There's nothing we can do about it.

Xu Guangqi, who had been a scholar in Baijiayuan for three years and was now promoted to Langzhong of the Department of Sacrifices and Officials of the Ministry of Rites, still held the title of Academician of Taichang, but he still needed to gain more experience.

Speaking of the various departments of the Ministry of Rites, such a big thing as culture and education is just one of the things under the jurisdiction of the Department of Sacrifices and Cleansing Officials.

The central government office of the Ming Dynasty was always just the first step, with only one department and four courtyards, and some ministries and government offices added some official positions.

However, the further division of responsibilities was far from beginning, because Zhu Changluo needed to have a higher prestige to cope with the turmoil brought about by large-scale adjustments and reforms, and sufficient financial strength was needed to support the advancement of specific affairs after the reform.

The clearer the division, the more specialized government offices there will be, and the power of the capital's government offices will need to be adjusted and increased to urge local implementation, which means more high-ranking officials and more special expenditures.

Of course it's difficult.

On the second day of April, the emperor traveled east.

There were three groups of guards accompanying the emperor: 500 men from the Yongwei Camp, led by Xiliang Bo Dayun himself; 500 men from the Jing Camp, led by Duke Yingguo Zhang Weixian himself; and 100 men from the Tianshu Camp who had finished their shift at the Qianqing Gate, led by Zhang Shenwu.

Li Chengliang also followed. The high-ranking civil officials of the Privy Council were all present, including Tian Le, Li Wen, Xing Jie, and Sun Chengzong and other staff members who were brought by Yuan Keli, who had been transferred from Liaodong to the right staff of the Military Strategy Hall of the Privy Council. Only the left staff member was left in the Military Strategy Hall to continue to manage it.

The other is Zhao Shizhen, the seal holder and supervisor of the Bingbei Hall.

He was devoted to Zhu Changluo and regarded him as a holy ruler. After all, the fact that he was promoted from a small secretary in the Wuying Palace to the third-rank military commander showed the emperor's recognition of him.

Zhao Shizhen was a firearms fanatic. When Zhu Changluo was looking for talent in this area, he learned about this guy through Tian Le's reminder.

In the 25th year of Wanli's reign, he submitted a proposal on "Eight Harms of Using Military Forces" to Zhu Yijun, suggesting the manufacture of foreign bird guns, which, to put it bluntly, was to learn from the firearms of the foreign barbarians.

This guy also compiled a "List of Divine Artifacts", including the "Thunder Gun", "Lightning Gun", "Rocket Gun", "Rummi Gun", "Eagle Cannon"... Not only did he draw drawings, but he also gave detailed descriptions of the structure, manufacturing method, and firing posture.

By the time Zhu Changluo knew about the Thunder Gun, Zhao Shizhen had already tinkered with it and improved its ability to fire eighteen rounds instead of five.

Only an emperor like Zhu Changluo could specially promote an official who was so obsessed with firepower.

Now Zhao Shizhen is of course very nervous and excited. After all, the emperor has given him enough support over the years, and the results of the Zunhua Military Industrial Park will be examined by the emperor.

This time, with so many important civil and military officials from the Privy Council accompanying him, Zhao Shizhen didn't know that he had to plan something big. With such a big scene, it was impossible for him not to be nervous.

He spent a lot of military expenses.

Also in the team going to Zunhua was Zhu Changluo's only brother-in-law.

Empress Dowager Wang Xijie only gave birth to one daughter, Zhu Xuan'an. Zhu Yijun's eldest daughter married a son-in-law, Yang Chunyuan, who was the son of Yang Ji, the deputy commander of the Nancheng Military Department.

Wang Xijie was a person who witnessed Zhu Yijun's "imperial edict to abdicate", so Zhu Changluo wanted to treat her well because she was cautious and careful.

Her brother worked in the Kuaitanxuan business arranged by Zhu Changluo, and her son-in-law worked in the Zongminghao.

Also accompanying him were Wang Xun and his daughter, Concubine Shen Wang Jiayue.

It was not a personal expedition, but the emperor went to Zunhua first, and then to the shipyard of Changming Zhayang Company in Tianjin before returning to Beijing, so the time in between was not short. For Wang Xun, the emperor brought his daughter with him, which was another way to reassure him and let him work hard.

Having been favored by the emperor for such a long time, Wang Xun certainly hoped that his daughter would become pregnant and give birth to a prince, or a princess, just like the daughters of the Zhang family.

Zhu Changluo set out with this "strange" lineup, sitting on a large horse carriage, with Tian Le and Xing Jie following by his side.

The specifications of this large horse-drawn chariot are lower than those of the large carriage, but the compartment is not much smaller. In addition to the emperor, two or three other people can sit in it.

"You have done a great job, Lord Ji." Zhu Changluo said with a smile, "Although this is not a real coastal road, just looking at this section, Ji Liao has put a lot of effort into roads and bridges in recent years."

"I dare not claim credit for this." Xing Jie spoke truthfully, "The situation around the capital is naturally more stable. But inside and outside Shanhaiguan, it is still quite different."

"We must keep taking good care of the coastal road," Zhu Changluo said. "Although there are frozen muddy soil and many low-lying swamps, with the help of water conservancy and the prosperity of trade routes, as more people make a living along the road, the road will eventually get better and better. Even if the old Lulong Road and Gubei Road are used again in the future, the coastal road will be smoother after all."

"What your Majesty said is absolutely true."

To get to Liaodong, before the Tang Dynasty, the route was through Lulong Pass, along the Luan River, over the Yanshan Mountains, and then along the Daling River to the northeast. Cao Cao conquered the Wuhuan by taking the Lulong Road.

During the Liao and Song dynasties, people went out of Gubeikou and crossed the Luan River, and in the second half of the journey they merged with the original Lulong Road.

In the present-day Ming Dynasty, the area outside Gubeikou was no longer under the Ming Dynasty's complete control, and to go to Liaodong, one had to take the Liaoxi Corridor.

Obviously, this coastal route is flatter, so why wasn't it the first choice before? It's because of the mud and swamps. The undeveloped low-lying coastal areas are not as risky as the Lulong Road and Gubei Road.

The situation is now improving step by step.

Zhu Changluo sighed, "There are so many things to do. If the north can be stabilized from now on, there will always be people willing to come to the north and go through the border wall and Shanhaiguan. In the past, Huguang was also Yunmeng Lake, but now it is the granary of the Ming Dynasty. The three rivers in the northeast are flat and may become a granary one day. But the problem of Tatars and Jurchens is in front of us, and Liaodong can only become a bottomless pit for spending money."

Despite so many difficulties, Zhu Changluo's general direction remained unchanged.

Let Ye Xianggao and others think about it carefully, have some discussions, and build momentum for real reforms in the future.

Zhu Changluo was about to "do something big" and transform the results of six years of military affairs into profits and prestige.

Seeing Xing Jie's disbelieving expression, Zhu Changluo said solemnly: "Make a bold plan! Go to the Military Industrial Park and see the achievements of the Hundred Family Garden. You can listen to me and explain it to me."

(End of this chapter)