The Ming Dynasty did not revolutionize

Chapter 332 Zhu Jingkun's Life and Beiyuan New Palace

If Zhu Jingkun was an ordinary deputy director of a grassroots Jinyiwei police station, his job scope would be simple.

The director and two deputy directors, each with a group of Jinyiwei, take turns on duty in the institute to deal with various minor emergencies.

But Zhu Jingkun came to the grassroots to learn, and deputy director was only his initial position. While doing this job, he also had to understand the work of the mayor and deputy mayor.

According to his father's instructions, Zhu Jingkun has to stay here for two years and familiarize himself with the work of various institutions in the town within two years.

The key is not to make any outstanding contributions, but to understand how such local grassroots organizations operate.

Therefore, the Fanliuzha Town Police Station originally had two deputy chiefs. Zhu Jingkun’s deputy chief was an additional separate position, and he was accompanied by a few additional Jinyiwei.

Regularly shadow the Director and one of the Deputy Directors to familiarize yourself with their work.

Zhu Jingkun also distributed the task content to local grass-roots officials, asking them to make arrangements according to this requirement.

Zhu Jingkun got to know the main local officials and confirmed each other's identities and next steps.

Then the servants and local grassroots officials suggested that Zhu Jingkun should rest and adapt to the local environment for three to five days to overcome any possible acclimatization problems.

Zhu Jingkun understood this arrangement as his identity was too special for them.

If you cannot adapt to the climate and suffer from acclimatization, then continue to rest and work again after you have recovered.

If there are no problems, we will start working after three to five days.

Zhu Jingkun settled down at the garrison stationed at Niliuzha, and went out for a period of time at irregular intervals every day to adapt to the changes in climate and environment.

The director arranged two Jinyiwei to accompany Zhu Jingkun and introduce the local situation to him.

Every time Zhu Jingkun went out, he wrapped himself in a thick fur coat and hat, but as long as he moved with a little skin exposed, he would feel the biting cold.

Zhu Jingkun soon developed frostbite on his face and gained a new and personal understanding of the climate here.

According to the solar terms in the Central Plains, the Waking of Insects has passed and the Spring Equinox will be in eight days, but the surrounding rivers have not yet thawed.

Every day, just after noon, there is a short period of time when the temperature can barely rise above zero degrees.

The rest of the time the temperature is basically below zero, with the lowest being less than minus ten degrees.

Now the residents of the town and the soldiers of the garrison are still hibernating and rarely go out on weekdays.

Most of the time they get together in groups of three or five to play cards and drink.

The public housing in the town and the large houses in the military camps were all equipped with heating, and ordinary residents' homes all had stoves and kangs.

Officials and civilians alike were burning coal in their homes, and the whole town was covered in a hazy cloud of smoke.

Now the most important facility in the entire town is the coal yard of the garrison.

The Jinyiwei from the police station introduced:

“Your Highness, in fact, the weather here has begun to warm up, and it should start to thaw next month.

"The coldest time is during the twelfth month and the first month of the lunar calendar. At that time, the temperature is more than 20 degrees below zero every day. If you pour boiling water outside, it will turn into ice immediately.

“Without the free coal sent directly by train from the imperial court, and the furs exchanged with the wild men and Mongols in the old forest, it would be impossible to survive the winter here.

"The ground freezes for half a year, and it becomes hard. For months, you can't do anything but stay at home and light a fire to hibernate.

“We can only grow crops once a year in the summer, and the rest of the time we have to collect firewood.

“If you don’t store enough firewood in the summer, you can really freeze to death in the winter.

“If there are floods and droughts in the summer, and the harvest is not enough for the whole year, people will starve to death in the winter.

“But now that we have coal and fertilizer, as well as motorized tractors and reservoirs, the situation here is completely different.

"One person can now cultivate the fields that used to require dozens of people. In case of drought, water can be supplied from the reservoir, and in case of flood, water can be directly discharged. This really ensures a stable harvest regardless of drought or flood.

"Besides that, you just need to stay at home and drink, play cards and have children."

Xu Laosan, who was following Zhu Jingkun, also said immediately:

"The trains and motor vehicles developed by our emperor have taken the court to dig coal everywhere, which really allows more people to make a living."

Zhu Jingkun listened to the Jinyiwei and Xu Laosan's muttering, and couldn't help but said with emotion:

“So before the Chongzhen period, it was always difficult for us Han people to take root here. At most, we could only stably control the Liaohe River Basin in the south.

"Father's inventions... have really expanded the scope of our survival..."

The people around instinctively followed suit and exclaimed in admiration.

Zhu Jianxuan's glorious image among officials, the public, workers and peasants is undoubtedly that of a sage king.

In the next few decades, as long as Zhu Jianxuan is still around, there will be no chaos in the Ming Dynasty.

What matters is what happens to the next generation.

As a prince, Zhu Jingkun has never lacked influences since childhood. He also undergoes military training according to his father's arrangements, which is actually physical exercise, and his physique is naturally strong.

I go out two or three times a day at the Reverse Floodgate, and spend half an hour to two hours in the town each time.

Three days passed like this, and apart from some frostbite on his face, Zhu Jingkun did not feel any particular discomfort.

Then I continued to observe for two more days and confirmed that there were no problems. On the sixth day, I reported to the official district police station and began to learn from the chief and two other deputy chiefs.

In the following days, Zhu Jingkun went out every morning to the police station and the town government office to chat with the director, the mayor, and the successor officials.

The places where they work either have heating or coal stoves, so they don't need to go outside and suffer the cold most of the time.

However, this peaceful and comfortable winter life could not last forever.

That morning, when Zhu Jingkun was chatting with a deputy director, a citizen rushed in to report that he had encountered a blind bear at the entrance of the town.

The deputy director jumped up when he heard half of it, and called the surrounding Jinyiwei to quickly take their shotguns and deal with it:
"Hurry up, hurry up, if you go too late you might be beaten by the militia!"

The deputy director was excited not because of the blind bear's destructive power, but because the townspeople had too many weapons in their hands.

The town was originally a military garrison, and most of the people were militiamen. They had guns and ammunition at home, and they had to receive military training on time.

There is nothing to do during the slack season, so many people take guns to the mountains to hunt.

The blind bear was close to the town and had been discovered. If the police arrived too late, they would be too late.
Zhu Jingkun was also curious, so he set off with several Jinyiwei under his jurisdiction.

The deputy director explained to Zhu Jingkun on the way:

“Now that winter is almost over, the things in these woods are almost unable to survive.

“Every spring, hungry beasts may come down from the mountains.

"Especially the blind bear, it may have slept for the whole winter and woke up hungry when spring was approaching.

"There is nothing left in the mountains and forests now, so they have come to the popular towns to look for food."

The deputy director took the people who reported the case and Zhu Jingkun and jogged all the way, but they were still too late.

When a group of people arrived at the place, Blind Xiong had already been killed by the surrounding militia. All the Jinyiwei could do was to record it.

Then a group of people borrowed the yard of a nearby house to peel the bear skin and stew the meat.

The blind bear was very thin at this time and had no meat on his body, but he could be used as a base material and a trick, or as a reason to do something.

The town has sufficient daily necessities, and people have nothing to do in winter, so they can't just play cards, drink, and have children all the time.

This is a good opportunity for us to get together and have a meal.

So several militiamen and Jinyiwei went out and brought the pork and sausages they had stored in their homes for the winter, added spicy cabbage and vermicelli, and stewed a large pot in a large iron pot.

Everyone filled a large porcelain bowl with a large bowl of soup and ate it while it was hot with pancakes and steamed buns while chatting.

Ordinary militiamen did not know Zhu Jingkun’s identity. They only knew that he was a newly appointed deputy director. Most of the people in the police station were also militiamen.

Now when the Jinyiwei and the militia are together, they don’t have too many concerns.

Zhu Jingkun stood by the stove, holding a big bowl of steaming hot food, looking at the lively crowd, and felt inexplicably relaxed.

Zhu Jingkun inexplicably had a feeling in his heart that this kind of life was much more comfortable than living in the Shuntian Palace.

After eating this meal, Zhu Jingkun followed the Jinyiwei back to work. After living like this for half a month, the weather in Niliu Sluice started to warm up, and the temperature would not drop below zero most of the time.

The people in the town also started to go out and prepare supplies for summer farming and work.

This small town in the north began to slowly wake up.

When the town really woke up, Zhu Jingkun's work became busy.

According to the requirements, Zhu Jingkun needs to be familiar with various matters at the grassroots level, but there are no particularly clear standards for the work of the Jinyiwei in the town.

Zhu Jingkun became more and more popular as he interacted more with local residents.

Zhu Jingkun was born into a royal family. His parents and even ancestors had good images, and his own image was not deviated either.

According to folk standards, he is a handsome young man who is famous in the surrounding area.

Zhu Jingkun is also tall and strong.

The key is to have some knowledge of various common technologies, not only can he shoot and drive, but he can even perform simple mechanical repairs.

In a remote town, being able to drive a variety of vehicles is an amazing and very useful skill.

The cultural and knowledge level is still at the level of graduates from prestigious universities.

Coming to a place like Fanliuzha Town is like a prestigious university student going to work in the mountains.

Zhu Jingkun was also willing to interact with the people, and half passively and half actively added a new job to himself, driving a tractor to plow the fields.

Or transporting supplies and personnel short distances between towns and farmlands.

If the originally scheduled driver is delayed, for example, because of a headache or illness, Zhu Jingkun will take over.

Zhu Jingkun's busy life in Fanliuzha Town temporarily separated him from the high-level power center, and his mind was temporarily away from complex and profound knowledge.

During this simple labor, although Zhu Jingkun felt a little tired physically, he felt quite relaxed in his mood.

After the spring ploughing season, people began to ask the police where Zhu Jingkun's home was, who else was there, and most importantly, whether he was married.

Zhu Jingkun's identity is special, and it is quite sensitive to inquire about his identity directly, so the Jinyiwei arranged people to investigate the situation.

After a little questioning, they realized that some people wanted to marry Zhu Jingkun.

The Jinyiwei's vigilance was lifted, but it was obvious that this matter could not be accomplished. It was impossible for Zhu Jingkun to get married casually.

The standards for Zhu Jingkun's wives and concubines were all set by Zhu Jianxuan, who was directly responsible for the clan affairs office.

On the other side, in the imperial palace of Shuntian Prefecture, the Ming Emperor Zhu Jianxuan sent away his sons who were participating in grassroots training and officially began to manage the affairs of Shun State.

On the 25th day of the first lunar month in the 16th year of Tiangong, Zhu Jianxuan summoned the Minister of the Honglu Temple alone and asked him to start preparing for next year's celebration activities.

The 1810th day of the first lunar month in the 2th year of Tiangong, February 20th in the Western calendar, , was Zhu Jianxuan’s th birthday.

All the monarchs of the vassal states of the Ming Dynasty were required to come to Beijing to pay homage before the end of this year, celebrate the New Year of the 17th year of Tiangong in Shuntian Prefecture, and then attend Zhu Jianxuan's 40th birthday.

It was specifically required that all vassal monarchs must come, including Li Celing, the Prince of Shun of the Ming Dynasty, Napoleon, the King of Poland, and Joseph, the King of Austria.

At the same time, all monarchs who are not vassal states of the Ming Dynasty do not need to attend and are not allowed to attend.

Unless they came here this time just to pledge allegiance to me and to make their country an official vassal state of the Ming Dynasty.

Otherwise, if their delegation came to the Ming Dynasty on its own, the customs would not let them pass, and the Honglu Temple would not receive them, so the navy would be ordered to send them back directly.

This event itself is just a ritual, but the ritual itself is a symbol and declaration.

Before this, Joseph and Napoleon surrendered to the Ming Dynasty with great reluctance and helplessness, and they certainly did not want to publicize this relationship in their own countries.

But this time they came to celebrate Zhu Jianxuan's birthday, publicly declaring that they accepted this fact.

According to Zhu Jianxuan's judgment, Joseph and Napoleon will most likely come, and Zhu Jianxuan will not do anything to them.

Li Celing most likely would not dare to come, and would most likely claim to be sick, and arrange for one of his sons to come on his behalf. Then Zhu Jianxuan would have a reason to formally begin sanctioning the Shun Kingdom.

If Li Celing really came, he would need to perform the rituals of a subject to himself, which would further solidify Shun State's vassal status.

At the same time, they asked the other party to cooperate and started building a railway that runs through the entire Central Asian steppe, from Hami to the Ural Mountains.

If the other party continues to cooperate, the Central Asian region will actually fall under the control of the Ming Dynasty.

If the other party does not cooperate, Zhu Jianxuan will not resort to force immediately, but will start with economic sanctions, which is also a traditional skill of the Ming Dynasty.

At that time, all trade with Shun State will be stopped at the court level.

Then let the navy blockade the Indian coastline and prohibit any merchant ships from approaching the Indian coastline.

It will take at least two to three years for these things to produce any results.

By that time, Europe and America will have basically settled down, and preparations for a new round of war on the home front should have been made.

After arranging these things, Zhu Jianxuan called the manager of the Royal Engineering Company to come and confirm the construction progress of the new Beiyuan Palace again.

The original imperial city and Forbidden City in Shuntian Prefecture have undergone basic modernization and are equipped with facilities such as heating, tap water, sewers, and telephones.

But after all, it is essentially just a traditional old-style palace, and it is not very convenient to live in.

The key point is that Zhu Jianxuan originally wanted to preserve the original building intact, and every time new facilities were added, part of the original structure had to be destroyed.

And the fire resistance of wooden buildings is always a problem.

With new-age wiring and appliances running in these buildings for so long, there's really no way to ensure that an unexpected fire won't occur.

So ten years ago, Zhu Jianxuan decided not to continue messing with the old imperial city and the Forbidden City.

In addition, we will build a new palace garden in another location using new-era engineering construction technology, modern design concepts and styles.

The new palace is located north of the old imperial city area, between the walls of the old imperial city and the inner city walls of Shuntian Prefecture.

The eastern boundary is Chongwenmenli Street, and the western boundary is Xuanwumenli Street.

Including the entire Shichahai, the total area is about six square kilometers, which is larger than the entire original imperial city.

Divided by the Bell and Drum Tower in the middle, the western area includes Jishuitan and Shichahai, which will be transformed into a modern park with residential and entertainment facilities built around it.

The eastern area is a complete plot of land with flat terrain, where facilities were built for Zhu Jianxuan's daily office, holding various court meetings, and receiving court officials.

Because the new palace is located directly north of the old imperial city and the Forbidden City, it is now temporarily called the Beiyuan New Palace.

The walls and architectural appearance of the new palace are still highly similar to those of the old Forbidden City, but the interior is a reinforced concrete frame structure.

The traditional artistic style of the Ming Dynasty was only used as decoration inside and outside the palace.

Similar to the neoclassical architectural style that emerged in modern Europe, designs such as Roman columns are used on new reinforced concrete buildings.

However, during the construction of the new palace, the original local buildings were not directly demolished, but preserved as much as possible.

For ordinary folk courtyards, we will retain a few representative ones, as well as those with their own characteristics, and demolish highly similar ordinary houses.

As for the buildings and facilities that are famous in themselves and have historically become museums and parks, all of them have been preserved.

It includes the bell and drum tower in the central area, the Imperial College and Confucian Temple on the east side, and the government office of Shuntian Prefecture.

There is the Thousand Buddha Temple in the north, the Dalongshan Huguo Temple on the west, and the garden that served as Heshen’s residence and Prince Gong’s mansion in history.

These facilities are maintained as independent courtyards within the new palace and continue to be maintained in the traditional way.

Zhu Jianxuan and the people in the harem can visit these gardens at any time, but they try not to stay overnight in such places.

They usually live and work in the newly built palace buildings.

The manager of the Royal Engineering Company reported to Zhu Jianxuan that the construction and decoration of the entire palace had been completed at the end of last year, and now only the final finishing work remained.

Just dismantle the tools used during the construction process, clean the environment thoroughly, and restore the cleanliness of the ground and water surface.

It will be ready for use by the end of this summer at the latest.

Zhu Jianxuan was quite satisfied and planned to move in before his 40th birthday and accept congratulations from the monarchs of all vassal states in the new palace.

(End of this chapter)