The Ming Dynasty did not revolutionize

Chapter 336 What kind of industry can Liang Guo start?

After Prince Liang Zhu Jiancan and his family arrived in Shuntian Prefecture, they disembarked at the royal dock in Beiwai City and took a bus arranged by the Ministry of Clan Affairs to the prince's palace in Dongwai City.

The current head of the Imperial Clan Court, Zhu Jianxuan, is Zhu Jiancan's third brother, the third son of Emperor Xianning, and the oldest illegitimate son. He is only five years younger than Zhu Jianxuan and is 64 years old this year.

According to the traditional patriarchal system, Zhu Jianxuan's order of succession was after the youngest son Zhu Jianxuan. His identity was not particularly sensitive, and he did not go overseas to become a vassal king.

After Zhu Jianxuan's uncle's clan leader passed away, Zhu Jianxuan appointed his half-brother as the clan leader to preside over some ceremonial work of the clan.

Although Prince of Liang Zhu Jiancan was the eldest brother, it was inappropriate for Emperor Zhu Jianxuan to go out to greet him, so Zhu Jianxuan, the younger brother, was the right person to go and greet him in person.

The two brothers Zhu Jianxuan and Zhu Jianxuan were sitting in a car, chatting casually about the current situation and their feelings after not seeing each other for twenty years.

During the past twenty years, both the relocation of feudal domains and the establishment of new feudal domains were in a period of development and construction.

They were all truly development and construction in wild lands, which was completely different from the establishment of vassal states in the north in the early Ming Dynasty.

Moreover, the current vassal states are far away from the mainland, especially those in the inland of Africa, and the process of traveling to Shuntian Prefecture is very troublesome.

In addition, due to the special circumstances of Zhu Jianxuan's accession to the throne, he did not require the major vassal states to come to Beijing to pay homage in the past twenty years.

Even when the old emperor died, Zhu Jianxuan did not let them come back.

This is the first time that Zhu Jiancan has returned to Shuntian Prefecture since he left Beijing 20 years ago to become a vassal king in Africa.

Liang Wang Zhu Jiancan had already landed, and was still looking at the Grand Canal Wharf not far away through the window:

"Your Majesty is really amazing. The sea vessels can directly open the city of Shuntianfu. I really never thought that this could be done."

Although Zongzheng Zhu Jianxuan has gotten used to the current situation, he can't help but sigh when others mention it:
“It is true. We never thought that the capabilities of craftsmen, industry and engineering could reach this level.

"The Tiangong era name chosen by Your Majesty was a little unconventional at first, but now it seems to be really appropriate."

The two brothers exclaimed in admiration for a long time, and only changed the subject after the car turned and moved away from the dock.

Liang Wang Zhu Jiancan asked casually:
"Looking at the direction, it seems to be heading to East City? Have the rules of Shuntian Prefecture not changed?"

Zongzheng Zhu Jianxuan said casually:

"Yes, big brother. All the houses in the inner city are public housing and are for all officials, nobles, and craftsmen to live in.

"The area south of Chang'an Street was given to ordinary officials, the area north of Chang'an Street was given to the inner city, the area west of the imperial city was given to the craftsmen, and the area east of the imperial city was given to all the nobles.

"The nobles who are not serving as officials in the imperial court are arranged to live in the East Outer City, but the officials and nobles nowadays actually prefer to live in the Outer City."

Liang Wang Zhu Jiancan smiled and said:
"You don't have to keep me in suspense. According to the original plan of His Majesty, there are no private facilities in the inner city.

“The management of the inner city and the supply of daily necessities are all the responsibility of the imperial court. The supplies should be very good, but the variety is mostly limited.

"In the outer city, private facilities are definitely allowed to exist, and the variety of eating, drinking and entertainment is definitely more diverse than in the inner city.

"So officials and nobles like to live in the outer city, so that they can enjoy these folk things at any time, and they will also be more free."

Zongzheng Zhu Jianxuan also smiled and said:
"My brother is wise, it is indeed still the case, the emperor's rules have not changed.

“The rules of the four outer cities are also different. East City only allows the operation of industries that are called culture-related by the court.

"Specifically, it includes newspapers, novels, audio-visual, antiques, calligraphy and painting industries. All the theaters, cinemas, brothels and temples are in Dongcheng.

“Of course there are places to eat in Dongcheng, but only small restaurants are allowed, and large restaurants are not allowed.

“West City mainly houses various schools and scientific research facilities run by the imperial court. It also sells the latest craftsman products, including various machines and electrical appliances, and naturally also sells stationery.

"Large restaurants are also not allowed, nor are brothels or temples."

“All industries in North City are directly managed by the imperial court, which is responsible for stockpiling and supplying the expenses of everyone in Shuntian City. Ordinary people can also go there to buy things.

"There are no restrictions in the South Outer City, so the busiest place is also the South City."

Liang Wang Zhu Jiancan immediately said:

"Then after I settle down, you old man have to take me around. I want to see what fun and delicious things there are."

Zongzheng Zhu Jianxuan said in a rather awkward tone:

"Well... after you settle down and get used to the climate of the capital, I can of course take you around.

“But when my brother is outside, he cannot eat or drink anything he wants, lest he get sick from what he eats. It would be troublesome if he got sick.

"The emperor has specifically instructed us to take good care of our brother's health and not to neglect anything."

Liang Wang Zhu Jiancan also reacted:
"I understand your majesty's painstaking efforts. I just won't eat randomly outside. Please take me around first..."

This time, Zongzheng Zhu Jianxuan agreed:

"That's no problem, but we have to meet His Majesty first, and then we can talk about the trip."

Prince of Liang Zhu Jiancan was sent to the best-located palace by the Chief of the Imperial Clan Zhu Jianxuan, who arranged for people to observe the palace for a full ten days.

Only after confirming that Zhu Jiancan had no problems with acclimatization was he arranged to enter the palace to meet the emperor.

On April 16th of the 16th year of Tiangong, in the West Garden of the Imperial City of Shuntian Prefecture, Zhu Jianxuan led Zhu Jiancan into the palace and met Emperor Zhu Jianxuan.

When the two brothers met, Zhu Jiancan was about to kneel down to Zhu Jianxuan, but was held back by Zhu Jianxuan:
"Brother, there's no need to be so polite. When we meet, we just need to bow to show respect."

Zhu Jiancan did not force himself to continue kneeling, but he did not stand up immediately either:
"Your Majesty...it is not appropriate to abandon etiquette for the sake of an old minister..."

Zhu Jianxuan smiled and reminded:
"Nowadays, except for major events such as offering sacrifices to heaven or ancestors, the court no longer allows ordinary officials to kneel and worship. They only need to bow with their hands clasped.

“Brother, don’t worry that this is a special case targeting you. Every time my third brother comes to see me, he bows.

"Now, even ordinary people don't need to kneel down and worship me when they see me. Just relax, brother."

Zhu Jiancan looked back at Zhu Jianxuan, and Zhu Jianxuan bowed to him.

In fact, Zhu Jianxuan had already reminded her of these things before entering the palace, but Zhu Jiancan still felt that it was necessary to go through such a process.

After getting confirmation from the emperor again, Zhu Jiancan stood up with peace of mind.

Then Zhu Jianxuan stood up straight and bowed to his eldest brother Zhu Jiancan. Zhu Jiancan moved his body but ultimately did not touch the emperor.

After the two brothers exchanged greetings, they sat down on the chairs at the host and guest areas and had the servants serve them tea.

When Emperor Zhu Jianxuan casually started a conversation:
"Brother, are you used to living in Africa these years?"

Liang Wang Zhu Jiancan immediately smiled and said:
"It's a good habit. The place Your Majesty has arranged for me is really excellent.

"After I officially settled down there, I really felt like there was no sun or moon there.

"The temperature there doesn't have the seasonal differences like in the Ming mainland, and there is almost no noticeable change in temperature throughout the year.

"Every day the lowest temperature is around 17 or 18 degrees, and the highest is around 27 or 28 degrees.

“There is no particularly dry season throughout the year, and there are at least four or five days of rain in any month.

“The total annual precipitation is about the same as that in Jiangnan, with less precipitation every three months and more precipitation every three months, and this cycle continues.

"Even if we rely solely on the weather, the local area can grow two crops of rice a year, and it is quite leisurely.

“Because the temperature is not very high, the rice does not grow very fast.

"However, there is no hurricane impact in the area, and the weather is generally good all year round."

In fact, according to Zhu Jiancan's own inner thoughts, his feudal kingdom was not as good as he said now.

It was a truly wild place.

The key is that it is deep inland, the most convenient sea transportation cannot reach directly, and there are no ready-made roads.

There was no mature agricultural society, no ready-made arable land, only some black savages in tribal states.

Zhu Jiancan and his sons struggled there for twenty years before they finally had the comfortable life they have today.

But it seems difficult to say this directly.

The emperor Zhu Jianxuan on the other side also laughed when he heard this not entirely true statement:
“Once you are familiar with geography, you can roughly predict the climate of a place.

“The climate in the central region of Africa should have been similar to that of the South Pacific, a tropical rainforest environment with abundant rainfall and heat throughout the year.

“But East Africa is a plateau with an average altitude of about 1,000 meters, which weakens both precipitation and temperature.

"This eventually led to the current generally humid plateau climate.

“It’s a bit like Yunnan, but Yunnan is located in the mountains, and there are not many flat valleys in the mountains, while the plateaus in East Africa are generally quite flat.

“Besides, the higher the terrain, the better the sunshine, and although there is a lot of rain, it is not too humid.

“However, it was originally just a wild land after all, and the environment must have been quite harsh when my brother first arrived there.

"My brother spent twenty years there cutting through thorns and fighting against wild men, and only then did he have the peace and comfort he has now."

Zhu Jianxuan pointed out to him directly that the natural endowment of that place was good, and it was certain to be good.

When I arranged for you to go there, I knew that I was giving you a good piece of land with great potential, instead of exiling you to some really worthless wasteland.

This can be regarded as a reminder to his elder brother Zhu Jiancan not to have any dissatisfaction in his heart.

But in the end, Zhu Jiancan's hard work was affirmed.

The Zongzheng Zhu Jianxuan next to him didn't think too much about it. After listening to the specific content of the conversation between the two brothers, he said with a little surprise and yearning:
"This kind of environment is really a good place for retirement..."

After hearing this judgment, Zhu Jianxuan hesitated for a few seconds and then said:

"That's true. Brother, after you return home this time, you can indeed consider this aspect.

"We will select a site around Yunmeng Lake to create a special area for retirement and vacation, and attract people from all over the world.

“Although the current local environment in Liang State is relatively comfortable, there should not be much financial revenue.

"In another ten years, the court's financial support will also end."

When it comes to raising money for the State of Liang, Liang Wang Zhu Jiancan subconsciously takes it to heart:

"Your Majesty, is this really useful? Isn't it still the fastest way to make money from mining and industry? But Liang State is deep in the inland, and transportation is inconvenient..."

Zhu Jianxuan did not explain immediately, but first showed off his qualifications:

"Brother, do you trust my vision and judgment?"

King Liang reacted immediately and realized that although his brother, a living saint, was very good at everything, his foresight was even more unique.

He can see future trends decades in advance...

In other words, does Liang State really have great potential in vacation and retirement industries?

King Liang thought so in his heart and asked:

"Of course I believe in your Majesty's judgment, but please forgive my stupidity. I don't know what to do specifically. Please tell me clearly."

Zhu Jianxuan continued:

"When the granaries are full, people know etiquette; when they have enough food and clothing, they know honor and disgrace.

“The greatest role of industrialization is to create abundant materials and wealth at a speed dozens of times faster than the agricultural era.

“Let all men’s granaries be filled.

“Not only the royal family, nobles, gentry, and officials, but all the people will no longer suffer from famine.

"But when everyone is no longer hungry, everyone will have new needs, such as entertainment, learning, creation, and spiritual needs.
"The industrial construction of the Ming Dynasty lasted for more than 20 years, which is already a generation.

"Hundreds of millions of urban residents have enjoyed abundant industrial products and no longer worry about survival.

“Their spiritual needs are also growing rapidly, and the court must also take steps to guide and provide direction.

“As the saying goes, reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Traveling, vacationing, and experiencing exotic customs are the pursuits that always exist in the spirit of the Ming people.

“The climate of the plateau where Liang State is located is relatively unique in the world.

"There is really no winter or summer all year round. This condition is really very attractive and very convenient to promote. It is truly spring all year round.

“Although other areas have similar climates, including some valleys in the mountains of Yunnan and Linzhou that I mentioned earlier.

“But the place is surrounded by mountains and there is no vast flat land. The key is that the transportation conditions in and out are much worse than those in Liang State.

“It is still unclear whether it is feasible to build relatively high-standard railways in places like Kunming and Bogota.

“And Liang State already has a relatively high-standard railway leading to the port of Mombasa.

“This railway may not be sufficient to transport bulk industrial products, but it is sufficient to transport tourists.

"Moreover, the local construction conditions are not complicated, and the road can be expanded later.

“The vast flat land of Liang State can also build living service facilities of sufficient scale, which can be built according to the standards of large local cities.

“The vast land around Yunmeng Lake can provide sufficient living supplies for the local area and can supply a super city.

“Such surrounding environmental conditions are also impossible for other similar mountain cities to have.

"If Liang State can seize this opportunity, its future wealth will be limitless."

In Zhu Jianxuan's opinion, Africa's environment is unique. The reason why the tourism industry did not develop well in the past was that the social environment was too poor.

Only those who pursue wildness and want to go deep into the primitive nature will want to travel to Africa for vacation.

Now the whole of Africa is under the direct and indirect rule of the Ming Dynasty, and will definitely become a place with highly developed infrastructure in the future.

The East African Plateau is an oversized Spring City, and Yunmeng Lake is an oversized Erhai Lake.

However, despite what the emperor said, Prince of Liang Zhu Jiancan actually did not fully understand. He had no idea about things like spiritual needs and travel and vacation.

But he could judge that what the emperor meant was that the Ming court would work towards this direction in the future, or that the court's policies would lean towards this direction.

Then I don't need to think about and analyze the reasons. I just need to do what my living saint brother thinks.

He said that he could definitely make money, and he could cheat anyone but himself.

So Zhu Jiancan immediately said:

"Thank you for your advice, Your Majesty. I will start planning this as soon as I get back."

Zhu Jianxuan also knew that his elder brother probably wouldn't understand very well, so he continued to add and request:
"Find me a relatively large island in Yunmeng Lake. I will set up a special company and build a set of facilities on the island.

"This is advance publicity, and it's also a model for you. You can imitate my plan first, and then you can learn from it slowly."

This was like a hands-on teaching, and Zhu Jiancan was even more grateful:

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will definitely study hard."

The reason why Zhu Jianxuan is willing to do this now is actually because the princes headed by King Liang have already developed most of the good places in Africa.

The local area now has basic infrastructure, and the central court can naturally carry out more advanced construction based on it.

It would be too much trouble for the imperial court to develop a tourist destination directly from a wild environment.

(End of this chapter)