Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 267 Departure, Southern Ming

Time flies, and June has already arrived in the blink of an eye.

Since the beginning of the year when Modern and Daming began their comprehensive cooperation, nearly half a year has passed, and the development has been changing rapidly, with each day bringing a new look.

Moreover, while Zhu Yuanzhang was enjoying the spoils, Zhu Di's Yongle reign was also able to have a taste of the good stuff.

A large amount of modern technology was also transferred to the Yongle Dynasty, and major state-owned enterprises sent people and resources to the Ming Dynasty. As a result, many state-owned construction enterprises in China began to experience a shortage of mid-to-high-level technical personnel.

They chose to promote existing middle and lower-level technical personnel to higher positions, while simultaneously expanding recruitment and absorbing civil engineering talent from society.

This suddenly made the internet in the modern world very lively.

Given the increasingly tense international situation and the overall downturn in the global economy in recent years, it's already considered good if state-owned enterprises don't lay off employees, let alone expand their workforce, which is quite baffling.

But this is undoubtedly a great thing.

my country's education system is developing very well. Although there are some minor issues with the college entrance examination, it is still within the global scope.

Compared to those so-called world-renowned universities that are monopolized by the wealthy and powerful and where you can get into university just by donating money, this is still the fairest education system, bar none!

Under such an education system, it's fair to say that junior college graduates are treated worse than dogs, while bachelor's degree holders are everywhere. 985 and 211 universities are plentiful, and even top graduates from Tsinghua and Peking Universities are a dime a dozen in society.

Therefore, after learning that major state-owned enterprises were expanding their workforce and recruiting technical personnel, countless people applied for civil service positions.

The major state-owned enterprises quickly replenished the talent they had sent to the Ming Dynasty, creating nearly 200,000 jobs, which greatly alleviated the shortage of high-end technical positions.

of course.

Even so, it is still a drop in the ocean compared to the current domestic situation.

my country's unemployment rate does not appear to be high. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the unemployment rate will remain at around 6% by 2032.

However, we cannot ignore my country's huge population base. 6% of 14 billion people is close to 100 million people. Excluding the elderly and children, there are at least 40 to 50 million unemployed laborers.

Furthermore, even among the employed population, who are either doing odd jobs or engaged in agriculture, there is still a significant job shortage.

Therefore, even if it can currently create 200,000 jobs, it is still not a particularly large number.

However, this year is just the beginning.

According to the government's estimates, by seizing resources from the Ming Dynasty, the government can establish a large number of factories and enterprises, sell the resources to private owners, and encourage the development of small and medium-sized enterprises.

In particular, Hunan's development will be significantly boosted because the resources were not imported from coastal cities but came from Hunan itself.

The goods from these factories and enterprises will also become orders from various Ming Dynasty governments and be sent to the Ming Dynasty.

This would solve many employment problems.

It is projected that within five years, this will directly create employment for at least tens of millions of people and indirectly create employment for tens of millions more. In the next ten years, the number of employed people is likely to surge dramatically, and it is quite possible that the unemployment rate will approach zero.

Therefore, for the country, cooperation with the Ming Dynasty is extremely beneficial to modern development.

For the Ming Dynasty, accepting modern technology transfer and modern engineering industries can also promote its development.

After all, the main thing brought by the modern era is technology. It is impossible for a large number of people to come in. A few million people would be the limit, and most of them would be in technical positions. Labor positions would be filled by ordinary people from the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, it can be said that the modern era and the Hongwu era were eating meat together.

However, although the stone tablet increased the transport capacity, it could only meet the needs of the Hongwu reign at present.

The remaining emperors, including the Yongle reign of the first Zhu Di, the Yongle reign of the second Zhu Di, the Hongxi reign of Zhu Gaochi, and the Xuande reign of Zhu Zhanji, received very little.

But there is nothing we can do.

Although the Ming Dynasty was currently like a famine relief station, with the upper class able to eat their fill while the lower classes were eating less and less, Zhu Yuanzhang was, after all, the ancestor, so it was only natural that he ate first.

In mid-June, on a certain morning, Old Zhu stood atop the Nanjing Tower in the Imperial Palace, overlooking the entire city.

The Nanjing Tower is one of the collaborative projects.

Feeling inspired by the fact that later generations had the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Tokyo Tower in Tokyo, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang (the Ming emperor) thought that Nanjing, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, also needed a landmark building. So, he built the Nanjing Tower in the northeast of the imperial palace, at the foot of Zhongshan Mountain.

Tokyo Tower was built in 1957 and completed in 1958, taking one year and four months. That was in the 1950s and 60s, when technology was relatively underdeveloped.

It is now the 2030s, and building such an iron tower is not difficult.

Even more so, regardless of materials or technology.

The project was launched in January of the 20th year of the Hongwu reign (1380), construction began in February, and it has now been completed in June, approximately five months.

The overall height reaches 397 meters, almost the same as the highest peak of Zhongshan, Toutuo Ridge. The entire structure is made of the most advanced synthetic steel, which is not only sturdy and durable but also ensures an exquisite appearance.

It has three floors and is accessible by elevator. The top floor is located at 350 meters, offering panoramic views of Nanjing, including the Nanjing Imperial Palace.

This morning, after the completion ceremony of the Nanjing Tower, Mr. Zhu personally climbed to the top.

Accompanying him were Empress Ma, the elderly man who held a deputy national rank, Zhu Biao, and Zhu Yunfeng.

Looking down from above, one can see that after six months of work, Nanjing, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, has undergone a complete transformation.

Apart from the city walls not being demolished, many places have taken on a brand new look.

The buildings within a three-kilometer radius of the palace are very low, with the tallest being only six stories. Moreover, they are the kind of grand buildings that Zhu Di built before, combining modern craftsmanship with classical aesthetics.

Furthermore, these areas were designated as office areas for the central government offices of the Ming Dynasty and residential areas for officials, and outsiders were not allowed to enter.

This was to prevent anyone from spying on the Ming Dynasty's imperial palace in the future.

Within a three-kilometer radius, high-rise buildings are springing up everywhere, and in many places the main structure of the buildings has already been erected. It is expected that all construction will be completed by next year, which means that most of the existing infrastructure of Daming will be completed within 1-2 years.

However, the current construction area is only the original urban area of ​​Nanjing during the Ming Dynasty, which is the Qinhuai District, Xuanwu District and part of Gulou District in later generations. Construction has not yet started in the other districts such as Jianye District, Jiangning District and Qixia District.

After all, Nanjing in the Ming Dynasty of later generations had a population of tens of millions, while the current Ming Dynasty only had a population of three million at most, and the city's expansion speed was not that fast.

Even so, a magnificent metropolis had already been born.

For Lao Zhu, this was a great achievement.

"Biao'er, I think it would be good to invite all nations to pay tribute next New Year. What do you think?"

Zhu Yuanzhang stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the city below, which was almost fully built. He knew that once the renovations were finished, the people would be able to move in, and he showed a joyful expression.

"I think it might be better the year after next."

Zhu Biao replied.

"Hmm, where is our Ming Dynasty's fleet now?"

"I have traveled all over the world."

"How about we conscript people from Egypt next year to transport excavators and get the Suez Canal open?"

“I can give it a try.”

"It wouldn't be bad to send the white people to America to grow cotton then."

Zhu Yuanzhang obviously had nothing better to do than sit around doing nothing.

The old man next to him raised his eyes slightly upon hearing this, but remained silent.

This world belongs to the Ming Dynasty. They won't interfere. As long as they don't do anything too outrageous like genocide, let Old Zhu do whatever he wants.

It's time for Chinese civilization to spread; the world is indeed somewhat empty right now, and what it needs is a change in civilization.

"Actually, at this point, I have no regrets. Things are on the right track, and we should proceed step by step." Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a moment and said, "So I plan to go to the Southern Ming."

He looked at the old man he was on good terms with and said, "Old Qin, I'd like to purchase a batch of military equipment from you. What do you think?"

The old man pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "We naturally welcome normal arms trade between countries, but it's not necessary to use those equipment in Nanming, especially since the personnel also need training."

What stage had my country's weaponry reached at this point?

Mass production of sixth-generation fighter jets.

A highly agile mechanical dog.

The ultra-long-range missile has a range of over 20,000 kilometers, and that's not even the limit.

A range of just over 20,000 kilometers is sufficient to reach any place on Earth. Therefore, no missile with a longer range has been built. At its limit, it could circle the Earth several times without any problem.

The number of other nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, super-large transport aircraft, fighter jets, battleships, destroyers, frigates, and so on is countless.

of course.

We are just some simple "little gadgets" used to protect our country.

It has never acknowledged itself as a major military power in the global landscape.

But it was sent to the Southern Ming Dynasty.

That wouldn't be like using an anti-aircraft gun to kill a mosquito, but rather like using a nuclear bomb to kill a mosquito—it's pointless.

"I should buy everything I need."

Old Zhu said, "If I go to Nanming, I should be fine bringing some automatic rifles and mechanical dogs with me, right?"

"can."

The old man nodded.

Soon, a multi-billion dollar arms deal was reached during the conversation.

As for how to complete the transaction, that's easy too.

Australia is no longer the territory of white people; it was occupied long ago by Zhu's people, it's just that there isn't a large population there.

Despite the urgent need for manpower during the agricultural revolution, the Ming Dynasty still dispatched hundreds of thousands of people to migrate to Australia and Southeast Asia, where they occupied many places.

These places are extremely rich in mineral resources, so there is no need for exploration. Just compare them with mineral deposits in later generations, and then transport machinery over to start excavation.

In the future, countless tons of gold, silver, copper, iron, and various ores will be transported to the Ming Dynasty every year, making it very suitable for trading.

Therefore, Lao Zhu has now started a shopping spree.

He's not sitting on a mine, he's sitting on the resources of the entire planet.

They know exactly where the good mines are and where they can be mined, and most of these places are deserted, so they can do whatever they want.

Regions rich in minerals, such as Siberia, the Americas, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Australia.

The Middle East has both people and Arab civilization.

Unfortunately, most of the area there is a vast desert, and the population is concentrated in the coastal oases. Old Zhu can just ask for oil and mineral resources whenever he wants.
Currently, its reach is limited to relatively nearby areas like Southeast Asia.

The population of the Ming Dynasty was still limited.

If the Ming Dynasty had four or five hundred million people, with no shortage of young and strong laborers, it could mine miracles all over the world.

In the afternoon, everyone returned to the palace, and Zhu Yuanzhang officially began preparations to depart for the Southern Ming Dynasty.

He acts very quickly once he makes a decision.

Just get started.

Anyway, going to Nanming doesn't require trekking through mountains and rivers; it's even more convenient than visiting a neighbor's house.

At this time, because the stone tablet had received a large amount of energy, the world of Nanming had already been opened up. Zhu Yunfeng first led Mao Xiang and more than ten soldiers as the vanguard to his own cellar.

The cellar was just as it had been before. The researchers around them looked at them curiously, but they were already used to it and no one went up to talk to them.

What we're seeing now is actually just the advance team; Old Zhu still needs to talk to Old Qin about the issues when the main force goes there.

For example, we need to suspend research at the base first and send supplies to Nanming.

There's also the matter of training robotic dogs.

It's estimated that we'll actually be heading to Nanming in a few more days.

Zhu Yunfeng ignored the researchers at the base and waved his hand, sending a soldier to touch the bottommost sphere.

In an instant, the person disappeared.

After a moment, the person came out and replied, "It's underground, it should be a cellar, there's some gold and silver inside."

"I'll go over and take a look."

Zhu Yunfeng, fully armed, reached out towards the sphere.

In an instant, he found himself in a pitch-black place, the searchlight above his head illuminating the surroundings.

Below was another cellar, but it was a bit bigger than Zhu Yunfeng's. It contained many boxes, and you could find some silver ingots by opening any of them.

Zhu Yunfeng remembers that the family genealogy records that after his ancestor Zhu Cibei fled from Changsha to Xuefeng Mountain, he buried all his belongings in the ground.

Each generation thereafter unearthed a little bit of silver, melted it down, and used it to buy land, eventually becoming large landowners by the end of the Qing Dynasty.

If nothing unexpected happens, this should be the basement where Zhu Cibei hid his belongings.

Look around again.

Our ancestors did it very discreetly.

It seems they only dug a basement, supported by brick pillars in the middle, and filled the exit with soil, thus creating a sealed room.

Because it was recently dug, it was still noticeably damp inside, and the air wasn't too stuffy.

Zhu Yunfeng then went back through the stone tablet.

Afterwards, they had some entrenching tools brought over and sent several soldiers to dig upwards.

After digging for about four or five meters, a sloping tunnel was dug out, and sunlight shone in, making people feel slightly uncomfortable.

Mao Xiang was the first to climb out of the pit, and Zhu Yunfeng only climbed out after he was sure it was safe.

Looking around, he saw a dense grove of trees, and then a small rocky cliff in the distance. Zhu Yunfeng immediately recognized it and hurriedly ran to the cliff to look out.

really.

This is the small hill opposite Zhu Yunfeng's house. When he was a child, Zhu Yunfeng helped his grandfather herd sheep here. There is a big pit between the small hill and Zhu Yunfeng's own house.

The area was later filled in, and the small hill was also leveled. It is clear that the ancestor Zhu Cibei buried the treasure under the hill opposite his house.

There is a small wooden house in the location of Zhu Yunfeng's own home, and there used to be a small grassy area near the fishpond.

There were no other houses around. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Zhujiaping was only inhabited by the Zhu Cibei family, who had fled there. It was not until the end of the Qing Dynasty that the family branched out and had more descendants.

(End of this chapter)