Reborn Ming Dynasty as Emperor

Chapter 309 The Scholars Exiled to Yunguichuan
After Guo Yunhou, Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, finished his report, it was Gong Yonggu, Yang Shouchun, and Xu Guangqi who reported the profits of Royal Industries, Royal Bank and Huangzhuang this year.

Although the heads of these three state capital enterprises hold the official title of the Ministry of Household Affairs, they are only responsible to Zhu Youxiao.

Moreover, Zhu Youxiao is still the largest controlling shareholder, so the ministers present can only listen to and know the basic situation, but they have no way to interfere with the income of His Majesty the Emperor.

However, in many cases, the national treasury is supplemented by internal funds, so it is difficult for ministers to say anything even if they want to.

But on the whole, the finances in the eight years of the apocalypse are obviously much better than those in the seven years of the apocalypse. Only when the court has spare money can it benefit the world.

Next, the Ministry of War reported the military strength and national defense of Ming Dynasty.

Since Lu Xiangsheng, Minister of the Ministry of War, is now in charge of the affairs of Liaodong and Denglai, the person in charge of the daily affairs of the Ministry of War has been replaced by Yang Sichang, the left servant of the Ministry of War.

Yang Sichang has a good memory and is the only minister among the six ministers who did not bring a booklet.

Holding the elephant wat in his hand, Yang Sichang bowed to Zhu Youxiao, a few points more than Shangshu Lu Xiangsheng, and he was eloquent and eloquent when he reported the situation of the entire Daming border defense, the number of troops, and the expenditure of food and wages.

According to Yang Sichang's report, after Zhu Youxiao removed and replaced the commander in chief and allowed the commander in chief of Jiudabian Town to recruit troops independently, the number of the entire army increased a lot.

Among them, the original 30 frontier troops have increased to more than [-].

But most of them are farming soldiers, no different from ordinary people, but farming to pay rent to their respective officers.

However, the newly added officers and soldiers were recruited strictly in accordance with the standards of professional soldiers. Zhu Youxiao also issued a special order for this, and gave some principled instructions to the recruitment of the chief soldiers of the border towns.

Zhu Youxiao allowed Cao Wenzhao, Zhou Yuji, Zhao Ledjiao, etc. to also recruit troops mainly to improve the combat effectiveness of the frontier army, and under the circumstances that they generally support family members and private soldiers, Zhu Youxiao’s doing so is only tacitly acquiescing to the frontier army generals The recruitment of private soldiers is only explicitly allowed.

Of course, this will definitely lead to the emergence of warlords, but the emergence of warlords cannot be contained by allowing or not recruiting troops.

The emergence of warlords is just an inevitable trend when a peaceful and prosperous age develops into a troubled world. With the increase in the frequency of wars, even if Zhu Youxiao does not promote the status of warriors, the status of warriors will change from time to time because the way of survival changes from non-violence to violence. gotta be important.

Moreover, compared with letting the Manchus enter the customs and the fate of the nation, it is nothing to make these military aristocrats stronger, not to mention that Zhu Youxiao himself recruited troops and established the Royal Guards, which can be regarded as the largest military aristocrat in the empire .If Daming really turns into a violent group one day, then he will be the biggest warlord in it.

Therefore, Zhu Youxiao doesn't have to worry about Cao Wenzhao and others becoming a military group, just like the Guan Ning Army and Zuo Liangyu in history, they will be at odds with the court.

Not only because these general officers are loyal ministers who have passed the test of historical development, but more importantly, although Zhu Youxiao allows them to recruit soldiers, the food, weapons and equipment, as well as official promotion are still firmly controlled by him.

Not only that, according to Zhu Youxiao's plan, once the border troubles are eliminated in the future, or the size of the imperial guards reaches a certain level, that is, after they are fully capable of taking over the responsibility of the entire Ming Dynasty's defense, the outstanding officers and soldiers of these warlords will disrupt the reorganization into the forbidden army. Guards, while others will be eliminated.

At present, most of the ace troops of the commander-in-chief of these border towns have also replaced their flintlocks, and they are also reorganized in the same way as the Imperial Guards, focusing on ideological education and publicity, and emphasizing discipline.

But each has its own characteristics. For example, Cao Wenzhao's Qin soldiers dared to fight bloody battles to the end, Manchurian and Guangxi's mixed Mongolian and Han troops were good at cavalry combat, and Mao Wenlong's Dongjiang soldiers were better at long-distance raids and large roundabout mobile warfare after the appearance of Lu Xiangsheng. .

Since it involved the military affairs of the Ministry of War, Zhu Youxiao turned around and looked at Man Gui at this time.

Man Gui, who was restless, smiled awkwardly, and wanted to stand up and salute Zhu Youxiao, but Zhu Youxiao pushed him back again: "Sit well, and show the demeanor of a first-rank official!"

As he said that, Zhu Youxiao asked Man Gui with a smile: "Man Gui, how many troops do you have under your command? The Mongolian heroes are still getting used to it, is there any situation where the credit is taken away, and the food and salary are not paid in place?"

Sitting at the head of Sun Chengzong, the Liaodong Jinglue King saw that His Majesty asked Man Gui this way, and he couldn't help feeling tense. Man Gui is now considered a general under his command, and he is the one who controls money and food. If Man Gui casually in front of His Majesty If you say a few words, such as the embezzlement of the army, I am afraid that my Liaodong economic strategy will not be easy to handle.

Man Gui did not expect that His Majesty would inquire about himself and his subordinates in person, and he was naturally very moved. Although he and his Mongolian officers and soldiers were still good at horseback riding and archery, they were no different from Liaodong soldiers and civilians. There are official positions and own farmland in the local area.

"Returning to Your Majesty, the general now has [-] cavalry and [-] auxiliary soldiers, and he has the blessing of His Majesty and the care of the commander. The general and the soldiers are all very good, and their morale is also high. Everyone is looking forward to one day. Guan made meritorious service for His Majesty in killing the enemy."

It is precisely because they want to protect their homeland and safeguard their own interests that they will serve Daming wholeheartedly. He did not directly say that the King of Liaodong Jinglue withheld some troops in Jin and some unknown rewards and punishments. There are still some concerns about the reason for Wu Jian; the second is that Wang Zaijin is already considered better than his predecessor, Yuan Chonghuan.

After all, for border generals, it has long become a common saying that they are not afraid of corruption by civil officials, but they are afraid of lenient control by civil officials.

Yuan Chonghuan belongs to the latter, and Wang Zaijin belongs to the former.

Wang Zaijin was relieved to see that Man Gui did not take this opportunity to slander Zhu Youxiao, and he began to secretly admire Man Gui, thinking that when he would go to Shanhaiguan in the future, he must share weal and woe more than before, at least Man Gui cannot be underestimated. After all, it seems that His Majesty does not value him less than himself as a civil servant.

Zhu Youxiao took a look at Wang Zaijin, and seeing Man Gui say so, he nodded approvingly in his heart: "That's very good. There is a saying that civil servants are not greedy for money, and military generals are not afraid of death. It is a sign of the prosperity of the country. As an important minister in the border town, you should keep this point in mind, and more importantly, don't hold each other back, but help each other, be considerate of each other, be tolerant, civil servants should not be arrogant, and military officials should not be cowardly!"

Lu Xiangsheng, Sun Chuanting, Wang Zaijin and other governors, as well as Man Gui, Mao Wenlong, Zhao Lijiao and others all responded: "Yes!"

Next is the report from the Ministry of Rites. Compared with the other six departments, the Ministry of Rites has not been idle this year.

From the general examination and palace examination at the beginning of the year to the denial of the Northern Confucianism and the establishment of the Southern Confucianism in the etiquette system, to the sacrifice of the Xiaoling Mausoleum by His Majesty today, and the drastic reduction of the privileges of the royal family and nobles, and the joint official department arranged a large number of literati and gentry. Reconstruction of education support in backward areas can be regarded as a pivotal event.

As the chief assistant of the cabinet, Qian Qianyi is also in charge of the Ministry of Rites. Although it seems that he has not done a few earth-shattering events, the Ministry of Rites presided over by him, Li Mingrui and Wen Tiren is responsible for explaining and advocating the legitimacy of these deviant acts of His Majesty today. .

There are many civil servants who are dissatisfied with Zhu Youxiao, the emperor, but none of them said that he was building a big building.

However, in fact, the Ministry of Industry has been constructing large projects, but because Zhu Youxiao paid for it himself, the civil servants did not take it out to speak out.

For example, the construction of the Liangjing Avenue cost a lot of money, but the government at all levels is responsible for the fees, and it is the big businessmen behind them who enjoy the benefits of convenient transportation.

The focus of the role of the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the Sixth Division has obviously shifted from the restriction on the emperor to the monitoring of the officials. The reports they report are just reports on how many officials have been impeached and the situation of local officials. He didn't say a word about how many times he said His Majesty the Emperor.

The Hanlin Academy was the last thing that should be linked to new changes, but since Zhu Youxiao took the Hanlin Academy as the Ming version of the Academy of Social Sciences, the Hanlin Academy now not only represents nobility and honor, but also became the official explanatory authority on a range of social science issues.

Now, Zhu Youxiao has also arranged new tasks for them. In addition to compiling history and writing books and biographies for various figures in Ming Dynasty, he also has to cooperate with the Ministry of Households to conduct a census of the total population of Ming Dynasty, and the Ministry of Rites to determine the literacy rate and illiteracy rate of Ming Dynasty. It is necessary to cooperate with Qin Tianjian to do climatological statistics.

In short, Zhu Youxiao's goal is not to let the Imperial Academy just be a place to look after, but to make it have more functions.

What are the Royal Academy of Sciences and the Royal Academy of Engineering doing now, not to mention, now even Zhu Youxiao himself can’t remember how many subjects these two academy have. Anyway, he remembers that someone in the Royal Academy of Sciences is already exploring what light is. Questions have even been debated over whether light is a particle or an invisible wave like sound.

The Royal Academy of Engineering is a little more pragmatic, but what Zhu Youxiao remembers most is that Cheng Xuanlang, a member of the Academy of Engineering named Wanlong, applied for a bold conjecture to collect lightning through some kind of container.Zhu Youxiao was very pleased that there were such avant-garde people in the Ming Dynasty who began to think about electricity, just like Wanhu, who had the same surname as him, dared to build a rocket to send himself to the sky.

For the two scientific research institutions, the Royal Academy of Sciences and the Royal Academy of Engineering, Zhu Youxiao has always been laissez-faire. Even if the censor impeached them for doing an explosion experiment that damaged the dragon's veins, Zhu Youxiao didn't do anything to them. The censor was sent to prison and punished, and the charges were naturally bewitching to confuse the public.

Therefore, Zhu Youxiao did not stop those who want to collect lightning. However, he still wrote a sentence in the memorial of the project application: "Although I am righteous, the father and mother of thunder and lightning are ruthless, so pay attention to safety!"

Finally, there were reports from the Ordnance Department, Guozijian, Dali Temple, Taichang Temple, etc. Zhu Youxiao gave a few instructions and didn't say anything more.

……

As the Spring Festival was approaching, when His Majesty Zhu Youxiao and the important officials of the court were conducting a one-year concluding court meeting, Wang Siren, who was far away in Taiping County, Kuizhou Prefecture, also began to prepare for the New Year.

Looking at the endless Qinling Mountains in the distance, listening to the sound of reading in the academy, and asking about the smell of bacon wafting from the Tujia Village at the foot of the mountain, Wang Siren still misses Jiangnan, but he is also used to life in the depths of Daba Mountain.He taught the children in the mountains to read the Three-Character Classic, and helped the locals write genealogy and inscriptions. By the way, sometimes Wang Siren himself would ask the local farmers for advice on how to grow good crops in the barren mountainous land.

What is even more legendary than Wang Siren is that Ni Yuanlu, who was also exiled to Dongxiang County, Suiding Prefecture, was captured by the local female bandits and became a villager. An was recruited by the bandits, and now he is the magistrate of Taiping County.

When she learned that Wang Siren was also in Taiping County, Ni Yuanlu rushed to meet her. The two of them were naturally fellow villagers with tears in their eyes, but at the same time, they also decided to take advantage of this reunion day to join hands with local squires to build a building under Motianling, a local scenic spot. The academy is used to educate the place.

This day is the Lantern Festival, which is the first day of class after the academy holiday. As the head of the mountain, Wang Siren is preparing to do a few simple puzzles for a few Mongolian children and then go to the market town to buy a big salamander fish. ) went back to let the little concubine who was exiled with him cook a sumptuous Lantern Festival meal, when he heard Ni Yuanlu's voice coming from the foot of the mountain.

"Mr. Ji Zhong!"

Wang Siren was more than twenty years older than Ni Yuanlu, so Ni Yuanlu respectfully called him Mr.Ni Yuanlu, who was always obsessed with cleanliness, has now stayed in this remote village for a long time and has lost his old habits. He is wearing linen clothes and his hair is only tied up with rattan. On the rock, he took out a newspaper and said out of breath: "Look, good news, just a month ago, Concubine Hui gave birth to the eldest son of the emperor, His Majesty was very happy, and pardoned hundreds of officials who were detained life of the son."

Wang Siren hurriedly snatched the newspaper. This newspaper was run by Chen Qiyu, deputy envoy of Sichuan Tixue, and its front page was directly reprinted from Daming Daily.The language is very plain, and the content is not very much, but Wang Siren watched it with tears in his eyes.

"Your Majesty!" Wang Siren couldn't help but knelt down towards the north, and shouted loudly towards the outside of the mountain, and couldn't help crying with joy.And Ni Yuanlu who was at the side couldn't help but smiled wryly. Although they were relegated here, although they were isolated from the world, their concern for the government never faded.

"Let's go, let's go to my house, just have a few drinks together, the successor of the Ming Dynasty will be safe, and the world will be peaceful for a few years, and we will have no regrets even if we die here." Wang Siren went to lead his donkey Come on, pull Ni Yuanlu and walk towards another relatively winding road. The two of them talked and laughed along the way, and the sunset was full of scenery.

"The Master said: "Tai Bo, he can be said to be the most virtuous.The third is to say that the world has given up, and the people have nothing to gain. "In Kaili, Yunnan-Guizhou Mountains, Chen Jiru is still alone. He has no wife, no friends, and no relatives. Even the students are only four or five peasant children who have some time because of the slack season. They have no classrooms, so they can only sit on the straw pile. Teach and read four books.

But Chen Jiru never tires of it. When the orthodox church was in full swing, he saw Wang Shuban of the county government coming with a basket: "Chen Jiru, by order of the magistrate, is celebrating the birth of the eldest son of the emperor. The children can get two catties of meat and a bucket of millet, this is yours, take it, go back and have a good meal."

"What did you say, Your Majesty has a prince?" Chen Jiru, who was in rags, grabbed the Wang Shuban, but the Wang Shuban thought he was dirty, so he broke away: "It's not steamed, maybe it's boiled, the emperor The eldest son is called Zhu Cijiong, if you want to know the truth, you can go to the newsstand in the county town and have a look."

(End of this chapter)