The fierce grandson of the Ming Dynasty

Upon hearing the names of the four men chosen by Sun Xuan, Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said, "Good! I've met Wang Pu and the others several times; they are all upright and exceptionally capable!"

"Tomorrow, we'll issue an order instructing them to assist Grandson properly!"

I glanced at Old Zhu and saw his decisive and efficient manner.

Zhu Xiong Ying was deeply moved and quickly said, "Grandson thanks Your Majesty!"

"Speaking of which, there's something else I'd like to ask for your help with..."

As he spoke, he took the folded letters from his bag and placed them on the imperial desk, adding, "Last month, didn't Uncle Mu ask my maternal uncle to send some gifts to his grandson?"

"My grandson is thinking of writing a thank-you letter!"

"I've heard some more rumors, and I'd like to ask Uncle Mu for confirmation..."

rumor?

Zhu Yuanzhang astutely grasped the key words, and his curiosity was immediately piqued.

He picked up his teacup and, feigning casualness, asked, "What rumor is Da Sun talking about? We've never heard of it."

Old Zhu then asked.

Zhu Xiong Ying knew that her opportunity had arrived.

He then gave a general account of how the southwest region was rich in open-pit mines.

It also explains the benefits of its development.

From the first year of the Hongwu reign to the present, with iron mines as the core, the thirteen state-run ironworks established by the Ming Dynasty were mainly concentrated in Jiangxi, Huguang, Shandong, Shanxi, Guangdong and other places.

The copper mines were relatively small in scale, used exclusively for minting coins, and were located in the copper fields of Chizhou Prefecture, Dexing in Raozhou Prefecture, and Qianshan.

Lead and tin were only produced in small quantities by the government in Hezhou, Guangxi, and Zhaoqing, Guangdong.

All of these were essential components of the imperial court's production of military equipment, agricultural tools, and coins.

However, Old Zhu strictly controlled the mining of silver and gold mines!

It wasn't that he was unaware of the value involved; rather, the dynasty had just been established, and he was well aware of the hardships faced by the people. He worried that excessive mining would require conscripting a large number of laborers, which would affect agriculture and other aspects of people's livelihoods.

Indeed, the Ming Dynasty was founded on agriculture.

Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants.

Other sectors, such as commerce, are only at the bottom!

Even if the world is at peace, the first priority is to reclaim wasteland and feed the people!

Therefore, they would rather not make a profit than waste resources and manpower.

As recorded in the "Taizu Baoxun": "Now there are still many iron smelters, the military needs are not lacking, and the people's livelihood is already settled. If we set up this again, it will cause further disturbance, and it will be like driving 15,000 households into the iron smelting industry."

It wasn't until the Yongle reign that the bans on official mining were effectively lifted.

Therefore, when Zhu Xiong Ying mentioned that he did not entirely agree with linking the paper money to silver, Zhu Yuanzhang did not really agree with it.

It was impossible to raise that much silver from the people alone; only large-scale mining could solve the problem…

This would defeat the purpose of the original plan!

The idea of ​​having Crown Prince Zhu Biao clarify the national debt concept, such as "atonement debt," was also to extract more money and grain from corrupt officials and gentry through the grain theft case.

It was used to replenish the depleted national treasury and to raise funds and supplies for the war in the north...

After all, in his position, many decisions require utmost caution!

Inside the hall, the words had just fallen.

Zhu Xiong Ying noticed that his grandfather, the emperor, had a furrowed brow and a serious expression.

I knew I'd done something wrong!

Old Zhu's reaction was even more intense than he had expected!

Zhu Yuanzhang turned to the side, his gaze deep and unfathomable, and said, "Does my grandson know how much manpower would be required for large-scale mining? And how much would it cost to transport the goods?"

"We conquered this land and established our dynasty not by mining for profit, but by growing crops... We disagree with lifting the mining ban!"

I realized my tone was a bit harsh.

Old Zhu softened his tone and said, "We know that Da Sun means well, but many things need to be considered from all aspects!"

"But there's one thing our eldest grandson is right about: the mineral reserves in the southwest definitely need to be explored!"

"Now that we have the exact location, your Uncle Mu can send soldiers to guard it and prevent anyone from digging it up without permission..."

I got a cold shoulder.

Zhu Xiong Ying finally understood.

Old Zhu's concerns and worries are ultimately rooted in people.

Even in an agricultural society, it is not wrong to encourage more ordinary people to migrate and cultivate land!

The problem lies in the one-size-fits-all approach!

The strict household registration system, maritime ban, and mining ban were imposed at the beginning of the Hongwu reign.

From a positive perspective, this has enabled the rapid recovery of people's livelihoods and stabilized the country, making it a pragmatic move!

In the end, it not only ushered in the Hongwu reign, but also laid the foundation for the Yongle era of prosperity...

However, after more than a decade of recovery and development, with the strengthening of national power, many national policies will inevitably need to be adjusted to adapt to the needs of the times!

Only then can we unleash the internal potential of the Ming Dynasty and create an even more magnificent golden age!

However, the ancestral laws established by Zhu Yuanzhang based on the "Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty" focused on maintaining stability.

In addition, the short-term results were obvious, the population surged, and the land area doubled, which unknowingly led to path dependence!

In addition, Old Zhu was sometimes stubborn and wouldn't listen to many suggestions for improvement.

Take maritime trade and mining as examples; if anyone dared to openly submit a petition with suggestions, they would have been imprisoned long ago!

For example, three years ago, in the fifteenth year of Hongwu, Wang Yundao, an official of Guangping, requested the reopening of the Yuan Dynasty's Cizhou iron smelting. He was convicted of "harming the people" and punished with caning and exile!

Furthermore, some coastal officials petitioned to open up overseas trade for private individuals, which was seen as "colluding with foreign powers and undermining coastal defenses," and they were severely punished...

In summary

Over the years, only Zhu Xiong Ying has dared to rely on Old Zhu's doting affection to act recklessly and utter numerous "treasonous" words!

On the other hand, if an official or an ordinary person dared to utter such arrogant words, their entire clan would have been wiped out long ago.

In fact.

Zhu Xiong Ying never imagined that Old Zhu would accept everything.

Regarding the national debt and maritime ban discussed yesterday.

The original idea was to leverage the demolition effect, adopting a compromise approach: first achieve a small goal, and then try others.

Even today, he doesn't ask Zhu Rongji to lift the mining ban, but recognizes the rich resources of the southwest and is trying to create a small opening.

She quietly accepted the criticism.

Zhu Xiong Ying then said, "Regarding the mineral resources in the southwest and other regions, I understand Your Majesty's concerns!"

"You're afraid that local officials will use the pretext of mining to forcibly conscript laborers, delaying the farming season. You're even more afraid that some officials in charge will line their own pockets, ultimately causing suffering to the people..."

He felt he had completely figured out what Old Zhu was thinking.

He then said, "Let's address the first issue: Grandfather is unwilling to waste the people's resources!"

"Every year, hundreds or even thousands of Japanese pirates are captured along the coast. And when fighting in the north, Yuan dynasty prisoners are also captured..."

"These people are countless. If they're imprisoned, the government will provide them with food. If they're exiled to the borderlands, there's a fear they might cause trouble!"

"Instead of doing that, why not completely disrupt their ranks, settle them in strictly controlled mining areas, make them mine, perform hard labor to atone for their sins, and undergo labor reform... Wouldn't that kill two birds with one stone?"

"As for the second question, I know you hate corrupt officials the most and are afraid they will take advantage of loopholes. Why not have the officials in charge here directly appointed by the Ministry of Works and the Five Military Commissions, and rotated every two years..."