The Umbrella and the plaque were reasonable "gifts" to express gratitude. The four characters "protect the environment and the people" carved on a large piece of rosewood were very pleasing to the eye, and Zhou Changfeng accepted it happily.
"Sir, the train to Jiujiangfu has arrived. Shall we leave now?" Xiao Li walked over and pointed to the opposite platform and asked.
"Okay, let's go now."
Since Zhu Lingjing requested the secondment of chemical protection units, Zhou Changfeng and the chemical protection platoon turned south to Jiujiang Prefecture, while the remaining officers and soldiers returned directly to the Jiangxinzhou garrison in the capital.
To be honest, Zhou Changfeng himself was actually reluctant to go because he and Xia Xiaoshi hadn't seen each other for many days.
But Zhu Lingjing couldn't stand it anymore and asked him to personally accompany the chemical defense platoon to direct the task of burning the snails. Obviously this is just a random excuse. Why does the chief officer of a regiment-level unit need to go there in person?
This train actually passed through Yiling Prefecture and Jiujiang Prefecture. Because it was a freight train composed of hundreds of flat cars and tank cars, it moved very slowly.
Jiujiang is located in the north of Jiangxi and south of the Yangtze River. The four provinces of Jiangxi, Anhui, Hubei and Hunan intersect here. It is a very famous tourist city. Lushan Mountain, Poyang Lake, Donglin Temple and Bailudong Academy are all located in Jiujiang.
It can be said that this is a typical microcosm of the current urban development in the Ming Dynasty. Transportation facilities such as railway stations, ship terminals, airports, and passenger bus stations are all available. The construction of the urban area is also booming. The government and the people are demolishing the old and building new ones. consensus among others.
However, in terms of specific statistics, Jiujiang Prefecture’s agricultural population reaches 84.9%, the non-agricultural population is only 15.1%, and the urbanization rate is only about 14%.
The progress of this modernization construction can only be objectively evaluated as too slow. However, considering that the Ming Dynasty did not carry out large-scale land reform and the speed of economic development was limited, this situation is reasonable.
Zhou Changfeng is naturally dissatisfied with this. If the reforms in this area can be more profound, the Ming Dynasty will be much stronger in the more than thirty years since the establishment of the constitution.
After getting out of the station and taking the bus, he finally arrived at the Imperial Envoy Terrace before sunset.
This is actually the government office. Judging from the decoration, it was newly built more than ten years ago. It is beautiful and elegant.
After entering, he was led to the waiting room. He didn't wait long before someone took him to the back.
It was after five o'clock in the evening, and it was approaching dinner time. Zhu Lingjing planned to go to dinner, but she learned that Zhou Changfeng was coming over today, so she postponed the dinner time.
"You came here proactively. I thought you would arrive tomorrow morning." Zhu Lingjing, wearing a beige round-neck robe, sat on a chair, holding a cup and looking as leisurely as ever.
Zhou Changfeng cupped his hands in salute, then turned his gaze elsewhere, "Generally speaking, I will fulfill such instructions as soon as possible."
"There are many people in the capital who are confused and have many inconveniences. It will be a lot more relaxed here and we can talk more."
"Talk?"
"There are many problems and contradictions in the country today, and various forces are fighting openly and secretly. Among other things, just today, when you were taking the train, the Chizhou prefect was anonymously accused of corruption, and local demonstrators blocked the gate of the government office... There’s so much stuff like that.”
"Hmm... So what do you mean, Your Highness?"
"When the storms are turbulent, naturally we should not stay out of it, especially at this juncture. The Ming Dynasty cannot be in chaos, otherwise it will miss a century-old opportunity." Zhu Lingjing's words were high-sounding.
However, this judgment of strategic opportunities is not wrong.
Zhou Changfeng said seriously: "You are concerned about the country and the people, and you care about the world."
Weird and strange? No, absolutely not! Looking at my serious look, I seem to be mocking.
Hearing this, Zhu Lingjing glanced at her and replied in a nonchalant manner: "Isn't this what it should be? It sounds like I should be drunk and dreaming."
Aha?
This reply really made Zhou Changfeng choke. It took him two seconds before he said: "His Highness's consciousness and realm are higher than those of the dignitaries in my impression."
"This is not important. What is important is that the emperor is in poor health and the prince is stubborn... If there is a change, it will be difficult to guarantee that the country will not be in chaos. This is self-evident."
After finishing speaking, Zhu Lingjing paused for a while and continued: "As far as war is concerned, whether to fight early or fight late, what do you think?"
Obviously, she directly acquiesced that Zhou Changfeng supported the war, so she directly asked whether it would be sooner or later.
The latter hesitated for a moment and replied: "It depends on how early it is. I personally think that if a fight is really going to start, it should be no later than the year after tomorrow."
If it is later than 1939, the other side of the ocean will gradually begin to expand its military and prepare for war.
Zhu Lingjing picked up the delicate white glazed teacup, took a sip, and said leisurely:
"However, the prince doesn't think so. He and the prince's faction have even drawn up specific construction drafts for the next three years."
"They think that the best strategy is to be fully prepared before fighting. However, many times, good opportunities are more important than hard work and preparation."
"The emperor's attitude towards this is also ambiguous and not clear. To this day, he is still watching from the sidelines. It is really..."
Opportunity is more important than effort?
Standing on the wind, pigs can take off, right?
From her words, Zhou Changfeng could hear her dissatisfaction with the crown prince and the emperor.
After thinking for a moment, he hesitated and said: "Maybe it's because the emperor didn't dare to make up his mind. After all, early war and late war are two completely different strategic arrangements."
"You are wrong to think so." Zhu Lingjing said lightly with a look of disdain on her face: "In today's time of fierce conflicts, no matter whether the two strategies are right or wrong, one should be clear to curb the endless internal fighting. As for the right and wrong Otherwise, it is secondary.”
She continued in a strange tone, like an outsider evaluating an insider: "The emperor...my father, his experiences in his youth have shaped his current behavior and style. He only cares about maintaining governance and the great treasure."
Simply put, the emperor was unwilling to take it upon himself to settle the feud at the expense of his own authority.
Zhou Changfeng thought what she said was strange, "Well...but isn't the emperor's core priority the maintenance of rule?"
"That's right, but it has to be classified. In the current situation, such behavior is extremely irresponsible and full of contradictions. It has added a lot of trouble to the prince."
"Perhaps he feels that the time has not come yet?"
It wasn't that she was trying to say good things to the emperor, but Zhou Changfeng felt that Zhu Lingjing was very prejudiced against her father, so she was a little curious.
"The time has not come yet?" Zhu Lingjing sneered, "If you want to do something like this, you should do it as soon as possible."
Although she didn't like to see her father, Zhou Changfeng felt that no matter what, Zhu Shiyan of the current dynasty was indeed very shrewd and knew how to advance and retreat, which was very suitable for an era that required dancing on multiple eggs.
If there had been an emperor with a straight personality or a stubborn personality, I am afraid that the Ming Dynasty would have fallen apart by then. It is hard to say what it would be like now.
At this point in the conversation, Zhu Lingjing has said so much, but she actually wants to clarify her attitude. The next step should be...
After a while, Zhou Changfeng, who had been silent for nearly ten seconds, suddenly asked: "Your Highness, you don't want to usurp the throne, do you?"
(End of chapter)
