The spring breeze brought with it a bit of earthy smell.
Zhu Yixi looked up and saw outside the window that it was raining lightly. The spring rain was as precious as oil.
For the Western Region, which is thousands of miles away, Ming Dynasty has been preparing for several years. It must completely solve the Western Region and then pursue Central Asia.
If it is not resolved now, it will be too late in a few years.
However, after ten years on the throne, Zhu Yixi still has some feelings.
In the second year of Shaowu's reign, the country was first established, and now it has a total of 143 million people.
As early as the third year of Shaowu's reign, the north began to organize households and people, and re-registered and created the yellow book, which is the household registration book.
As of now, the nine northern provinces and one prefecture have a total of 36.7 million people. The 19 counties of Shuntian Prefecture alone have nearly 3 million people.
Next is Shandong with 10 million and Hebei with 8 million.
The four huge provinces of Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia and Suizhou only have a total of less than 10 million yuan.
The process in the south was slower, especially in the four provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi. It took four years to figure out that the total population of the four provinces reached 50 million.
Jiangxi Province, in particular, leads the way with a population of 15 million, ranking first in the world.
In feudal society, a large population represented strong productivity, and agricultural production could be carried out intensively, and craftsmen, handicraftsmen, and merchants were all there.
As a result, Shaowu's annual tax (grain converted into silver) in the ninth year, after the central and local accounts were divided, reached a terrifying 70 million yuan.
Among them, the amount of commercial taxes (taxes, customs duties, and special salt, iron, tea, and wine) reached a terrifying 30 million yuan.
Accounting for 40% of the world's tax revenue, the government and the public attracted attention.
Because of this, the fiscal surplus of the Ministry of Revenue is about 10 million silver yuan every year, and the imperial court can be said to be wealthy.
When the court has money, it will naturally be able to raise more troops, and the total number of soldiers and horses in the world has crossed the threshold of 800,000.
Among them, the number of people in the Beijing camp (including the soldiers and horses where the general troops are stationed) has increased from 100,000 in the early years of Shaowu to about 300,000, and the number of border troops, patrol camps, and inspections is about 500,000.
Each year, raising the army has also become the bulk of the financial budget, about 30 million yuan, raising officials about 10 million yuan, and public projects about 5 million yuan.
The honorary salary and royal family support amount to one million yuan a year.
And disaster relief is provided every year, ranging from two to three million to as many as tens of millions, which is simply impossible to measure.
Therefore, in a feudal society, normal expenditures would not lead to financial ruin at all. The greatest possibility would be accidents, including disasters, border disturbances, and rebellions.
For example, the Anshi Rebellion had only one rebellion, so it could still survive for a hundred years. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in the Qing Dynasty was exhausted, but its finances could barely survive.
Fortunately, by the end of the Ming Dynasty, all three were available, and financial bankruptcy was inevitable.
It can definitely be said that the finances during Shaowu's reign were healthy, and the annual surplus was enough to cover each of the three things.
But if these three are combined, Zhu Yixi feels that she will be killed.
However, fortunately, Zhu Yixi still has an inner bank.
The eight major customs in the world were completely controlled by the emperor and became his internal funds. Without the constraints of the literati, he could spend as he pleased.
Although it does not reach the exaggerated figure of over 100 million per year during the Manchu and Qing dynasties, the annual income of the eight major customs offices can be described as very simple.
Coupled with the sugar, mining and other businesses run by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the emperor was extremely rich.
Last year alone, the income was 15 million yuan, which is equivalent to the income of several provinces.
It is precisely because of this that last year, the Ministry of Internal Affairs followed the emperor's order and built a villa in Chengde to serve as a place for future play and hunting.
Due to the long journey, its losses exceeded one million.
What's funny is that the Inspectorate was silent and didn't dare to move at all.
"The Ministry of Household Affairs allocated five million to prepare for the northwest war."
"Yes!" The secretary waiting at the side, a young eunuch, came up and started writing.
The Guange style calligraphy in one hand is quite beautiful.
The emperor nodded slightly, feeling satisfied. All he had to do next was submit it to the cabinet for drafting.
The young eunuch is the Suitang of the Si Li Jian, second only to the eunuch Tian Ren of Bingbi among the Si Li Jian.
This is not because Tian Ren was deposed and retired, but because there were too many talents in the palace, and the emperor was too busy to draft edicts, so he needed a secretary.
At this time, the talents in the palace jumped out.
"By the way, how is the dock in Tianjin?"
Suddenly, the emperor remembered something and asked suddenly.
At this time, the memory of Liu Afu, the personal eunuch, must be reflected. He not only had to carefully remember the identity and background of the official, but also what the emperor was thinking.
"Master, it has been built for half a month."
Liu Afu rolled his eyes, bowed his head and said respectfully: "I heard that this shipyard occupies a huge area, and the labor force alone requires three thousand people, and can build a large ship with five thousand materials."
"The Ministry of Household Affairs allocated 500,000 yuan. I feel very distressed. It has been delayed for several months!"
This simple sentence will put a nail in the door.
After all, the dock was built by the emperor himself. If the Ministry of Revenue complained about the delay, it would naturally easily make the emperor unhappy.
However, Zhu Yixi didn't care, or even ignored it.
Because eunuchs are such creatures, they are naturally picky. When they say which person is good, they are either paying or hooking up. At this time, you should pay attention.
Internal and external antagonism is not to be feared, but internal and external collusion is to be feared.
,
A typical example is Zhang Juzheng, who drafted the edict himself, stamped it himself, and had six ministries run errands to execute it. This good guy has more power than the emperor.
"Get ready, stop going to Yuquan Mountain, I want to go to Tianjin."
The emperor ordered simply.
"Yes!" The eunuchs bowed and nodded one after another, showing their compliance and being extremely obedient.
This is a civil servant again, and the one who is uncertain is Shangshu again.
Which emperor doesn't love eunuchs?
Sure enough, all the officials who learned the news the next day sent messages to the emperor one after another, asking the emperor to act with caution.
After all, it will be more than a month before I can try. It is not a good time to go to Tianjin at this time.
There was some discussion among the cabinet, but most of them were young and energetic cabinet secretaries, while a few cabinet elders remained silent.
What needs to be explained is that last year, two years after Gao Hongtu joined the cabinet, he became an official and returned home to retire. He accepted the emperor's reward and returned home with honor.
Jiang Yueguang, who looked forward to the stars and the moon, finally joined the cabinet, and the number of cabinet members once again reached five.
In order, they are the first assistant Zhao Shu, the second assistant Wang Yingxiong, and the group assistants Yan Chongxin, Lu Daqi, and Jiang Yueguang.
Since Wang Yingxiong and Lu Daqi were both from Sichuan, and Jiang Yueguang was from Jiangxi, there was a balance between the north and the south in the cabinet.
The former Northern Cabinet was also a thing of the past.
"Go!" Chief Assistant Zhao Shu said calmly: "It's just Tianjin. You can come back in a few days. Things are different now."
After hearing this, several people immediately woke up.
Well, before the winter started last year, the railway track from Beijing to Sanjiaodian was repaired, and carriages could travel directly together. They arrived at Sanjiaodian in two hours, and then took a boat to Tianjin.
Half a day is enough.
"Brother Yanruo, you will be the one to stay here this time!"
Zhao Shu smiled slightly and said to Lu Daqi.
"Okay." Lu Daqi agreed bravely.
The cabinet must follow the emperor's footsteps and obey orders at any time, and Beijing must leave one person at this time to lead various ministries to avoid mistakes.
The emperor's trip was relatively light, and he did not bring any of the harem. He only took two or three princes, plus a few members of the cabinet, and easily boarded the carriage and headed for Tianjin.
It was said that it was light, but the Beijing camp still dispatched 5,000 people to escort them all the way, for fear that something would go wrong.
In fact, there is also a waterway between Tianjin and Beijing, but because it has to meet the needs of Beijing
The demand from the capital city was so congested that rail carriages were built to ease the transportation pressure.
It is conceivable that if the dragon boat leaves Beijing, the entire canal will be blocked for at least half a month.
"Father, I heard that private iron is also valuable, aren't you afraid that someone will steal the rails?"
The emperor's second son, King Qi Zhu Cunhua, is ten years old and has not officially left the palace yet. He is very excited to travel with the emperor this time.
The eldest prince, King Qin Zhu Cunmei, and prince Zhu Cunqu stood beside him. They were small people, but they looked very mature.
Zhu Yixi glanced at the prince, and then asked Zhu Cunming: "Prince Qin, what do you think?"
"Father, this railroad track is almost unstoppable day and night. Horses and men never rest. The distance is only a moment or two. How can we pull down the railroad track?"
Seeing his father's gaze, Zhu Cunming felt a little excited and said calmly: "Besides, the railway tracks are very special. Once they are sold, they will be discovered."
"The imperial court punishes people severely. I heard that they often move to Jilin. I don't think many people have the courage."
"Where is the prince?" The emperor nodded slightly and touched his head. The latter's eyes were full of joy.
"Father, I see that there are people's houses and inns near the railway tracks. Because there are rewards for sending people to the government, the common people will keep an eye on them and naturally they will guard them for the court."
"Yeah!" Zhu Yixi didn't favor one person over another, and also touched the seeds on his head.
The King of Qi, Zhu Cunhua, who raised the question, became anxious and said with a clear voice, "Father, I also know these two reasons."
"Okay, it's a good thing you asked this question."
The emperor smiled, pointed to the land outside the car, and said to the crowd: "With the railroad tracks, people can travel more easily, and the court can transfer troops and horses, and everyone benefits. Coupled with the harsh punishment, naturally no one wants to Recklessly."
The brothers looked into the distance.
There was a canal, and ships could be vaguely seen. The crowds were like ant colonies, so densely packed that it was impossible to count them.
This was their first time seeing the canal.
Then they saw the sea.
Although the Bohai Sea is relatively shallow, and due to the Yellow River, it is also relatively yellow, with tidal flats everywhere, but it is still a sea after all.
It's vast and the waves are rolling.
The fishy sea breeze blew, and the princes couldn't help but open their eyes wide. The blue sky and white clouds, the sails and fish, and the endless reeds made them full of joy.
So fresh, so interesting, much better than Xishan and the Imperial Palace.
Unfortunately, the emperor did not stop because of their nostalgic glances. The carriage whirled gurglingly and arrived at the dock.
Dagukou Shipyard.
This is a large shipyard with an advanced scale, and it is also the largest shipyard in the Ming Dynasty. This is because it can build large ships of 5,000 materials and about 2,000 tons.
Even in the West, this is a remarkable number.
And in its design, there are even preparations for a large ship with all kinds of materials.
A big ship with five thousand materials is just the foundation.
But even five thousand materials are enough to dominate the China Sea.
There are dozens of artillery pieces on each side, which is exciting just thinking about it.
Although there are many contributions from Western missionaries, the most critical reason is the emperor's support?
Just introducing a shipyard cost half a million silver coins, enough to rebuild the city of Tianjin.
In fact, Dagukou Shipyard is a small city. In addition to a large number of craftsmen, their families also live there, accommodating tens of thousands of people.
In order to protect the dock, several forts were even built nearby, and twenty red artillery pieces were ready.
In fact, the Dagukou Shipyard is located near the Haihe River. These forts can not only protect the shipyard, but also the entrance to the sea.
Zhu Yixi even prepared hundreds of artillery pieces at the mouth of Haihe River.
As for the reason, this is because the Manchu Qing Dynasty is too impressive, and the Tianjin landing is really difficult. If some forts are not built, Zhu Yixi feels a little unstable.
"Your Majesty, this time the amount of material is five thousand.
The ship, almost in the shape of Europa, was large enough to carry a large number of artillery pieces, specially designed to supply the navy. "
In front of the emperor was a Western-style battleship. A large number of craftsmen were like ants, hammering and building on it. The scene looked majestic and spectacular.
On the other side, several missionaries were there to guide, but did not seem to see the emperor coming.
"Not bad!" Zhu Yixi was extremely satisfied looking at the large ship in front of her that was about a hundred meters long and dozens of meters wide.
The three decks are exciting to look at.
This is the sailing battleship.
He desperately wanted to experience sailing on the sea, but unfortunately his status restricted him. No one in the court was willing to leave the emperor's life and death to the sea.
Zhu Yixi herself was unwilling.
At this time, the missionary was brought over, bowed very politely, and then said: "Dear Your Majesty, the five thousand ship you mentioned is only found in Spain, the Netherlands and other big countries in Europe. This is their first-class battleship. .”
"Only by owning such a big ship can we be the overlord of the sea."
"I understand." Zhu Yixi thought: "So how many artillery pieces can this ship carry at one time?"
"It can carry a hundred weapons. This is the most powerful force in the entire Far East."
"Not even the Dutch?"
"As far as I know, they don't have such a first-class warship in the South China Sea."
The missionary said: "It's not that they don't have such craftsmanship, but that the cost of first-level battleships is too high. They think that in the South China Sea, second-level battleships derived from third-level battleships are enough."
"How much material does a third-level battleship cost?"
"About three thousand ingredients."
That is 800 to 1,000 tons.
Indeed, in the past, large-scale ships of one thousand tons were the top strength in the entire East Asia region.
But now it is not possible. China has surpassed such figures and even started to overtake in corners.
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