Unknowingly, time has come to the half of July in the eighteenth year of Shaowu, which is the Ghost Festival.
To put it bluntly, it is listed as the four major ancestor worship times together with Qingming, Double Ninth Festival and Chinese New Year.
Who knows, it is the Zhongyuan Festival of Taoism and the Bon Festival of Buddhism.
This time is also chosen very cleverly. Tomb-Sweeping Festival is for sowing, Double Ninth Festival is just after the autumn harvest, Zhongyuan is shortly after the summer harvest, and New Year is the beginning of the year and the beginning of spring.
To put it bluntly, people have more free time or have some money in their pockets, so they can gather together to exchange feelings.
Clan is an institution that resists exploitation and helps people to help each other. It is also the smallest and most important center of power in the Ming Dynasty.
The clans formed a county one by one, and then they were pieced together into a country.
For the emperor, the clan was also his arm in ruling the world.
There is no need to mention the sons. After the establishment of the major vassal states, they became the greatest foreign aid to the imperial power.
At the very least, if there are really powerful officials in the court who usurp the throne, there will always be someone on the side of the Qing emperor.
Therefore, in this season, after the emperor offered sacrifices to the Ancestral Temple last month, he brought his clan members, large and small, to the imperial mausoleum to worship.
Obviously, this is a team building for the entire Zhu family royal family.
The relatives of the former dynasty, including King Rui, have been detained in the capital. It is rare for them to come out for air at this time, but they are very happy.
More than ten years of searching, coupled with new vassal regulations, resulted in a sharp decline in the number of princes and princes.
A rough calculation shows that the two together are only in their early forties.
And you should know that during the Chongzhen period, there were still two hundred county princes in office.
This also means two hundred county palaces, as well as matching attendants, maids, and farmland.
Nowadays, all of it has been confiscated as official land and either distributed to ordinary people or used as public land for the welfare of officials.
To support these forty princes, Zhu Yixi only allocated a thousand hectares or two hundred hectares of land in Liaodong to serve as farms, and then helped them build a royal palace in the capital.
As for the annual salary, the prince is two thousand dan (plus two thousand silver coins), and the prince is 500 dan. The court's annual expenditure is only about 100,000 yuan.
Compared with before, it can be described as a huge difference.
For example, Yibin (the husband of a princess, a county lord, a county monarch, a county monarch, or a township monarch) has no salary, but is just an honorary title.
The generals and lieutenants at the bottom were inherited from generation to generation, received a salary ranging from a hundred to ten shi, and were allowed to do business, take imperial examinations, and work in agriculture.
Their number is extremely large. Even though they suffered from war in the late Ming Dynasty, more than a thousand of them still retain their titles and clan memberships today.
The emperor was naturally generous in his treatment of them. In the early years of the founding of the People's Republic of China, taking advantage of the abundant land, he rewarded people with per capita rewards ranging from one hundred hectares to one hectare, which was regarded as compensation for their declining reputation.
However, the extent of the land is generally. Just border areas such as Shaanxi, Gansu, Hebei, and Liaodong.
Zhu Yixi understood that the frontier, which was tens of thousands of miles away, needed not weak villagers or the arrogant gentry like in the south, but the Wubao village tyrants from the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.
As long as the entire Northeast, Chahar, Suiyuan and other places have a large number of Wubao with clan as the core, then the land will be really stable.
And those clans are his eyes, his forts, and strongholds, constantly taking root and solidifying the soil.
After all, these places could not collect taxes in the first place, and the prefecture was not as good as a county in the south. Zhu Yixi was not heartbroken at all.
After the grand ceremony was completed, the emperor breathed a sigh of relief, and the princes behind him also gasped.
This kind of clan team building, dressed neatly, these summers are really life-threatening.
As we all know, ceremonial robes only look good, and they are not comfortable at all.
"We are all on our own, go have a rest and change some clothes!"
The emperor was also considerate and dismissed them directly.
Following him was the seventh son of the emperor, Zhu Cunmei, who had inherited the position of Prince Fu for three years and had just turned fifteen this year.
Considering that the Yan vassal lineage has been in the world for more than 200 years, it is natural that there cannot be a King of Yan, so Prince Fu is the representative of the Yan vassal.
Therefore, in the ceremony just now, the young King Fu ranked second, second only to the emperor.
His brothers, such as the King of Liao, the King of Wei, the King of Yue, etc., could only stand on the tail and give up their positions to these senior vassal kings.
Even the title of King Fu was hereditary replaced by Enzhun and became the first iron-hatted king in the Ming Dynasty.
He has a round face and a pair of bright eyes. He has obviously eaten a lot. He is one of the few fat people among the princes.
At this moment, he was panting and sweating profusely, but he followed closely behind the emperor and did not dare to delay.
"What, can't bear it anymore?"
After changing clothes and taking a shower, he simply wiped his wet hair with a dry towel and let it hang over his shoulders.
No matter how long your hair is, it will be evaporated in less than a quarter of an hour.
"Father, I can bear it."
Little Fortune King wiped the sweat from his face, his cheeks were round and round, like little buns.
Zhu Yixi frowned: "Look at your figure. You eat so much. Is it because you will enjoy the blessings in the capital in the future and don't have to go overseas to establish a feudal lord? That makes you fat."
"It seems that I have to find a vassal state for you!"
"Ah?" King Fu was stunned, his eyes narrowed to a slit, and his fat trembled: "Father, your son will do whatever you say."
Hearing these lazy words, Zhu Yixi suddenly became furious.
Sure enough, the same rice feeds hundreds of people, and the nine sons of a dragon are all different.
This guy really has no ambition.
"snort!"
The emperor snorted coldly, and the temperature of the entire room suddenly dropped several degrees. The maids and eunuchs could not restrain themselves from trembling.
King Fu was also trembling, bowing his head and saying nothing.
"The day after tomorrow, you will go to the capital camp to serve as a soldier incognito."
Zhu Yixi said without hesitation: "When will I lose all the fat on your body and you will come out of the camp and become a prince?"
King Fu's face suddenly fell, and his eyes became enlarged inexplicably.
Zhu Yixi shook her head and left.
If he is a father, it doesn't matter whether his son lies flat or not, as long as he is healthy.
But the emperor is different. The identity of his son is an important tool. Whether it is a marriage or a vassal state, it plays a great role and is one of the structural components of power.
For example, Prince Fu, as the emperor's biological son, became the suzerain of the Yan vassal line. How dare those princes and princes to mess around?
"We already have lying down, will there be less in the future?"
Zhu Yixi looked up at the sky. The sun was shining brightly and was extremely dazzling. There were no clouds in the sky. It was a perfect weather.
But his mood was filled with gloom.
He could only imagine that there were two types of princes: they could either go overseas to develop vassal kingdoms, or they could live in the capital and wait to die.
But obviously, the comfortable life is indeed comfortable, and the prosperity of Beijing is too confusing.
With the expansion of territory, there will inevitably be fewer and fewer vassal states, and it will become more and more difficult to establish. There will definitely be many princes who will be lying flat.
Even if it is a descending attack, it is tempting.
Descendants reduced to commoners? I won't care about the flood after I die.
Children and grandchildren will have their own blessings...
Besides, which future emperor would be willing to give dozens or even millions to his sons and brothers to become a vassal?
"I still think too simply."
Zhu Yixi shook his head.
As for the vassal, it is very likely that there will only be progress within the first two or three generations, and it is very likely that there will be no progress in the later period, or even 100% no progress.
Because it would be a thankless task for the imperial court, and the finances would not allow it.
Therefore, we must find an economical way to place those places where they can eat and wait to die but also exercise people.
To put it bluntly, it is somewhere between a vassal state and a dawdle. The cost is not too high and it is easy to arrange.
As he walked, he thought about it.
As usual, he looked at the world map.
Theoretically speaking, North America is the most suitable for developing a plantation-type vassal state, but it is too far away to be difficult to arrange, and future monarchs will definitely not want to do it.
Only he would do it.
Mobei?
No, it's too deserted.
The reason why Mobei does not support people is actually because 70% of the land is desert, and the remaining 30% is just the Gobi Desert.
Living in the open air, it is impossible to build a city, and it is impossible to retain people.
northeast?
No, if the two generals’ offices are set up, it’s impossible to build a country by scrapping the flesh, right?
Moreover, the output of Heilongjiang and Jilin is greater than the cost, and they can contribute tax revenue every year. The literati know that spitting can kill people.
It's not fair to other feudal lords either.
"It is necessary not only to gain experience, but also to consolidate the country and the country——"
At a glance, Lake Baikal comes into view.
To put it more carefully, it is the vast land between Lake Baikal and Heilongjiang.
That is, Central Siberia and Eastern Siberia.
"If you build a city three hundred miles or five hundred miles away, it is called a city-state, and it can absorb tens of thousands of people. One city is a country, and the distance is not far or close."
"The vastness of Siberia can accommodate many people."
Zhu Yixi has absolutely no confidence in controlling this area, or even Lake Baikal.
First of all, the distance is far, at least two to three thousand miles, so it is not cost-effective to establish a directly affiliated provincial administrative region.
Secondly, it is naturally the severe cold weather that urges people to go south.
Of course, in the final analysis, it is still profit.
In fact, the main reason why Russia desperately occupied Siberia was because of its financial difficulties and had to rely on the Siberian fur trade, which accounted for a quarter of its fiscal revenue.
For the Ming Dynasty, the northeast of Monanka already had enough fur supplies, not to mention that there was no market in Western Europe, so there was no place to miss Siberia at all.
With Mobei and Monan, controlling Mongolia is enough to protect the capital.
Even if it is taken, the distance will create a powerful centrifugal force, and half a year of snowflakes will subdue all the suppressive armies.
Zhu Yixi dared to assert that in thirty to fifty years, the Lake Baikal region would be out of control. Even as soon as he died in the mausoleum, his descendants were thinking about abandoning Baikal and Siberia.
"It is better to establish a Jimi city-state area. Firstly, we can divide the vassal kings at a low cost. Secondly, we can also occupy Siberia."
"Three times, we can also pour out the Mongolian population."
That's right, it's population flooding.
Strong personal attachment makes it difficult for Mongolians to move.
Moreover, everyone longs for warmth. The Northeast will be empty in future generations. If Russia hadn't stopped it, Siberia would have become a no-man's land.
Letting the vassal king take away the excess population in Mongolia and plant land in Siberia will definitely give full play to his subjective initiative.
Population growth promotes land annexation, and those who cannot survive can only rebel, but those who stutter will not rebel.
Therefore, if these people move away as much as possible, conflicts can be reduced and disputes between people and land can be eased.
Historically, this was true for Britain, France, Spain, etc. Going to the colonies to make a living was the only way out of poverty.
The Han people in the south can go to Nanyang, or if they are unlucky, they can go to the Northeast to farm, but the most convenient way for the nomadic Mongolians is to go to Siberia.
The strategy of reducing the number of people was too hurtful and Zhu Yixi could not do it.
"Master, you have to go back to the capital in two days—"
At this time, Liu Afu stepped forward and explained softly: "The Zongkao Examination is about to begin."
"Oh, so fast." The emperor reacted and smiled.
The clan examination here is worth the clan talent selection examination he set up two years ago, referred to as the clan examination for short.
As the name suggests, anyone in the Zhu family tree can come and take the exam.
Every two years, thirty people from the clan are selected and awarded various official positions.
At the local level, they hold the office of Liufang Book Office, county magistrate, chief secretary, etc.; while at the central level, they also hold the low-level official positions of chief secretary, pen post type, etc. among the eight yamen.
Give them a way to survive in officialdom.
At the same time, Sandingjia conferred the title of Jinshi, which was regarded as a formal entry into the scholarly world and officialdom, and it was also a shortcut to the end.
You know, ordinary people, even if they are just the same as Jinshi, are still competing with thousands of Juren, how cruel it is.
There is nothing we can do about it.
There were too few ways for the clan to become an official. Zhu Yixi couldn't wait any longer and could only give a shortcut to the south.
"Let's go back to Beijing——"
The emperor gave an order and everyone had to obey.
The upcoming clan exam will attract a lot of attention from clan members.
Provincials came to the capital with great interest and longing for their promising clans, squandering their gold and silver.
In the past, there were about three to five hundred people from the clan who took the exam, which can be said to have gathered the elite of the clan.
Zhu Suxi walked into the capital with his head held high and his chest held high.
As a clan under Zhou Fan, the lower-level clans were naturally happy after the Zhou king's lineage was restrained in the capital.
"Sir, although the Zongtong exam is easier, it's not worth it."
The book boy's face was ashen as if he hadn't recovered from seasickness yet:
"As long as you take the exam several times, you will definitely pass the provincial exam."
"It's difficult!" Zhu Suji shook his head: "A scholar is dozens of times more powerful than an ordinary person. It's definitely not easy to take the test."
Saying this, he took long strides and wandered on the streets of the capital, looking left and right.
Perhaps because his legs were sore, he had to hire two carriages and go directly to see him outside Prince Zhou's Mansion.
Coming with gifts, a long queue formed outside the palace.
After careful inquiry, it turned out that they were all under Zhou Fan.
Obviously, whether the clan members are going to the capital for business, travel, or examinations, they must first pay a visit to the clan leader, King Zhou.
Although he doesn't have much power, he has control over the lower-level clan, so it would be unseemly not to visit him.
That's the rule.
"Brother, looking at how polite you are, I'm afraid you're going to take the imperial examination!" The man in front of the queue turned back and showed a row of teeth:
"I am a scholar, I wonder if I can pass the top three exams and be ranked as a Jinshi..."
