In feudal society, maps have always been a state secret, and it was difficult for non-officials to access them. Ordinary people only needed to know a county or prefecture.
Therefore, people mostly rely on guides.
Especially when leading troops to fight, maps are the top priority. Are there not many generals who died because of getting lost in history?
This is the case for the famous Xiang Yu.
At the end of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Song also held the map of Bashu for himself, but was arrogant and conceited towards Cao Cao.
Not to mention, during the Chongzhen period, thanks to guides like Shanxi merchants, the Manchus and Qing dynasties entered the country five times to plunder, but they never got lost and returned with good harvests.
Zhu Li was stunned.
The Yangtze River is actually longer than the Yellow River.
Yanshan is placed horizontally.
His eyes looked to the south, the Huaihai Plain, as well as Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang and other places that were flat and crisscrossed by rivers. How could they not be rich?
Of course, the eye-catching canals run through the north and south, and the cities along the way, such as Gaoyou and Linqing, are all first-class prosperous places.
There is also the Great Wall, layer upon layer, winding its way to Gansu.
“The northwest is mountainous, the north is flat, and the south is hilly.”
Zhu Li turned his attention to Shanhaiguan. The narrow Liaoxi Corridor was indeed the lifeblood of the Ming Dynasty.
For a moment, he actually had the illusion that the Ming Dynasty was within his grasp.
My mind instantly became much broader.
The literati around him were also in the same situation, and they were inexplicably shocked.
"This place has a lot of history."
Zhu Yue shook his head. He guessed that this place was probably the work of the emperor.
Therefore, after wandering on the map for a while, he went to another place on the third floor, where there were more things.
For example, the complete and revised "Da Ming Code" has thirty volumes, five hundred and eighty articles, and dozens of volumes.
In addition, it is also accompanied by typical cases and legal interpretations of various laws in the three hundred years of the Ming Dynasty. These are must-reads for officials.
Three full bookshelves.
Even if it is an imperial edict, there are two.
Of course, what the literati favored more was the Sanding Palace Examination Paper for many years.
The wooden frame is framed by glass, allowing everyone to watch.
Some Western books, such as the Bible, the Koran, etc., and even Korean and Japanese history books, are not available for purchase.
However, Zhu Li's gaze was fixed again: "Pre-Ming history?"
A complete set of pre-Ming history was placed on the bookshelf for anyone to borrow.
In order to prevent loss, there is even a special person guarding it.
"You can only borrow it, you can't take it away."
The bookkeeper said softly: "And it can only be on the third floor."
Even so, there are still a large number of scholars sitting cross-legged, reading this vast history book with great interest, and reluctant to leave.
Zhu Yue was not immune to the vulgarity. He sat down cross-legged, borrowed a book, and started reading.
Suddenly, he was awakened from the book.
It turns out the time has come.
When he came out of the cabinet, he realized that it was getting dark.
Smiling, he returned to the house in the carriage.
At this time, he suddenly realized that something was wrong in the atmosphere.
There were a large number of strangers guarding the house in front of and behind the house, all of them watching eagerly and paying special attention to strangers.
"How is this going?"
The housekeeper stood guard at the door. When he saw him, he immediately greeted him and took him in personally.
Zhu Yue was puzzled.
"The master is back." The butler whispered.
Only then did Zhu Li suddenly realize.
It turns out that his emperor is here.
Sure enough, when he was taken to the study, he saw a man in his thirties.
His long hair was casually held up by a wooden hairpin. He had a thin beard on his lips and a small goatee on his chin. The bridge of his nose was slightly straight and his cheeks were plump and calm.
The black robe on her body is a little thin because of the burning of coal.
In front of the desk, stood a young man of the same height as him, wearing a thin cotton coat, with his head lowered and his lips pursed in silence.
It was his younger brother, Zhu Fan.
"came back?"
Zhu Yixi raised her head, put down the book in her hand, and looked at the illegitimate child in front of her: "Where have you gone?"
"Xinming Bookstore." Zhu Li replied respectfully: "I went to the second and third floors and saw the vast map and the huge library. I wandered for a while and lost the time."
"There!" Zhu Yixi nodded: "Now that you have passed the scholar examination, you are about to work hard to be a scholar and a scholar. It is a good time to go there to open your eyes and gain some knowledge."
"It should be noted that today's imperial examinations no longer have the usual routines, and the examinations have become more complicated..."
It’s so complicated, isn’t it also your fault!
Zhu Yue muttered in her heart, but there was no emotion on her face.
After enduring the pressure from his father, he thought for a while, gritted his teeth and said, "Father, the provincial examinations and the general examinations are becoming increasingly onerous. For those children from poor families, they have to read too much and have little knowledge."
"However, those sons of gentry can hire famous teachers and read poetry and books. They have great advantages."
"If this continues, I'm afraid it will be detrimental to the court..."
Zhu Yixi smiled slightly when he heard this.
Zhu Fan on the side was shocked. When did the eldest brother have such courage?
In fact, Zhu Yue was also surprised by his courage. He really didn't expect that he could say such a thing.
I'm afraid it was the stimulation I received at that bookstore today!
Zhu Yixi looked at his illegitimate son with interest, and became interested for a moment.
Today, among the three beauties of the Bian family, there are four sons and three daughters. Only Zhu Yue and Zhu Fan are adults and can make a career. The other two are relatively young and are still studying.
Comparatively speaking, the Zhu Yue brothers were at a disadvantage because they could only be born as civilians, but they were considered outstanding because of their ability to become a scholar.
Originally, he was planning to arrange a title succession for these two illegitimate sons, but he thought it was enough to have Gao He among the nobles, and it would be good for these two to be civil servants.
Now that these words are spoken, they are in line with the age of seventeen years old.
Young, energetic, and full of justice.
Zhu Yixi pondered for a moment and then said: "Li Zhi, do you know?"
Zhu Yue was stunned, and then the books he glanced at on the third floor appeared in his mind: Burning Books, Continue Burning Books, Collection of Books, and Collection of Books Continued.
They are exactly the works of Li Zhi.
He was deeply influenced by the "Taizhou School", a tributary of "Yangming Studies", and regarded himself as a "heretic". He criticized Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, advocated "reforming the old and creating new ideas", and opposed ideological confinement.
It is proposed that one cannot "take Confucius' right and wrong as right and wrong."
In particular, he criticized the Taoists of that time as fake Taoism: "Yang is Taoism, Yin is wealth and honor, and people who are subdued are elegant and behave like dogs and pigs."
Taoists talk about benevolence, righteousness and morality, but in fact they use Taoism as a stepping stone to "deceive the world for profit" and seek high-ranking officials and salaries for themselves. They "talk about morality but have high-ranking officials in mind, and aim to be rich."
Therefore, in the pre-Ming Dynasty when Neo-Confucianism flourished, it was not only Neo-Confucianists who could not tolerate him, but even most mental studies found it difficult to coexist with him.
After all, no matter how subversive Xin Xue is, it still recognizes the teachings of Confucius and Mencius.
Only the Shaowu Dynasty, where Qin learning is gradually rising, can give him a place.
There are still some similarities between the two.
Such as pro-business, opposition to empty talk, etc.
"Li Zhi, children only hear his name."
"Although Li Zhi was frivolous, always opposed to Neo-Confucianism, and was not tolerated by the world, you don't know that when he was in Macheng, there were thousands of people who learned from him."
“Many people traveled thousands of miles just to listen to his lectures.”
Zhu Yixi said softly: "Are these people here to listen to his thoughts?"
"No, I just wanted to listen to him talk about the eight-legged rule."
After more than two hundred years of baptism, the eight-part essay format has been tested tens of thousands of times, and smart people have figured out the trick.
Among them, the powerful and the gentry accounted for the majority.
However, Li Zhi opposed stereotyped writing and demanded ideological emancipation, so he did not hesitate to tell the secrets of stereotyped writing.
Because of him, many Jinshi were born even in remote places like Guizhou and Yunnan.
"So, the fairness of the eight-part essay can only be used in the children's examination. The rural examination and the general examination are no longer fair, but have become the cradle of the gentry, and the poor families are scarce."
Zhu Yixi sighed: "Li Zhi's request to abolish stereotyped writing is not because he is worried that stereotyped writing will imprison thoughts and be monopolized."
"The new policies I have now will only last two to three hundred years. Let's wait for future generations to change them again."
Zhu Yue was silent.
Only now did he truly understand the disadvantages of stereotyped writing.
"Okay." Zhu Yixi said casually: "Your biggest goal now is to pass the provincial examination next year and become a civil servant."
"Strive to enter officialdom before the age of thirty and become a good official who is close to the people."
Zhu Yue nodded.
Regarding the future, he has always been content with the situation. Even if he was admitted to be a scholar, it was the result of his mother's pressure. Now he is really ambitious.
"Work hard. I can help you further while you are still young."
Zhu Yixi smiled and let the two of them leave.
"Brother, you are so brave."
Zhu Fan came closer and said in surprise: "I can actually say these words in front of my father."
"When the words come to my lips, I can't stop them."
Zhu Li shook his head: "However, I think most of the reason is because of the bookstore, which has a great impact on people."
"Really? Then I'll go take a look tomorrow too!" Zhu Fan said with a smile.
The two brothers walked side by side and communicated about today's events.
On the other side, Zhu Yixi hugged Bian Yujing and Kou Baimen, while Li Xiangjun felt uncomfortable and lay on the bed.
"Master, do you really want Yue'er to go into officialdom?"
Bian Yujing said reluctantly.
"Sooner or later." Zhu Yixi held the Jade Rabbit and said casually: "Officialship is the true nature of a man. Besides, his surname is Zhu. No matter what, he has a guarantee and there will be no danger."
In the Ming Dynasty, where there was no danger of seizing the heir, there were fewer political whirlpools, and the security of civil servants was greatly improved. Being an official was indeed a promising job.
The three girls smiled knowingly.
They had forgotten that the person in front of them was the emperor.
In the future, when the prince succeeds to the throne and faces several illegitimate children who have no inheritance rights, he will not look at the monks or the Buddhas, and he will not be ruthless.
In the relaxed atmosphere, the three women felt the heat unconsciously, their clothes became less and less, and their skin became redder and more tender.
…
Cullen.
Zeng Ying stood up abruptly, led his soldiers out of the city, and met a man in his forties.
Wearing a leather jacket, his figure has not gained weight, but is as strong as ever, with thick straight eyebrows and thick lips. At first glance, he looks like an honest and trustworthy person.
Zeng Ying did not dare to make excuses, so he directly held up his hands and said: "I have seen the general who conquered the captives."
"You're welcome, Marquis Zeng."
Chen Dong laughed, led the horse and came over: "This time I will eat brother's food."
Chen Dong, Marquis of Runing, was a hero of the Zhongxing auxiliary country, a leader among nobles, and a first-class existence among marquises.
There is no such thing, because Chen Dong was born in the emperor's personal army camp and has always controlled the personal army. Later, he controlled the bodyguard department, and the emperor's safety was protected by him.
It can be said that the emperor trusted him the most.
Therefore, when competing for the coaching position, on the surface, there are many choices. In fact, Chen Dong has always been at the top.
But everyone thought that the emperor couldn't bear him and didn't want to let him leave the capital.
But I never thought that the emperor was nostalgic after all. In order to reward his merits, he awarded Chen Dong the position of general and let him lead the army in the Northern Expedition.
Seeing his face, Zeng Ying sighed in his heart: This Duke of Jinjue is probably as stable as Mount Tai.
Thinking like this, the smile on his face did not change at all, but became more and more eager.
Chen Dong was not arrogant and was very polite.
After all, facing the prince's father-in-law, his capital is not very rich.
In this way, the two came to Cullen City.
Chen Dong was not too surprised by the prosperity of Culun.
"Currently, Culun has built five military cities, has nearly two million dan of grain, and has nearly 50,000 troops."
Zeng Ying elaborated: "There are 20,000 cavalry and 30,000 infantry. If recruitment is needed, Mobei can still produce 10,000 cavalry."
"That's enough." Chen Dong said softly: "This time I went north and brought Chahar, 20,000 Mongolian cavalry recruited by Suiyuan, and 20,000 cavalry from the Beijing camp."
"In addition, there are 10,000 musketeers and artillerymen, totaling just over 50,000."
"One hundred thousand people are enough to overthrow the so-called Fengjing Mansion."
During this march, in order to reach Mobei as soon as possible, Chen Dong did not carry much food, which was just enough for food on the road, and the rest was eaten in Mobei.
Obviously, two years of transporting food have turned Mobei into a large granary, and there is no shortage of food at all.
Two million shi of grain was enough to support an army of 100,000 shi for half a year.
If there are fewer war horses and only soldiers, a year will be enough.
After chatting about the situation in Mobei, Zeng Ying took out a road map:
"Before this, in order to avoid getting lost, I followed the example of the grain road and built camps one after another. The army could just march in the direction of the camps."
"Kulun is nearly two thousand miles away from the North Sea. If one hundred thousand people are cavalry, then ten days will be enough. But now, it will take at least half a month."
Chen Dong was noncommittal: "Infantry can also travel on horseback."
"These people have been practicing one after another before the Northern Expedition. Although they are not very skilled, they can still ride horses."
"In this way, we will strive to reach Beihai in ten days and completely capture the Qing Dynasty."
Hearing this, Zeng Ying's face was solemn: "This station is four thousand miles away from Beijing. It was an unprecedented battle."
"The Mongols in the past have all invaded the Rakshasa Kingdom. If they can do it, so can we."
Chen Dong said casually: "As long as we don't get lost and there's no shortage of food, I can capture the Beihai where Su Wu Shepherd is, and the Ming Dynasty's east, west, south, and north will be completely complete."
"It's not enough to stop Shi Yanran. We are just drinking from Beihai."
(End of chapter)
