Time quietly came to early October.
Zheng Sen climbed up and looked up.
As the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, he has a good understanding of the situation in northern Shaanxi.
This is a barren land.
In the pre-Ming Dynasty, Yulin was one of the poorest places among the Nine Borders, and it was also the place where most military households fled.
At that time, most of the soldiers and horses who participated in the intruders and western thieves were these frontier troops.
A large amount of cultivated land has been degraded and turned into sandy land.
The officers were greedy and eroded the few land of the military households, and exploited them ruthlessly.
During the Hongwu period, the military households here had collapsed.
Now in the early years of Shaowu, all the guards were deposed and became prefectures and counties.
However, the poverty in Yulin Prefecture has not been alleviated much.
Zheng Sen came to a village on the hillside.
There are more than a dozen families, each owning less than a hundred acres of arable land, and it is all dry land, so they need to carry water from a mile away.
The water used for crops is only the only well in the village.
Zheng Sen was wearing a robe and his eyes were solemn.
In his sight, the family in front of him used a pure rammed earth house. The wooden door was blown to pieces by yellow sand and had several big holes.
The wife was lying on the bed, covering her head with a quilt and not daring to see anyone.
The man was wearing trousers, his head lowered, his face numb.
"Creak——"
He opened the water tank. The Yellow River water was yellow and turbid, and a thick layer of yellow mud had formed on the bottom of the tank.
The rice vat next to it only contained half a vat of wheat.
In several nearby tanks, there are soybeans, mung beans, millet and other miscellaneous grains. They must have been exchanged for wheat after the autumn harvest.
If there really was only wheat, the family would not have enough to eat.
"Why doesn't your mother-in-law get out of bed and meet someone?"
At this time, General Yulin, who was following behind, scolded.
The woman on the bed was trembling with fear. She wrapped herself in a quilt and prepared to get out of bed, but was stopped by Zheng Sen.
"I must be in trouble, maybe sick? You are so afraid of being unkind!"
Zheng Sen said casually, obviously not taking it seriously.
And the man opened his mouth and said: "It's not that we are rude, it's just that our family is poor. We only have one pair of pants, and we husband and wife take turns wearing them."
"Now that I'm down, my mother-in-law can only go to bed..."
After hearing this, everyone was silent.
Zheng Sen couldn't help but sigh: "We are still presumptuous!"
After saying that, he took something out of his pocket, and a stack of one hundred taels of silver notes flashed in front of everyone's eyes.
He took it back with some embarrassment, and the attendant on the side took out two silver coins and gave them to the man with a clear look.
"Take these two dollars, buy some cloth to make clothes, and repair the door at the same time!"
With that said, he left directly.
There were only a few dogs in the entire village, and it seemed extremely quiet.
Zheng Sen felt panicked.
On weekdays, he always regarded himself as saving the country and loving the people, and regarded himself as Yao and Shun. He thought that after twenty years, the whole world would be at peace.
But I never thought that in what everyone said was a prosperous time, there would still be such a poor family.
This is a slap in the face to these people.
"Governor, Yulin is too poor!"
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Yulin magistrate cried out:
"In Yulin, a huge city with eight counties, the people are basically former military households, with a population of less than 200,000."
"It doesn't matter if people are short of water, but it's not enough to support the lack of water for crops. There's a lot of sand and there's just enough food to eat. The army has to transport food and grass all the way from Yan'an Prefecture."
"Many people are eager to go to the Hetao when they see that the land is allocated to the Hetao. Grazing is better than farming!"
After the establishment of Suiyuan, Yulin was no longer a border town, but it was close to the Hetao, so there were two to three thousand permanent troops stationed there.
"The army's food must be controlled no matter what."
Zheng Sen said seriously.
As the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, civil affairs are not within his management scope. The most important thing is to supervise military affairs.
That's why he patrols the area.
Once the army makes a mistake, he will be the unlucky one.
"But, Governor, we traveled hundreds of miles from Yan'an Mansion to Yulin, and the losses during the process were huge."
At this time, the general stationed in Yulin smiled bitterly.
According to the rules of the Ming Dynasty, there are local armies, county patrol camps, and then there are the Beijing camps stationed to guard the passes.
The commander-in-chief is stationed in the provincial capital, and the participating generals are stationed at important passes, while the deputy commander-in-chief is stationed separately.
They not only manage the Beijing camp, but also serve as the dual leaders of the local patrol camp.
Shaanxi Province is an important town second only to the border areas, so the Beijing camp directly stationed 4,000 people.
"Then let's find a way!"
Zheng Sen frowned and said, "I don't believe that a living person can be suffocated to death by peeing!"
"Governor, I think you can spend some money to buy some grain from Hetao Mansion."
The general lowered his head and suggested softly.
"Oh? Where did it come from?"
"The Yellow River is only profitable. Hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland are cultivated in Hetao Prefecture. There is no shortage of river water. The growth is gratifying and there is plenty of food. It is the most important granary in the entire Suiyuan."
"Although it's far away from Yulin, I can't help but it's all flat ground. Walk east along the Yellow River, turn a corner, and walk more than a hundred miles to get there. In fact, it saves a lot of time!"
Zheng Sen's expression changed.
In any case, water transportation is always cheaper than land transportation.
Moreover, the price of food in Yan'an Prefecture is already high. After it is transported to Yulin, it will probably be even higher. The cheap food in Hetao will be even better.
"I will write to the court."
Zheng Sen nodded.
It was not up to him to make the final decision on the change of military rations. This was all arranged by the Ministry of War, and he only had the right to make suggestions.
However, given his status as a holy family member, I am afraid that most people will agree with him.
Suddenly, Zheng Sen remembered: "Can you grow sweet potatoes?"
"Probably not!" Yulin Magistrate shook his head.
"The poorer the place, the more sweet potatoes should be grown!"
Zheng Sen said solemnly: "Don't think that I interfere in local civil affairs, but this is actually a good thing to save the people."
"Sweet potato vines can be fed to pigs and chickens. Sweet potatoes don't have to be picked out. One acre of land can yield thousands of kilograms of sweet potatoes. It is truly a first-class weapon."
"You should read more communiqués and don't pursue inaction!"
At this, the Yulin prefect blushed instantly, hesitating and not knowing what to say.
Zheng Sen didn't bother to pay attention to him.
For these old-school bureaucrats, especially those from the mainland, they have no idea what commercial tax is, and they don't want to change it. They have always followed the rules and regulations.
But sweet potato cultivation has been practiced for almost 20 years, and it is not yet popular in Yulin. It is really a dereliction of duty.
Returning to Yulin Fucheng, Zheng Sen couldn't restrain his irritability and began to write secret notes to the emperor.
He brushed aside the issue of poverty, but emphasized the clumsiness and senility of the officials in the mainland.
He suggested to the emperor that officials from the border areas should be transferred to the interior to better manage the people.
"Oh, a thousand words is enough!"
Zheng Sen lost track of time, and when he saw the entire article, he immediately woke up.
The emperor has always requested that the words be concise and concise, and three hundred to five hundred words is the optimal number. Otherwise, the emperor may have to stay up late to read it.
"Northern Shaanxi is so barren that it can be moved overseas or to the northeast. It is better than staying here!"
Zheng Sen murmured.
However, suddenly a cool breeze blew, and the candle flickered and went out.
He closed the doors and windows tightly so that Huang Sha could not come in.
At this time, his mind drifted to Beijing inexplicably.
Especially thinking about the position of the cabinet.
Now he is already forty-nine years old, and he is here
After more than twenty years of hard work, it was time to enter Beijing.
Even if you can't enter the pavilion, you still have to return to the capital and go to the Eight Departments.
"I don't know when I will be able to write the world!"
As the lights flickered, he fell into thinking.
The Forbidden City just celebrated the birthday of the emperor's grandson, and the excitement seemed to be still there last night.
Living in the Forbidden City for a long time, Zhu Yixi became even more disgusted.
The damp and cold environment and the depressing palace make people feel depressed no matter what.
Especially as he gets older, he becomes more and more sensitive to the environment.
Living in Yuquan Mountain for a long time has become his longing.
However, at this time, it does not prevent him from digging holes and fishing on the ice.
The harem had become accustomed to the emperor's actions, and they had even sent people to erect steel pillars in the lake and built an artificial fishing platform.
You can warm yourself by the fire, sleep, and even sing opera. It is a large pavilion with an area of 100 square meters.
This kind of high-rise building on the lake requires very sophisticated technology, but fortunately the Ming Dynasty can do it now.
Wrapped in a big cloak, warming herself by the fire and fishing, Zhu Yixi felt relaxed all over.
At this time, a dog barked, and he hurriedly lifted the fishing rod, and a fat and big carp was thrown up.
The little eunuch on the side was busy catching the carp, while the yellow dog with its tongue sticking out was drooling and staring at the carp intently.
"For you to eat!"
After saying this, he ordered the fish head to be chopped off and eaten directly with the yellow dog.
At You hour, night is approaching.
Zhu Yixi, wearing a thick fur coat, couldn't help but sigh as she looked at the dark lake and the lights in the distance.
In his hand, there was no longer a Pana Calabash doll, but a blue and white tabby cat with anthropomorphic arms and legs, which was very cute.
At the same time, there is a brown mouse with a big grin next to him.
They are a pair.
"Master, it's time to go back!"
"Um!"
Zhu Yixi nodded and got on the chariot.
After a while, we arrived at the study.
He seemed quite comfortable eating dinner alone.
No one bothers and there is no red tape.
Just after dinner, I saw the Mongolian concubine Qiqige running over, her eyes were reddish, and she was very pitiful:
"Your Majesty, my brother's time is running out..."
"King of Beihai County?"
Zhu Yixi frowned: "Isn't he only fifty-two years old?"
Then he fell silent again.
For people on the grasslands, fifty-two years old is already a very good age.
Zhu Yixi was deeply impressed by Beihai County Prince Budali.
As the county king of Chahar, this guy likes to stay in Beijing the most. He begged himself to give him a house and live in Beijing for two out of three years.
The wine, meat and beauty continued, and they enjoyed a lifetime of blessings.
Even his daughter became the concubine of King Qin.
Later, two or three more daughters married the prince.
Of course, there is also a Mongolian among the prince's concubines, but she is the daughter of the King of Chahar.
Once he dies, Chahar may be in turmoil.
"Relax, I will make good arrangements."
After comforting the woman, Zhu Yixi got together with her unknowingly.
"Your Majesty—" The woman lay on his chest, raising her head pitifully, her eyes full of longing.
It turned out to be waiting for me here.
Zhu Yixi smiled bitterly: "That's all, you can stay here tonight!"
Another sleepless night.
At this time, Chifeng City was already crowded.
The Beihai County Prince's Mansion was crowded with people.
There are as many as twenty children in Budali. Together, men, women, old and young, the whole yard is almost packed.
"The Governor is here——"
At some point, someone else shouted, and a road vacated in the entire yard.
Wang Chunqing was seen approaching in a hurry. His face was solemn, showing his anxiety.
"How is the prince doing?"
"I have fainted." At this time, the prince of the county whispered from the side.
"How?" Wang Chunqing asked the doctor.
"The prince has reached his limit. There is nothing I can do. It is better to prepare for the funeral in advance..."
At this time, there was a burst of crying immediately.
Wang Chunqing had a headache hearing this.
The eyes are full of women, and now there are several plump people in their twenties, including Han and Meng women, all of whom are crying.
He is a happy person.
Wang Chunqing muttered.
"The great lama is coming!" Suddenly, there was a shout, and everyone's expressions changed.
I saw a great monk wearing cassocks and bald head walking in, his face full of compassion.
Everyone knelt down as they walked along.
Even Wang Chunqing bowed his head and saluted.
This is Deji Yangzong Hutuktu, who is also a disciple of the Dalai Lama.
He was previously sent by the emperor to preach in Chahar, and then he was naturally appointed as the abbot of Renli Temple and was ordered to manage the Buddhist affairs of the entire Chahar.
If nothing else happens, after his death, he will be reincarnated and become the largest living creature in the Chahar area.
Throughout the Mongolian Plateau, there is Jebtsundamba in the Mobei region, and in Suiyuan there is Solangdeji Hutuktu, who is the disciple of Panchan Lama.
Chahar is Hutuktu of Dejiyangzong.
It is said that in the Horqin area, a new lama will also be appointed or removed to preside over religious affairs.
As the spiritual pillar of the entire Chahar, Wang Chunqing naturally has to be respected.
"Your Majesty the Governor!" The Grand Lama of Dejiyangzong also returned the salute.
"Excuse me, the great lama, for helping the prince to be saved!"
Wang Chunqing thanked him and left the room.
At this time, Jirigele, the prince of the county, was following closely behind him, not leaving even half a step away.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, the family property and title that are your inheritance will never be touched."
Wang Chunqing smiled.
Jirigele shook his head and said: "Your Majesty the Governor, I still have three thousand herdsmen under my command. Without your help, I'm afraid it will take several years to recover..."
The Prince of Beihai County lives in Chifeng, but the tribes are scattered in various pastures, managed by their appointed butlers, and they are very relaxed.
But now it's trouble.
Because these people may not necessarily obey this prince.
In other words, under deliberate instigation, it is very likely to cause chaos.
For example, self-reliance.
Seeing that Wang Chunqing was silent, Jirigele immediately said: "The king of Chahar has always been dissatisfied with my father, saying that we robbed his tribe."
"He will definitely hook up with those herdsmen and smuggle them under his banner."
"Why should I help you, His Royal Highness?" Wang Chunqing turned her head and said attentively.
"I am willing to donate a thousand tents of herdsmen." Jirigele said through gritted teeth.
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