"This boat is great! It's big and nice!"
“It’s really about riding the wind and breaking the waves, riding the wind and breaking the waves!!”
Zhu Di stood on the deck beside the ship, feeling the sea breeze hitting his cheeks. The ship was traveling very fast, pushing the sea water to both sides, like breaking waves!
The reason why the boat runs fast is because Li Xiao installed an engine to use a propeller to speed up. The engine is obtained from the system.
Zhu Di was particularly excited after getting on the boat. He kept looking around the boat, touching this and that, especially the anti-aircraft artillery. He couldn't put it down.
"Wonderful son-in-law, can you fire a cannon to show me?"
Zhu Di murmured while gently stroking the cannon with his palm.
"Of course." Li Xiao nodded, and then greeted: "Come here, show His Highness the power of our sea-suppressing cannon!"
"Yes!" An artilleryman came over excitedly and began to adjust the artillery. Then he lit the fuse and fired the shell with a bang.
This is a smoothbore cannon that only appeared in the late Ming Dynasty, and the drawings provided by the system are more powerful than this cannon, have a longer range, and only weigh one thousand kilograms.
Zhu Di looked into the distance, and after a few breaths, the sea surface very far away was blown over, and the sea water bounced to the sky, which was enough to show the far range and power of the shot.
It has far surpassed the artillery of the Ming Dynasty and swept across the country! !
"Oh my God, this cannon is so powerful!"
Zhu Di's eyes brightened: "If there is such artillery to attack the city this time, it will be so difficult. Just blast a few cannons and the city wall will be blown through!"
Zhu Di looked at the cabin and asked, "Why doesn't this boat need people to paddle?"
Li Xiao smiled and explained: "This is because."
Zhu Di asked seven or eight more questions in a row.
Li Xiaodu gave the answer.
"Dad, you have been here since just now." Zhu Ningyun smiled and took Zhu Di's arm, "Come in and have a rest. Sit and drink tea."
"well."
Zhu Di nodded, indeed he was a little thirsty and planned to go into the cabin.
"Father-in-law, please have a good rest. If you need anything, Ningyun can tell you, and she will arrange it for you."
Seeing that Zhu Di was about to leave, Li Xiao said hello, and then brought his fish box and planned to fish in the sea. Zhu Gaoxu also took out a fishing rod and wanted to compete with Li Xiao.
"This is what you are."
When Zhu Di saw Li Xiao and Zhu Gaoxu fishing with fishing rods, he couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing?"
"Dad, the two of them are competing in fishing, let's leave them alone."
Zhu Ningyun explained helpfully.
"Try fishing?"
Zhu Di rolled up his sleeves and said with great interest: "Come here alone!"
Zhu Gaosui also said excitedly: "I'm coming too."
Zhu Ningyun: "."
A man will remain a boy until he dies, that's true.
Afterwards, there was a fishing competition between the four of them. Zhu Ningyun did not join because she was not very interested in fishing.
And women will never understand the joy of a fisherman.
Especially this kind of sea fishing, it is very exciting to catch a big fish instead of wrestling with it, and you may not be able to pull it out for several hours.
With the help of Li Xiao and Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Di and Zhu Gaosui soon learned to use the sea rod and wait for the fish to take the bait.
Two hours later, when he was falling asleep, Zhu Di's fishing rod caught a fish. Zhu Di picked up the fishing rod excitedly and found that the fish opposite him was very strong and almost pulled him over.
“The big fish is coming!!”
Zhu Di used his arms to pull in the fish.
On the other side, Zhu Gaosui and Zhu Gaoxu's fishing rods did not catch any fish.
Li Xiao's fishing rod caught the fish, but he didn't move and pretended not to catch the fish. The fish quickly decoupled.
The game is all about human relations and sophistication.
Half an hour later.
Zhu Di used brute force to pull the fish up and successfully won the fishing competition championship.
"Dad is awesome."
"Dad is invincible!"
"My father-in-law is so strong!"
The three of them flattered each other, which made Zhu Di very happy.
Afterwards, everyone gathered around to watch the fish.
This fish has a long body shape, thick and round, streamlined shape, tapering backwards to a point and a slender tail base, and the tail fin is forked or crescent-shaped.
It is about one foot long and its entire body is light blue.
"What kind of fish is this?" Zhu Di saw it for the first time.
Li Xiao smiled and said: "This is bluefin tuna! It is one of the fastest swimming marine animals. Only extremely ferocious sharks and large dolphins can rival it. When tuna swims at full speed, the speed is every half an hour. It can reach fifty-five nautical miles. Therefore, this fish has no fat on its body and is all lean meat. It has a firm texture and good taste. If it is sold in Beiping City, it can be sold for a high price of one thousand taels of silver. Today there are many Dinner is eaten.”
Zhu Di said happily: "It's a pity that the boss is not here. Li Xiao, I will leave it to you."
Li Xiao cupped his hands: "Father-in-law, just wait and see!"
Ever since, Zhu Ningyun and Li Xiao started cooking together.
An hour later.
The tuna dinner is on the table, and various methods of frying, steaming, and raw are arranged.
With Li Xiao's perfect cooking skills and Zhu Ningyun's top knife skills, the fish fillets are as thin as cicada wings.
Everyone was having a great time eating a seafood dinner and drinking red wine.
This tuna has no bones and is very nutritious, low in fat and low in calories. The EPA, protein, and taurine in it are all effective in lowering cholesterol. Regular consumption can effectively reduce malignant cholesterol in the blood.
There is also DHA, which can activate brain cells and promote internal brain activity.
At the dinner table, Li Xiao introduced the edible value of the tuna. After listening to it, everyone couldn't help but eat more, and then lamented that Zhu Gaochi didn't have a good taste.
"By the way, you three."
Zhu Di took a sip of red wine and said, "Now it's time to talk about what the three of you did when you went to the Japanese country? So many Japanese pirates shouldn't just appear out of thin air."
Li Xiao picked up the wine glass and said, "Father-in-law, I'd like to give you a drink." He took a sip of wine and said, "It's all my son-in-law's idea. He wants to catch all the Japanese pirates! These Japanese pirates are domineering and often invade the coast and rob merchant ships, which is a disaster. Yeah, it won’t work if we don’t get rid of it.”
Zhu Di raised his eyebrows and said, "In order to completely get rid of the Japanese pirates, you took over the Japanese country?"
Li Xiao smiled awkwardly: "It turns out that I can't hide anything from my father-in-law. If we don't occupy the Japanese country, Japanese pirates will be born one after another. This is the only way."
Good guy, Zhu Di called him a good guy.
In order to get rid of the Japanese pirates, they demolished their nest, right?
However, he was overjoyed. Sure enough, the Japanese country was taken over. He pretended to be displeased and said, "Even if you send out troops, you still need to ask the imperial court for a fight. What's going on with you sending out troops without permission?"
Li Xiao said: "Father-in-law, this is approved by the Holy Spirit."
Zhu Di frowned: "When did the Holy One give permission? He doesn't know about it either."
"No, no, no. The Holy Father has given permission." Li Xiao explained: "Beiping is a special zone and all reforms are allowed."
Zhu Di snorted and said, "What does your occupation of Japan have to do with Peking?"
Li Xiao smiled and said: "Of course it does matter. The purpose of occupying the Japanese country is to get rid of the Japanese pirates. To get rid of the Japanese pirates, it is to open the sea. Opening the sea is Beiping's policy. Do you think this has anything to do with it?"
Zhu Di: "??????"
Zhu Di looked a little helpless, which may have something to do with it.
Hey, what did Li Xiaogang say?
Open the sea?
Zhu Di was surprised and said: "You want to open the sea??"
Li Xiao nodded: "Yes."
Zhu Di: "."
Zhu Di took a bite of the fried fish, chewed it carefully, thought for a while, then patted the table and said: "Yes, once the Japanese pirates are eliminated, the maritime ban can indeed be lifted, and my Ming Dynasty porcelain and silk can be exchanged for it from other small countries. Money can make Ming Dynasty richer."
"Now that our Ming Dynasty is prosperous and its people are strong, it's time to go overseas and show off the style of a great country!"
With that said, Zhu Di shouted: "Call Ma He."
Li Xiao explained awkwardly: "I am no longer called Ma He. My son-in-law gave me the surname Ma He, and now I am called Zheng He."
Hearing this, Zhu Di felt that there was an indescribable tacit understanding between himself and his son-in-law.
Not long after, Zheng He came to Zhu Di and said, "I have met His Highness the Crown Prince."
"Zheng He, I heard that you built this ship?" Zhu Di asked.
Zheng He cupped his hands and said, "His Royal Highness, it was built by me. It's just a blueprint provided by Duke Yongle. Without the blueprint, I can't make it."
Zhu Di nodded slightly: "You have been following Li Xiao for several years. It's time to come back and do things for me. Are you still willing?"
Although it was the blueprint given by Li Xiao, such a large ship cannot be built without talent. Navigating the sea also requires experience. Zhu Di saw that Zheng He had this talent, but it was discovered by Li Xiao. That’s all.
Zheng He didn't dare to disobey, he raised his hands and said: "I am willing, but it is just Duke Yongle."
Zhu Di looked at Li Xiao.
Li Xiao looked at Zhu Di, cupped his hands and said with a smile: "My son-in-law has been satisfied with borrowing such talents for five years. It is time for them to return to their original owners."
Nonsense, why don't you return it quickly? Otherwise, it will be a big loss if Beiping Prefecture is still responsible for the shipyard.
"Okay! Zheng He, when you return to Beijing this time, I will ask you to open the court shipyard again, build Ming treasure ships, explore other countries in other parts of the sea, and demonstrate the prestige of our Ming Dynasty!" Zhu Di said seriously.
Zheng He excitedly handed over his hand, this was his ideal.
"Accept the decree! Thank you, Your Highness!"
The ship sailed for five days.
Everyone was extremely relaxed on the boat, just soaking in the sun and fishing every day.
Zhu Di also discussed with Li Xiao and others how to deal with the Japanese country.
Zhu Di also learned that the Japanese state was not under direct control, but semi-control, supporting the puppet emperor to control the situation, and the opposing families were fiercely fighting.
Li Xiao suggested that the puppet emperor should continue to be given military support to keep the war going.
When the Japanese state was about to fall apart, the Ming Dynasty directly sent troops to destroy all the princes stationed in the Japanese state, and then forcibly incorporated it into the Ming Dynasty's territory.
Zhu Di was also thinking about Li Xiao's suggestion. As for what to do, he still needed to discuss it with the civil and military officials after returning to Beijing.
A week later.
The big ship returned to Haijin Town (Tianjin) dock and docked.
The group embarked on the road back to Peking.
"Oh my God! What kind of road is this??"
As soon as he stepped into Peiping, Zhu Di was shocked by the asphalt road in front of him.
He walked on the asphalt road and looked and touched it. It was hard and strong and very smooth at first glance. If the carriage drove on such a road, the speed would be faster.
Li Xiaodao: "This is an asphalt road. Nowadays, all the roads in Beiping are paved with this kind of road."
Zhu Di was surprised and said: "How much money does this cost??"
Li Xiao said: "It's not much. It only cost more than 10 million taels in Beiping."
Zhu Di: "???"
Zhu Di was not feeling well.
Do you know what you are talking about? It cost 10 million taels to build the road. What's the fuss about?
Li Xiao explained with a smile: "If you want to get rich, you must first build roads. As the saying goes, if the roads are not smooth, the trade is not prosperous. There are good things in some places, but because the roads remain unchanged, they cannot be transported out and sold. The branches are full of fruits but rotten on them. Damn, it’s such a pity, that’s the point of building roads.”
"Let's not talk about this first, and I won't ask you where the money comes from."
Zhu Di asked: "But why did you spend ten million taels of silver to build the road? This is too much money!"
Li Xiao spread his hands and said, "Is there a lot?"
Zhu Di wondered: "Not much? Five years ago, the tax revenue of the entire treasury was only 30 million taels of silver. After Gu's unremitting efforts in the past five years, it has now doubled, and the annual tax revenue has reached 60 million taels of silver. But You actually spend ten million taels of silver to build a road in this land? This is simply unbelievable!"
Li Xiao smiled and said, "Just tell me whether this road is worth repairing."
Zhu Di looked at the road and said, "It's straight."
Li Xiao: "."
Li Xiao changed his explanation and said, "Just tell me whether this is a good deal or not?"
Zhu Di frowned and said: "What a bargain, 10 million taels!"
Li Xiao explained helplessly: "The reason why I spent so much silver is because my son-in-law canceled his labor service. I paid people to repair the road, and I paid 2 silver."
In the Ming Dynasty, the ancient government offices used labor for building roads, opening rivers, building palaces and other affairs. Labor did not cost money, and every adult man had to participate.
Without these labors, many things in the court would not be accomplished.
And Li Xiao directly canceled the labor service? ? ? ?
Zhu Di: "???"
Zhu Di almost jumped up.
When I asked you to reform, you overturned the table? ?
In the future, if there are no more laborers in the imperial court, what will they use to carry out projects? ? ?
"Father-in-law, don't worry."
Li Xiao said hurriedly: "Listen to me and explain to you."
Zhu Di was furious and said: "You should give Gu a good explanation, otherwise even if Gu spares you, the Holy One will not be able to spare you."
It's no wonder that Zhu Di was angry. After all, he was the crown prince of a country. What Li Xiao did was to directly change the dynasty's system.
"Dad, calm down." Zhu Ningyun hurriedly held Zhu Di's hand.
"Dad, you are in a hurry. Let your brother-in-law explain it to you." Zhu Gaoxu also ran over immediately and stroked Zhu Di's back with his palm to make him breathe more smoothly.
Zhu Di glared at Zhu Gaoxu: "Although Li Xiao is your brother-in-law, you are also the vassal king, so you just let him do whatever he wants?"
Zhu Gaoxu said: "Old man, just listen to Li Xiao's explanation."
As he spoke, Zhu Gaoxu gave Li Xiao a hint, "Brother-in-law, tell me about your cycle theory, the one who eats shit."
"Eat shit?"
Zhu Di frowned, feeling familiar for some reason.
"It's not some shit...Father-in-law, my son-in-law will explain it to you."
Li Xiao smiled and said: "Father-in-law, look, what happened to the whole grains we usually eat?"
Zhu Di curled his lips: "Of course it became a filthy thing and was expelled."
Li Xiao asked again: "Did this filth become fertilizer and nourish the grains, causing them to grow?"
Zhu Di nodded and said, "That's true."
Li Xiao continued: "This manure nourishes the whole grains. Does it return to the dining table, eat it in the stomach again, and become the whole grains again, and it continues to cycle?"
Speaking of this, everyone felt sick and wanted to vomit.
However, the words were not bad. Zhu Di vaguely noticed something, but he didn't quite understand it. He asked: "What does the cancellation of labor have to do with it?"
"It's relevant."
Li Xiao gestured with his hands and explained, "Father-in-law, you see, although my son-in-law has canceled his labor service and spent more money to hire migrant workers to build roads, these migrant workers naturally have to spend the money they earned. Aren’t they being profited by the merchants? If my son-in-law collects commercial taxes from the merchants, he will have money again. Let’s use this money to continue building roads.”
Li Xiao clapped his hands and said, "Look, doesn't this mean that I spent no money?"
He briefly talked about the theory of economic cycle. Although it was a bit crude, Zhu Di should be able to understand it.
Zhu Di frowned slightly: "You mean, this money is like manure, constantly circulating?"
"yes."
Li Xiao nodded and said: "This money is like manure. It nourishes the court and the people at the same time. Why not? It seems that the son-in-law has canceled the labor service, but it has set the cycle in motion, and everyone has become more and more... If you have money, the yamen will collect more and more taxes, and they will be able to do more and more things. People will have money-making jobs to do, and they will be able to earn more money and improve their lives, and businessmen will also Just find new ways to make money from the people, and all kinds of businesses can flourish. The more merchants make, the more taxes we can collect."
"Hey" Zhu Di realized: "That seems to be the truth."
Zhu Ningyun on the side said disdainfully: "Xiaolang, can you not use manure as an analogy next time? It's a bit disgusting to hear it."
Li Xiao chuckled and whispered: "Don't we no longer use manure?" Zhu Ningyun glanced at him, "You are the smart one."
Back in the carriage, Zhu Di was still thinking about what happened just now.
The more I think about it, the more it feels right.
Yes, if Li Xiao built roads on such a large scale, wouldn't it be the same as when Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty built the Grand Canal, which caused complaints from the people.
If you give people money like this and let them work, they will naturally not complain!
No wonder Li Xiao was able to accomplish this in just five years.
Then, Zhu Di was thinking about manure again.
It does make some sense.
This money circulates like manure. It nourishes everything.
"etc!"
Zhu Di suddenly felt something was wrong, slapped his thigh and said: "There is still a problem. The commercial tax is thirty to one, and most of the money is earned by the merchants. Doesn't it make the merchants fat?"
Thinking of this, Zhu Di was about to ask Li Xiao for a theory, but a sudden voice interrupted his train of thought.
Wuwuwu——
The whistle sounded, and the train arrived at the station.
Zhu Di and others happened to arrive at the train station at this moment.
"what sound??"
Zhu Di popped his head and looked around, and then saw a big room with the name Railway Station - Gu'an Station on it.
Zhu Gaoxu smiled and waved: "Old man, get off the carriage. The carriage is too slow. I want you to see a steam train."
"steam train?"
Zhu Di got off the carriage and asked, "What is a steam train?"
"Hey, you'll know when you get there."
Zhu Gaoxu didn't bother to explain, so he pulled Zhu Di towards the train station, followed by several others.
When a few people walked to the door of the train station, the people were all excited when they saw Li Xiao.
"It's Lord Li Qingtian!"
As soon as he walked over, many people saw Li Xiao and shouted excitedly. Then they bowed together and said, "I have seen Li Qingtian."
Li Xiao smiled and waved his hand in greeting: "Hello, people."
All the people raised their hands and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Li Qingtian."
Li Xiao waved his hand: "It's not hard."
The people consciously made way for Li Xiao and others to walk in unimpeded.
"I can't tell that you have quite a high reputation locally." Zhu Di said with a smile.
"It's a small prestige, it's just a small prestige. It's just making decisions for the people." Li Xiao chuckled.
Li Xiao came in person, and the people at the train station were all respectful. They went directly to the VIP channel and entered the train station in advance.
When they arrived near the train tracks, a big iron lump appeared in front of Zhu Di.
Zhu Di felt numb after seeing the train!
Completely numb!
If it was the big ship, he could understand it, but he couldn't understand the train at all.
It is beyond the scope of cognition.
"This is a train???"
Zhu Di was shocked and said: "How can such a big iron lump move?"
Zhu Di and Zhu Gaosui were just like Grandma Liu entering the big manor, walking around, staring at the train, and smacking their lips.
Before Li Xiao could speak, Zhu Gaoxu explained: "Old man, you must be ignorant now. Let me explain to you. When you boil water, the water vapor will push the lid open. This is how the steam train can move. "
In fact, Zhu Gaoxu didn't understand it himself. It was Li Xiao who said it, and he was just paraphrasing it.
"I see."
Zhu Di didn't understand much, but he still pretended to understand.
"Can this train go to Nanjing?" Zhu Di asked.
"Of course." Li Xiao said: "But it will take a lot of time to build the railway to Nanjing."
"Okay, okay!"
Zhu Di was overjoyed: "As long as the railway is built, the train can go wherever it goes, right? If the whole country is covered with railways, wouldn't it be possible to reach wherever you want to go soon?"
Li Xiao nodded: "My father-in-law is wise, that's how it is."
"It's a miracle!"
Zhu Di said with great joy: "Li Xiao, when you get back alone, you will issue an imperial edict. You must build this railway to all parts of the country, and build the Nanjing road first."
Zhu Di thought that if this was the case, it would be more convenient to transport food and baggage.
Li Xiao complained: "Father-in-law, this request... you know that these railway tracks cost a lot of money. It is impossible to use the fiscal revenue of one government to support the whole country, right?"
Zhu Di smiled and said: "Of course not, just tell me how much silver it will cost to build the railway tracks across the country, and the court will pay for it."
"OK."
Li Xiao made some calculations, clasped his fingers and said: "If it is spread all over the country, it will be almost 20,000 taels of silver."
Li Xiao is being conservative. In fact, with the current steel output, it is impossible to cover the entire country.
Hearing this, Zhu Di almost fainted, "Two trillion taels??? Are you kidding? The national tax revenue is only 30 million taels of silver."
"Father-in-law, it's impossible for my son-in-law to joke with you. You get in the car first, and my son-in-law will do the math for you carefully."
With that said, Li Xiao invited Zhu Di onto the train, Tianzi No. 1 carriage.
After getting on the train, Li Xiao calculated it carefully for Zhu Di. It was true that so much silver was needed. It would be good to build this kind of railway in ten years. It would be very difficult to cover the whole country. It was very difficult.
"How can you get so much money together?" Zhu Di was helpless.
Li Xiao said with a smile: "Actually, just let it develop slowly. The company that manufactures trains and rails is a state-owned enterprise. It can generate profits by itself and develop the money it earns. It doesn't need my son-in-law to manage it."
"State-owned enterprises." Zhu Di heard another word he didn't understand.
However, he received too much information today, and some of him could no longer accept the information.
So, Zhu Di stood up and walked towards other carriages to check it out. Seeing this, Zhu Gaosui followed him.
"Master Magistrate, the No. 1 distinguished guest arrived not long ago."
At this time, the guy in the car found Li Xiao and said secretly.
"What? Are you here?" Li Xiao was slightly startled and asked in a low voice: "How long have you been here? Did you leave by train?"
"It's been four months since I came here, and I haven't left by train." The waiter said.
"Okay, got it."
Li Xiao nodded, "Step back."
He began to calculate in his mind that Zhu Yuanzhang had been here for four months and there was no movement from the court. It seemed that Zhu Yuanzhang had already found out his good intentions by investigating the public sentiment.
Not a big problem
Soon the train started moving.
Zhu Di and Zhu Gaosui were shocked again.
Half an hour later, we arrived in Peiping.
After getting off the train, Zhu Di was so excited.
"Traveling thousands of miles a day means that all kinds of information will be transmitted very quickly in the future!"
"In addition to transporting supplies, transporting soldiers is also very fast."
“In this way, we can conquer further territories without worrying about unmanageable situations.”
In this way, Zhu Di kept thinking about the train.
Everyone took the bus to Peiping City again.
When he arrived at the gate of Peiping City, Zhu Di was completely stunned.
The city of Peiping has changed. The city walls have become taller and smoother.
Li Xiao explained that the city wall had been re-expanded, using better materials, reinforced concrete.
"It's really hard!"
Zhu Di walked over excitedly, touched and felt it with his hands, then looked at Gao Sui and said, "Gao Sui, try the hardness of this wall."
"yes."
Zhu Gaosui took out a hammer from his sleeve and hit the city wall hard.
Bang bang bang!
The wall was indeed very hard. When it was hit for the fifth time, the wood of the hammer broke and the hammer head flew out.
"Ah!" A scream came from the distance.
A man rushed over holding his head and said angrily:
"Why am I so unlucky? My head was smashed a few months ago, and then again a few months later. Come with me to see the watchman!"
Zhu Gaosui smiled apologetically, took out twenty taels of silver from his body, and handed it over: "Look at this silver, go and see the doctor."
The man said: "It's great to have money. Can you hit someone with money?"
Zhu Gaosui took out another twenty taels and said, "Go buy some nutritional supplements."
The man took the silver and felt a sense of déjà vu, then nodded: "Be careful next time."
He took the money and left, probably to see the doctor.
"Old man, this wall is so strong!" Zhu Gaosui said.
Zhu Di nodded: "I can see it. I didn't expect that in just five years, Beiping Mansion has undergone such a huge change. It is simply unbelievable that Beiyuan wants to attack such a city wall. There is no chance. Let's go into the city and take a look."
When Zhu Di entered Beiping City.
His scalp was numb from the shock.
It's like entering another city.
It is obvious that the city of Beiping has expanded a lot.
But the number of people walking inside was dozens of times that before he left.
Business is bustling, various shops emerge in endlessly, and people come and go. It is busier than Nanjing. Zhu Di almost thought that he was not entering Peiping, but a city such as Nanjing or Jiangnan.
Along the way, Zhu Di was dazzled.
So, while Li Xiao was strolling around with Zhu Di, he contacted his own people and asked for Huang Ba's location. Li Xiongzhi hurried over soon after.
"Master, you are back"
Li Xiongzhi reported in a low voice: "I have invited Huang Ba to live temporarily in the Duke's Mansion. He goes out during the day and comes back at night every day. Everything is well arranged."
Li Xiao nodded slightly: "Well done."
At night.
When the sky turned dark, Li Xiao looked at Zhu Di and whispered: "Father-in-law, has the Holy One left the palace?"
Zhu Di said: "If you didn't mention me, I almost forgot. The Holy One said a long time ago that I would go to Peking to see you. Where are you?"
Li Xiao whispered: "He is in the mansion."
“No more shopping”
Zhu Di said hurriedly: "Go back quickly."
The Duke's Mansion.
Zhu Yuanzhang has stayed here for several months.
After learning that VIP No. 1 Tianzi had arrived in Peiping, Li Xiongzhi immediately invited him to live in the Duke's Mansion.
These days, Zhu Yuanzhang went out early and came back late every day to explore the people's sentiments. He found that after being governed in this way, Peiping was really in the prosperous Ming Dynasty.
Li Xiao has really fulfilled the promise made to him at that time, allowing the people to have food to eat, clothing to wear, no more hungry people, and no tenants!
Zhu Yuanzhang also discovered that in addition to sweet potatoes, there were also high-yielding crops such as potatoes and corn.
The granary of Beiping Prefecture is overflowing.
The accumulated tax revenue in five years was actually 180 million taels of silver!
You know, when the Song Dynasty was at its richest, the annual tax revenue was only 130 million taels of silver! !
It’s so shocking that one place is richer than a whole country.
At the same time, Zhu Yuanzhang also discovered some shortcomings, and some old diehards were at work. It seemed that they wanted to use our butcher's knife to help promote this prosperous era to the whole country!
"We only have a few more years to live. This time Zhu Di returns to Beijing, we will pass the throne to the fourth son. Let's work with Li Xiao to promote this system to the world."
Zhu Yuanzhang was thinking like this, thinking that Zhu Di should be back soon, right?
Why haven't you come to see us yet?
Talk about Cao Cao, Cao Cao is here!
At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang was sitting in the upper seat of the hall of the Duke's Mansion.
"Father! Father! I miss you so much!"
Zhu Di's shouting was heard far away.
Then a group of people walked over and knelt down to pay homage: "My lord, please pay homage to your Majesty!"
The words fell.
The servants in the Duke's Mansion were all shocked, especially Li Xiongzhi, whose legs were a little numb. It turned out that Huang Ba was the current emperor? ? ? ?
He always thought he was Li Xiao's eldest brother.
After finishing speaking, everyone hurriedly knelt down and said: "Long live my emperor!"
Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said: "Pingshen."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Everyone stood up.
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and walked towards Li Xiao, patting Li Xiao on the shoulder: "Li Xiao, Li Xiao, I didn't expect that you really fulfilled your original promise. I am very satisfied."
"Thank you for your appreciation, Your Majesty!"
Li Xiao cupped his hands and said, "This is all my responsibility."
After saying that, Zhu Yuanzhang walked towards Ningyun with a smile: "Ningyun, you really found me a good grandson-in-law."
Zhu Ningyun smiled and said: "Grandpa, this is the blessing of the Ming Dynasty."
"And Gao Xu, you're not bad either. You must have made a lot of contributions over the years."
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Gaoxu with a smile.
Zhu Gaoxu was so excited that he cupped his hands and said, "This is what a grandson should do."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly, then turned around and sat down.
Next, it is time to announce what Zhu Yuanzhang has decided during this period.
Erhu came out, took out the imperial decree and said: "Imperial decree."
Hearing this, everyone knelt down again, "I'm waiting to hear the order."
Erhu continued: "I am old. I will not return to the capital this time. Starting today, I will abdicate and become the Supreme Emperor. When I return to the capital this time, Prince Zhu Di will choose a day to ascend the throne as the emperor. The reign name is Yongle, and Zhu Di will be the Yongle Emperor."
After the words fell, Zhu Di said excitedly: "I accept the order to thank you!"
After waiting for so many years, this day is finally here!
Zhu Di was so excited, but why is this year Yongle?
Isn't that the same title as Li Xiaoguo's title?
Zhu Di thought for a while and finally understood. I am afraid that his father wanted to promote the prosperous scene he saw today to the whole country, and Li Xiao was the one who had to do it, so he used the same title.
Li Xiao, Li Xiao, your noodles are too big. In a sense, you and Gu are already on equal terms.
Li Xiao on the other side was also confused.
Damn it, Zhu Di and I used the same title to name the year?
What surprised Li Xiao even more was that it was already the thirty-first year of Hongwu.
History has gone according to the route it should have taken. Zhu Yuanzhang also died and abdicated this year. The difference is that there is nothing happening with Zhu Yunwen now.
Now, the whole family is happy for Zhu Di. Zhu Di has become the emperor, and they are all going to be upgraded. The princess has become a princess, and the princess has to be upgraded to a prince.
Erhu took the imperial edict and continued to read: "Li Xiao has made great achievements in reforming the law. He is named the Crown Prince and Grand Master, with a first-class official position. He is named the Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty and assists Zhu Di to create a prosperous era of the Ming Dynasty."
"I accept the order and thank you." Li Xiao hurriedly thanked him, thinking that it was a false position, just one with a bigger reputation and no need to do anything.
Erhu paused and said the most explosive final decree:
"Beiping is the gateway to the Ming Dynasty. In order to protect the Ming Dynasty from foreign enemies, I have carefully considered and decided to move the capital to Peiping and build it based on the Nanjing Palace. I rebuilt the palace in Peiping and named it the Forbidden City. It will be implemented immediately after Zhu Di ascends the throne. There must be no mistake. I hereby express my gratitude. .”
Zhu Gaoxu: "????"
Zhu Di: "???"
Li Xiao: "????"
Zhu Di looked startled, then became ecstatic.
Peking is great. I have always liked this place, and now it is more prosperous than Nanjing. It’s great. This place is unique! ! Oh no, it’s back to me! !
Li Xiao was stunned.
So, history still follows its established path?
Or should we move the capital?
The emperor guards the country, and the king dies in the country?
Damn it.
The most miserable person was Zhu Gaoxu. Zhu Gaoxu asked: "Grandfather, what about me?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "We are the Supreme Emperor now. If you have anything to ask your father."
So, Zhu Gaoxu looked at Zhu Di and said, "Dad, what about me?"
Zhu Di thought for a while and thought that if Nanjing was sealed off to Gao Xu, he would be in trouble?
Now that the capital has been moved to Peiping, I cannot properly clean up the remnants of the Bei Yuan Dynasty. We are in short supply of generals. Gao Xu is a good fighter and must be kept.
If you want to keep him, you have to give him a fiefdom he doesn't want to go to.
Thinking of this, Zhu Di said: "Gao Xu, what do you think of Yunnan?"
Zhu Gaoxu: "????"
Yunnan?
No dogs are going!
Dad, are you kidding me? !
The following days.
Zhu Di took the imperial edict and immediately returned to the capital and ascended the throne.
Under the worship of hundreds of officials, Zhu Di successfully ascended the throne.
Hongwu thirty-one years, March 10th.
Zhu Di ascended the throne as emperor, with the reign name Yongle, and was called the Yongle Emperor.
After Zhu Di ascended the throne, Li Xiao, as the prefect, did not continue to make great efforts to develop Peiping. Instead, he was allowed to develop on his own and govern by inaction.
Because anything that develops too fast is prone to problems.
At this time it has become apparent that many issues have surfaced.
Li Xiao always solved the problem slowly and consolidated the foundation.
In addition, in the past five years, Li Xiao has taken Zhu Yuanzhang to maintain his health and enjoy his old age every day.
After being nursed back to health by Li Xiao, the elderly Zhu Yuanzhang was still in good health.
The only thing they did was to build a railway from Peiping to Nanjing. It took five years to build a railway, which was not bad.
In the first year of Yongle, under the command of Yongle Emperor Zhu Di, hundreds of thousands of migrant workers and officers and soldiers began to build the Forbidden City.
Of course, Zhu Di still used the original system and called in laborers to build it. After all, the national treasury could not support so much consumption.
The buildings in the original imperial city were demolished and the people moved out.
Construction began on the basis of Yuan Dadu.
Zhu Di marched north to the grasslands and went west to Nanyang, while the ministers headed by Song Li, Minister of Industry, left the capital and traveled across the country in search of materials.
Going deep into the forest, he entered the mountain a thousand times and came out five hundred, going through all kinds of difficulties to harvest the best golden nanmu, and then transported the nanmu to Beiping with the help of water power.
In order to facilitate construction, five processing plants including Liulichang were built to continuously transport the finished products for the palace.
Around the foundation, migrant workers dug a moat and piled the earth on a hill, which was cleverly designed and named Long Live Mountain, now Jingshan.
Under Long Live Mountain is the palace of the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty.
This is precisely to suppress the luck of the previous dynasty.
Five years later, the Forbidden City was officially completed.
The magnitude of the project is unimaginable to future generations.
Thousands of years of Chinese civilization have been condensed on this project. Zhu Di walked to the throne, and a new prosperous age came.
Yongle five years, the Forbidden City.
"Long live my emperor! Long live!"
"The Ming Dynasty will last forever! The country will be solid forever!"
In front of Fengtian Hall, hundreds of civil and military officials came to pay homage, and Li Xiao was naturally among them.
The officials entered the new Fengtian Palace one after another and held the first morning court meeting in the new palace, which was of little significance.
At this time, Li Xiao was wearing black court clothes and had been named the Ming Dynasty Imperial Master by Zhu Di.
There is nothing better than having the title of Duke of the country, the real power of the prime minister, and the position of being a minister.
Calculated according to his actual age, Li Xiao is already thirty-six years old, but his real age is only eighteen years and eight days. The passage of time has not left any trace on him.
In order to conceal his age, Li Xiao put a mustache on his chin.
"Long live my emperor! Long live!"
Entering the main hall, the officials shouted again.
"Everyone loves you."
Zhu Di waved his hand, his imperial aura clearly visible.
Li Xiao stood with his hands down, waiting for the performance to begin.
Did you think it was over? No, the real difficulties have just begun.
What is being done in Peking is the most difficult thing now if we want to spread it across the country.
It is not easy to repeat the path that Peiping has taken and start comprehensive reforms in the land of the Ming Dynasty.
After all, I used to be a special zone and could do whatever I wanted. Now that the special zone is gone, everything must be done according to procedures and the world cannot be in chaos.
The eunuch shouted: "If there is something to do, we will start, if there is nothing, we will retreat!"
Li Xiao, who was standing at the front, slowly walked out and said, "I have something to report."
Zhu Di smiled and said: "Master, please speak."
Li Xiao cupped his hands and said: "The imperial examination system has lasted for thousands of years, and its shortcomings are hard to come back. I believe that the imperial examination system should be abolished and a more appropriate national examination system should be used to select talents. Only if people do their best can the Ming Dynasty be more prosperous. "
This sentence directly made the whole court boil.
One sentence touched the interests of the gentry across the country.
The words fell,
Almost all officials came out to oppose:
"This move is too ridiculous. How can the method of selecting talents for thousands of years be changed at will? If it is changed at will, it will shake the foundation of the country, and I object!"
"It's ridiculous, it's too ridiculous. The Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty is the master of a country. How can he act so wantonly? I also object to it! The Imperial Master, please respect yourself and don't follow the old path of the Ming Dynasty God of War!"
"If we arbitrarily change the rules set by our ancestors, the world will be in chaos. I oppose the cancellation of the imperial examination. Please think twice."
Without waiting for Li Xiao to speak.
Zhu Di waved his hand and said: "It's useless to object, I'm sure."
Civil and military officials: "????"
Damn it, you are just saying it, believe it or not, we are resigning! !
(End of chapter)
