(The previous chapter was posted incorrectly, but it has been corrected now)
Eighteen years...
Looking at the imperial calendar for the eighteenth year of Hongxian of the Ming Dynasty that had just been sent by Qin Tian Jian, Emperor Hongxian Zhu Cixi almost burst into tears.
Time flies too fast, right?
Eighteen years ago, he took over the Ming Dynasty from Emperor Chongzhen. It seems that it happened just now...three hours ago at most!
However, on the imperial calendar sent by Qin Tianjian, it is clearly the eighteenth year of Hongxian... because it was the spring of the forty-third year of Chongzhen when Zhu Cixi took over the throne, and it was changed to Yuan in the second year. Therefore, his term as emperor will last until the spring of the 18th year of Hongxian's reign. In another three or four months, he will have to resign to the wealthy son.
Of course, after inner meditation, Zhu Cixiang will not stay at home to take care of his old age. Because according to the practice of Emperor Chongzhen, Zhu Cixiang, the Hongxian Emperor, could also retain a certain amount of power, and at the same time be responsible for the mission of training a prince for the Ming Dynasty - wasn't Zhu Hehao the "warlord prince" trained by Zhu Youjian?
Not only did he guard the place where Yan Yun used his martial arts for a long time, but he also sent troops on three expeditions. One time was to help his uncle Zhu Cixuan, the great Khan of Mongolia, and had a fight with the Turks by the way. He went back and forth for two full years!
Once, he went to compete with the Rakshasa people for the area around Lake Baikal. He also spent a winter on the edge of Lake Baikal and built four bastions. Finally, he forced the Rakshasa people back and won a complete victory.
One was to put down the rebellion in the Heilongjiang River Basin. This battle lasted for more than two years. Seventeen rebel villages were successively defeated, fifteen clan officers were sealed in the Heilongjiang Basin, and fifteen marquis mansions were built. Thirty thousand households were immigrated.
Although all three expeditions were a complete victory, in Zhu Cixiang's opinion, the benefits were not great, and the costs were astronomical... If not for the good economic performance of the Ming Dynasty under Zhu Cixiang's management, it would have been enough to provide logistics for Zhu Hehao's expeditions. Guaranteed, he simply cannot win the "Three Major Conquests of Hongxian".
Moreover, although Zhu Hehao, the warlord prince, was good at fighting, his achievements in opening up new territories could not be compared with Zhu Cihong's second son, Zhu Hexing, the commander-in-chief of the Republic of Xinhua.
In the New World, Zhu Hexing conquered Spain in the south and the Indians in Dongping, and opened up thirteen states including Xin, China, Canada, Shi, Sha, He, Yuan, Bei, Nan, Valley, Island, Forest, and Mountain. It is true that he has swallowed up thousands of miles, established his business in a foreign land, and gained fame overseas. Moreover, he did not establish the title of emperor, but used the title of commander-in-chief to command the land of the thirteen states. He also created a method of recommendation, which is almost like the government of the world!
Although the Thirteen States Triad Association unanimously elected him as the lifelong leader of the Republic not long ago, it was only out of public interest that the good brothers of the Thirteen States Triad Association unanimously pushed Zhu Hexing. Otherwise, why wouldn't they recommend Wu Sangui? Why not recommend Shi Lang? Why not recommend Chen Yonghua?
In addition, the price Zhu Hexing paid for achieving these achievements in the New World cannot be compared with Zhu Hehao's three expeditions.
The Ming Dynasty stopped blood transfusions to the affiliated Republic of Xinhua fifteen years ago because staggering gold reserves were discovered in California, Huazhou, and Xinzhou of the Republic of Xinhua!
And settlers found it easy to cull ferrets in the forests and grasslands of northern Xinhua.
The income from gold and mink skins alone is enough to support the development and growth of the Republic of Xinhua!
The huge demand generated during the development and growth of the Xinhua Republic caused a large amount of Xinhua's gold and mink skins to flow into the Ming Dynasty, which greatly promoted the development of the industrial, commercial and shipping industries in the southeast of the Ming Dynasty.
Moreover, the wealth effect of the Republic of Xinhua can attract a large number of poor people in the southeast to travel across the ocean at their own expense (no matter how they pay for travel expenses, Zhu Cixiang does not need to spend money anyway), thus greatly reducing the population pressure in the southeast.
Thinking of Zhu Hexing's achievements in the New World, Zhu Cixiang couldn't help but sigh.
"Why do you sigh?"
The voice of Emperor Chongzhen came from behind Zhu Cixiang.
Five years ago, Chongzhen completely handed over the big stall in Beijing to Zhu Hehao, and he took a large group of harem beauties to Laoshan Palace in Jiangbei, Nanjing to enjoy the blessings.
During this period, in order to guide his son Zhu Cixiang to abdicate, he moved into Nanjing City and lived in the Forbidden City of Nanjing that had been renovated by Zhu Cixiang.
"My son, I respectfully send you your holy greetings."
Zhu Cixiang, who was sighing in the imperial study, quickly stood up and saluted the Supreme Emperor.
"Your Majesty, there's no need to be polite." The 78-year-old Emperor Chongzhen, who is still as handsome as ever, came with a smile and sat down swaggeringly, "I'm going to be the Supreme Emperor soon. How do you feel?"
"Fortunately..." Zhu Cihong said in his heart: I just want to do it for another... ten or twenty years. This emperor ascended the throne at the age of forty-two, and has only been the emperor for eighteen years! And these eighteen years have passed too fast, passing in the blink of an eye.
Chongzhen smiled and said: "It's not that it's okay, it's that it's very good! The Ming Dynasty can be where it is today, and you deserve the most credit!"
"My father is very grateful." Zhu Cixiang said humbly, "Without my father's efforts to turn the tide, what can I do?"
Zhu Youjian smiled and said in his heart: You can complete your father's achievements and your own achievements at the same time!
However, the secret cannot be leaked.
So Chongzhen said with a smile: "Boss, my life's achievements are actually achieved by my ability to fight! I think that in terms of using troops to fight, I can compete with Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu of the Liu Song Dynasty, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, and Emperor Taizu Gao. Than. But before you go to Jiangnan to open the Salt Bank, my path has come to an end... If we continue fighting, no matter whether we go west, north, east or south, the gains will outweigh the losses. If we don’t go anywhere, domestic The more than 200 million people in the Ming Dynasty have no way out. The so-called Chongzhen rule at that time was nothing more than a false excitement. The day I die will be a time of great chaos. Fortunately, you have borrowed debts and financed the Ming Dynasty and spent future money to do things now. Son. Only in this way can I continue my expansion and have your prosperous Hongxian era."
Zhu Cihong's trick of opening a bank and doing finance may not seem like a big deal to later generations, even a little dirty. Later generations tend to value industry and despise finance. If Zhu Cihong made money by building steam engines in the Ming Dynasty, he would be very noble. But relying on one or two taels of silver to make money will not be able to solve the investment needed for Ming Dynasty to launch colonial expansion...
Because the Ming Dynasty itself has already occupied all the good territory in East Asia, and if it wants to expand abroad, it will be a business with large investment, slow results, and large capital usage - this matter cannot be ignored in economic terms! Not counting the economic accounts, it means pushing down investments and losses to the lowest military households. They simply cannot afford it!
To calculate the economic accounts, we have to solve the investment problem of colonial expansion... This requires reducing the cost of funds and implementing debt expansion!
"My father said this, it really offends my son." Zhu Cixiang's mood improved a little.
Chongzhen added: "I need to know that if you continue to be emperor, the prosperous age of Hongxian will not end. But you are 60 years old this year, how many more years can you be emperor? If I didn't give up the throne to you, what could I have done? Like the rich man who went to battle three times to beg thieves? The three major expeditions took more than five years in total, not counting the time on the road. In other words, the rich man was young and strong, and could still withstand such a journey. If it were changed, Cheng Zhen, I might die on the road, and then you will be in a mess!"
"I understand!" Zhu Cihong breathed out, "I can't control the lifeline of Ming Dynasty's bank until old age... Now is the time to train Yi You to take over."
Zhu Youjian smiled and nodded, saying: "That's right... If you bring Yi You out, my Ming Dynasty can have another 18 years of prosperity, and then He Hao will train Yi You's successor." . Our prosperous Ming Dynasty can continue from generation to generation, and maybe it can last for more than two hundred years."
"Father is wise." Zhu Cixi had no choice but to give him a compliment.
Because Zhu Youjian's reforms have indeed reached the limit of the feudal dynasty... The door to the monarchy and constitution has been opened. As for whether the monarchy or the republic will come out of it, only God knows.
