After shaking hands with the Tumut people and making peace, Shaanxi eliminated this external worry. Zuo Maodi worked hard internally for 20 years, using oil fields, gold mines, coal mines and other projects to implement a work-for-relief policy.
Coupled with the imperial court's support for Shaanxi over the years and the continuous suppression by the government and army, the number of bandits and bandits in this corner of the country has been greatly reduced.
Twenty years after a new imperial supervisory state, Shaanxi had basically escaped the ravages of war.
With the permission of the imperial court, Zuo Maodi has set the local goal as defending against foreign enemies and taking into account the improvement of Minsheng.
For Ningxia, the southern part of the Yangtze River, it is the same construction focus as northern Shaanxi.
This is the only area in Shaanxi with an output comparable to that of the Wei River Basin, and it has previously been threatened by the Menggu tribe outside the Pass.
A certain new emperor also believed that solid defense in Ningxia was one of the means to control the Hetao area, and that a two-pronged approach was required.
On the one hand, Zuo Maodi was ordered to rectify the local officials, and at the same time, Sun Chuanting was ordered to rectify the local soldiers and horses.
On the other hand, it is building a railway from Ningxia to Monan Gold Mine, which passes through the Hetao outer area.
Once a war breaks out in this area, the Guannai Ming army can quickly arrive at the battlefield in a short period of time.
If all goes well, including the parts that have already been built, it is expected that the entire line will be open to traffic within three years.
A certain new emperor has not made up his mind yet on whether to build a railway to the Western Regions via the Hexi Corridor.
Because there is still a railway from Monan Jinshan to Lake Baikal that needs to be built, and the investment requires at least 30 million taels of silver.
If the two railways are built at the same time, the total investment will exceed 50 million taels, which will put too much pressure on the Beiting Household Department.
The silver coins obtained from selling ironclad ships to the Netherlands were basically used by a certain new emperor to subsidize the silver reward for the Northern Expedition.
If Beiting wants to build these two long-mileage railways in the west and north, it will have to rely on its own efforts...
If there is no need to continue the Northern Expedition, it can be endured by gritting one's teeth.
Now that the pigtails are still there, the Huangtai chicken is dead, and the Shun chicken has popped out again.
The King of Ming Dynasty still has to continue the Northern Expedition until the pigtails are eliminated, or they are sent to a place where they feel that they have nothing to do.
A certain new emperor believes that in five to ten years, even if Braid adopts guerrilla tactics and plays hide-and-seek in the mountains, he will not be able to escape his fate.
That is to say, on the occasion of the 60th birthday of the father who dumped the blame, the pigtails entrenched in the Northeast region have completely lost their footing.
Or choose to surrender!
Or choose to run away!
Or choose to die!
This is a historical necessity, because nomadic gangs are similar to fishing and hunting gangs in that they are militaristic and cannot withstand the consumption of a protracted war.
Farming gangs have the greatest development potential, but they lack explosive power. Once they are taken away by the opponent in a wave, they will be completely outcast...
But as long as they survive three blows from the opponent, the farming gangs can rely on their advantages in population, land, technology, etc. to gain an absolute advantage over their old enemies, and then seize the initiative in the war.
Now, Beiting can earn about 20 million taels of silver per year from the northern eight corners under its jurisdiction. From trade with the Netherlands, France, Ottoman, Siam and other countries, it can get another 25 million silver coins, a total of three More than sixteen million taels.
In addition, the imperial court could also harvest no less than 10 million shi of grain from agricultural taxes and more than 3,000 pieces of Sichuan brocade every year. Through barter, it also obtained 10,000 ancient war horses, more than 50,000 cattle and sheep, and exchanged with overseas vassals. The country and Zhang Xianzhong's tribe bartered more than 100,000 furs.
According to the current speed of Beiting's spending, this amount of annual income can only be said to be barely enough. It is simply that there is no shortage of food, which can completely ensure that Jun Min will not starve, and can also export a large amount of local products.
The imperial court already owes a certain new emperor three thousand two thousand taels of silver and fifty-five million silver coins. It is estimated that the creditors will not be able to repay them in thirty to fifty years...
Fortunately, Northern Bashu has survived the Little Ice Age and is finally recovering. Especially the development of Beidu makes a certain new emperor feel very pleased.
Now the scapegoat will not mention the fact that one city in Beidu can equal the four cities in Jiangnan, because Beidu has developed too fast and has reached the original intention of a certain new emperor in terms of population.
Through door-to-door statistics, the combined population of the old city, middle city, and new city reached four million. There are also a large number of minzhai outside the city. If they are all added together, the population will be no less than seven million.
Now standing at the top of the city and looking out, there is very little open space within ten miles of the city wall. They are basically full of houses, and they are occupied by nearby farmers or migrant workers who come to Beidu.
There are many factories, companies, foreigners, and merchants from all over Beidu, which means that there are many more opportunities for employment and making money than in other places.
What's more important is that under the care of a certain new emperor, elementary school in Beidu is free. This is an excellent opportunity for poor families who are determined to change their destiny.
There are 61 primary schools scattered throughout the city, which can enroll more than 60,000 students every year. Even adults in their thirties and forties who intend to enroll can also enroll after approval.
In addition to job opportunities and dotted shops, there is another aspect that attracts people to settle in Beidu, and that is medical care.
The first establishment was an Army Hospital under the Medical Ministry, and then a new emperor established a Naval Hospital, but it was located in Tianjin, mainly to treat the wounded soldiers who returned from the Northern Expedition at sea.
After that, the army hospital was already overcrowded, and a certain new emperor ordered the construction of three hospitals in the three cities of Beidu. Initially, there was one hospital in each city, and now there are five hospitals in each city, excluding the army hospital.
Large-scale construction of hospitals can not only save lives and heal the wounded, but also widely train medical staff and spread these people like seeds across the country.
At the same time, you can also earn some medical fees. The Medical Department is the only yamen among the seven departments that can make a lot of money every year and keep the money.
The Ministry of Revenue has a lot of money at the beginning of the spring, but there will be very little left by the end of the year. Maybe they will have to borrow a few million from a certain new emperor to celebrate the new year...
A patient spends one tael of silver to enter the hospital, and 10 million people are treated every year, which is a real 10 million taels of silver.
Although there are still diagnosis and treatment costs involved, the profit is basically not less than 40%. This is the fundamental reason why the medical department is able to build hospitals out of its own pocket every time.
A certain new emperor does not participate in the profit sharing of the medical department or even the hospital. He only makes some money from the special medicines purchased by the hospital, and he also helps the world in the name of a charitable foundation.
A large number of orphans were adopted in the past through this method.
Otherwise, these orphans would have to be left to fend for themselves, and few of the survivors would be able to learn well.
Although it cost a lot of money at first, this move was unanimously praised by everyone including the beautiful mother.
It also means that while educating the orphans, many future suspects are nipped in the bud.
The boys in the orphanage receive military training from an early age. After reaching adulthood at the age of fifteen, they undergo another three years of training. After that, they can join the East Palace Guards or serve in the official army.
Girls can choose to be nurses, maids, tailors, entertainers, or get married directly based on their appearance, intelligence, physical strength, and talents...
Usually, before reaching adulthood at the age of fifteen, girls with good looks will be selected by dignitaries and married as concubines. This can be regarded as having no worries about food and clothing in the future.
The average and above-average ones can be used to reward the army and reward officers and soldiers who have made military exploits.
A certain new emperor thought that this was the best of both worlds, so that both the bride and groom could get what they needed...
Some girls who are particularly smart can continue to study. After graduating from university, they can enter the Hanlin Academy to study.
Can girls also learn?
Of course!
At least when compiling a dictionary, you should be more careful than some scholars!
Without seniors like Liu Zongzhou to take the lead in compiling it, a dictionary with not so advanced content might not be compiled into what it would be.
During the Northern Expedition last year, Liu Tou, who was over eighty years old, also died of illness. When a certain new emperor came back, he went to the Hanlin Academy to express his condolences.
According to Lao Liutou's will, he was not sent back to his hometown, but was buried in the cemetery in Beidu.
After leading the Northern Expedition to complete victory, he burned newspapers for his part in recovering Liaodong and even Nurgan Dusi, which was considered as a notification...
Affected by this, Huang Zongxi, who is almost 50 years old this year, has been working in the Beiting Imperial Academy.
After completing the first edition of the dictionary and thesaurus, we are leading future generations to write subsequent, more detailed editions.
Xu Fuyuan, who is already sixty-one years old, has taken root in the Ministry of War and is now responsible for assessing scholars who are interested in joining the army.
Chen Zilong is fifty-two years old. He was previously a battalion commander. He was seriously injured while participating in the Seventh Northern Expedition last year and had to retire early.
After a certain new emperor learned about the situation, he also specially provided several positions for him. After learning about his old friend Xu Fuyuan's errand, he asked for orders to continue working side by side with his old friend.
After Fang Yizhi resigned as the editor-in-chief of the newspaper six years ago, he was transferred to the Ministry of Etiquette by a new emperor for a year, and then was appointed as the Ming Dynasty's ambassador to France, with full responsibility for all European affairs.
The original term was ten years, but later, considering personal reasons, it was shortened to five years. This year happens to be the time when his term expires, and he can return to the Ming Dynasty.
Wu Zong, the second assistant, is very old. He is already seventy-one years old this year. A certain new emperor also promised to allow Fang Yizhi to retire after his return so that he can take care of himself.
Of course, in addition to a generous pension, in recognition of Lao Wutou's diligence and dedication over the years, a certain new emperor also specially appointed him as a consultant to the Military Aircraft Department, with a monthly salary of one hundred taels of silver and ten stones of rice.
In a few years, Chief Assistant Xue Guoguan will retire. Although it is a national battle and he can still go to the palace with this status, the job of Chief Assistant and Minister of Military Aircraft Department is too physically demanding.
A certain new emperor intends to let Fang Yizhi be the second assistant first and then the first assistant, but the current first assistant must help him get on the horse and send him off for another ride.
He can only enter semi-retirement after the church has completed a lot of affairs with the cabinet and the military aircraft department.
Regarding the candidate for the second assistant, a certain new emperor also had a favorite, and that was Xia Wanchun, the son of Xia Yunyi.
There is a big age difference between this son and Fang Yizhi, but because of this, the embarrassing situation of the first assistant and the second assistant retiring at the same time will be avoided.
When Fang Yizhi couldn't do anything anymore, Xia Wanchun was able to take over. At that time, Zuo Maodi and others were not much older than Xia Wanchun, so they became the governor of a province.
This guy had been invited to the Northern Capital by a certain new emperor, and the method was very simple. Since everyone said that Xia Wanchun was extremely smart, let's see how he went in the imperial examination.
This is a special approval and does not count. It will not crowd out the quota of other candidates. It is just a test. Otherwise, it can be declared that Xia Wanchun is just a little clever.
A certain new emperor did not intentionally bully him, but still provided him with exam questions from previous years and asked Bo Jue, a great talent, to answer his questions and provide him with one-on-one tutoring.
When this student finished answering the paper, he was indeed ranked among the top three. The reason why he did not become the top scorer was that he had too little time to prepare for the exam and was not as able to cope with it as well as the candidates who had prepared for a long time.
However, in comparison, Xia Wanchun is weak in calculations and good at world affairs. He is relatively good at analyzing some major internal and external events. After training, he is a good talent.
Xia Wanchun didn't want to find a job in Nanting through his father's relationship. It would be great if he could make a name for himself in Beidu.
A certain new emperor also took the opportunity to provide him with a part-time work-study job, that is, working at the Academy of Sciences, because there are a group of smartest people in the entire Ming Dynasty.
If Xia Wanchun likes to work at the Academy of Sciences, he can serve as Bo Jue's assistant and work until he dies...
Being able to enter the Beiting Academy of Sciences is a dream goal for many talented people.
It's just that the threshold of the Academy of Sciences is very high. Even if a craftsman wants to come in and have a meal, he has to pass a strict examination.
When Xia Wanchun arrived at the cafeteria of the Academy of Sciences, he realized that the good treatment at the Academy was not just a boast.
Both lunch and dinner include fish and meat. Each person has a plate and can choose from a variety of dishes.
Craftsmen enjoy the treatment of two meat and two vegetables, while students and above can taste three meat and three vegetables.
Rice and steamed buns are enough, and vegetable soup can be drank as much as you like. As long as you can eat it, you can eat it in the cafeteria during the lunch break.
During the holidays, you can also get a lot of gifts for food and clothing, and the Academy of Sciences will also hold banquets to entertain everyone.
Of course, being in the Academy of Sciences is not just about eating and drinking.
Each project team has a person in charge, and the schedule is settled weekly.
If the standards are not met, the reasons need to be reported and solutions submitted.
If you fail to complete the task many times, after the review, you will either continue to work on the problem or change the general.
Completing a project allows everyone involved in the project to receive generous dividends, which is why everyone works so hard.
Xia Wanchun was lucky enough to see the top ironclad ship under construction at the Tianjin Shipyard, which was Yoshino, only half a year after he was admitted to the hospital.
The first time he saw the giant ship, Xia Wanchun was completely shocked. People said that there were many skilled craftsmen in Beiting, and their skills were even more incredible. Seeing it with his own eyes, it was true.
Even though Xia Wanchun is smart and has worked at the Academy of Sciences for a while, he is still unable to deal with various complex drawings.
As the chief engineer of the project, Bo Jue directed the engineers and craftsmen strictly, inspected key parts, discovered existing problems, and reminded his subordinates of many precautions.
It can be said that based on Xia Wanchun's knowledge base, he can barely be a student in name. In fact, he cannot even reach the level of a craftsman, and he has to learn everything from scratch.
Sun Yunqiu, Bo Jue's eldest disciple and the current prince-in-law, also participated in this project, but he was manufacturing optical observation equipment for the battleship and doing odd jobs for the master.
The Academy of Sciences has many project groups covering many disciplines. Bo Jue believes that Xia Wanchun should choose metallurgy, optics, manufacturing, machinery, architecture, chemical engineering and other disciplines based on his interests.
Only by learning the relevant knowledge first can we make a clear target, otherwise we can only go through the motions.
At most, like the people outside, they comment on the contents of the newspaper after dinner...
