The Ming Dynasty was so big that natural disasters occurred from time to time, including drought in Huguang, but Zhu Houcong only expressed his knowledge.
Investigating the disaster situation and preparing for disaster relief will be carried out at the same time, and the State Council will also have to worry about it. To solemnly report to Zhu Houcong, firstly, there are due procedures, and secondly, the emperor needs an order to mobilize the power of many companies under the Assets Bureau.
For example, it has become a grain storage bank that integrates grain production and grain storage, as well as a transfer operation under Huang Mingji, plus the river transportation bureau.
Zhang Lun was called to listen to the order and went to make arrangements without stopping - His Majesty had warned him: If the enterprises have not improved after three years, he, an Englishman, should go home and retire.
At this time, the people in the capital were not worried about the disaster in Huguang. Instead, they were talking about the general election of the provincial armies.
This matter was officially started last year, but it did not cause much disturbance in the first year.
But since the large campus was built on a vacant lot east of the Temple of Heaven at the end of last year, this year's general election has become a hot topic.
That large campus is managed by the Ministry of War. The current Minister of the Ministry of War is Wang Hong, who entered the capital with blood during the Tuen Mun Sea War and later made meritorious service.
He didn't know much about the significance of this matter, and the matter was only left to a right servant to deal with the five mansions on weekdays.
Wang Hong serves as Minister of War and has an extremely important mission.
Today, he entered the palace according to the order and waited for the emperor to come from Yangxin Hall together with Yang Yiqing.
Soon after, Zhu Houcong came here with only Yang Bo. After entering the palace, he saw the two of them gathered around the sand table.
This is the terrain of the Ming Dynasty territory that took more than two years to continuously concoct and perfect. Of course there are still quite a few mistakes, but it is already far more precise and practical than a purely hand-drawn map.
"How did the discussion go?" Zhu Houcong asked after sitting down after receiving their visit.
Both of them were seated, and Yang Yiqing heard the words and said: "Wang Shangshu has stayed in Guangdong and Zhejiang. In the third year of Jiajing's reign, he also led the troops to capture the west coast of Taiyuan. Now it seems that the Ming Dynasty has a very vast sea area. If we only want to train a serious naval force, I'm afraid it would be best to stay in Susong. It's close to Nanjing and the Yangtze River Navy has some foundation. It's not far from Susong north to south."
"Su Song?" Zhu Houcong frowned.
Yang Yiqing said bluntly: "Your Majesty, if the navy is successful, it must be easy to control. If it is located in Ningbo, Taiyuan, Fujian or Guangdong, it will be too far from the center. After all, Nanjing still has six departments with garrison. Furthermore, South Zhili has another army and is more secure."
Zhu Houcong understood what he meant.
If this navy master is fully trained, his combat power will be extraordinary. In the future, if the people leading the troops cannot be controlled well, it will be really easy to separate overseas parties - such as the island of Taiwan.
Let's set it up closer to Nanjing first. This main base will be easier to control.
Zhu Houcong does not want to be in South Zhili because the three border cities of Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Liaodong, the two light industry and heavy industry parks in Beijing, and the convenient layout of many enterprises are slowly eroding the future of many wealthy families in South Zhili. .
In another ten or twenty years, Southern Zhili will no longer be able to develop strong rebound capabilities in many aspects such as taxation, grain taxes, culture and education. By then, it will be time to destroy another invisible center in Nanzhili.
"...Your Majesty, we will definitely march to the north in the future. Money and grain reserves in Jiangnan are still the top priority. At the national policy meeting, the Nanjing Ministry of Household Affairs no longer had any responsibility for the grain rations of the southern prefectures, Jiangxi, Huguang, and Zhejiang provinces. It is better to be more secure in the power of conquest."
Hearing Yang Yiqing's words, Zhu Houcong sneered and said: "Starting from this year, the Beijing Ministry of Household Affairs will collect grain taxes from all over the country. Why are they so unsettled? It can only be said that in the past, the Nanjing Ministry of Household Affairs collected taxes on their behalf, and there were too many inside stories."
"The naval division is located in Susong, building warships and armaments, purchasing food and military supplies, and it can always allow some wealthy merchants in Jiangnan to make more money. Even if there is an inside story, it will not make many people in Jiangnan panic and delay their preparations for the Northern Expedition in the future. Food and salary plan.”
Yang Yiqing felt that the emperor's mood had not been very stable for more than half a year. Now facing this matter, I don't know why I must express such obvious dissatisfaction.
Is it because after the news came back that the right wing of the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty had taken possession of Qinghai, some people reiterated the importance of Nanjing's national foundation? That's nothing, don't worry about victory, just worry about defeat first.
Zhu Houcong shook his head: "Why should we set up a naval division? The purpose is very clear, that is, for the future major events in Nanyang. You can't tie your hands and feet just because of the consideration of good governance. This naval division is set up in Guangdong, right in Dongguan and Among the islands in the south. Things in southern Zhili are easy to handle."
Yang Yiqing's eyebrows showed some hidden worries.
It's better to find another opportunity and give Fei Hong some advice.
The matter in Southern Zhili is actually not that urgent. For the imperial court, it would be good to prepare a little more official salary. The amount of grain and tax that can actually be collected will definitely be much more than in the past. If we go to war, after all, it will still involve the entire court and nearly half of the local officials' families with some maneuverable unspoken rules.
…
Starting from the topic at last year's major national policy conference, the emperor's actual plan to take action on Nanjing, another capital, has already begun.
At that time, the outcome of the Mongolian-Yuan right wing's battle in Qinghai was still unclear, and there were many steps for advancement provided by the general change. There was not much resistance in taking back the Nanjing Ministry of Household's right to collect grain taxes from Southern Zhili and the three provinces.
But all the new officials were selected, and the situation became clear. Qinghai changed hands, and the right wing was able to attack the two towns of Gansu and Ningxia from the north and south. Even Fei Hong's attitude was more conservative.
It was not that he thought that Ming would be unable to defeat the Meng Yuan in the future, but that the decisive battle to destroy the country would come sooner or later, and Fei Hong would bear all the pressure on Ming in terms of money and food. Even out of consideration for completing the task, he could not allow any changes to the tax base of Jiangnan.
In order to prepare for the war against the Northern invaders, and to prepare for the formal establishment of the navy, Fei Hong's house has been visited by officials, scholars and people sent by some Jiangnan noble families for several months.
Nothing else. I am worried about increasing taxes on Jiangnan in order to prepare for a future war. In addition, new laws and new studies have gained momentum, and many officials of the older generation and those who cannot keep up do not want to lose Nanjing as a good place for retirement.
How can I be willing to go directly to work?
Most of them have high official status. Even if they just go to Nanjing to take a casual position, it is still good to still have some power in their hands.
Fei Hong was caught in the middle and was in a dilemma.
He was very clear about the emperor's determination to eventually abolish the Six Ministries of Nanjing, and he was very clear that the emperor eventually wanted to treat Nanzhili as a province with the same location as other provinces. How to dismantle and modify it is just a matter of waiting until the time is right.
The new era of the Ming Dynasty has arrived. How many remnants of the old era can be carried on this ship of the old era in Nanjing?
People like Zhang Fujing crowded into the center with great momentum. Some people who failed to jump up this time were like Zhang Lun, who was originally the Minister of State. In fact, they were just seniority weirdos. Their talents and practical abilities are clearly inferior to those of some young people.
For them, the best hope is to survive for another three to five years, and then go to various ministries in Nanjing to gain the title of minister, and enjoy better retirement benefits and posthumous fame.
Fei Hong can't ignore them yet. After all, Ming Dynasty is under great external pressure and its internal affairs must be stable.
The disaster in Huguang, preparations for autumn in border towns, the start of this year's grain tax collection...everything is pressing in the State Palace.
"Mao Gong, when you go to the grain superintendent of Nanzhili, Jiangxi, Huguang, and Zhejiang provinces, you and Yong Xiu should give them some advice." Fei Hong solemnly said to Zhang Fujing, "Everyone in the field has re-created the register, so don't create unnecessary problems. Just collect and pay according to the amount. Other things are fine. If everyone attacks each other and everyone has to wait for investigation and defend themselves, then it will miss the national affairs."
He is not worried about big troubles in Jiangnan. He is only worried that many officials from Jiangnan will find breakthrough points from other angles to trigger conflicts between the government and the party. Among officials, how many people have absolutely no dirt on them? If protests are triggered in this way, many government affairs will be suspended.
These are not just a few official positions, this is the chain reaction caused by the deprivation of many operating spaces and preferential treatment enjoyed by the three provinces in the past because of the Nanjing expedition.
If they want to express their dissatisfaction, they will definitely have something to say. If the imperial court wants to uphold its principles, it must not sit idly by and ignore some impeachments. If not handled carefully, it will become a trend of mutual criticism.
This is a struggle within the rules, and even the emperor cannot ignore it. Just like when Yang Tinghe attacked Wang Qiong, the emperor had to abandon a Liang prince in the end.
Zhang Fujing understood the importance and nodded and said: "We will never cause any extraneous problems. There are still disasters in Huguang, and we will investigate and reduce them as appropriate."
How to collect grain from other provinces, the Chief Envoy will take care of it.
However, the prefectures in Southern Zhili and the three provinces of Jiangxi, Huguang, and Zhejiang were all handled by the Nanjing Ministry of Household Affairs in the past. This time it is also a new task for the Beijing Ministry of Household Affairs.
After Yang Tinghe and Jiang Mian took office, as a large number of veteran ministers withdrew from the court, Zhu Houcong could not choose anyone with enough weight and talent to continue to take over as the governor of Yingtian and Huaiyang.
These two missions were temporarily cancelled.
The household establishment under Yang Shen has grown larger and larger. There is now a relatively independent tax administration department, and the Thirteenth Cleaning Office has now entered the busiest time of the year.
On Wang Hong's side, Hu Zan, who had served as the censor of Caojiang in Nanjing, was now promoted to the right minister of the Ministry of War. He was responsible for the preparation of the naval division and set off for Guangdong.
On September 23, the team starting from Duoyan arrived in the east of the capital.
Tana was very curious when she heard the deafening cheers from the south and asked, "Tong Dianzheng, what are you doing there?"
After being elected, she learned Mandarin from this female official, and now she is only familiar with her.
Next to the carriage, the female official who knew very well that she would dress as a foreign queen from now on answered first: "It is the people of the capital who are applauding the military teams selected from each province to compete in the capital."
After that, he warned again: "Your Majesty, after entering the palace, it is better to be more cautious in your words and deeds. Your Majesty is... too curious now."
She was a little helpless. The temperament of this foreign empress was too different from the other empresses.
Along the way, she often opened the curtain to look around. The female officer was very worried that she would be rude if she entered the palace later.
Although Tana said "Hello", her eyes were still looking at the main campus over there.
To her, it looked like a fortress. There are stone walls around and many flags.
Military teams compete in martial arts? I don’t know what the situation is inside now, but it seems like tens of thousands of people there are cheering and applauding.
"Your Majesty! My father-in-law, who is the Supervisor of Ceremonies, is already waiting. You'd better sit in the car! We are about to enter the city. How can our Majesty be seen by the people?"
"……oh."
After she reminded her, Tana finally reluctantly lowered the curtain.
So, can’t we take a look at what the capital of the Ming Dynasty looked like?
Just like this, we entered the city. We only heard the excitement outside, but we could no longer rashly open the curtain and look outside.
Then it gradually became quiet. After the car stopped somewhere for a while, it passed through the doorway as if it had entered the city before.
After a while, I heard the eunuch named Mr. Zhang respectfully shouting from outside the carriage: "Your Majesty, please get out of the carriage first."
Tana nervously saw someone opening the door curtain in front of the carriage, and Tong Dian was reaching out his hand to help her get out of the carriage.
Zhang Zuo looked at this beauty who was dressed in Meng Yuan attire. He couldn't help but be attracted by her clear eyes, and then quickly lowered his head.
"According to the decree of the Queen Mother, I would like to ask Queen Tana to undergo the ritual of exorcism from Tao Zhenren in front of the Qin'an Hall, then take a bath and change clothes. After meeting the Queen Mother and the Queen, she will be sent to the Yangxin Hall to meet her."
Tana didn't know why, and then she looked dizzy as a Taoist priest walked around her with a magic weapon.
Tao Zhongwen was also helpless.
Over the years, he has actually gradually accepted his identity as a "chemistry master". To be honest, those various wonderful reactions really made him feel like he was searching for a new path.
It was just burned today, and the ashes do indeed contain the kind of phosphorus that His Majesty mentioned in urine. This result shows that they can be used as fertilizers, and the reason is probably not least because of this phosphorus.
As a result, he received an order from the Queen Mother to exorcise evil spirits for this beauty who was presented by Duoyan Sanbu.
Tao Zhongwen was so distracted that he was still thinking about the reactions in bottles and jars.
And Tana gradually understood that the emperor's mother was worried that there was something unclean on her body, just like a shaman exorcising ghosts.
She pursed her lips and lowered her head. Standing there, she had no intention of marveling at the Forbidden City she had just seen. She only felt a lot of humiliation welling up in her heart.
She is as pure as the white clouds and dew on the grassland. Where can there be anything unclean?
Then, many people helped her bathe, over and over again.
Tana, who had already been inspected once in the diplomatic embassy, once again faced stricter inspections by the female officials in the palace. In fact, they were just checking Tana's body carefully to see if there were any problems with her body, whether there was any odor, etc. like the draft girls, but after all, those actions made Tana feel like she was being scrutinized like a cow or a sheep.
When he met the Queen Mother and the Empress, they only gave him cold warnings and instructions, asking him to abide by the rules and not to charm the emperor, let alone say anything to the emperor to ask for favors for the Duoyan Tribe.
Tana just lowered her head in the palace and went through one process after another. Even though she was hungry, she was only allowed to eat a little bit first, so as not to be upset when she saw the emperor.
Following Zhang Zuo and Na Tong Dianzheng, when Tana passed by the palace called Changle Palace, she saw a girl who was also not Han.
She was startled and couldn't help but look at her twice.
"That's Concubine Shu, she deserves to be greeted." Tong Dianzheng saluted Wen Suyun first, and then reminded Tana.
Watching the excitement at the entrance of the palace were naturally the lively and active Wen Suyun, Carolina, Qu Mei and others who lived in the same palace with her and had the status of beauties.
Tana saluted and was then taken to the back hall of Qianqing Palace.
While sitting there quietly, I heard a sudden roar from the front yard.
"How can Suzhou Prefecture be so badly affected by the wind this year? Of all the prefectures in the south of the Yangtze River, 30% of Suzhou's crops were destroyed? Lu Bing, send someone to investigate thoroughly!"
"Your Majesty, calm down..." Several voices came.
Tana looked over there blankly, and then she couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Why is it so unlucky that the emperor is angry when he enters the palace...
Zhu Houcong was indeed very angry now, with a cold look in his eyes.
Did the heavy reliance on Jiangnan grain taxes during the declaration of war the year before last emboldened some people?
(End of chapter)
