The distance to the Western Regions is long and the roads are difficult to navigate. The supply of military supplies is a huge problem. To transport grain from the pass to Verumu, a large-scale transportation is no less than an arduous war.
The biggest tasks of the people are to farm, have children, and live a good life. They repair rivers in May and deliver food in September. This kind of thing is okay once in a while, but no one can bear to do it every year.
But troops must be stationed in the Western Region.
Zhu Yunwen looked at the sand table. In such a vast Western Region, 85,000 soldiers were left behind, which was really not a lot.
The distance between the guard posts is more than three hundred miles, separated by a mountain, and one or two thousand miles away, separated by a sea of sand. Can you say that the guard posts are densely set up?
"Just follow King Yan's strategy."
Zhu Yunwen said solemnly.
Yu Xin was a little anxious and quickly reminded: "Shanxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan and other places are afraid that it will be difficult to maintain food transportation, and the people are exhausted. If they are recruited again, it will hurt the people again, and then the civil uprising will happen..."
Although Tie Xuan supported Zhu Di's strategy, considering the issues of logistics supply and people's livelihood, he still advised: "Your Majesty, I think that there will not be much turmoil now that the Western Region has been initially decided, so we might as well set up fewer guard posts until two years later. , and adding more health centers will not only alleviate the current logistical pressure, but also complete the initial layout."
Zhu Yunwen shook his head and said to Tie Xuan: "It is inappropriate to retreat in order to advance in the Western Region. It is precisely because the Western Region was initially determined that the court needs to set up more guard posts to deter Xiaoxiao and rebellious people. If the gap is too large, Without the guard station as a barrier or support, how could the imperial officials go deep into the Western Regions and govern the Western Regions? Not to mention that some people from the guard station would need to be transferred to serve as county and government guards."
"But……"
Tie Xuan was worried about the supply of food and grass.
Zhu Yunwen waved his hand and said to Tie Xuan, Yu Xin and others: "Leave it to Xia Yuanji to solve the food and grass problem. Tell him that the imperial court is preparing to reopen the Silk Road."
The eyes of Xie Jin, Yu Xin, Yang Shiqi and others brightened up. Tie Xuan pondered for a moment and nodded repeatedly. Mei Yin was a little confused. She looked at Tie Xuan and Yu Xin who no longer objected. What does this mean? Opening the Silk Road can make people Xia Yuanji got food?
Xia Yuanji has been a little busy recently and has been checking the accounts in the Accounts Department. Although the specific calculations do not require him to do it himself. There is a group of "mathematical" elites in the Accounts Department who have done it, but the accounting issues cannot be careless. If a number is wrong, it may be a mistake. Cause immeasurable impact.
When Yang Shiqi walked up to Xia Yuanji, Xia Yuanji was still looking at the account books with his head lowered. When he heard the footsteps, he thought it was an official from the Ministry of Revenue and said, "Why are the account books of Qingzhou Prefecture so inconsistent? The population reported by Jianwen in the past five years is nine." 180,000. The population reported in the middle of this year was one million, but by the end of the year, it was 940,000? Go check the original documents and see where there are any mistakes. If Qingzhou Prefecture made a mistake in reporting, let them investigate clearly. Explain the reason and then report back.”
Zhuo Jing wanted to remind Xia Yuanji, but Yang Shiqi took the account book with a smile and replied: "Sixty thousand people were missing out of thin air in half a year. How can such a weird account book be made? Qingzhou Mansion, is it true that Huang Zicheng is working in Qingzhou? It’s so careless.”
Xia Yuanji heard Yang Shiqi's voice, raised his head, stood up and saluted: "It turns out that Yang Ge has arrived. I'm sorry."
Yang Shiqi handed the account book to Zhuo Jing: "Have you heard what Xia Shangshu told you just now? Send someone to check it out."
"Okay, let's talk first."
Zhuo Jing took the account book and turned to leave.
Yang Shiqi said to Xia Yuanji, who was a little thin, "It's not easy to be the steward of the Ming Dynasty."
Xia Yuanji arranged for Yang Shiqi to sit down and drink tea, and then said: "What else can I do? Share your worries and enjoy the hardships."
Yang Shiqi knew Xia Yuanji's pain very well. During the six years of Emperor Jianwen, no innovation could be carried out without the responsibility of the Ministry of Household Affairs. Whether it was military policy, civil policy or commercial policy, it could not bypass the Ministry of Household Affairs, not to mention a lot of projects. Things like the conquest of Annan and the conquest of the Western Regions, such as the war to destroy the country, require money everywhere.
Fortunately, Xia Yuanji managed the household department well and made appropriate arrangements. Coupled with the foundation laid during the Hongwu period and the vitality of Jianwen's New Deal, the imperial court was able to run smoothly today without suffering a huge deficit.
But Xia Yuanji's hard work and dedication are difficult to describe to outsiders.
"I came here just to tell you that the emperor has agreed to King Yan's strategy of setting up guard posts in the Western Regions."
Yang Shiqi stared at Xia Yuanji.
Xia Yuanji accepted the result calmly and just sighed: "I will find a way."
Yang Shiqi admired Xia Yuanji very much. He had predicted that if the imperial court needed the Western Region, it would inevitably garrison troops. In such a large land, if there were not 80,000 or 100,000 soldiers stationed there, it would be undefended. In this case, Zhu Yunwen would definitely agree. .
Since we can't object, there is no point in arguing about it anymore. We can only create conditions to solve the problem of food and grass supply. Not getting entangled and choosing to face the problem directly was Xia Yuanji's decisiveness.
It is his no-nonsense character that makes him capable and efficient in his work.
Yang Shiqi grabbed Xia Yuanji who was about to leave and continued: "The emperor knew that you were in trouble, so he gave you a way."
Xia Yuanji looked at Yang Shiqi and asked, "What way can we solve the problem of providing food and fodder for an army of 80,000 people?"
Yang Shiqi drank tea slowly and said calmly: "It's done well, but I can't say it can really be solved."
"Tell me, it's not like you don't know I'm busy."
Xia Yuanji and Yang Shiqi have a good personal relationship, and they talk quite casually.
Yang Shiqi laughed and said bluntly: "Silk Road."
Xia Yuanji looked at Yang Shiqi in astonishment, then suddenly realized, nodded and said, "It really gave me a way..."
No, it’s just a road.
The Silk Road was the way to solve the problem of food and grass for soldiers. In other words, the imperial court wanted to promote east-west trade in the Western Regions, connect Western countries, and recreate the style of the Silk Road during the Han and Tang Dynasties.
The main body of the Silk Road was merchants.
Since merchants want to enter the Western Regions, the imperial court can completely use this operation to exchange for the merchants to transport food to ensure the food security of the soldiers in the Western Regions. There are also various methods of operation, such as tax reduction, tax reduction, and even an order that a percentage of the goods carried must be food.
Yang Shiqi stood up: "I won't disturb you anymore. You know the details better than me. I heard the news earlier that Shen Yiyuan hosted a banquet for Chang Baiye. I think he was also discussing business in the Western Regions."
"Do these businessmen have more sensitive noses than us?"
Xia Yuanji was a little depressed.
Yang Shiqi had to admit that when the cabinet and the main officials of the six ministries faced the issue of the Western Region, the first thing they considered was political interests, while the first thing businessmen considered was financial interests. Their starting points were completely different, and their sense of smell and perception were also completely different.
I heard that Shen Yiyuan paid a visit to the King of Liao and other three kings as early as the day after the victory of Qamdo. It seems that he immediately set his sights on the Western Regions. The Western Regions and the Silk Road are inseparable. Taking back the Western Regions also means completely opening up the east-west passage. With the establishment of garrisons, post stations and three divisions, the Silk Road is no longer a fantasy. Everyone hopes to enter the Western Regions first. Seize the opportunity.
Wuying Palace.
Zhu Yunwen was handling government affairs when Liu Changge came to report: "The envoys of Fu Lin and Wang Quanzhen, including Fu An, Guo Ji, Sun Liang and other Hongwu envoys, have arrived in Yangzhou and can enter the capital tomorrow."
"finally come!"
Zhu Yunwen was looking forward to it.
Because some of Fu An, Guo Ji and others are old and some have injuries, they cannot ride horses to the capital like Xue Xia, Huo Lin and others. They can only fall behind and use horse-drawn carriages, walking, horse-drawn carriages, etc. The boat made its way back to the capital.
"Send a message to the cabinet that tomorrow morning hundreds of officials will follow me outside Zhengyang Gate to welcome Fu Suwu back to the court."
Zhu Yunwen said seriously.
Liu Changge was a little shocked. Is this treatment too high?
After all, Fu An was the envoy of the Hongwu Dynasty. An envoy sounds very prestigious and majestic, but in fact he is just a small official. He is a seventh-rank official, or maybe a ninth-rank official. How can he be regarded as a ninth-rank official? The emperor personally greeted him?
Zhu Yunwen saw Liu Changge's surprise and just waved his hand: "Just do it."
Liu Changge had no choice but to pass the news to the cabinet, which passed it to the six ministries and nine ministers, the governor's office of the fifth army, and all the officials...
Yangzhou is very prosperous.
Since Zhu Yunwen rectified the salt policy, Yangzhou has become more prosperous day by day. Because the Grand Canal runs from north to south and countless ships travel between it, many people will choose to stay in Yangzhou for a period of time.
Fu An is not staying, just stopping.
I lay on the bed, tossing and turning, but couldn't fall asleep. Get up, take off your cashmere cloak, open the window, and the prosperity blows into your eyes.
Not far away, there are bright lights and a constant flow of people.
In the distance, the river is busy, and there are still people on the road at night.
This city is full of vitality and vitality.
Fu An thought about what he had seen along the way. The magical concrete road was really surprising. No matter it rained or snowed, it was no longer muddy. The horses' hooves hitting it made a clanging sound, which was crisp and sweet.
Although building this road is hard and slow, it is indeed necessary. If there was such a smooth road leading to the Western Region, how much time would it save?
There are also half a million immigrants, which is shocking to think about. But I met some immigrant people, and they all praised the imperial court.
Emperor Jianwen did what he said!
This successor, who was still weak at the time, showed no weakness in his governance. It seemed that everything he heard before was false, or that Emperor Jianwen hid himself too deeply.
However, this is a good thing for Ming Dynasty. Grandfather Taizu conquered the country, Zhu Yunwen not only defended it, but also expanded it!
The world has changed a lot.
When I left, many places were still deserted, but in just nine years, they have become small villages and even towns.
In those days, there were not many smiles on the faces of the people. They were always busy in the fields and then were dragged to do corvee labor in winter. But now, even the people doing corvee work are smiling.
In those days, Zaohu households were not human beings and lived like slaves. But now, Zaohu households can freely enter and leave Yangzhou City. Some people have made some money because they worked a lot and opened shops in Yangzhou City...
