There are also steam trains, steam ships, etc., which are not only fast, but also convenient. Everyone knows that there will be more and more of these new means of transportation in the future, making traveling more convenient.
"Ming Pao" has said that with convenient transportation, the circulation of goods will be simpler and freight costs will be reduced. In the end, the people who will benefit will still benefit. Moreover, many things that were rare in the past will become more and more common and the prices will become more and more affordable.
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Most people have a grateful heart, especially those who have experienced war and experienced the joys and sorrows of troubled times. They cherish their current happy life very much, and they are grateful to Duke Xingguo!
Even those whose interests have been damaged, such as those who rely on canals and carriages and horses, although they have indeed been impacted by steam trains, there are profitable businesses everywhere in the Ming Dynasty. As long as they work hard, they may be better off than before. Earn more. In short, the general environment has improved, and their lives are obviously better than before.
These people can compare and know how they are living now, and many of them are grateful to Duke Xingguo!
So, when Zhang Mingwei's wedding was about to come, everyone was discussing his wedding and wondering whether to send a blessing and express their feelings.
But today's Duke has nothing to give away, not to mention his power, not to mention his money.
Coincidentally, on Zhang Mingwei's wedding day, almost all the people, not just in the capital, but from south to north, from east to west, expressed their wishes in other ways.
Merchants discount on this day one after another. The reason is to be grateful to Duke Xingguo and pray that Duke Xingguo and Princess Kunxing will have a happy marriage and have a son soon!
Some people even distribute some things for free, or send food, all to pray for Duke Xingguo and Princess Kunxing!
More people put on their new clothes for the New Year, and there was a discount, so they had another sumptuous feast.
Storytellers, opera singers, and sketch writers will all adapt the story of Duke Xingguo and Princess Kunxing, and there are romances everywhere.
There are also gatherings of literati and poets, whether it is a traditional poetry tea party or the increasingly popular "Ge Wu Zhi Zhi Zhi", where boys and girls gather together to celebrate this day!
However, their focus was different from others. Firstly, Duke Xingguo and Princess Kunxing fought side by side on the battlefield, and then they got married. Secondly, they were naturally focused on each other.
In the capital, it was the main venue for Duke Xingguo's wedding. The palace took the lead and the government participated, so it was naturally more lively. It can even be said that this day is more festive than the Chinese New Year.
Zhang Mingwei had of course made preparations for this day and used unprecedented means.
Since ancient times, people have carried a sedan chair to pick up the bride.
However, Zhang Mingwei invented a steam carriage, which did not require high power and could be miniaturized as much as possible to replace the horse pulling the carriage. As for the cabin, it is of course a more luxurious one.
This car was eventually recognized as the first car in human history, which is the abbreviation of steam car.
On the other hand, whenever someone mentions the first car, they will definitely mention the wedding!
The car used to welcome the bride was definitely the most popular car in the capital on that day! Emitting white smoke and making loud noises, I drove through the city of Beijing.
However, the most talked about thing on the day of Zhang Mingwei's wedding was not the car, but his origins!
Everyone is aware of the mystery of Duke Xingguo. The more so, the more curious they become. This is also human nature.
From the heights of temples to ordinary traders and pawns, everyone is guessing the origin of Duke Xingguo.
According to reliable sources, only the current emperor knows about this matter. Because there were rumors in the court that the princes in the temple had never asked Duke Xingguo about his origins, but Duke Xingguo always asked the current emperor to answer. According to the emperor's expression, he must know the origin of Duke Xingguo, but the emperor refused to tell him.
There are also rumors that even today’s queens don’t know the origin of Duke Xingguo. In other words, even the emperor didn't tell Queen Zhou.
Duke Xingguo is so powerful and his origin is so mysterious, only the emperor knows...
The combination of these various guesses makes people's guesses even more outrageous.
Emperor Chongzhen knew about these speculations but still did not say anything. Prince Zhu Cihong and Princess Zhu Yu'a of Kunxing knew about it but didn't say anything about it; Wang Cheng'en was even less likely to tell.
In fact, if Zhang Mingwei had not suddenly appeared in front of Emperor Chongzhen out of thin air and talked for a whole night, and there was evidence of the influence on the mobile phone, things related to the Chongzhen Dynasty, whether they had happened or not happened, could be combined , no one will believe it!
On Zhang Mingwei's wedding day, Emperor Chongzhen made a grand ceremony. Nothing else was as important as this one, so he ordered a day off.
This matter was something that Emperor Chongzhen himself could not even imagine. In the end, this day became a routine.
This custom does not mean that Emperor Chongzhen ordered Zhang Mingwei not to have a wedding on his wedding day. But merchants have tasted the sweetness, and the profits from discount promotions are actually higher.
Therefore, when Zhang Mingwei's wedding day was approaching, merchants made a slogan and continued to offer discounts to celebrate the centenary marriage of Duke Xingguo and Princess Kunxing.
As a result, those who were in favor of Duke Xingguo immediately followed suit. Of course, more importantly, the people at this time all benefited from Duke Xingguo and knew how to cherish the peaceful days. These were all due to Duke Xingguo, and they were naturally willing to offer their blessings to Duke Xingguo.
As for the boys and girls, they were eager to have an excuse to go to the party and see if there was anything they liked.
This matter was reported to the palace, and Emperor Chongzhen was very emotional. He was also grateful. If it weren't for Zhang Mingwei, the grass on the grave would be several feet tall. Who would not cherish those days?
Therefore, at Wang Chengen's suggestion, Emperor Chongzhen ordered another day of rest to reward Zhang Mingwei for his contribution. So much so that this day eventually became the Ming Dynasty’s Blind Date Day!
Of course, these are all things for later.
Let’s talk about Zhang Mingwei. On his wedding day, he got another piece of good news. It can be said to be a double happiness.
That means Chen Yuanyuan has it!
In the past few years, although Zhang Mingwei spent little time with Chen Yuanyuan at the beginning and spent most of his time fighting abroad, in the past year, especially the period before and after the liberation of Liaodong, he has been staying in the capital. She also slept with Chen Yuanyuan.
However, there has been no movement, which makes Zhang Mingwei even begin to wonder, is it possible that fertility is affected by time and space travel, just like in "Looking for Qin"?
Now, after knowing that Chen Yuanyuan was finally pregnant, he was relieved and very happy.
When Zhu Aona heard this, although she was happy, she felt threatened. From the day of her wedding, she pestered Zhang Mingwei and tried to help him at most. Even Emperor Chongzhen knew about it and tried to disturb Zhang Mingwei as little as possible.
Fortunately, Zhang Mingwei had discussed with Emperor Chongzhen before the New Year what to do after the New Year. Basically, the framework was in place. With Emperor Chongzhen in control and the cabinet executing it, there was basically nothing wrong with it.
In this way, in the first half of the 20th year of Chongzhen, Zhang Mingwei was basically on vacation, working hard for the prosperity of his Zhang family.
In terms of the court bureau, the reform of the Municipal Shipping Department system was officially implemented, the yamen were upgraded, and officials at all levels were selected and put in place. And there is one thing here that has not been mentioned before, that is, the Daming Sea Tax sets a base tax rate, which is the 20% tax that has always been collected.
Subsequently, the imperial court also announced a list of commodities and advertised them widely through Ming Pao. The above lists which commodities are subject to a tax of more than 20% for export or import, and which commodities are subject to a tax of less than 20% for export or import, instead of the previous one-size-fits-all approach.
A basic principle is that if the Ming Dynasty needs something, if it is exported, the tax will be increased, and if it is imported, the tax will be reduced. There may even be a ban on exports or duty-free imports; conversely, if the Ming Dynasty does not need things, then exports will reduce taxes and imports will increase taxes. The same upper and lower limits are tax-free or prohibited.
This kind of adjustment of the domestic economic structure through taxation is naturally impossible for people of this era to think of. Needless to say, it must be the suggestion from Zhang Mingwei.
When Zhang Mingwei mentioned this matter at the beginning, even domestic commercial taxes also proposed to be adjusted similarly: that is, if the court needs to encourage, then preferential taxation; if the court does not want to encourage, then increase taxation. .
For example, the imperial court has an encouraging attitude towards the current iron ore mining, infrastructure-related aspects, including shipbuilding, etc., and has lowered taxes. For some luxury goods, such as jewelry, glass products used for decoration, and precious Furniture, etc., just need to be taxed!
As far as the current situation of Ming Dynasty is concerned, it is impossible to exempt from land tax. However, it is foreseeable that after having a large amount of revenue from commercial and sea taxes, the imperial court will have considerable ability to exempt land taxes from disaster-stricken areas. If everything goes well, it is not impossible to reduce the proportion of land tax.
In addition, the imperial court was also busy with the transfer of Zheng Hongkui's naval fleet from Southeast Asia to stationed in Busan, North Korea, and the recruitment of some North Korean sailors for training.
The Shanhaiguan Navy also moved to Denglai and Shanghai and was reorganized into the Central Navy to receive new warships and train sailors.
The Army Armed Forces Hall was also established very quickly. Those who should go in and study can study. This includes the Navy Armed Forces Hall, which is always full of people studying. This matter alone is enough to keep the Ministry of War and the Governor's Mansion busy.
Because the war against Japan cannot be delayed for too long, otherwise the wave of war against Japan triggered by the Ryukyu King’s blood letter will easily pass. Therefore, regardless of whether it is the Army Arms Hall or the Navy Arms Hall, the imaginary target of the lectures is the Japanese country.
The information about Japan collected by the Jinyiwei will also be explained in the military service hall. Including military strength, terrain and terrain, etc.
In short, in the first half of the 20th year of Chongzhen, the whole country was very busy.
