About two months ago, the list of cabinet ministers drawn up by the Ministry of Personnel was turned in. For this reason, Emperor Chongzhen was furious and asked Xue Guoguan, the chief minister, to draw up a decree and make it known to the world. Only those who have both ability and political integrity, or who have minor faults, will be appointed. But if they can make great contributions to the country, they can come to Beijing to report. Once verified, the imperial court will immediately select the best and appoint them instead of using the previous official methods.
No, under the influence of this decree, Zhang Guowei, the governor of Yingtian Mansion, submitted twenty-eight volumes of "Wuzhong Water Conservancy Complete Book". The book contains general water conservancy maps of Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, Zhenjiang and other prefectures, as well as 53 water species maps of prefectures and counties. In addition, it also records water sources, water names, edicts, edicts, chapters and memorials. And treatises, discussions, prefaces, notes and ballads.
This book can be said to be a comprehensive summary of the water conservancy construction in the Jiangnan area through the ages, and Zhang Guowei's own experience is also summarized in it. He once presided over the construction of Jiuli Shitang, Pingwang Inner and Outer Ponds, Changzhou to Hetang Ponds, built Songjiang River to protect the sea, and dredged Zhenjiang and Jiangyin Cao Canals. It can be said that in terms of water conservancy, it has truly integrated theory and practice, and has rich experience in water conservancy.
Originally, the "Wuzhong Water Conservancy Complete Book" would not be submitted until July. But now, thanks to the butterfly effect, it’s advanced to May. After reading it, Emperor Chongzhen looked carefully at the information about Zhang Guowei and couldn't help but be overjoyed.
This Zhang Guowei was the governor of Yingtian and held military and political power. But he was not good at military affairs, so that Zuo Liangyu was arrogant and domineering in front of him. He did not like to listen to his orders, did not listen to his orders at all, and did not care about him at all. And he couldn't do anything to Zuo Liangyu, so he could only complain to the court.
But he is a real expert in water conservancy. To combat natural disasters, one of the best ways is to build water conservancy projects to reduce the impact of natural disasters. Now, this person appears.
It can be said that it is indeed a good time for Zhang Guowei to submit the "Wuzhong Water Conservancy Complete Book". Emperor Chongzhen had just confiscated the houses of many large families and had money on hand. After the edict for seeking talents was sent out, he was the first to respond, which was the kind Emperor Chongzhen liked. Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen would give preferential treatment even if it meant a thousand pieces of gold.
Therefore, a decree was immediately issued, conferring Zhang Guowei the title of Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Bachelor of Dongge University, joining the cabinet to take charge of the world's water conservancy, and conferring the title of "Master of Water Conservancy". At this point, Xue Guoguan finally ended his month of being alone and finally had a partner.
In terms of qualifications, this is not a special promotion. After all, Zhang Guowei was already the governor and a high official in the border area. Taking it a step further, it is not unprecedented for people with positions such as the Six Ministers to be included in the cabinet.
However, in the original history, he had no chance to join the cabinet. There is no other reason. Although he contributed the "Wuzhong Water Conservancy Complete Book", Emperor Chongzhen had no money! So, in the Nanming court, he became the Minister of the Ministry of War. After the Manchu and Qing troops marched southward, they were in dire straits. Unable to turn the tide, they wrote three chapters of a fatal poem, namely "Losing the Country", "Remembering the Mother" and "Commanding the Son", and died in the water at the age of fifty-two.
It can be said that Zhang Guowei was really a rare civil servant with integrity among so many ministers in the late Ming Dynasty. It's just that the talents he was good at were not put to use. If it were not in troubled times, but in peaceful times, it might have benefited the people more.
Emperor Chongzhen was very happy because he needed water conservancy experts like Zhang Guowei so much. At this time, we are in the Little Ice Age. If water conservancy is built properly, the impact of the Little Glacier on agriculture can be minimized.
What he didn't expect was that sometimes, when luck comes, nothing can stop it.
Emperor Chongzhen was rejoicing when a chamberlain came to report that the candidate official Chen Zilong had presented the agricultural masterpiece "Agricultural Policy Complete Book" by the late bachelor Xu Guangqi.
Hearing this, he was stunned for a moment, and then thought about it. This "Agricultural Policy Complete Book" will be famous even in later generations. However, he had been busy with the military affairs since he traveled through time. In addition, from the memory of the original Emperor Chongzhen, there was no impression of the "Complete Book of Agricultural Affairs", so he didn't think much about it. But how could he be unhappy when he suddenly heard about it. So, he quickly issued an order to summon Chen Zilong to see him.
Chen Zilong, a Jinshi in the tenth year of Chongzhen, was originally the manager of Huizhou Prefecture in Guangdong. But before he took office, his mother died of illness and she returned to her hometown for funeral. During these two years, I have been sorting out the manuscript. After hearing about Hu Zhengyan's name, he came to the capital to ask Hu Zhengyan to publish what he had compiled. Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived in the capital, he saw Emperor Chongzhen's new title announcement. Thinking of the previous emperor's order seeking talents, he decisively announced it in the name of Xu Guangqi.
In the Wenhua Hall, Chen Zilong came to see him. At this time, he was only in his early thirties and in his prime. The sixty-volume "Complete Book of Agricultural Affairs" forwarded by the chamberlain was placed on the imperial desk. Emperor Chongzhen immediately flipped through it and found that the "Complete Book of Agricultural Affairs" was divided into agricultural principles, land systems, farming affairs, water conservancy, and agricultural affairs. Twelve chapters including utensils, arboriculture, sericulture, broad categories of sericulture, planting, animal husbandry, manufacturing and waste management. It not only summarizes and retains the experience of ancient Chinese agricultural technology, but also absorbs and develops current new technologies. For example, the sweet potatoes that were just introduced to the Ming Dynasty were explained in detail and promoted.
Seeing this, Emperor Chongzhen finally remembered. Xu Guangqi once published "Sweet Potato", but at that time many people had objections to it and felt that this kind of thing was useless. Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen did not let Xu Guangqi be responsible for farming. Instead, he asked him to train troops without paying military pay. Xu Guangqi was in vain, and Xu Guangqi was not allowed to play his due role until his death.
Thinking of this, Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help but sigh. In the original history, the final demise of the Ming Dynasty had a lot to do with Emperor Chongzhen's unclear knowledge of people. In a country as big as the Ming Empire, even if there were eight-legged scholars who were criticized by later generations, various talents could still emerge. It's just that these talents are often not put into reasonable use and are lost in the long river of history.
Just imagine, if the original Emperor Chongzhen had reused Xu Guangqi and allowed him to perform well in farming, there would not have been so many desperate thieves in the Ming Dynasty. If Zhang Guowei was allowed to devote himself to water conservancy, the impact of natural disasters would be reduced by who knows how much!
Fortunately, I have traveled through time, and history can be repeated again.
Emperor Chongzhen thought about this, with an uncontrollable smile on his face. He asked Chen Zilong cordially about the "Complete Book of Agricultural Affairs" and got more news.
Xu Guangqi was too busy when he was alive. The book "Agriculture" he had been writing with great concentration was not completed, and most of it was just a draft. After Chen Zilong heard about it, he got these drafts from Xu Erjue, Xu Guangqi's second grandson, reorganized and supplemented them, and finally the "Complete Book of Agricultural Affairs" was published.
In the original history, it was also published in the twelfth year of Chongzhen. This fact has not changed. What has changed is that as soon as the "Agricultural Policy Complete Book" was published, it was on Emperor Chongzhen's case.
After hearing the story of the publication of the "Complete Book of Agricultural Affairs", Emperor Chongzhen smiled and sighed: "If Xu Qing knew that his hard work could be passed down to the world, I believe his spirit in heaven would be satisfied."
"Your Majesty, I beg to differ." Unexpectedly, Chen Zilong said something unexpected. Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help but be stunned. He looked at him and wondered why he said that, "Your Majesty, I think that if the teacher Knowing that these can benefit the people, you may be able to get what you want!"
At this point, he saw that the emperor seemed to be stunned, so he said seriously: "My master, what he has learned in his life, and his extensive research on heaven and man, are all focused on practical application. As for farming, he is particularly attentive. It is for the sake of livelihood and education. The source of the country's prosperity and strength. It's a pity that he died before his ambition was realized!"
Emperor Chongzhen nodded when he heard this, stopped smiling, nodded solemnly and said: "Yes, I didn't do it well before. Now, are you willing to uphold Xu Qing's legacy and work hard to strengthen the Ming Dynasty and make the people rich?"
This was taking the blame for the original Emperor Chongzhen, but to him, it didn't matter, he just took it.
Chen Zilong did not expect that the emperor would admit his mistake in person, which was a bit beyond his imagination. When he came back to his senses, he couldn't help but be very excited, and immediately bowed and saluted: "This is my humble minister's wish!"
Emperor Chongzhen listened and nodded again with satisfaction, this Chen Zilong is available!
Just as he was thinking about it, he saw Chen Zilong became excited and impassioned again, and with the passion of a young man, he said to Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, in the Ming Dynasty today, the vulgar Confucianism is ancient rather than modern, and the literati pick up the beautiful and abandon the real. They are all empty talkers who cling to the weak and guard their shortcomings. They are all empty talkers. When the affairs of the world are urgent, right and wrong are gained and lost, they have no intention. From what I can see, most of today's scholars have no practical knowledge. Therefore, Weichen and his friends co-authored a book , named "Huangming Jingshi Wenbian", with a total of 504 volumes, divided into military pay, horse administration, border defense, border affairs, firearms, tribute market, ships, famine, agriculture, sand control, water conservancy, maritime transportation, water transportation, Finance, Salt Law, Criminal Law, Money Law, Taxation Law, Confiscation, Imperial Examination, etc., I would like to dedicate to His Majesty."
Emperor Chongzhen was overjoyed when he heard this and quickly asked: "Where is this book? Quickly bring it to my attention!"
For him, he just felt that there were too few talents available. At this time, I heard that there was such a group of scholars who felt that there were too many harsh scholars in the Ming Dynasty, and most of them were talkative people. They compiled practical books by themselves. No matter what, these people were considered a group of ambitious people. When he heard this, he was naturally happy.
Chen Zilong was naturally prepared when he mentioned this matter to Emperor Chongzhen. He brought the books with him, and they were with the servants outside the Forbidden City. Therefore, this set of "Huang Ming Jing Shi Wen Bian" was quickly presented to the emperor, and Emperor Chongzhen immediately browsed it quickly.
In fact, this "Huangming Jingshi Wenbian" mainly collects articles from the Ming Dynasty for more than two hundred years. Editors like Chen Zilong excerpted and edited the articles that they thought were useful for the current governance of the country. The value of this book is certainly not as good as that of the "Encyclopedia of Agricultural Government". Many of them are actually just general remarks and hearsay, but it is undeniable that this book is indeed useful in today's troubled times. If someone engages in research in this area and practices it, there will definitely be results.
After a cursory glance, Emperor Chongzhen said with a smile to Chen Zilong who looked expectant: "I admire people with lofty ideals very much. It seems that you, the others, are also interested. In this case, it is up to you to find them all." Come, I want to meet you."
Chen Zilong had been looking forward to this sentence. When he heard the emperor's promise, he was overjoyed and quickly agreed.
These friends of his were both good and bad in the original history. Some died fighting against the Qing Dynasty, some surrendered to the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and some of them were more famous in later generations. As for Chen Zilong himself, he also resisted the Qing Dynasty and threw himself into the water. Even so, the Manchu Qing Dynasty would not let him go and would not let him go until he was fished out. This shows that the Manchus hated him.
Emperor Chongzhen did not know these things, but this did not prevent him from rewarding Chen Zilong. Considering that Chen Zilong himself was a Jinshi in the tenth year of Chongzhen, Emperor Chongzhen decided to set up an Agriculture Department in addition to the Thirteenth Department of the Ministry of Household Affairs to specialize in national agricultural production. The chief officer was Yuanwailang, a member of the sixth rank. And Chen Zilong was the first Agricultural Secretary Yuan Wailang.
Chen Zilong was overjoyed again. It can be seen that the emperor attached great importance to this farming matter. Chen Zilong knew that as long as he could do well, he would have a bright future. He was only in his early thirties, and he was suddenly full of pride and made up his mind to live up to the emperor's trust.
Emperor Chongzhen then issued a decree, posthumously conferring Xu Guangqi the title of Grand Master of Agriculture, the first title of "Grand Master" in the Ming Dynasty. Of course, if he were alive, he might only have the title of "Farming Master".
As soon as this second decree was launched, another signal was immediately sent to all parts of the country. That is to say, the emperor attaches great importance to talents from all walks of life. As long as they are talented, title is not a problem. For example, right now, there are already masters of weapons, water conservancy, and agriculture; this has greatly stimulated those craftsmen, scholars, etc. who have expertise.
Emperor Chongzhen has reason to believe that in the near future, more talented people will come to the front and be used for his own use. I hope that all walks of life in Ming Dynasty can let a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend, and reproduce the glory of Ming Dynasty science and technology.
However, what Emperor Chongzhen did not expect was that before he could turn his mind to the Hetao area, a memorial broke his happy mood.
This memorial was submitted to the imperial court by Ruan Zhidian, the magistrate of Gucheng County, after many twists and turns. He stated in the memorial that Zhang Xianzhong appeared to be polite in kneeling and worshiping in Gucheng, but in fact he trained his soldiers to manage armor and sticks, did not release troops, should not be transferred, did not enter the government, and was arrogant and did not obey the law.
Ruan Zhidian concluded that this thief would rebel. Therefore, he reported it to Xiong Wencan, the governor of the six provinces, but was severely reprimanded by Xiong Wencan. So, he directly reported to the court, hoping that the court would take action as soon as possible to suppress Zhang Xianzhong's rebellion.
Emperor Chongzhen looked at the time. This memorial had been delayed for at least a month on the road. From what he said in the memorial, it seems that Zhang Xianzhong's objection was very obvious. It's been a month, what's going on over there in Gucheng?
Thinking about this, he couldn't help but become worried.
