My father is Jiajing

Chapter 451: The Sword Gains Resilience

Qiao Wanjin hesitated for a while, and finally asked in an uncertain tone: "Your Highness, do you mean to charge a toll on the new road?"

Zhu Zaigui nodded without any hesitation or evasion, "That's exactly what I meant."

After receiving Zhu Zaigui's affirmative answer, Qiao Wanjin couldn't help but take a breath.

"Your Highness, I'm afraid this is inappropriate. Since ancient times, whether it is the official roads and trestle bridges built by the court, the people are allowed to walk freely."

"And even those wealthy men who value money more than anything else, when they are kind-hearted and build bridges and roads, they are doing it for the convenience of the villagers, so as to gain a reputation for being philanthropic."

"If we really build a new road that requires a toll to drive on, I am afraid that it will cause controversy among the people and damage the holy name of the prince."

Zhu Zaigui waved his hand and said, "President Qiao, you are worrying too much. This road was not built by me or the court. It was built by rich people who treated it as a business."

"In this way, it is reasonable for the people who build the road to charge fees, and no one can be blamed."

Qiao Wanjin still felt it was unreliable. He hesitated and said, "But will anyone take the new toll road? And as the saying goes, 'Repairing bridges and roads leaves no corpses, but killing people and setting fires nets you a golden belt.' Will anyone really be willing to repair it?"

Zhu Zaigui said: "In the past, not many people were willing to do so, because it was a matter of conscience, but now if we give these big households who have the ability and capacity to build roads a standard."

"Let them build roads according to this standard and earn money. I think even the gentry who have memorized the books of sages by heart will be unable to resist doing it."

"After all, if managed properly, this new road will be a treasure trove that can generate endless amounts of money. Why wouldn't they do it?"

After Zhu Zaigui said this, Qiao Wanjin seemed to understand what Zhu Zaigui meant.

Qiao Wanjin said: "This is definitely feasible, but how should the standard be set? Your Majesty, please let me know."

Zhu Zaigui thought for a moment and said, "The premise of setting the standard is to first calculate the cost of building a new road. After calculating the cost of the new road, we can then calculate and deduce the average daily number of carriages and caravans traveling on this road."

"After we have these data, we can calculate a reasonable and acceptable toll for each vehicle per mile based on the convenience that this new road can provide."

"Then multiply this reasonable and acceptable toll by the time it takes to recover the cost of the road, and give the road builders a certain amount of time to make a profit."

"If we let them get an obviously predictable and optimistic income, wouldn't that make the matter a success?"

After hearing Zhu Zaigui's unconventional explanation, Qiao Wanjin's brain seemed to suddenly blossom with an economic flower he had never imagined.

If this matter can really be accomplished through rigorous and detailed calculations to achieve a theoretically feasible solution, then there will definitely be people who are willing to give it a try.

After all, doing business is all about speed. Whoever is the fastest will have a smaller information gap, and whoever has a smaller information gap will gain the greatest benefit.

Driven by interests, naturally there will be people willing to spend a certain amount of money to take a new path that can allow them to be one step ahead of others.

In addition, there are also many gentry and scholars who like to travel and visit friends in various places. They are also target customers who are not short of that little money.

If there is a way that allows them to spend less time to reach the destination they want to travel to and see the loved ones they want to see quickly, they will definitely be very willing to spend this little money.

Therefore, after some brainstorming, Qiao Wanjin's eyes shone with an unprecedented brilliance, making him feel that if this matter was accomplished, he would surely be remembered for generations and become a role model admired by all generations!
Qiao Wanjin excitedly bowed to Zhu Zaigui again, "Your Highness is gifted and wise, and I admire you very much. If this can be accomplished, it will not only solve the subsequent crisis of northern construction, but also help the northern economy to move forward. Maybe in the near future, the north will be able to regain the prosperity of the Qin, Han, Tang and Song dynasties!"

Zhu Zaigui laughed, "If this is really possible, it is also a gift from God and a shackle. Now the most prosperous and prosperous areas of our Ming Dynasty are all in a small corner of Jiangnan, which is really not conducive to the long-term stability of our Ming Dynasty."

"So, if your Northern Construction Bank can really achieve such an unprecedented feat and restore the economic balance between the north and the south to a state of equal share, you will be the first meritorious official of the Ming Dynasty!"

Zhu Zaigui was also very generous in using extravagant words when praising others.

After hearing what Zhu Zaigui said, Qiao Wanjin was indeed extremely excited.

After reaching Qiao Wanjin's position, apart from yearning for the top position in the Ming Federal Reserve, the only thing he would pursue would probably be the "fame" that could satisfy his great psychological pleasure.

Qiao Wanjin said excitedly: "I will do my best to open the curtain of this matter while serving as the Northern Construction Bank, and lay the foundation for the revival of the five northern provinces!"

Zhu Zaigui laughed and said, "Very good, very good. I promise that as long as you can come up with a feasible plan for this matter within the remaining time and have a successful and feasible case for the world to see, I will let the directors of the Ming Bank recommend you as one of the candidates for the next chairman of the Ming Federal Reserve."

Hearing Zhu Zaigui's promise again, Qiao Wanjin's heart became even more excited. It can be said that even if Zhu Zaigui told him to die, he would probably be happy to do so.

Zhu Zaigui said, "You go first. While we are doing these things, I will also make some forward-looking preparations for you so that you can make this complete plan more smoothly and conveniently."

Although Qiao Wanjin didn't know what Zhu Zaigui was going to do next, he was still very excited and bowed again before leaving Zhu Zaigui and returning to his Northern Construction Bank's Beijing Special District headquarters.

At the same time, Zhu Zaigui also asked Meng Chong to summon Zhang Juzheng.

When Zhang Juzheng succeeded Gao Gong as the chief of the Beijing Special District, he had actually reached the stage of the triennial performance evaluation of local officials.

However, since the Beijing Special District was within the scope of the capital, Zhang Juzheng's performance evaluation was mainly based on the Beijing inspection every six years.

Therefore, in theory, Zhang Juzheng could continue to serve as the governor of the Beijing Special District for a long time.

Therefore, for the subsequent development of the Beijing Special District, Zhu Zaigui's final arrangement for Zhang Juzheng was to keep his position unchanged and let him continue to serve as the head of the Beijing Special District.

However, seeing that everyone else was more capable than Zhang Juzheng, Zhu Zaigui was determined to treat everyone equally.

Therefore, calling Zhang Juzheng this time was actually to give Zhang Juzheng a reassurance, and at the same time to give him more weight in his work, so that he would be more motivated to contribute to the Beijing Special District.

Zhang Juzheng, who was summoned by Zhu Zaigui, did not delay or wait any longer. He immediately followed the people from Prince Yu's Mansion who delivered the message to him and came to Zhu Zaigui.

When he saw Zhu Zaigui, Zhang Juzheng also bowed respectfully and said, "Your Highness, I, Zhang Juzheng, pay my respects to you."

Zhu Zaigui laughed and said, "Mr. Zhang, there's no need to be polite. Just sit down and talk." Then Zhu Zaigui ordered the eunuch serving outside the study to serve Zhang Juzheng a cup of tea.

After thanking the emperor again and sitting down, Zhang Juzheng turned slightly and looked at Zhu Zaigui, waiting for Zhu Zaigui's instructions.

Zhu Zaigui stretched his body, took a sip of water and asked, "How many years has Mr. Zhang been the governor of the Beijing Special District?"

Zhang Juzheng replied, "It's been almost four years." Zhu Zaigui sighed, "Yes, it's almost been four years in the blink of an eye. During these four years, Mr. Zhang has worked diligently and managed the Beijing Special District in an orderly manner. This prince is very pleased."

Zhang Juzheng listened to Zhu Zaigui's sigh and said, "Your Highness, this is all my responsibility."

Zhu Zaigui laughed and said, "Yes, only people like you who are ambitious can have such a clear understanding. However, there are tens of thousands of officials in the Ming Dynasty, and most of them are selfish and few are public-spirited. Therefore, the governance of many places is really hard to describe."

"The construction of the southern part of the Beijing Special District has been basically completed, and the eastern and western parts have also been rolled out. Sir, you must be under a lot of pressure now, right?"

What Zhu Zaigui said was true. With the expansion of the Beijing Special District and the simultaneous planning of the east and west districts in recent years, Zhang Juzheng really felt that he was working hard day and night.

He often tossed and turned because he was worried about the development and planning of the Beijing Special District and the failure to complete the construction as Prince Yu had originally envisioned.

This has also caused him to lose a lot of weight over the past few years, which makes people feel heartbroken.

However, Zhang Juzheng was a workaholic like Gao Gong. Therefore, even with such high workload and pressure, Zhang Juzheng never slacked off or complained.

Now hearing Zhu Zaigui's words of emotion and concern, Zhang Juzheng's heart was truly touched.

Zhang Juzheng's eyes were slightly moist, and he said to Zhu Zaigui: "I am fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in the development of the Beijing Special District and to see it gradually take shape in my hands. This is already a blessing in my life!"

Zhu Zaigui was somewhat touched when he saw Zhang Juzheng's reaction without any regrets.

Zhu Zaigui said, "Hai Rui will be back soon. I plan to arrange him as your deputy. At the same time, I will petition Your Majesty to establish a Shuntian Governor. Mr. Ren will be the first Shuntian Governor to coordinate the civil affairs of the counties under Shuntian Prefecture."

When Zhang Juzheng heard Zhu Zaigui say that Hai Rui was coming back and would arrange for him to be his deputy, he secretly took a deep breath.

To be honest, he admired Hai Rui, but he didn't like his stubbornness and rigidity.

After all, having been the head of the Beijing Special District for such a long time, Zhang Juzheng also understood many problems that he had not thought about before.

Sometimes, the governance thinking of local officials will be unconventional, but this approach often has both advantages and disadvantages, and may even be somewhat against the rules.

But Hai Rui was also a ruthless man who always kept rules and Ming laws in mind and put them into practice.

If Hai Rui saw that some of Zhang Juzheng's administrative methods and governance styles were not in line with the rules and beliefs he adhered to, the relationship between the two would become extremely tense, thus delaying the important task of the special zone's development.

Therefore, Zhang Juzheng was somewhat uneasy about Zhu Zaigui's arrangement for Hai Rui, although in the following words, Zhu Zaigui also wanted to find a governor's post for him.

However, the thought of Hai Rui being placed right under Zhang Juzheng's arm was still very stressful for him, who was used to having the final say.

Zhang Juzheng immediately said, "Your Majesty, I can do it alone. It would be better if you arrange for Hai Gangfeng to be relocated somewhere else."

Zhu Zaigui looked at Zhang Juzheng's reaction and couldn't help but reveal a playful smile in his eyes.

Zhang Juzheng was good in every way except that he tended to act arbitrarily and on his own, just like Gao Gong.

It’s just that Zhang Juzheng’s temper was more restrained, while Gao Gong’s temper was more extroverted.

But they are essentially similar in that they don't like anyone around them to restrict them.

In response to this, Zhu Zaigui also said that he did not want to hinder them, but some things must be done with a safety rope.

Otherwise, he could just follow the personalities of Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, although he could accomplish a lot of things if he came.

But Zhu Zaigui believed that he would definitely offend countless people, and in the end, even if they succeeded in doing what they wanted to do, people would leave them in the end because of their frustration.

Therefore, Zhu Zaigui had to put a trap on Zhang Juzheng so that he could get used to being supervised while doing his work.

Of course, judging from Hai Rui's performance as Shanxi Provincial Governor in recent years, Hai Rui is also a person who is very flexible in doing things.

As long as he believes that this matter is beneficial to the people, he will take advantage of the situation and find an operation that is in line with the rules and human nature to get things done.

Therefore, Zhu Zaigui still admired Hai Rui on this point, and felt that in addition to its sharp blade, this sword now had resilience.

So Zhu Zaigui thought that since Hai Rui could have such a change, Zhang Juzheng naturally had to have corresponding changes as well.

Otherwise, with his arbitrary character, what if Zhu Zaigui really follows the fate of Emperor Longqing in history one day in the future?

Isn’t the Gao-Zhang dispute about to reappear in the blink of an eye?

Therefore, we cannot allow Zhang Juzheng to continue to act arbitrarily according to his temper.

Zhu Zaigui held out his hand to stop Zhang Juzheng from saying anything else. He said, "Hai Gangfeng has matured a lot after several years in Shanxi. His ability is beyond doubt. And in my expectation, Mr. Zhang will also play a greater role and concurrently serve as the governor of Shuntian, bringing together the important civil affairs posts under the jurisdiction of Shuntian Prefecture."

"So, I thought of Hai Rui and asked him to help you stabilize the good situation in the Beijing Special District, so that you can focus on executing my next plan."

After Zhu Zaigui said this, Zhang Juzheng opened his mouth but in the end did not say anything against it, because he also heard the deep meaning of Zhu Zaigui's statement that he would not accept rejection.

So in the end, Zhang Juzheng could only bow to Zhu Zaigui in a depressed mood and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."

Zhu Zaigui looked at Zhang Juzheng who accepted the reality and couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.

"Mr. Zhang, please do not let me down. I suggest you be the governor of Shuntian this time, but this is an important plan for the future."

"After I report this to Your Majesty, I will also reorganize and plan the governance responsibilities of Shuntian Prefecture and the Shuntian Governor, and expand the area under the current Shuntian Prefecture several times so that it can have a more systematic governance method."

"Therefore, Mr. Zhang will still have a heavy burden in the future. I hope that he will do his best and not worry about him anymore."

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Asking for monthly ticket

(End of this chapter)