My father is Jiajing

After talking about the simplest and clearest whereabouts of Hu Zongxian, the real highlight comes next.

Zhu Zaigui's gaze swept over Xu Jie, Li Chunfang, Yuan Wei, Yan Ne and others again. These four cabinet members sometimes seemed easy to talk to.

But as long as it involves issues of principle, they will still argue with Zhu Zaigui based on their own interests or other considerations. Otherwise, how could they become the cabinet ministers that all officials look up to?
You must know that if an official only knows how to cater to others without integrity and persistence, he will be laughed at by the people of the world.

Therefore, sometimes they would rather offend the emperor than let their reputation, which they cherished as much as their life, become worthless.

After all, for these officials, their greatest reliance is not the power and official position granted by the emperor, but the expectations of scholars all over the world.

Only with these popular expectations can they become "highly respected", "leaders of the literati" and get things done.

Otherwise, let alone being an official and doing your job, it is hard to say whether you can sit firmly and land safely.

Zhu Zaigui certainly knew that the problem in Nanjing could not be solved overnight, nor could he sit back and relax by simply finding someone or creating a new system or institution.

You should know that Jiangnan has been prosperous since ancient times. Not only is the economic level there good, but there are also many scholars and elegant people.

If you look at people like this from the surface, it seems that their elegance and spiritual outlook are the essence of an era.

But if they were to do something in such a place that might affect their freedom and interests, they would become a mountain that is difficult to move.

For example, in the original history, the imperial court also wanted to measure the land in the Jiangnan region and implement the Single Whip System in order to restore the financial and local governance problems of the Ming Dynasty.

But what is the result?
Even though there were hard-line reformers like Zhang Juzheng in the court and strong executors like Hai Rui in Nanjing, they were ultimately forced to surrender under the pressure of reality and the slander and opposition from the public.

It was impossible for Zhang Juzheng to ignore these voices of opposition and forcibly implement the Single Whip Law in the Jiangnan region. Even if Hai Rui put all the blame on Xu Jie, it was not certain that he could directly intimidate everyone and implement the national policy formulated by the court in the Jiangnan region.

So the final result was that Hai Rui was hidden away, Zhang Juzheng bowed to reality, and the Jiangnan region continued to "sing and dance as before."

They lived a life of drunkenness and dreams until the demise of the Ming Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty raised its steel knife and let them experience for themselves whether the knife was harder or their necks were harder. Only then did they obediently pay taxes and money according to the rules.

Obviously Zhu Zaigui did not want to see such a thing, but he was also unwilling to let it go and allow the South to act like an independent kingdom. When the entire Ming Dynasty was in crisis, they could still live their own lives.

If this is the case, then what is the significance of Jiangnan to the court? What is the significance of Jiangnan to the world?
They cannot take advantage of the imperial court's benefits while taking advantage of the protection given to them by the northern regions and think that everything is what they deserve.

Therefore, Zhu Zaigui had to change some of the customs in Jiangnan and make the aristocratic families in Jiangnan and those self-proclaimed elegant scholars truly fulfill what Gu Yanwu said decades later: "Every man has his share of responsibility for the rise and fall of his country"!
Otherwise, they will only talk nice words and find problems, but will not be able to make practical contributions and solve problems.

To Zhu Zaigui, such Jiangnan was not as important as a garrison stationed on the grassland in the northern border town.

At least these garrisons stationed on the border can play a certain role in resisting foreign enemies and warning the interior at critical moments.

Zhu Zaigui picked up the tea that Meng Chong had just brought over, opened the lid and blew on it slightly, then took a sip lightly, moistened his lips, and finally put the teacup on the table in front of him.

Zhu Zaigui looked at Xu Jie and the other four and asked, "What do you think of Nanjing and the six ministries in Nanjing?"

When Xu Jie and others heard Zhu Zaigui suddenly shift the topic to Nanjing and the six ministries of Nanjing, they couldn't help but reveal a confused look, but they quickly put away this confused look.

Xu Jie, Li Chunfang, Yuan Wei and Yan Ne also sat like old monks at this moment. None of them looked up to answer the question first. Instead, they all used their peripheral vision to look around them to see who would speak first.

It’s as if whoever starts talking first will know what to say next.

Appears extremely cautious and cunning!
Of course, Zhu Zaigui, who was sitting on a high place, could see all their attitudes and appearances.

However, Zhu Zaigui did not feel angry about this. After all, it was inevitable for an official to be cautious.

What’s more, he is a high-ranking official.

Their cautious attitude is even more amazing.

Therefore, Zhu Zaigui also named them first.

Zhu Zaigui looked at Xu Jie and said, "Lord Xu, you are from Songjiang Prefecture and grew up in the Jiangnan region. You must have a certain understanding and knowledge of Jiangnan. Nanjing is one of the two capitals of the Ming Dynasty and is also in the Jiangnan region. I believe you should have your own views on Nanjing and the six ministries in Nanjing."

"Today I just want to chat about Nanjing. Please speak freely, even if some of your words are wrong, I will not blame you."

Zhu Zaigui set the tone with his first sentence, as if his mention of Nanjing was just a casual chat on a whim.

But who among those who can sit in this hall is not a shrewd person?

How could they possibly think that Zhu Zaigui just wanted to chat about things in Nanjing on a whim?

Therefore, at this moment, whether it was Xu Jie who was named, or Li Chunfang, Yuan Wei, Yan Ne and others who were not named, their brains began to work frantically involuntarily, recalling whether there were any important things about Nanjing that they had overlooked during this period of time.

After calling Xu Jie's name, Zhu Zaigui waited quietly and did not rush Xu Jie.

While Xu Jie was trying hard to recall and think, he also responded to Zhu Zaigui's words slowly and carefully.

Xu Jie said: "Your Majesty is wise. I was born in Songjiang when I was young, so I have a certain understanding of the Jiangnan region. Jiangnan has been prosperous since ancient times, and has been a culturally prosperous region for thousands of years. Nanjing is one of the two capitals of the Ming Dynasty. Since the Jin Dynasty, many dynasties have risen and fallen here. This has also created Nanjing's unique political status."

"Moreover, Emperor Taizu built Nanjing, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, making Nanjing the center of the world at that time. After the 18th year of Yongle, Emperor Chengzu moved the capital to the capital, and Nanjing served as the capital, although it no longer held the important position it had during the time of Emperor Taizu."

"But in the past 150 to 60 years, Nanjing has remained an important place for the imperial court to manage the six southern provinces. For example, when Hu Zongxian was fighting against the Japanese pirates in the southeast, Nanjing was the general command center of the imperial court in the southeast. The Nanjing Minister of War also played an important role in helping Hu Zongxian fight against the Japanese pirates."

"So, Your Majesty asked me what I think of Nanjing and the six ministries in Nanjing. I think that whether it was Emperor Taizu Gao, who established the capital in Nanjing, or Emperor Chengzu Wen, who later moved the capital to the capital, their treatment of Nanjing was very appropriate to the times."

Zhu Zaigui looked at Xu Jie and just smiled slightly, without expressing whether he agreed or disagreed with Xu Jie's opinion.

Because Xu Jie's words were so smooth, it could almost be said that he was avoiding the important issues.

Zhu Zaigui wanted to ask about his views on Nanjing and the six ministries in Nanjing, but he brought up the original decision made by Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Laosi, and also emphasized the role of the Nanjing Ministry of War in the anti-Japanese and bandit suppression campaign in the southeast.

To be honest, Zhu Zaigui was hardly satisfied with this answer.

The Nanjing Ministry of War did make a contribution when Hu Zongxian was fighting against the Japanese pirates, but it was definitely not as great as Xu Jie said.

At that time, the Nanjing Ministry of War was only a nominal command center set up by the imperial court in the south. The people who were truly responsible for the war against Japanese pirates in the southeast were Hu Zongxian, who was on the front line, as well as military generals such as Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou.

The Nanjing Military Department did the most to compile war reports from the southeast and then submit them to the court. Then, as a middleman, it conveyed the court's attitude and requirements for the suppression of the Japanese in the southeast. Therefore, to say how much the Nanjing Military Department played a role during Hu Zongxian's anti-Japanese suppression is simply an insult to Hu Zongxian, Qi Jiguang, Yu Dayou and others.

After Xu Jie finished speaking, Zhu Zaigui did not express his attitude immediately, but just smiled slightly.

This expression naturally also caught the eyes of Li Chunfang, Yuan Wei and Yan Ne.

Although the three of them could not guess what answer Zhu Zaigui really wanted at this moment, they were sure that Xu Jie's answer did not satisfy Zhu Zaigui.

And judging from Zhu Zaigui's reaction, he seemed to be even more difficult to understand than the Jiajing Emperor who once hid in the Xiyuan Jingshe to practice Taoism and was never seen.

But is Zhu Zaigui actually difficult to understand?

Zhu Zaigui is actually not difficult to understand at all!

As a young person, naturally you have ambitions that are different from those of an old person.

As long as they are willing to get more exposure, they will naturally understand that what these young people want to do is nothing more than something new and different from the past.

For example, the young and energetic chess master of the Han Dynasty wanted to reduce the power of the feudal lords, the young and energetic Emperor Wu of Han wanted to centralize power, the young and energetic Emperor Yang of Sui wanted to conquer Goguryeo, and the young and energetic little cutie Jianwen wanted to kill his uncle.

These examples all prove that young people just like to mess around!
If they are tortured to succeed, they are models of wise rulers; if they are tortured to fail, they are incompetent and mediocre rulers.

However, as old ministers who were much more stable than the emperor, they were unwilling to make any trouble. Even though they knew that some problems were a dead end that had to be corrected, they would rather not be killed in their hands.

They still won't change the status quo, and will even rack their brains to patch it up so that this dead end, which was originally a dead end, can be slowed down.

Therefore, the collapse of many dynasties cannot be blamed simply on “land annexation”.

Most of their collapses are due to their complacency and conservatism, which causes problems that were originally solvable to become taboos that cannot be touched.

Therefore, in a sense, the collapse of the dynasty was almost entirely self-inflicted and had little to do with the so-called various objective problems.

But some things cannot be cured even if the root cause is known.

The biggest problem and reason is that these roots of disease are themselves the key to solving the root causes of the disease.

This is like the immune cells in the human body. When they discover some small viruses and small problems, they can react quickly and kill them to solve the problems.

However, if these immune cells go crazy and start killing indiscriminately without regard for the host's own ability to withstand the attack when solving this small problem, then they will become the problem itself. In the end, not only will the problem not be solved, but even the host's life may be lost.

Therefore, expecting officials themselves to reform and change current problems is almost equivalent to using uncontrolled immune cells to kill the problem lesions.

They will kill and solve some problems, but while they are killing indiscriminately, they may become wild horses that have broken free from their reins, and they will find everyone abnormal and want to stab everyone.

And those cells and germs that are about to be killed will naturally not sit idly by and wait to die.

Therefore, when both of them fight each other desperately, let alone solving the problem and curing the disease and saving lives, it would be a blessing if the host is not tortured to death.

Li Chunfang hesitated for a moment, then stood up and bowed. He said to Zhu Zaigui, "I believe that Nanjing is of irreplaceable importance to the capital. Since ancient times, every holy dynasty that unified the country would take Nanjing to conquer the south."

"Therefore, for the long term, Nanjing is of great importance to the court, the world, and the south. Especially in today's Jiangnan area, it is an important tax collection area for the court."

"Forty years before the reign of Emperor Jiajing, nearly 80% of the grain in the capital had to be transported via the canal. The ability to ensure that grain from the south could reach the capital safely and on time, rather than being wasted in the wild, was due to the important role of Nanjing in the south of the Yangtze River."

After hearing this, Zhu Zaigui finally nodded slightly. What Li Chunfang said was right.

Forty years before the reign of Emperor Jiajing, nearly 80% of the capital's grain had to be supplied through the canal, otherwise the capital would inevitably face the worry of famine.

Although in recent years, with a series of measures taken by Zhu Zaigui around the capital, the grain and other non-staple foods around the capital have been adequately supplemented and are no longer as dependent on grain from the south as before.

But half of the grain still needs to be replenished by the canal, otherwise the capital's population of one million will not be able to get enough food.

Just imagine, the capital city, which is the head of the world, cannot even guarantee food supply. How terrible is this?

Moreover, in the long course of historical development, the Han and Tang dynasties had already exposed this problem.

After one or two hundred years of population expansion in Chang'an during the Han Dynasty, there was not enough food. So when Liu Xiu rebuilt the Han Dynasty, the capital was moved from Chang'an to Luoyang in order to obtain more food and resource support.

Later in the Tang Dynasty, they also set their capital in Chang'an, but after only a few decades, Chang'an's carrying capacity reached its limit, so that later Li Zhi and Wu Zetian often went to Luoyang for food.

Although the Tang Dynasty later kept its capital in Chang'an, due to the fundamental problem of food shortage in Chang'an, the emperors in Chang'an were unable to rely on Chang'an to help them support a powerful army that could defend the capital and sweep across the world after the An-Shi Rebellion.

Therefore, during the nearly two hundred years from the middle Tang Dynasty to the late Tang Dynasty, the problems faced by Chang'an were not just political chaos, but more because of the lack of resources in Chang'an, which were not enough to support the emperor and officials of Chang'an to dominate the world!

Therefore, after the end of the Tang Dynasty, Chang'an completely lost its status as the capital, and subsequent dynasties, as long as they had any sense, would never make Chang'an their capital again.

Because they were all afraid that once the country faced a major disaster and was about to get out of control, the impoverished Chang'an would not only be unable to respond quickly, but also lack sufficient food and resources to survive the crisis, then the country would most likely collapse directly.

Therefore, after the Tang Dynasty, except for the Liao, Jin, Yuan and other dynasties founded by foreign races which built their capitals in the north close to their base, the Han regimes would choose the Central Plains region where food and resources were relatively abundant, such as Kaifeng Bianjing.

You should know that this place was one of the places where Zhu Yuanzhang intended to move the capital.

Moreover, during the Republic of China period, there was a period of time when the central government was moved to Kaifeng.

This shows the importance of resources to the capital!
Although the Ming Dynasty did not choose Kaifeng when it moved its capital, but instead chose the capital city where resources were more scarce and located further north, this does not mean that the Ming Dynasty's capital strategy was problematic.

You know, the capital of the Ming Dynasty is directly bordering the northern grasslands. Although the resources here are not abundant, the capital can quickly mobilize troops and control the entire north, and can arrange and deal with emergency issues nearby.

Therefore, the choice of Ming's capital to be located further north where resources are more scarce was actually based on overall strategic considerations for national security.

It was not because Zhu Laosi felt that this was his base that he took the trouble to move the capital here.

These are all strategic choices! (End of this chapter)