Ming Jiajing: Starting from Immortality

Chapter 291 Global Strategy, One Billion Military Expenditure!
"allow!"

His Majesty has made the final decision.

The Cabinet has finalized the decision.

The global strategy is only missing eleven treasure ship fleets, and this task belongs to the Ministry of Industry.

As the Minister of Works, Zhu Heng felt inexplicably heavy on his shoulders under the gaze of everyone.

After thinking for a long time, he slowly said: "Your Majesty, Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, and the two elders, although the treasure ship map is detailed, many of the craftsmanship skills have been forgotten by the world. Now it takes time to pick it up again, even for a master craftsman. I think it will take at least three months to build the first treasure ship, and six months to build a complete fleet. It will probably take less than a year to complete the next ten treasure ship fleets."

work.

At any time, practice makes perfect. When you are unfamiliar with it, it will take a long time, but once you are proficient, the subsequent creation time will be greatly reduced.

It has to be said that the treasure ship map is very detailed. Almost every component of the ship has a special atlas and data record. It is not difficult to replicate it. If there are so many replicas, it is like an assembly line.

This reduces the chance of errors and speeds up the manufacturing of parts.

Once the workpiece is made, the master craftsman will assemble it part by part.

The whole work is basically divided into two parts: manufacturing workpieces and assembling them into a ship.

And these two parts can be carried out simultaneously, so Zhu Heng can guarantee that within three months, the first treasure ship can go to sea, within six months, the first treasure ship fleet can go to sea, and within a year and a half, all eleven treasure ship fleets can go to sea.

Of course, this requires endless human and material support from the Ministry of Households. Generally speaking, the Ministry of Industry’s mission in the global strategy is not particularly difficult.

Military order issued.

Gao Gong, the chief minister of the cabinet, felt even more heartbroken, as if blood was dripping. These ministries and government offices really had no idea what saving money for the court was.

You only know how to perform in front of the emperor. What's the use of performing? Isn't the best you can do?

does it worth?
Gao Gong let out an imperceptible sigh. The cabinets of Yan Song and Zhang Juzheng came to an end one after another. These "fortunately promoted ministers" in the court were completely different from those "fortunately promoted ministers".

Either they have made great contributions or even become kings or princes, such as Hu Zongxian and Wang Chonggu.

Either they have a lot of political achievements, or they are even supported by the people, like Hai Rui and Yan Jing.

Throughout the court, the higher you go, the fewer people there are who are just filling in the gaps. Everyone is so proud and arrogant. How can he continue to be the prime minister?

In the past, civil and military officials often said that the Ming Dynasty was ruled by a wise emperor and was full of powerful ministers. But they just said it and no one took it seriously. They boasted about themselves and others, and even the entire court, and everyone laughed happily.

But now, a truly wise king is in power, and the court is full of powerful ministers, but the ministers have nothing to say. There are only two words in the court: "pragmatism"!
But no one laughed.

Zhu Heng made many achievements. The two major national policies, the 25,000-mile straight road and the 100,000 community schools, were started almost at the same time and in an orderly manner.

Thanks to the fact that all provincial governments and counties had money, the workers received actual wages. Moreover, building roads and schools was intended to develop the local area and enlighten the local children.

Even if the foolish men do not understand the national policy, they know that this road is for them to walk on in the future, so it must be solid. This school is for their children to go to school in the future, so it must be solid.

No one dares to cheat or work shoddily on a project like this. Once a road is built, it is guaranteed to be problem-free for decades. Once a school is built, it is guaranteed to be problem-free for a hundred years.

The Ministry of Works was fully responsible for the two major national policies. The achievements and merits of the Shangshu Zhu Heng could be said to be increasing day by day. After five years, all roads were open and all schools were teaching. It was no exaggeration to call Zhu Heng a "living saint."

The gold gilded on the Buddha statue in the main hall of the temple is not as pure as Zhu Heng's hair.

The pedestrians and carriages on the road all must mention my name, and the teachers and students in the classroom all must praise me.

It was only a matter of time before Zhu Heng entered the cabinet. Gao Gong had a strong sense of crisis. He thought that when Zhu Heng became prime minister, he would probably have to vacate his position.

If the construction of the eleven treasure ship fleets is completed under the leadership of Zhu Heng, this process will be greatly accelerated.

There was Chen Yiqin in the cabinet and Zhu Heng in the six ministries. Gao Gong always felt that these two people were constantly shaking his position. Sometimes, he even missed the time when Zhang Juzheng was in the cabinet.

Just think about shaking Zhang Juzheng's position, and let Zhang Juzheng worry about everything else.

Ugh.

"allow!"

The holy sound descends again.

The task of building a fleet of eleven treasure ships was officially initiated by the Ministry of Industry.

However, building a ship is different from building ordinary weapons. It must be close to the sea so that it is convenient for testing.

There is no doubt that the shipyard would be best located in Jiangnan, but considering that the first treasure ship and fleet are about to set sail, the emperor must come to inspect them and cannot leave the capital for long.

After all, the Ming Dynasty now has no crown prince. If the emperor leaves the capital, the Ming Dynasty will not be able to pick a suitable candidate to be regent.

The only option was to build a factory near the capital, and Tianjin, the place where the emperor crossed the river and close to the Bohai Sea, was undoubtedly the most suitable choice.

The first shipyard for the treasure ship fleet was therefore chosen to be Tianjin. After the construction of the first treasure ship fleet was completed, a branch factory would be established in a location in Jiangnan.

Everything is settled.

Gao Gong, Hu Zongxian, Li Chunfang, Wang Chonggu and Zhu Heng resigned.

As soon as he returned to the cabinet, Wang Chonggu said goodbye to Gao, Hu and Li. According to the emperor's will, he would go to Jiangnan immediately to recruit and train the navy.

There is very little time left for him in a year and a half, and he cannot afford to waste any time.

Gao Gong had a mediocre impression of this cabinet minister. He couldn't say he was good, but he definitely couldn't say he was bad either. He just said a few words of comfort and encouragement and that was it.

The same goes for Li Chunfang. As the elder Gancao, he never offends anyone. He even invited Wang Chonggu to visit the Li family after he arrives in Yangzhou, and the Li family will definitely treat him well.

Wang Chonggu readily agreed. Li Chunfang suddenly had a bad feeling, but before he could say anything more, Hu Zongxian took over the conversation and said, "Xuefu (Wang Chonggu's pen name), thank you for your hard work!"

"Thank you for your hard work, Prime Minister!" Wang Chonggu replied.

The hard parting is bound to be the world of martial arts.

The military and political reforms of the Ming Dynasty have begun to show results. The military has separated from the court and established its own management and supervision in all aspects. Hu Zongxian and Wang Chonggu discussed and improved many systems.

One of the major reforms was that the personal army and guards of the Ming Dynasty's officers were no longer formed by the officers themselves, by candidates they liked and trusted. Instead, they were dispatched by the cabinet.

Even Qi Jiguang, the then military marshal, and Wang Chonggu, the then general, were no exception.

Hu Zongxian and Wang Chonggu called this system a necessary system to ensure that military officers and generals remain sober.

But this necessary system also applies to Wang Chonggu. The status of the cabinet elders is the same as that of the court and the military. If he governs the court, he belongs to the court. If he organizes the navy, he belongs to the military. According to the military system, he must be accompanied by his own troops, and the cabinet will send them. Both of them understand that from now on, Hu Zongxian will be responsible for the army and the reform of the entire army as the second prime minister, and Wang Chonggu will be responsible for naval affairs as a cabinet elder. It is also possible that he will represent the Ming Dynasty to go to sea in the future.

In the Ming Dynasty, Yuxi Palace was in charge of the Cabinet, and the Cabinet was in charge of the imperial court and the military. The imperial court was in charge of the 14 provinces of the Ming Dynasty, and the military was in charge of all the troops of the Ming Dynasty. Each palace had its own responsibilities, and no one was allowed to overthrow the superiors.

Wang Chonggu left Beijing.

With only three elders left in the cabinet, the government burden became heavier. Gao Gong was in charge of local administration, Hu Zongxian was in charge of military reform, and Li Chunfang took some time out of his busy schedule to explain his ideas to his old friends far away.

……

The region of Shaanxi, with its capital in Xi'an, is bordered by Shanxi and Henan to the east, Ningxia and Gansu to the west, Sichuan and Huguang to the south, and Beiyuan to the north.

The overall terrain is high in the north and south and low in the middle, consisting of various landforms such as plateaus, mountains, plains and basins. The Loess Plateau accounts for 40% of the province's land and spans the two major water systems of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, but the water resources are still insufficient.

Although fourteen dynasties, including the Western Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang, established their capitals in Shaanxi, the poverty of this place can be seen at a glance.

While people were dividing the fields on the plateau, Chen Yiqin stood on a high place, looking at the endless yellow earth and fell into deep thought.

Given the geographical advantages, it would be extremely difficult to make this province prosperous.

Neither farming, animal husbandry nor fishing can be the key to the prosperity of this place.

After a year of running around, being exposed to wind and sun, Chen Yiqin's fair and handsome appearance is no longer there, replaced by a face as sharp as a knife and a skin color so yellow that it can be compared to the yellow earth.

Chen Yiqin developed a habit of smoking dry tobacco. He would squat there and puff on it. He didn't look like a cabinet minister, a minister of the current dynasty, or a pillar of the country. He looked more like an ordinary farmer.

Hearing his son's call from behind, Chen Yiqin came back to his senses. The tobacco in his pipe was almost finished. He turned it over and knocked it on his shoe, and the ashes fell onto the yellow earth.

He put the pipe on his waist and turned around. His eldest son Chen Yubi, the elders from Hengshan, and a boy following the elders, who was holding a pot of mutton soup, came closer.

In the distance, the magistrate of Hengshan pretended to look elsewhere, but his eyes were always on this place.

Chen Yiqin took in everything, smiled at the elder, and said in a gentle voice, "Old man, what are you doing?"

"My Lord, now that you are here, you must try our mutton. Our mutton is very delicious." The elder took the mutton soup from the boy and handed it to Chen Yiqun.

Chen Yiqin looked at the pot of mutton soup and really didn't know what to say. For mutton soup in ordinary families, the mutton is often torn or sliced ​​by hand, with fat and lean meat evenly matched, served in a bowl of boiling clear soup, with a little bit of cooking oil, and eaten with crescent-shaped sesame cakes, or with meat sandwiched in the sesame cakes, or torn into large pieces and soaked in the soup, with more soup and less meat.

This pot of mutton soup is actually a pot of mutton. The soup covers the meat, with only a few drops of oil, and the crescent-shaped sesame cake is completely gone.

There were at least three to five pounds of mutton. Chen Yiqin looked at the eager eyes of the grandparents and grandchildren, thought for a while, and took it.

Upon seeing this, the captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the head of the Eastern Depot who were in charge of looking after Chen Yiqin immediately came over. To prevent any accidents, the elder was not allowed to eat any food of unknown origin.

Chen Yiqin shook his head. The captain of the Imperial Guard and the head of the Eastern Depot left silently. However, Chen Yiqin did not mean to embarrass them. He did not pick up the chopsticks to eat. He just held the food there, as if chatting, and asked, "Old man, have you been better these past two years?"

No matter where you are, you can speak the local dialect. Although Chen Yiqin has average talent, he can still grasp some language points.

"I am fine."

The elder answered with a smile that looked genuine, but it was hard to hide the fakeness. He continued, "The weather has been good over the past two years, and it's the best harvest we've ever seen. Every household has more food than they can eat. Now that the land has been divided, they will have even less food in the future."

Chen Yiqin understood that the land that the elder had owned before was definitely more than the land that was divided. It would be strange if he felt good after the land was divided. He smiled and said, "Have you ever been educated, old man?"

"I went to a private school for two years."

"When asked what era we are in, you don't even know about the Han Dynasty, let alone the Wei and Jin Dynasties... you don't understand?"

"The elder's profound meaning is beyond the understanding of ordinary people."

"Old man, when the land is divided, who will be sad and who will be happy?"

“Naturally, those with more land will suffer, while those with less land will be happy.”

"Yes, but this world will turn around one day. When that time comes, those who are supposed to be hurt will still be hurt, but you, old man, may not be able to be happy."

The elder did not understand what Chen Yiqin said. When people are in a trance, they will always subconsciously take things handed to them. The pot of mutton soup returned to the elder's hand. Chen Yiqin looked at the boy beside him and said, "Are you willing to follow me?"

The boy did not flinch, and met Chen Yiqin's gaze, saying, "My master said you are a high-ranking official, and asked me to follow you and walk out of here."

The truth from the young man is hard to bear.

The elder couldn't help but loosen his grip, and the mutton soup was about to fall to the ground. Fortunately, Chen Yubi was quick to help hold it up.

"Lord..."

The elder wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Chen Yiqin, who looked at the boy and said, "What do you think?"

"I want to go out with you, too."

"Walk out from this plateau?"

"No, I hope I can go back to the plateau one day."

A teenager in his teens said something like this. Chen Yiqin's eyes lit up and he said, "Boy, what's your name? What can you do?"

"My name is Wang Xuan, and I know math!"

"Well, from now on you will follow me to settle accounts with those big families who have hidden their land and households."

"Okay."

Wang Xuan bowed to Chen Yiqin like a scholar and called him, "Master!"

Chen Yiqin's laughter spread across the plateau and heard far away.

The old man's heart was finally at ease. Seeing that his grandson had a good future, he was grateful to Chen Yiqin. At Chen Yiqin's suggestion, he was persuaded by Chen Yubi to go back.

Wang Xuan stayed.

Chen Yiqin looked at him. For many years, Shaanxi had not produced a single high-ranking official in the court. With such a child, he hoped that he could bring surprises to this loess land in the future.

At this moment, Qi Dazhu, one of the Thirteen Guards of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, came and delivered a letter from Lord Li Chunfang.

Chen Yiqin opened it and read the letter. His smile froze for a moment, and then disappeared completely.

Our ancestor's romantic affair was seen by someone, and they want to use it to cause trouble. The Chen family has brought shame upon themselves!

(End of this chapter)