First Minister of Ming Dynasty

First Minister Section 418

A few days later, an article introducing the situation on the frontier was sent to Yingtian, and after a few days, all the major newspapers in Yingtian published the article "Nation's Qiancheng, Suwei Daming" in the headlines.

His Royal Highness, speak for the lieutenant generals...

Chapter 583 Cultivate Prince Chu

"Sister, did you see that we, Biao'er, have only been in Peiping for a few days, and our knowledge has come to us, and we have a better mind, and even our writing skills have improved a lot. As expected of our son, the future is boundless!"

Zhu Yuanzhang grabbed the article and read it over and over again, as if an old father admiring his child's first three-good student award could almost smile.

Mrs. Ma was delighted, needless to say, this kid Zhu Biao, it can be said that he has concentrated thousands of favors, has the right time and place, is also smart and studious, and has a good character... It is difficult for you to find out what's wrong with him.

But Empress Ma was always a little hesitant, it seemed that her son was a little worse, but she couldn't tell, what was the difference?

This time when he went to Peiping, Zhu Biao’s first homework was to tell about the hardships of the soldiers and the difficulties of guarding the border.

After Madam Ma saw it, she was immediately overjoyed, and then she personally instructed the people below to help revise and polish the article, and then the article appeared in the newspaper.

Obviously, as a prince, he also needs someone to support him, and he must grasp his own strength.

Everything that Zhu Biao owned in the past was given by his father.

This is of course not wrong, but what can Zhu Biao, who accepts everything, face this intricate world?

It's hard for a successful king, if you want to stay the same, do you have Zhu Yuanzhang's experience and Zhu Yuanzhang's prestige?

If it doesn't work, there will definitely be problems.

There is no doubt about it.

As the saying goes, it is better to have a father than to have a mother.

This time Zhu Biao stood up to speak for the soldiers, just to win people's hearts.

Like Hu Dahai and others, they will gather around Zhu Biao to help the prince shelter from the wind and rain, wave the flag and shout.By mastering this power, Zhu Biao will have his own foundation.

So you say Zhang Ximeng didn't teach Zhu Biao?

He was just subtly teaching Zhu Biao some fundamental things.

You said that you should teach Zhu Biao the correct thinking and prevent him from being manipulated by others.

But the question is what is right?

What Zhang Ximeng said is correct, and what Confucius said is wrong... This is too unreasonable.

Only in Peking, in such an extremely difficult situation.

Only then can people see many fundamental things clearly.

For example, what is the most important thing in Beiping today?

Safety!

Even above food and clothing.

Of course, a person needs to be fed and clothed in order to survive.

But the problem is that there are so many enemy soldiers in a mess, staring at them like a tiger, no matter how poor they are, there is always a hedge garden.

If you don't take care of the door, if people come in and rob at will, no matter how much labor they produce, they will be looted.

So in Beiping, there are many people who would rather go hungry temporarily than build up the defense line of the Great Wall first.

This is what Hu Dahai and the others did.

In Yanshan in winter, it is very cold and freezing. It is necessary to use iron drills to dig holes first, and then use picks and shovels to clean them up bit by bit.It takes several feet to get through the permafrost.

No matter how strong a young man is, if he works like this, within a few strokes, the tiger's mouth will be shattered, blood will flow out, and his hands will be frozen stiff, swollen, and frostbitten and bruised in the cold wind.

I can't say enough about the hard work here.

How to do?

Can I still give up?

This is the land of Yanyun!

Hundreds of years ago, it was thrown to Khitan, and what a painful lesson it caused. After this period of publicity, who doesn't know?

In the land of Yanyun, an inch of land cannot be lost.

In order to defend this place, and to make life better for the soldiers...we must devote resources.Then there is the Chinese method... In fact, as long as you take a walk, observe it with your heart, and think carefully, it is easy to understand.

Handing over the power of buying and selling salt to the soldiers will inevitably have disadvantages. For the same reason, letting civil servants take charge and handing it over to the Yandao Yamen is the same!

In the final analysis, it is a question of who to give this big pie to.

In the case of Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty, relying on a group of ministers to assist the left, he was enthroned, and the court was prosperous, and the emperor was kind and the ministers were virtuous. In order to avoid trouble, it was natural for merchants to send money to Taicang in exchange for salt.

All the money is handed over to the civil servants, and the salt profit is also distributed by them.

As for the deserted commercial settlements on the Nine Sides, a large number of people fleeing, the frontier army lacks food, the military households are in distress, and the combat power is severely weakened... Sorry, His Majesty is surrounded by gentlemen and virtuous ministers, so I can't see these warriors for the time being!

Zhu Biao flipped through the various official documents sent over, and began to figure out his husband's strategy for governing the country.

Gradually, he also had some experience.

First of all, it is natural to build beacon towers for safety, and then Xingjuntun for the sake of raising troops.

Then it is to run a school, settle the children of the army, and let the soldiers feel at ease.

Moreover, in order to gather wealth and lighten the burden on soldiers, the core of opening China and France is to exchange salt for merchants to deliver food and materials to the border areas.

It is simple and clear at a glance.

Nothing complicated.

But the more he pondered, the more Zhu Biao felt that there was profound wisdom in it.

Zhu Biao decided that his next assignment was to analyze the benefits of opening up Chinese and French.

He picked up a pen and wanted to write, but several times, he couldn't write.

This is not to say that Zhu Biao doesn't know how to write, but that some things are different from what he learned.

After thinking about it for a long time, Zhu Biao decided to ask Zhang Ximeng for advice.

He came over with a pile of atlases. Coincidentally, several other teachers of his, such as Song Lian, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, Gao Qi, and Xu Ben, were all here with Zhang Ximeng. They seemed to have just discussed some government affairs.

As soon as Zhu Biao came, everyone had smiles on their faces.

Zhang Ximeng asked Zhu Biao to sit down.

"Your Highness, your last article was very good. The Ministry of Education obediently approved the appointment of 37 officials, gave [-] places to schools, and obtained [-] yuan of special funds from the Ministry of Finance... ...This is all thanks to His Highness!"

Zhang Ximeng said with a smile, and handed Zhu Biao the approval document from the Ministry of Education.

Zhu Biao's face was slightly red, and he said embarrassedly: "Sir, this, this is all arranged by my father. What I wrote is not an article, too much embellishment, it is my father who scratched my face. Know what to do!"

Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "There is nothing to be afraid of. If virtue is not worthy, there will be trouble. With His Highness's identity, and His Highness's intentions, writing this article is just right, and everyone will only applaud. As for a little embellishment, it doesn't count." What. After all, Song Xueshi and the others are doing this job."

Song Lian smiled and said: "Indeed, His Highness has worked so hard to write about the hardships of the soldiers, and it is right to wave the flag and cheer."

Zhu Biao nodded slightly, and then he remembered something.

I couldn't help leaning forward, "Scholar Song, I, I can't figure out something."

Song Lian said: "Your Highness, please tell me."

"I remember that the Du Branch Bureau was set up at the beginning to calculate the tax, increase the income of the household department, and avoid the various yamen from dividing up the financial power and causing disadvantages. Is there such a thing?"

Song Lian nodded, "Indeed, this is also Zhang Xiang's claim."

Zhu Biao hesitated a little, peeping at Zhang Ximeng, as if he had some concerns.

Zhang Ximeng smiled and said, "His Royal Highness, if you have something to say, do you think there is something wrong with the minister's actions?"

Zhu Biao was still troubled, "Sir, this disciple has no intentions, let alone doubting Mr., it's just..."

Zhang Ximeng waved his hand, "Your Highness, what you said is inappropriate. My disciples don't doubt sir, and dare not trouble him. Doesn't this mean that this knowledge will never improve? I don't care about others. Here, I encourage students to seek my advice." Trouble, if one day you leave me speechless, you will probably be able to become a teacher. If you can solve the problems that I can't solve, then you will be better than blue. It is meritorious to shine on the master's door and to carry forward your knowledge! "

What these few words said, Gao Qi and others were very surprised. Didn't they always advocate respecting teachers and valuing education?When it came to Zhang Ximeng, it was really interesting to encourage the students to rebel against the teacher, but after thinking about it, it was hard to say that what Zhang Ximeng said was unreasonable.

It's really interesting!

Just when the big guy was pondering, Zhu Biao finally gathered enough courage, "Sir, is the salt tax income considered as national revenue?"

"Of course it counts."

"Then, why should the salt tax revenue be placed on the border of Yanyun through opening up China?" Zhu Biao asked boldly.

Zhang Ximeng laughed loudly, "Your Highness, it seems that you have learned a lot over the years. Your Majesty has spent a lot of time on it, and the famous Jingyan masters of Zhongshu Province have also given lectures to His Highness!"

Zhu Biao nodded, but said distressedly: "Sir, I have learned a little, but it's just a mess, I can't figure it out, I don't know right or wrong..."

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "His Royal Highness, the opening of China and France is indeed in conflict with the unification of fiscal and taxation... It happens that the big guys are here, so I will give them a question. If they don't open China and France, rely on the imperial court to allocate money to build the Yanyun line of defense. , what do I need to do?"

Zhang Ximeng looked at it, and it was Sun Yan who spoke first, "Just report the situation to the Ministry of War, and then the Ministry of War will discuss with the Ministry of Households, and the Ministry of Industry and Yushitai will send personnel to come down to check, draw up a strategy, and send it to the Central Committee. Book province, and then hand it over to His Majesty...after you agree, you can allocate funds from Taicang, gather manpower, and start construction."

Zhang Ximeng smiled and said: "That's right, it means that it will take several months, or even one or two years of fruitful work. The officials of all ministries will work together and make joint efforts. After solid efforts, they will make the most professional and suitable arrangements, big guy." They are all meritorious ministers who have worked hard for the country."

Zhang Ximeng smiled and said, "Your Highness, have you heard anything wrong?"

Zhu Biao shook his head stupidly, "I, I don't know."

Zhang Ximeng asked again, "What will happen if there is a Chinese law?"

This time Gao Qi said: "With the method of opening the Chinese government, the money belongs to the locality. At most, the capital will come forward. After checking, the banknotes will be removed, and the work can be started immediately. In a few months, I am afraid that dozens of beacon towers will be repaired. I don't know how much faster the speed is!"

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "That's right, can your highness tell me which way is better in the current Beiping?"

If you still don't understand this, you are mentally handicapped.

"Of course it is better to open China and France. Now Beiping needs to build beacon towers to protect the safety of the people. The sooner the better, the more the better!"

"Then the financial power has been transferred downwards, and the military has usurped the power of the household department and the tax department, so what should we do?" Zhang Ximeng asked with a smile.

When this question came up, not to mention Zhu Biao, even Song Lian was startled, as if it was really difficult to answer!

Chapter 584 I taught the prince badly

Opening up Chinese law, benefiting the country and the people, is a good law no matter how you look at it, so why do some people ignore it and want to abolish it quickly?Zhang Ximeng's question hit the nail on the head.

No matter how good the Chinese-French design is, there is a problem of financial power distribution behind it.

The military general opened the salt and sold it to the salt merchant, and the salt merchant took the salt to the salt field to get the salt.Isn't this design the same as giving the general the power to print money?

The salt in their hands is money.

It is equivalent to saying that in addition to the household department system, another system has been created.

This system is not even directly governed by the emperor.

After all, there is also the issue of hereditary generals behind this.

Since there is no way to control it, and the generals with authority cannot affect the imperial power, it is not surprising that Xiaozong obeyed the wishes of the officials and abolished the Kaizhong method.

Zhu Biao thought carefully for a long time, and carefully said: "Sir, this disciple believes that in order to stabilize Yanyun's land, it is really necessary to open the Chinese method!"

After Zhu Biao finished speaking, he was puzzled again: "It's just that the general has soldiers in his hands, and he also has the right to salt, tax and property. I'm afraid, I'm afraid there will be future troubles!"

Zhang Ximeng smiled and said: "Indeed, although it may not become a feudal town in the late Tang Dynasty, there are still military generals who refuse to obey the imperial order."

"Isn't that pressing the gourd to float the ladle?" Zhu Biao said worriedly.

Zhang Ximeng smiled and said nothing, but it was Song Lian who was also Zhu Biao's half teacher. After thinking about it, he said carefully, "Your Highness, there are pros and cons in everything, so it's hard to explain clearly at once. As the person in charge, you should weigh the pros and cons. This is where the difficulty lies in deciding the state affairs of the country.”

Zhu Biao lowered his head, pondered over and over again, but still shook his head helplessly, "Sir, I really don't know what to choose, sir, please give me some advice!"

Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "Your Highness, this matter is indeed beyond my ability to teach. Song Xueshi said it well, this is indeed something that the person in charge should be responsible for. If I have to say it, Your Highness must make a decision before deciding on a matter. Be clear about the pros and cons, and know the original and complete picture of Kaizhongfa. Once the decision is made to implement it, His Highness must be prepared to be able to stop Kaizhongfa. Between advancing and retreating, retracting freely, this is what His Highness needs to learn."

"It's not a good thing to be indecisive when things happen. It's not a good thing. But it's just a decision, granting authority, but not taking it back. That's not okay either."

Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "Your Highness, speaking of it, there are still many things you need to learn!"

Zhu Biao nodded quickly, and said humbly: "I don't really understand it at all. From now on, I have to pay more attention to it."

At this time, Gao Qi stood up and bowed: "Mr. Zhang, I can't figure it out because of my lowly position. How can I take it easy? Now that Mr. Zhang is in charge of Beiping, how should Mr. Zhang make the decision?"

When the matter came to Zhang Ximeng's head, Song Lian, Zhu Biao, and others all looked at Zhang Ximeng.

I said in my heart that what Zhang Xiang said was clear and logical, don't let it come to my own head, I will lose my mind, right?

Zhang Ximeng smiled slightly, "Indeed, this matter is not so convenient. I plan to set up a salt firm in Changlu to be in charge of drying and selling salt! I will abandon the way of salt transportation and let the Yamen be in charge of salt."