Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 896
In the 16th year of Shaowu, Xia Siyue.

For Beijing, in the weather in April, the morning wind is still a bit dry. Although it is too late for outings, it is a good season for farming.

A little bit of smog came from north to south, and the people in the whole capital couldn't help complaining, saying that it was the black smoke from the Zunhua Iron Works.

The reason why all the crimes were blamed on the iron factory was caused by the incident last winter.

Because during the Chinese New Year, the snowflakes in winter were dyed black, which caused an uproar among the people.

Good guy, I've only heard of flying snow in June, but never of black snow.

All of a sudden, storytellers in the streets and alleys hurriedly changed their rhetoric, which caused an uproar among the people.

Many wealthy people ran out of Beijing overnight and took refuge in the countryside.

They didn't know why they ran, but it wasn't such a good omen anyway.

For several days in a row, the entire capital was in panic, and under the induction of heaven and man, there must be a traitor in the court.

At this time, the Great Ming Gazette showed its power. The speech condemned this kind of nonsense, bluntly saying that the black smoke from the iron factory rose into the air and dyed the snowflakes black.

Only then did the public opinion calm down.

Ordinary people don't care, but literati can't appreciate the snow scenery, and their voices are loud, which arouses discussions inside and outside the court, and there are many memorials to Shangshu.

However, although the cabinet accepted all the baskets sent by the Secretary of the General Administration, they kept them all and did not release them. After the public opinion boiled, it immediately eased.

During farming time, the most important thing for the whole royal family is to migrate to Yuquan Mountain.

Going to Yuquan Mountain Villa to escape the summer heat has become a habit for the entire court, and even formed a routine, and the outer court got used to it and followed it like a migratory bird.

A few years ago, the railroad carriage was a novelty, but now it is taken for granted. There is an endless stream of people boarding the carriage to greet and see off, which is extraordinarily lively.

At this time, the emperor suddenly stopped.

"You go first!"

"Your Majesty?" the Queen wondered.

"How many years have I not gone on a parade in the palace, sitting in this carriage, the folk customs are gone, and if you don't understand the people's sentiments, how can you govern the country?"

Zhu Yixi sighed.

The queen wanted to persuade again, but was stopped by the prince's eyes.

Seeing that he had made up his mind, the harem and his party slowly boarded the car.

The emperor stayed, so did the crown prince and King Qi.

And to protect them, there are only five hundred guards and two thousand Beijing battalions.

"How much profit can this station make in a year?"

Slowly walking towards Xiache, the emperor suddenly asked.

"There are not many people traveling between Yuquan Mountain and the capital. Basically, they transport mountain spring water. The quantity is large and cheap. The entire track can make a profit of about 10 yuan a year."

Since rail carriages are basically invested by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, certain income management is also managed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

At this time, Yang Le has the right to speak, probably because of Zhang Qi's absence!
"One hundred thousand? It's still feasible."

According to the current price of iron, one catty of iron is worth ten coppers, and one mile would consume at least 20 catties, that is to say, one mile would cost 2000 yuan in silver dollars.

Five miles is 1 yuan.

It is sixty miles from Yuquan Mountain to Beijing City, which is 12 silver dollars.

It pays for itself in one year, and the rest of the time is pure benefit.

Good guy, it's too profitable!

The emperor nodded slightly. At this moment, he suddenly remembered that it was obviously out of date for Zhang Qi to control the House of Internal Affairs for many years.

After all, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is responsible for the external management of the royal family, and the amount of internal funds is basically determined by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. If people stay for a long time, accidents will easily occur.

Yang Le didn't know what the emperor was thinking, so he said respectfully: "Your Majesty, the railway from Beijing to Tianjin is the most profitable one. Although it is only more than three hundred miles away, it only costs one yuan for a journey."

"I heard from the people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs that there are as many as three to five million people coming and going every year, and there are dozens of exhausted horses!"

Hearing this, Zhu Yixi frowned, and there was a slight smile on the corner of his mouth.

From Yuquan Mountain to Beijing, all goods are transported, while from Tianjin to Beijing, all transport is people.

In this way, relying on Beijing's role as a political center, it has attracted literati and businessmen from all over the world, and they are naturally not stingy with this little money.

Of course, the poor can also take a boat or walk, but the loss is similar, and there are two more days.

Seeing Yang Le's eloquent appearance, the emperor smiled inwardly and didn't take it seriously.

Of course he understood that the House of Internal Affairs was like a huge piece of fat to the eunuchs, and he wanted to take a bite even in his dreams.

If Zhang Qi went down, wouldn't the seat be vacant?

"Where is it built?"

"At the end of last year, the railway was extended from Yuquan Mountain to Xuanfu, and we will be able to reach Datong this year."

"Moreover, Tongzhou is where Taicang is located, and it has been open to traffic for a long time."

Yang Le reported in detail, trying to take the lead in the position of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

"Now, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is presiding over the horse track from Nanjing to Songjiang Mansion..."

Speaking of this, Yang Le suddenly raised his head, with a little emotion in his words: "But I heard that the servants heard that the Ministry of Internal Affairs is going to offer some shares to the gentry of the people, which is regarded as a white wolf with empty hands."

"However, Your Majesty, a place as rich and prosperous as Jiangnan, here Tianjin is no exception. It can pay back its capital in one year, and in the rest of the time, it can bring at least one million yuan to the Ministry of Internal Affairs every year."

"These profits cannot be distributed to those so-called gentry."

The prince and King Qi's eyes were straightened as they listened.

It was the first time they heard about the inside story of the railway track, and it turned out that it was so money-making.

Good guy, the water in the House of Internal Affairs is really deep.

However, if the Jiangnan railway track is really built, the benefits will not be too exaggerated.

The sun shone through the gray and white clouds, illuminating this vast and flat field.

The rain is sufficient, making the wheat seedlings lush and lush, and farmers in twos and threes can be seen working in it from a distance.

The horseshoes were pounding, the wheels were rattling, and occasionally gravel was shot into the carriage, making a loud noise.

The emperor smiled slightly and sighed: "Since ancient times, money has moved people's hearts."

Looking at the crown prince and King Qi, the emperor explained: "Not only those gentry, but also those officials in the court are also gnashing their teeth with envy."

"They wrote letters many times, asking the imperial court to prohibit the Ministry of Internal Affairs from repairing the railway tracks, and instead let the Ministry of Households pay for management."

"Where did you come from?"

"It's nothing more than jealousy!" King Qi said directly.

The emperor shook his head slightly.

The prince said earnestly: "If the railway tracks run through the entire Ming Dynasty, if it succeeds, at least tens of millions of yuan can be collected a year."

"For the imperial court, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages."

"It is not easy to increase the agricultural tax, because there are countless acres in the world, and it is also affected by natural disasters, which is not as stable as the commercial tax."

"At the same time, businessmen are treacherous, and it is not easy to collect money. How can it be as easy as sitting and collecting money on the railway?"

The emperor showed a satisfied smile, and then quickly restrained himself: "The prince is right."

"King Qi, you are too greedy."

"Do you think that all the money in the world should be collected in the inner treasury and ignored by the imperial court? You have to understand that the inner court and the outer court are all one, and if one is damaged, the other will be damaged, and if one is prosperous, both will be prosperous."

Touching his son's head, Zhu Yixi continued to teach his son:

"Besides, you don't understand that the cost of every mile of railway is huge. If you want to build railways all over the world, you will have to spend 20 yuan for every hundred miles, and 200 million yuan for every thousand miles."

"There are many hills in the mountains, and considering the running horses, maintenance and other work, it requires the in-depth cooperation of the local government."

After finishing speaking, Zhu Yixi turned his head again and looked at the prince: "What's the prince's idea?"

The prince was slightly taken aback when he heard this.

"Your Majesty, after thinking about it, I feel that the shares should be distributed, and even when the imperial court is in charge, those gentry should be included in the shares."

"Prince—" King Qi exclaimed.

The emperor waved his hand and asked him to continue talking.

Zhu Cunqu heaved a sigh of relief, feeling the emperor's connivance, he boldly continued:
"Although it has been said that since ancient times, the emperor has been rich all over the world, and he claims to be under the whole world, could it be that he is the king's land, but in fact, there were nobles, powerful families, and powerful people in the past, and now there are gentry, and the city and the emperor share the world."

"So, if you want the court to last, you need to continue to share the world with it."

"Then what do you mean, how to distribute?" Zhu Yixi encouraged.

"What I mean is that first of all, an edict should be issued to strictly prohibit the construction of railway tracks by private individuals in the world, and those who violate it will be severely punished.

Then, let the imperial court preside over the railroad tracks, but the Ministry of Households must have insufficient money and food, and the gentry who are dissipating shares and localities can build the railroad tracks without spending a penny. "

"At that time, the imperial court will reap the benefits, and the outer court will be richer, and the inner money will naturally be better."

The emperor lifted the curtains.

The Royal Summer Carriage is actually open on all sides, and the gauze scarf is wrapped around it to allow the wind to see the scenery. Following the maid's opportunity, she rolled up the gauze scarf, and saw a large field not far from the carriage.

The crops and weeds grew wildly together, and the farmers went to the fields in groups to weed the weeds with hoes. Some of them couldn't avoid it, so they knelt down on the side of the road in fear and kowtow.

The ragged clothes and numb faces of these common people reminded him of scenes from TV dramas.

Although he could say without hesitation that ending the war in the late Ming Dynasty was the emperor's greatest achievement, similarly, for the people at the bottom, the problem of food and clothing has not been completely resolved.

After all, peace is just for people not to die so easily.

Although some words are cruel, they have to be said:

Law is an iron cage for the ruling class to safeguard its interests.

In the former Qin Dynasty, royal power and nobles shared the world.

During the Han, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the imperial power was shared by the powerful, so the law served the powerful.

After the Tang and Song Dynasties, the gentry class rose, and the law served the gentry and the royal power.

For example, local clan rights were affirmed, and the clan's judiciary was affirmed, and the imperial court hardly interfered.

Therefore, those who admire Legalism and despise Confucianism, if they truly let Legalism rule the country according to the law, they are no less than the minions of bureaucrats and gentry.

The prince spoke clearly, and there was no trace of ordinary people in what he said.

There is nothing to facilitate people's travel, solve traffic difficulties, etc., there are only interests, about the interests of the gentry.

Such considerations are of course correct.

However, the reality is a bit too cold.

"Prince, do things and talk, we should talk about them separately."

The emperor's tone was more serious: "You have to learn from those literati. When you do things, you have to talk about interests, but when you speak out, you have to whitewash morality."

"The completion of the railroad tracks will reunite the common people with fathers, sons and brothers. This is the original intention of the imperial court, do you understand?"

"My son understands." The prince nodded hurriedly, suddenly realizing.

Seeing the seriousness of the atmosphere, King Qi immediately smiled and said, "Royal father, in my son's opinion, money is secondary, and the key lies in being able to transport soldiers and horses thousands of miles away."

"It's hard to transfer the railroad tracks." The prince sighed.

"But it's better than going the official way!"

"King Qi is right." The emperor said with a smile: "Although the railroad track is easy to pull apart, it is at most a section, not all, just go to the nearest point."

At this time, the father and son talked about folk stories again, and the atmosphere became much more harmonious.

But Zhu Yixi made a decision in his heart.

Prohibiting private construction of railway tracks is to monopolize power.

Then, the emperor and court will preside over the distribution.

The best way to maximize the benefits of the railroad is to unite it with a large number of nobles, bureaucrats, and gentry to obtain massive funds for expansion.

In this way, government destruction and human death will definitely not exist, and at the same time, the railway will be completely popularized.

Halfway through, the carriage stopped.

The emperor got out of the car, and the king of Qi and the prince naturally got off together.

The vehicle didn't move in a straight line, but went around in a circle, wandering around the nearby villages, but basically didn't leave the official road for thirty miles.

Thatched huts, commoner clothes and short shirts, men, women and children, although their appearances are different, most of them are dark, which is completely different from the fair-skinned people in Beijing.

In any village, the most generous is the ancestral hall.

The ancestral hall culture is deeply rooted.

The crown prince and King Qi were silent, and after browsing one village after another, their hearts were heavy.

It is conceivable that almost [-]% of the common people are struggling to get enough food and clothing, and there is even a family with only one cotton coat and trousers, whoever goes out wears it.

However, I am gratified that no one has starved to death in recent years.

Asked the reason, the clan elder opened his mouth with few teeth, and said with a smile: "Because there is that sweet potato, we call it sweet potato."

"It can be planted on hillsides, and it can be grown in front of and behind houses. It doesn't need much trouble. You can harvest hundreds of catties a year, and you can eat it for a year or so after drying."

"Then why not grind it into powder?" The prince couldn't help but said, "I heard that sweet potato powder can be stored better, and it can be sold at a higher price."

"The donkey in the mill is reserved for the wheat. If you let the sweet potatoes be ground, don't let the donkey die of exhaustion!"

The old man waved his hands and said, "For poor people, it's good to be able to fill their stomachs, and the money spent on grinding is very precious!"

Speaking of this, the old man suddenly said bitterly: "In the past, the women in the village could weave cloth and sell it in the market. Now I heard that there is a kind of Tianjin cloth, which is cheaper than the cloth we weave. No one buys it..."

Returning to the official way, the crown prince and King Qi were lost in thought.

It is easy to talk about the suffering of the people, but it is hard to accept when you see it suddenly.

Families with bare walls and ragged clothes are all reflected in reality from books.

Zhu Yixi was fine, he watched too much, and brought his two sons here just to see this:

"It's the same in Gyeonggi. It's conceivable that the frontier is suffering."

(End of this chapter)