Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

Under the new crooked neck tree.

Jiang Xinghuo said: "Before we tell the answer, we might as well think about it first. If the Ming Dynasty only established one capital, if it was Beijing, what would be the pros and cons? Only by clarifying these can you understand the essence of the problem and what is the meaning of moving the capital."

The answer to this point is so clear that Zhu Gaoxu could answer without hesitation.

"The reason for establishing Beijing as the capital is naturally to consider the temple and win the hearts of the people in the north."

Jiang Xinghuo nodded and motioned for him to continue. Zhu Gaoxu had also learned some of Jiang Xinghuo's ability to be clear and organized in the past few days. Although he stumbled, he could still speak in an orderly manner.

"If you look at the Yanyun Land where Beijing is located, then from the time Shi Jingtang, the Later Jin Dynasty Emperor of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, ceded the Yanyun Sixteenth Prefecture, the Yanyun Land has been separated from the rule of the Han Dynasty for more than 500 years."

"Looking south to the land of Hedong (Shanxi) and Hebei, the two rivers fell into the hands of the barbarians for more than three hundred years, starting from the humiliation of Jingkang."

"It wasn't until the founding of the Ming Dynasty that General Xu Da made an expedition to the Central Plains, expelling the Tartars and recovering the Han lands in the north. It has only been more than thirty years now."

"More than thirty years is really too little compared to more than three hundred and five hundred years!"

"If Beijing is not established as the capital, I am afraid that the people in the North will be hard to control."

Hearing this, Zheng He also nodded one after another.

This truth couldn't be simpler. In fact, the most intuitive thing is to look at the composition of the Yan army under Zhu Di.

The pro-Yan Mongolian tribes who came to help the war, the recruited inner Mongolian tribes, the Mongolian Tartar officials and the Duoyan Three Guards who had already entered the Yan army system. The shadow of the Mongols can be seen everywhere in the Yan army, even among the Han soldiers in the North. , there are also some people who have already been severely transformed into barbarians, or people of mixed race between barbarians and Han people.

These people's hometowns are in the north, and it is difficult to keep them stationed in the south for a long time.

This means that in the early years of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty was actually split into two countries.

The "North and South List" incident during the Hongwu period is the best example.

The South and the North are in a de facto state of division in all aspects of culture, living habits, economy, temples, etc.

Zhu Yuanzhang has tried his best to bridge this contradiction between the north and the south through measures such as immigration and enfeoffment of the eight major fortress kings, but in fact the contradiction between the north and the south is still acute.

The Battle of Jingnan, the civil war of the Ming Empire, can be regarded to some extent as a contest between the Hebei Youyun forces representing the north and the Jiangnan forces representing the south, a general outbreak of contradictions, and Zhu Di's basic base is exactly that. The military leaders, landlords, and powerful men of the North.

"And there's another problem."

Zhu Gaoxu added: "If we don't move the capital to Beijing, we won't be able to accumulate a large number of troops and horses in the North."

Zhu Gaoxu said this cryptically, but what he actually meant was that Zhu Di could not safely put the main army to the north, escape his control, and sit in Nanjing by himself.

The army is Zhu Di's lifeblood.

Now that Zhu Gaoxu knew that he was being eavesdropped, he didn't dare to say something too straightforward.

Zheng He had long known that the emperor and others were probably listening in the secret room next door, and he did not dare to talk nonsense at all.

"At this time, the Northland has been beaten to pieces, and a large number of the original troops and horses have been transferred south. It is definitely necessary to defend the remnants of the Northern Yuan Dynasty. If the capital is not moved to Beijing, then according to the unyielding attitude of the remnants of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, it will soon be Frequently harassing the border, if this state continues for too long, I'm afraid."

Zhu Gaoxu didn't dare to say it, but Jiang Xinghuo dared to say it.

"Is it possible that the land of Yanyun will fall to the barbarians again?"

"That's it." Zhu Gaoxu said sarcastically.

There is a very straightforward reason for this, that is, Yanyun's brave and capable warriors actually live a better life as a nomad than as a farming nation.

Why?

The Yanyun Han'er are seriously ill-informed. They are all very brave and hard-working and do not engage in production. They are different from the farmers in Hebei. Isn't it nice for the Yanyun Han'er to follow the nomadic people to collect new year's coins and harvest grass and grain?

Anyway, the people in the Yanyun land sent their men to the battlefield in the hope of earning more spoils and rewards. The level of fierce folk customs was different from that in the Jiangnan land where the literary style was strong.

"In other words, moving the capital to Beijing will be beneficial in terms of winning over the hearts of the people in the North, defending against the remnants of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, and consolidating the political power, right?" Jiang Xinghuo concluded.

Zhu Gaoxu and Zheng He nodded one after another.

"What about the disadvantages of moving the capital to Beijing?" Jiang Xinghuo asked again.

Zheng He dared to say this.

"In my humble opinion, I am a northerner." Zheng He added: "The north is short of food and people. It requires a large number of immigrants to the north for a long time to enrich the population of the north. At the same time, the food output in the north is lower than that in the south. Not only that, even if wasteland is reclaimed after immigration, the food produced will not be enough to support the army and officials, and food must continue to be transported from the south, which will make the conflict between the north and the south more acute."

"At the same time, it will also make the southern gentry who lack the control of imperial power have a big tail." Zhu Gaoxu added.

Regarding the pros and cons of moving the capital to Beijing, the two people basically analyzed it comprehensively. Jiang Xinghuo asked again: "What about Nanjing?"

——————

The secret room next door.

Zhu Di looked at Li Zhigang with a smile: "Li Shangshu, briefly talk about the pros and cons of making Nanjing the capital?"

Li Zhigang glanced at Xia Yuanji, who was sitting behind him and pretended to be deaf and mute, and said helplessly.

"Replying to Your Majesty, the advantage of making Nanjing the capital is that there is no shortage of food in Jiangnan and it can be beaten at any time. The disadvantage is that it is difficult to maintain the balance between the north and the south. At the same time, referring to the experience of Nanjing as the capital in the past, the north will easily become a big financial power. Cave, once the north is invaded, the court, which is dominated by southerners, will definitely choose to abandon the north to reduce the financial burden. If the north is abandoned, it will be almost impossible to take it back through the Northern Expedition."

As a Songjiang native, Li Zhigang was truly loyal to the emperor.

I have already betrayed my country and class, what more do you want from me?

However, Zhu Di is still chasing after him. Today he seems to be staring at him and asking: "Why is it impossible? Li Shangshu might as well talk about it, I really want to hear it."

Li Zhigang looked at this cramped secret room, and his heart trembled. He was even more frightened, frightened, and deeply curious about the person on the other side of the wall who kept talking.

He could recognize the voices of the second prince Zhu Gaoxu and the third eunuch Zheng He, but he had never heard the voice of this prisoner.

Even the identity of the prisoner was something he inferred from the conversations coming from the other side of the wall.

Who can make Zhu Di, who has always had a bad temper, be so tolerant?

It's really incredible.

Li Zhigang was frightened and frightened because the opponent's problems were almost always forcing him to the Shura field.

When the emperor asked him these questions, would he dare not answer them truthfully?

But there were some things that would make the emperor angry if he answered truthfully.

What should we do if we send him to prison for the third time?

As time passed by, Li Zhigang was sweating more and more on his forehead, and it looked like two more handkerchiefs were getting wet.

Xia Yuanji was a kind person, so he finally couldn't stand it anymore and said after saluting.

"I have the courage to answer for Li Shangshu, and I hope your majesty will allow it."

Zhu Di nodded.

Xia Yuanji said: "If Nanjing is really the capital, and there are changes in the north in the future, the court will abandon the north. Then by the time of the Northern Expedition, the court will definitely be occupied by civil servants from the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River. At that time, in order to protect itself, In order to prevent the Northern Expedition from cultivating new military heroes, and to prevent northern scholars from flooding into the court after the success of the Northern Expedition to occupy their positions, they will definitely obstruct the Northern Expedition from the temple."

"This is why Li Shangshu said that once the north is abandoned, it will be almost impossible to take it back with the Northern Expedition."

Hearing this, Dao Yan glanced at Xia Yuanji approvingly.

Zhu Di also nodded to Xia Yuanji and said, "This is where my concerns lie."

"If the capital is Beijing, then food will depend on and be controlled by the south; if the capital is Nanjing, the division of the north and the south will be inevitable."

"Ruzhi Naihe? Ruzhi Naihe!"

Zhu Di banged the chair several times and sighed.

This question is also something that troubles the minds of several senior officials of the Ming Empire in the room.

It's a real dead end, and there are huge drawbacks to whichever one you choose. It seems like you can only choose the lesser of two evils.

But, is there really no way to break the situation?

Zhu Di cast his eyes on the wall.

Li Zhigang also looked over curiously.

He seemed to want to see clearly the mysterious man opposite through the wall.

——————

Inside the wall, the two of them gave almost the same answers as in the secret room.

Jiang Xinghuo concluded: "So, in fact, the tangle lies in three points."

"The first point is to worry about the division between the north and the south, and we need to take care of the north."

"The second point is that the current situation of food supply is more in the south and less in the north, and the economic center is in the south."

"The third point is to prepare the borders, but the military cannot be assured of being far away from the core of rule."

Zhu Gaoxu nodded and said: "That's about it."

Jiang Xinghuo briefly wrote these words on the dry sand.

"Think about it point by point, take your time, don't rush."

Jiang Xinghuo said: "First of all, let me talk about the first point. In order to prevent the conflict between the north and the south of the Ming Dynasty from further intensifying, it is definitely necessary to establish the capital in the north. This is the most obvious signal from the temple. It means that the court has not given up on the north, and the court intends to Healing the long-standing division between North and South.”

Zhu Gaoxu was a little confused.

"But Mr. Jiang said before that population, money, and food are all distributed according to economic activities, and the core of economic activity is the time and quantity of food transportation. This means that Ming Dynasty is not suitable for moving the capital to Beijing."

"Determining the capital and moving the capital are two different things."

Jiang Xinghuo gave an example: "Whether Fengyang is still the capital, isn't Fengyang the capital? What impact does this have? From the Northern Song Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty, there was a 'four capital system'. The four capitals in the Northern Song Dynasty were Kaifeng Prefecture and Henan Prefecture. , Yingtian Prefecture, Daming Prefecture, and the Yuan Dynasty had four capitals: Halalin, Dadu, Shangdu, and Zhongdu.”

"So, the Ming Dynasty can have three to four capitals, including the existing Zhongdu Fengyang and Nanjing Yingtian Prefecture, plus two more capitals, such as Beiping Prefecture in Beijing (Jiang Xinghuo knows that Beiping Prefecture has been renamed Shuntian Prefecture, but I can’t say), it’s normal to build something like Xijing or Tokyo.”

Zhu Gaoxu said tentatively: "What Mr. Jiang means is that the Ming Dynasty can make Beijing its capital, but it doesn't have to move it? But if it only makes Beijing the capital but doesn't move it, wouldn't Beijing be the same as Fengyang, the central capital?"

Jiang Xinghuo shook his head: "It's different. You'll know when we go on."

Jiang Xinghuo continued: "The second point is that there is more food in the south and less food in the north. However, because the north faces border threats, coupled with factors such as soil, precipitation, crops, etc., the military food for hundreds of thousands of guards and vassal guards in the north has to be reduced. It is basically impossible to be self-sufficient. In order to support a large army, food must be continuously transported from the economic center south to the north. If the capital is moved to Beijing, then a huge bureaucracy, their families, and related services will come with it. personnel will dramatically aggravate the food shortage problem in the north."

Zhu Gaoxu wanted to talk about using chemical fertilizers to increase production, but then he realized that Mr. Jiang didn't know all this yet and had to hide it from him for the time being.

After all, after this class is over, Mr. Jiang will be released from prison in three classes. The last short period of imprisonment must be kept confidential.

"Can't we dredge the Grand Canal and reopen water transportation?" Zhu Gaoxu couldn't help but ask.

"Walk transportation is a bad idea."

Jiang Xinghuo revealed the truth mercilessly: "The loss of water transportation is ten times that of sea transportation, and it can easily increase the burden on the people and form interest groups that rely on water transportation. As time goes by, the cost of water transportation itself will even exceed the cost of transporting grain! In other words, if you transport one stone of grain to the north, the court will lose two stone!"

Zheng He, who transported dozens of boatloads of guano from Shitang, had a say in this.

"It's true, shipping by sea is very convenient and fast."

Naturally, a landlubber like Zhu Gaoxu doesn't know the difference. He only knows that the inland rivers are calm, while the sea often has strong winds and huge waves.

Zheng He explained: "Transporting grain along the coastline will basically not encounter any wind and waves. Moreover, if you transport last year's autumn grain in spring and summer and return in autumn and winter, it will be completely smooth, fast and cost-effective. This is not the case with water transportation. There is no such thing as smooth sailing in water transportation, it all relies on water work to draw fibers, and labor costs are huge."

Zhu Gaoxu was puzzled: "Then why do dynasties in all dynasties seem to rely mostly on water transport?"

Jiang Xinghuo put it bluntly: "Sea transport saves money. How can officials at all levels make money? What's more, millions of water transport workers depend on their food and clothing. Once they develop the habit of water transport, will the imperial court dare to change it easily? They are not afraid that the water transport workers will be incited. Rising in rebellion?"

Zhu Gaoxu was silent for a while.

In the final analysis, it seems to be a matter of interests.

"Then how to solve the problem of transporting food? Is there no solution?"

"How can there be no solution?" Jiang Xinghuo laughed, "Of course there is a solution. To solve the problem, one must tie the bell. The solution to the problem actually lies in the problem itself."

"The problem with shipping is that no one makes money, so wouldn't it be okay if we let shipping make money?"

Zheng He was stunned for a moment: "The imperial court transports grain from south to north. How can everyone make money by shipping it? If there are no nominal 'losses' and 'labor' involved in transporting grain, there is no way to make money. The accounts of shipping They are all clear, with very little loss and consumption, and no labor from trackers. At best, they are just sailors eating on the road."

"Who said you make money from transporting food?"

Jiang Xinghuo wrote on the ground from top to bottom.

Temple center.

economic center.

"Setting the capital in Beijing does not mean moving the capital, nor does it mean not moving the capital. This is a bit confusing. I will talk about it later."

"Just talking about the contradiction between the temple center and the economic center, in the final analysis, isn't it that the transportation of grain from the south to the north harms the interests of the economic center in the south?"

The two nodded, saying that the root of the problem lies in interests, or money.

Jiang Xinghuo drew two symbols.

↑↓

"Actually, the solution to this contradiction couldn't be simpler. As long as food transportation by sea takes off and everyone realizes the convenience and speed of sea transportation, then sea transportation can not only transport food, but also goods!"

Zheng He interrupted again at this time: "In the north, even food needs to be transported from the south. Silk, porcelain, tea, etc. are also in the south. If the north only pays to buy things, how can the sea transportation from south to north be maintained? "

Jiang Xinghuo shook his head.

"No, although the North has no money, it has important resources to buy goods from the South."

"What?" Zhu Gaoxu became increasingly confused.

"Coal and iron."

"Shanxi has coal, Liaodong has iron, and Beijing is the hub of the two." Jiang Xinghuo said simply: "You may not know the role that coal and iron will play in the future. This is what I tell you, if Ming Dynasty wants to For earth-shaking changes to occur, the two must be combined. Coal and iron can not only make steel, but coal also has other functions, that is, like firewood for burning a stove, it can make a new power object continue to work hard. , can do many things that human and animal power cannot."

"What is Mr. Jiang referring to?"

Zhu Gaoxu couldn't even imagine what this new power object Jiang Xinghuo mentioned was.

"You can understand it as - an iron horse!"

The so-called iron horse is naturally a steam engine. This is also the technology tree that must be pointed out when Ming Dynasty enters the era of industrial change. Of course, Jiang Xinghuo is just saying this now to demonstrate the feasibility of his plan to move the capital, which does not mean that it will be done now. It goes against his original intention to light up the steam engine.

Jiang Xinghuo hopes that under his guidance, Ming Dynasty can develop a sound scientific research and production system and independently join the torrent of history and move forward.

Is it possible that Watt could discover that boiling water can push up the lid? If I, Jiang Xinghuo, guided me, few smart people in the Ming Dynasty would discover it?

impossible things.

The key to the birth of the steam engine is not the steam engine itself, but the environment in which the steam engine was born.

Chasing profits with almost crazy innovation.

Therefore, what Jiang Xinghuo needs is to take advantage of the situation and create a highly "competitive, innovative, and profit-seeking" environment that can give birth to steam engines and looms. This is far better than crossing the basic technology on the technology tree and pointing out the steam engine. Much more important.

Jiang Xinghuo continued to explain: "A horse made of iron may not be in the shape of a horse, but its function is that even dozens of horses cannot keep up with it, and horses also need to be bred, cared for, and fed grass and beans. This iron horse is not needed at all. You only need to use steel made from coal and iron to make the iron horse, and then continuously throw coal into it to drive the iron horse."

"The iron horse can pull trucks and even carry people on the road with two steel rails day and night without any rest. From then on, the north and south of the Ming Dynasty can be greatly smoothed, and the control of the imperial court will be extended along the steel rail road; the iron horse can also be placed on the ship It drives the propeller to push the ship forward in the water, regardless of whether the wind and water conditions are smooth, so as to do things that could not be done before; the iron horse can also produce many goods that originally required manual labor, such as cotton, gauze, etc., and in During the production process, the iron horse not only does not need to rest, but the production efficiency is far better than that of human hands."