Bright Spring

Everyone echoed, "The Holy One is kind" and "The Holy One is wise..." The noisy atmosphere quickly returned to the main room.

Probably because Zhu Gaoxu said good things later, everyone is no longer nervous.The previous words can warn only a few people.Those who engage in smuggling|smuggling with the Wuliangha people and Tatars should only be able to share the benefits with a small number of people, and most generals don't care.

"Do it!" At this moment, Zhu Gaoxu raised his glass and said.

The warriors also responded one after another, and drank the wine one after another.Zhu Gaoxu hung the wine glass in the air and turned it upside down to signal, then put down the wine glass, picked up the chopsticks and started eating.

Anyway, he has already spoken very clearly, and he understands everything.In the past, Zhu Gaoxu was not too strict with those generals who made money illegally due to reasons such as accumulated malpractice and neglect; but today he clearly expressed his attitude, and it will depend on the performance of those generals in the future.

In the noisy atmosphere of intertwined cups and cups, Zhu

Gao Xu was still thinking about the issue of military pay.He estimated that in various parts of the Ming Dynasty, the number of guard troops who were actually on duty as guards remained between 30 and 50.The army of the guards is divided into farming and guarding in rotation. Most of the military households in each guard are farming, and the soldiers are not paid when they are farming, and the same is true for the soldiers of the Beijing camp.

If each person is issued three new coins per year, the value of the newly minted copper coins is twice that of the old coins), the annual fixed military salary expenditure of the court will increase by 100 million to 150 million coins, which is an expenditure that the court can fully bear at present.Zhu Gaoxu could easily figure out that military salaries cannot be set too high, and if he wants to motivate soldiers, he can use unfixed rewards.In order to avoid being unable to pay the military salary directly when the finances are not good, it will make the soldiers even more dissatisfied, and even a mutiny may be possible.

At the same time, Zhu Gaoxu is still planning to carry out a comprehensive reform of the military supply system of the border army.It is probably the same as the iron factory of the Southern Department of the Reform and Defense Department, starting from the supply of raw materials and labor.

Armors, weapons, salt, food and other supplies in the guards used to be scattered and short-term supply, just like the supply system of the court yamen, which was very chaotic;Zhu Gaoxu plans to set up a long-term transshipment envoy for centralized procurement scheduling.

Including the salt merchants who participated in the "opening of China and France" for the credit of transporting military rations and other support to the border in exchange for salt imports). Originally, they directly exchanged certificates from frontier generals for salt imports. This power should also be transferred to the transfer envoys. .Use salt or cash for transshipment to purchase the materials in the hands of merchants in a unified manner.

The method to ensure the price of grain at the border is also very simple. Zhu Gaoxu remembers that the government collected grain and subsidized cash in the past.Now it is only necessary to build granaries everywhere to buy and stock up the grain of the soldiers in the fields; at the same time, to establish a sea transportation line to transport more abundant materials from the south to the northern border, and the government will be able to price the grain adequately.

This series of ideas has improved the treatment of soldiers on duty (military pay and rewards), and reduced the burden on soldiers in the army to pay for the purchase of food in the army).The burden was passed on to the entire Ming Dynasty.

However, Zhu Gaoxu believes that it is absolutely necessary for the imperial court to shoulder the bulk of the burden of border defense.Taizu said back then that "it doesn't cost the common people 1.1 meters to raise a million soldiers" is a good idea, but it will only make the combat effectiveness of the guard army quickly eroded, and everyone wants to escape from the military.

The whole innovation had to be done simultaneously.If it is just a waste of money, then the border customs will only let the price of goods skyrocket due to currency imports and lack of supplies, and only a small number of profiteers and colluding frontier generals will get cheap.

The luncheon continued, but afterward it was filled with libretto by the civil servants and simple compliments from the generals, Zhu Gaoxu hardly said anything more.He was not unhappy, but wanted to make some generals more impressed by what he said today.

In the afternoon, Zhu Gaoxu retired to the backyard and came to the study where he had stayed before.

Zhu Gaoxu is good at writing, but now he usually doesn't like to write.It was only because the assumption was a bit complicated that he wrote down everything and marked it with some black lines.

Domestic rectification is also closely related to foreign domains.To prohibit smuggling | smuggling by border generals, we must open up mutual markets, or even directly trade with the Tatar tribes, otherwise we will be unable to resist.

The more banned things are, the more profitable they are, and there will always be people willing to take risks.Especially Wuliangha Sanwei, the Ming court did not directly rule them.If supplies are embargoed against the Tatars, Uliang

The current situation of the Kazakh people will definitely find ways to change hands to make a fortune.If you are too tough on the Wuliangha people, it is very likely to speed up the alliance between the Wuliangha Sanwei and the Horqin Department.

Zhu Gaoxu recalled a time when a country promulgated a ban on alcohol, but it turned out that the wine merchants were the ones celebrating.

And the Tatars are willing to trade with the Ming Dynasty, not to mention that the situation has turned around this year.Although Alutai was for the purpose of conspiracy, he did send envoys and promised to be a minister and accepted the title. If this matter continues to be facilitated, then it will be justifiable for Ming and the Tatars to trade directly.

In recent years, the operation of Alutai has been as fierce as a tiger, not only to sow dissension, but also to seek eastward advancement and to promote the alliance between the Horqin tribe and the Wuliangha tribe.It is no wonder that some ministers in the court are far more vigilant against the Tatars than the Oirats.

However, Zhu Gaoxu's only dabbling knowledge vaguely remembers a very famous civil fort incident in Daming, where the emperor was captured, and the mastermind was the Oala tribe.Coupled with the insights and suggestions of some ministers in the DPRK, Zhu Gaoxu also tends to believe that the Oirat tribe may be gradually rising.

Alutai, the leader of the Tatar Asut tribe, seems to be a capable leader.However, the times make heroes, and even heroes can hardly control the tide of the situation.

Zhu Gaoxu pondered for a long time, and based on his previous judgments with the ministers, he roughly concluded that it seemed that it was no longer in the interest of the Ming Dynasty to continue to suppress the Tatar tribes as the biggest enemy at this time.It may be necessary for the Tatars to maintain a certain strength and become an important force to contain the Oala tribes in the west.

While thinking, Zhu Gaoxu wrote vigorously.When he stopped, he suddenly noticed someone shaking outside the screen, so he said, "Come in and talk."

At this time, the eunuch Cao Fu bent over and walked in, cupped his hands and bowed, "I saw that the emperor was busy, so I didn't dare to come in. I wanted to wait for the emperor to be free."

Zhu Gaoxu glanced at the paper in front of him, only to realize that the writing was so scribbled that it was almost unreadable.He put the brush on the edge of the inkstone, raised his head and said, "It's not a matter of a while, you asked someone to make a cup of tea. By the way, what did you do just now?"

Cao Fu said, "My maidservant is going to make tea now. Previously, Concubine Asari wanted to see the emperor, and she wanted to see her on her own initiative. If the emperor did not want to see her, my maidservant tried to send her away."

Zhu Gaoxu said, "Let her come and listen to what she wants to say."

"Yes." Cao Fu bowed, stepped back to the side of the screen, and then turned and walked out.

After a while, the maid Xiaohe came in first and brought a small bowl of tea.She is a court lady from the south, and she seems to be used to making tea separately from the water, and there is no tea in this bowl of tea.Xiao He put a silk scarf on first, then put down the tea bowl, and said softly, "Your Majesty, wait a moment, be careful not to burn it."

Zhu Gaoxu listened very comfortably, besides the eunuchs, there were only two maids beside him during the northern tour.It is not unreasonable for Cao Fu to choose this not-so-beautiful court lady who looks to be in her late thirties for Zhu Gaoxu.She does some trivial things, and she is really gentle and considerate.

"The maidservant is leaving first." Xiao He said with interest.

Zhu Gaoxu nodded in agreement, and sat there, waiting to see the Tatar Asari.

Chapter 943 The Rat Thrower

Walking into a wooden door, Asari walked around the screen decorated with embroidered silk, and saw Zhu Gaoxu wearing a black gauze and a red robe.

There were several huge wooden shelves in the room, on which were placed all kinds of books, boxes, and scrolls, and another shelf was full of china and antiques.Originally on the road, Asari lived in villages and military tents, and she didn't have any special feelings; now that she has arrived in Peiping, in such a mansion and deep house, she has seen something completely different from the grassland.Probably only people who settled in towns would place such complicated decorations in their homes.

Asari bowed to Zhu Gaoxu first, and then said: "My respects to His Majesty the Emperor."

"There are stools in front, just sit down." Zhu Gaoxu said casually.

As he spoke, he gently folded the paper full of words in front of him, as if he didn't want Ashali to see it.She glanced curiously, and soon found a fine white porcelain bowl on the side of the table, placed on top of a piece of neatly folded silk, there was more than half a bowl of orange-red soup in the small porcelain bowl, the color was bright and clean, It matches the white porcelain, which is really beautiful.

Probably because women are born to notice some small things. Asaly also noticed that Zhu Gaoxu's skin has signs of wind and sun, but the clothes on his body are indeed neat and clean, almost spotless.This is probably something Ming people pay attention to, which makes Asari feel a little strange.

Zhu Gaoxu didn't ask her why, so Ashali had no choice but to ask: "Why doesn't Your Majesty let us go north?"

"Be safe and don't be impatient, you have to stay for a while." Zhu Gaoxu replied.

Ashali was a little worried. Back in Shandong, she didn't quite believe that Zhu Gaoxu would let her and the Mongolian prince go so easily.Now that they were in Beiping, they continued to be detained. Finally, she couldn't bear it anymore and blurted out the question in her heart: "What exactly does Your Majesty want?"

Zhu Gaoxu didn't respond, his eyes looked at the table, as if he was thinking about something.Asari felt that this burly man had a lot of thoughts and was very calm, as if he was always thinking about it.

Asari said again: "How can we let us go? What can I give you in return?" She still had difficulty speaking Chinese, and she could make some gestures while speaking. When she expressed herself, she pressed her hands on the chest.Her plump and beautiful figure made many people who saw her full of longing.Sure enough, Zhu Gaoxu's gaze followed her gestures, his expression seemed to be imagining the sense of touch.

"In our hometown, if a woman is captured, it may be difficult to go back unscathed." Ashali further hinted at Zhu Gaoxu. When she said this, she felt her face was a little hot.

Zhu Gaoxu must have understood what she meant, and his eyes seemed to be moved.

After a while, he suddenly let out a long breath, and said calmly, "I don't think it's good that you said about Benjali's loss of sweat."

Ashali blushed even more, "If His Majesty agrees to release the little prince, there will be nothing wrong."

Zhu Gaoxu said: "I promise, I will definitely let you go back, but I have to wait for a while."

"Really?" Ashari asked.

Zhu Gaoxu calmed down a lot, and his tone became much calmer, "There are very few things I said that don't count. Besides, it's not much use for me to keep you, and it won't be a problem if I let you go back."

Asari didn't quite understand Zhu Gaoxu's words.Her ex-Khan concubine may not be very important, but the little prince is the son of Ben Yali who lost sweat, like the Nawala people who did not hesitate to use troops twice to capture the little prince back.

Zhu Gaoxu glanced at her, seemed to understand her mind, and then said: "The little prince cannot inherit the Great Khan of Mongolia. The Great Khan who will be supported by Arutai after that should be Adai, the leader of the Horqin Tribe."

Ashali was very surprised, she shook her head and said: "Adai is not a descendant of Ben Yali's sweating, and he is not a descendant of Kublai Khan. Unless the prince can't return to the grassland, the throne of sweat should not belong to Adai."

Zhu Gaoxu said: "These are not important. The important thing is that the Horqin tribe is powerful among the Tatar tribes and has gradually become the most important ally of the Asut tribe. Alutai supports the leader of Horqin at this time, which can not only consolidate such an alliance It can also integrate the forces of various Tatar tribes, and even rely on the Horqin tribe to expand eastward, intending to annex the three guards of Uliangha."