First Minister of Ming Dynasty

But here it is again: Xiao Zhan, leaving the comfortable Xi'an, can be regarded as relegation...

For a moment Tao Zhifu knew it was a good idea to ask.

Chapter 911

Whether it is good or not, Tao Zhifu has no choice but to pack up and go to the front of the army to take office.

After Tao Zhifu was sent away, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Wang Tong again, which made the boy tremble with fright, and he was so panicked that even the magistrate had to leave.

But what is surprising is that Zhu Yuanzhang did not have an attack, but pulled him up, asked him to sit down, and asked about some conditions... For example, how is your family, how many relatives do you have?

The more Lao Zhu asked questions, the more flustered Wang Tong became, wouldn't he want to exterminate the nine clans?

Your Majesty is merciful!

Who knows that Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said: "Although things happened, you have no serious crimes, and we are not unreasonable people, so let's pretend that nothing happened and you continue to wander in the market, but what's the matter?" , you can tell us... By the way, can you write?"

Wang Tong nodded, he could write words, but the problem was that he didn't know what to write?

But Zhang Ximeng suddenly understood that since Zhang Chengtian ran away, there was no one available around Lao Zhu, like Wang Tong, it would be good to act as an eyeliner.

Zhang Ximeng admired Zhu Yuanzhang a little bit, he really did his best.

"Wang Tong, you don't have to worry. Your Majesty wants you to take a closer look at what's going on in the market. Tell your Majesty the truth about any business investment, things that make money and lose money, and who is more powerful in operations. The most important thing is to Tell the truth, don't hide it."

Wang Tong was about to cry, how dare he hide it, this is a crime of deceiving the emperor!

Sure enough, Old Zhu nodded, "Remember what the grand master taught you, and mainly focus on the exchange of materials and business transactions related to the battlefield in the river, and tell us all the interesting things. We will reward you later."

After explaining clearly, Wang Tong narrowly escaped death and came back to life.

Then there was news that Prince Wang's hands and eyes were open to the sky, and he went to the palace, met His Majesty, and the Grand Master encouraged him.

In this way, Wang Tong is not only rich, but also has a deep and unfathomable background.

The reputation in Xi'an is even better than before.

After throwing him out, news from Zhu Yuanzhang's side really kept going.

Lao Zhu also began to get serious, and started to study business affairs. After talking about it for so many years and tossing around for so long, Lao Zhu was always a little bit awkward about it, and he never reached a certain level.

But this time it was different, he settled down, seriously, pondered carefully, let alone let him taste a little bit.

"Mr. Zhang, there is no need to worry, Lan Yu will win this battle!"

Zhang Ximeng frowned slightly, "Master, why do you have such confidence in Lan Yu?"

Old Zhu chuckled, "It's not that I have confidence in Sapphire, it's that we discovered that many barbarian merchants from the river actually bought our war bonds and helped sell goods to the Western Regions."

Zhang Ximeng was stunned for a moment, and then showed a look of admiration.

"My lord Shengming, it is true!"

Wang Tong's management made Lao Zhu understand a truth, that it is indeed possible to create something out of nothing and make a fortune... But there is a premise, you must be accurate and bet right, otherwise, you will lose all your pants.

May I ask that those barbarian merchants are willing to bet on Daming, isn't it because they are optimistic about Daming and think that Daming has a great chance of winning?

Even this group of people thinks so, why should they be so worried as the Son of Heaven!

"Let's put aside the matter in the northwest for the time being. We can go to Henan to pay homage to Mr. Jia Lu first, then continue south to visit the southwest, and then we can return to Yingtian and cast the golden tripod. We can also abdicate without worry."

Zhang Ximeng nodded and smiled slightly. Obviously, Zhu Yuanzhang began to understand the wisdom of money. Naturally, he knew that Daming had entered a new stage.

At this stage, very delicate means are required, and governing the country is no longer the grand opening and closing that Lao Zhu is used to. It must be precisely regulated and hit the point.

Even Zhang Ximeng, a sage with such great prestige, was no longer suitable for the imperial court, so both of them had to abdicate.

But this time in Xi'an, Zhang Ximeng had another idea.

"My lord, although I objected to the move of the capital many years ago, there was no serious discussion. The country is so big in this world, with so many affairs, and the information transmission is not very fast, so I boldly suggested that several accompanying capitals should be set up. "

"Accompanying the capital? This is what it should be. We have also thought about it. In fact, some time ago, someone proposed to upgrade Beiping to Beijing, and then adopt a system of two Beijings in the north and the south."

Lao Zhu raised his mouth, but did not continue.

But Zhang Ximeng knew very well that because Beiping was under Zhu Di's subordinates, their group was really disgusting, especially Ying Tianzhong's masters, they hated it so much.

Counting on improving their status is foolishness.

Especially Huang Zicheng, Qi Tai and his ilk are regarded as cruel officials. They develop industry and commerce, and collect taxes everywhere. They are ruthless and merciless.

How can this kind of person make them gain power!

This also reflects the power of civil officials. They didn't object clearly, they just delayed, and when they were in a hurry, they arranged for a few scholars and officials to form a research meeting, and then they kept researching and submitting various papers. Such reports were sent to Zhu Biao's head one after another.

If you want to upgrade, go dream!

Except for Zhu Yuanzhang, it is very difficult for anyone else to change the basic situation.

At this moment Zhang Ximeng brought up the matter of accompanying the capital, Lao Zhu thought it over and asked, "What do you think sir?"

"My lord, Beiping is an industrial center. No matter what, it must be upgraded. But it is not enough to upgrade Beiping. I propose to upgrade Xi'an and Kunming together!"

"Kunming?"

Old Zhu was taken aback. He was promoted to Xi'an. He was not surprised. Chang'an was originally the ancient capital, and it guards the Guanzhong. It connects the Western Regions through the Hexi Corridor and leads to the land in the river. Qualified.

But Kunming seems a bit abrupt.

You must know that the entire land of Yunnan has been separated from the Central Plains for a long time. When Zhu Ying was sent to enter Yunnan, it was considered to be regained.Moreover, Lao Zhu let Zhu Ying hereditary guard Yunnan.

You can't go back on your word, right?

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "My lord, Zhu Ying's affairs are easy to handle. I will write him a letter and he will understand. Besides, although Yunnan is good, it is not as good as Tianzhu after all. If he is willing to change a fief, there are plenty of local arrangements in the world." As for Kunming, it happens that the countries of Southeast Asia, such as Myanmar, Nanzhang, Siam, and Champa, can all be influenced. Including Uzbek, Kunming is the center of the entire Southwest. It is also qualified as a companion capital. .”

Old Zhu thought for a while, "That's true. Regarding Zhu Ying's matter, you have to write a letter, so let's write a letter, and let the queen explain it to him. You must explain it clearly... Also, sir, the establishment of three As an accompanying capital, how many officials do you think will be arranged?"

Zhang Ximeng blinked, and when he mentioned how many people to arrange, he was rather speechless.

After all, up to now, the number of officials in the Ming Dynasty has exceeded [-].With Lao Zhu in power, he can still be restrained, and it will definitely expand wildly in the future.

But he has nothing to do.

All yamen are not evaluated based on economic benefits. The best way to reflect the value of a yamen is to strive for more budgets and have more employees...

"My lord, if you want to set up officials, I think it's enough to temporarily set up three envoys."

The Tongzheng Envoy was also established by Lao Zhu early on, and its main role was to take charge of memorials and pass on news. Zhu Yuanzhang was very worried that the officials below would deceive him.

But when the court was in operation, due to Lao Zhu's diligence and Zhang Ximeng's existence, no one really dared to hide the big things from Lao Zhu.

They just sent all the information to Lao Zhu, as long as he can't find out, he will pass the test... Therefore, for a long time, the Tongzheng Envoy has been an idle existence.

However, it is enough to set up an accompanying capital, arrange three envoys to take charge of the three government affairs, gather them together, and report to the court in time.

It is impossible to create four sets of troops according to the layout of the various departments of Zhongshu. In that case, the number of officials in Ming Dynasty will explode.

Zhu Yuanzhang thought for a moment, nodded and said: "This arrangement is not bad, but there is one more thing to add, the emperor will go to various places from time to time, especially to accompany the capital, and he must sit in the town to handle government affairs and understand the people's conditions. The country is so big, there can't be only one Yingtian! "

After finishing speaking, Lao Zhu said another meaningful sentence, "Yingtian is so prosperous that it is easy for people to forget that there are still poor people in this world!"

Zhang Ximeng and Lao Zhu had a good discussion, the news reached Yingtian, and Zhu Biao, who received the letter, called all the officials directly, don't shirk this time, the father and the grand master have made a decision, what else do you want?

And this time, it is upgraded to three accompanying capitals, and it is only arranging a general envoy. Do you have any comments?

Sun Yan thought for a while, and immediately said: "Your Highness, this proposal is very good. I think it is possible to set up three warehouses in the accompanying capital as sub-stores of the national treasury. Finally, the four parties will pay taxes and avoid the suffering of transshipment."

Zhu Biao nodded, "This is a good thing, it should work!" He asked again: "Apart from adding warehouses, do you have any other suggestions?"

At this time, Luo Furen stood up, "Your Highness, I think we need to increase the number of branches of Daming Bank. The most important thing about financial currency is convenience. The establishment of three branches can provide convenience and facilitate business transactions."

Zhu Biao nodded again, which was also a matter of course.

Only after this incident, Qian Tang proposed to increase the number of schools in Xi'an and Kunming, and vigorously develop schools.

In addition, some people suggested that a branch temple of Dali Temple should be arranged to be in charge of criminal names.

Sure enough, just as Zhang Ximeng expected, even if only one general envoy is set up, this group of people can squeeze in a large group of people, and they all have good reasons.

The expansion of the bureaucratic system is almost an unsolvable problem.

Fortunately, their current proposals are still beneficial to the country and the people, Zhu Biao nodded after considering them.

Now there is only one thing left, is Zhu Ying willing to give up Yunnan?

That's his lair. After so many years of operation, are you willing to give up?Zhu Ying, who got the news, was overjoyed. Is there such a good thing?

He packed his bags overnight, and couldn't wait to leave to answer God, no matter how good Yunnan is, it's not his home...

Chapter 912 Zhu Ying Repays the Debt

Zhu Ying ran fast. If he had a choice, he would not want to stay in Yunnan, not even for a moment... It's not that he doesn't like Yunnan, nor is it that he can't get used to the fungus in Yunnan. It's actually the person he cares about the most. All in heaven.

Having lost his loved ones prematurely, he wished he could be with his family all the time.

On Zhu Ying's list, the old Zhu couple and the prince Zhu Biao are all his relatives, and the Zhang family is also on the list.

When Zhu Ying returned to Yingtian, the first thing she did was to visit Empress Ma.

"Your father has done a good deed. Mother will cook you some favorite dishes."

Empress Ma, who hadn't cooked for several years, was in high spirits and prepared eight dishes for Zhu Ying. She also made a jar of more than 20-year-old wine and filled a glass for Zhu Ying.

Zhu Yingxi couldn't help it, thanked her quickly, and then said: "My queen, my father and my eldest brother are wandering around, why don't you keep following me? If you go, I will follow. Let's have a happy reunion, then How nice!"

Empress Ma didn't speak, just pointed at her temples, and Zhu Ying realized that Empress Ma's temples were gray, and then he realized that his mother's empress was also over fifty years old.

Zhu Ying suddenly felt bad. When he met Empress Ma, he lost his mother 30 years ago. At that time, Empress Ma sewed and cooked for him and treated him like a son. To this day, Zhu Ying Among the most precious collections are tiger-head hats and tiger-head shoes.

"Mother, you are getting old, and I am not young anymore. I don't plan to go outside, you just want to grow old with you, and seeing each other often is better than anything else."

Empress Ma looked at Jiang Nan, and also sighed in her heart, "He doesn't have such a small piece of foundation in Yunnan. You heard that he made Yunnan several times smaller than before, so that's what he said, that's what he wants?"

Jiang Nan nodded, "I really want it, everything is like a reunion with relatives. And if you can manage Yunnan to that point, and dedicate your hands to Xiao Ming, you can also count as repaying you and your father for saving your life. Are you free from the court?" Salary."

Empress Ma couldn't help sighing heavily, that reward is not small!

Yunnan under Zhu Ying's rule is somewhat similar to Beiping that Zhu Di controlled at the beginning. It is a little bit in name, but it is astonishingly large when you calculate it carefully.

First of all, the year before last, Zhu Ying finally opened up Burma and directly captured a large stretch of coast.Previously he had annexed South Palm and Siam.

In addition, Jiaozhi has been merged into Ming Dynasty, and the isolated and helpless Champa had to agree to measure the acres of land and surrender the land.

In this way, the entire Indochina Peninsula was brought under Ming's control, and Zhu Ying also set up a port warehouse in Malacca to facilitate trade.

In addition, Lu Qiuyun and others supported by Zhu Ying have already established a stronghold in the east of Tianzhu, which is far away from the stronghold established by Zhu Di in the west of Tianzhu, and there is a tendency to carve up Tianzhu.

Zhu Ying's pioneering work added approximately 150 million square kilometers to the Ming Dynasty.

Such a large piece of land generally has excellent water and heat conditions, the land is fertile, there are many forests, and the underground is full of mine treasures.

Now half of all the wood needed by the Ming Dynasty comes from the north, supplied by Beiping and Liaodong, and the other half comes from Nanyang, and the high-quality wood provided by Nanyang is at least twice as expensive as Beiping!

Champa, Siam, and Myanmar are the main food producing areas. As long as they are well developed, the Central Plains can completely stay away from hunger.

This is not to mention the huge market that can be provided, as well as the abundant raw materials.

Such a huge treasure with infinite potential, completely merged into Daming, will definitely play an unparalleled value in the future.

It's just that for Zhu Ying, throwing it away is like a shoe, and she doesn't care at all.

Empress Ma felt sorry for him, "Silly boy, you should save some, you also have children and grandchildren, you have to think about them. If you can't get rid of it, I'll tell His Majesty, no matter what, you can't let your family down!"

"Don't!"

Zhu Ying quickly waved her hand, "Mother, don't worry about it. Actually, I've already thought about it."

"Have you thought about it? What have you thought about?" Empress Ma snorted.

Zhu Ying took it easy and said with a smile: "The children and grandchildren have their own blessings. I really don't want to make decisions for them. Besides, I am very worried and trembling. If they don't manage well, they will harm the country and the people. I can't be sorry for Daming. Dynasty, I am sorry for the soldiers and the people."

Speaking of this, Zhu Ying lowered her voice and said with a smile: "You old man will not forget, my elder brother didn't leave anything for his sons!"

Empress Ma frowned, and then sighed: "That child, Shu Ning, is devoted to teaching and takes everything lightly. Chengtian is willing to be an official, but he is still in Jiangxi, and he is still a petty official. As for the third and fourth children , just enlightened, I don't think the Grand Master is in a hurry."

Zhu Ying laughed and said: "He's not busy, and I'm not too busy... Queen Mother, Zhu Chun is already in the Gongwei Division, and Chengtian will take care of him in the future. I don't have to worry about it when the children are together. This is called birds flying away with the phoenix, and people with the virtuous and the good. You always say that, don't you?"

Empress Ma was startled, and couldn't help laughing, "Okay, you really plotted against the Grand Master! Then what do you think about the future?"

Zhu Ying said with a smile: "I have no idea, I just want to be a rich and idle person!"

"Rich and idle?"