The Ming Dynasty started with caution

Yan Chengjin saw a lot of broken silver in the copper basin held by Eunuch Feng. Zhu Houzhao made his first pot of gold by selling rice crackers.

"How much money has your highness earned?"

"Lao Gao, I found that the companions of the Twelve Prisoners are richer than me, especially the companions of the Imperial Prison." Zhu Houzhao said happily.

The imperial eunuch is in charge of the palace's procurement. How can he be without money?

Yan Chengjin saw that the waistband of his trousers was stuffed with money, but he didn't feel any pain at all.

What a good prince who is diligent and thrifty...

"Your Majesty just came to announce to His Highness, why didn't His Highness go? My father won the war." Yan Chengjin grabbed a hand of rice pops but didn't put it in his mouth.

"What?"

Zhu Houzhao was confused and missed another opportunity to ask for a reward.

He was sad for a while, but he didn't care and said: "The dog emperor will not reward me.

Lao Gao, I gave your father an idea, how do you want to repay him? "

The nine-square grid formation was drawn by Zhu Houzhao.

Yan Chengjin laid out some garrison points on the map, and Zhu Houzhao doubled the garrison points and then connected them to form a nine-square grid.

In terms of merit, Zhu Houzhao deserves a lot of credit.

"I don't have any money with me. Can I give five taels to His Highness next time?"

"Is this palace's Nine Palaces strategy only worth five taels of silver?"

Zhu Houzhao became furious, rolled up his sleeves, and strangled Lao Gao to death. The world would be fair.

“I came to the East Palace to tell His Highness that rice crackers and brown sugar go better together.

His Highness boiled the sugar, poured the rice krispies into it, and after it cooled down, the rice krispies would be more delicious. I have tried it. "

Yan Chengjin diverted Zhu Houzhao's attention.

"Did your father give you an official title? You still want to fool me." Zhu Houzhao winked to the side, but the eunuch on the side did not dare to do it.

I heard that Master Yan made eight big cockroaches in the East Palace disappear.

Who dares to mess with him?

"I am still the censor of the capital, right of the Imperial Procuratorate, and I have not been promoted."

Zhu Houzhao felt more comfortable now.

The same nine-square grid strategy was drawn. Lao Gao received a reward from his father, but he got nothing. He would be very sad.

He turned around and smiled again.

He ordered people to steal the sugar and set up a large pot in the courtyard of the East Palace. After the sugar was boiled, rice cakes were poured in.

After a while, Yang Tinghe of Zhan Shifu walked in with a dark face.

Long time no see, seems to have lost some weight.

Yan Chengjin heard that Yang Tinghe was frightened by Zhu Houzhao and was no longer afraid of cockroaches.

"What fun tricks did Master Yan teach the prince again?"

Yang Tinghe seemed to be smiling but not smiling, and asked in a strange way.

"Master Yang is here just in time. Your Highness's newly made golden rice cakes are five taels a piece. Master Yang can have a taste."

The corner of Zhu Houzhao's mouth twitched fiercely, Lao Gao was so dark, and he said happily in the blink of an eye: "Yes, I just made it, five taels of silver a piece."

Yang Tinghe almost took out his arithmetic book and taught them how many stones of rice could be bought for five taels.

But... the fragrance is really fragrant.

Sugar burns easily. Cook until golden brown and pour in the rice popsicles. Stir briefly and the aroma will waft out of the pot.

Yang Tinghe snorted coldly and bowed slightly towards Zhu Houzhao: "Your Highness, please don't neglect your studies."

Zhu Houzhao said with a smile: "I only play for one day, and it will not be left to waste."

Billions of days?

…

Yan Chengjin returned to his house and received a letter from Cheng Minzheng's trustee.

Open it and take a look: North Korean ministers had different opinions on the attack on Jianzhou, and Han Simen alone could not dominate the entire court.

"It seems that we still have to help Han Simen become the leader to discuss politics."

Nowadays, North Korea's political leaders have differences with Han Simen. Since Han Simen has just taken office, he will naturally not be able to defeat him.

In fact, the elimination of Jianzhou would be beneficial to both the Ming Dynasty and North Korea. At least it would keep North Korea's northern border free from foreign aggression and allow border trade between the two Koreas to develop.

Jianzhou has been plundering the Liaodong border and North Korea's Ping'an Road all year round, resulting in the Liaodong area's commerce and trade being barren and unable to develop.

The war between Korea and Jianzhou has been long-standing, just like the war between Tatar and Ming Dynasty.

However, North Korea cannot expel Jianzhou further away.

Yan Chengjin had a way to pull down the commander and make Han Simen the new commander.

In this way, the attack on Jianzhou will become an established fact.

Morning next day,

All officials entered the Fengtian Hall, and Emperor Hongzhi sat in the high hall.

Han Wen bowed slightly and was the first to report: "Your Majesty, I made some calculations last night. I'm afraid the Great Wall from Jiayuguan in the northwest to Shaanxi Town cannot be repaired."

Yan Chengjin's face was a little complicated. What kind of trouble did Han Wen want to make?

Emperor Hongzhi asked: "I have issued the decree, why can't it be repaired?"

"The extravagant expenses reported to me by Yan Chengjin are wrong!"

Li Dongyang felt incredible.

The eyes of Liu Jian, Xie Qian and others were full of excitement, and Emperor Hongzhi had a faint smile on his lips.

Yan Chengjin has always been well-known in the Metropolitan Procuratorate for his prudence, but now he has made a miscalculation?

"Tell me and listen."

"I asked the Ministry of War last night how long the Great Wall to be built in the northwest is. Does your Majesty know how long it is? It's more than... two thousand miles!

Stones and bricks had to be dug out of the mountain, transported, and piled up. It took an unknown number of refugees, and the refugees had to be paid for their work.

In the past, they didn’t pay for the work and only paid for the materials, and the court was overwhelmed.

Not to mention that we have to pay wages now. "

In the past, building the Great Wall was a way of collecting taxes and servitude.

Every family recruited young men to build the Great Wall, and if they had no money, they would work in vain.

Now that the settlement wages have been changed, these wages are a large expenditure.

The first time the Ming Dynasty built the Great Wall was at the beginning of the dynasty, when general Xu Da presided over the construction.

The second time was after the Battle of Tumu, during the reign of Emperor Yingzong, and the other emperors had no experience in building the Great Wall.

Emperor Hongzhi and Li Dongyang and others did not know much.

"The money reported by Yan Qing's family is less?" Emperor Hongzhi asked.

"Not only less, but your majesty, do you know that glutinous rice mortar is needed to build the Great Wall?

Stones and blue bricks are easy to get, but this glutinous rice mortar must be made with glutinous rice as the main ingredient to fix the stones and blue bricks.

It takes seven stones of glutinous rice to build a li of wall.

To build 2,000 li, I'm afraid... I have to change 10,000 hectares of good land to grow glutinous rice. I'm afraid it won't be built this year."

There are few farmers who grow glutinous rice, and there are almost no farmers who grow glutinous rice in the north.

Even in the south of the Yangtze River, there are not many farmers who grow glutinous rice.

The yield of one acre of good land is about two stones. Who eats glutinous rice every day?

Therefore, the glutinous rice sold in the market is far less than rice and japonica rice.

Even if you have money, you can't buy so much.

"Your Majesty, do you still remember Song Jing?"

A voice that was not harsh sounded, and the ministers looked around, only to see Yan Chengjin bowed slightly.

"Of course I remember."

Emperor Hongzhi nodded, that was the only commoner whose name he could remember.

"After the waterway in Liangxiang was opened, it separated the north and the south, and merchants could not pass through. Liangxiang built a stone bridge, but did not use glutinous rice mortar."

"Oh?"

Han Wen and the officials of the Ministry of Works looked over.

Li Dongyang and others were not familiar with construction, but they were also surprised.

"Sanhe soil is very strong when used to build stone bridges. Its important raw material is glutinous rice paste. If you don't use glutinous rice paste, won't it harm people!" The Ministry of Works asked questioningly.

Sanhe soil is lime, river sand, loess, etc., with glutinous rice paste and carambola vine juice mixed evenly.

It is very strong, but it is a bit wasteful of materials.

Some bridges saved a lot of materials in order to save money, and they collapsed in a few years.

"Your Majesty, how about I take the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works to see the stone bridge?"

The Great Wall must be repaired. No matter how powerful the artillery of the Ming Dynasty is, it can't withstand the endless nine borders.

The Tatars often come in small groups to plunder.

With the Great Wall, even if there is no army stationed, the northwest can be settled.

Nearly one million refugees in Jingxiang can be resettled.

"I haven't been to Liangxiang for a long time. I'll go and see it too."

Emperor Hongzhi was a little nervous in his heart, afraid of being impeached by the censors, but he had a calm expression on his face.