Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

Listening to Li Jinglong read a few of the combinations.

Zhu Gaochi asked: "Xia Shangshu, according to what Mr. Jiang said, can this method really have such an effect?"

"If the most suitable combination is really listed directly, then this effect is indeed possible because the land of Ming Dynasty is too vast, the crops in different places are different, and the water and heat conditions are also different. If there is no suitable combination, you can do it one by one. If you fumble, it will take too long and the price will be too high." Xia Yuanji replied in a deep voice.

Zhu Gaochi, who had been frowning from time to time recently, finally relaxed.

At the same time, Zhu Gaochi said: "This is really great. Together with chemical fertilizers, we can declare to officials and even the world that this is a god-given prescription. If crop rotation can be gradually promoted in the Ming Dynasty, the output of various crops in the Ming Dynasty will definitely increase." More than 30%! It is even expected to reach more than 40%!"

Xia Yuanji also took a deep breath, suppressed the excitement in his heart and said: "Your Highness, I agree with your strategy. If this method is really feasible, our Ming Dynasty will usher in the largest increase in production in history."

Zhu Gaochi thought more, or revealed something that Xia Yuanji didn't dare to say.

"And as the people actually see the increase in crop yields brought by the immortal prescriptions and elixirs, they will definitely believe in the statement that my father was recognized by the immortals and then received auspiciousness!"

"At that time, no matter how reluctant some of the gentry who are still thinking about Emperor Jianwen are, it will be the general trend for the people to return to their father!"

Xia Yuanji said quickly: "What His Highness said is absolutely true. It is exactly the case."

In fact, Xia Yuanji, a top bureaucrat at the top of the empire, has clearly realized that the new emperor's authority is gradually rising.

This kind of authority, in addition to the most powerful force that sweeps the world, also includes the support of the people.

The most obvious thing is that with the deepening of rural labor service in the Jiangnan area, those strange and irritating nursery rhymes in the countryside disappeared unconsciously.

Of course it was not just swords and guns that silenced children, but with the abolition of corvee, the common people got real benefits. In the past, many farmers voluntarily became sharecroppers out of fear of corvee, but now that there is no corvee, they are still afraid. what?

Therefore, even if the right to speak in the countryside is still in the hands of the gentry class, even if various gatherings and gatherings of literati are still the mainstream opinions of the previous Jianwen Dynasty.

However, the nursery rhymes originally sung by the children disappeared, and instead some nursery rhymes praising the good governance of the stall servants gradually emerged.

Xia Yuanji believed that if the emperor could take out Master Jiang's fertilizer elixir and crop rotation elixir after the slave laborers entered the family, the new emperor's image in the eyes of the people would be greatly improved, and his prestige would be greatly enhanced. .

Swords and guns cannot conquer people's hearts, but they can provide tangible benefits to the people. This is the principle of fearing virtue but not power.

By that time, he has done so much good deeds that it can even be said that there are countless living people. As Master Jiang who sent down the elixir of fertilizer and the elixir of crop rotation, his statues will probably be everywhere in every corner of the Ming Dynasty, and he will be accepted. The favor of the people.

Such a statue standing there is not only a reward for Jiang Xinghuo's contribution to the people of the Ming Dynasty, but it is also probably a trivial thing that the eldest prince wants to do for this gentleman.

When Xia Yuanji thought about this section, a look of uncontrollable excitement appeared on his face.

"Xia Shangshu, when I first came here, I heard that in addition to soil-cultured sprouts, shepherd's purse, rapeseed, lettuce, amaranth, green garlic, etc., chemical fertilizers also showed obvious effects?" Zhu Gaochi suddenly asked.

Xia Yuanji was startled. Didn't he ask? But he didn't show anything and answered directly.

"Back to Your Highness, it is indeed true."

Zhu Gaochi pondered for a few breaths and asked: "Then if you perform in front of hundreds of officials, does Xia Shangshu feel confident that you will achieve the same success?"

Zhu Gaochi's worries are not without reason.

Because of this public demonstration of the fertilizer elixir, although he and Xia Yuanji decided on a plan after preliminary discussions, they later reported it to Zhu Di, who was hundreds of miles away in Jiangnan.

Well, at this time, Zhu Di was using the head of Zhou Jin's "remnant of Jianwen" to raise his butcher knife high in Jiangnan, killing him in a bloody manner.

Hiding soldiers and armor, organizing and training private armies, and gathering people with the intention of rebellion.

How could such a person have no allies?

Although General Zhengbei of the Ming Dynasty would most likely agree to the plan proposed by Emperor Sheng of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Gaochi still did not dare to take it lightly.

After all, the specific details of the fertilizer elixir's manifestation in front of people still need to be carefully studied, especially preparing a plan for various elements on the spot, to know whether it can achieve the imagined effect.

Moreover, Zhu Gaochi was not completely sure about something like this that had never happened before.

After all, in this era, without Jiang Xinghuo's guidance, even the top alchemists would not be able to create items like fertilizer elixir. Even if Zhu Gaochi can find a group of agricultural big guys around him, they all rely on the experience of their predecessors and themselves. Instead of conjuring up something like a fertilizer elixir out of thin air, it is simply impossible for them to do it with their own imagination.

As for something that has never happened before, trying to guarantee it to pass in one go is like a magician trying to temporarily perform a difficult magic trick that has only been rehearsed once when performing on stage, even if he knows it. There is a high probability of success, but I still feel a little uneasy.

Xia Yuanji nodded slightly and said with certainty: "Your Highness, don't worry, of course we can succeed."

Zhu Gaochi couldn't help showing an expression of joy on his fat face and said: "With this, our Ming Dynasty will usher in earth-shaking changes."

"Yes." Xia Yuanji responded solemnly, his eyes shining with excitement.

"With Xia Shangshu's words, I feel relieved."

Zhu Gaochi's hearty laughter rang out, and he walked to the table and took a few glances.

Guo Jing and Chai Che immediately stopped writing and looked up at Zhu Gaochi.

Zhu Gaoxu waved his hand, indicating for them to continue, and then looked at Xia Yuanji with a smile.

Xia Yuanji felt something was wrong when he was staring at him, so he bowed his hands and said, "Your Highness, do you have any other orders?"

“Mr.

"Your Highness, please speak." Xia Yuanji said respectfully.

"You are different from other officials." Zhu Gaochi said, "There are many officials who are loyal to my father on the surface, but in fact, they are just for their own glory and wealth. My father is not a mediocre person, regardless of whether he is The emperor and I are both sincere in the way we govern the country. My father and I have always wanted to let the people live a good life, and this has never changed."

Zhu Gaochi sighed: "And Mr. Jiang is the one who can make the people of Ming Dynasty live a good life."

"Mr. Jiang's secret has always been strictly guarded. Even the emperor's closest ministers in the cabinet are not allowed to disclose it to the outside world. Otherwise, once Mr. Jiang's affairs are revealed, it will definitely lead to the calculations of those who are interested. Regardless of whether it is nonsense or not, I would like to remind Mr. Xia here that whether it is for the sake of the common people in the world or for the sake of the country and the country, Mr. Xia should do his best to keep this secret together."

Xia Yuanji listened for a long time and said seriously: "I understand that Master Jiang is of great importance, and I will never tell anyone about the matters here. As for the plan of the fertilizer elixir, I will conceal Master Jiang's name and contact the Ministry of Household Affairs first. Everyone will go through the deduction. If there are any omissions, I will tell His Highness as soon as possible and strive to complete this matter as soon as possible."

After receiving Xia Yuanji's guarantee, when Zhu Gaochi looked at the two minor officials, they both promised that they would not reveal Mr. Jiang's secrets even if they died, for the sake of their own heads and family tree.

The attentive Zhu Gaochi confirmed that the secrets would not be leaked on his side, but on the other side, Jiang Xinghuo's strategy began to unfold slowly, and the two clerks quickly picked up their pens and continued to record it.

"In fact, although the New World is the best choice, taking into account the actual conditions, navigation technology and immigration costs of the Ming Dynasty, Zhongce is an improved version of overseas colonization in addition to the two medicines prescribed for the domestic agriculture of the Ming Dynasty."

Li Jinglong asked doubtfully after listening to Jiang Xinghuo's words.

"Is this any different from before?"

"Of course!" Jiang Xinghuo nodded and explained: "First of all, if you set out from the Ming Dynasty to colonize the eastern continent, the first thing to solve is the problem of the new sea route. This problem can only be explored by the official fleet. Solve it, and the journey is extremely long, so you need to pay a relatively high price in order to obtain a stable new route to the Eastern Continent."

"Secondly, even if a new sea route is obtained, a series of problems will still have to be faced in the future, such as how to encourage people to travel across the ocean, and how to guard against pirates robbing transport ships along the way. Therefore, it is very difficult to colonize overseas in the East."

Li Jinglong seemed to have received a positive answer, but still asked: "What does Mr. Jiang mean?"

"Zhongce is still colonizing, but instead of exploring distant new continents to the east, it is exploring lands that are within the influence of the Ming Dynasty to the south and west," Jiang Xinghuo said.

Zhu Gaoxu couldn't help but recite the "Ancestor Instructions of the Emperor Ming" when he remembered that he would be beaten if he didn't memorize it when he was a boy.

“All overseas barbarian countries, such as Annam, Champa, Koryo, Siam, Ryukyu, Xiyang, Dongyang and Nanman small countries, are separated by mountains and seas, isolated in a corner, and their land is not enough to provide food, and their people are not enough to make orders. . If he does not think about himself and comes to disturb us, it is unlucky for him. He is not a trouble to China, and it is also unlucky for me to raise an army and attack lightly."

After finishing memorizing, he looked at Jiang Xinghuo with a pair of leopard eyes.

The meaning is obvious. Is what Emperor Gao, the great ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, said makes sense, or does what you say make sense?

"The great emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Gao, is indeed right. From the current point of view, even if these countries are conquered and occupied, it will be a complete loss-making business."

Jiang Xinghuo's next answer left him speechless.

"But I said that the land to be explored to the west or south is not among the fifteen unconquered countries."

Jiang Xinghuo clicked on the southeast direction of the text map and said, "There is a string of islands here called Luzon."

Li Jinglong interjected, "I know that envoys were sent to the Ming Dynasty three times during the Hongwu period. Since the Song and Yuan Dynasties, Chinese merchant ships have often come here to trade, and many people from Fujian have moved here. However, I heard that the islands are full of small independent kingdoms. It’s not a unified country.”

Jiang Xinghuo glanced at him in surprise. Unexpectedly, Daming knew a lot about Lu Song now.

In fact, it would not be until half a century later that the Sulu Kingdom would rise on the Luzon Islands. Even so, the Luzon Islands had never formed a unified country. A world later, Magellan would lead Spain The circumnavigating fleet arrived in Luzon, where Spanish colonists would continue to rule for three centuries.

There is no reason why the Ming Dynasty, which is just around the corner, cannot do what the Spaniards who came across half the world can do. If it is said that "collecting the fifty states of North America" ​​may still be a little bit difficult, but "not breaking through the end of Luzon" "If you don't pay back," for the Ming Dynasty in this era, it was a matter of control.

"Does Mr. Jiang mean to occupy this place?" Zhu Gaoxu asked doubtfully, "This seems to be a wild land like Japan. There are no mountains of gold and silver here, so what is there to occupy?"

Jiang Xinghuo explained: "You can think of this place as Jiangxi plus Jiangnan without many people."

"The area of ​​Luzon is similar to that of Jiangxi and Jiangnan combined. At the same time, the northern part of Luzon has a typical monsoon climate and is hotter and humid than Jiangnan, with high temperatures all year round and extremely abundant annual precipitation."

Zhu Gaoxu responded: "So Mr. Jiang means that this place is very suitable for growing rice?"

"Yes." Jiang Xinghuo said, "Because of the high temperature and rain, rice grows very well. Even if there are more mountainous areas, people here will not die of hunger. On the contrary, during the disaster years of the Ming Dynasty, food can be transported to the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Gaoxu suddenly asked: "Then why not just conquer Annan and Champa further south? There are many plains in those places, and there are also high-yield rice such as Champa rice. Isn't it much better than archipelagos like Luzon?"

Hearing this question, Jiang Xinghuo fell silent, and so did Li Jinglong.

"The King of Zhennan of the Yuan Dynasty had a strong head," Li Jinglong said.

The precedent of Zhennan Wang San's failure to capture the city is still before our eyes.

Zhu Gaoxu frowned and asked, "I don't believe it. Is it so difficult to fight?"

"It's not a question of whether it's good or not."

Li Jinglong explained for Jiang Xinghuo: "Based on the strength comparison between Ming Dynasty and Annan, it will not take more than a year to defeat Annan, but the question is, what should we do if we defeat Annan?"

"You must know that Annan has a local population of more than three million, which is larger than the population of some of the chief envoys of the Ming Dynasty today!"

"If we directly follow the ruling model of the Ming Dynasty inland, then it will take at least hundreds of years of continuous immigration to digest Annan, coupled with continuous Chineseization, it will be possible to wait until the next two or three generations to become the local ruling class of Annan through imperial examinations and other methods. It is only possible to become part of the Han Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty will maintain garrison presence for who knows how long to suppress the rebellion."

"If we follow the pattern of chieftain restraints in Yunnan and Guizhou, then after conquering Annan, it will be nothing more than splitting a unified country into several or more than a dozen chieftain districts. Ming Dynasty will not gain any benefits from it. On the contrary, it will suffer because of the large number of separatist forces. And face more troubles.”

"Yunnan and Guizhou have not yet completed their absorption and digestion. Going to attack Annan now is nothing more than wishful thinking."

Zhu Gaoxu still didn't believe it, but he couldn't convince Li Jinglong, so he asked again.

"Then there will be no difficulty in occupying Luzon?"

If Jiang Xinghuo told him that in his previous life, Zheng He directly appointed a local Chinese to be the ruler when he went to the Western Ocean, and easily ruled the main island of Luzon for decades, I wonder if he would be able to clearly understand Realize the difference in difficulty between taking Luzon and taking Annan.

"You will basically not encounter any resistance, because the archipelago naturally determines that each independent separatist force lacks the necessary communication links and the most basic trust between each other to fight against outsiders. This is different from the chieftains in the plains of Annan. They are different."

"The Ming Dynasty cannot play divide and conquer in Annan, because the chieftains there have been married for hundreds of years, and they will naturally unite together when facing a common enemy. But it is different in Luzon. When facing a common enemy, they will only sell their teammates first. In exchange for the appreciation of the Celestial Empire."

In fact, in Jiang Xinghuo's previous life, the separatist forces on the Luzon Islands behaved like this when facing the sparsely populated Spain more than a century later.

Jiang Xinghuo has every reason to believe that facing Daming, their performance will only get worse.

Jiang Xinghuo explained it this way, and Zhu Gaoxu believed it.

Then, his eyes flashed with joy.

In this case, wouldn't it be easy to get the credit for opening up and expanding the territory?

When he is released from prison, he must ask his father to take command and capture Luzon.

"This is the south direction that Mr. Jiang mentioned, what about the west direction?" Zhu Gaoxu asked urgently.

It was as if the answer from Jiang Xinghuo's mouth was a shining military achievement.

"Cianzhu!"

When this answer was spoken, both of them were stunned.

"Cianzhu?"

In their impressions of Tianzhu, they were still stuck in the India where Xuanzang traveled westward.

In fact, with the exception of the Gupta Dynasty, which almost coexisted with China's Northern and Southern Dynasties, the entire Tianzhu region in a broad sense has not been unified for thousands of years.

The next unification will have to be the Mughal Empire established by Babur, the grandson of Timur Khan, who "expeded to conquer the Ming Dynasty before the middle road collapsed". This time of unification, if the historical timeline is not disturbed, It will take place more than ten years in the future, and Timur Khan is not dead yet.

"Besides being the birthplace of Buddhism, what else is good about Tianzhu?" Li Jinglong was also a little confused.

"Plains, vast plains!"

Seeing that the two people still disagreed with this, Jiang Xinghuo said directly: "The plain where the Ganges River flows is as big as two and a half North China Plains! And the plateau that occupies two-thirds of Tianzhu is seven times as big as the North China Plain So big!”

"Whether it is plains or plateaus, they are all fields that are extremely suitable for farming."

"Tianzhu, like Luzon, has a monsoon climate. It is also more humid and hot than Jiangnan. Rain and heat occur at the same time, so the heat is sufficient, which is very suitable for the growth of crops. Moreover, with large rivers passing through it, it is a real land of abundance!"

"The most important thing is that the people there have been conquered by countless foreign races over thousands of years. Throughout their long history, they have been divided into Mongols, Semu, Northerners, and Southerners, similar to the Yuan Dynasty. The system, called the 'caste system', made it easy for people there to accept the new rulers."

This is the truth. The ruling ethnic groups in Tianzhu area are changing like a revolving lantern. You descendants of the Mongols can unify Tianzhu in the next ten years. You can do this, but I, the Ming Dynasty who defeated the Mongols, cannot do it. ?

"I really don't know." Li Jinglong thought about his knowledge of Tianzhu's history, but he didn't get a definite answer.

Jiang Xinghuo gave a brief lecture.

“The ancient Tianzhu area was first conquered by the Aryans on the northwest grasslands. They drove the ancient Dravidians southward, created the Vedic culture and established the caste system. Eventually, the ancient Aryans and the ancient Dravidians The Ravidas merged into the Tianzhu people who now have unique physical characteristics."

"The ancient Persians were the second conquerors to visit the Tianzhu area. The ancient Persian king Darius I conquered Tianzhu."

"The third monarch to conquer Tianzhu was Alexander the Great of Macedonia."

"The fourth one is the Dayue clan who were driven away by the Han Dynasty."

"."

After listening to Jiang Xinghuo's narration, both of them fell silent.

They saw something in each other's eyes.

"No wonder Wang Xuance was able to destroy an entire country by himself."

"Anyone can occupy this kind of place, but the plains and plateaus are vast and extremely suitable for farming. If the Ming Dynasty does not occupy it now, it will really be a waste of natural resources!"

"The time has come for me, Li Jinglong/Zhu Gaoxu, to make an unparalleled contribution like Wang Xuance!!"

Just when the two of them were excited, Jiang Xinghuo said again.

"Oh, by the way, if you really go to Luzon or India, you can actually bring back some good things from the places in between."

There are so many things to do that my schedule has completely collapsed. The second chapter will be very late. I must finish it before early this morning. Don’t wait any longer if you are anxious. I'm so sorry, I kowtow.