Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 264 Xia Yuanji: I still have something to say

After all, given the sheer complexity of the matter Zhu Zhanhe described, Xia Yuanji felt he might as well just start looking for a cemetery right now. He'd be worked to death, without a doubt!
"Father-in-law, I think you should find a few helpers to set up my Yunnan Six Ministries first, so you can save yourself some trouble." Zhu Zhanhe knew from his father-in-law's unpleasant expression that the amount of work he had assigned him was indeed absurd.

But Zhu Zhanhe had no choice. He lacked subordinates, and he couldn't openly recruit people to avoid accusations of rebellion. His father, the Prince of Han, was currently rebelling and couldn't offer much support. He could only search for people himself. The quickest solution, however, was to have his father-in-law find some reliable veterans to help him establish a basic framework, and then gradually replace them with his own trained talent. After all, he was still young and had plenty of time. Besides, he had the righteous cause of the dragon!
"I'll figure something out!" Xia Yuanji was speechless after hearing his son-in-law's words. How could a subject be asked to find someone to form the Six Ministries? This son-in-law must be an unprecedented genius. Isn't he afraid that he will sideline him in the future?
But then, Xia Yuanji suddenly realized that his son-in-law had over 100,000 troops in his army and navy, and also the terrifying alligator dragon that symbolized invincibility and imperial power. Therefore, his son-in-law was not afraid of being sidelined! Having figured this out, Xia Yuanji could only nod helplessly to Zhu Zhanhe, indicating that he would find a way to improve the organizational framework of Yunnan as soon as possible.

"Uncle Mu, the establishment of the Six Ministries in Yunnan still requires your strong support. I humbly request your assistance in helping Lord Xia to expedite the completion of the Six Ministries." Speaking of the establishment of the Six Ministries in Yunnan, Zhu Zhanhe immediately turned his attention to Mu Sheng. After all, Mu Sheng was not only the representative of the most powerful force in Yunnan, but also a seasoned general. He was more than qualified to be the Minister of War of Yunnan, and if Yunnan were to establish a cabinet, Mu Sheng would certainly be qualified to represent the Ministry of War in the cabinet. However, whether Zhu Zhanhe would have other thoughts or actions was another matter entirely.

"This humble official will certainly do his utmost." Mu Sheng knew that Zhu Zhanhe was trying to win him over and the entire Mu family. Mu Sheng did not refuse and simply agreed.

Seeing that Mu Sheng had agreed to participate in the construction of the six departments in Yunnan, Zhu Zhanhe nodded in satisfaction and then continued to talk about other things.

"The seventh matter is that the Prince's mansion is expanding rapidly, and its safety is of paramount importance. The Prince's guard needs to be fully expanded; let's set a standard of five thousand men for now. As for the source of these troops, Erniu, you can coordinate with the navy and army to select them." Zhu Zhanhe decided to expand the Prince's guard. After all, he was now a regional warlord, and it was rather embarrassing to not even have a dedicated guard regiment and have to borrow men from the navy and army for protection. Although his strength was outstanding and he possessed the Dragon Slayer Sword, he didn't need guards at all! It was simply a matter of face!
"Yes!" Liu Erniu agreed decisively. After all, as a guard leader, he was quite frustrated that he couldn't always be by his leader's side to protect him, but instead had to stay in the Prince's mansion.

"The eighth thing is that Yunnan needs to conduct its first talent selection as soon as possible. We have far too few available personnel, and relying solely on external recruitment is far from sufficient. We must have our own training and selection channels." Zhu Zhanhe originally intended to bring up this matter after Annam was stabilized, but the more he talked about the things he had just mentioned, the more he felt that there were not enough personnel, so he had no choice but to take the route of selection and training.

"What about the scope?" Xia Yuanji's expression changed. He knew that there were few people to select, but if he really had to train them himself, there would be no turning back! However, Xia Yuanji still asked Zhu Zhanhe about the scope of talent selection.

"Selection and recommendation processes will be conducted separately in Yunnan, Guangxi, and Guangdong. All selected and recommended personnel will be sent to Yunnan for unified evaluation. Those who pass will be assigned to various positions on a trial basis, while those who fail will be gradually demoted." Faced with a shortage of personnel, Zhu Zhanhe had no choice but to supplement the workforce through large-scale screening. As for the quality of the personnel, that could only be assessed after they arrived. Zhu Zhanhe believed many people would come, as this was a tremendous opportunity, especially for scholars from humble backgrounds—a once-in-a-lifetime chance!
"Understood. The first personnel selection will definitely be held within three months." Xia Yuanji nodded silently, indicating that he understood Zhu Zhanhe's meaning, and scheduled the first personnel selection for three months later. Zhu Zhanhe did not object to Xia Yuanji's statement, but rather gave his firm approval. After all, setting up a business is difficult enough, and one cannot demand perfection; one can only say that it will be gradually improved later.

"There's one last thing. The areas we manage are mostly coastal regions. On the one hand, the navy will only grow larger in the future. On the other hand, maritime trade is booming in various places. It's better to guide than to block. Instead of going to great lengths to ban the sea, we should rely on our powerful navy to establish comprehensive maritime trade channels." Zhu Zhanhe clearly told everyone, "I want to conduct maritime trade. I will not only not ban the sea, but I will also fully open the sea."

"Brother, merchants are profit-driven. If everyone goes into business, the fields will be abandoned." Zhu Zhan'an, the third brother who had been silent until now, had initially admired his elder brother's decision, but when he heard his elder brother say that maritime trade was allowed, he finally couldn't help but speak up to remind him.

"Your Highness is absolutely right, Your Highness, please reconsider!" At this moment, Xia Yuanji also became serious. After all, food is the most important thing for the people; without the people farming, the country would collapse! "It's alright, let me finish speaking." Zhu Zhanhe saw the doubts of the crowd and raised his hand to stop them from speaking. He noticed that even Liu Erniu was looking at him with a nervous expression.

"Father-in-law, send someone to compile a list of daily necessities for ordinary people in the market, and also a list of goods traded overseas."

In the name of the Han Prince's Palace, joint merchant guilds were established in each occupied territory, uniting merchants under the Prince's name. Merchants who joined these guilds were directly governed by the Prince's Palace, issued with the Prince's official flag, and protected by the Prince's ocean-going fleet for their trade. Their families were prohibited from holding official positions for three generations, and a uniform tax rate of four or three out of ten was applied. Honorary titles could be acquired through donation, but were not hereditary.

Merchants who do not join the chamber of commerce are left to fend for themselves.

In addition, an internal oversight body was established within the Chamber of Commerce, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard would conduct audits on an irregular basis. Zhu Zhanhe briefly explained his management requirements for the business, and upon hearing this, the old Taoist priest's eyes widened immediately.

"Business warfare!" The old Taoist priest stared in disbelief at the cheap student in front of him, and couldn't help but think of classic business warfare cases in history.

"Teacher, what are you saying? I just want to manage the merchants well so that we can collect more taxes to build ships. It's not a business war," Zhu Zhan'e explained helplessly, his lips twitching as he faced the old Taoist's unfounded accusation.

"Hmph, in the end, you'll be the one making the decisions." The old Taoist knew his student quite well, so he rolled his eyes, glanced at Zhu Zhanhe disdainfully, and then ignored him.

"This will definitely generate a lot of taxes," Xia Yuanji said, staring at his son-in-law with surprise. He guessed that his son-in-law was trying to wage a business war by consolidating commerce, but had inadvertently triggered the tax threshold. With Xia Yuanji's deep understanding of economics, how could he not see the immense benefits of his son-in-law's actions? Leaving aside the tax implications, stabilizing prices alone would be a huge advantage!
"I've accepted this task." Xia Yuanji knew he couldn't escape it, especially since it involved business planning and tax collection. He wouldn't trust anyone else with this responsibility, so he reluctantly accepted this important task once again.

"I've covered most of the important points. Let's have a meal together later." Since returning, Zhu Zhanhe hadn't had a break and hadn't even changed his clothes before starting a meeting. Now that things were settled, he wanted to have a meal together to strengthen relationships, since he was a considerate and good leader.

"Your Highness has finished speaking, but I have something to say." Seeing that Zhu Zhanhe had finished speaking, Xia Yuanji jumped out with a resentful look, saying, "You've finished speaking, but I haven't even spoken yet!"
(End of this chapter)