The Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was extremely rebellious

Chapter 646 Questioning the Northern King
Winter goes and spring comes, the ice and snow melt away.

In the north of the Ming Dynasty, from the capital to the Beiping Regional Military Commission and then to the Nurgan Regional Military Commission, the land was gradually covered in green.

On the 26th day of the fourth month, the day of Renzi, Wanli set off with Zhu Changxun and Song Yingxing.

This time, he also brought along Imperial Noble Consort Qin Lan and Princess Rongchang.

Imperial Noble Consort Qin Lan was going to see her beloved son, while Princess Rongchang was going to see her future husband.

Their first stop was Beiwangcheng.

The fleet, consisting of hundreds of Weiyuan warships and thousands of flying shuttles, marched in a mighty procession from the Chaobai River to the North Canal, then to the Hai River and into the inland sea, and then along the Liao River and the Songliao Grand Canal. In less than three days, they actually arrived at the Northern King City.

On the 29th day of the fourth month, around 5 PM, before the sun had set, the Northern King City was already in sight.

At this time, the Northern King City really resembled Jinling in the North, with the boats outside the city as densely packed as those in Jinling.

In fact, to facilitate the movement of boats, the waterways south of the city were even dug all the way to the Songhua River.

In other words, the current Beiwang City is like having a moat around it. To the west of the city is the Songliao Grand Canal, to the north is the Nenjiang River, to the east is the Songhua River, and to the south is the Xinyun Canal, which is about a mile wide.

Along this route, countless docks have been built; docks are everywhere on the Songhua River, Nen River, and Songliao Grand Canal.

The wharves along both banks of the new canal in the south of the city are so densely packed that they resemble a comb.

At this moment, Zhu Changxu, the Prince of the North, along with Qi Jiguang, Qin Liangyu, Zhang Yuande, Qin Bangping, Qin Yiming, and others, were standing on the towering main dock, eagerly awaiting their arrival.

The enormous flagship docked at the pier, and as soon as the drawbridge-like hatch was lowered, Imperial Noble Consort Qin Lan led Princess Rongchang out in a hurry.

Next came the Jinwu Guard led by Shan Sinan, followed by Wanli, Li Xuancheng, Xiao Zhu Changxun, and Song Yingxing.

When Emperor Wanli looked up and saw Zhu Changxu, the Prince of the North, he was taken aback.

This kid is actually taller than Imperial Noble Consort Qin Lan! Perhaps it's because they can eat pork, beef, and mutton freely here, but he's even more robust than Qin Bangping!

Good heavens, this is simply an invincible warrior!

This kid doesn't seem to realize how strong he is, like an iron tower, and he's still clinging to Imperial Noble Consort Qin Lan, acting all cute and spoiled.

Emperor Wanli paused for a moment, then waved to the generals who came forward to pay their respects, saying, "No need for formalities, no need for formalities."

At this moment, Zhu Changxu, the Prince of the North, seemed to realize that his father, the Emperor, had also arrived.

He quickly left the embrace of Imperial Noble Consort Qin Lan, cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."

Emperor Wanli nodded slightly, then asked, "Have you prepared enough military rations?"

Prince Zhu Changxu of the North nodded repeatedly and said, "Father, I have prepared enough military provisions. There are over a million shi (a unit of dry measure) in the city of the Northern King."

Furthermore, along the more than 600-mile stretch from the Northern King City to the Alun River Guard, all the guard cities had stockpiled over 100,000 shi of military rations, and all the thousand-household and hundred-household garrisons had also stockpiled over 10,000 shi of military rations.

"I've been ordering men to use centipede-shaped boats to haul supplies across the Arun River, and they've already stockpiled over three million shi of military provisions there."

This is the main reason why he pushed from east to west.

The Nurgan Regional Military Commission has plenty of grain, so no matter how many troops gather here, there is no need to worry about military provisions.

Wanli nodded slightly, then asked, "Yuanjing, how is the troop assembly going?"

Qi Jiguang hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, the 400,000 soldiers of the Shenwu Camp, the 100,000 cavalry of Liaodong Town and Jizhou Town, and the 300,000 soldiers of the Garrison Camp have all gathered on the south bank of the Alun River."

General Ma and Yi Yuan have also arrived, but I have instructed them to remain over there and have not come over.”

At this moment, they had an enormous number of warhorses and boats, especially boats. There were thousands of centipede boats and flying shuttle boats, and nearly a thousand Weiyuan warships specifically for transporting troops, supplies, and provisions. It could be said that wherever there was a way to travel by boat, they didn't have to worry about assembling troops or transporting supplies.

Wanli looked up and scanned the room again, then asked, "Liangyu, where are your men?"

You didn't say how many men you needed.

Qin Liangyu quickly explained, "Your Majesty, my men are all waiting in Zhendongbao. As long as the order is given, 300,000 troops can arrive at the port of Dingliao Zhongwei within a day."

At the beginning, the Sichuan soldiers didn't need to go, because Xing'alin used to be a vast grassland.

If the Sichuan soldiers went with the cavalry, they would probably waste several months' worth of food.

Let's wait until the railway is repaired before making any decisions.

Wanli nodded slightly, then raised his hand and said, "Let's go, Xu'er, take your father to the city for a look."

At this time, the Northern King City was incredibly prosperous. Not only were there countless boats outside the city like carp crossing the river, but the city itself was also bustling with traffic and crowds.

The shops on both sides of the street were already open, selling everything from grains and vermicelli to smoked meat, feed, fertilizer, fruits and vegetables, and piglets—a dazzling array of goods.

These are just the specialties of Nurgan Commandery itself. There are also various shops in Wanshengtang that sell pots and pans, oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar, cloth, tea and spices, and even cattle, sheep and horses, delicacies from land and sea, silk and so on. They have everything.

As Wanli looked around, he couldn't help but nod frequently.

Imperial Noble Consort Qin Lan was filled with joy; the little one had finally grown up, and the governance of the Northern Prince City was truly excellent. When the group arrived at the Prince's residence, it was mealtime, and the Northern Prince Zhu Changxu had already ordered a large table of delicacies to be prepared in the spacious kitchen.

Emperor Wanli invited everyone to sit down, toasted everyone again, and then asked, "Xu'er, how are the profits going?"

I've made quite a bit of money on this side right now.

Prince Zhu Changxu of the North explained in detail: "Father, my main income now is still from the tax revenue."

Last year, the Liaodong and Nurgan Regional Military Commissions produced 600 to 700 million shi of grain. If the tax rate is 1/20, that's more than 30 million shi. If we calculate that one tael of silver equals four shi, that's nearly 10 million taels.

And then there's the commercial tax, which amounts to several million taels. My share, ten percent, is over a million taels.

Yes, Not Bad.

Wanli nodded slightly, then asked, "Are you planning to live off tax revenue dividends? Haven't you thought about starting a business?"

I haven't finished speaking yet.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Changxu, the Prince of the North, nodded repeatedly and said, "Your subject is in business. Right now, your subject is mainly in the business of selling animal feed."

Feed costs are cheap. My fiefdom can produce a lot of grain, and the grain here is only worth about one coin per pound. With the addition of fish meal, distiller's grain, rice bran and the like, the cost is only about two coins per pound.

At this time, pork was still quite expensive, costing around sixteen coins per pound, and after being made into smoked meat, it could sell for around thirty coins per pound.

Your son will take half the price of pork and sell feed for four coins per pound, and still make a profit of about half.

Last year, my son sold over 200 million catties of feed, and the gross profit was nearly 500,000 taels.

This year, I plan to sell over 500 million catties, and the gross profit will be over one million taels.

Your Majesty, I am also ordering all the military commands and garrisons to produce more smoked meat, grind more vermicelli, and increase fertilizer production. As these things increase, commercial taxes will rise accordingly, and my share of the profits will also increase.”

You're pretty good at making money, kid.

Wanli thought for a moment, then asked, "So how did you spend all that money you earned?"

I didn't waste this money.

Prince Zhu Changxu of the North explained in detail: "My money was mainly spent on hiring people and building workshops."

Now, I have built waterwheel workshops in almost every garrison, which are used to grind and mix feed, and the waterwheels can also help the garrison draw water for irrigation.

Furthermore, I also recruited many people to row centipede boats to purchase materials and transport feed.

However, the waterwheels here cannot operate in winter because the ice is too thick to be broken through.

"Your Majesty, I would also like to buy some steam grinders and blenders. Do you sell these?"

Your fertilizer workshops are full of steam grinders and mixers, so selling them to you wouldn't be a problem.

The key is that you can follow the right path. Making waterwheels to crush and mix water while helping the Dusiwei Garrison to carry water for irrigation is a very good idea.

Emperor Wanli nodded slightly and said, "Yes, just tell me how many you need, and I'll have your father-in-law make them for you."

There are actually people buying this?

Upon hearing this, Zhu Changxu, the Prince of the North, said with great excitement, "Father, how much does each of these shredders and blenders cost? I want many, many more."

You little rascal, this thing needs a steam engine, and you'll need a lot more of it.

Emperor Wanli shook his head slightly and said, "We don't have enough steam engines right now, so I doubt the Imperial Father-in-law can make many for you. As for the price, you can have someone ask the Imperial Father-in-law."

Oh.

Prince Zhu Changxu of the North nodded slowly, then asked, "Father, are there any flying shuttles for sale?"
The navy returned the centipede ships to me. These ships were too labor-intensive, and could only travel five or six hundred li a day at most, making them inconvenient for transmitting messages.

You want a shuttle?
This item is not for sale.

After thinking for a moment, Wanli said simply, "The navy doesn't even have enough flying shuttles yet, and there aren't any available for sale for the time being. Your father will give you ten, but you must arrange for someone you trust to operate them."

There are none for sale. Having ten flying shuttles would be quite good.

Prince Zhu Changxu of the North said happily, "Thank you, Father Emperor."

This kid's not bad; he doesn't squander his money.

The reason he stayed overnight in the Northern King's City was actually to seek advice on politics.

It seems the second son is alright; at least he knows how to make money and develop his career.

If the north is handed over to this son, the family will surely become richer and richer.

(End of this chapter)