Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled when he heard his sister ask this question.

“Sister, these things are not a problem. Now that the Northern Yuan court has been destroyed, it is also a great shock to the Yuan people in the southwest.”

The Yuan Dynasty's power was thus dealt a great blow.

Then, the King of Liang, who occupied the southwest, must have been greatly shaken.

At this point, even if we don't say anything, they should also be making preparations.

They know we're going to take action against him next.

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that this person may be someone from the southwest who still harbors illusions about this.

They think we won't take action against them next.

So now, we're going to tell them clearly that their ideas are all wrong.

It is impossible.

Our intention here is to attack the southwest; we've made our intentions clear.

Some people have a lot of fantasies when the pressure hasn't reached a certain level.

Only by extinguishing their illusions will they choose to stand on the side of our Great Ming in future battles.

What if the southwest side has made preparations?
So what if you're not prepared?
There isn't much difference either.

They no longer have any bargaining power.

Zhu Yuanzhang was not making grand pronouncements, but rather stating a very objective fact.

Empress Ma nodded in agreement, feeling that her son, Chongba, was quite right.

However, she felt that things were not that simple.

There will be other situations as well.

"Girl, besides, we're saying we're preparing for war in the southwest."

We could also take action against the Naha in the Northeast next!

Hearing Zhu Yuanzhang say this, Empress Ma's smile deepened.

She knew that her family member was Chongba, and that he was very thoughtful in his actions.

Their actions should not be limited to this.

Now it seems that this is indeed the case; this is the Chongba he knows!
"We need to take back the Northeast; those places are very important."

Not only should we take it back, but we should also bring it under the actual rule of our Great Ming Dynasty in the future.

Establish effective rule there and carry out effective development.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Empress Ma and spoke.

He was very serious about this matter.

Before he came to the future, to be honest, he didn't pay much attention to the Northeast.

It's just a bitterly cold place.

In his past life, he took a portion of Naha's territory.

It was only because some of his forces posed a threat to the Ming Dynasty.

However, after his journey through the future, his thoughts underwent a complete transformation.

The Northeast is extremely important.

The Songnen Plain over there has abundant natural resources.

More importantly, it has the most fertile black soil.

The land is sparsely populated and suitable for farming.

In later generations, that area became the country's major granary.

The grain output is astonishing.

In addition to grain production, there are also numerous coal mines, iron mines, and other resources.

It couldn't be more important.

It was only after seeing these things in later years that he realized the mistake he had made in this matter.

Only then did I realize what I had missed.

That place is not a bitterly cold land.

It is clearly a treasure trove of unparalleled importance.

I didn't know these things in my past life, which caused me to miss out.

In this lifetime, I absolutely cannot miss out on anything.

Moreover, besides factors such as land productivity, geographical location is also very important.

Whether it was the Jurchens who destroyed the Northern Song Dynasty, or the Later Jin who entered the pass and established the Qing Dynasty.

In fact, they are all fishing and hunting tribes that came from the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River region.

The Ming Dynasty's most formidable enemy was always in the north.

We must be wary of the north.

So, what is the best approach?
Naturally, this vast and fertile land was brought under the control of the Ming Dynasty, which then carried out frontier development and relocated its people.

Increase the number of Han Chinese there.

They established effective rule there and completely incorporated it into the territory of China.

Only in this way will the land there truly be stable.

The Jurchens, or any other tribes, will not rise up there again and destroy China once more.

In addition, it can also pose a strong threat to and control over the peninsula.

Of course, there are many different situations in actual operation.

There are many things that need to be done.

But this is a general direction.

Moreover, even if we manage to take control of that area in the future, we will still need to put a lot of effort into maintaining our rule.

We absolutely cannot allow someone like the "King of the Northeast" to emerge there.

Therefore, the capital should still be moved to Beiping in the future.

That side is further north.

It can better control most areas in the north.

At the same time, the development of the steam engine also needed to be accelerated.

If a good steam engine is built and railways are laid to various places, and if the telegraph is also developed, then control over various places can be greatly strengthened.

It's not easy for someone like the King of the Northeast to emerge.

As for whether he would leave a team in Nanjing after moving the capital to Beiping, just like the fourth brother did.

That's simply impossible.

The fourth prince's actions were nothing more than a stopgap measure implemented during the forced relocation of the capital.

This dual-capital system was also detrimental to the integration of the North and South.

Undeniably, Nanjing did play a positive role in tax collection and administration in the south.

However, in Zhu Yuanzhang's view, the disadvantages far outweighed the advantages.

The Ming Dynasty itself faced the major problem of division between the North and the South.

This system remains in Nanjing, only lacking an emperor's court.

Moreover, they also control the purse strings.

The harm it posed to the Ming Dynasty was simply too great.

It's better for a country to have only one head of state.

There's no need to go through this again.

If a strong and capable emperor is on the throne, many things may not be obvious, but once the imperial power weakens, the drawbacks of the dual-capital system will be magnified infinitely.

In the original history, the Ming Dynasty eventually died of poverty, and in addition to various other reasons, the dual-capital system also played an extremely important role.

Now that he knows about this, he naturally wants to avoid it.

At the same time, he also decided that once steam engines and other technologies made certain progress, the first railway to be laid would run from Yingtian to Beiping.

One Grand Canal isn't enough; we need another railway.

Looking at her son, Chongba, Empress Ma knew that his plans for the areas occupied by Nahachu and others in the Northeast were probably not limited to what he had said.

But she didn't ask any more questions.
She manages the affairs of the harem, and as for other matters, she can ask if she wants to know, or not ask if she doesn't. Because she knows all too well how capable her son, Chongba, is in these areas.

She believed in her family's Chongba.

Throughout the entire Ming Dynasty, no one longed for a better future for the dynasty more than their own son, Chongba.

……

"Is it really going to be a land survey in Shandong next year?"
Judging from this, it seems likely it will begin right after the New Year.

Duke Yansheng, Kong Xixue, looked at the newspaper in his hand and spoke aloud.

His expression appeared solemn.

Although he knew from the very beginning that the land survey in Shandong was unavoidable.

It is very likely that after settling accounts in Jiangxi, they will immediately follow up by settling accounts in Shandong.

But knowing something is one thing; without obtaining real information, it's all just speculation.

When the guess comes true, it's natural and inevitable that some feelings will arise in one's heart.

It seems my earlier considerations were correct...

After watching for a while, his mood gradually calmed down.

It was just something that was expected to happen.

With what happened in Jiangxi as an example, no one will be foolish enough to do something like that.

He also gave his own prior explanation, which he then elaborated upon.

Therefore, there shouldn't be any trouble on the Kong family's side during this land survey.

Even Zhu Yuanzhang, who wanted to take drastic measures against his Kong family, couldn't do so.

Thinking about his various arrangements, the last trace of unease in Duke Yansheng Kong Xixue disappeared, and he gradually calmed down.

He's different from those greenhorns.

He has his own unique insights into how to protect oneself and avoid harm.

Just keep going step by step, and the Kong family will surely be the ones to win in the end!

No matter how much Zhu Yuanzhang does, it will only scratch the surface of their situation and is not a cause for concern!
He is becoming more and more confident about these things.

Having made up his mind, he continued reading the rest of the newspaper...

……

In Annam, a monk dressed in monastic robes walked into the grand courtyard.

Although he was a monk, no one dared to underestimate him.

This is not just because the foreign monks can chant sutras well; more importantly, these monks are not only good at chanting sutras, but also have other strong abilities.

Now, he has become a very important figure on their side, wielding immense power.

Moreover, he already commands over five thousand troops.

This monk was none other than Daoyan.

Dao Yan is quite satisfied with his current achievements.

This brings him one step closer to his goal of conquering Annam and bringing it back to China.

However, we still need to keep working hard.

I hope to gain higher authority as soon as possible and get things done.

At this time, it is unknown what has become of the Ming Dynasty.

I wonder if the Northern Yuan royal court has been captured.

Thinking this, Dao Yan couldn't help but shake his head again.

A lot can happen in a year or so.

It can also make a lot of changes.

But a year or so is indeed not that long.

I can't do that much.

Not to mention that the Ming Dynasty was very large and had too many things to deal with.

Construction and destruction are not the same.

Destruction is always far easier than construction.

Now that the emperor is going to carry out a construction project for the Ming Dynasty, even if he is extremely talented, he can only accomplish so much in a little over a year.

Let's see who can give the other a big surprise first.

With that thought in mind, he looked into the distance.

The direction they were gazing towards was the location of the Prince of Liang during the Yuan Dynasty.

This King Liang probably doesn't have many more years of good fortune left.

His meeting with the current emperor left a very deep impression on him.

He is definitely a man of great talent and ambition.

Therefore, it is inevitable that we will take control of the southwest region.

Only by acquiring and firmly controlling the southwest can we better govern Annam and other regions in the future.

He could have allowed Emperor Zhu to take Annam, but whether he could defend it or integrate it into Chinese society was not something he could decide.

It depends on the emperor's ability.

……

In Wannian County, Prince Zhu Su and some others are busy at work.

At this moment, he went directly to the isolated villages and towns.

At this point, the situation here is truly dire.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a living hell.

Many people have lost their lives, or are currently suffering from the disease and are on the verge of death.

The original solution to this situation was to let them fend for themselves.

But at that moment, Zhu Su arrived.

Not only did they arrive, but they also brought many other people to provide medical treatment to them.

There were nearly a thousand people who came with Zhu Su this time.

Of these nearly a thousand people, all had been vaccinated against smallpox.

In addition, after Zhu Su arrived, he offered very high wages to recruit people who had had close contact with smallpox patients but had not died, or who had survived smallpox, to come and help out...

Besides cooking for the patients, taking care of their daily lives, and preparing medicinal soups, I also focused on getting those who hadn't yet contracted smallpox vaccinated with cowpox as soon as possible.

The goal is to get these people to develop antibodies and become immune to smallpox before they contract it...

Seeing King Zhu Su of Zhou working tirelessly, his eyes bloodshot from exhaustion, some people couldn't help but shed tears.

Grateful for the Emperor's grace.

At first, they all thought they had no chance of surviving.

I feel like all of them have been abandoned.

But who would have thought that things would take such a dramatic turn?

The court has not forgotten them, and His Majesty has not forgotten them!
He actually sent his own son, Prince Zhou of the Ming Dynasty, to treat and save these lowly people!
Regardless of whether these people can survive this time, even if they cannot, there is not much regret.

His Majesty is truly good; he has truly seen and cared for these common folk, these people who are like weeds.

Especially when compared with the days I lived at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, I feel that my current life is like being in heaven.

They are so lucky to have met His Majesty!

It's still better to have a Han Chinese emperor!
With the actions of King Zhu Su and others, the situation here improved.

One approach was to administer smallpox vaccines, some of which were already effective.

On the other hand, with their arrival, these sick people received better care.

Moreover, supplies have become much more abundant.

Under these circumstances, the patient's survival rate would naturally be much higher.

While King Zhu Su of Zhou was carrying out his duties, the end of the year had quietly arrived.

On the 28th day of the Lunar New Year, General Xu Da arrived outside Yingtian City with a large number of prisoners… (End of Chapter)