Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 150 The Rebels Run Rampant and Cannot Be Eradicated (Part 1)

Wei Zhongxian has returned to Beijing.

This guy ran rampant in Jiangnan, looting and killing indiscriminately, and exiled hundreds of thousands of people to Dongfan. He was truly ruthless.

The local powers in Jiangnan were so frightened that they seemed to have disappeared completely, and no one dared to oppose them anymore.

The Ming Dynasty needs people like this who are insidious and ruthless. Some people are impossible to reason with; they only submit when they fight back.

Wei Zhongxian spent several months working in Jiangnan, and before he knew it, it was harvest season again.

The rice and wheat of the Ming Dynasty turned golden from south to north.

The grain harvest in Guangdong, Guangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, Hubei, Sichuan and Chongqing was almost complete. The Grand Canal was teeming with cargo ships heading straight for the capital. The Tongzhou and Datongqiao canal wharves were bustling with activity, constantly transporting grain to the major warehouses in the capital.

Sitting on the fast naval vessel, Wei Zhongxian looked at the bustling scene and felt a surge of pride welling up inside him.

The Ming Dynasty is changing rapidly, which is gratifying to see. The prosperity of the capital city is partly due to his efforts.

The sun was almost setting, but Zhu Jue was still busy in the main hall of Yuxi Palace.

He wasn't just waiting for Wei Zhongxian. The local powers in Jiangnan dared not oppose them anymore. He also had to quickly send Xu Guangqi to verify the production of raw silk and tea, and he had to arrange for Tu Wenfu to collect raw silk, and for Li Chaoqin, Wang Chaofu, and Li Yongzhen to collect tea taxes.

Furthermore, with so much land in Suzhou Prefecture and around Taihu Lake, he needs to quickly arrange for grain transport boats to bring over 100,000 disaster victims from Shaanxi to cultivate the land. These boats should also carry disaster relief grain and transport the disaster victims along the way, so as not to waste transport capacity.

There was enough grain in Suzhou Prefecture and around Taihu Lake to feed 100,000 disaster victims. Wei Zhongxian had already ordered people to harvest and store all the grain in the fields there.

The more than 100,000 young men and their families who caused the disturbance in Dongfan did not have enough food, and he had to arrange for fast ships of the navy to transport tax grain from Zhejiang, Zhili and Fujian.

There's also the business with the Spanish. He also needs Xiong Wencan to organize people to build a large port and warehouse in Keelung, Dongfan. He also needs to quickly get them to purchase sugar, cotton cloth, and porcelain to send over. And the tea tax collected also needs to be transported over by fast ship.

The steel mill and glass factory also need to be expanded as soon as possible, and the porcelain factory also needs to be built quickly. We need to consider not only the site issue, but also the mining and transportation of raw materials.

He's been incredibly busy these past few days, almost to the point of forgetting to eat and sleep.

He was busy at work when Fang Zhenghua strode in, cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, Duke Wei has returned."

This guy has finally arrived.

Zhu Jue raised his head and said happily, "Summon them quickly."

Soon, Wei Zhongxian strode in, respectfully cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "This servant greets Your Majesty."

Looking at his full head of white hair, Zhu Jue couldn't help but sigh, "Zhongxian, you've worked hard this time. Well done, I'm very pleased."

Ah, that's the best thing you can say.

Wei Zhongxian quickly flattered, "Your Majesty, it is no trouble for me. It is my honor to serve Your Majesty."

Yes, well said.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then decisively said, "Ruoyu, issue a receipt and reward Zhongxian with 100,000 taels of gold."

Ah!
Ten thousand taels of gold is equivalent to more than one million four hundred thousand taels of silver.

Wei Zhongxian waved his hand and said, "Your Majesty, this servant cannot accept so much money."

If you have done a good job, you should be rewarded.

Zhu Jue shook his head slightly and said, "This amount of money is nothing. The gold you brought back is worth more than this. I can't let you work so hard for so many days in vain."

Uh, okay.

His Majesty doesn't like people saying no.

Wei Zhongxian repeatedly clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

Here's the reward money, now you have to get to work.

Zhu Jue got up, took out a map of the capital and spread it on the table, then solemnly said, "Zhongxian, you still have to work a little harder to help me acquire some land."

Sure, this is my specialty.

I'm familiar with the map of the capital, and I can understand this map.

Wei Zhongxian looked at the familiar map and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yes, Your Majesty, just give the order. We will take whatever you say we want."

This time, we're not just taking a tiny bit of land.

Zhu Jue pointed to the map and said, "Go to the southeast city and collect the land quickly. Collect all the land within ten miles west of Tongzhou City for me. The harvest has just begun, so don't rush it. Just finish the harvest in five days."

Five days is a piece of cake for this little bit of land.

Wei Zhongxian nodded repeatedly and said, "This servant understands." Zhu Jue then pointed to the map and instructed in detail, "Next, there's a lot to do in the west. The city walls of the west city and the southwest city are about fifty or sixty li long. You take over all the land within this li range."

Furthermore, the Wenyu River to the northwest corner of the capital and the Yongding River to the southwest corner of the capital, these two lines together are roughly fifty or sixty li. You also need to include a li of that range. We are going to dig a canal to connect the Wenyu River, the moat west of the capital, and the Yongding River.

This area is too vast, and we need to wait until the autumn harvest is over before we can start building the city walls and digging the canals. Don't worry, the harvest will be finished in ten days.

Uh, this isn't a matter of scope.

It's all going around on the map, which is a bit complicated for me.

Wei Zhongxian stared at the map for a long time before nodding repeatedly and saying, "This servant understands."

That'll do.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then waved his hand and said, "Alright, go back and get some rest. We'll start harvesting the land tomorrow."

okay.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhongxian quickly bowed and took his leave, scurrying away eagerly.

Zhu Jue watched his retreating figure, a look of satisfaction spreading across his face.

The guy is back, and the porcelain factory, the new steel mill, and the glass factory can finally start construction.

He planned to build the porcelain factory, the new steel mill, and the glass factory all in the western part of Tongzhou City.

This area is surrounded by the North Canal and the Tonghui River, making water transport very convenient.

Furthermore, after the Yongding River and Wenyu River were connected to the outer moat of the capital, there would be enough water in the outer moat to allow passage for grain transport boats and steamships of 800 liang (a unit of weight).

At that time, he could organize manpower to vigorously mine the coal mines along the Yongding River. In this way, the coal produced on both sides of the Yongding River could be transported downstream to the capital, and a trip could be made in less than half a day.

Right now, the coal they use is mainly transported from Zunhua and south of Santunying, where it takes about five days for a cargo ship to make a round trip.

Now, the trip has been reduced from once every five days to once every half day, which is more than ten times more efficient. Moreover, the coal produced in the Yongding River still flows downstream, so it doesn't matter if the cargo ships are fully loaded.

He only needs to arrange for one hundred 800-ton canal boats to make two trips a day, which would bring in two million catties of coal, enough to cover all the expenses of the capital.

Two million catties of coal may seem like a lot, but in reality, it doesn't require recruiting many able-bodied men to mine it. A single able-bodied man can mine at least a thousand catties of coal a day. If wages are calculated based on quantity, and there's a incentive, mining two thousand catties a day wouldn't be a problem.

In other words, he only needed to conscript a thousand able-bodied men to mine coal on both sides of the Yongding River.

The extra coal mined in Zunhua and Santunying will also be useful, because the steel mill's output has increased, and the demand for pig iron has increased. The extra coal there can be used to smelt pig iron, and he will need to recruit more people to mine iron ore.

He also needed to quickly get the Emperor's father-in-law, Yuan You, to arrange for more people to mine the clay from the porcelain factory and the quartz and feldspar from the glass factory.

Just as he was about to order someone to summon the Emperor's father-in-law, Yuan You, to discuss the matter, Lu Xiang-sheng suddenly strode in, cupped his hands, and bowed, saying, "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."

Why did you come back?

Zhu Jue asked with some surprise, "Jiandou, is the defense line of Jizhou Town properly set up?"

How do you say this?

Lu Xiang-sheng said cautiously, “Your Majesty, the defense line of Jizhou Town is almost set up. However, most of the soldiers recruited by the capital garrison are young men from the garrison. The only generals who can lead troops into battle are Ying Yuan, Yu Ji, and De Gong.”

Ying Yuan and Yu Ji have already gone to Liaodong Town and will not be back for a while. Even if they achieve merit, they will have to command the remaining 10,000 Jingying cavalry and cannot be stationed permanently on the Jizhou Town defense line.

"It's impossible to defend the various sections of the defense line without skilled military commanders. The reason I rushed back is to ask Your Majesty whether the provincial and imperial military examinations should be held this year. If they are, then a large number of generals skilled in military strategy can be selected."

The Imperial Military Examination?

Oh, after the civil service examination, there was a military examination, which was held on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month of that year, followed by the palace examination on the fifteenth day of the tenth lunar month.

During the Gengxu Incident in the Jiajing reign, Qi Jiguang came to the capital to participate in the military examination, just as Altan Khan invaded the capital region.

Why is the outer court not mentioning the military examinations and the palace examinations at all?
Zhu Jue asked, somewhat puzzled, "Are there any military examinations that aren't held, like the provincial examination and the palace examination?"

Lu Xiang-sheng shook his head slightly and sighed, "There is no such thing as not holding the military examination. It's just that after the Hongwu and Yongle reigns, no one paid attention to the military examination. It was not as grand as the civil service examination. By the late Wanli period, the outer court would just recruit some military candidates to the capital to hold a military examination to get by. The palace examination for military candidates has not been held for a long time."

Civil administration and military prowess are the foundation of a dynasty's rule. Are these civil officials in the outer court deliberately emphasizing civil administration and suppressing military prowess?
Zhu Jue thought for a moment, then solemnly said: "Not only should the military examination be held, but it should also be held in a grand manner. You will be the chief examiner, and those who have made merits will also be examined. You should make good arrangements for the South City Military Training Ground. It would be best if you could make the military examination even more grand than the civil service examination."

The palace examination will also be held in the square outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and I will be there in person.

That would be great.

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiang-sheng bowed with delight and said, "Your humble servant obeys the decree."

(End of this chapter)