Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 257 Such ambition and such skill are unprecedented in history!
Zhu Youjian placed the charcoal pencil in his hand on the imperial desk, and his gaze toward Bi Ziyan was filled with undisguised praise and admiration.

"Lord Meng's strategy is exactly what I wanted!"

A hint of excitement appeared on Bi Ziyan's face. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty flatters me. I am merely echoing Your Majesty's words and offering my humble opinion."

"This is not a narrow view, but a sound strategy." The emperor waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down.

He then looked around at everyone and briefly commented on Bi Ziyan's "dividing into four" plan, his voice firm and resounding:
"Lord Meng's strategy is indeed commendable. Dividing the government into four parts is enough to dismantle the deeply entrenched gentry, making it difficult for them to unite and resist the king's orders; it also puts the most financially important areas under the direct control of the central government, so that the national treasury will no longer depend on the local governments; breaking the government into smaller parts also makes management more precise and prevents the problems of obstruction of government orders; and dividing the province into provinces and defenses makes the Nanjing defense system clear in its layers and as solid as a rock."

The emperor's summary was eloquent and well-organized, clearly distilling the vague sense of shock felt by everyone present.

Everyone was convinced and secretly admired the emperor's insightful and far-sighted view.

Bi Ziyan looked extremely grateful.

However, the emperor abruptly changed the subject, his gaze once again becoming as deep and unfathomable as an abyss.

“But,” he uttered slowly, his voice not loud, yet it still made everyone sit up straight, “that’s not enough!”

Bi Ziyan, Wen Tiren, Wei Zhongxian, and even Sun Chuanting felt a roar in their minds, and their breathing, which had just eased, suddenly stopped again!
Still...not enough?!
how can that be!

Everyone present genuinely believed that Bi Ziyan's proposed policy of "granting favors to the provinces" was groundbreaking, and his boldness and strategy had reached the extreme, almost touching the limits of what a subject could imagine.

But in the eyes of this young emperor, it was still not enough!

Is there a more ruthless and decisive method than "divide and conquer"?

Ignoring the astonishment of his ministers, the emperor picked up his charcoal pencil again, lowered his gaze, and looked at his notebook, which was also filled with writing, as if examining a completely different world.

"The fundamental idea behind Meng Hou's strategy is still stuck in the old ways of dividing provinces throughout history—'interlocking'."

The emperor's voice rang out calmly, but it brought with it a word that was unfamiliar to everyone.

"To prevent any single province from becoming too powerful, people deliberately force together places with different landscapes and customs, creating internal checks and balances that prevent them from forming a united force. This method might be acceptable to a ruler who wants to maintain the status quo, for the sake of 'checks and balances.' However, in my opinion, such checks and balances are too cumbersome and too inefficient!"

Zhu Youjian raised his head, his gaze sharp as lightning, sweeping across everyone's face.

"What I need today is not a South that is constantly scrambling and hindering each other, but a place that operates efficiently and can continuously supply the Ming Dynasty and me with blood and strength!"
Therefore, my strategy is not to seek a complex and intertwined system, but rather to follow the natural order and guide development accordingly! I intend to abandon the old approach based on checks and balances, and instead adopt a completely new strategy—to restructure the provincial system based on geographical units, economic regions, and cultural basins! In this way, I seek the most efficient governance and the greatest possible benefits!

"Geographical unit? Economic region? Cultural basin?"

Bi Ziyan and the others were completely bewildered. They had never heard of these words before, but they could clearly sense that behind them lay a powerful and insightful new concept that they had never encountered before.

In short, although I still don't quite understand what the emperor said, I feel it's quite impressive!

Before they could ponder it carefully, the emperor had already unveiled his earth-shattering strategy, which was enough to overturn the entire Ming Dynasty bureaucracy's understanding.

"My intention is to divide Southern Zhili into three parts!" "My first strike will fall upon the heart of Jiangnan! I wish to establish 'Yingtian Province,' with Nanjing as its capital!"

The emperor pressed a heavy charcoal mark on the notebook, his tone conveying a ruthless decisiveness.

"This province will encompass the essence of the four prefectures of Yingtian, Suzhou, Changzhou, and Zhenjiang in the south of the Yangtze River, and then incorporate the lifeblood of the canal transport and salt industry in the north of the Yangtze River, namely Yangzhou, Huai'an, and Xuzhou! I want to bind together the most prosperous cities in the south of the Yangtze River, namely Suzhou, Changzhou, and Zhenjiang, along with the canal transport and salt industry in the Jianghuai region, to forge an unprecedented super economic powerhouse province!"
Silk, cotton cloth, salt tax, canal transport, maritime trade… all the most profitable industries were placed under the jurisdiction of one province, facilitating the implementation of new policies by the imperial court. Unified taxation eliminated any room for shirking responsibility! And by establishing the provincial capital in Nanjing, it was to leverage the prestige of a secondary capital and the emperor's military power to directly pacify this wealthiest yet most prone to unrest!

"Within this province, the south bank is mainly engaged in industry and commerce, while the north bank is mainly engaged in grain transport and salt production, naturally forming two major regions. The imperial court appoints a governor, and with just a slight adjustment in policy, it can easily control the overall situation, ensuring that the governor can work together to provide financial support to the country, while preventing them from uniting as one to oppose the central government!"

"Next comes my second move! I will establish a new 'Anqing Province,' with its capital at Anqing Prefecture!"

The emperor's brushstrokes carved out new territories on the map.

"Fengyang, Luzhou, Anqing, Huizhou, Ningguo, Chizhou, and Taiping—these seven prefectures will be separated from the territory of Southern Zhili and become an independent province! The purpose of establishing this province is to create a 'strategic barrier between the Yangtze and Huai Rivers and a military buffer zone for the capital'! I chose Anqing as the provincial capital because I value its strategic location connecting the east and west, and its connection to the Yangtze and Huai Rivers. It can serve as the western gateway to Nanjing and also provide overall command."

"From now on, the vast Jianghuai Plain and the rugged southern Anhui mountains will form an independent defense zone. The people here are fierce and brave, and we can recruit soldiers on a large scale to train an elite force to protect the capital and suppress the Central Plains! In future campaigns in the south and north, this place will also be an excellent source of soldiers and a transit point!"

"More importantly, we must completely sever the administrative ties between the wealthy Huizhou merchants and their hometowns of Huizhou and Ningguo and the Jiangnan region! Without the protection of the Jiangnan gentry, they can only rely on the court and the imperial power, and only then can their vast wealth and commercial network truly be used by me!"
As for the gentry from southern Anhui and southern Anhui who had a long-standing bond of kinship, after the separation of provinces, with the imperial examinations and official careers becoming separate, their former friendships were naturally severed, making reconciliation difficult!

Just as everyone was still reeling from the enormous impact of the "two-province plan," the emperor dropped the most unbelievable twist in his entire plan!
His voice already carried an undisguised excitement!
"And the most crucial and forward-looking aspect of my grand plan of dividing the country into three parts is this final stroke!"

"I hereby decree that Shanghai County and its surrounding strategic location guarding the river and sea in the eastern corner of Songjiang Prefecture shall be separated and established as the 'Songjiang Special Municipality,' independent of any province! Directly under the central government, it shall be personally overseen by me!"

"This place will be the tentacles of my Great Ming Dynasty reaching into the deep blue seas, the future gateway for the empire's maritime trade, and a special financial and customs zone that I plan for a hundred years from now! Here, I can implement all new policies, whether it is the 'unified taxation' for commerce or the establishment of a royal bank and the issuance of bonds! This place is my testing ground. If it succeeds, the experience will be promoted throughout the country; if it fails, it will only be a loss in one corner!"
Most importantly, such a special zone, directly governed by the Emperor and enjoying preferential policies, will undoubtedly attract merchants from all over the world and draw tribute from all nations! Its prosperity will far surpass any port in history, becoming an eternally shining pearl of our Great Ming Dynasty, inlaid on the coast of the East China Sea!

When the emperor finished speaking, it was as if an invisible thunderclap resounded throughout the room.

Everyone's mind went completely blank.

Compared to the emperor's "three-part method," Bi Ziyan's "four-part method" is simply insignificant!

If Bi Ziyan's plan was like a skilled chess player using ingenious maneuvers to trap and defeat his opponent on the existing chessboard, then the Emperor's plan was to overturn the chessboard and redefine the rules of the game with a godlike hand!
At that moment, they finally understood!
They finally understood why the emperor said, "It's not enough!"
Throughout history, the division of provinces has always followed a "interlocking" pattern. Why? To prevent local areas from becoming too powerful. It was a defensive strategy adopted by weak rulers to protect themselves!

But His Majesty, with the powerful military force he created, has already pacified Jiangnan and his prestige extends throughout the land!
For such a powerful ruler, the system of checks and balances was too conservative and inefficient!

The emperor possessed absolute self-confidence!
He was so confident that he was not afraid to create a province that was the richest in the world, because he was sure that with the help of the emperor's army in Nanjing and the control of Jiangbei, he could keep it firmly under his control!
He was so confident that he dared to abandon the outdated system of decentralization and restraint, and instead pursue the thunderous achievement of enriching the country and strengthening its military!

In the emperor's eyes, Jiangnan should not be a place rife with internal strife, waste, and accumulated problems, but rather a source of continuous wealth for the great cause of the empire!
The idea of ​​a "Matsue Special City" completely overturned their understanding of things over the past decades!
That's no longer just about prioritizing business!
Although His Majesty's previous actions, such as establishing the Royal General Trading Company, have already demonstrated his reliance on commerce, it now seems that everyone has greatly underestimated it!

The emperor actually wanted to use his supreme status to personally establish a corner of the country as a vital hub for merchants and a land of prosperity for all nations!

This move is tantamount to announcing to the world that the national policy of suppressing commerce throughout history will be reversed in one fell swoop! My intention is to promote commerce, benefit commerce, and enrich the country through commerce!

I will bestow extraordinary favors and special privileges to attract law-abiding merchants from all corners of the world to gather here, operate with peace of mind, and generate wealth for the country!
What a magnanimous heart! What a far-sighted strategy! This is clearly the spirit of a great ruler who has all the wealth in the world in his hands and regards all merchants from all over the world as his subjects!
Such ambition and such skill are unprecedented in history!
(End of this chapter)