Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

In the warm wind and drizzle, Zhu Di got off the carriage.

Wearing a black cloak, he walked calmly but looked a little tired. Behind him was the third prince Zhu Gaosui who held an umbrella for him.

Jiang Xinghuo's mansion is not ostentatious. Two ancient cypresses were moved in front of the door, and the weight of history accumulated over the years is felt in front of the face.

When he heard that the emperor was visiting, the middle door was already wide open, but Zhu Di was in no mood and walked straight inside.

Although his steps were firm, every step was like stepping on the clouds, unable to touch the ground.

The selection of the crown prince, which should have been a happy event for the royal family, turned into an unbearable burden in his heart.

In the four years since Zhu Di ascended the throne, although there has been a lot of action at home and abroad, it cannot be said that the country is peaceful and the people are safe. However, with the rapid development of all aspects of the Ming Dynasty, it can be regarded as a prosperous age. However, the choice of the crown prince is like a huge boulder. In his heart, this is not only about which royal bloodline will be continued as the main bloodline, but also about the future peace of the Ming Dynasty.

Behind the door, Zhu Di waved his hand, indicating that Jiang Xinghuo did not need to salute.

Then Zhu Di dismissed the servant who was pouring tea and closed the door to talk.

"I came today not for government affairs, but for family matters."

Zhu Di's anxiety was not concealed, it was almost visible to the naked eye.

A glimmer of clarity flashed in Jiang Xinghuo's eyes: "Now Beizhili still has more than half a year of extension time. Your Majesty is concerned about the choice of the heir apparent?"

Zhu Di nodded, with a hint of helplessness between his brows: "All of my disciples are virtuous, but each has his own strengths and weaknesses, so it's hard to make a choice."

Zhu Gaosui listened quietly on the side, but his heart was turned upside down.

The phrase "all men are virtuous" is not without its temptation for him, but Zhu Gaosui still understands it clearly. If there is no way out for overseas vassalship, then he will definitely support his second brother Zhu Gaoxu's fight for the throne, because he and The second brother has always been close to him. If the eldest brother becomes the prince, he will definitely not end well. This is the case with domestic feudal vassals. When the new emperor ascends the throne, it is a matter of one sentence whether he will be demoted or not.

But now that we have a way out and can go overseas, it is natural that "the sea is wide enough for fish to leap, and the sky is high enough for birds to fly" to feel comfortable.

Even if there were any changes in the Ming Dynasty, it had troops and territory in its hands, but was still far away from its position. If the court wanted to use force to reduce the vassal state, it would still have to consider whether it would be dragged into the quagmire of an expedition.

Therefore, Zhu Gaosui calmed down.

He knew that his father's words were actually testing Jiang Xinghuo's attitude.

In the two years since the three major battalions of the Beijing Camp left Nanjing, Jiang Xinghuo and Zhu Gaochi were responsible for all the complicated government affairs and development policies of the entire empire. With the process of governance and changes in the ideological circles, new officials who supported the reform , has become the mainstream among fresh blood.

The imperial examination, the Ming Dynasty Administrative School, the Imperial College, and the exceptional promotion of junior officials. These ways to become officials are basically controlled by the reformists.

Moreover, with the changes in the economic structure, the "mercantilism" trend disguised as "all peoples belong to the same people" gradually spread to the gentry class.

Although there are some stubborn people among the gentry class, those who are aware of current affairs, especially those in coastal counties, after seeing the huge benefits of commerce, many of them say they are opposed to the reform, but in fact they are half-covered. Started trading.

After all, although the income from the land is stable, it cannot compare with the extremely profitable overseas trade.

Therefore, as more and more people support the reform, the reform faction represented by Jiang Xinghuo and Zhu Gaochi becomes stronger.

Under this ebb and flow, although the old people from the Hongwu-Jianwen period still dominate the court, their foundations have been hollowed out.

The most obvious thing is that the examinations and teaching of various administrative divisions, prefectures, and counties are basically based on the improved new thinking. Xunzi's status has been improved, and more practical thoughts have been included in the scope of policy discussions.

If things go on like this, the reformists will inevitably replace the conservatives and become the actual leading force in the court.

So in this case, whether the power led by Jiang Xinghuo in the reform faction will be combined with military power and then threaten the imperial power is something Zhu Di has to think carefully about.

Although Jiang Xinghuo is his most trusted minister, Jiang Xinghuo's opinions will undoubtedly have a major impact on his decision-making, but he also knows that the other party also has his own position and interests, so can he fully trust the other party's words?

"Your Majesty, I have something to say and I don't know whether to say it or not."

"speak."

Jiang Xinghuo pondered slightly and said: "The selection of the crown prince is related to the foundation of the country. The one with both ability and political integrity should be given priority."

When Zhu Gaosui heard this, a trace of wonder flashed in his eyes. He knew full well that Jiang Xinghuo's words not only showed his attitude, but also gave Zhu Di a step down.

Zhu Di spoke slowly: "Having both ability and political integrity is easier said than done. Who among my descendants can take on this important responsibility?"

Jiang Xinghuo smiled slightly and said: "Your Majesty is wise and can naturally choose the most suitable candidate. No matter who is chosen as the crown prince, as long as he can maintain the stability of the Ming Dynasty, it is the best choice."

In the warm inner hall, Zhu Di tried his best to keep himself calm.

Every word Jiang Xinghuo said was like a stone thrown into a lake, causing ripples.

Zhu Di knew that Jiang Xinghuo was hinting to him that the choice of prince should not just look at the surface, but also consider long-term interests and the future of Ming Dynasty.

To put it bluntly, Jiang Xinghuo's words were not only to avoid risks, but also to point out the direction for himself.

What is virtue? What is talent?

For ordinary people, of course filial piety, brotherhood, benevolence and righteousness are virtues, and learning and wealth are talents.

If according to this standard, Zhu Gaochi is certainly the most suitable candidate for the crown prince.

But for the royal family, this is not the case at all. It can even be said that it is exactly the opposite.

For the royal family, it is virtue to be ruthless and ruthless, and it is talent to be able to rule the world by riding a horse, and to rule the world by dismounting.

A monarch who is too kind and forgiving is destined to be manipulated by his subordinates.

What does "maintaining the stability of the Ming Dynasty" mean? Of course, it can continue Zhu Di's policy.

Zhu Di's policy was to allow the Ming Dynasty to "govern the Tang and Song Dynasties, and reach far into the Han and Tang Dynasties." To put it bluntly, it actually means four words - external expansion.

These means of reforming the domestic economy are used to support external expansion and provide financial resources for the expansion areas.

It is conceivable that if the two sons succeed to the throne one day, the second son Zhu Gaoxu will definitely be able to continue Zhu Di's policies, because he is a soldier, and behind him is the group of noble military ministers. The interests of this group are naturally inclined to external expansion. .

So Jiang Xinghuo seemed to just say a few simple sentences, impartial and without showing his attitude, but in fact he said everything.

Zhu Di said: "I benefited a lot from my conversation with the Imperial Master today. I will carefully consider the choice of the crown prince."

But Zhu Di did not leave, but immediately asked another question.

"Then if the eldest prince becomes the heir apparent, how should the Imperial Master handle himself?"

Zhu Di's eyes were fixed on the expression on Jiang Xinghuo's face.

Jiang Xinghuo did not hesitate and simply said: "Your Majesty is in the prime of his life, and the reforms will always continue. This is not an issue that I should consider now."

Zhu Di finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Regardless of whether Jiang Xinghuo's words were true or false, Zhu Di's vigilance was greatly reduced.

Because what Jiang Xinghuo said is right.

Although Zhu Di is middle-aged, his body is very strong, and there is a high probability that living for another twenty years will not be a problem.

Therefore, no matter who was the prince when Zhu Di was in power, Jiang Xinghuo did the same thing, which was to firmly implement the reform until it achieved complete success, until the interests of most classes in the Ming Dynasty were consistent with the reform. , making it impossible for the reform to be overturned.

From this perspective, no matter who becomes the prince, Zhu Gaoxu or Zhu Gaochi, there are actually some benefits to the reform.

If Zhu Gaoxu becomes the prince, it will definitely be more beneficial in continuing the policy of foreign expansion; and if Zhu Gaochi becomes the prince, it will also be beneficial to use his internal affairs capabilities to continue to expand reforms in domestic affairs. At least Zhu Gaochi's current basic plan also has many reforms faction, even if Zhu Di is gone, it is unlikely that Zhu Gaochi will push forward the reform completely. He can only deny Jiang Xinghuo and continue the reform, just like what previous rulers of the past dynasties did.

But Jiang Xinghuo's answer made Zhu Di feel even heavier.

Zhu Di turned his head and looked at the gray sky outside the inner hall of Jiang Xinghuo's mansion, feeling helpless in his heart.

He considers himself a wise master, but when it comes to choosing the prince, he feels helpless as never before. He hopes that someone can tell him the answer, but he also knows that this is an impossible hope. Now he can consult Everyone gives their own answers, and only he can make the final decision.

But Zhu Di also knew that no matter who he chose as the crown prince, some people would be happy and some would be sad, and it might even cause a serious temple turmoil.

How did the Xuanwumen Revolution come about? To put it bluntly, isn't it because Li Shimin was unwilling to accept Li Jiancheng as the crown prince.

There is no doubt that from an emotional point of view, Zhu Di prefers his second prince Zhu Gaoxu. Zhu Gaoxu and he are not only father and son, but also brothers who live and die together. It is also the Jingnan War, and Zhu Gaochi is guarding the city in the rear to prepare logistics. There is merit, but this credit is definitely not as good as Zhu Gaoxu's desperate charge. Baigouhe, Gaocheng, Jiahe, Lingbi, these few times, if Zhu Gaoxu had not relied on his own bravery to break the formation, Yan would have been defeated. The army was really defeated, and among the key generals of the Southern Army who were killed by Zhu Gaoxu's formation, there were no less than ten famous generals.

In Jiang Xinghuo's previous life, the Battle of Jingnan was a civil war in the Ming Dynasty. Coupled with the deliberate distortion of the civil service group and the Spring and Autumn Period writing style, many battle records seriously deviated from the facts. They often said "a strong wind blew, and the Yan army won." , lifted Zhu Di to the same mysterious situation as the great mage Liu Xiu.

In fact, it was not easy for the Yan Army to win at all. Almost every battle was wagered with all their wealth. Even though they won so many battles, the Southern Army still kept coming. However, the Yan Army lost a battle in Dongchang and was almost carried away. .

The value of the Battle of Jingnan may not be completely comparable to that of Hongwu's founding of the People's Republic of China in the troubled times of the late Yuan Dynasty. However, if we do not make a vertical comparison on the historical line, but only make a horizontal comparison in the same period, then the hundreds of thousands of meetings that occurred during the same period Whether it is the Battle of Ankara or the Battle of Nicoburg, it is difficult to compare with the large-scale battles in the Battle of Jingnan.

Intellectually speaking, Zhu Gaoxu is no longer the brainless fool. Not only can he break away from the role of "vanguard" or "capital of the death squad" and become a general who can take charge of his own affairs, but he also has his own way of managing government affairs. Some understanding may be far inferior to Zhu Gaochi, but it is no longer his shortcoming.

The shortcomings have been made up, but the longboards are longer. If you were Zhu Di, how would you choose?

As the ruler of a huge empire, Zhu Di's biggest concern for his successor was whether his policies could be continued after his death.

After Zhu Gaochi became emperor, perhaps the internal part of the reform would continue along the way, but the external part would obviously not continue to pursue expansionary policies like the ambitious Zhu Di.

Zhu Gaoxu, on the other hand, will undoubtedly choose to obey the interests of the Honorable Warriors Group and continue to expand externally.

In Zhu Di's heart, he actually already had the answer.

What did you say? When you flip a coin, you actually know your choice in your heart.

Regarding the selection of the crown prince, Zhu Di had already understood Jiang Xinghuo's opinions. Next, the two talked about domestic government affairs in the past two years.

"King Zhou wrote to me a while ago, saying that we have a general idea about medical breeding and the compilation of medical books."

When Jiang Xinghuo heard this, a look of joy appeared on his brows: "This is the blessing of the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Di smiled slightly, with a hint of pride and pride in his smile.

"When Emperor Taizu Gao was still alive, he once joked that if we were born into ordinary families, I could be a soldier and my younger brother could be a doctor. We would each have our own strengths and would not have to dig in the soil for food. In the end, we would not be like me. People of my grandfather’s generation starved to death.”

Jiang Xinghuo nodded and continued: "If this happens, it will have a profound impact on the improvement of the medical condition of the entire Ming Dynasty and even the reform of the social relief system."

Etiquette comes from being well endowed, and economic progress is the basis for expanding the scope of social security. Only when the court has money can it better support vulnerable groups such as widowers, widowers, and lonely people.

The current social relief system of the Ming Dynasty was completely inherited from the Song and Yuan Dynasties. Therefore, there is no problem in supporting and resettling the elderly, homeless people, and unknown dead. There is no great need to expand the scale, and medicine The aspect is completely different.

Nowadays, medical clinics all over the country purchase medicinal materials based on local conditions. If King Zhou’s experiment of centralized medicinal cultivation can be proven feasible, then in this new era, centralized medicinal cultivation will control the quality and quantity of medicinal materials. has been greatly improved, and the compilation of medical books will bring together the essence of medicine from all over the world to protect the health of the people.

The reason why Chinese medicine becomes more convincing with age is that, in addition to experience, many old Chinese medicine practitioners have secret recipes passed down from their ancestors, which is also an important reason.

Traditional Chinese medicine pays attention to symptomatic treatment. Therefore, doctors of different levels often prescribe different medicines to patients with different conditions, even if their superficial symptoms are similar. They want to unify a strict standard and use a universal textbook to cover all medical treatments. The problem is obviously unrealistic.

But this does not mean that compilation and collection of TCM classics is meaningless.

The reason is also very simple. Under today's transportation and communication conditions, even the most skilled doctors will never be able to master all the contents of medical books. Even if they understand 10% or 20%, they can be called famous doctors with profound knowledge.

Therefore, it is very necessary to compile medical books.

Although traditional Chinese medicine cannot give a strict standard, it can pre-set several "standard answers" for more common situations based on different symptoms and use cases.

In this way, when facing some common diseases among the people, even doctors with insufficient qualifications will not be at a loss. As long as they prescribe the right medicine according to the medical books printed by the imperial court, the probability of good treatment will definitely be worse than that of treating the person. Much bigger. Of course, everyone's physique cannot be generalized. Even a prescription that is almost a "standard answer" will have different effects on different people.

This is the meaning of medical book summary.

"This move by King Zhou is truly a good thing."

Zhu Di's words were full of expectations for the future, and there was even some care for the people under his rule. This is inevitable. The butt determines the head. Now that Zhu Di has been emperor for four years, his mentality has completely changed.

Zhu Di knew very well that water can carry a boat and capsize it. The prosperity of the Ming Dynasty lies not only in the vast territory and the strength of the Ming army, but also in the people's support for him, which brought a better life to the people and reduced their burdens. , then it must be of great benefit to his rule.

After all, except for people like Yao Guangxiao, what decent person can live and work in peace and contentment and still think about rebellion?

Therefore, Zhu Di actually has high hopes for the development of Ming Dynasty's medical industry, hoping that through these measures, he can create a better future for the people of Ming Dynasty in terms of health issues.

The people of the Ming Dynasty have a healthy body, and laughter and laughter echo in every corner; doctors hold unified medical books to relieve the people's pain, and everyone's faces are filled with satisfaction and happiness. Even a war madman like Zhu Di, When I think of this kind of picture, I feel very satisfied.

There is joy in fighting, and there is also joy in farming.

"correct."

Zhu Di suddenly changed the subject: "There should be nothing going on here in Nanjing. The National Preceptor can arrange the tasks at hand and go to Beijing in a while. The reform in Beizhili will still need the planning and guidance of the National Preceptor. Passing by Henan, go to Kaifeng to meet with the King of Zhou and see if we can make a preliminary decision on medicine and medical books."

Zhu Di's words surprised Jiang Xinghuo. Although they made sense in name, the meaning behind Zhu Di's words couldn't be more obvious.

——This is because the referee was embarrassed and asked him to make a final sprint.

From the perspective of the two princes, it definitely means this, but on the surface there is no problem. Jiang Xinghuo has been organizing reforms in Southern Zhili for so many years, so he can't completely ignore Northern Zhili, right?

"Also, Zhu Youyi came back with Zheng He this time. He hasn't seen his father (King Zhou) for several years. Let him act as a guard and go north with you this time. At least you can meet him in Kaifeng."

Poor parents in the world. In the past, Zhu Di would not care about this matter, but now Zhu Di inevitably cares about his younger brother's housework.

The little beast Zhu Youyi is certainly a bastard, but seven or eight years have passed, and the anger that King Zhou needs to be relieved has almost disappeared. He can't write two Zhu characters in one stroke. The family cannot always avoid seeing each other like enemies.

Moreover, Zhu Youyi has indeed made a lot of achievements in following Zheng He overseas in these years. He is a relatively prominent presence in the three generations of the clan. Zhu Di also intends to promote him so that more clan members can be raised undeservedly. pigs, but come out to do more work and make contributions.

But Zhu Youyi really annoyed his family, so Zhu Di made an excuse for him and asked him to be a guard for Jiang Xinghuo. He also asked Jiang Xinghuo to talk to King Zhou about medicine and medical books. In this way, the father and son The meeting became a matter of course.

"Also, please tell me the progress of regulating the Yellow River in detail. The soldiers and horses were so ruthless before, but I won't have time to ask in detail in the future."

In fact, since the Northern Song Dynasty, the Yellow River has always been a huge hidden danger for the people of the Central Plains. After the Jingkang disaster, the Jin Kingdom ruled the north and did not pay much attention to managing the Yellow River. This was even more true when the Yuan Dynasty was established by the Mongols.

Therefore, the Yellow River is like an unruly yellow dragon that no one can tame. Once the rainy season arrives, the Yellow River is prone to flooding.

To a large extent, it can be said that the Yuan Dynasty was crushed to death by the management of the Yellow River, which was the straw that broke the camel's back.

When Zhu Di succeeded to the throne, the Yellow River still diverted the Huaihe River into the sea, and the hidden dangers were still great. However, Zhu Di did not have the financial resources and manpower to control the Yellow River at that time. The most he could do was to rectify the floods in the south of the Yangtze River and preserve important grain-producing areas.

However, Jiang Xinghuo, Xia Yuanji, Song Li and others managed floods in the south of the Yangtze River and accumulated rich experience and manpower for water control projects.

Last year, the third year of Yongle's reign, as domestic trade and foreign sea trade brought unexpected fiscal revenue, the Ministry of Household Affairs not only paid back the money borrowed from the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of War, but also had a surplus. Therefore, With the help of the "Yellow River National Debt", there will be the necessary funds to manage the Yellow River.

Another reason why we have to be so anxious and not wait any longer is water transportation.

Zhang Xin resigned as governor of water transportation, but the problems of water transportation became more serious besides corruption.

Because of the construction of the north, many materials need to be transported by water transport, not by sea transport. The reason here is very simple. Millions of water workers depend on their food and clothing. The fall of the Yuan Dynasty is not far away, and Ming Dynasty does not want to transport it all at once. Water transportation was abolished, and a one-eyed stone man appeared again.

The Grand Canal, which runs through the north and south, is the economic artery on which Beizhili depends for its survival. It stretches for thousands of miles across five provinces and connects the five major water systems of the Haihe River, the Yellow River, the Huaihe River, the Yangtze River, and the Qiantang River. The most complicated thing here is the connection between the Grand Canal and the Yellow River. intersection node.

The problem is that the person who manages rivers is the river prime minister; the person who manages water transportation is the governor of water transportation.

The River Transport Governor's Office is located in Jining, Shandong, and the Water Transport Governor's Office is located in Huai'an, Jiangsu. The two places are thousands of miles apart. Communication is extremely inconvenient. It takes more than ten days for a messenger to travel back and forth. Moreover, there are conflicts of interest between the two yamen. They often play football with each other.

There is no doubt that it is impossible to control the Yellow River in this way.

Because the prerequisite for managing the Yellow River is to have an organization that can allocate all resources and coordinate all yamen.

The extremely authoritative Longping Hou Zhang Xin was fired from the position of governor of water transportation precisely because of the Qingtian incident. This provided the prerequisite for the establishment of a new agency.

To this end, Jiang Xinghuo and Zhu Gaochi held a meeting to discuss a plan, and after informing Zhu Di who was away, they temporarily established the Governor of Hecao and added the title of Right Deputy Governor of the Procuratorate.

The candidate was none other than Song Li, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, who had extensive experience in controlling floods in the south of the Yangtze River.

In this way, Song Li had the power to coordinate the provinces, allocate resources uniformly, and impeach all officials who did not cooperate with the management of the Yellow River.

The main force of the river workers was prepared by the Japanese army, and at the same time, some civilians along the river were recruited for a fee.

Beginning in the third year of Yongle, Song Li took Ye Zongxing and other experts in water control, dam building, blasting, etc. to the Yellow River Basin to inspect the terrain and specific hydrological conditions, and visited all the places along the river. Dozens of prefectures and counties have basically grasped the current situation of the Yellow River.

Song Li then formulated a comprehensive and phased river control plan, following the "water beam flushing method" taught by Jiang Xinghuo to control the river. At the same time, reinforced concrete, whose output was greatly increased, was used as the main dam building material.

"If you want to go deep into the north, use embankments in the south and make the north deeper; if you want to go deep in the south, use embankments in the north and deepen from the south; if you want to go deep in the middle, use two embankments in the north and south, touching the middle, and deepening in the middle."

Song Li was already familiar with Jiang Xinghuo's formula.

Therefore, relying on the four-line dam technology of "main embankment, remote embankment, siltation embankment, and inner embankment", Song Li resolutely implemented Jiang Xinghuo's plan for regulating the Yellow River, that is, first restoring the old outlet to the sea downstream, and then Then carry out vegetation restoration in the middle and upper reaches. However, the latter requires a long time of persistence, and due to the Little Ice Age, even if it is carried out, the effect may not be very obvious. It is a century-old plan and cannot be rushed.

As an expert in water control, Song Li knew very well that this was a turning point in his official career. As long as he could manage the Yellow River well, the best outcome would be to be directly promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Industry and reach the top of the ministerial level. The worst outcome would be to be transferred to the Ministry of Industry and Technology. He was appointed as Zuo Shilang in the Ministry of Industry, and was promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Industry in a few years.

Of course, if he failed in the task of regulating the Yellow River and the Yellow River burst its banks again, there would be no need to think about being a minister. It would be better to think about where he would live more comfortably in exile.

All in all, this is a high-risk, high-reward thing.

Song Li is doing a good job so far. After one year of hard work, the overall project progress has been completed by about 40%. More than 100,000 feet of earth embankments and more than 5,000 feet of stone embankments have been built in the core area. The concrete embankment is more than 1,000 feet long, and has successfully blocked hundreds of gaps in the Yellow River embankment. The existing Yellow River system that diverts the Huaihe River to the sea basically no longer causes flooding and breaches that endanger farmland and people, and "shui floods" The "Sediment Method" has been proven to be effective, and the sediment in the Huaihe River Basin has been greatly reduced.

Next, there is the project to guide the Yellow River to the old outlet of Shandong and Hebei.

After listening to Jiang Xinghuo's story, Zhu Di also expressed his approval of Song Li's river control action. This work can only be done by the reincarnation of a mule. Thinking about it is a big headache.

"Since the control of the Yellow River is the preliminary plan of the Imperial Guard, then when we arrive in Jining, the Imperial Guard will stop by to supervise."

What Zhu Di meant in and out of his words was to put down what he was doing and go north quickly. Otherwise, the progress of North Zhili would be too late. If the data cannot match that of South Zhili, then even if Zhu Di wants to make Zhu Gaoxu the crown prince, he may not be able to justify it. After all, Zhu Di didn't have the face to act dishonest in this. He was the emperor and he had to have some face.

Therefore, the only one who can provide strong support to Zhu Gaoxu is Jiang Xinghuo.