Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

At dusk, Taiye Pond was dyed golden yellow.

Although the court has been filled with smoke, the appointment and dismissal of officials is now in the hands of Zhu Youtang, and it is impossible for him, the emperor, to be affected.

After Zhu Youtang finished reviewing memorials for the day, he came to Tingchao Pavilion and sat on the edge of the fishing pavilion to enjoy the fish resources of this 800-acre lake.

Although he often fishes here, it does not affect the fish here's competition for food. It has even become the only dining window in the 800 acres of water.

Every time the rod is cast, the bottom of the water is always full of fish, which can bring people a little surprise every time.

The lake looks sparkling under the setting sun. The islands not far away are lush and lush. The weeping willows by the lake are already very lush. The green grass nearby is pregnant with some small lives.

Zhu Youtang likes the current atmosphere very much. He can always get a state of mind like an ancient well without waves here. This is probably the common happiness of many fishermen.

As the buoy sank, the fishing rod was lifted forcefully, and a beautiful red carp was taken out of the lake. Although the red carp is very fat, the straight fishing line is very tough.

"Your Majesty, it's another beautiful red carp!" When Liu Jin saw the caught fish, he was even happier than catching it himself. He immediately stepped forward and grabbed the lively carp neatly.

Zhu Youtang's nerves were tense from the moment he lifted the rod. Now that he saw the fish caught by him and caught by Liu Jin, he relaxed. The sudden surge and slow decline of adrenal hormones gave people a sense of relief. A very wonderful feeling of pleasure.

"Your Majesty, please have some tea!" Han Youying knelt on the opposite side of the low coffee table and brought the tea at the right temperature with her delicate hands.

"Your Majesty, Dongfang Dao!" Dongfang Dao had already been waiting at the back and said respectfully.

Zhu Youtang took the tea handed over by Han Youying and took a sip slowly before saying: "Master Dongfang, how is the progress of the Xuan Academy?"

Although the issue about his heir has not been resolved, since the queen and concubines have been silent recently, people have no choice but to believe in metaphysics this time.

Dongfang Wudao has been renamed Dongfang Dao by Zhu Youtang, and his identity is no longer Dongfang Wudao who was imprisoned in the Metropolitan Procuratorate, but the recently canonized Shenxiao Protector of the Nation missionary master.

The reason why Zhu Youtang changed the name of Dongfang Dao was because Dongfang Dao did have some small skills, and secondly he wanted Dongfang Dao to do things for him.

The success of the West has actually proved that religion and science are not contradictory, and even religion can give birth to science. China's gunpowder originated from the alchemy of Taoism.

Based on this, Zhu Youtang planned to slowly correct Dongfang Dao, and he would establish a metaphysical academy to recruit talents with mathematical, physical and chemical knowledge from all over the world to specialize in research and invention.

"Reporting to your majesty, the matter has been settled, and the framework of the Mysterious Academy has been set up. Longhushan sent someone over, and I took the initiative to lead the person outside the palace gate. Do you want to meet me?" Dongfang Dao knew very well. The emperor in front of him was no ordinary king, he seemed cautious and authentic.

Coats, this is a kind of recognition and affirmation from the royal family. Although the Taoist priests in the world are also recruited by the imperial court, now with this title, they not only stand out among the Taoist priests, but also receive a salary and even a house in the capital.

Originally he was unkempt, but today he was summoned to the palace by the emperor, so he deliberately cleaned himself up to live up to his reputation as a noble scholar.

Zhu Youtang looked Dongfang Dao up and down, nodded with certainty and said: "Yes, your efficiency in doing things is really high, please call people in!"

The last sentence was an instruction to the eunuch Han Niu, and someone immediately went to call the Taoist priest sent from Longhu Mountain.

If you learn mathematics, physics and chemistry well, you will not be afraid of traveling all over the world.

This statement shows the importance of science. Now is the era when Confucianism is in power. If he wants to promote the development of Chinese chemistry, his first thought is to be an alchemist.

The earliest record of chemical reactions in China was the alchemist Ge Hong's "Baopuzi". However, the alchemist who made future generations scornful actually had the most advanced chemical knowledge.

"Your Majesty, this is the most skilled Taoist priest from Shangqing Palace sent by Longhu Mountain!" Dongfang Dao pointed at the young man kneeling on the ground and introduced him seriously.

Zhu Youtang looked at Shao Yuanjie who was kneeling in front of him and found that he was just an ordinary-looking young Taoist priest: "What's your name?"

"Grassman Shao Yuanjie pays homage to His Majesty!" Shao Yuanfang announced his name, looking a little excited.

Ever since Emperor Hongzhi sent Wang Hua to suppress bandits in southern Jiangxi, his reputation not only in southern Jiangxi, but also in the entire Jiangxi region, Zhu Youtang was known as a Mingjun.

Shao Yuanfang's parents died when he was young. He became a Taoist priest at Shangqing Palace in Longhu Mountain since he was a child. He successively became a disciple of Fan Wentai, Li Bofang and Huang Taichu.

Due to his outstanding level of alchemy, the distance from Longhu Mountain to the capital, and the fact that time was very short, he was elected by Longhu Mountain as a representative to come to the capital.

He originally thought that arriving in the capital was just to please the upstart Dongfang Dao, but he didn't expect that he had just arrived in the capital. Dongfang Dao actually brought him into the palace and met the emperor who was highly respected by the people.

The name Tao Zhongwen sounded familiar to Zhu Youtang, but he couldn't remember where he heard it: "Shao Yuanfang, do you know why I want to recruit alchemists from all over the world?"

"Master Dongfang only said that your Majesty did not want elixirs, ordinary people are stupid!" Shao Yuanfang is not a person who likes to be smart, and immediately glanced at Dongfang Dao to answer.

Zhu Youtang glanced at Dongfang Dao unexpectedly, but it was not very important whether he said it or not: "I occasionally had a dream, in which an immortal used an immortal rope as a fishing line to catch Kun in the North Sea. According to the immortal, the immortal rope You can refine it, so I will also give you my recipe! The rough recipe has been handed over to the masters of the East for you to try. The food and accommodation will be in the Xuan Academy. If you can refine it successfully, I will treat you as a master of the country. , and there will be a big reward!”

Dream? Immortal? Immortal rope?

What the hell is this!

When Shao Yuanjie first heard this, his eyes and pupils could not help but dilate. He had no idea that this pragmatic emperor could have such an erratic side. However, when he heard the final reward, his heartbeat suddenly accelerated.

Although he is just a somewhat unusual Taoist priest, he is insignificant among the huge group of Taoist priests. Not to mention that there will be a huge reward later, and his status as a high-ranking scholar in this country makes it impossible for him to refuse.

Zhu Youtang saw Shao Yuanjie's reaction in his eyes, but he looked at Dongfang seriously and said: "Master Dongfang, if this can be done, you will be the number one Taoist!"

If there is anything that Zhu Youtang is most concerned about, besides the fleet heading to the New World of America in search of treasure species, it is how to produce a new material like nylon.

Once nylon is born, this new material will bring about a material revolution.

Not only can you solve the fishing line you need, but you can also promote the fishing line nationwide, and you can even use nylon textile fishing nets for fishing.

Although natural fiber fishing lines have long been available in this era, it is impossible to catch big fish. Many proteins in rivers and lakes have little to do with humans.

The same is true for fishing nets. Affected by the limitations of natural fibers, the ability to catch fish depends largely on the density of fish in the water.

Taking the Northeast as an example, the reason why we can scoop fish is that although there are indeed abundant products there, it is largely due to the backward fishing technology.

Now, if we want to solve the problem of protein, the best way is to exploit the fish resources gifted by nature, and the best nature is the subversive nylon material.

That's why, after repeated failures by the Ministry of Industry, he pinned his hopes on China's best alchemists, hoping that they could make nylon appear.

"I will do my best!" Dongfang Dao said, facing the temptation of Zhu Youtang's naked body.

Zhu Youtang saw that his bait had been released, and Liu Jin had already hung the bait on the fish, so he picked up the fishing rod and started fishing again.

When Liu Jin saw Zhu Youtang's actions, he immediately asked Dongfang Dao and Shao Yuanjie to leave.

In fact, Dongfang Dao is not an expert outside the world, he can only get a glimpse of the secrets of heaven, and now he is also thinking of becoming the first Taoist priest in the world.

As for Shao Yuanjie, who had come all the way, he yearned even more for status and power, and hoped that one day he could stand upright beside the emperor.

A basket full of fish, this is today’s harvest.

Eight hundred acres of water are just for the entertainment of one fisherman, which is probably the highest treatment that future generations of fishermen can dream of.

As the sky grew dark, Zhu Youtang took a dragon chariot back to the Forbidden City opposite from Xiyuan Gate.

Just as he was about to enter Xihua Gate, he suddenly saw a billowing black tide coming from the southeastern sky. It flew overhead in the blink of an eye, covering up the sky and closing the sun.

Later generations have historical records: In July of the fourth year of Hongzhi, locusts flew over the capital for three days, moving from southeast to northwest, and the sun covered them.

Although the locust plague first occurred in Shandong, the locust swarms have the habit of migrating. The adjacent Beizhili became the next disaster area of ​​this locust plague.

Although more and more people in the North Zhili area are planting cotton, there are still many people who are planting grain, but they are inevitably destroyed by locusts and have no harvest.

The people living in this era are so difficult. They not only have to face the harsh government and fierce taxes, but also face various disasters of nature.

Food production has always been the most important factor limiting China's population, and it is also one of the factors that changed the dynasty in the Zhou Dynasty.

As night falls, the candlelight in Qianqing Palace is as bright as day.

The nearly one hundred palace maids and eunuchs living here appear to be very busy, wandering around the owner of this largest courtyard house in the world, taking care of all aspects of his life needs.

When Zhu Youtang turned over the signs, he saw that it was Fan Jinling, but he knew that the Qianqing Palace would be ringing with bells tonight, but now he had no intention of thinking about late night matters.

He liked this kind of life where he could stretch out his hands with clothes and open his mouth with food, but he always kept in mind the responsibilities on his shoulders. After bathing, he came to Dongnuan Pavilion.

At present, there are actually two most important strategies for the Ming Dynasty: one is that Liu Zhang can bring him treasure seeds, and the other is that Dongfang Dao can produce nylon for himself.

The former is to solve the current food problem in China so that more compatriots can survive on this land; the latter is to develop China's fish resources and solve the nutritional imbalance problem of the Chinese people.

Of course, treasure seeds and nylon are important, but the Ming Dynasty also has many things to deal with, such as gold mining in Luzon, the recently increasingly restless savage Jurchens, and the current locust plague and other issues.

The most intuitive impact of the locust plague is the court's grain tax revenue. Since grain tax is the court's largest source of fiscal revenue, it may even cause a fiscal deficit for the court.

In the original history, the sudden drop in grain tax revenue in the Hongzhi Dynasty led to the short-sighted abolition of the Kaizhong Law and the exchange of salt for money, which led to the subsequent financial situation getting worse and worse.

Disasters are certainly an important reason for the decline in the imperial court's grain tax revenue, but in which period did natural disasters not exist? It can only be said that Hongzhi in history was a lucky star for the scholar-bureaucrat class.

On the one hand, the scholar-bureaucrats took advantage of the disaster to "reasonably avoid taxes"; on the other hand, they used the disaster to force the people at the bottom to sell their land like crazy, and even took the opportunity to lend money at usury, thus becoming the biggest beneficiaries of the disaster.

Zhu Youtang knew that in this locust plague, there must be people fishing in troubled waters, but whether those corrupt officials and evil gentry could be exposed would probably depend on the strength of Wang Yue's Metropolitan Procuratorate.

"Your Majesty, the sour plum soup tonight is delicious!" Niu Mengmeng said very seriously as he brought a bowl of sour plum soup over.

Zhu Youtang has the best quality of life, but after all, there is no air conditioning in this era, so he grabs a bowl of cold sour plum soup to escape the heat, and at the same time, he reads information from the two capitals, thirteen provinces, and overseas.

Although he has been staying in the Forbidden City in Beijing, with the help of his intelligence network, he is able to control the latest developments in the country and some overseas regions.

North Korea has recently taken the initiative to act like a monster.

During the campaign against the Jianzhou Jurchens, North Korea refused to send troops, and Zhu Youtang wanted to deal with it at that time. It was only later that the King of Joseon personally came to Beijing to apologize face to face, and then left the crown prince of Joseon in the capital as a hostage, so the matter was settled.

But two years have passed, and North Korea seems unwilling to keep its heir apparent as a hostage.

Now, on the one hand, he lied that the king was seriously ill and wanted to recall the crown prince of Joseon. On the other hand, he was actually preparing to ask the Ming Dynasty to appoint a Joseon official as the pastor of Jeju.

Zhu Youtang silently looked at the information sent by Yebu, but he knew that the enemy that Ming Dynasty had to face in the north was not the savage Jurchen, nor the Mongolia whose Khan had been eliminated, but this vegetable and Fun-loving North Korean neighbor.

To be honest, it's not that he doesn't want to dominate the world, it's just that the most important thing for the Ming Dynasty now is to lay its own foundation, and food security will be a top priority in future generations.

If he doesn't have enough food, and ends up forcing his own people to feed the barbarians who occupy the newly occupied land, he will never be able to do this kind of thing.

The reason why Zhu Youtang put the Mingyuan Treasure Ship's plan to find treasure seeds in a national strategic position was precisely because he knew that increasing the yield of grain per mu was the true foundation of hegemony.

Only when its own food is sufficient can this country liberate more labor force and allow more adult men to go to the front line to fight the enemy.

Zhu Youtang's eyes flashed with anger, but he knew it was time to prepare for a bloodbath in North Korea. (End of chapter)