Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

Unlike the turmoil overseas, China has ushered in another stable year.

Xianjun Hongzhi's nationwide registration of landowners and unfaithful people received miraculous results. A large number of hidden fields were discovered, and a large number of tax evaders were punished.

Although the imperial court has not implemented a tax reduction policy, the injustice that has been weighing on the hearts of the people at the bottom has disappeared, which is the greatest encouragement to them.

In particular, the Ming Dynasty severely cracked down on the problem of silver being expensive, copper being cheap, and rice being cheap. Although some areas still continued to myth silver, rice prices in various places have returned to reasonable levels, which has also benefited the general public.

This year is a good year, and everyone has a long-awaited bumper harvest.

The breeze blows, and the rice ears roll like waves, making a rustling sound, like a lowly chanting piece of music. The smoke rising from the villages in the distance intertwined with the clear blue sky to form a quiet and peaceful picture.

In the past few years, we have been tested by drought, then floods in the Yellow River, and even a small-scale locust plague this summer. But God is fair after all - although there will not always be bumper harvests, there will not be constant disasters every year.

But in this harvest season, the biggest event of the Ming Dynasty was the emperor's southern tour.

"The emperor is on a tour to the south. State affairs are as before. Cabinet votes are to be delivered to the emperor urgently. Six important seals are delivered from the secret box of the General Affairs Department and submitted to the Holy See. The administrative system of the imperial court is efficient and orderly."

After these five years, although there are still hidden forces in the capital, the imperial court is now firmly controlled by the imperial party, so it is naturally impossible for anything major to happen.

After Zhu Youtang left, there was no king in Beijing for the time being, but the memorials from the two capitals and thirteen provinces were forwarded to Zhu Youtang, which actually had no impact.

Normally, the emperor's southern tour would cost a lot of money and food, and the civil servants would jump out to stop it. But this time, the cabinet and the six ministries had no voice, and neither did the officials.

In addition to the growing authority of Emperor Hongzhi, it was also related to the fact that the Jiangnan official and gentry group had been obstructing the ban on silver. Many officials in the field wanted the emperor to go south.

Nowadays, there are many difficulties in implementing the silver ban, and Hongzhi silver coins are not circulating smoothly in Jiangnan. Combined with the imperial decree of abducting women overseas, they all know that the emperor's actions this time are not wrong.

Jiangnan is really too far away from the capital. It is time to let them know about the existence of the Emperor of Heaven, and national decrees cannot be implemented in Jiangnan.

Of course, they actually knew that this matter was approved by almost unanimous votes at the Supreme Council. It was futile for them, small characters, to come out to oppose without sufficient reasons.

As early as a month ago, the emperor's cavalry had left Beijing.

When the people in Beizhili learned that the emperor was traveling, the people nearby were already alerted to the news, but they all wanted to pay homage to the virtuous emperor Hongzhi from a distance.

In the eyes of the government gentry group, Hongzhi was a complete tyrant, a foolish king who did not want peace in the world.

But for the people at the bottom, even though Hongzhi only reigned for five years, he gave them a favor that could never be repaid in a lifetime. He was their savior who provided them with food and clothing.

Zhu Youtang rode in a golden chariot, followed by Concubine Jing and several other accompanying concubines. At the front was Chang Chang, who led Jin Wuwei to clear the way.

This trip south was related to the emperor's safety, so the Beijing army also accompanied him. In fact, the bulk of the cost is food and accommodation, which is no less than a small-scale war.

However, the Ming Dynasty's finances are now very healthy, especially as more and more taxes are collected from various places, and the acquisition of silver is actually positive for the government's finances, whose tax revenue is mainly food.

The common people only dared to watch from a distance, not daring to do anything deviant. However, there were constant calls for long live the mountains.

Zhao Laosi lived in the northern suburbs. After learning about the emperor's southern tour, he rushed over and saw the young emperor on the imperial chariot from a distance. His eyes immediately filled with tears and he knelt down to worship the emperor from a distance.

If the emperor hadn't encouraged him to grow cotton, and if the emperor hadn't taxed them lightly, how could he have had such a good life with his descendants working in the fields under the trees?

Setting sail from Tongzhou Pier, this imperial ship produced by Tianjin Shipyard sailed slowly on the river.

Zhu Youtang came to this world and took a boat for the first time. Now he stood on the large deck and admired the scenery on both sides of the river, as well as the clear river in front of him: "This is a river, right?"

"Your Majesty is wise, the people of the Yuan Dynasty took advantage of the sea channel, but the Ministry of Industry and Commerce ordered the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to divert the Wen River from the north to the Yuhe River in Linqing, helping to extend the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal for another 400 miles!" Xie Qian accompanied him, which seemed to be He spoke cautiously.

Because of his outstanding performance as the editor-in-chief of "Ming" magazine, he not only won the respect and praise of scholars all over the world, but also gradually won the attention of the emperor.

This time he accompanied him south. Although he was not yet a cabinet minister, some memorials would be drafted by him, so he was already considered a quasi-cabinet minister.

If he performs well on this trip and the emperor has another whim, then it will no longer be a dream for him to join the cabinet, and he will be regarded as a glorious ancestor.

Because of this, he was fully prepared for his trip south this time, striving to become an encyclopedia beside the emperor.

Zhu Youtang nodded noncommittally: "What is the estimated total amount of grain this year?"

Because the emperor was on tour, there was not even a single watercraft on the river this time.

In fact, the mission of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal has never been to promote economic prosperity in the north and south. For the entire dynasty, its most important role was to solve the problem of grain shortage in the north.

Compared with land transportation, the convenience of waterway is greatly improved.

It’s just that the biggest cost in this era is always transportation cost. Even if Ming Dynasty has the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the loss of grain transportation is more than 80%.

However, this situation of south-to-north grain diversion has now changed.

After recovering Jianzhou, Ming Dynasty promoted the development of Northeast China, and now the Northeast granary has gradually taken shape. Coupled with the introduction of Korean rice, the food problem in the north has been greatly alleviated.

Originally, at least four million shi of grain were needed to go north every year, but now the grain supply has been reduced by half, and the Hongzhi Dynasty's goal is to reduce the grain supply to less than 1 million shi within three years.

As for the large number of labor forces released, the Ministry of Household Affairs has begun preparations to establish Daming Logistics Company, which will be mainly responsible for the transportation of goods between the north and the south.

"I...I don't know, so I'll ask the Ministry of Household Affairs!" Xie Qian thought to himself that the emperor was still pragmatic, but he hesitated with a red face.

Zhu Youtang glanced at him, but said calmly: "Master Xie, you and I don't need to be so nervous! This is not an important matter. The Ministry of Revenue has been working hard to reasonably reduce the demand for Caoliang. As long as they can increase the amount of Caoliang within three years, If it falls below one million dan, there is no need to put too much pressure on the Ministry of Household Affairs!"

As an excellent emperor, he should not only exert pressure on those below him, but also be appropriately considerate of his ministers.

Although He Cong, the Minister of Household Affairs, does not have the senior financial management skills of Li Si, he is still a diligent little old man who has been working hard to do practical things.

In fact, there is no need to put pressure. On his own southern tour alone, he no longer dares to cheat, but will honestly and slowly reduce the total amount of grain.

Naturally, no one dared to stop the emperor from traveling.

As for whether there will be assassins, the tens of thousands of escorts are not vegetarians. Let alone the close ones, they have been investigated one mile away from the emperor.

After leaving Beizhili, we entered the border of Shandong.

The Holy Duke Kong Hongtai had already arrived in Linqing Prefecture first, but he had a bit of frustration on his face.

Ten miles away, people's homes are divided into two sides, and their buildings are as high as the sky.

Official ships and ships passed by one after another, and drums and gongs were heard everywhere.

The rushing water rushes back here after breaking the bank, and the sound of the waves sounds like spring thunder day and night.

Thousands of families are gathering fireworks in the city, and tens of thousands of sails are coming from the sail walls on the river.

Linqing is not only located at the center of the canal, but more than half of Shandong's educated people are from Linqing, which has led to the prosperity of culture and business here, and it can be regarded as the first city in Shandong.

Seeing the prosperity of this city, Zhu Youtang personally promoted Linqing County to Linqing Prefecture in the second year of Hongzhi, consulate Tao County and Qiu County, and belonged to Dongchang Prefecture.

Zhu Youtang only stayed in Linqing City for one day, but the Holy Duke Kong Hongtai cried and asked for an audience that night.

"Your Majesty, why don't we meet him!" Xie Qian accompanied him, but he said what he thought.

Zhu Youtang knew that people could still see each other, but he couldn't help but sigh: "In front of me, everyone is a loyal and patriotic minister, but what have they done in private?"

Although Taizu of the Ming Dynasty was not interested in Confucius, he still stipulated that he should be given 2,000 acres of sacrificial land and 500 tenant households, so that the children of the Confucius family could worship in the temple without having to worry about taxes and servitude.

It's just that the Kong family relied on its own foundation to annex surrounding land. Now it is roughly estimated that it owns one million acres of fertile land and has become the largest landowner in Shandong.

Now the unyielding Kong family has become a real cancer. On the ground, they are large landowners who annexed their land and hid their land to avoid taxes when the court chose to do so.

Now that Yin Tian's tax evasion has been found out, he will naturally be listed in the Diao Min Register and become the highest-ranking member of the Diao Min Register in the Ming Dynasty.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I ask you to dismiss Wang Xiao, the governor of Shandong, and also ask you to make the decision for our Duke Sheng's Mansion!" When Kong Hongtai, the Duke of Sheng, came to the imperial court, he cried and cried.

Xie Qian stood nearby and looked at the middle-aged man with a gray beard, and couldn't help but shook his head secretly.

Zhu Youtang saw that the other party was a drama queen, but he said indifferently: "Could it be that Wang Xiao has wronged you? There is no hidden field in your Shenggong Mansion?"

"No...no, it's just that he added Duke He's Mansion to the list of unruly people. This...this is obviously to embarrass us Shenggong's Mansion and make everyone in the world laugh at it!" Kong Hongtai, the Shenggong, thought of the impact of the list of unruly people on reputation. The damage was immediately felt with hatred.

After getting to know him, he realized the horror of the Diaomin Register.

Although there is no penalty, the fact that their children are not allowed to participate in the imperial examination has greatly weakened the influence of their Shenggong Mansion, and their reputation has been greatly damaged.

Exactly like this, this time he not only asked the emperor to cross out his name from the Shenggong Mansion's list of unruly people, but also wanted to take revenge on Wang Xiao, the governor of Shandong who wanted to embarrass them.

Zhu Youtang felt the anger of Duke Sheng Kong Hongtai, but he said indifferently: "Princes who break the law are guilty of the same crimes as the common people! Now that you are hiding the fields and fields in Duke Sheng's Mansion, you will naturally be registered as a traitor in accordance with the regulations. But since you are a saint, why do you want to hide your land and evade taxes?"

"Ah? Your Majesty, I... I am... confused!" Kong Hongtai, the Holy Duke of Sheng, did not expect Zhu Youtang's attitude and suddenly became incoherent.

Zhu Youtang was very disappointed with this kind of person, so he waved his hand and said: "Get back!"

Xie Qian witnessed all this and was writing furiously at the same time.

He was like a later reporter who found a perfect subject. The conversation between the monarch and his ministers in front of him was quite newsworthy. After polishing it, he could publish the conversation through Ming and make it public.

The Shenggong Kong Hongtai Yin Tian evaded taxes and was listed on the list of unruly people. This was simply one of the top ten breaking news in the five years of Hongzhi.

"I retire, long live my emperor!" Duke Kong Hongtai realized that the Confucian education that the emperor in front of him had learned since childhood was in vain, and he resigned in despair.

The fact that they were registered as unruly people in Shenggong's Mansion not only heralded the beginning of their downfall in Shenggong's Mansion, but would also become the object of contempt for all people in the world.

The most important thing is that the current emperor is obviously not interested in these saints, and there is also an obviously hostile Shandong governor Wang Xiao. As their own problems continue to emerge, they will definitely have more and more troubles in the Shenggong Mansion in the future.

After leaving Beijing for more than half a month, I finally arrived in Huai'an.

Huai'an Prefecture was directly under Nanjing in the early Ming Dynasty. Later, Emperor Taizu Zhu Di moved the capital to Beijing. Huai'an Prefecture was changed to Nanjing, and the Water Transport Governor's Mansion is located here.

Bai Ang, the current governor of water transportation, is also the governor of rivers. He was a Jinshi in the first year of Tianshun. He was first taught etiquette to Shizhong. In the second year of Hongzhi, he began to regulate the Yellow River and made great achievements.

"My respectful greetings, sir!" Bai Ang said with tears streaming down his face when he saw Zhu Youtang again.

Zhu Youtang looked at the old minister in front of him, and said with mixed feelings in his heart: "Hello! Bai Qing, you have worked hard these years, and it is all your fault that Huang He is fine this year!"

"Your Majesty, I am ashamed!" Bai Ang lowered his head slightly, as if he did not dare to accept the merit.

Zhu Youtang and Bai Ang already knew some things well, and they said straight to the point: "Bai Qing, I have been waiting for you to explain the obstruction of the grain shipment last year!"

A year ago, the Xungui Group headed by Prince Consort Wang Zeng and others wanted to hoard rice for profit. As a result, the grain was unable to go north. There was naturally something fishy about this matter.

At that time, it was a critical moment to regulate the Yellow River, and sacrificing water transportation to dredge the Yellow River was a very rational option.

Just how to choose is one thing, but there is no way to avoid the fact that water transportation is deliberately blocked, so someone still needs to take responsibility for this matter.

"This is the list of all the people involved. I also ask your Majesty to punish those who are not aware of the crime!" Bai Ang knew that he could not help himself in this position, but he handed over the names he had prepared.

Zhu Youtang already knew the people involved in the case. He glanced at the list and it turned out that the Governor-General and the General Soldier were on the list. He handed it to Tan Wushuang who was accompanying him and said, "Arrest them!"

In the end, Hongzhi showed his fangs and showed his tyrant side.

In Linqing, the Holy Duke Kong Hongtai was nailed to the book of unruly people, while in Huai'an a group of corrupt officials were to be purged, and in Jiangnan there would be another bloody storm.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please spare my life!"

"We...we don't dare anymore!"

"We are willing to hand over all the embezzled money, please spare us a life!"

…

The criminal gang headed by Dai Xuan, the general of water transportation, was arrested by the people of Dongchang. At this time, they finally realized that they had made a big mistake, but they all expressed repentance.

But it was already too late. The emperor's southern tour this time was not to tour the mountains and rivers, but to cut a bloody path. As for their group, it was just time for the sword and axemen led by Zhu Youtang to practice.

It was already October, and Zhu Youtang's southern tour was destined to stir up trouble, and the first place to make waves turned out to be the capital. (End of chapter)