Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

In the capital city in July, the scorching sun in the sky was blocked by clouds, and the scorching heat seemed to have subsided a lot.

There is smoke billowing at the border, and the cavalry is like thunder. The army of the Ming Dynasty left Badaling in the north with thunderous momentum. No tribe could stop it. After several days of fierce fighting, the vast grassland of 200 miles was included in the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

As news of the good news came from the north, the Ming Dynasty's army, after severely inflicting heavy losses on its troops, unexpectedly sent its troops northward to occupy two hundred miles of grassland, causing the entire capital to boil in an instant.

The special issue of the "Shuntian Daily" newly founded this year has a large headline that is eye-catching: "The new governor of Jizhen, Chen Ji, led the Northern Expedition army northward from Juyongguan, severely inflicted heavy losses on the rebels, and captured 200 miles of grassland without attacking their troops!"

"I am invincible to the Iron Master!"

"Two hundred miles, two hundred miles, haha..."

"Those who dare to bully our border residents should have their country destroyed!"

…

The streets of Beijing are arranged in a neat and orderly manner, and relevant news spreads crazily. People rush to tell each other, and cheers and gongs and drums resound through the sky.

In March, they learned that Yebulayin sacked Ji Town and massacred hundreds of people in the Ming Dynasty. Naturally, their eyes were splitting when they heard the news.

They hope that the imperial court can take revenge for our border people without touching the cause. For this reason, they have been waiting suppressedly, and now they are finally proud.

The Ming Dynasty, which they were proud of, not only planned ambushes and did not assassinate the troops, but also sent a large army to the north to occupy the prairie, directly incorporating the two hundred miles of grassland into its territory.

Although I don’t know how grand Taizong’s Northern Expedition was back then, the Holy Emperor has captured the 200-mile prairie, and the current Emperor Hongzhi is no less heroic than Taizong.

Without wasting the people and money, the current Holy Emperor not only kept them fed and warmed, but also opened up new territories for their dynasty. What is this if not a Holy King?

"What a magnificent Ming Dynasty!"

"If you offend me, you will be punished no matter how far away you are!"

"If you are like this, why worry about the world being unhappy?"

…

All the officials seemed even more excited. They gathered in restaurants and brothels that night and celebrated today's heart-wrenching victory.

The time was also coincidental, as the next day happened to be the eighth morning.

"Congratulations to Your Majesty for punishing Yinbu!"

"Congratulations to Your Majesty for putting an end to the unrest in the north!"

"Congratulations to Your Majesty for opening up the territory for the Ming Dynasty!"

…

At the court meeting, all civil and military officials came forward to congratulate him, praised Emperor Hongzhi's military strategy, and praised this talented and strategic emperor.

Although the greatest contribution to such a glorious military exploit this time was actually the secret deployment of the Military Aircraft Department these days, all civil and military officials, including the three members of the Military Aircraft Department, were willing to regard Zhu Youtang as the divine king.

You are their heaven.

Zhu Youtang's current majesty and reputation are no longer limited to his position as emperor, but the love he received for bringing happiness to 80 million people, and also brought glorious support to the entire Ming Dynasty.

Nowadays, Emperor Hongzhi can be said to hold the power of life and death for the civil and military people, and everyone can only obey Zhu Youtang's orders.

Zhu Youtang coughed lightly and gave Guo Yong a wink, and Guo Yong took out the reward edict that he had already prepared.

Faced with this great victory, Zhu Youtang was naturally very satisfied, so he issued an order to reward the three armies. He promoted Pingliao Bo Tiexiangshan to a marquis, and led the army to march 200 miles north to the prairie. Chen Jijia, the governor of Ji Town, He was awarded the title of Shaobao, the second-grade crown prince, etc.

Rewards are always the best way to motivate employees to work hard.

Although Biluyin led the remaining troops to flee north, Eastern Mongolia regained half of its territory from Manduhai under his own control. The Ming Dynasty gained 200 miles, and the four Haixi tribes and the three Duoyan tribes also expanded their territory. territory.

But recently, the thing that worries Zhu Youtang the most is not the war against the Yibulin tribe, but the harvest season of the precious seeds that have been planted for five or six months.

Although the technology tree is very important, if it is a problem for one person to have enough food, why do you think that using millions of people to build high-speed rail will not cause riots?

On the other hand, if everyone can have a full stomach, then more people can be liberated, and even one person's spitting can flood a country.

Just when the people in the city were still intoxicated in the joy of seizing two hundred miles north, the emperor unexpectedly left the palace again.

"What's happening here?"

"It is said that the precious seed is ripe!"

"If you didn't talk about it, I would have almost forgotten about it!"

…

Because Emperor Hongzhi has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, even his slightest disturbance can arouse widespread concern among the people in the capital, and he is even more proud of being able to see the dragon's face from afar.

The Meridian Gate Tower is majestic and majestic, and its golden door nails sparkle in the sun, as if it is a symbol of imperial power.

Civil and military officials came in court uniforms. They had been waiting in the Meridian Square early, and in front of them parked a golden chariot that the emperor rode on.

From the palace road at the Meridian Gate to the central axis outside the city, the streets on both sides were already bustling with people.

The people in the capital learned that the emperor was going to the Mountains and Rivers Altar to worship the sky today, so they flocked to both sides of the central axis extending from the Meridian Gate to the Zhengyang Gate, hoping to catch a glimpse of the sky.

With three long drum sounds, the Meridian Gate slowly opened.

A group of Jinwu guards wearing armor walked out first. They were holding gold melon and silver axes, and they were extremely majestic. Immediately afterwards, there were the chamberlains holding various ceremonial guards, including dragon flags, phoenix chariots, canopies and precious fans, all of which were dazzling.

Finally, under the gaze of everyone, the emperor came out of the palace in a dragon chariot.

Zhu Youtang was seen wearing a robe and a crown, sitting on the dragon chariot, with a solemn expression and deep eyes, as if he could see everything in the world.

After taking charge of the Ming Dynasty for many years, Zhu Youtang has reached a big level in terms of his wisdom in governing and his imperial temperament.

Zhu Youtang was not dazzled by a victory, but he knew that food was the strongest weapon, and it was also the confidence of the Ming Dynasty to dominate the world.

Today has ushered in the harvest season, but sweet potatoes and potatoes are buried in the ground, so there are undoubtedly great variables.

The new Tubo Liu Zhang seemed particularly silent today, and seemed to have returned to the American governor who was unhappy because of his visit just now, with infinite worries on his brow.

But this time it was not because he was hiding secrets in his heart, nor because he was facing a difficult decision, but because he was already worried about the harvest.

He went through all kinds of hardships to bring potatoes, sweet potatoes and corn back. No matter what changes he experienced during the period, he naturally hopes to bear fruit now.

It's just that he heard about it after all, and he is even more worried about a situation similar to "Huainan is orange and Huaibei is tangerine".

"Get started!"

As a sharp eunuch's voice sounded, the palace musicians followed suit.

Around the golden chariot that was slowly moving forward, the accompanying civil and military officials followed behind. Everyone maintained a solemn posture, and some began to worry about the harvest of the precious seeds.

"The common people bow to your majesty!"

"The common people bow to the wise king of the prosperous age!"

"Long live my emperor, long live, long live!"

…

Along the way, people knelt down and kowtowed, shouting long live the mountain.

As a star-chaser, Zhao Laosi learned about the emperor's trip this time. He once again dropped his hoe at home and ran here to see the dragon's face in the distance.

There were many people who had the same thoughts as him, and more and more people supported the emperor crazily.

The streets were decorated with lights, and drums and music were playing, as if the entire capital was immersed in this grand celebration.

The trees in the Shanchuan Altar are already lush and green.

Various sacrifices have been placed on the stone table in advance, with cigarettes lingering and bells ringing melodiously.

Zhu Youtang got off the golden chariot and walked, led the civil and military officials to carry out the altar, and began to pray devoutly in front of the altar.

Although he knew that potatoes and sweet potatoes were both high-yielding crops, in another parallel time and space, it was through the introduction of potatoes and sweet potatoes that a population explosion occurred, with the final total population reaching 40 million.

It's just that everything is unknown now. Even Zhu Youtang didn't dare to conclude that there would be a considerable amount of sweet potatoes or potatoes buried under the soil, and he was even mentally prepared for failure.

After completing the altar ceremony, Zhu Youtang led the civil and military officials to one-third of an acre of land.

In this fertile land, other crops have been harvested, leaving only the potatoes and sweet potatoes buried in the ground. The vines of potatoes and sweet potatoes are intertwined, but the potatoes have to wait another half a month to mature.

Harvest-related ceremonial activities that the emperor participated in or presided over were often called "Ji Tian Li" or "Plowing Ceremony."

This is an important Chinese etiquette that aims to reflect the emperor's emphasis on agricultural production and encourage people to be diligent in farming through demonstrations of farming.

It's just that this time there is something different. Now Zhu Youtang simply desires a bumper harvest, and thus successfully introduces this high-yielding crop to China.

"Your Majesty, please!" Liu Zhiyu, the left minister of the Ministry of Industry, stepped forward and handed a wooden hoe to Zhu Youtang.

Zhu Youtang stepped forward. When he stepped into this three-thirds of an acre of land, he could already feel the softness of the soil. Not to mention that he didn't need an iron shovel, he could easily pull it out with his hands.

To be on the safe side, he observed the conditions of the dozen or so sweet potato plants, but he did not pick the ones that were growing lushly, but looked at which ones had the most bulging soil.

"Is this... okay?"

"All the leaves on that seedling have fallen off!"

"How about... we advise your Majesty to change to another one?"

…

When they saw Zhu Youtang holding a wooden shovel and standing in front of a sweet potato seedling that had lost all its leaves, Jia Jun, Minister of Industry and others, who had been watching the emperor's every move, could not sit still. Some even wanted to persuade him to admonish.

Zhu Youtang did not wait for them to take action, but he had already dug vigorously, loosening the soil around the root of the sweet potato, and then lifted up the root of the sweet potato with force.

I saw that the roots of the sweet potatoes that were picked up brought up a piece of soil, and there were seven or eight large or small sweet potatoes at the roots. I couldn't help but show a look of surprise on my face: "This sweet potato is not bad, better than I expected." It’s higher!”

"Oh my God, am I dazzled?"

"Shouldn't it be like a yam? This... this is a yam!"

"A small seedling can actually produce more than ten kilograms of fruit. It's really a treasure!"

…

Even the most stable Wang Yue was so shocked when he saw Zhu Youtang pulling out the sweet potatoes that he couldn't even believe his eyes.

I thought that the ground would produce at most one more fruit than yams, but who would have thought that there would be several fruits in one tree, and the red color looked very attractive.

Zhu Youtang noticed that the officials beside the field could no longer restrain themselves, and waved his hand: "It's your turn!"

As soon as these words came out, Yin Zhi was the first to bear the brunt. Although he was old and came from an out-and-out literary background, he immediately started pulling sweet potatoes.

But he obviously overestimated himself. When the root broke, he immediately fell backwards and fell to the ground.

"Haha...Then I won't be polite!" Zhao Chengqing, Duke of Jingguo, picked up the leak and immediately took Yin Tai's place and pulled up the sweet potato plant without ceremony.

Since the establishment of the Military Machinery Pavilion, the Cabinet and the Military Machinery Pavilion have vaguely been competing forces, and personnel from the two parties have begun to fight overtly and covertly.

In the perception of civil and military officials, the cabinet is naturally still the leader, but the Military Machinery Pavilion recently won a beautiful victory and is now in the limelight.

"This is sweet potato!"

"Looking at it, I really want to take a bite!"

"I went through all kinds of hardships to bring it back, how can I let you waste everything!"

…

The officials also gathered around. They either touched it with their hands or looked at it with their eyes, and they all started talking about the sweet potatoes that had just been pulled out of the soil.

Although this is a food that many people will dislike in later generations, nowadays it is rare and expensive. Since the price is the same as gold, I am afraid some people are willing to pay to try it.

"Your Majesty is so kind. Every official of the second rank and above will get half a roasted sweet potato, and the other four officials will share a roasted sweet potato!" Facing this group of officials who were already crying, Zhu Youtang also said graciously.

The seeds of sweet potatoes are different from those of rice. Its seeds are obtained by retaining part or all of the tubers of sweet potatoes, so most of them can be eaten without affecting the next sowing.

What's more, Liu Zhang brought back a lot of seeds, and now the sweet potatoes planted in Huangzhuang have had a bumper harvest. The supply of sweet potatoes is actually sufficient.

Under the training of Zhu Youtang, the imperial chefs have paid more attention to efficiency and have more kinds of cooking techniques. Since the rise of grilled fish, barbecue has become a very popular cooking method.

In this park-like altar of mountains and rivers, a unique roasted sweet potato feast is taking place.

Amid the exquisite skills of the royal chefs, the aroma of roasted sweet potatoes slowly spread, and the whole world seemed to be enveloped in this sweet smell.

“It smells so good!”

"I'm so hungry!"

"Wait a minute, we can eat it soon!"

…

The aroma of roasted sweet potatoes fills the air, making people salivate. I am both looking forward to and nervous about the sweet potatoes that I am about to eat, and my eyes are fixed on the roasted sweet potatoes.

The roasted sweet potatoes were presented one by one. Since they needed to be divided into halves or quarters, they needed to be cut by the eunuch with a knife, and the aroma suddenly overflowed.

The golden potato flesh shone with an attractive luster under the firelight. The civil and military officials began to swallow crazily as they looked at the delicacies in front of them.

Colorful and fragrant, sweet potatoes have already occupied two places.

Finally, at Zhu Youtang's signal, the officials picked up the sweet potatoes one after another, gently peeled off the outer skin, revealing the soft and waxy inside, and then tasted it with various moods.

"This sweet potato is really sweet and delicious, with endless aftertaste!" An old civil servant couldn't help but sigh after tasting it carefully.

One Wu Xun had already finished eating and was licking his lips as if he was still unsatisfied: "That's right, I didn't expect that this ordinary sweet potato could be roasted to be so delicious. It's really surprising!"

The officials were chatting while eating, with smiles of satisfaction and joy on their faces.

Zhu Youtang saw the sweet potato that had been peeled and burned, picked up one end of the sweet potato, blew the hot air carefully, and then took a bite.

After tasting the long-lost flavor of roasted sweet potatoes, I didn't know whether it was because I hadn't eaten them for a long time, or whether the sweet potatoes of this era were more fragrant and sweet, but I ate them regardless of burning my mouth.

The officials below were even more crazy. Some officials didn't even let go of the skin. Some even appeared to bully the small ones. After eating their own half piece, they even tried to compete for the sweet potatoes in the hands of other officials.

Propaganda is very important in any era, and appealing to the appetite of civil and military officials is more conducive to the rapid spread of sweet potatoes.

Now seeing the reaction of civil and military officials, he knew that in just a few years, sweet potatoes, potatoes and corn would be planted all over the country, and the population of the Ming Dynasty would reach 40 million. (End of chapter)