prosperous age

Chapter 771 Chapter 870 Grassland and Capital

The grassland in summer is a lush green scene, like a huge green carpet spread across the earth and into the distant sky.

The sky is blue, white clouds are floating, and the sun is high, shining on the entire grassland.

On the grassland, the grass is dense and there are many different types of grass, including tall, short, straight, and curved. Each type of grass has its own unique shape and color.Some grasses have bloomed, and the flowers are colorful and beautiful.

With the sound of horse hoofbeats, several war horses galloped in the distance. There was no murderous atmosphere, because the sound of horse hoofbeats was accompanied by bursts of women's laughter. The silver bell-like laughter seemed to infect the surroundings, creating a peaceful atmosphere. atmosphere.

The horses were all occupied by women with graceful figures. However, at this time, a girl in front of her, about eighteen years old, had stepped on her feet, raised her legs slightly, and her body had left the horse's back. In her hands, her hands were on the horse's back. He stretched his bow and nocked an arrow, aiming toward the distance.

There, a gray-white rabbit was still grazing comfortably. Suddenly its ears stood up, turned back and forth, and its head began to look left and right, as if it felt threatened.

Suddenly, the little rabbit jumped forward with its hind legs, then fell to the ground and ran quickly.

But compared to speed, Little Rabbit was no match for the war horse. The distance kept getting closer, and Little Rabbit also changed directions from time to time while running.

"Boom, whoosh"

With the sound of the bow string clanging, the sharp arrow shot quickly towards a position about three feet in front of the little rabbit. It seemed that it missed the target, but when the bow and arrow landed, the little rabbit's body was just there, as if it had hit it deliberately.

The little rabbit was hit by a sharp arrow and lost all strength in an instant. He just slid forward a short distance with inertia, twitched a few times as his legs kicked and then lost his voice.

"Okay, hit."

"There is rabbit meat to eat, haha."

"Bieji's archery skills are so good that he can almost catch up with the eagle shooter."

The clear voices of several girls kept ringing. The leading girl just directed a girl next to her to ride over and pick up the prey, and then the horse team ran towards the distant Anda Khan camp.

At this time, on the slope not far from the camp, an old man with white beard and hair was watching all this with a pair of sharp eyes, and he could not forget the figure shooting the arrow for a long time.

"who is she?"

As the old man asked, the attendant hurriedly bowed and said: "Excuse me, Great Khan, that is the daughter of Zheheng Aha, the leader of the Qilagut tribe in Oirat, her name is Nayanchu Zhonggen Hatun."

"She is Zheheng Aha's daughter. She is really good."

The person who spoke was none other than the Lord of the Grasslands, Bo'er Jijin Anda, who was hated and feared by the Ming Dynasty. However, all he could think about at this moment was the graceful figure stretching on the horse.

Although Anda Khan is old, his heart is still full of vitality and passion, and in his eyes, that face is the most beautiful flower on the grassland.

At the age of eighteen, her beauty, charm and innocence are like a blooming flower on the prairie. No matter where she goes, she will attract countless coveted eyes.

The Yan Chu in the distance seemed to feel something. Not only did she turn her head to look at the hillside in the distance, there were only a few figures on the hillside, but she ignored them and led them directly back to the camp.

Seeing the girl's figure disappearing into the camp, Anda Khan said with a smile on his lips: "Inform the leaders of each department to come to my camp tonight for drinking." '

At this time, Nayanchu and his party, who had just entered the camp, met Bahan Naji, the grandson of Anda Khan. Nayanchu was not surprised by his sudden appearance.

Since receiving the call from Anda Khan, the Oirat Mongolian Chiragut tribe, led by their leader Zheheng Aha, joined the Great Khan and went south to seek enlightenment. After an unexpected encounter, Hannaji often appeared near Nayanchu.

Of course Yan Chu knew why Han Naji behaved like this.

But no matter where you go, it is actually the same. Children of nobles or powerful people have no freedom in marriage, and everything must be decided by their parents.

It's just that Yan Chu didn't know where her final destination would be, and she didn't object to Han Naji's identity being given to her.

Because when she was nine years old, her father Zheheng Aha made a marriage contract with Bahannaji's father Heitaiji for them. In other words, whether she wanted to or not, she would become Bahannaji's wife.

"Wow, that Yanchu, you have gained a lot today."

At this time, Han Naji was stuck next to Na Yanchui, constantly praising them for what they had gained when they went out. When they learned that they were all her prey, they kept praising them even more.

In the past, when the two of them were together, Han Naji always praised her beauty, and then praised her beautiful singing voice. But today, he praised her archery skills, which made Na Yanchu not only feel proud in her heart.

Yan Chu's galloping figure on horseback, her superb archery skills, and her melodious singing voice made her the pearl of the tribe and even the entire vast grassland.

Knowing the relationship between the two, Han Naji naturally and proudly, the brightest pearl on the grassland belongs to him.

"Then together, we will roast all the prey and eat it when we get back soon."

That Yan spoke out.

"it is good."

Han Naji would naturally not object to staying with Na Yanchu, so the two teams continued to move forward.

But they don't know that such days will soon end, and a family storm is about to happen.

When An Dahan looked at the young and beautiful face, faced with her beauty and vitality, An Dahan fell into an unprecedented fascination.

A strong desire arose in his heart, and he was determined to make this charming woman his princess.

Of course Emperor Longqing and other high-ranking officials of the Ming Dynasty, who were in the capital, didn't know what was happening on the grassland.

Moreover, even though Jinyiwei had deployed many spies on the grassland, they had no idea about these things before they happened.

The atmosphere in today's cabinet was very depressing. All the cabinet ministers gathered together with Li Chunfang to inspect the room, together with Liu Tiqian, the Minister of Household Affairs, and Zhu Heng, the Minister of Industry. It was obviously another impromptu meeting held for the sake of money.

"The food needed by the river workers can be allocated from the treasury of various prefectures and counties, but the materials and wages are still there, so the Ministry of Industry really can't come up with them.

If it continues to be delayed, the construction period will be delayed. Once the rainy season enters, the consequences will be disastrous. "

Zhu Heng expressed his opinion loudly, and then sat down angrily.

"I know the importance of joint labor, but again, the Ministry of Household Affairs has no money, so it can only apportion it to nearby prefectures and counties and collect it nearby."

Liu Tiqian also refused to give in. At the beginning of the year, the Ministry of Industry built dams in Qingshuitang and other places, and the Ministry of Revenue had already allocated money. Now Pan Jixun has said that several dams will be built, and the Ministry of household dare not agree to spend. Otherwise, this year’s military salaries and wages in border towns will be reduced. The salary of Beijing officials will be affected.

"Liu Shangshu, you also know that river construction is related to water transportation, so we can't delay it."

Wei Guangde spoke up at this time and supported Zhu Heng, hoping to get some money from the household department.

"Mr. Wei Ge, the Ministry of Revenue is really out of money. As a result of the allocation at the beginning of the year, the Ministry of Revenue temporarily stopped the payment for the mausoleum. Now it is slowly building it with a little wage money."

"There is no urgency about the mausoleum. His Majesty is in his prime. All we need to do is maintain the project."

When Liu Tigan opened his mouth to complain, Gao Gong interrupted.

The emperor must start building the imperial mausoleum as soon as he ascends the throne. I don't know when this rule was formed.

However, the scale of the imperial mausoleum is huge, and it usually takes more than ten years to build it. However, considering the current situation of Emperor Longqing, who is only in his 30s and has at least more than ten years to live, the construction of the imperial mausoleum is naturally not urgent.

"Those are actually small amounts. They are mainly military pay from Jiubian. The amount is 10 taels per payment. There are also tens of thousands and tens of thousands in places such as Baoding and Changping."

Zhang Juzheng said at this time.

"Even if the mausoleum is stopped, there won't be much money left."

Yin Shizhen also answered, "Why don't we ask the Ministry of War to come and see if we can postpone it for some time?" "Military pay is a very important matter. The money has been set, so it's best not to move it."

Wei Guangde said hastily.

"There should be some money left for disaster relief in Henan. Why don't we put it down first? There is also money in Shandong, which probably hasn't been used up yet. Can we transfer to Henan?"

Yin Shizhen suggested at this time, "Controlling floods and relieving victims are actually disaster relief, and they are not considered misappropriation."

"I think it will work. Let Henan and Shandong transfer all the money for disaster relief to the Canal Road Yamen, and transfer grain from the Linqing grain depot to offset this part of the money.

When people suffer from disasters, what they need is food. For those reconstruction projects, local governments can use food to offset materials and labor costs. "

Wei Guangde said suddenly.

"It's not possible to use grain from the canal."

Liu Tigan said immediately.

“Temporarily, we will use canal grain to cover the gap, and this part of the shortfall will eventually be transported from the south of the Yangtze River.

The food is still there, but for the time being, the money is used. The most important thing is to continue the river construction.

The Ministry of Industry's dam needs to purchase a large amount of materials, which can't be done without money, and those businessmen don't want food. "

Wei Guangde said hastily.

The Ming Dynasty court has always been troubled by the lack of money, mainly because Jiubian has become a big consumer of silver and the military camps are abandoned. Every year, military pay and grain must be allocated by the capital, which has become a heavy burden for the court.

As for food, there is a lot of food in the treasury of various places, especially in the Jiangnan area. In the northern area, there is not much surplus due to the expenses of the clan Lumi.

"The Ministry of Household Affairs will go back to investigate and transfer grain from the south to the north. First, distribute the money to the other side of the river. Liu Shangshu, what do you think?"

At this time, Li Chunfang, the chief assistant, spoke. He also felt that under the current situation, there was really no money to support him.

Hearing that Li Chunfang also meant the same thing, Liu Tiqian felt it was wrong, but he couldn't insist on it anymore, so he had to say: "Okay, I'll go back and check, and the general strategy will be decided like this."

It’s just that you, gentlemen, are consuming people’s wealth in this way. I have heard people talk about this river issue before. With the current situation of the Yellow River, it is actually very difficult to dredge it. It is better to find other methods. '

The two major floods in the Yellow River in recent years have made many people in the Ming Dynasty feel that it is difficult to control the water. Instead of spending countless money on water control, it is better to consider how to reduce losses and provide disaster relief.

The river construction was done, and it was immediately submerged when there was a heavy rain. Even if it was built, it was not built, and it was a waste of people and money.

Instead of spending money on river construction, it is better to save it to provide relief to the victims.

So far, the management of the Yellow River has mainly focused on dredging and blocking. What Pan Jixun can think of at this stage is to dredge the river in normal times to ensure that floods pass through, and at the same time build dams to block water at critical points to prevent floods from breaking down the embankments and flooding the surrounding area.

These methods have been proven effective in other places in the actual process, but they are still helpless in the Yellow River because of the huge accumulation of yellow sand carried by the Yellow River.

Although these yellow sands washed into the sea, the coastline of the Ming Dynasty continued to extend eastward and added some land, but blocking the river channels really caused headaches for people of this era.

It can only be said that the power of nature is beyond the reach of human beings.

And because the Yellow River has almost become a dry river in later generations and floods almost no longer occur, Wei Guangde has no way to deal with the current troubles in the Yellow River.

There is really no experience to draw from.

If a major Yellow River flood like the Ming Dynasty occurs in later generations, the outcome may not be better than it was in the Ming Dynasty.

Wei Guangde sometimes had to wonder whether God had concentrated all the rainfall in the next few hundred years to this time, so the Yellow River became drier afterwards.

"Zhu Shangshu, last time I proposed that Shanxi and other places plant trees along the Yellow River, how did it go?"

After roughly deciding on a solution, the atmosphere in the check-in room became slightly more relaxed, and Wei Guangde asked.

"I've informed Hedao Yamen. I'll ask next time."

Although the river yamen of the Ming Dynasty nominally supervised the world's rivers, they were actually mainly responsible for managing the Yellow River and the Huaihe River. The local yamen of other small rivers and rivers found ways to manage them, and there was no need to set up a special government office to manage them.

Hearing this, Wei Guangde just nodded. The statement of soil and water conservation is difficult to explain, and it is not easy to verify these days.

"Planting trees? Will planting trees near rivers have a miraculous effect in alleviating flooding?"

Gao Gong, who had never spoken much, suddenly asked.

Wei Guangde listened to Gao Gong's question and thought about it before saying: "The problem of water management in the Yellow River is actually due to the large amount of sediment in the water. I just hope that more trees will be planted in the middle and upper reaches of the river, so that the amount of river sand washed into the river by rainwater can be reduced."

Hearing what Wei Guangde said, although he didn't think it was effective, Gao Gong still nodded.

People from Henan don't know what the Yellow River looks like. It is because of the presence of river sand that it is difficult to cure this river.

When the people left the check-in room and came out, Wei Guangde's expression changed back to the way he had just come in, with a frown on his face.

"Shandai, you don't look good today. Is something bothering you?"

Yin Shizhen stood beside him and asked casually.

"Yes, when I saw you coming here today, your face looked ugly."

Zhang Juzheng also asked.

Wei Guangde looked around at the two of them, and then sighed: "I received a letter from home yesterday and found out that my mother has been in poor health since she returned to Jiangxi from the capital the year before last. Recently, she has become seriously ill again and has been bedridden for more than a month."

"Well, as you get older, your health will tend to get worse after a longer journey, so you can only take good care of yourself."

Yin Shizhen sighed.

It was very easy for later generations to travel, but in this era it was a hardship. Perhaps this is why many people are unwilling to travel far.

"Take care of it slowly and treat it as if there is no serious problem. Just take it easy and relax."

Zhang Juzheng also comforted him.

"I have written to my wife, asking her to stay in Jiangxi for a longer period of time and fulfill her filial piety for me.

Fortunately, this time I went south, I asked her to bring back a lot of tonics, which should be able to heal her. "

Wei Guangde forced a smile and said.

"Do you still have the good ginseng in Shandai Mansion? Sell me two plants and send them back to your hometown."

When Zhang Juzheng heard what Wei Guangde said, he suddenly thought of the fine ginseng collected at his home.

"What are you selling? I'll have someone deliver it to your house when I get back tonight."

Wei Guangde said indifferently.

(End of this chapter)