prosperous age

The Xu family's case needs to be investigated, but it must be done secretly. Even if it is confirmed and the case is finally closed, it cannot be punished for this crime.

This was the decision Emperor Longqing made after learning the news.

Gao Gong returned to the cabinet, but his mood was surprisingly good.

It can be said that the transportation of grain is a knife hanging over the head of the imperial court during this period. If it is not handled well, the price of goods in the capital will skyrocket. The key is the stability of the North.

Once a solution to the problem of grain transportation is found, half the burden on Gao Gong's shoulders will be reduced.

Who would have thought that after pacifying the threat from the north, he could devote himself wholeheartedly to the great cause of rectifying the administration of officials, but who knew that something had gone wrong with the water control project that had just been completed.

The floods of the Yellow River are beyond the reach of human beings, so Gao Gong can only lament his bad luck, what else can he say?

When Xu Jie was in court, although the Yellow River was said to flood every three to five years, he did not do so as frequently after he took the throne of chief minister. Floods have blocked water transportation for three consecutive years.

It now seems that during the Jiajing Dynasty, although there were constant natural disasters, they were not as frequent as during the reign of Emperor Longqing.

Of course, he was just thinking about these words in his mind, but he didn't dare to say them out.

However, since the first year of Longqing, there have been four consecutive attacks in three, four and five years. Emperor Longqing has only been on the throne for five years in total.

Of course, the reason why Gao Gong was happy, apart from having half of the burden lifted off his shoulders, was that Emperor Longqing asked him to investigate the affairs of the Xu Jie family.

Previously, the Xu family's annexation of land was used as an excuse. Although this was illegal, every time it was brought up in front of Emperor Longqing, the emperor ignored him and did not want to get involved in the matter at all.

The emperor actually knew in his heart that the whole world was like this, and it was useless to deal with Xu Jie. He was used as a spearman by Gao Gong, and in the end he was labeled as unkind and unkind.

But this time it was said that the Xu family might embezzle national property, Emperor Longqing's attitude suddenly changed and he became serious.

It seems that he has changed since he came to the throne. He is no longer the original King Yu who didn't care about anything, but a person who, like the late emperor, takes money very seriously.

Well, actually this is what a king should be like.

In fact, a very important point for the prosperity of a dynasty is financial abundance.

The so-called prosperous times are all recorded in historical records, which means that the national treasury is rich and the warehouses containing money are filled with gold, silver, treasures and copper coins. These money have not been used for many years because they are too rich. , there is no need to use the treasury money at all, so the ropes stringing the money have rotted.

The country's granary is full, with new millet weighing down old millet, piling up outside the granary and even nowhere to store it.

Gao Gong also yearned for such a prosperous age, and he extremely expected that such a scene would appear in the Ming Dynasty during his reign.

Once these moths like Xu Jie are cleared away, the world can be restored to a bright and prosperous future.

Gao Gong's heart was filled with passion at this time, imagining that under his leadership, such a prosperous scene would one day be recreated, and his name would surely be remembered forever.

Returning to the check-in room, I thought about it silently for a while, feeling that Cai Guoxi should take action on this matter. First, confirm the evidence that the Xu family had embezzled national property, and then completely destroy the Xu family with one blow.

Gao Gong had no concerns about Emperor Longqing at all. He just felt that this was the way it should be. The bad guys must be brought to justice and cannot be tolerated.

Not long after, Chen Ju came to the cabinet with Meng Chong's printed memorial, handed the memorial to Gao Gong, and immediately left.

There is no one close to Chen Ju in the current cabinet.

When I came here before, when I saw Yin Shizhen and others, I would say hello with a smile and chat casually.

But now everyone in the cabinet is at odds with his political ally Wei Guangde, and is even his opponent.

He couldn't afford to offend Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, so he tried to avoid contact with them except for official business.

After Gao Gong received the memorandum of approval, he immediately sent a note to the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Household Affairs and made an appointment with Zhang Shouzhi and Zhu Heng.

These two ministries are involved in this matter. The Ministry of Revenue has to allocate grain, while the cost of the ship for sea trials is paid by the Ministry of Industry.

In the afternoon, Zhu Heng came to the cabinet and met Gao Gong. He also saw the memorandum criticizing the Red Army. He was very surprised.

He didn't expect that the matter had already been completed before he contacted his friends to make an effort. This shows that Gao Gong still has some knowledge. Like Wei Guangde, he is a person who works for the court, and he thinks more about the important affairs of the court. Son, rather than some people who only know how to fight for power and gain and ignore important matters in the court.

There has been a lot of discussion between the DPRK and the Central Government in the past two days about this matter. Unexpectedly, Gao Gong had already received the memorial from Emperor Longqing approving him, but when he thought about the money he would have to pay from the Ministry of Industry, his mood suddenly became unhappy.

"Shinan, Liang Menglong asked for shipping grain. The Ministry of Industry will be responsible for the shipping expenses."

Gao Gong opened his mouth and said.

"Gao Shoufu, our Ministry of Industry is responsible for the construction and maintenance of seagoing ships. This matter is very important, and the Ministry of Industry is bound to take responsibility for it and will definitely handle the relevant matters."

Zhu Heng would not discount this matter. Knowing that it was related to the security of the grain supply and even the stability of the entire north, he agreed immediately.

"What else do you think about the trial voyage?"

Seeing that Zhu Heng agreed and fully supported him, Gao Gong was very satisfied, so he pretended to ask for advice humbly.

Yes, he was just pretending. In fact, he already had a general idea in his mind, and he just waited for Zhang Shouzhi to come over and decide on the matter.

"I have read Governor Liang's memorial carefully. Maritime transportation has been abandoned for a long time, and now we need to pick it up again. Although there are merchant sea routes for reference, this is the first time after all, and it is of great importance. It is best to allocate money for the first sea transportation. If a small amount of grain is shipped, more ships can be loaded. Each ship can load half a ship. Fresh water and other supplies can also be loaded appropriately.

It not only allows more sailors to participate in it, but also makes them familiar with sea lanes and sea conditions, and it is also safer. "

Zhu Heng said.

In fact, he didn't know anything about shipping, but after receiving Liang Menglong's letter, he found someone to supplement his knowledge on shipping. He knew that big ships were most afraid of encountering wind and waves when going to sea.

Amidst the storm and huge waves, the control of the ship is almost impossible. It all depends on luck. Wherever it drifts, it depends on where it drifts.

The ship carries food, so there is no need to worry about food. However, when the ship is sailing on the sea, although there is water around it, it is not drinkable. Therefore, fresh water is also an important material for sea navigation.

Gao Gong was only slightly surprised when he heard Zhu Heng's suggestion to fill the canal with half grain and half water, but he still recognized Zhu Heng's ability.

In fact, not many people in the imperial court knew common sense about shipping.

Logically speaking, Zhu Heng from the Plumbing Department should not be familiar with the sea.

Yes, didn’t he just say that?

I have carefully read Liang Menglong's memorial, so I should have also inquired about this information, so I can say this.

As for the other things, he had thought of them, so he kept nodding.

The court still needs people with the ability to do things like Zhu Heng, the more the better.

Gao Gong is not so arrogant that he thinks he can run the government alone. He also needs the help of more capable people like Zhu Heng. Gao Gong is not a workaholic like Zhu Yuanzhang.

The two talked for a while, and Zhang Shouzhi also came to the cabinet.

The three of them bowed to each other and sat down. Gao Gong didn't like beating around the bush, so he directly asked the Ministry of Revenue how much grain he thought could be allocated for this first attempt at shipping grain by sea.

Zhang Shouzhi sat and thought for a while before tentatively saying: "Two thousand shi of grain from Huai'an, and 1,500 shi of wheat from Jiaozhou to the sea to Tianjin to test the sea channel. What do you think?"

"Three thousand five hundred stones? Is it a little less?"

Gao Gong frowned slightly. In front of them, the unit of measurement for food was usually ten thousand shi, but it suddenly dropped to three thousand shi. He suddenly felt uncomfortable.

"Gao Shoufeng, I think it's feasible. For the first time, be more cautious. Three thousand five hundred stones is quite a lot."

Zhu Heng just frowned slightly and relaxed. In fact, this amount of food was nothing to the court. It was mainly to ensure that the sea channel was clear.

Once it is determined that there is no problem, it will be easier to handle in the future, and grain can be transported by sea in large quantities. “That’s fine, but how much grain can be stored in the granaries in Huai’an?”

Gao Gong's natural consideration at this time was to be able to transport large quantities of grain through Huai'an, so Huai'an's warehousing was extremely important.

"I remember that the warehouses near Huai'an are still very large. In fact, if it really needs to be transported, Huai'an should be able to collect more than 100,000 dan of grain immediately, but it is not easy to assemble the ships.

As far as I know, there are not many ocean-covering ships in Caosi now. The delay in the first transportation may be due to Caosi's transfer of ships. "

Zhang Shouzhi replied.

Because all water transportation is through canals, even if Caosi has a large number of water ships, not many are suitable for going to sea.

In fact, the remaining sea-going ships are all left over from a long time ago. At least the canal ships built in recent years are not suitable for sea transportation.

"Then can we deploy Fujian warships for transportation, or order Denglai Navy to go to Huai'an to transport grain?"

Zhu Heng suddenly interjected, "I remember that about ten years ago, the Denglai Navy transported grain to Liaodong and had experience.

Moreover, most of the waterways this time are on the Jiaolai front line. The Denglai Navy often travels here and should be familiar with sea conditions.

As for Caosi, they can be arranged to send people to board the ship and move with the fleet, which can be regarded as familiar with the sea conditions. "

"Fujian Navy? Let's forget it."

Gao Gong said at this time, "As Shinan said, most of this trip will be within the jurisdiction of the Denglai Navy, and they are more familiar with the sea conditions.

I think it is safest to have Navy Denglai take charge of this matter.

but"

When Gao Gong said this, he couldn't help but pause for a moment before continuing: "For Caosi, it's best to send a ship to follow Denglai Navy and take a trip to the sea.

After all, transporting grain was the job of the Cao Si and had little to do with the Denglai Navy.

If the matter is urgent, the Denglai Navy can be sent out now, but later the Cao Si will be responsible for escorting the grain northward. "

"Gao Shoufu, I also have different views on the Fujian Navy warships."

Although Gao Gong expressed his attitude, Zhu Heng still answered.

"But it doesn't matter."

When discussing issues, Gao Gong is still willing to listen to his officials. As long as he supports him in the general direction, he will also adopt what he thinks is advisable in terms of details.

"Governor Liang said that the waterways from Huai'an to Jiaozhou, Jiaozhou to Taicang and Taicang to Tianjin are used by private merchants. I remember that during the Taizu period, our Ming Dynasty ships departed from Taicang directly to Liaodong. It can be seen that there should be waterways here."

Yes, Zhu Heng thought that the letter vaguely revealed that Wei Guangde had the intention to resume shipping in the early Ming Dynasty, so he also checked the information at the Ministry of Industry and knew that during the period of Taizu to the Great Ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty had extremely strong shipbuilding capabilities. , can build large treasure ships.

Moreover, such large treasure ships were not built along the coast in Zhejiang, Fujian and other places, but in Nanjing.

It can be seen that this kind of treasure ship can be used in at least most areas of the Yangtze River waterway.

If this kind of treasure ship is used to transport food, the ship's ability to withstand wind and waves will be extremely strong, which will definitely be better for ensuring the safety of the food transported.

But having said that, how long had it been since the Ming Dynasty had carried out such large-scale shipping, and Zhu Heng was not sure whether the Ministry of War had any nautical charts.

With the current financial resources of the Ming Dynasty, treasure ships are not expected in the short term. However, in recent years, various provinces in the south of the Yangtze River have invested heavily in building warships to fight against Japanese invaders.

Now the traces of Japanese pirates are vague and they are just used to transport food.

"As far as I know, naval warships from Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi are now gathering in Fujian to patrol the sea, and there are hundreds of warships.

Some of them can go north to test the waterway from Taicang to Tianjin. "

Zhu Heng said what he was thinking, hoping to take this opportunity to impress Gao Gong.

"Is this the idea of ​​philanthropic lending?"

Suddenly, Zhu Heng heard Gao Gong's questioning voice.

"Why did Gao Shoufu say this?"

Although Zhu Heng was alert, he still asked calmly.

"The DPRK and the Central Government are very supportive of maritime transportation and are determined to restore the prosperity of maritime transportation during the Emperor Gaozu's time. It seems that the only option is to lend money."

Gao Gong just stared at Zhu Heng for a moment, and then looked away.

He understood that Zhu Heng's insight was probably due to the influence of Wei Guangde.

They are fellow villagers. Many times, some political opinions are revealed inadvertently during casual chats.

“I remember that when we were still in Yuzhuan, Shandai strongly supported maritime transportation. In the early years, he also proposed the method of transporting grain by sea and canals for commercial ships.

All the fees paid by the Cao Division were collected from civilian ships at each lock. The imperial court made every effort to build sea-going ships, which could be used for water transportation in peacetime. In wartime, they could be equipped with firearms and turned into warships to resist the enemy at sea. "

Gao Gong opened his mouth and mentioned the contents of the memorial written by Wei Guangde to Emperor Longqing.

He said it casually, but the audience, whether it was Zhu Heng or Zhang Shouzhi, were a little stunned at this time.

The national policy of banning the sea was something they knew when they entered the court and became officials. It was a deep-rooted matter. But according to Gao Gong, Wei Guangde's suggestion directly broke this national policy.

No wonder, neither of them had heard anyone talk about this matter before. It seems that it is an issue that the cabinet and the emperor are considering, not something that needs to be considered at the level of the six ministries.

"This proposal is quite bold."

Zhang Shouzhi didn't know what to say for a moment, so he just murmured something.

Although the voice was soft, both people in the room could hear it clearly.

"It's very bold."

Zhu Heng had recovered, but at this time he still followed Zhang Shouzhi's words.

"The matter of water diversion from Fujian has been put aside for the time being. We should first decide on the waterway from Huai'an to Tianjin. The imperial court has not yet reached that stage."

Gao Gong opened his mouth and said.

Hearing what Gao Gong said, both of them nodded in unison.

After the two left, Gao Gong sat in the duty room and thought for a long time, most of which he had seen before, the memorial that Wei Guangde gave to Emperor Longqing alone.

"He has the ability, but it's a pity that he is too young and still needs to be tempered."

Gao Gong made a mental evaluation of Wei Guangde.

If he wants to get ahead, it would be more appropriate to wait until he has reorganized the court and then hand over the cabinet to him.