Brother Zhu Youxiao

"Crackling..."

The sound of firecrackers marks the end of the new year, and with the sound of firecrackers, the new year Apocalypse 21 comes.

It's just that compared with previous years, this year's Zhengdan Festival can make people not so happy.

Last year's drought caused many people in the city to be robbed of their jobs, and most of the people who robbed them of their jobs were migrant workers who couldn't stand the drought.

Although it's only been a month or two since such jobs were taken, for many people, everyone earned a little less in the last year.

From frugality to luxury is easy, from luxury to frugality.

Faced with the reduction in income, many people naturally don't have much thought about celebrating the New Year.

However, compared to adults, the young children continued to go door-to-door in their own alleys and neighborhoods, for the caramel candies and tianli (red envelopes).

The people in the city are not in the mood to celebrate the New Year, let alone the people in the countryside.

Throughout last year, many people could not even harvest enough rice and wheat for their families.

Although they have had good harvests for so many years and saved a lot of money, they will always eat nothing if they eat their savings.

Therefore, if there is no accident, this year they will have to go to the city to work again to earn money to buy food.

The common people are not in the mood to celebrate the New Year, and the imperial court is naturally even less in the mood to celebrate the New Year.

"Last year, nine provinces including Beijing, Shandong, Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Hexi, Guangxi, Guizhou, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi suffered severe drought, and four provinces encountered locusts."

"At the end of winter and winter months, there was a great hunger in various places, and the people moved with their families one after another. The number of expropriated land and burials in the country reached more than 270 million mu, and more than [-] million shi was granted grain every year."

"Counting the 740 taels of taxes, commercial taxes, and the net profit of the imperial store, the annual land tax after the discount is more than 25 taels."

At the grand court meeting in Huangji Hall on the Zhengdan Festival, as Li Changgeng, Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, reported the financial situation of the court last year, the faces of all the officials were a little more relaxed.

I thought that the annual income would be less than 5000 million taels, but now it seems that overseas farming has not been affected, and it still contributes nearly one-third of the land tax and grain to Daming.

Coupled with the rise in food prices, as well as various taxes and royal store revenues that have not been hit hard, the Ming Dynasty barely managed to achieve an annual income of 8000 million taels in this difficult year.

"This year, we have repurchased 730 mu of land in the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Central Plains, recovered about 37 million taels of tax evasion from local gentry, and issued 700 land and redemption silver. More than two million taels."

Li Changgeng released another shocking data, but facing this string of data, many officials in the court couldn't stop their eyes from twitching.

Zhu Youjian would issue banknotes, which the officials did not expect, let alone the gentry.

The Finance Department Banknote Printing Factory, which prints like running water, printed 5000 million taels of banknotes in less than a year.

Fortunately, after paying all the gentry, the banknote printing factory stopped printing banknotes, otherwise all the officials would doubt whether Zhu Youjian wanted to repeat the situation of the second treasure banknote.

"This year, the imperial court needs to distribute 200 million taels of silver to pay the salaries of the previous year for the officials, soldiers and horses, teachers, yamen servants and others."

"Secondly, the Governor's Mansion of the Five Armies should send 300 million taels as military pay and 500 million taels as military expenses."

"The Ministry of Industry has 800 railways, and there are still [-] that have not been completed, and need to spend [-] million taels."

"Army Academy has been producing tractors and needs to spend 940 million taels."

"Therefore, only basic expenses this year will require 740 million taels, and there is still an outstanding balance of 7105 million taels of silver."

Li Changgeng's words made people feel embarrassing. Although Daming's tax this year reached 8000 million taels, as the plate gradually expanded, Daming needed more and more places to spend money.

He owed more than 700 million taels of silver. In the Wanli period, this would probably cause the Minister of the Household Department to die of worry.

"In Changping warehouses in various places, 3000 million stones of grain will be released from the Huangdian, and then the profits will be transferred from the Huangdian to the Ministry of Households."

Facing Li Changgeng's words, Zhu Ciran, who still held 5000 million shi Changping grain in his hand, did not panic at all.

After giving the order, he glanced at Zhu Youjian, who was standing in the hall and wearing a crown suit. After seeing the other party nodding, he felt a little more at ease.

After Li Changgeng got the order, he didn't say anything more, and the other five ministries, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and the cabinet naturally had nothing to say. After all, the Great Court Meeting was not a court meeting for discussing matters. Except for important matters, other things were basically not mentioned.

Li Changgeng was able to talk so much at length because the Ministry of Household Affairs is the most important thing in Ming Dynasty, and its affairs are also the biggest state affairs. This is the biggest reform since King Qi's New Deal.

"Since there is nothing wrong, let's go."

Seeing that no one came forward to speak out, Zhu Ciran didn't want to delay all the officials to go home for the New Year, so he signaled to Honglu Temple Minister to announce the disbandment of the court.

"Scattered towards..."

"clang!"

"Long live Long live Long live……"

Accompanied by the ringing of the bell for the Minister of Honglu Temple announcing the disbandment of the dynasty, Zhu Ciran, Zhu Youjian and all the officials bowed to the dragon chair together to express their respect for the emperor who was far away in Nanjing.

All the officials resigned because of this, while Zhu Youjian and Zhu Ciran walked to the back door of the Huangji Hall, where Zhu Ciran could not help but show a dependent side.

He looked worried, not only because of the people and the court, but also because of his two younger brothers.

Standing on the white marble steps, Zhu Ciran was wearing a heavy crown, bowing to Uncle Qi, who he always thought was very tall:

"Uncle, you said that this year's drought..."

"It will continue, so don't slack off." Zhu Youjian stretched out his hand to support him, and at the same time said:
"But you don't need to worry too much. If you survive this year, you should be much better."

"Besides, even though 3000 million shi Changping grains have been sold, the imperial court still has 2000 million shi Changping grains."

"These grains can be sold in batches next year and the year after that, and then new grains can be purchased."

"In the next year or so, Guochao only needs to maintain 5000 million shi Changping grain, and then increase it by 500 million shi every year."

In Zhu Youjian's memory, it seems that since the end of the 13th year of Chongzhen, there has never been a disaster affecting a province in various places. This is one of the reasons why the Manchu Qing Dynasty was able to consolidate in the customs after entering the customs.

It's not that the people are living well, but that after the disaster subsides, the people can barely survive, so naturally they won't rebel.

"That being said, every time my nephew sees his uncle's financial means, he can't help but bow down."

The reasons for the demise of the Ming Dynasty and other dynasties are similar, but not similar.

The demise of the Ming Dynasty was mainly due to natural disasters and man-made disasters, followed by financial and self-corruption.

Although Zhu Youjian couldn't eliminate natural disasters, he could eliminate man-made disasters and solve the financial and corruption problems of Ming Dynasty at the same time.

Among them, finance is the most important means, because the treasury is abundant, so Zhu Youjian was able to extend the life of the Ming Dynasty.

However, Zhu Youjian's economic methods are impossible to imitate, because his methods are mainly driven by conquests and internal grain transshipment trade.

Among them, Zhu Youjian was able to predict the specific drought conditions in various provinces, and then the method of storing grain in advance surprised many officials of the Ministry of Household Affairs.

However, even trade after grain storage can only sustain Daming, and cannot achieve prosperity.

Zhu Youjian's main economic methods are still relying on overseas colonies and expanding overseas markets, as well as vigorously reforming and reforming various taxation departments.

For now, a salt department can provide the Ming Dynasty with an annual income of 200 million taels, and other wine and tea departments can also provide an annual income of 800 million taels.

Only these three divisions can provide a quarter of Daming's financial revenue, and this does not include the mining division that mines itself.

If the gold and silver of the Mining Division can be put into the market every year, then together with the Shipping Division, the five divisions of Daming can provide nearly half of the tax revenue.

Counting the Huangdian, the agricultural tax of Ming Dynasty this year actually only accounted for about 40% of the fiscal revenue.

Although this year's income from land tax is small, the price of food is very high, making up for a large part of the gap in agricultural income.

Therefore, even after the drought is over, the proportion of land tax in Daming's finances may only recover to [-]%, because other taxation departments are developing very rapidly.

Zhu Youjian estimated that in the 24th year of the apocalypse, Daming's annual income could reach 5000 million taels of silver, and the land tax representing agricultural taxes accounted for less than [-] million taels.

As for the suzerainty and vassal states under the Ming Dynasty, even including the Qi State, their total annual revenue will not exceed 4000 million taels.

In other words, Daming, a suzerain-vassal system similar to the United Nations, actually had a fiscal revenue of 4000 million taels.

The combined income of other countries in the world that are independent of this system is only 60% of the annual income of the Daming suzerain-vassal system.

With this size, even if there is no technological iteration, Daming will be able to crush other countries in the three continents of Europe, Asia and Africa in the future.

Whether it can win the world or not is a test of how long the Ming vassal system can last.

If the railway can be built to reach West Asia and Eastern Europe, then there is basically no problem. If not, then we can only pray that Ming Dynasty will not perish in the civil war, and the Han people will not fall from the throne of world hegemony again.

Such a large economy can be said to test the ability of those in power.

Zhu Ciran did not dare to say that he could control such a dynasty and make it more prosperous.

In his opinion, he may only be able to barely maintain the prosperity of Daming by relying on the capital left by his uncle Qi Wang.

If the descendants of future generations cannot produce emperors and generals with the talents of Uncle Qi, then this is probably a matter of three generations.

"Don't underestimate yourself. I just went to Qi State. After going to Qi State, I will still put forward Daming's economic suggestions."

Zhu Youjian responded to Zhu Ciran with a smile, this answer cheered Zhu Ciran up a lot, what he was most worried about was that his Uncle Qi would never come back, let alone, he would not even bother about the internal affairs of Ming Dynasty.

It is necessary for him to worry, because Daming is not at peace right now.

Indeed, most of the gentry have been wiped out, and all of them have moved overseas and outside the customs, but the problem is that the biggest threat to Zhu Ciran and his son is still there.

As long as the Yanshan faction, which controls [-]% of the army and [-]% of the officials in the world, is still there, it will be difficult for their father and son to sleep.

What the Yanshan faction wanted was for the king of Qi to continue to be in power, so as to ensure that the emperor would not demote them after the king of Qi became a vassal.

Now it seems that it is certain that King Qi will be a vassal, but although King Qi is not in Daming, his policies can always be implemented in Daming.

Zhu Ciran is not stupid. The father and son are unable to take steady measures to suppress the Yanshan faction. Once suppressed, it will inevitably cause turmoil.

At that time, my own Uncle Qi may have to come back from overseas to continue wiping the buttocks of the father and son.

Therefore, he understands what his role is. He actually has only one role, which is "Xiao Gui Cao Sui".

He will do what Zhu Youjian does.

He not only forbids the people below to amend the New Deal, but also forbids his own father to amend the New Deal.

While prohibiting it, he had to obtain some policies from the Qi State and from his Uncle Qi that could correct Daming's mistakes in time.

To put it bluntly, what he has to do is to "become" another "King of Qi".

"You don't have to worry too much about the Yanshan matter, I will handle it so that the influence of those who stay in Daming will be minimized."

Zhu Ciran didn't say it, but Zhu Youjian had already felt it, he opened his mouth to comfort Zhu Ciran, Zhu Ciran was also relieved when he heard the words.

But after he breathed a sigh of relief, he smiled wryly again: "Nephew has one more thing to say to Uncle Qi."

"Is it about King Yong and King Ding?" Zhu Youjian could guess without Zhu Ciran's words.

Zhu Cixuan and Zhu Cijiong will graduate from the government school this year, and as feudal lords, the job Zhu Youjian arranged for them is for the Northern Army to recover the vast territory east of the Hezhong and Ural River.

In other words, these two good brothers of Zhu Ciran will also go to the battlefield. Although in Zhu Youjian's view, they will not encounter any danger, but for Zhu Ciran who has never been on the battlefield, he still cannot avoid it. I'm a little worried.

"I want my uncle to put them in the battalions of Li Dingguo or Li Zicheng."

Zhu Ciran was very worried about the two of them, but he also knew that it would be difficult for the two of them to serve as the western screen vassals of the Ming Dynasty and guard the frontier for the Ming Dynasty without going through the wind and rain.

Therefore, even though he was worried, he still asked Zhu Youjian to arrange the two of them under the command of Li Dingguo and Li Zicheng, who were likely to be pioneers.

Such a move made Zhu Youjian feel a little relieved.

"Okay, I'll take your word for it." Zhu Youjian nodded slightly. Seeing that Zhu Youjian was fine, Zhu Ciran couldn't help inviting him:

"Uncle, do you want to go to the East Palace? You haven't met your niece and daughter-in-law yet..."

Zhu Ciran asked cautiously, but Zhu Youjian shook his head when he heard the words:
"That's your daughter-in-law, why should I go see her?"

"If you have the heart, you can give birth to a grandson as soon as possible, and let the brother be the grandfather, and at the same time, you can also take the opportunity to bring the grandson to visit me in the Qi Palace."

"Okay!" Hearing Zhu Youjian's words, Zhu Ciran smiled honestly.

Seeing this, Zhu Youjian also knew that Donggong was probably happy, so he couldn't help complaining: "You boy, so you set up a trap here."

"Uncle guessed it before I told my uncle the good news. As expected of being an uncle." Zhu Ciran acted like a good boy when he got the advantage.

In this regard, Zhu Youjian could only helplessly say: "How many months will you give birth?"

"It should be around August this year." Zhu Ciran responded, Zhu Youjian also nodded and said: "I will go to the Hundred Days Banquet."

"What about the first birthday party?" Zhu Ciran was using his child's first birthday party to test whether Zhu Youjian would leave early.

"I'll go too." Zhu Youjian had seen through his little thoughts, so after answering, Zhu Youjian bowed his hands and signaled that he was leaving.

"Uncle, go slowly..."

Seeing that Zhu Youjian was not entangled with him, Zhu Ciran could only bow respectfully and give gifts.

He watched Zhu Youjian go away, and recalled the answer he got just now, and he couldn't help but feel a little more comfortable.

So, he couldn't help humming a ditty happily, and walked towards his East Palace.

This deviant and unrestrained behavior was recorded one by one by the living censor who was hiding not far away.

At the same time, after Zhu Youjian walked out of the palace, he came to the street in a carriage.

While waiting for the road to pass, he deliberately looked at the crowd on the street.

The population of the capital is still large, but it is no longer as lively as last year and the year before the Chinese New Year.

It can be seen that the days of last year were not friendly to the common people, so that even in the New Year, many people are still worried.

"Get through this year and start to get better..."

Looking at the unsmiling people on the sidewalk, Zhu Youjian sighed in his heart, and at the same time, he couldn't help but feel guilty for this year's farmers.

He can make the people live better, such as taking out the grain in his hand at once to stabilize the price of grain.

But the problem is that although this can make people live comfortably this year, it won't necessarily be the case next year.

If he is a woman's benevolence, it is impossible for the people to maintain the population growth in this severe drought environment.

Right now, all hidden households in the world are being investigated, and in fact, there are not too many fish that have slipped through the net.

Counting the Han people from overseas and vassal states, the number of Han people in Ming Dynasty has reached about [-] million.

Although compared with the original population of 5000 million Han Chinese estimated by Zhu Youjian, this does not increase the population too much.

But when the drought is over, the population of Ming Dynasty will definitely usher in a long-term population explosion just like other countries in the middle and late seventeenth century.

Judging from the situation in the previous life, Daming may reach a population of about 60 million, or even [-] million in [-] years.

Zhu Youjian has done what should be done, and Xiao Guicao is enough for the rest.

Thinking of this, his carriage also arrived at the gate of Prince Qi's Mansion.

After skillfully getting out of the car, Zhu Youjian immediately saw two generals with the badges of the Northern Army standing at the door.

"Your Highness, Dudu Mandu and Dudu Sun have been waiting for you for a long time."

Seeing the arrival of King Qi, the two stepped forward to bow to each other, and Zhu Youjian nodded slightly when he heard the words: "Thanks for your hard work."

"A lowly job...a lowly job...it's all a job of a lowly job." The two of them got Zhu Youjian's response, and they were so excited that they couldn't even speak, which was enough to see Zhu Youjian's status in their hearts.

"Go to the big chef in the mansion to have something to eat."

Zhu Youjian explained with a smile, and then walked into Prince Qi's mansion, leaving only the two talking excitedly after he left.

However, compared to the two who were more excited, Man Gui and Sun Yingyuan, who were sitting in the Chengyun Hall at the moment, frowned slightly, as if they were worried about something.

Even though the three of Lu Wenzhao chatted with them from time to time, the two looked absent-minded.

The five of them are old friends, and they don't care about these side details, but they are also curious about the reason why the two of them are like this.

"Your Highness Chitose..."

When the sound of singing came from the gate of the palace, the five people subconsciously stood up, and Zhu Youjian also walked in after a while.

"Your Highness, thousand years old..." The five people saluted respectfully, Zhu Youjian raised his hands and asked the guards at the door to take off his crown clothes for him, and at the same time explained to several people in the hall:

"Don't put on airs. After all these years, you know my temper."

"Yes..." Man Gui and Sun Yingyuan breathed a sigh of relief, even they couldn't help but feel a lot of pressure when facing Zhu Youjian.

"Tell me why you came here this time."

After changing the mian suit, Zhu Youjian walked to his seat in a round neck robe and sat down.

Even though it was just an ordinary pear wood chair, he still felt like a dragon chair.

Although he is not an emperor, he is far better than an emperor.

"Your Highness, we came here to inquire about the situation in Qi."

Many years ago, Man Gui and Sun Yingyuan had no idea of ​​adding a yellow robe to Zhu Youjian, but they had the same concerns as Huang Long, they were both worried about going to an underdeveloped place.

Regarding this, Zhu Youjian smiled, even the three people beside him couldn't help laughing, and Lu Wenzhao even laughed and said:
"If you had said it earlier, I would have shown you this earlier."

Lu Wenzhao said, and then he personally walked to the "The Complete Map of the Great Ming Dynasty and the Universe" behind Zhu Youjian. He pulled up the scroll and put away the "The Complete Map of the Great Ming Dynasty and the Universe", revealing a subsequent street view.

Different from the traditional techniques of the Ming Dynasty, the style of the painting is created by using the sketches created by Zhu Youjian to fill in the colors.

In this picture, which is five feet long and three feet high, it can be said that the economic prosperity of a city and the lives of the people are vividly described.

"This is the "Imperial Ming Qi State Xijing Fan Painting" that His Royal Highness ordered students from the Art Department of Shuntianfu to go to Qi State to complete last year. It is a real landscape painting of Xijing City for you to see."

After Lu Wenzhao finished speaking, Sun Yingyuan and Man Gui's curiosity arose.

They wanted to come forward to take a look, but they were afraid that their behavior would be inappropriate. Zhu Youjian saw the hesitant look in his eyes, and couldn't help but joked:
"Watch it if you want, why are you acting like so many little women?"

"Hey...this can only be done with your Highness's permission."

Sun Yingyuan and Zhu Youjian have known each other for the longest time, so they naturally dare to respond to jokes.

After responding, the two became bolder. They walked in front of the picture, and what appeared in front of them was a vivid Xijing City and the outskirts of Xijing City.

Since the horizontal scrolls of the Ming Dynasty were all read from right to left, they couldn't wait to go to the far right, ready to look from the far right to the far left.

The two of them took a closer look, from right to left, the first thing they saw was the rural scenery full of spring, followed by...

Update before five o'clock in the afternoon