Brother Zhu Youxiao

Chapter 611
"Three seats in the cabinet, changes in the law, reduction in decision-making, abolition of tool factories...their appetite is huge, bigger than the lonely one."

In Prince Qi's mansion, Zhu Youjian was leaning on a chair, and in front of him was the reform of Shangshu from the Metropolitan Procuratorate.

It is said to be restructuring, but in fact it is for their own benefit.

"I'm only thirty-one, they think I'm leaving, so everything is up to me, right?"

Zhu Youjian glanced around the hall, Lu Wenzhao, Huang Long, Man Gui, Cao Huachun, Sun Yingyuan, Wang Chengen, all veterans from the time of Tengxiang Four Guards came.

"Your Highness, why do you care about these ungrateful people? As long as you issue an order, the five armies' governor's mansions and soldiers and horses will all follow His Highness's lead, and you will kill mere generals!"

"Big deal, it will take a few years and a few big battles, and a new batch of generals will be trained immediately."

It was Huang Long who spoke, he was still so gangster, but his words also buried his own little thoughts.

This time he came to Beijing to go through the transfer procedures, and once the procedures were completed, he was about to embark on the journey to Qi.

But if there is turmoil in Daming right now and some generals fall, then he will be useful again, and he can continue to rely on him in Daming.

Huang Long is a restless guy, but his restlessness is towards others, and his unruliness is also towards others.

For Zhu Youjian, he often can only achieve his goals by playing tricks.

His method really worked, Zhu Youjian softened his heart and forced him to stay in Daming for ten years.

It's just that no matter how bad he is right now, it's impossible for Zhu Youjian to let him stay in Daming any longer.

"You don't have to worry about Ming's affairs. You don't need to prepare well. I received Jin Xuan's letter, and Franji's colonial army was dispatched another thousand soldiers. Now there are less than 4000 people."

"After you go to the country of Qi, prepare your troops and horses for me. When I make an order, you will use the flintlock guns to drive the Fulang machine out of the country of Qi and regain the lost land."

"As long as the Fulang robots are still in the Qi State, the soldiers and horses of the Qi State cannot be equipped with percussion guns, nor can they use steam ships and trains at will. Keeping them is an obstacle."

While Zhu Youjian explained, he also said:

"I have already let people fly the pigeons to Yan Yingyuan, and he will send someone to negotiate with King Franz."

"If the Franji Kingdom is willing to give up the colony, the Qi State can sign a trade treaty with the Franji Kingdom and purchase the colony at a price of 6000 million taels of silver."

"Naturally, the 6000 million taels of silver are divided into ten years, and 600 million taels are repaid every year, but in the form of materials."

"At the same time, the National Congress of Qi will support him in winning the religious war, maintain the kingdom's rule in continental Europe for him, and support him in taking down Morocco."

Zhu Youjian offered a price of 6000 million taels to acquire Spanish colonies in America.

This price sounds a lot, which is jaw-dropping, but for Spain, this is the ten-year gold and silver output of the American colonies.

However, for the country, if gold and silver are not transformed into means to promote economic trade, then gold and silver are just metals.

Now the price of goods in Spain has risen to an outrageous level. A soldier's salary for a year is not even enough for himself. The Kingdom of Spain is already on the verge of bankruptcy.

The high prices caused by inflation are causing Spain to collapse. Unless there is an influx of commodities into Spain to continue its life, Spain will lose this war as it has in history, and the ending will be even worse.

Because the five-nation alliance formed by France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Portugal has a flintlock army of no less than 1 people, and the Ming Dynasty conducts trade exchanges behind it, stabilizing prices for all countries.

Therefore, they can continue to attack unscrupulously, forcing Spain to recognize the independence of Portugal and the Netherlands, and at the same time cede his large tracts of land.

"After you arrive in Qi State, you will train the army of Qi State and add troops on top of the battalions. The general will be the commander-in-chief. There will be one army and four battalions, three field battalions and one supply battalion, totaling more than 1 people."

"Qi's current troops and annual revenue, let's temporarily train the strength of the five armies."

As soon as Zhu Youjian opened his mouth, the number of soldiers and horses in Qi State increased from [-] to [-], which made Huang Long a little excited.

However, Huang Long did not forget his job, so he licked his face and said with a smile: "Your Highness, Qi is an island country, and this navy..."

"The navy will wait for now. The technology of iron-clad ships is not yet mature, so we can only use the technology of iron-clad wood." Zhu Youjian interrupted:
"When Guochao's ironclad ship technology matures, your navy will have it."

Zhu Youjian didn't talk about the Yanshan matter. It seems that in his opinion, the difficulty of this matter is not difficult to deal with, and he has already made preparations and methods.

Right now, what he needs to do is to make overall plans before leaving.

He has to make a decision this year and next year, and in the last year, the 23rd year of the apocalypse, he will fulfill his promise to the people in Qinghai and Hexi, and tour the provinces of Ming Dynasty again.

Thinking of this, Zhu Youjian continued to arrange:
"The imperial store and the officialdom can also be handed over to the officials of the East Palace."

"In addition, the officialdom is preparing to transport all kinds of cattle, horses, elephants, camels and other livestock and animals that are not available in Ming Dynasty to Qi State, and the corresponding plants they want to eat are also transplanted and planted in Qi State early."

There are relatively few creatures in Qi State. For the convenience of the people, Zhu Youjian must migrate many species to Qi State in advance to enrich the local ecology.

It just so happened that many royal animals were kept in captivity in the officialdom, and with the existence of the steam engine ship, it was not difficult to move the animals.

Of course, for Daming of the same race, the migration of species is not a big deal, because animals that can be eaten will not be unable to eat when they arrive in Qi.

For Qi, population migration is the most important thing.

"How is the population migration in Qi State?" Zhu Youjian asked Cao Huachun, and Cao Huachun bowed without hesitation:
"At present, more than 130 million people have been relocated, and there are still more than [-] people waiting to be relocated."

"The ships used to migrate the population to Qi are mainly 180 steam ships and [-] supply ships."

"With the capacity of these ships, 40 people can be relocated to Qi each year..."

"How many steamships are there in Guochao right now?" Zhu Youjian interrupted Cao Huachun's words. Cao Huachun was also taken aback when he heard the words, and then replied: "A total of 240 wooden steamships."

"What if they are all used for immigration?" Zhu Youjian's astonishing words made Cao Huachun stunned, and then he reacted, bowing and answering:

"If sailing ships are used as baggage ships to sail on the back and forth routes, then these 240 wooden steamships should be able to transport 267 million people at a time, and no less than 150 million people throughout the year."

After Cao Huachun finished speaking, Zhu Youjian smiled and said:
"Since this is the case, then allocate half of the steamship to Qi to migrate the population, and the rest is generally used to migrate the population to Jiugang and Luchuan."

"This..." Cao Huachun was stunned for a moment, hesitantly said:
"Your Highness, if this is the case, then the food..."

"There is still enough food for one year everywhere." Zhu Youjian said this, and everyone looked at him in surprise.

The current severe drought is still very rapid, and the number of acres of farmland with no harvest and reduced production in the Ming Dynasty has reached as many as [-] million acres, accounting for more than half of the farmland in the world.

Under such circumstances, everyone felt that the severe drought would continue, but Zhu Youjian said that the severe drought was coming to an end.

"Listen to me, use the ship for relocation, this is the first time I have used power for personal gain."

Zhu Youjian ordered with a smile, and even ridiculed himself for using power for personal gain.

He was in the mood to joke, which naturally meant that his prediction was very accurate.

In the hearts of all officials and common people, since Zhu Youjian wrote astronomy textbooks, it seems that he has become a person who knows astronomy at the top and geography at the bottom.

What he is doing now seems to be saying that the drought is coming to an end, or is about to subside, which is exciting.

"Your maidservant takes orders!" Cao Huachun couldn't stop his excitement, even his hands trembling a little, and the smile on his face couldn't be concealed.

He can understand, and everyone can understand, and when Huanglong heard that the drought in Daming was coming to an end, he couldn't help feeling a little bit bitter.

It's just that now he has no way of turning back, he only hopes that Jin Xuan will not lie to others, the bustling Xijing City on the picture scroll, don't try to sell dog meat, otherwise he will be tricked by Jin Xuan.

"Your Highness, should Ying Yuan and I be preparing to go to Qi? So are Cao Wenzhao, Cao Meng, and Sun Shoufa."

Man Gui made a bow and asked about something that made everyone's atmosphere cool down in an instant.

Cao Wenzhao, Cao Meng, Sun Shoufa, Cao Dingjiao, and Cao Bianjiao are the backbone of the current Ming generals.

If they all followed King Qi and became a vassal, how many generals would Daming have available?
Besides, there are more than just generals who want to go to Qi.

"The matter of the general will be discussed after the Western Expedition is over." Zhu Youjian did not answer directly, but put the matter on hold for the time being.

He didn't give everyone time to think, but watched them continue to explain:
"The northern army and the eastern army can join forces to fight in the west this time. Don't think that the northern battlefield belongs to the northern army just because of a "word" problem, and the eastern army only targets the east."

"This time, the Governor's Mansion of the Eastern Army dispatched ten battalions of soldiers and horses to participate in the Western Expedition, and the Northern Army also dispatched ten battalions of soldiers and horses, totaling [-] battalions of more than [-] soldiers."

"However, the coach this time is still Cao Wenzhao."

"The other [-] soldiers and horses, except for the [-] or so cavalry that are the main force, the remaining [-] horse and infantry should mainly protect the luggage. Don't underestimate the enemy just because you have a rifle in your hand."

"In the end, the place to be recovered in this Western Expedition is not only the land in the river, but also the Lingbei Mountain Range. It is best to gain a firm foothold in the west of the Lingbei Mountain Range."

Zhu Youjian stated his strategic goals, and Sun Yingyuan who heard the words could not help but sigh:

"It's a pity that I can't participate in this battle..."

"You and I are old, give the opportunity to your nephews." Man Gui smiled brightly, but Sun Yingyuan couldn't laugh or cry when faced with his words.

Man Gui is now in his sixties, so he is old, but Sun Yingyuan is only in his early fifties. Although he is over fifty, he doesn't think he is old.

On the contrary, Huang Long, the youngest next to them, as the junior of the two, is only in his forties, not even 50 years old, let alone old.

Rather than saying that they are old and should give their children and nephews a chance to exercise, it is better to say that Zhu Youjian needs to leave a group of young and strong factions for Daming as the pillars of future border defense.

"Your Highness, I will take my leave..."

Seeing that Zhu Youjian didn't speak, several people also got up and signaled to leave.

Seeing this, Zhu Youjian couldn't help standing up and smiling: "I'll see you off..."

Perhaps it was the behavior of the Yanshan faction that made Zhu Youjian feel cold, but at the moment he is very reluctant to part with this group of people who have followed him the longest but have never had a different heart.

They may have tried to put themselves on the throne, but in the end they still did not stand on the opposite side of themselves.

That's enough.

Zhu Youjian walked out of the Chengyun Hall with them, and talked about the past with Man Gui, Sun Yingyuan, Huang Long, Lu Wenzhao, Cao Huachun and others, chatting and laughing very lively.

Wang Chengen, who was walking at the end, looked at this scene and couldn't help but think of various experiences in the past 22 years.

Time passed so fast that people didn't even notice it.

Zhu Youjian, who was once called "Yellow Mouth Boy" by others, has been the Optimus Prime of Ming Dynasty for 22 years.

"Your Highness..."

Wang Chengen spoke softly, but Zhu Youjian didn't hear the noise of the crowd in front of him.

It's just that Wang Chengen didn't continue to shout, but shook his head with a smile, and followed closely.

"Rejected..."

An hour later, in the official office, Dang Chengde was holding the memorandum of the Metropolitan Procuratorate rejected by the Qi Palace, his face was expressionless, as if this matter had been expected by him.

It's just that compared to his Gujing Wubo, the group of people sitting below couldn't sit still.

"This...Since His Highness does not know how to use weapons, and we have no reason to hold him in his hands for the time being, why did he reject it?"

"Hmm... It's not good for His Highness to stand in a stalemate with us."

"Are you waiting for Jin Boyu and Yan Gengming?"

"The return of the two of them will not have any impact on the overall situation. It should not be them..."

"It's hard to say..."

The officials were a little hesitant. After all, they had been suppressed by Zhu Youjian for so long in these years, and it was the first time they confronted Zhu Youjian politically, which made them somewhat guilty.

Many of them thought of Chengde's relationship with Jin Xuan, Yan Yinshao and others, so they deliberately named Chengde.

However, in the face of their cryptic hints, Cheng De didn't bother to pay attention, and instead said matter-of-factly:
"As for the decision-making power, I have already said that it is impossible for His Highness to give up."

"As long as we have three cabinet seats, we can at least protect ourselves."

"Perhaps in His Highness's opinion, I'm a little too far ahead."

"It's best to end the matter early. When Wu Aheng and Yang Wenyue come back, plus the group of officials behind them, maybe we will be slightly disadvantaged."

Cheng De's words were like knives, piercing the hearts of everyone sitting there.

Zhu Youjian's suppression of them is not ineffective, but in places that are difficult for them to control.

Overseas is a place that is difficult for them to control, and it is also the place where the Yanshan faction's control is weakest.

Among them, Old Port and Nanzhou are the main ones.

Nanzhou still has a large number of conservative officials who have been dispatched. If the Yanshan faction really makes progress, it cannot be ruled out that Zhu Youjian will reactivate this group of conservative officials.

There are a full 10,000+ officials there. If the capital officials are restored to their posts, the Yanshan faction will suffer heavy losses.

"Your Highness will not activate the old school, don't worry about that..."

Cheng De interrupted their wild thinking, and said emphatically:

"We may have political differences with His Highness, but His Highness agrees with us in our attitude towards conservative officials."

"Since that's the case, what are we afraid of?"

Wang Kejian, the imperial censor of the Zuoqian Capital, couldn't help but stand up: "Your Highness wants to delay, then we will accompany him to delay."

"Dragging all the political affairs, when the time comes, it should not be us who are anxious, but Your Highness."

"Clap clap clap-"

Wang Kejian's words made everyone applaud, and Chengde took a look at them, and after confirming that they were clinging to the decision-making power, he stopped persuading them, but got up and said:
"In this case, let's delay for three months."

"Good!" Everyone echoed, it seemed that the longer the delay, the better for them.

"Let's disperse, the one-year Muxiu I saved up should be used."

After Chengde finished speaking, he also waved his hand to signal that everyone can go out, while he turned around and walked into the side room.

Seeing this, everyone dispersed one after another, without the hesitation they felt when they learned that their memorial had been rejected.

They walked out of the small courtyard happily, and this scene was also seen by the eyeliner arranged by Zhu Ciran early on, and they quickly played the East Palace.

"They are quite happy, but I don't think they will be happy soon..."

After receiving the news, Zhu Ciran snorted coldly, with a gloomy expression on his face.

"Although I don't know why my uncle hasn't done anything yet, I think my uncle has his own considerations."

Zhu Ciran was blindly confident in Zhu Youjian, but Zhang Xiu beside him was worried:

"If His Royal Highness King Qi doesn't want to take care of these things, then what should..."

"No!" Zhu Ciran resolutely vetoed: "Uncle loves the people, he knows what will happen if he doesn't care."

"If you really don't care about it?" Even Liu Shun, who sees the overall situation very openly, can't help frowning worriedly, Zhu Ciran can only frown:
"If my uncle really doesn't have the heart to do it, then I can only do it myself after he becomes the emperor..."

Zhu Ciran's words made Du Yinxi next to him frown, with a worried expression on his face, he knew what Zhu Ciran's words meant.

When politics cannot be compromised, war is the last resort.

The high-level generals of the Southern Army, Western Army, and Northern Army all supported Zhu Ciran, and there were not a few mid-level generals in the Qin and Qi families, so these three armies could be checked and balanced.

The only variables are Shangzhi, Navy and Eastern Army.

The navy is at sea, and it has the least conflict with the land, while the Eastern Army has the smallest force at the moment, with a vast land and few people, so it can't make trouble if it wants to.

What worries Zhu Ciran the most is Shangzhi, after all, Shangzhi has the strongest combat power.

However, the Sixteen Guards of Shangzhi did not have Yanshan to intervene, so Shangzhi was also divided into two factions of guards and battalions.

The Shangzhi 12th Guards had a strength of nearly [-], and the Shangzhi [-]th Gongwei Battalion had a strength of [-]. It seemed that the Guards were at a disadvantage.

But if the three guards of the imperial city are added, the strength of the two sides is 12 to [-]. The strength of the troops is similar, and the strength of the guards is much higher than that of the Gongwei battalion.

This is also the result of Zhu Youjian's suppression. If there had been no suppression, many generals who graduated from the Yanshan Military Academy would have held all the middle and low-level official positions in the Fifth Army Commander's Mansion.

Although the Yanshan military school has only been in operation for six years, it has produced tens of thousands of generals, who are the backbone of the Yanshan faction.

Later, the Yanshan Military Academy was reorganized, and teachers with no background entered it, and the Yanshan Military Academy was changed to the Shuntian Military Academy.

For example, Li Zicheng and others graduated from the Yanshan Military Academy, while Li Dingguo was from the Shuntian Military Academy.

The former is most influenced by Yanshan, while the latter is a purely official institution that does not involve any political background.

After the Yanshan faction was suppressed in the army, most of the people who replaced them were people like Li Dingguo.

"The Yanshan faction can't fight a protracted war. If they can't make a difference in one battle, then as soon as the news spreads, the soldiers will change their positions."

It's true that Zhu Ciran can't lead the army to fight, but he knows that the last thing soldiers want is a civil war.

No matter how the Yanshan faction deceives them, as long as the lies are exposed, the Yanshan faction can only lose.

Right now they just captured part of the army and used it to blackmail the court.

"Your Highness, can we inform all the armies in advance that they will not leave camp next year?"

"In this way, how can the generals of the Yanshan faction incite the soldiers?"

Zhang Xiu thought about this matter from the perspective of a traditional civil servant, but Zhu Ciran immediately asked back:
"If you were a soldier, would you trust the court newspaper, or the comrades and generals who fought with you through mountains of swords and seas of fire?"

"Don't talk about them, but right now I suddenly tell you that Uncle Qi is besieged in the palace of Qi Wang, and you are asked to lead troops to rescue Uncle Qi with me, will you not believe me?"

Zhu Ciran pointed out the root of the problem, that is, soldiers will believe in people or things they want to believe in at the beginning of the war.

It will take time for them to wake up, and with their combat power, this little time for awakening is enough to cause great harm to Daming.

"The war will not start..."

At the critical moment, Du Yinxi curbed the idea that the three of them were gradually going to extremes, and said seriously:
"The Yanshan faction won't seek death to provoke a war, but King Qi doesn't want to take the initiative to provoke a war."

"Wars will not be provoked. Whoever strikes the sword first will lose righteousness first."

"The test now is not who has more people or more soldiers, but which side has vicious methods."

"Although I haven't worked with King Qi for too long, I still know some of His Highness' methods."

"The Yanshan faction is no match for His Royal Highness King Qi, which is why His Royal Highness Qi is still able to handle it with ease."

"In terms of people's hearts, the people's hearts are in the emperor and the king of Qi, not in the court officials."

"Even though Yanshan can deceive the local people, as long as King Qi and Long Live tell the world one north and one south, the people can calm down with a flick of their fingers."

"The hearts of the people and the army are in the imperial court, why should His Highness be afraid of them?"

"What's more, with His Royal Highness King Qi's ability to know the world, even if the smoke is everywhere, His Highness can lead the army to survey the heroes and calm the mountains and rivers."

"Thus, from the point of view of the following officials, His Royal Highness, you only need to watch His Royal Highness King Qi survey Yanshan Mountain in the East Palace..."

Du Yinxi's words seemed to be a shot in the arm for everyone in the East Palace, and the anxiety on everyone's faces gradually disappeared, and Zhu Ciran couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Just as they were soothing their breath, the sound of footsteps came from outside the Chunhe Palace, followed by Li Yongzhen who entered the palace with a happy face.

"Your Highness, the Qi Palace has come to order!"

(End of this chapter)