Brother Zhu Youxiao

Chapter 669 Fanwai ([-]) Disagreement in Political Opinions
"My lord, please..."

"drive!"

"Go slow, my lord!"

Zhu Heyin's carriage out of the city only encountered a brief inspection at the gate of the outer city, and then drove out of the corridor of the gate and came to the stone bridge of the moat ten feet wide outside the city.

Coming here, Zhu Heyin could already see the market town outside the city.

With the gathering of more than 200 million people in Beijing, a large number of market towns rose outside the moat.

In just 18 years, they have surrounded the entire outer city of the capital.

From the perspective of future generations, the current urban area of ​​the capital city has reached the level of the fourth ring road of later generations.

However, this does not hinder the gap between rich and poor inside and outside the city.

After the carriage drove into a market town in Dongzhimen, Zhu Heyin could see that the streets were filled with people in short clothes and long trousers.

Although all made of white cloth, the clothes looked like they had been worn for some time.

In market towns, a set of clothes made of ordinary white cloth costs fifty renminbi, and people often wear them for a year or two before replacing them with new ones.

It is difficult for people in the city to find a job, and it is the same outside the city.

Although a set of ready-made clothes only needs three days' wages for one laborer, most ordinary people have more than three months' work in a year.

For most of them, the main source of income is farming, and the land allocated to them by the government is often more than ten or even dozens of miles away from the market town.

Zhu Heyin didn't bother to look at the market town, but focused all his attention on the scenery after the carriage walked out of the market town.

When the carriage just came out of the market town, like most areas of Ming Dynasty, the common people used tractors to cultivate in rotation, and some farmers who had planted crops early were hunched over and pulling weeds in the fields.

The emergence of tractors has indeed lightened the burden on farmers. A production team only needs ten men to complete the work on hundreds of acres of land.

In the spring sun, they were almost shirtless, and hung their coats under the trees.

Zhu Heyin watched for a while, but didn't let the coachman stop.

The carriage gradually drifted away from the city, and Jin Yiwei, who was in charge of guarding along the way, also chased up from behind when the carriage reached a remote area.

After the carriage went out of the city for more than ten miles, Zhu Heyin appeared in front of him, although there was still a large area of ​​cultivated land, but there were no buildings.

It is impossible for farmers to spend two hours a year on the way back and forth, so what appear here are grass sheds.

Each hut corresponds to a production team, and they almost live in the hut during the two most important seasons of spring planting and autumn harvest.

Each production team will send one person to deliver meals in the form of three households per day, which is one of the few times they can meet their families this season.

Zhu Heyin's team attracted the attention of many people working in the fields, but the team didn't stop, but walked seven or eight miles forward, and then slowly stopped.

When the people working in the fields saw the convoy, they all stopped their work. There was only one man wearing a straw hat and shirtless squatting in the field, pulling weeds for the rice fields that had been planted.

Zhu Heyin got off the carriage, he walked to the dirt road beside the cement road, and got off the dirt road without thinking.

He walked down the dirt road and walked towards the ridge.

The surrounding farmers could hardly imagine that a son of a nobleman like Zhu Heyin, dressed in expensive silk, would go to the fields in person, and wondered why he came here.

Facing the gaze of the farmers, Zhu Heyin walked to the path behind the man in the straw hat, and said to the man squatting in the field five or six steps away:
"Little Uncle Wang, the battle you estimated is coming..."

As soon as Tian Jian and Zhu Heyin spoke, the man in the field stopped and turned to look at Zhu Heyin.

He wears a straw hat, has dark skin, and is only in his early twenties.

Although his skin is dark, his appearance is not bad, and he is tall after standing up, so he looks out of place.

He walked from the field to the path step by step, and then walked on the dirt path in front of Zhu Heyin.

When he stood on the same road as Zhu Heyin, his height of more than six feet was intimidating, almost a head taller than Zhu Heyin.

"The war is coming, so the letter from my father urging me to go home is probably coming soon."

The man washed his feet, and then put on his clothes in front of Zhu Heyin.

Zhu Cihuang, the king of Langya County, the ninth son of Zhu Youjian, the king of Qi, was the number one student in the joint examination of the North and South Shuntian University last year, and was called "like my younger brother" by the emperor Zhu Youxiao...

Looking at his back, Zhu Heyin felt a little emotional for his uncle who was four years younger than himself.

Obviously only eighteen, but both political and military have their own unique views.

"If I also have the ability, maybe my father will pay more attention to my words..."

Zhu Heyin couldn't help thinking of the situation of the people he saw, and couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable.

"I looked at the rice in Northern Zhili. It should be the disease and insect pests caused by the lack of fallow for many years. In the coming year, the rice in Northern Zhili will have to fall fallow for a year."

Zhu Cihuang put on an ordinary pair of shorts and trousers. He didn't look like a county king, but rather a strong general in a military camp.

As for what he said, the reason is that he majored in agriculture at Suncheon University.

"I can't decide this matter, you have to go to the palace and talk to your father and grandfather."

Zhu Heyin responded, and at the same time expressed his embarrassing situation in the palace.

Although he has been in the Eastern Palace for several years, he has never had his own team.

It's not that he doesn't have the ability, but that he can't form one. After all, Zhu Ciran is not yet the emperor.

Moreover, Zhu Cihuang's status in Zhu Youxiao's eyes is indeed relatively important, or it should be said that Zhu Youjian's heirs have a very important status in Daming.

"I'll talk to Uncle Huang about it, let's go."

Zhu Cihuang complied, and at the same time walked to the carriage on the concrete road with Zhu Heyin.

The two got into the carriage one after another. Zhu Heyin did not sit in the main seat after getting into the carriage, but sat on the left and right sides with Zhu Cihuang, facing each other.

"The problem of labor employment has been mentioned in various memorials this year. Hasn't Qi encountered this problem?"

Zhu Heyin didn't directly ask Zhu Cihuang for help, but made indirect remarks.

Although Zhu Heyin was four years younger than Zhu Heyin, but because Zhu Cihuang was born late, and Zhu Youjian brought him to Daming when he was 12 years old, he naturally influenced him a lot.

Zhu Heyin's thoughts were fully revealed in front of him, but he didn't take it seriously, but said:
"This matter, my father has long said that what Daming should pay attention to now is the research on people's livelihood."

"Eldest brother has increased his research on internal combustion engines before, which is correct, but this cannot solve the current problems of Ming Dynasty."

"My father and I have privately discussed the matter of Daming in letters. In the final analysis, it is nothing more than cutting military expenditures and increasing investment in people's livelihood to increase employment."

Since the textbooks used for study were all written by Zhu Youjian, the discourses of Zhu Cihuang and Zhu Heyin have been biased towards modern times.

"But... the various infrastructure projects of the Kingdom Dynasty can theoretically be used for more than ten years..."

Zhu Heyin hesitated, but Zhu Cihuang shook his head and said:

"It has nothing to do with how many years it takes. You and I can see things clearly. Do you think the officials in the court can't see clearly?"

"The key is not infrastructure, but cutting military spending."

"But if you want to cut military expenditures, the generals in the army will definitely not be willing, and this is why your father has been hesitant to take action."

"The war against Rakshasa is a compromise before reducing military spending."

"In a war, the generals in the army can get millions of taels of silver."

"As long as the money is in hand, they will naturally loosen military expenses."

"But the key is that they will loose for a few years..."

Zhu Cihuang mentioned the matter of the Governor's Mansion of the Five Armies, which is also the most troublesome matter for Zhu Youxiao and Zhu Ciran right now.

They don't have the prestige of Zhu Youjian back then. As far as the current situation in the Ming army is concerned, even if Zhu Youjian is moved back from Qi, he still needs to prepare a lot to make the generals bow their heads.

This is the disadvantage of using martial arts to gain momentum, but Zhu Youjian back then had no choice.

The military officer is powerful, and it is much better than entering the customs in the Qing Dynasty.

What's more, during Zhu Youjian's administration, he really played the balance between civil and military affairs very well, and he also told his brother how to choose cabinet ministers.

In Zhu Youjian's view, it is indeed very simple to check and balance civil and military affairs. How could he have thought that military officials could be indulged to such an extent.

He worked hard to reduce the army to more than 10,000, but it only took more than ten years to increase it back to [-]+.

Reducing military spending, whether it is disarmament or reducing various materials, is not an easy task. Not everyone dares to reduce the Ming army from 200 million to 10,000+ like Zhu Youjian.

"This matter depends on my father."

Zhu Cihuang didn't wait for Zhu Heyin to think it over before he opened his mouth and said:

"My father hasn't returned to Daming for so many years. If he can bring Liaodonghou, Xuanhuahou and other lords back, then it is estimated that there is no need to compromise, and the military expenditure can be reduced."

"It's just that my father's health doesn't seem to be good recently. I'm afraid..."

Zhu Cihuang showed worry, which shattered Zhu Heyin's newly raised confidence.

Not long after his confidence collapsed, Zhu Ciran who had already sat down in the East Palace to process the memorial also heard footsteps.

Hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, he put down the ink pen in his hand and slowly raised his head.

The visitors were Li Dingguo and Hong Chengchou. They walked into the Chunhe Palace dressed in official official uniforms. Among them, Hong Chengchou, who was nearly [-] years old, still had strong footsteps. Zhu Ciran squinted his eyes unconsciously.

Behind Hong Chengchou, Li Dingguo, who was only 40 years old in a few months, walked in.

He is the same as before, his expression and actions are still calm, although he is middle-aged, his momentum is still there.

"See Chitose..."

After the two walked into the side hall of Chunhe Palace, they bowed to Zhu Ciran and saluted.

Seeing this, Zhu Ciran slightly raised his hands to show that he was flat, and at the same time, the little eunuchs on the left and right sides brought chairs for the two to sit down.

After they sat down, Zhu Ciran opened his mouth to talk about serious matters.

"Right now, Prince Yong has already become a feudal clan. Shouldn't the matter of making the prince a feudal clan come to the fore?"

Zhu Ciran got straight to the point, and those who can sit here are people he can trust, so regarding his thoughts, Li Dingguo still bowed without any taboo:
"Your Highness, forgive me, the current situation in the country is not good. What the people need is rest and recuperation, not war."

"It is precisely because the people are not living well that Gu wants to survey the four directions!" Zhu Ciran said in a loud voice, seeming to mean something.

"After this battle, the military expenditure of the five armies' capital should be reduced."

"The reduced military expenditure will be invested in the Ministry of Industry, and the Ministry of Industry will sort out the rivers of the world!"

Li Dingguo frowned when Zhu Ciran revealed the reason why he started the war.

He understood Zhu Ciran's thinking, but he didn't think that just a war of millions of taels of silver would make those arrogant soldiers in the army obediently accept dismissal.

Since Tianqi ten years ago, it has become a fat job to be a soldier and eat the imperial rations, so many people who joined the army and served as soldiers have bought real estate in the city.

If Zhu Ciran wanted to disarm the army, how would the Ming Dynasty accommodate the dismissed soldiers?

Judging from the current environment, Fatian can no longer solve the problem, but it is not so easy to find a job.

Without jobs, let the retired soldiers stay at home, what will happen to them after they sit and eat?
Thinking of this, Li Dingguo bowed and said:
"Your Highness, there is no need to launch a war. The country can completely retire soldiers according to their age."

"How many soldiers are there at the age of forty?" Zhu Ciran asked straightforwardly without giving Li Dingguo time to breathe.

"About 3 people..." Li Dingguo estimated a number.

3 people, this is not a small number, at least in terms of Ming's military force, as long as they can guarantee supplies, they can completely penetrate Europe.

But facing this amount, Zhu Ciran frowned slightly, his face full of impatience:

"What can 3 people reduce military spending? They can't even dredge the canal."

"I am determined to reduce the number of troops by 35 after this war, and all those over the age of [-] will retire!"

"Your Highness..." Hearing Zhu Ciran's thoughts, Du Yinxi couldn't help bowing, but was interrupted by Zhu Ciran raising his hand.

The actions of the three of them were seen by Hong Chengchou. At this moment, he felt a little joking, and even wanted to laugh.

In his opinion, why did Zhu Ciran want to cut military expenditure?Obviously, it is to weaken the power of the generals and let the generals recognize the reality.

It's just that he was late in using this method. In the vicissitudes of life in 18 years, the soldiers in the army have changed three batches.

The bit of royal majesty accumulated by King Qi in the past has long since faded with Qin Minping's death.

Except for the Southern Army and Shangzhi, the other four armies will not wait to cut power so honestly...

"Hong Gechen, don't you want to say something?"

Zhu Ciran set his sights on Hong Chengchou, he knew very well that this old fox had a way to solve the problem.

However, when he opened his mouth, Hong Chengchou, who was walking like flying before, slowly raised his hands trembling, and while bowing, his voice was hoarse and weak:
"The old minister thinks...things should not be rushed...you should ask for instructions..."

Hong Chengchou's appearance at this moment, if someone who has not seen his previous appearance, would probably feel that he is unable to take care of himself.

Obviously, Hong Chengchou didn't want to deal with this kind of thing at all. Anyway, judging from Zhu Youxiao's situation, Hong Chengchou can definitely walk ahead of Zhu Youxiao.

With such a situation and the fact that his heirs are not capable, he can only rely on the title of title, and his title of Marquis of Nan'an can be hereditary for two generations, and after the two generations, there will be three generations of scattered ranks, so there is no need to worry about the issue of children and grandchildren.

Such a situation also led to the best choice for him to be a veteran minister under the emperor.

Zhu Ciran understood Hong Chengchou's thoughts very well, he was a little displeased, but when he thought that Hong Chengchou was still needed to balance the Western Army, he calmed down.

"Since we can't discuss the regulations, I will report this matter to my father."

Zhu Ciran gave in, but felt uncomfortable in his heart that Li Dingguo did not support him.

"The old minister resigns..."

Seeing what Zhu Ciran said, Hong Chengchou got up slowly, made a salute, and then left the palace.

Seeing this, Du Yinxi wanted to stay, but seeing that Zhu Ciran didn't intend to keep him, he could only follow Hong Chengchou and retreat.

Compared with the two, Li Dingguo did not leave directly after saluting, but stood in place holding the wat board in both hands.

After Hong Chengchou and others left, he frowned and said to Zhu Ciran:

"Your Highness is still young, why rush?"

Li Dingguo's tone was no longer so official, which made Zhu Ciran feel better.

However, facing Li Dingguo's words, Zhu Ciran still put his hands on his back in dissatisfaction, and turned around:
"It's not a day and night for me to be a lieutenant general in the army. Now that the country needs further reforms, they should make concessions!"

"But your reform, is it really a reform?"

Li Dingguo walked up to Zhu Ciran, frowned and questioned him, and Zhu Ciran became angry when he heard the words: "How can it not be counted?!"

Zhu Ciran's voice instantly made the ladies and eunuchs in Chunhe Palace tremble, but Li Dingguo suppressed Zhu Ciran's anger with a loud voice:

"There should be a charter for reform! I dare to ask Your Highness, do you have a charter in your hand?"

"The charter is in my chest!" Zhu Ciran retorted loudly, but Li Dingguo pressed on step by step:
"Is your charter really applicable to the country? Isn't the lesson of changing the 'five-year plan' without authorization back then not enough?"

"His Highness has written to you a long time ago, you just need to follow the rules and regulations."

"Now there are more than [-] counties in the world, and the workers in each county are living in dire straits. Why don't you know why they are like this?!"

Li Dingguo was so angry that he didn't even bother to say "you" as an honorific name, and called "you" directly.

According to the normal situation, as soon as he said these words, the Jin Yiwei at the door should have walked in and took him down according to the situation.

However, it seems that this kind of situation happens frequently, so in the face of such a situation, the Jin Yiwei at the door did not move.

"You are arrogant! The orphan is the supervisor of the country!"

Zhu Ciran was still the same as every time he quarreled, if he couldn't get through the quarrel, he immediately changed his identity.

"The king of Qi said first, if the country is not upright, it is right to rebel! If the king is not upright, it is right to resign!"

Li Dingguo clenched the wat board in his hand, gritted his teeth and continued: "If your highness insists on not listening to the minister's advice, then please approve the minister's resignation!"

"You..." Hearing Li Dingguo's words, Zhu Ciran immediately faltered.

Not to mention that he needs Li Dingguo to control Shangzhi and balance the Northern Army. From his personal point of view, he does not want Li Dingguo to leave him.

He knew better than anyone else that Li Dingguo didn't care about the position of the current cabinet minister at all.

He can guarantee that if he approves Li Dingguo's resignation now, within a day, Li Dingguo and his family will be on the ship to Qi State...

Zhu Ciran didn't continue talking, but the violent ups and downs of his chest showed his discomfort.

At this moment, the entire Spring Harmony Palace was silent, but the Jin Yiwei at the door was very clear...

In this quarrel, Jian Guo lost again.

They can be sure, and this is because in the past few years, every time the two quarreled, it almost always ended with Li Dingguo's harsh words and Zhu Ciran's retreat.

"I will report this matter to my father, and I will personally write a copy to Uncle Qi Wang, so that he can see how the good disciple he taught himself can deceive the king!"

After being calm for a long time, Zhu Ciran vented out what he would do, like a child who can't get enough of a quarrel and seeks out his parents.

"Since His Highness has already decided, the minister will leave..."

Seeing this, Li Dingguo also knew that he had won the quarrel.

He was confident that both Zhu Youxiao and Zhu Youjian would reject Zhu Ciran's approach, so there was no pressure.

He bowed deeply to Zhu Ciran, then turned and left Chunhe Palace.

Zhu Ciran stood quietly on the spot until the sound of Li Dingguo's footsteps disappeared, then he raised his leg and kicked the corner of the table next to him in a vented manner, knocking down the paper, pen and inkstone on it...

(End of this chapter)