I Am the Grandson of the Second Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Earning 100 Million Taels at the Beginn

Chapter 279 You have signed so many contracts, now is the time to pay them back.

"The old man didn't say anything, did he?"

"Did you and your son be blamed?"

"Is the second child really paralyzed? I heard that it's so serious that I can't even move."

At the gate of the East Palace, Mrs. Zhang, who had known for a long time that her son and her husband were coming back today, brought her daughter-in-law Tagaylis, who had just entered the palace, looking in the direction of the gate, looking forward to it.

When he saw Zhu Pangpang and Zhu Zhangui walking in, he hurriedly greeted them, his mouth was like a machine gun, and he asked several questions.

Zhu Pangpang looked at his wife's expectant eyes, shook his head helplessly, and walked into the house with his hands behind his back.

"Hey! What's the matter with you!"

"The food is ready, it's time to eat!"

"Also, when the grandson comes back tomorrow, do you want to prepare a little more lesson preparation and teach him tomorrow."

It's a pity that no matter what Zhang asked, Zhu Pangpang ignored her, but walked into the study silently and closed the door.

"What's wrong with your father?"

Seeing that her husband ignored her, Mrs. Zhang thought that something had happened, so she came to Zhu Zhangui and asked in a low voice.

"My father may be in a good mood, he didn't recover for a while!"

"I'm in a good mood. Although it's a good thing that the second child is paralyzed, it can't be shown on the face. If your grandpa sees it, he should be angry again."

Zhu Zhangui shook his head, looked left and right, and saw that only Tagiris was by his side, so he whispered in his mother's ear.

"It's not just about the second uncle. When I came back in the morning, my grandfather said in front of us that he will be the family for another year next year, and my father will be the next year."

"That is to say, my dear mother, my son will be able to call you queen mother in the next year."

Mrs. Zhang covered her mouth in surprise, looked at Zhu Zhangui in disbelief, and asked in the lowest voice.

"Your grandfather is really going to retire?"

Zhu Zhangui nodded seriously, took his mother's hand with one hand, and Tagiris with the other, and whispered as he walked towards the restaurant.

"Second Uncle's incident has greatly stimulated Grandpa, coupled with Grandpa's great achievements when he was in power, Grandpa has no regrets in his heart."

"Actually, grandpa mentioned this a few years ago, but he never talked about it again. My father and I thought that the old man ignored it on purpose, so we didn't dare to think about it."

"I didn't expect grandpa to say it directly today. Many palace people and guards around heard this sentence. It seems that grandpa is true this time."

"call!"

Hearing her son's analysis, Mrs. Zhang let out a heavy breath. It has been nearly 20 years, and her husband has finally come to the fore.

Knowing the reason, she just ignored her little displeasure when her husband ignored her just now.

After being husband and wife for so many years, she fully understands how hard her husband is. Now that the hardships are coming, it's normal that she can't accept it for a while.

When they came to the restaurant, Mrs. Zhang asked the maid to take the plate, and while serving food, said to the two of them: "Eat first, I'll bring some food to your father. After running so far, I don't want to eat anything. How to do it."

Zhu Zhangui nodded, and sat down to have dinner under the service of Tagilis.

After eating a few mouthfuls, and waiting for his mother to pretend, Zhu Zhangui looked at Tagilis, who was waiting for him, and winked at his mother who was about to leave.

It's been almost a year, it should be almost the same.

At first, Mrs. Zhang didn't understand what her son meant, but when she saw her son's eyes, which kept turning away from Tagiris, she instantly understood the meaning.

Rolling her eyes angrily, Zhang reached out and poked Zhu Zhangui's forehead.

"Same as your father!"

"Although it is possible, you must also pay attention to moderation. The body is the most important."

After finishing speaking, he took a look at Tagilis who was beside him and didn't understand what he meant, and walked out of the study with a smile on his plate.

Today is really good news for Dong Gong.

The second child who had been fighting against the East Palace was paralyzed, and the son who had been fighting outside also came back. The husband finally came out after more than ten years of suffering, and the family had added a new person.

Originally learned that the second child was paralyzed, Mrs. Zhang, who was still very worried that the old man would punish her husband and son, instantly relaxed.

"By the way, mother, the second aunt and the others will come from the fief in a few days. Then you go to comfort them. After all, this is the end of the matter, and the previous grievances and grievances will be over."

"And when you're talking, don't laugh out loud. Everyone will be embarrassed by that time."

Mrs. Zhang, who was about to walk out the door, nodded.

"Don't worry, my mother has managed the harem for so many years, she is not the kind of person who has no brains, I know what to do."

In the next few days, as Zhu Zhangui expected, the news that Zhu Pangpang was about to inherit the throne in the year after next quickly spread throughout the capital.

Upon hearing the news, many people felt very complicated.

If there is no such thing as a new student, the civil servants will definitely celebrate.

However, since the new learning threatened the status of Confucianism, the civil servants were slightly dissatisfied with the prince who did not oppose the establishment of the new learning, and even supported the establishment of the new learning.

But what about dissatisfaction?
This is the national policy set by the old man, and the century-old cause promoted by the grandson, and His Royal Highness the crown prince also implicitly supports it.

Three generations work together, unless the civil servants have the ability to change the dynasty, otherwise this national policy cannot be shaken at all.

Originally, some officials had already planned to join the King of Han, thinking of increasing the power of the King of Han to fight against the prince, and see if they could turn the tables.

But now that the King of Han is paralyzed and has withdrawn from the duel for the throne, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has no competitors at all.

As for Prince Zhao, well.

Many people are not optimistic about him, and no one even thinks about him at all.

Zhu Gaosui: I am also a prince after all, can't you have some confidence in me?
Now that the old man is planning to abdicate, the prince is about to become a new generation of emperor, which is completely settled.

Although the officials have their own thoughts on this, they can't change it. They can only hope that their influence can influence the prince, and don't pay too much attention to the new learners.

In the past few days, many people want to go to the East Palace to pay respects, so come to worship the mountain in advance.

It's impossible to send charcoal in the snow, and they still have to catch the last bus that is the icing on the cake.

Faced with the visits of these officials, Zhu Pangpang didn't meet any of them, and he found various reasons to postpone it.

In the end, he directly announced that he would go to the ancestral temple to fast and meditate in preparation for the big sacrifice at the end of the year.

Even before going to the ancestral temple, Zhu Pangpang told Zhu Zhangui that if there were no necessary matters, try not to contact officials.

The more we need to be cautious at this time, otherwise the old man will feel that this is because the father and son thought that the matter was a foregone conclusion and started to drift away.

Although the old man didn't say anything about Zhu Pangpang's actions, it can be seen from the fact that the old man provided Zhu Pangpang with the green vegetables in the warmer, he was very satisfied with his eldest son's actions.

Zhu Zhangui hasn't seen the minister these days, except when his second aunt's family came to greet him, Zhu Zhangui spent most of his time in the artisan camp, studying steam engine issues with those masters.

After several years of research and experience with ironclad steam engines, the fourth generation of Daming locomotives was formally finalized.

The shape and structure of the locomotive are exactly the same as the locomotives in the industrial age materials that Zhu Zhangui saw.

The reason why it is the 4th generation is because the first three generations are only short-distance experimental products, and the 4th generation is officially on the road.

There are various reasons why the first three generations were not used.

The first generation can’t do anything, it needs speed but no speed, it needs transportation capacity, but it doesn’t have transportation capacity, except for a little novelty, it’s just the same product.

The second generation is equipped on ironclad warships, but due to lack of experience in air pressure, if the control is not good, it is easy to explode the cylinder, it is too dangerous and there is no large-scale output.

The third generation was ready to be tested some time ago. As a result, in the first two days of the trial, the Artisan Camp found another problem during inspection.

The 4th generation is the current generation.

After more than a month of research by hundreds of masters day and night, the fourth-generation steam locomotive was finally settled.

The weight of the locomotive is 22 tons, and the peak speed of an empty car can reach 60 kilometers per hour. If it is transporting people, the speed is about 50 kilometers per hour. If it is full of goods, it may drop to more than 30 to more than 40 kilometers per hour.

But Zhu Zhangui is also satisfied with this.

Everything is researched from generation to generation, and you can't eat a big fat man in one bite.

With the current level of these masters, it is still no problem to fiddle with the steam engine. If you throw an internal combustion engine at them, they will definitely be at a loss.

"Your Highness, what do you think about what I told you!"

Xia Yuanji, who bet on Zhu Zhangui today, looked at the steam engine on the track, which was gradually formed by the busy masters, and asked in a low voice, holding the blueprint in one hand, while pointing to Zhu Zhangui assembled by the masters.

Zhu Zhangui was upset and said this guy too.

"Don't think about it, Lao Xia, I won't merge the artisan camp into the Ministry of Industry."

At the beginning of this year, Song Li, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, was recuperating due to illness. Zhu Pangpang couldn't find a replacement for a while, so he let Xia Yuanji take the lead first.

As a result, Xia Yuanji became the first person in the Yongle Dynasty to hold two ministerial positions.

The reason why this guy is in charge of the two is because since the rise of the Artisan Battalion, the Ministry of Industry has become a dispensable existence.

Most of the craftsmen across the country were recruited by Zhu Zhangui, and the Ministry of Industry was almost poached.

Now the entire Ministry of Industry, except for those few officials, has become empty shelf.

Don't say that others, including the old man, give orders to the craftsman camp for everything.

Such as the manufacture of armor and water conservancy renovation, as well as the construction of cities in various places, are all done by craftsmen.

As time passed, the Ministry of Industry was left with the job of repairing houses for the royal family and the dignitaries, and no one asked them for other errands.

In fact, even if they were approached, they didn't have anyone to do it.

The previous Song Li, because of the artisan camp, was blocked and immediately fell ill. In the end, he was so angry that he told his old age and returned home.

He is not playing.

Ever since Zhu Zhangui established the artisan camp, the idea of ​​this old man was to transfer the artisan camp to the Ministry of Industry.

As a result, it has been several years. Not only did the artisan camp not be dug over, but the Ministry of Industry is almost empty.

There are rumors among the people that he is the most useless Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry in the history of China.

Song Li, an elderly man, couldn't bear the stimulation of gossip outside and being laughed at by other colleagues every day.

The old man Song Li left, and the Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry naturally became vacant.

If it was in the past, this position would definitely be snatched away. After all, this yamen is only a little worse than the Ministry of Households.

But now that there is a vacancy, Zhu Pangpang waited for several days and no one recommended him, let alone recommending himself.

Zhu Pangpang also knew the reason.

Who wants to work in a department that only has a name, no power, and no people under it.

But one of the six parts couldn't be empty, Zhu Pangpang thought it over, so he asked Xia Yuanji to pick it first, and when he found someone later, he was taking over this position.

Zhu Pangpang originally thought that Xia Yuanji had concurrently served as Minister of the Ministry of Industry, so he would put it aside and only take care of his own household affairs.

But I didn't expect this old guy to be a guy who does what he does and loves what he does.

On the second day of serving as Minister of the Ministry of Industry, this veteran proposed to merge the Artisan Camp into the Ministry of Industry, and also proposed various development plans.

Zhu Pangpang would not agree to this matter.

Not to mention that the Artisan Camp is his son's painstaking effort, but with the current value of the Craftsman Camp, he is not willing to transfer it to the Ministry of Industry.

Didn't cross over, the Artisan Camp still belonged to the East Palace, although the old man used it often, the Ministry of Households paid for it.

But once assigned to the Ministry of Industry, the Artisan Battalion would belong to the imperial court department.

Zhu Pangpang, who has been in charge of officials for most of his life, knows very well those low-level officials who have no shit skills but are first-rate in causing damage.

Zhu Pangpang can guarantee it with his feet.

The artisan camp was assigned to the Ministry of Industry, and within 10 years it would be destroyed by these guys.

These 10 years are under the supervision of him and his son. If the two do not supervise, I am afraid that they will not be able to survive for five years.

The prince disagreed, and Xia Yuanji was not discouraged. When Zhu Zhangui came back a few days ago, he ran to the door in a panic.

For this guy's shamelessness, Zhu Zhangui is enough.

When he was the Minister of the Ministry of Households, this guy was thinking about his own money. Now that he is also the Minister of the Ministry of Industry, he began to dig his own roots.

Lao Xia is no longer an official.

Xia Yuanji didn't care about this.

In the words of this old guy, if you want to seek government in your job, you have to be responsible in which department you become an official, otherwise you will be sorry for the trust and salary of the imperial court.

"If you think about it again, if they join the Ministry of Industry, they will not be ordinary craftsmen, but officials with status."

"Besides, they have made political achievements through their work, and they can also be promoted. This is a great incentive for them. Maybe they can be encouraged here, and their research and development capabilities will be stronger."

Xia Yuanji didn't give up, and continued to persuade him while licking his face.

"It's ok, don't talk about it. There's nothing to say about it. If you have nothing else to do, you should go back quickly. You have two jobs. I guess you have a lot to do."

No matter what Xia Yuanji said or tried to persuade, Zhu Zhangui just shook his head and disagreed.

That is to say, this person is Xia Yuanji. If it were someone else, Zhu Zhangui couldn't stand the nagging, and kicked him out.

Seeing that there is no hope of success today, Xia Yuanji didn't care, and took out a blueprint from his sleeve with a smile.

"Your Highness, I have something to do!"

Zhu Zhangui: "..."

"Next time you have something to say, don't mess with those empty-headed people, and be careful that I will beat you."

Looking at the drawing handed in front of him, Zhu Zhangui took it angrily.

This guy is probably here for this matter, the previous matter is just mentioned in passing, it is best to be completely successful, if not successful, deepen it, the impact of the matter in Zhu Zhangui's mind.

Unfold the blueprint, which shows the territory map owned by Daming.

It's just an abbreviated version.

On the blueprint, there are dozens of routes criss-crossing, roughly summarizing the existing territory of Ming Dynasty.

"You are this?"

Zhu Zhangui, who didn't understand, glanced at Xia Yuanji suspiciously.

"A railway map!"

"This thing has such a strong transportation capacity, as long as it is laid according to the above route, the taxes and taxes of all parts of Daming can be paid quickly."

"And in this way, the consumption is greatly reduced, and the court can save a lot of money."

Xia Yuanji, who was very excited, rolled up his sleeves and kept lighting up the lines, talking about future plans.

Especially for the train route from Jinling to Asan, Xia Yuanji emphasized that this railway must be repaired as soon as possible.

As long as this railway is completed, the food and minerals from Ah San's side will be continuously transported to Daming.

More importantly, with this railway, the control over the Asan area will be greatly strengthened, and there is no need to worry about troubles in the Asan area.

Xia Yuanjichang thought: "Your Highness, think about it, as long as this railway is repaired, and if anything happens in the Asan area, our imperial court can quickly send troops over there, and we don't have to work hard to push the army step by step. gone by."

Listening to Xia Yuanji's eloquent talk, Zhu Zhangui glanced at the old man unexpectedly.

This old guy is quite stingy on weekdays, why is he willing to spend a lot of money to build a railway?
Moreover, this old man's vision is also very forward-looking. Many ministers in the DPRK and China don't understand what a train is at all. This old man has already begun to plan the national railway network.

Moreover, the route was also designed very reasonably. The train route on the map used Tic Tac Toe as the main route, and other routes branched out based on these routes, connecting the entire Daming.

This old man probably put a lot of thought into this aspect.

After rolling up the map in his hand, Zhu Zhangui looked at the expectant Xia Yuanji, hesitated, and asked.

"Lao Xia, do you know how much the court will spend to build these railways?"

"Do you know how much manpower it takes to build these railways?"

"Do you know how long it will take to finish repairing these railways with Daming's current steel output?"

Xia Yuanji was stunned by the three consecutive questions.

He only considered the convenience of transportation. As for how much money would it cost, how much manpower would be needed, and how much time would it take?He didn't think too much about it.

After all, in his opinion.

The distance between Jinling and Beiping took only one year to complete the railway, which should be easy to build.

"This minister is not very clear, do you need a lot?" Xia Yuanji asked cautiously.

Zhu Zhangui glanced at him, handed the map in his hand to Hu Yu behind him and stretched out his finger.

"Well, let me do the math for you!"

"The railway from Jinling to Beiping has a total length of nearly 2000 miles (not kilometers). According to the report given to me by the railway department, the average cost per mile is 4000 taels."

"This is still excluding the wages of the workers, and the food is a little worse. After all, they are all captives and criminals, and we don't need to pay for their wages."

"If it were replaced by ordinary people, the price would have to be increased by at least 100 taels."

"I used captives and criminals to build this railway. There were nearly 50 people in total. It was built in multiple sections, and it was built in two shifts during the day and night. It took nearly a year!"

"According to the final statistics, the railway is expected to cost 800 million taels, and it will need frequent maintenance in the future. It will cost at least tens of thousands of taels a year."

"800 taels!"

Xia Yuanji opened his mouth into an O shape, and plucked his ears in disbelief.

Zhu Zhangui nodded, "It's just a little bit more. This is not counting the locomotive. There are also later investment in train carriages and station construction. If these are added, at least 900 million taels of silver will be needed."

Taking the map in Hu Yu's hand, Zhu Zhangui spread it out and clicked on it.

"Your route is very good to be honest, but I don't know if your household department can bear the money and food consumed."

"You didn't say how many miles you need to build, but based on your graphics, I roughly estimated that at least 12 miles need to be built."

"Let's not talk about anything else, just build it at the price I'm using now."

Zhu Zhangui stretched out his hand, took the abacus in the guard's hand, and counted it.

"12 taels per mile for 4000 miles is 12 x 4000."

Crackling, the sound of an abacus dialing.

Zhu Zhangui put the abacus in front of Xia Yuanji.

"The railways planned by your old man need nearly 8000 million taels. If you include the various configurations of the railways, it is conservatively estimated that you will need 5 million taels."

Xia Yuanji's eyes were wide open, he looked at Zhu Zhangui with a serious face, and then at the abacus. After a long while, he suddenly reached out and took the blueprint in Zhu Zhangui's hand, and stuffed the scroll into his arms.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, I have something to do with the household department, so I'm sorry to bother you!"

Looking at the back of fleeing in embarrassment, Zhu Zhangui couldn't help laughing out loud.

But when he thought of that terrifying number, he couldn't help but feel pain in his teeth.

Nima, there is a long way to go for the nationwide railway connection!

Moreover, 12 miles is only preliminary construction, and at least [-] to [-] miles (not kilometers) are needed to operate nationwide.

Thinking of that terrifying number, Zhu Zhangui couldn't help scratching his tingling scalp.

He also felt that the imperial court had recently become rich and had a little money, and that after ascending the throne, he could rest and spend a lot of money.

But looking at it now, it seems that the court's money is nothing.

And that's just the construction of the railway.

Others include the construction of local roads, the reorganization and replacement of the national army, and the gold-swallowing beast of the navy.

After calculating one by one, Zhu Zhangui suddenly discovered that the court seemed to be really poor.

Zhu Zhangui also thought that when he came to the throne in the future and the court became rich, he would reduce or exempt the people's agricultural tax as a benefit of his enthronement.

The result counts.

Well, let the common people suffer for a few more years.

"Money, money, where do you get the money?"

Thinking that money will be needed everywhere in the future, Zhu Zhangui wondered how to get money.

Izumo's annual output is so-so enough for the imperial court to use.

Ah Sanguo mainly produces grain, and the money income is not much. In terms of minerals, the railway is not repaired, and even if they are obtained, they have to be transported by sea, which is time-consuming and laborious.

There is a saying in later generations that is indeed true. If you want to get rich, you must first build roads.

Looking at the gradually taking shape of the locomotive, Zhu Zhangui pondered for a long time with his hands behind his back, and then looked to the west.

"I wanted to leave you to my descendants to fight, but now I'm short of money, so I can only take you. You have signed so many contracts, and now it's time to pay them back."

(End of this chapter)