Chapter 300: More Haste, Less Speed, the Ruler and Ministers of the World

The entrance of the Carp Valley before everyone's eyes was no longer the shabby wooden fence village, but a majestic blue brick square city.

The summer wind was blowing from east to west, and the dragon flag on the top of the city was fluttering in the wind. Several soldiers in armor stood under the flag, and there were dark pipes next to them.

"When did a brick city appear here?"

The leaders following Tuo Yuanbao were also stunned. They were shocked when they saw the blue brick square city in front of them. After a long time, they asked in confusion.

Things were so strange. This Carp Valley was originally one of their territories, and it was even an important outpost of their Jianzhou Jurchens.

Although it was reasonable for it to be occupied by the Ming army, it was hard to understand why a city had been built in just a few months.

It was just that this matter was destined to have no answer. After all, in terms of their construction ability, this kind of thing was simply a miracle.

Tuo Yuanbao slowly reacted, but shook his head bitterly.

Although he accepted the strategic deployment of a detour to attack Liyu Valley, his father probably never thought that a brick city would be built here, and it seemed that there were Ming troops guarding it.

Fortunately, the number of people they led this time was as high as 10,000, so it was not impossible to capture this blue brick square city.

The capital was still prosperous in August, but the weather was slowly getting cooler.

As the autumn examination was approaching, the capital's attention to the Jianzhou war was significantly reduced, and it began to speculate who would be the champion of this year's autumn examination.

Preparing for the exam has become the most important thing for candidates nowadays.

Although the capital has downplayed its attention to the Jianzhou war, many candidates dare not take it lightly.

With the recent issues of "Ming" frequently mentioning Jianzhou, and the Jianzhou Jiyou Project launched by the court, everyone knows that this year's autumn examination topic may be inseparable from Jianzhou.

Like last year's Shuntian Autumn Examination, the chief examiner, Song Cheng, the governor of Shuntian Prefecture, cleverly borrowed "Liu Chun hid the map to stop Han from invading Yue", thus alluding to Liu Daxia's hiding of the Annan archives.

That's right, the candidates were struggling to find out the latest progress of the Jianzhou war, but they wanted to escort it accurately. However, except for Wang Yue who was still leading Binjiang to set up camp, no news of the war came back.

Xiyuan, Yangxin Palace.

Zhu Youtang, wearing a dragon robe, sat upright at the table, and the whole person looked more mature, and was conscientiously handling the affairs of the two capitals and thirteen provinces.

Although the war in Jianzhou is very important, if you want to manage the country well, you can't just focus on Jianzhou, but you have to take charge of the overall situation.

The most gratifying thing is that Liu Zhong, the governor of Huguang, is still conscientiously continuing to survey the land.

Although this hands-on survey model is slow, it can make all hidden fields invisible, and it also exposes the mentality that many officials and gentry still hold flukes.

Perhaps, there is really no shortcut in this world!

Only Liu Zhong's personal land surveying model can truly find out the real acreage of the Ming Dynasty, which is the best solution to solve the problem of hidden land, and is also a weapon to combat unjust magistrates.

"I heard that you had a heat stroke, and I was very uneasy, so I sent a royal doctor to treat you! You are my rib minister, so you should take care of your body, so that you can help me create a prosperous era!" Zhu Youtang would personally write a reply to his loyal ministers and earnestly advise Liu Zhong.

Although he did not see it with his own eyes, he was unwilling to stay outdoors for a quarter of an hour this summer. This sultry weather was simply life-threatening.

However, Liu Zhong was undeterred by wind and rain, and always implemented the principle of personal measurement. The progress this summer did not slow down due to the scorching heat.

The information Zhu Youtang obtained from Huguang also confirmed that Liu Zhong did not falsify and always fulfilled his duties of land surveying in a down-to-earth manner, so he picked up a good minister.

Now he cares about Liu Zhong's health, in addition to winning people's hearts, it is also from the heart.

Thanks to Liu Zhong's role as a role model, many local officials and gentry no longer dare to conceal their land, and even many county magistrates followed Liu Zhong's example and went down to the fields to measure it personally.

It was the spontaneous registration of these local officials and gentry, coupled with the spontaneous investigation of land by local officials, that led to the registration of a large number of hidden fields.

In the same way, this year's grain tax has exceeded the 40 million stone mark, which is more than double the original history.

The idea of ​​light taxation advocated by Confucianism is not wrong, but the successful transformation of agricultural society requires the guidance of national capital. Now the Ming Dynasty wants to take this step, but it cannot do without the support of grain tax.

If the plan of measuring land in the Ming Dynasty goes smoothly, the finances of the Ming Dynasty will surely become more and more prosperous, far more than the gains from the rectification of the salt administration.

In terms of merit alone, Liu Zhong is much worse than Wang Yue now, but his future merits may be able to surpass him.

"Your Majesty, the officials of the Ministry of Works have arrived and are waiting in the imperial study!" Liu Jin walked in from outside and reported respectfully.

After Zhu Youtang finished dealing with the memorials, he usually wrote back to the governor of the frontier. Just as he finished replying to Xu Shiying, the governor of Donghai, he put down the brush in his hand.

"Your Highness, your Highness!" Jia Jun, the Minister of Works, led several core officials of the Ministry of Works to wait here. When they saw Zhu Youtang coming in, they immediately greeted him.

Zhu Youtang did not attach importance to these empty formalities, so he went straight to the point and said, "How is the progress of the construction in Jianzhou?"

After all, respect and inferiority are engraved in everyone's bones. The officials of the Ministry of Works present turned their heads to look at Jia Jun.

Jia Jun is a tall old man with a gray beard, but his eyes are bright and full of wisdom.

Jia Jun specializes in engineering, and due to his outstanding talent and performance in engineering, Jia Jun became the first person to be elected minister since the Ming Dynasty.

Facing Zhu Youtang's inquiry, Jia Jun pointed to the sand table seriously and said: "Your Majesty, this is the latest construction progress of our Ministry of Works. Please take a look!"

The Ministry of Industry has jurisdiction over millions of craftsmen, many of whom are skilled craftsmen.

After the sand table in Jianzhou was shrunk, they moved it directly here. Five cities have stood on the east side of the sand table, four of which have been completed.

Seeing that the progress was much faster than expected, Zhu Youtang couldn't help but nodded with satisfaction, then pointed to a rift valley and asked seriously: "Is this the Carp Valley?"

"Your Majesty is wise, this time it is Carp Valley! According to your Majesty's instructions, one hundred thousand craftsmen have all entered Jianzhou to build the city. Now the city of Jianzhou covers an area of ​​one square kilometer!" Jia Jun kept bending his waist, But he said it with a bit of pride.

The war in Jianzhou is a matter of the Ministry of War. Now the most important task of their Ministry of Industry is to build a city in Jianzhou, so that the new cities built are scattered in Jianzhou like spider webs, forming a criss-crossing trend.

This has been the case since ancient times. If there is no city, it may be land that can be abandoned at any time. But once a city is built, the people are often there.

If the Eastern Expeditionary Army was recovering territory, then the Ministry of Industry was now incorporating the recovered Jianzhou territory into the territory of the Ming Dynasty through city building.

Seeing that things were developing in a good direction, Zhu Youtang reached out and picked up a square city mold from the sand table: "Are they all using cement now?"

The main adhesive used in this era was the glutinous rice method. Just by hearing the name, you can tell that it was very expensive and a waste of food. Just like fishing line, suitable materials are always hard to find.

In view of this, Zhu Youtang provided the cement formula.

After many attempts, the Ministry of Works finally obtained a rough version of cement by simply firing limestone.

Naturally, the performance of this rough version of cement cannot be compared with the cement of later generations, and the effect is not even as good as the current glutinous rice method, but the advantage is that the cost of cement is very low.

The most important thing is that as long as limestone mines are found, the materials can be obtained locally, thus greatly reducing the cost of transporting glutinous rice from Beijing to Jianzhou.

"There are a lot of limestone mines in Jianzhou. Ye Bushou had figured out the terrain long ago, so the five cities built now use cement to build new cities!" Jia Jun, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, looked proud with his eyes shining brightly. respond.

Zhu Youtang looked at the square city mold in his hand and found that this small mold was also made of cement, so he asked curiously: "How much does a city cost now?"

"Your Majesty, since we are building outside the Great Wall and issuing food stamps and cloth stamps to craftsmen and workers, the cost of building a city has reached 50,000 taels!" Jia Jun, the Minister of Industry, swallowed his saliva and looked cautious.

The Ming Dynasty had a complete corvee system. If this kind of city building was done domestically, 20,000 taels of silver would usually be enough to build a brick city.

It’s just that the current situation is quite special. Even with cement, a high-quality and cheap adhesive, both craftsmen and refugees need to pay wages.

Just like this, the cost of building a state and city this time was quite high, but it brought a certain burden to the Ming Dynasty's finances.

Zhu Youtang frowned slightly and sighed helplessly.

He knew that if he didn't choose to squeeze his compatriots, this would be a normal cost, but he had to do it. In fact, building the city was of great significance, but it was helpful for the Ming Dynasty to continue to control Jianzhou.

Like the Liaoxi Corridor, this was already a territory outside Shanhaiguan, but because of the existence of Ningyuan City and Jinzhou City, the Ming Dynasty continued to control it.

As long as we can now build a city in Jianzhou and rely on the powerful military power of the Ming Dynasty, it will be a matter of course to drive away or annihilate the small Jianzhou Jurchens.

Zhu Youtang knew that only by giving can you get rewards, so he seriously warned: "Jianzhou is the granary of the northeast of the Ming Dynasty. For the great cause of China, we must tighten our pants and complete the construction of the Jianzhou city network." After a pause, He also emphasized seriously: "I will not be stingy with my investment, but all ministers must make a good budget and strive to spend all the money wisely! If things come true, you will all be rewarded, but if you want to seek personal gain from it, then don't do it. No wonder I’m so rude!”

"I will obey your Majesty's teachings!" Jia Jun, Minister of Industry, and other officials knew that this was Zhu Youtang's bottom line, and they no longer had any thoughts of being greedy, so they expressed their stance seriously.

In the past, there might have been thoughts of seeking personal gain, but the current emperor is wise and powerful, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate is even more eyeing, so they are all willing to contribute to the dynasty.

Unconsciously, although the number of civil servants who died in the Hongzhi Dynasty was second only to that of the Hongwu Dynasty, more and more civil servants were willing to obey Zhu Youtang's orders.

Due to the unity of the monarch and his ministers, and the Ming Dynasty's financial prosperity, cities sprung up in Jianzhou like bamboo shoots after rain.

Of course, there is no need to talk about Shanhaiguan, but the Guanning-Jin Corridor has already taken shape. On this basis, it is quietly extending to the entire Jianzhou.

In time, as long as every corner of Jianzhou is touched, the fertile land of Jianzhou will be officially included in the territory of Ming Dynasty.

As for the plan of Northeast Granary, it is not just a slogan. More and more disaster victims from Henan have arrived in Jianzhou, and they have actively participated in the work of repairing the city, so that this plan is also carried out in an orderly manner.

Many people actually understand one thing wrong! This Ming Dynasty's expedition was not just to defeat the Jurchens in Jianzhou, but to seize the entire Jianzhou territory.

In order to achieve this strategic goal, steady progress is the best approach.

Wang Yue was not in a hurry to wipe out the main force of the Jianzhou Jurchens. On the one hand, there was no need to take risks easily, and on the other hand, the Ming Dynasty had been quietly "recovering" Jianzhou.

Boom!

With a cannon shot, a lead bullet weighing ten pounds shot out of the muzzle, accompanied by a sharp sound of breaking through the air.

After years of secret research and development, the Ming Dynasty not only worked hard on firearms, but also continuously improved artillery. Now the range of heavy artillery has reached one mile.

Crack!

A Chinese pine tree was hit by a lead bullet, and the trunk broke immediately, and then fell to the ground with a bang.

Puff!

A Mongolian cavalryman faced the oncoming lead bullet with a shocked expression on his face, and then his whole body was hit by the lead bullet, and the sound of bones breaking came from his body.

Ah...

Although a Mongolian cavalryman escaped by chance, his mount was beaten to pieces, causing his whole body to fall heavily to the ground and break his bones.

How could this happen?

Tuo Yuanbao was leading his men to seize the Daming City, but he was immediately confused by the cannonballs flying from the Daming City, especially the chaos in his own army.

Although the Daming Dynasty was extremely powerful, its own corruption was also obvious.

But I don’t know when the Daming Dynasty seemed to have been reborn. Not only was the military discipline stricter, but now shocking things are endless.

"Kill!"

Just when the Jurchen army led by Tuo Yuanbao was in chaos, the city gate was suddenly opened, and a well-trained heavy cavalry rushed out of the city.

"Heavy cavalry? How is this possible?"

"It's over, this is the Daming Aegis Battalion!"

"Why is the Aegis Battalion here? Do they know that we are attacking by surprise?"

...

Facing the Aegis Battalion that suddenly came out, the leaders who followed Tuo Yuanbao were stunned and immediately smelled a conspiracy.

Among the cavalry, the heavy cavalry was undoubtedly invincible.

However, the cost of heavy cavalry is too high. Not only does it require a lot of resources to build, but the usual maintenance is also very expensive.

In the intelligence they originally collected, because the weather in Jianzhou is too hot, the Shield Battalion did not follow the Eastern Expedition Army this time.

But I don’t know if it’s because of Wang Yue’s delaying tactics until the end of summer, or if the Shield Battalion has been hiding here waiting for them, and now it is giving them a head-on blow.

“Kill!”

Tie Xiangshan led the way, leading 5,000 Shield Battalions to kill, like a sharp arrow piercing the already chaotic Jianzhou Jurchen army.