Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

In a small Buddhist temple in Jiji Lane, Changzhou City, the peach branches in the courtyard are lush and leafy. It is the late spring and early summer, and the pink peach blossoms are falling down. Looking from a distance, they look like fairies scattering flowers.

The smell of earth and the faint aroma, coupled with the Ming Dynasty Anhui-style buildings with white walls and gray tiles, seem to form a Chinese-style ink painting picture, nourishing the soul of Jiang Xinghuo, a tourist, like poetry.

Jiang Xinghuo was sitting in the pavilion drinking tea. Suddenly his eyebrows moved. He heard slight footsteps, but Wang Bin did not warn him.

"You're back."

The person who came was none other than Huikong.

Although Huikong broke his silence, he remained as taciturn as ever. He handed a letter about the situation in Changzhou Prefecture to Jiang Xinghuo without saying anything.

Jin Yiwei has Jin Yiwei's connections, and Yao Guangxiao naturally has his own intelligence channels.

Wang Bin held the knife and looked at the imperial master, but secretly thought in his heart that it seemed that the imperial master was not at ease with the Jin Yiwei. It was hard to guarantee that these Jin Yiwei would not collude with the local officials.

After Jiang Xinghuo finished reading the first letter, Huikong sent a second letter, but it was Yao Guangxiao who told him about the reform and new atmosphere in Beijing. It was very colloquial.

"In the military academy, Liu Sheng was ridiculed by other instructors for studying artillery tactics. The older generation of officers looked down on the role of artillery. However, Zhu Yong, Zhang Anshi, and Xu Jingchang were quite interested in the new artillery tactics. A group of people began to study with Liu Sheng."

"In the Imperial College, the students showed great enthusiasm for hot air balloons that can fly into the sky. They formed groups privately to raise funds and trial-produce hot air balloons according to the principles published in Di Bao. There was some competition. There are already several groups that have made prototypes of hot air balloons."

"In scholars, the scientific method of studying things to achieve knowledge has already had its first supporters. They are using this method to study the contradictions of everything in the world, put forward hypotheses, and conduct demonstrations. Because of the verifiability of this method, Therefore, a lot of quarrels broke out with Confucian scholars who believed in traditional Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism."

"In terms of reform, the president's reform affairs yamen has already set up a framework, and capable officials are also being added one after another. The formulation of the examination indicators is currently the main task of the yamen. The examination indicators for the six ministries and temples in central Beijing have been set. It’s almost there and it’s expected to be implemented this summer.”

"As for the test pilots you specially ordered Jiang Sheng, during the artificial rainfall, three of the six hot air balloons landed successfully, and there were three parachuting test pilots. Two were found, and the other named Ding Xiaohong was missing. Some people said that he He made an emergency landing near the Yangtze River and was washed away by the river."

"As for the relief food, there is no need to worry at the moment. The food shipped from Changping warehouses in Sichuan and Huguang has been arriving in Nanjing along the river. Xia Yuanji is making co-ordination, and it will be ready when it arrives in Songjiang."

"."

All kinds of things, Yao Guangxiao's letter can be regarded as a summary of what happened during Jiang Xinghuo's journey after he left Nanjing.

Everything in Jingzhong seems to be running well.

The seeds of science have been planted. With the end of artificial rainfall, it is like a rain of new ideas has fallen on people's minds, allowing the seeds of science to take root and sprout.

Among the most advanced people of this era, the old ideological shackles in their minds were broken, and then new ideas spontaneously and wildly grew up.

In the letter, Yao Guangxiao vaguely reminded him that the news coming from Annan was very bad.

At the same time, Cheng Guogong Zhu Neng and other generals have been writing letters requesting to go to war.

Emperor Yongle has already mentioned that he wants the Imperial Guard to speed up the progress and rush to Songjiang Mansion to quell the civil unrest and to use work instead of relief to control the flood. Don't delay on the way.

The meaning here is to quickly start up the cotton textile industry in Songjiang, and then start fighting in Annan. After Annan is conquered, goods will be dumped crazily. Anyway, large-scale transportation along the coastline. When the quantity of goods is large enough, the sea route cost will be infinitely close. At zero.

"The pressure is on."

Jiang Xinghuo rubbed his forehead, picked up a pen and wrote a reply to Yao Guangxiao, explaining other reform matters, such as focusing on adding Xunzi content when compiling the "Yongle Dadian", Cao Guogong was about to return to the country, and the conquest day would be the year after tomorrow (the second year of Yongle). /Three years), Shandong Preparatory Japanese Army’s sea-crossing operations and landing operations training should not be delayed, etc.

Later, he wrote a letter to Zhuo Jing, asking the old man to speed up the training and partial replacement of the Qintian Prison personnel. These people will be of great use in the next big voyage. Whether it is the conquest of Annan or the conquest of Japan, their help is indispensable.

After writing the letter, sealing it with wax, and stamping it with his own seal, Jiang Xinghuo breathed a sigh of relief.

"The Imperial Master seems a little upset, but what's going on in Changzhou Mansion right now?"

Huikong took the letter and spoke with some difficulty.

Jiang Xinghuo glanced at Huikong in surprise. This was the second time this taciturn monk had heard him speak.

"That's not the case."

Jiang Xinghuo opened the folding fan and said with a smile: "What does this matter about Changzhou Prefecture mean? It's just a matter of convenience."

Huikong spoke more and more eloquently, and asked again: "Master, the young monk actually has a doubt."

"Let's talk." Jiang Xinghuo raised his eyes and said.

"There may indeed be problems in Changzhou Prefecture, but time is so tight and the civil unrest cannot be delayed. Why don't we go directly to Songjiang Prefecture? The civil unrest there is the most violent, the floods are the most severe, and disaster relief is also very ineffective."

Huikong's words were very tactful. Jiang Xinghuo knew that Huikong's doubts were probably also the doubts of many people in the team.

"You just want to ask, why are we wasting time in Changzhou Mansion? Changzhou Mansion is obviously so close to Nanjing City, there is no possibility of a civil commotion, the officials are relatively honest, and the speed of disaster relief seems to be decent, just a glimpse of it. Just take a look."

Huikong nodded, that's what he meant, but he was too embarrassed to say it directly to his face.

Jiang Xinghuo pondered for a moment, then turned to Wang Bin and asked.

"This morning, you and I looked at the whole city from the top of the restaurant. What kind of city do you think this Changzhou capital is? In other words, what is the most important thing about this city?"

Wang Bin recalled what he saw in the early morning with the rivers criss-crossing and the sailing ships passing by, and replied: "Water transport trade."

"exactly."

Jiang Xinghuo stood up and walked slightly in the pavilion of the temple.

"It is precisely because Changzhou Fucheng is located at the midpoint between the Jiangnan Canal and the Yangtze River, which is responsible for transporting commodities, that it can develop into the 'Tongjin of the South' today. In other words, Changzhou Fucheng lives on water transport trade. Look at the residential buildings on both sides of the canal. In terms of density, look at the three large wharves of Xicang, Biaochang and Dongcang, as well as the commercial streets such as Qingguo Lane and Bibi Lane that stretch for several miles around the temple. These are extremely rare to see in other places."

Huikong also nodded. He actually arrived at Changzhou Fucheng before the governor's team and checked into the small temple in the city. He was quite surprised when he first saw the boats rushing back and forth along the line and the brightly lit teahouses and restaurants. Moreover, this place The literary style is extremely prosperous. Most of the people living in Baiyun River in Houhe are officials and officials, and calligraphy and painting appreciation activities for literati groups are often held.

"This is why I want to clean up Changzhou Mansion first."

Jiang Xinghuo closed the folding fan in his hand and waved it heavily.

"When marching and fighting, there is no reason to rush to send troops regardless of the unsafe starting point of the logistic baggage."

"If we want to provide large-scale disaster relief, flood control, and reform in the south of the Yangtze River, Changzhou Prefecture, a hub for the east-west, south-north water system, is the top priority."

"Only when this area becomes a stable rear area can we go all out, do you understand?"

"Otherwise, what do rural powerful people and city officials mean to me? Why waste so much energy?"

This means that compared with Su, Song, Jia, Hu and other places, Changzhou Prefecture does not have an absolute advantage in crop output, and the handicraft industry also develops slowly. The reason why Changzhou Prefecture is on par with the other four prefectures today is entirely because Water transportation, especially the canal running through the southeast-northwest direction of the south of the Yangtze River, and being at the intersection of the Yangtze River and the advantage of the water transportation node, has just become an important economic center for the five prefectures around Taihu Lake.

After this truth was explained clearly, everyone naturally unified their thinking, and the previous confusion was gone.

"So what was the Imperial Master worried about just now?"

Huikong asked curiously.

Jiang Xinghuo didn't make any attempt to hide it. He Xuxu nodded to the south and then to the east.

"Annan, Japan."

Speaking of this, Jiang Xinghuo really missed Li Jinglong very much.

Whether it was the previous selection of Annan to lead the army, or the embarrassing situation of himself as the vice-principal in the military academy, Jiang Xinghuo had already seen that there were not many strong supporters in the military community, and the chain was really missing at critical moments.

However, military power is too sensitive, and it is easy to offend Zhu Di's taboos. It is not easy for Jiang Xinghuo to get close to Xu Huizu, Ping An, and Sheng Yong.

Zhu Gaoxu, the disciples or friends he had made in prison before, could certainly fight, but he could only command a few thousand people if he was beaten to death. Those who could truly lead hundreds of thousands or hundreds of thousands of troops out to destroy the country on their own, would challenge Come and choose, you still have to choose the Ming Dynasty God of War.

Ridicule is ridicule. There are not many handsome men of Li Jinglong's level who can lead troops in war.

At the very least, Li Jinglong was basically above the level in terms of marching, logistics, strategic planning, and campaign command, but his specific tactical arrangements and on-the-spot command decisions were a little too far.

In other words, as long as the battle does not begin, Li Jinglong is a first-rate commander.

And on-the-job command can be made up for by a qualified staff team.

Jiang Xinghuo was not sure whether he would have the chance to participate in the expedition to Annan, but in the next expedition to Japan, he would definitely try to leave the opportunity to Li Jinglong, and he would definitely participate.

Annan is naturally the first large-scale product dumping site for the new cotton textile industry. There is no doubt about this. As the saying goes, prepare for a rainy day. As another huge product dumping site, Japan must start planning for this big game from now on. .

We can't wait until the production capacity of Songjiang's cotton textile industry explodes before we think of solutions.

The solution that was thought of at that time was probably to attack the Ming Dynasty's domestic homespun cloth inward. But the problem was that food had to be eaten one bite at a time, and the handicraft industry could not expand indiscriminately to interfere with agriculture. This would undoubtedly disrupt one's own plans.

It was as if this evil dragon had hatched and raised it with his own hands.

The evil dragon needs to eat to grow up. As a dragon controller, I have to be responsible for finding food for it.

Otherwise, the evil dragon will bite him and bite his own flesh and blood.

The current logic couldn't be simpler.

The first step is to clean up the insects in Changzhou Prefecture, establish a solid rear for disaster relief and flood control in Jiangnan and develop a large-scale cotton textile industry, and wait for Xia Yuanji to raise the grain from Sichuan and Huguang.

The second step is to have food, and then have the confidence to fight a food price war, and then attack in one fell swoop to completely defeat the opposition forces in the Songjiang prefectures. Taking this opportunity, we can seize the population and people's hearts from the gentry and cultivate a new life. Large-scale cotton textile industry handicraft workshops produce goods for dumping.

The third step is to conquer Annan, find the first dumping ground for the Ming Dynasty's nascent handicraft products, and help them expand regenerative manufacturing.

The fourth step was to conquer Japan and release handicraft products that expanded manufacturing volume.

Just when Jiang Xinghuo was clearing up his thoughts and setting goals and plans for every step of his future actions.

Outside the pavilion of the temple, two plainclothes warriors brought by Huikong suddenly walked in, holding a man who was swollen with blisters and bleeding from wounds on his left and right sides.

Jiang Xinghuo took a closer look, but felt that this person looked familiar, but for a while, he really couldn't remember his name.

"Huh?"

Wang Bin suddenly said: "Isn't this the guy from the restaurant? Why is it like this?"

After that, he stepped forward to check the wound.

"It's not a fatal injury. It can be saved. The other party's technique is very professional, but this guy usually exercises well and subconsciously tightened his muscles. The knife edge didn't go in very deep."

Jiang Xinghuo looked at this guy, raised his head and asked quickly.

"How did you find out?"

"It floated up from the river behind the temple."

PS: [Important reminder (there is no charge for this content)] Chapters 316 to 356 are about the rectification of officialdom and the suppression of rebellions in Jiangnan. They do not contain any theoretical knowledge. They are all practical content. If you are not interested, you can jump directly to Chapter 366. "Class" will contain theoretical knowledge content from now on.