When everyone returned to calm, Zhu Shunming said: "I just came back from Jiangnan, Jiangnan is good." The climate is suitable, the products are abundant, the society is stable, the atmosphere is open, and the economy is active. ”

"But one thing is not good, the people there are too weak. Maybe life is too comfortable, maybe the literary style is too prosperous, and the folk customs in Jiangnan are not strong enough. ”

"It's okay to live and work in peace, no need to fight, it's peaceful. But is the Ming Dynasty now in its prime? ”

"The drought and locust plague in the north continued, the rogue fought back and forth in the Central Plains, Jiannu regarded the Ming Dynasty as a hunting ground, and the Westerners coveted the wealth of the Ming Dynasty for a long time. Daming is not peaceful! ”

"Beneath the seemingly calm surface of the water, there are already huge waves."

"Our wealth, status, family, net worth and life may be swallowed up by the waves one day."

"Therefore, we ourselves must be strong. While earning money, while training soldiers. Or is it the same sentence, with guns in our hands and money in our pockets, who do we need to be afraid of? ”

………………

This meeting was a clarion call to mobilize all aspects of Zhu Shunming's forces and prepare to officially enter the historical stage of the Ming Dynasty.

From Chongzhen's four years to the south, to Chongzhen's seven years, Zhu Shunming has taken deep roots in Huguang.

In addition to Wuchang Mansion, Zhu Shunming's forces have openly and secretly controlled most of the prefectures and counties in Huguang. Even if they do not control the administrative power of the prefecture and county, they also control the economic lifeline of the local area.

Zhu Shunming's new policy eroded the interests of some landlords and gentry, but benefited most of the peasants and merchants.

Loose economic policies, a fair and reasonable industrial and commercial system, and an appropriate amount of armed support have enabled Huguang's economy to develop explosively at a speed that can be seen by the naked eye.

Zhu Shunming used force and commercial struggle as a means to push Huguang's industry and commerce to Jiangnan, gradually encroached on the market in Jiangnan, cracked down on the scattered and weak workshops and shops in Jiangnan, and slowly but effectively grasped the economic lifeline of Jiangnan.

Agriculture, industry, commerce, salt, weapons, taxation...... Under various means, Zhu Shunming has mastered a huge amount of wealth, and he doesn't have to worry about money at all.

Huguang and Jiangnan, one is Zhu Shunming's lair, and the other is the guarantee of Zhu Shunming's wealth, so southern Yunnan and the Jiaodong Peninsula are Zhu Shunming's outstretched minions.

Zhu Shunming left Li Dingguo in southern Yunnan to guard Qujing Mansion, and built a transportation artery from Huguang to Yunnan through Guizhou, which not only radiated his power to the southwest where the Ming rule was weak, but also opened up a golden trade route.

Zhu Shunming's salt, tea, ironware, porcelain, cotton, silk...... Through this road, it was continuously transported to Guizhou, Yunnan, Jiaozhi, Annam, and Wusizang (Tibet), and brought back gold, silver, jewelry, medicinal materials, furs, horses, cattle and sheep......

More importantly, Li Dingguo trained a huge army of 30,000 people, including nearly 10,000 cavalry.

Once this fierce army hidden in the southwestern border appears in front of the world, it will certainly cause a great shock.

The Jiaodong Peninsula is isolated overseas, and it seems to be a little different from the mainland of Shandong, and the transportation and contact are not very frequent.

Sun Yuanhua sat in the Denglai area, and there were Kong Youde and other Liaodong tyrants to recruit the old department and Liaodong people on the Jiaodong Peninsula, and the Jiaodong Peninsula became a large military camp.

Everywhere are hard-trained soldiers, everywhere are strong military warehouses, everywhere are busy people......

The artillery factory started casting day and night, and on average, no less than ten cannons rolled off the assembly line a day; The shipbuilding dock rotated non-stop, and at least one warship was launched in a month.

The recruiting office has never stopped recruiting. The regular army is not enough, and the banners of the militia regiment, the escort team, and the construction team are raised, but in their bones, they are strictly in accordance with the training and salary of the regular army.

The total number of army, artillery, naval division, and marine corps in Jiaodong has exceeded 50,000.

By September of the seventh year of Chongzhen, Zhu Shunming's troops were nearly 200,000 people scattered everywhere, which was already a very powerful force.

At this time, Zhu Shunming had enough courage and hole cards to officially show his fangs.

………………

At the end of September, the grain began to be collected, and the busy transportation had to begin.

Although Jiannu has not yet retreated, and is still plundering in the pass, it has finally been blocked north of Huailai, and the capital has not yet been attacked.

Although the Jiannu plundered, millions of people in the capital had to eat, and the grain had to be delivered on time and in full.

Huguang is a major grain-producing province, and the task of collecting grain is very heavy. In the past few years, with Zhu Shunming on his back, it is very easy for Fang Kongzhi to collect grain, just report a number, and Zhu Shunming will prepare it for him, and the quantity and quality are absolutely assured.

But this year, there is a gap in the relationship between Fang Kongzhi and Zhu Shunming, and Fang Kongzhi's son Fang Yizhi offended Zhu Shunming in Nanjing City, will the collection of grain be so simple and smooth?

The collection of Huguang Cao's grain really ran into trouble.

"You want to personally escort the grain into Beijing?" Fang Kongzhi was surprised: "Escorting the grain is a matter for the Cao Gang. Let's transport the grain to Yangzhou and hand it over to the Cao Gang, why bother yourself? ”

"I don't like Zhu Dadian, and I want to find some fault for him." Zhu Shunming said lightly.

"Zhu Dadian? The new Governor of Caoyun? ”

"Not bad."

Fang Kongzhi found that after Zhu Shunming came back from Jiangnan, the temperament of the whole person underwent subtle changes, and he became a little sharp and aggressive.

In the past, Wen Tiren framed Zhu Shunming, and coaxed Emperor Chongzhen to send Zhu Shunming to lead a guard to the southwest to quell the rebellion, but Zhu Shunming didn't say a word and went honestly.

Now that Zhu Shunming is getting fuller, he actually began to take the initiative to find fault. Thinking that Zhu Shunming was raising an army of nearly 100,000 almost single-handedly, Fang Kongzhi shuddered. What kind of beast is bred under your nose?

Zhu Shunming also didn't understand why Zhu Dadian was pulled down from the position of governor of Shandong, and sat in the position of governor of Caoyun in less than a few years?

Zhu Shunming has wanted to move his luck for a long time.

Shi Xuanwei's sailors were rampant in the Yangtze River waterway, and they couldn't even enter the Grand Canal, just because the Cao Gang had too much power in the canal.

The Cao Gang has existed since ancient times.

In the Ming Dynasty, since the Yongle Emperor moved the capital to Beijing, Cao Yun became particularly important, and the Cao Gang also expanded rapidly.

By the time of Chongzhen, the Cao Gang had helped millions of people, and there were no less than 10 million people who depended on the Grand Canal for food.

Cao Yun is so huge and important, it affects the whole body, and Zhu Shunming has to be careful.

In terms of strength, Shi Xuanwei's regular sailor defeated the Cao Gang, but Shi Xuanwei was able to kill the Cao Gang? Apparently not.

The Cao Gang controlled this golden waterway and prevented the rest of the forces from entering the canal, which seriously hindered Zhu Shunming's development on the canal line. You must know that the canal line is the most prosperous and wealthy area in the Ming Dynasty.

Since he couldn't kill on a large scale, Zhu Shunming had no choice but to take a salary from the bottom of the kettle and start with the root of the Cao Gang, Cao Yun. Is the Cao Gang still the Cao Gang without Cao Yun?