The drizzle in April, the sky is washed cool, and the greenery is everywhere, which is the time when the peach and willow are green, and the warbler is dancing.

Farmers can be seen everywhere in the fields, and there are many children of all sizes carrying baskets, digging wild vegetables in the fields, and catching clams in the streams and rivers.

Despite the Government's best efforts, the food rations distributed were not enough, but they did not lead to starvation. If you want to eat more, you have to be self-reliant and find your own way. And for these people who can survive, it is already a great gift, they have all survived the hard days, and eating chaff is nothing. The key is that it is too peaceful, and there is a rush, and after a few months, as soon as the harvest is in the field, the standard of living will be greatly improved.

"Wait until the first harvest of the Mekong and He, and if there is a surplus, give the people some rations!" Zhu Yongxing sometimes took a boat, sometimes left the boat to travel by land, observing the people's sentiments along the way, the more north he felt bad, "And this clothes, whether you buy or donate, there must always be measures." ”

Chen Hongfan, the new prime minister of the Prime Minister's Office, hurriedly agreed, but he secretly complained in his heart. Soon the first season of the offensive in the northeast will be launched, and in addition to supporting the military, it may be difficult to have a surplus of money and food. At present, the turning point is pinned on the attack on the Zheng clan of Annam and the Champa state, and it is still unknown how many captures can be made. As far as the current situation is concerned, it is a bit too harsh to be able to give the people porridge to drink, and to starve and not die is the grace of the Holy Lord, long live.

"Take advantage of the imperial court to move the capital to Beijing, and issue another batch of bonds!" Zhu Yongxing seemed to guess Chen Hongfan's thoughts, and continued: "All of them are small denominations, the maximum face value is not more than ten taels, and the interest is paid in advance, which can be circulated in the market." Well, you still don't know the beginning and end of this matter, leave it to the household department. ”

In fact, it is necessary to alleviate the financial constraints. There is another way, and that is to issue banknotes. Use paper money to return hard currency such as gold and silver, and then buy various materials from outside. But Zhu Yongxing thought that the timing was not right, the previous court and the emperor were too greedy, and all the credit of the paper money was ruined, and it was necessary to re-establish it. It can't be done overnight.

Negotiable bonds are to lay the foundation for the issuance of banknotes, subtly establish credit in the people, or use this bond as a blueprint to make banknotes in the future. The key to establishing the credibility of paper money depends on the country's financial strength, that is, the bank's ability to redeem. In the beginning, paper money and hard money were supposed to be mixed, and according to the old thinking, people should like to turn paper money into gold and silver coins to feel at ease. Although some limits can be set on the redemption of huàns, banks do not have a certain amount of reserves such as margins. How can the initial doubts and worries of the people be allayed?

Of course, it is not impossible to impose regulations on the circulation of paper money and forcibly confiscate the gold and silver in the hands of the people. Just like in history, when the Kuomintang reformed the gold yuan currency system, it had a limited time to redeem huàn and prohibit private ownership of gold and silver. But the result? Zhu Yongxing has a cautious and cautious attitude towards the reform of the currency system, and pushes forward step by step. And rightfully so.

Again, the offensive of the Ming army slowed down temporarily. It was also Zhu Yongxing who overrode public opinion and suppressed the military generals' request for war to complete their work in one battle. If we ignore the financial constraints and the harsh natural environment and climate in the northeast, do not transfer nearly 100,000 troops back to the south for food, and do everything possible to wipe out the Manchus, we will certainly have great hopes of success. But at what cost? The price is that the victims of the Northland will not be given relief. Left to its own devices, and taxed heavily in the South. This will again repeat the old path of the late Ming Dynasty, freezing and starving tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people to death, and ruining the government's credit.

Even if it is delayed for a year or two to exterminate the Tartars. As long as the people's livelihood can be restored and the country's strength can be strengthened, it is still a long-term approach. Just say that the people who survived because of the government's all-out relief, they created zào productivity, and the taxes and military resources they provided could continue to increase the national strength.

"The people are miserable!" Zhu Yongxing sighed and said: "Natural disasters and man-made disasters continue, wars and turmoil are not stopped, and it has been twenty or thirty years. Taiping, now reluctantly given to them; As for peace and happiness, the court will help you, and the people will be able to enjoy it a day earlier. As he spoke, he turned to Zhao Xianwu, the new governor of Henan, beside him, and said, "I am slow, so you can go to the post first." Henan, a poor province, I will hand it over to you. Actually, I-forget it, when Henan is well governed, I will go and have a look. ”

"Wechen will be diligent and diligent, and govern Henan properly to welcome the holy driver." Zhao Xianwu from Yunnan, from the county, the prefecture, the prefect to the governor of a province, is also an old qualification from the Dragon Party, now it is a feudal official, the promotion within a few years is also very fast, he knows that Henan is poor, but this is how easy to make political achievements, so he bowed down and said: "Weichen respectfully listen to the Hadith." ”

Zhu Yongxing pondered for a while, smiled slightly, and said: "What kind of hadith, you are an old official, and you still have to be verbose, as if I can govern Henan with a few words." However, the situation is different in different places, you still have to walk more, see more, don't think of Henan as Yunnan, as Guangxi. In addition, there is the matter of water conservancy. To control the Yellow River, it is necessary to deal with it once and for all, and there should be an overall plan, not that you will govern yours and I will govern mine, and we should only focus on the present and ignore the long-term. ”

Hearing the words, the Ministry of Water Resources set aside a separate line, and it was Cha Rulong Ren Shangshu, who still didn't understand the officials below, this was to find a big umbrella to shelter from the wind and rain, and there was a more powerful backer behind him - the emperor.

Zhao Xianwu hesitated for a moment and said: "Weichen doesn't understand water conservancy, so he didn't dare to interfere in river affairs. However, if there is a flood in Henan, I am afraid-"

"According to the regulations of the Ministry of Water Resources, as long as I do my best, even if there is a flood, I will not be guilty." Zhu Yongxing gave Zhao Xianwu a reassurance, and said: "The first year is more difficult, the population has fled a lot, and the place is also desolate, so you should stabilize your mind." As the saying goes: if you plant a good plane tree, you won't worry about the phoenix. If the imperial court forced the migration, there would not be so much money and grain to settle. You have to be considerate of the difficulties of the imperial court! ”

"Yes, long live the oracle, Wechen will take it to heart." Zhao Xianwu bowed and bowed, and retreated.

……………

On the vast river surface, the endless yellow water and white sand are dazzling, stretching directly to the sky, the old embankment that has been unclear is everywhere, there are ponds and waterpipes and grass and reeds everywhere, and the sparse white thatched feet on the swamp are tall and rustling, and the whistling of the yellow water flowing in the main river is harmonious, giving people a desolate and blank feeling.

Ten years of work, I don't know how many times this flood will be raging in the past ten years? How many lives are going to be devoured? Zhu Yongxing sighed secretly, returned to the cabin, and sat silently. Let the boat move slowly, and I don't know when it will dock again.

"Hooray, it's time to eat."

Hearing the maid's voice, Zhu Yongxing woke up from his contemplation, waved his hand casually, and said, "What about the princess, why did you stop like this?" ”

"The two princesses landed in the morning, and they have not returned."

Zhu Yongxing frowned, feeling not very hungry, so he said, "Then wait, I will also go ashore to take a look." ”

Originally, it was just a boat ride to see the scene of the Huanghuai floodplain, but I didn't expect it to cause unpleasant thoughts. Zhu Yongxing went out of the boat and landed on the shore, the vast and desolate scene was far away, he was just walking casually on the shore, and the huge contrast of changes made him a little uncomfortable.

Construction is more difficult than destruction, and politics is more important than military. The retreat of the Manchus to Guanwai meant that the country's focus should be shifted to healing the wounds of war and rebuilding. However, Zhu Yongxing had to reform the political structure, raise a large amount of money and grain, and control rivers and build roads, and all kinds of difficult work made Zhu Yongxing eager to have the ability to penetrate the heavens and the earth, and he could complete it at once. It's a pity that this is just a fantasy, and he has to be patient and solve them one by one.

The name of a Zhongxing Mingjun can't run, but this is not something that Zhu Yongxing can satisfy. With their own accumulation, they may be able to continue the feudal dynasty for a few hundred years, but what about in the future?

The tide of history is rushing forward, the world is changing rapidly, the industrial revolution has kicked off, if a big empire does not change, even if it is revived for a while, it will only return to the light, and sooner or later it will become a backward and bullied object.

Moving with the trend, truly revitalizing in the midst of change, and standing on top of the world with a dominant posture is the ultimate goal of Zhu Yongxing. Look, Xiyi is becoming stronger, and they are showing their bandit faces more and more fiercely, and the Americas, Africa, and Asia are also being infiltrated by them! Look, Central Asia and Siberia, which contain black gold, Borneo, which is dominated by vulnerable chieftains, Australia, which has only a few indigenous people, Luzon, which is ruled by the Spaniards, who slaughtered the Chinese, and Malacca, where maritime communication is located......

This is an era of challenges and opportunities, as long as the country's strength allows, the banner of the Ming Dynasty should be planted in a wider and richer land, rather than reveling in the old territory, intoxicated by the sound of "long live" in the mountains and tsunamis.

In one to two years, if the Northland can be self-sufficient, then there will be no more money and food. There are Jiangnan, Mei, Hehe and other places, and the grain is enough; With maritime trade, no matter how much we support industry and commerce, fiscal easing can also be expected. After three to five years, after the Tartars were eliminated, they turned their focus to the northwest and fought with Geldan to fight against them......

But I can't eat hot tofu in a hurry! Zhu Yongxing retracted his thoughts and turned his attention to the real scene. Perhaps this withering will soon disappear, and the people who have suffered from the war will be able to reassure themselves and now be able to redouble their enthusiasm and efforts, right?

In the distance, several chariots came in a row, flanked by knights. Zhu Yongxing shook his head and smiled bitterly. These two children, I wanted to take them to see the scenery along the way, to observe the people's feelings, and not to be a young lady who doesn't know anything in the deep palace. It's good, it's time to play. (Want to know more exciting news about "Countercurrent Clearing"?) Open WeChat now, click on the "+" sign in the upper right corner, select Add Friends to add an official account, search for "Qidianzhongwenwang", follow the official account, and never miss every update! (To be continued......)