A clean street environment and an excellent drainage system can solve the city's sanitation problems to the greatest extent and reduce infectious diseases. At the same time, the accumulated domestic garbage and waste water can be used as raw materials for manure, increasing land fertility and supporting agricultural production. In fact, in Beijing, Linqing, and Jiangnan metropolises with populations of more than one million, the authorities have long noticed this problem, and there are special people who collect garbage from neighborhoods and buy feces from the city.

Zhu Cihong remembered reading a report in his previous life, saying that somewhere in Hunan, the old city never accumulated water because of the sewers built during the Song Dynasty. On the contrary, the new urban area, which has only been under construction for 20 years, often has water on the roads due to poor drainage. He had specially observed the drainage system of the Forbidden City, and although the foundation was laid by the Mongols, it was true that he had never seen stagnant water.

Of course...... This may also be related to the Xiaoice period, the northern drought, and too little precipitation.

However, in Beijing and Tianjin, he had seen the drainage channels of the Ming people, although they were not as exaggerated as the Kaifeng City in the historical books - some people made sewers their homes, and even gathered thousands of bandits - but they were far beyond the "urban sewage discharge pipes" of later generations. In his plan, the sewers are only reserved for space, partly because the drought in Shandong will continue for several years, and partly because of the current lack of financial resources, so it can only be treated in stages.

At present, the most important thing is to organize households and unite the people, and to remove conscripts and squads.

The squad army is a system in which the northern provinces send guards to serve in the nine sides, which was originally for the purpose of polishing the war in turns, organizing and training a strong army, and later became a miscellaneous servant and a military slave. Now that the Nine Sides have fallen, the squad army will naturally end up without a problem, but it is still necessary to completely declare the end of this system.

Conscription is unpaid labor, and it is the most distressing obligation for the people. If there are few men in the family, it may be impossible for the whole family to open the pot if they are on the turn of forced labor. The Longqing New Deal implemented a whip law. The merger of the enslavement into the collection of silver taels, the so-called poll tax, is still enough to bankrupt the small people, and naturally becomes the main reason for the people to conceal their household registration.

If the levy can be waived and the poll tax can be abolished, there is no need for the people to hide their household registration. Naturally, there is less resistance to the work of the people.

The resulting labor gap was filled by the recruitment of civilian servants and the provision of wages. If it is necessary to build a key project such as the Lexia Defense Line, in addition to recruiting civilian soldiers, there are also engineer battalions and prisoners of war to be dispatched, which will not cause the problem of labor shortage at the current level, but can relieve the pressure of the people, win the hearts and minds of the people, and recuperate. Lay the soil for the foundation of the emperor.

……

"Kwai Xingong, it's really hard to travel and travel, get up and talk quickly." Zhu Cihong stepped forward to help the white-haired Wang Zheng.

This old man surnamed Wang and the name of Kwai Xin had already been remembered by Zhu Cihong in the early years of Chongzhen. He is the great scientist Wang Zheng of the Ming Dynasty and Xu Guangqi, who is known as the "King of Southern Xu and North". In other words, Wang Zheng can be regarded as Zhu Cihong's pen pal, and after eight years of correspondence with Zhu Cihong, they finally met.

But I didn't think about it. It turned out to be His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! Death to the sinner! Wang Zheng refused to get up, and at the age of 73, he was in tears. Stirring.

Zhu Cihong used the name of his previous life to correspond with Wang Zheng in letters, exchanging problems with physics and mechanics, language translation, and occasionally discussing Catholic doctrine. Wang Zheng only thought that he was a wealthy family in Beijing, but he did not think that he was the crown prince of Huangming, and often referred to himself as an elder in his letters, calling him a little friend. Encourage further study. Seeing the real dragon at this moment, it is inevitable that there will be apprehension in the agitation.

This anxiety is not because he is afraid that the crown prince will hold a grudge, but because he is afraid that in this crisis, Daming will have another carpenter genius. Thinking that he actually "seduced" the prince to not do his job, how could he not be afraid?

Zhu Cihong used a pseudonym because he didn't want to be implicated by him.

At that time, Wang Zheng returned home from Shandong as an envoy and Liaohai as a military supervisor for forgiveness. It belongs to the monitored object. And the case he was involved in was a very sensitive case of Kong Youde's rebellion, and of course Zhu Cihong didn't dare to have anything to do with him in the open. Otherwise, not only will it not help him, but it will also cause him to be remembered by villains.

After Zhu Cihong arrived in Shaanxi, he recruited this retired official at home to Shandong, and no one even knew about such a trivial matter except for the attendants around him. Wang Zheng was taken care of by his sons Yongchun and Yongshun all the way, and finally arrived in Shandong, but he was at a loss, and the entire Shandong Province was not prepared for this order, so he could only take care of Wang Zheng and support him according to his previous position.

It wasn't until Zhu Cihong arrived in Laizhou and settled down on important matters that he was taken over from Jinan.

"Kwai Xingong, I have always been outspoken, and please forgive me." Zhu Cihong smiled and said: "Dare to ask Kui Xingong, would you like to serve as the sacrificial wine of the Royal Technical College?" ”

Wang Zheng was held up by Zhu Cihong, reluctantly sat on the chair, and looked at the crown prince with teary eyes: "My emperor has this yamen?" ”

"It's not a yamen." Zhu Cihong said: "It is a college that I plan to invest money to set up, but it teaches natural sciences such as mathematics, physics, and chemistry. ”

The communication with Wang Zheng over the years has benefited Wang Zheng a lot. If Western missionaries such as Pang Di I, John Tong and others opened a window for him, then the crown prince led him into another shijie. In the era when there were still naturalists in the West, Zhu Cihong had already divided the natural sciences into different categories and pointed out the fundamental differences.

"Now that the country is in decline, how can Your Highness be distracted by such miscellaneous studies?" Although Wang Zheng has great enthusiasm and love for natural science, he still cannot get rid of the narrowness of "the instrument of the metaphysical".

Zhu Cihong never wanted to change others, although he did change others all the time. He changed his angle and said: "Kwai Xingong, now the thief soldiers are a hundred times that of me, if there is no sharp weapon, how can I compete with the thief soldiers?" For example, the 'crane lead' and 'siphon' you invented before are used in farmland, and the acres that originally required ten manpower to irrigate can now be undertaken by one person, and these nine manpower can be mobilized to participate in the restoration of the great cause, otherwise it can only be urgently needed on the ridges. From this point of view, isn't chores also a weapon for the war? ”

"Miscellaneous studies are naturally the weapons of the country." Wang Zheng said: "However, with the respect of His Royal Highness, it is not appropriate to kiss here." ”

"Haha, so I found Kui Xingong to preside." Zhu Cihong pushed the boat down the river: "I have generally moved the craftsmen of Beijing and Tianjin to Denglai, and there are always people who are willing to learn." Kwai Xingong only needs to talk about this miscellaneous study and pass on the way of his ink and class, and I can concentrate on governing the army and caring for the people. Wouldn't it be two-poop? ”

"The old minister dares not to obey the order!" Wang Zheng went home to live in the fifth year of Chongzhen's pardon, and never became an official again. Now that he has long since extinguished the idea of becoming an official, he can engage in the career he loves all his life, and he has also obtained the approval of the crown prince, so he is naturally happy.

Zhu Cihong knew that Wang Zheng was old, so he specially met with his two sons, compared Wang Zheng to a national treasure, and ordered them to take care of him. At the same time, it also gave the technical college the treatment of unlimited quotas, as long as Wang Zheng felt that it was a suitable person, he could be accepted, and no one cared about it. The only rationed account room is only used to keep accounts and ask for money, and it is never supervised.

Wang Zheng is not surprised by the prince's trust, and the trust has been laid enough for many years. He knew that the crown prince's scientific level was far above him, and he could only encourage himself to do his best.

"Your Highness, there is a person in Beijing who knows astronomy and geography and is proficient in Chinese, can he summon Shandong?" Wang Zheng asked.

"Yes." Zhu Cihong agreed.

"This person is from the ...... of Tessie"

"John Tang?"

"That's the man!" Wang Zheng smiled and knew that the crown prince was also a like-minded person, and there was absolutely no reason why he didn't know John Tang.

"Haha," Zhu Cihong said with a smile, "Father Tang will be here in a few days." ”

Wang Zhengyi was overjoyed: "With him, the minister will have more confidence." ”

Zhu Cihong smiled: "I still need him to help me cast cannons, but Kui Xingong's side has to work more on construction, sailors, and ship cannons." The Lexia defense line is a matter of safety and must be formed before the end of this year. ”

It was impossible for Li Zicheng to go south before he dealt with Wu Sangui, but Zhu Cihong did not think that his loss to Wu Sangui's allied forces with the Manchus was an accident. The variable now lies in Wu Sangui alone. If he could resist Li Zicheng, it would be impossible for the Qing army to enter the customs through Shanhaiguan. If he can't stand it, will he still surrender to the Manchus?

In the original historical script, Dolgon's condition for him was only that Guan Ning would be king forever. Later, the Manchurians crossed the river and demolished the bridge, broke their promises, drove Wu Sangui to the south of Caiyun, and planted the seeds of the rebellion of the three feudatories.

In any case, before the eighteenth year of Chongzhen, Shandong was still safe. It can even expand the scope of control to the whole province of Shandong and even the Jianghuai area. (To be continued......)

PS: New Year's Day~~ Xiaotang greets everyone for the New Year! I wish you all good luck in the Year of the Horse~~!