Zhu Youzhen is not Emperor Zhengde, and he does not have so much obsession with leading troops to fight. Zhu Youzhen's ideal is to rebuild the Ming Dynasty and recreate the prosperous era, rather than fighting a decisive battle on the battlefield and sealing the wolf. He is very self-aware, knowing that he does not have the ability to fight, and even does not know anything. The reason why I have to go to the expedition is because there are reasons why I can't talk to others.

Zhu Youzhen has a lot of ideas, but he can't implement them in the deep palace, and he can't trust the officials outside, and he is always afraid of being deceived.

Zhu Youzhen knew that although he was the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he could be controlled by civil officials from the court to the locality, and many times his will could not be implemented at all. Every holy decree he issued was transmitted to the prefectures and counties at most, and the vast countryside under the prefectures and counties could not be known at all, and it was the so-called imperial power that did not go to the countryside.

If the Ming Dynasty is to be truly prosperous, it is necessary to carry out a thorough institutional change, and it is necessary to break the status quo of the imperial power not going to the countryside and take back power from the gentry.

The emperor's will can directly reach every village and every people, and the people's sufferings can also be fed back to the court in time, so that the Ming Dynasty can be called the real Zhongxing, so that there will not be so many civil unrest and civil uprisings!

Of course, this will touch the fundamental interests of the gentry, and it will inevitably be collectively opposed by the gentry, and if the gentry break out, even if they are the emperor, they will not be able to resist it at all.

What? Massacre? Don't think that the emperor can do whatever he wants, at least not at all until he has absolute power!

Therefore, Zhu Youzhen wanted to set up a new army of the Praetorian Guard, in order to personally control the military power. The new Praetorian Guard is directly under the command of him, the emperor, which is equivalent to the palace guard, and even the military department has no right to govern.

Therefore, Zhu Youzhen wants to drive the expedition in person, what to see thousands of miles of rivers and mountains, and personally experience the suffering of the people, it is all an excuse! His real purpose was to open a hole in northern Shaanxi, to open a gap in the countryside firmly controlled by the gentry, and to bury his own nails in it! And northern Shaanxi is his test field!

In a word, the establishment of second-level local government offices in the countryside under the prefecture and county to snatch back control of the countryside from the hands of the gentry is the real purpose of Zhu Youzhen's personal conquest.

Of course, this kind of thinking cannot be shared with the civil servants at all.

After summoning the generals of the Praetorian Guard, Zhu Youzhen summoned Xu Guangqi, a scholar of the Ministry of Rites, a scholar of the East Pavilion University, and a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences in Xiyuan. Yes, Xu Guangqi has now joined the cabinet and has become the fifth cabinet elder. But his own job is still the book of the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Rites is a Qingshui Yamen, and the affairs of the Ministry are in charge of two squires, and Xu Guangqi mainly works in the Royal Academy of Sciences.

"I heard that Your Majesty is going to take the royal family to conquer the civilian rebellion?" After knocking, Xu Guangqi asked.

Zhu Youzhen smiled: "What? Elder Xu Ge also wants to persuade me? ”

Xu Guangqi shook his head: "The minister knows that he can't persuade His Majesty, it's just that the soldiers are in danger, Your Majesty had better not come to the front line to kill the enemy in person, if you can command remotely, that's the best." ”

A warm current rose from the bottom of Zhu Youzhen's heart, and he knew that Xu Guangqi really cared about himself, the emperor.

"I remember Aiqing's words," Zhu Youzhen smiled, "I called Aiqing today to ask how the sweet potatoes, corn, and potatoes are doing?" ”

Xu Guangqi said: "Just about to tell Your Majesty, the minister and a group of students from the Agricultural Department of the Academy of Sciences have been planted in the Gyeonggi Huangzhuang, limited to the lack of seeds, so far only 500 acres of corn, more than 2,000 acres of sweet potatoes, and more than 200 acres of potatoes have been planted, and the growth is good, but it will not mature until after autumn." ”

Zhu Youzhen nodded with satisfaction: "Very good, after the autumn harvest, I will keep the seeds, and I am going to promote them in the northern Shaanxi Prefecture next year?" ”

"Northern Shaanxi?" Xu Guangqi was stunned for a moment, "Didn't Your Majesty say that it is planted in Shuntian Mansion now, and then it will be promoted in the world?" ”

Zhu Youzhen sighed: "Aiqing must also know that northern Shaanxi has suffered from drought in recent years, and the crops have not been harvested. ”

Xu Guangqi nodded: "The minister understands, Your Majesty is merciful." In this case, please go to northern Shaanxi next year to promote these crops for Your Majesty. ”

Zhu Youzhen looked at Xu Guangqi's gray beard and shook his head: "Aiqing is old, I'm afraid it's not suitable for hard work, let's stay in the Academy of Sciences to teach students, this year, cultivate more students who understand Fanbang crops, and go to northern Shaanxi for you to promote it next year." ”

If Zhu Youzhen is not mistaken, Xu Guangqi may not have a few years to live, and he doesn't want such a person to die in that part of northern Shaanxi.

Xu Guangqi sighed, knowing that this was the emperor's concern for him, but he felt a little regretful, compared to staying in the cabinet, to promote these Fanbang crops, so that the people of the world can eat their stomachs, it is more meaningful to him.

"There's nothing wrong with the departments of the Academy of Sciences, I've been busy these days, and I haven't looked at it for a while." Zhu Youzhen asked.

Xu Guangqi shook his head: "Everything is normal, the professors of all disciplines have been in place, according to Your Majesty's requirements, more than 500 students have been recruited from inside and outside the Beijing Normal School during this time, most of them are children of ordinary people." Students are currently being taught the basics of literacy and numeracy, and it may take two years before they can progress to the subjects and start their real learning. In addition to teaching, the professors are busy with their own research, but they also have a good time. ”

Zhu Youzhen sighed regretfully: "It's a pity that the Academy of Sciences was established too late......

Xu Guangqi blinked, where was it late? You have only been on the throne for less than a year, and you were still an ignorant prince a few years ago, were you capable of establishing an academy of sciences at that time?

Zhu Youzhen knew that Xu Guangqi didn't understand him, so he didn't explain much. If the Academy of Sciences had been established a few years earlier, and now it had been able to train a group of talented people, it would have been possible to bring them to northern Shaanxi, and as township and village heads, it would have been very easy to establish their own grassroots organizations.

Now it's a little troublesome, there is no talent in hand, and no matter how good the idea is, it is not easy to implement.

Fortunately, literacy was also being promoted within the Praetorian Guard, and Zhu Youzhen ordered the recruitment of more than 100 down-and-out scholars, using military discipline and regulations as teaching materials, and teaching the soldiers to read and write in addition to training, and it is said that many soldiers have been able to know hundreds of daily words. After arriving in northern Shaanxi, some literate soldiers could be selected as village officials.

After chatting about the Academy of Sciences for a while, he made some arrangements for the work of the Academy of Sciences, and told Xu Guangqi that to increase the teaching of martial arts, he would select masters from the Jinyi Guard and the Praetorian Guard as coaches to teach students martial arts and military knowledge, and the talents cultivated by the Academy of Sciences should be both civil and military.

Zhu Youzhen personally got up and sent Xu Guangqi away. Unlike those bureaucrats in the imperial court, Zhu Youzhen still has great respect for technical officials like Xu Guangqi.