"Sectarian ......"

This may sound like a good national focus, but only if the political level and means of those in power are absolutely high enough to play well.

Zhu Youxiao is confident in himself, and he is also confident in his younger brother.

The only thing he cares about at the moment is whether his younger brother will also think about moving overseas to become a vassal domain.

"Has my brother ever thought about his own domain?"

As soon as Zhu Youxiao spoke, Zhu Youzhen subconsciously shook his head:

"I didn't think much about it, but if I really wanted to go, I'm afraid it would be to Leviia (Africa) and North Asia Melica (North America)."

"There are enough natives in these two places to establish the Qi State."

Although Zhu Youzhen did not think carefully about the issue of his own domain, he also studied the population and resource problems of several continents.

As far as the scientific and technological power of the current era is concerned, it is possible to go to the Americas without steam engine ships, but it is impossible to establish a great power in the Americas in just one generation.

Because as far as ocean currents are concerned, it takes at least a year to travel from Daming to the Americas, and it is still from the South Pacific, and there is no supply point in the sea area of thousands of kilometers.

Or use the way of rowing and rowing, Yanbian to North America, but this time and economy are more expensive, and there is no supply point.

Africa and the Americas, on the contrary, Africa is more suitable for the scientific and technological immigrants of this era.

The first is that you can establish a supply point in Tianzhu and buy supplies in Central Asia.

Second, as long as the tens of millions of people living on this continent are developed, the rain-rich central region will become a big granary, with a developable cultivated land area of tens of billions of mu.

After deducting the necessary forest land and habitat, at least 4 billion mu of land is enough to be developed into cultivated land to feed more than one billion people.

The impression of being wild and barren in later generations of Africa was caused by the occupation and destruction of the invasion by European invaders.

Of course, the abundance of local resources has also led to inertia, and for thousands of years, Asia and Europe have built various hydraulic projects, and they only know how to hunt.

Just like Nanyang, when the Ming Dynasty did not teach them advanced cultivation technology, the cultivated land area of the entire Nanyang was less than two million mu.

In less than two hundred years after the Ming Dynasty's teachings, the amount of cultivated land has increased by four or five times.

The vast territory of central Africa, if controlled, would be easy to go north and south.

It is only necessary to control the coast first and then the inland, but by opening up the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, Zhu Youzhen can sit at the door of European countries and collect taxes.

Tens of millions of manpower can be used at will, whether it is to reclaim arable land, or to build canals and roads.

The huge demographic dividend will allow a dynasty to rise rapidly, and the people of the Ming Dynasty don't have to do anything at all, because when they migrate in the long sea frontier, someone has already helped them reclaim the cultivated land.

"Giving them a mouthful of food is also considered a merit of mine."

Zhu Youzhen sighed in his heart, he didn't care, as for the people who would die in the construction project?

After all, it's normal for productivity to be low and dead.

Compared with going across the ocean to the Americas to pick cotton, it is their honor to contribute to the prosperity of Qi in Qi country.

Thinking so, Zhu Youzhen is also ready to talk about going to the West.

"Brother, this matter of going to the West, I am going to follow the course of the Three Treasure Eunuchs back then, and when I take the king's envoys to stop to observe Tianzhu, I will send a fleet to Leviia."

"Although Levia is savage, there are a large number of natives who are willing to serve my Ming Dynasty, and they only need to send a thousand soldiers and horses to establish a stronghold, apply kingization, and subdue people with virtue, and they will naturally respond to the call of my Ming Dynasty."

What Zhu Youzhen said was very vague, but after all, most of the people in the hall were military generals, and everyone could understand it.

Only Zhu Youxiao heard that Zhu Youzhen was going to such a far place to establish a feudal state, and immediately said:

"The affairs of the vassal kingdom are decided by the younger brother, but after all, the younger brother is the governor of the five armies of the imperial court, and he can't easily leave the Ming ......."

Zhu Youzhen was reluctant to let Zhu Youzhen leave him, and Zhu Youzhen only regarded the other party as a temporary reluctance, so he smiled lightly and said:

"Naturally, you have to deal with the affairs of the Ming Dynasty first, and then the younger brother will leave for the overseas vassal country."

Zhu Youzhen said this with a smile, and Man Gui, Sun Yingyuan and others also laughed with them.

But there was a hint of indescribability in this smile.

It's just that Zhu Youzhen didn't notice it, but turned around and continued to point to Ceylon Island and said:

"The land of Ceylon, now the north and the west are occupied by the Francis."

"However, as soon as my Ming army arrives, I can order them to surrender the occupied places with some silver, and then take the last small princely state of Ceylon."

"If you take the island of Ceylon, you can prepare for the establishment of a small Western supervision mission, and hundreds of thousands of Ceylonese people on the island will become the people of the Ming Dynasty, and millions of acres of arable land on the island will also become the cultivated land of the Ming Dynasty."

"With this place, it will be much easier to send troops north to defeat the coastal princely states of Southern Tianzhu."

"As long as the Southern Tianzhu Princely State is defeated, the feudal domains can also be successfully established, and then the ministers and younger brothers can also start planning the affairs of the Levian Domain with the strength of the Little Western Supervision Envoy and the strength of the feudal domains."

Zhu Youzhen's idea was very simple, that is, to take Ceylon, and then cooperate with the feudal lords to take the southern coast of Tianzhu, and use these cultivated land, which could already directly move the people, to support a thousand soldiers and horses to go to Levia.

As long as the army arrived in Levia, and the Tianzhu domains and Ceylon could supply them with blood, it would only take one year to secure the logistics and allow them to establish the first stronghold of Qi on the central coast of Levia.

As for why it is said that a year can guarantee their logistics?

Zhu Youzhen did not believe it, tens of thousands of natives could not intensively cultivate thousands of acres of cultivated land in a year.

If 10,000 people can't do it, then use 100,000 people, and if 100,000 people can't do it, then 1 million!

In short, the state of Qi must stand tall in central Levia within three years.

Thinking of this, Zhu Youzhen squinted, but Zhu Youxiao was not interested in these, but said to Zhu Youzhen:

"Tomorrow's sect discussion will be handed over to my younger brother to organize, and the same is true for going to Nanyang."

"If the money is not enough, you can transfer it to Zhongxian, and there should be more than 100,000 taels of silver in the inner money."

"Brother Xie." Zhu Youzhen smiled when he heard this, but Zhu Youxiao hesitated and said:

"My brother said that some students should go to the Terracotta Division and the local criminal department and Dali Temple as officials, but have you ever thought about how to let them go?"

"Naturally!" Zhu Youjian said confidently: "This requires my brother to open an Enke to Yanshan, and Enke is in charge of Gu Bingqian." ”

Zhu Youzhen's method is very simple, that is, to use Enke to select officials from more than 40,000 students, no matter what the person's talent is, anyway, as long as he can be admitted, he can become an official.

As for the scholars in the world, they probably can't understand Enke's exam questions, so let's continue to take the imperial examination to avoid being ugly.

"Enko?" Zhu Youxiao pondered for a moment, and then said with a slight chin and said:

"You can do this, but if I announce so many things at once in Chang Chao tomorrow, I'm afraid the officials will ......"

"The sect council is very soon, and I will help my brother when the time comes." Zhu Youzhen smiled and gave Zhu Youxiao some confidence.

"Well, then I'm relieved." With the support of his younger brother, Zhu Youxiao relaxed a lot, then turned his head to look at the sky, and then sighed:

"At this hour, I'm almost back to the palace, brother, you have a good rest."

"I'll send my brother ......" As soon as Zhu Youzhen said this, Zhu Youxiao immediately waved his hand and said:

"Just let Sun Yingyuan and Man Gui send me, and my brother can rest well."

After that, Zhu Youxiao walked to the door of Tianzhu Palace, and Man Gui and Sun Yingyuan hurriedly followed.

Zhu Youzhen watched them walk out, and it wasn't until his back disappeared that he looked at Sun Shoufa and said:

"Inherit the grace, Hua Chunlai, and Lu Wenzhao are here."

"Yes!" Sun Shoufa responded, then turned around and went to the door, and asked people to pass on Wang Chengen and the three.

When Wang Chengen and the three of them got the news and hurried to Tianzhu Palace, Man Gui and Sun Yingyuan also sent Zhu Youxiao to the carriage.

"Let's go......"

Zhu Youxiao explained to Liu Ruoyu, who was driving the carriage, and Man Gui and Sun Yingyuan also gave gifts.

With the sound of Liu Ruoyu's "driving", a thousand Han generals guarded the carriage and embarked on the way back.

Since they set off from the main gate of the Qi Palace, when the carriage drove through the Qi King Road, it was equivalent to driving through the forty palaces on the left and right.

In this regard, many vassal kings in the palace walked out one after another, and made a gesture at the same time as Zhu You's school carriage left, and after making a gesture, he vaguely glanced at Man Gui and Sun Yingyuan at the main gate of the Qi Palace, as well as the soldiers of the Daxing camp on duty today.

"Go back, Your Highness should have something to order."

"Hmmm......"

Seeing the emperor leaving, Man Gui opened his mouth to speak, and Sun Yingyuan bowed slightly.

The two turned around and returned to the palace, but just as they walked through the corridor and returned to the Tianzhu Palace, Man Gui suddenly spoke:

"If Your Highness really goes to Levia, do you think I'm going to go with you?"

"Nature...... However, it is also necessary to see whether the court is willing to release people. Sun Yingyuan responded with a calm expression, which made Man Gui frown slightly, and then said:

"After the news of the overseas vassal came out, the people below made a lot of trouble, and they didn't want His Highness to become an overseas vassal."

"It's up to His Highness to ......" Sun Yingyuan didn't say too much of his opinion, and Man Gui had to say when he saw this:

"Let's take a look first, if it doesn't work, persuade Your Highness that it is better to arrange the vassal state in Sanxuan and Liuwei than in Leviia."

"Hmm......" Sun Yingyuan nodded in approval, but then kept silent.

Man Gui didn't say anything, took him into the Kyushu Palace, and after turning around, he returned to the Tianzhu Palace.

By the time they returned to the temple, eight chairs and tables had been set up, and tea and meals were placed on the tables.

Zhu Youzhen sat in the main seat, raised his chin slightly, and motioned for the two to take a seat, and the two also returned the salute, and then took a seat.

After the two of them took their seats, Zhu Youzhen, who didn't know what the two were talking about, spoke:

"Let's eat first, talk while eating, you all know that I am this character, and don't talk about etiquette like those gentlemen."

"Yes!" The seven people who heard the words responded, and at the same time stretched out their hands to pick up the tableware and moved their chopsticks to the dishes on the table.

It's just that when they moved their chopsticks, Zhu Youzhen was eating while flipping through the book in his hand.

The document was obviously brought by Wang Chengen and the others, and Zhu Youzhen looked at it with relish.

It mainly writes about the expansion rate of the imperial store, as well as the output of the salt field this year, and the income and expenditure of the imperial store.

After resting for half a month, Zhu Youzhen found that the expansion rate of the imperial store far exceeded his imagination after the report for the first half of the year came out.

In the first half of the year alone, Huangdian's income was more than 8.52 million taels, its expenditure was more than 4.75 million taels, and its profit was more than 3.77 million taels.

This is only the first half of the year, and the commodities and goods sold in it are basically salt, honeycomb coal, honeycomb coal stoves, as well as tea and all kinds of common goods.

These include cane sugar and other sugars, as well as cloth and satin, official kiln porcelain, and so on.

If you only look at the royal store, then the income of the royal store this year may exceed the income of eight million taels of silver.

The reason why it has risen so much is mainly because of the existence of the market.

After the existence of the city, the purchasing channels of the maritime merchants in the past have changed, from the previous merchants looking for private goods, to now directly buying at the imperial store.

Judging from the financial statements of Huangdian, the domestic consumption of the two capitals and 16 provinces of the Ming Dynasty has only reached less than 4 million taels, and the remaining more than 4.5 million taels are all generated by maritime trade.

This is only half a year, if it is counted as a year, that is to say, in the vast sea area east of Malacca and west of Japan, the annual trade volume of the Ming Dynasty is more than 9 million taels.

Knowing this, Zhu Youzhen immediately opened the last quarter's report sent by the city department half a month ago.

Sure enough, in terms of the customs revenue of the city, in just half a year, this item generated nearly one million taels of silver.

In other words, the taxes and profits of Huangdian and Shibo reached nearly 4.8 million taels in the first half of the year alone.

However, although the city company generated revenue and had indemnities from the East India Company of Europe, it was still insignificant compared to its size.

At present, the number of maritime inspection divisions has reached more than 70,000 under the municipal shipping department.

The annual expenditure of more than 70,000 people, plus food, is nearly one million taels of silver, and the city department and scribes also have to place orders and pay silver to several major shipyards, so it is still a negative expenditure at present.

In Shen Tingyang's recital, it was clearly stated that there was still a gap of more than 400,000 taels in the city.

However, this gap will gradually become smaller after the ships and equipment are filled, and finally achieve breakeven.

In this case, Zhu Youzhen is quite satisfied, after all, the balance of income and expenditure means that the market will achieve income generation in the future.

As overseas feudal lords became vassals, more merchant ships passed through the old port, and the tax revenue of the city ship division became higher and higher.

It won't be long, it's just a few years.

Putting down the performance of the city's boss, Zhu Youzhen glanced at the textile factory in the south field of the Imperial Horse Prison and the officialdom in the north field.

This year, while ensuring food for Shangzhi, the officialdom in Beichang also slaughtered more than 4,900 military horses, more than 14,000 horses, and more than 3,000 ploughing cattle.

For Zhu Youzhen, this is good news, and even better news comes from the textile factory in the south field of the Imperial Horse Prison.

With the advent of the government-run textile mills, the cloth and silk of Huangdian began to be supplied by the textile mills in Nanchang, with an annual output of 160,000 horses.

If these white cloths were transported to the Imperial Store in the Old Port, they could be sold to European merchants at high prices for gold and silver.

Zhu Youxiao was very satisfied, and what made him even more satisfied was the gunpowder factory and ordnance factory in Yanshan.

In the first half of the year, the gunpowder factory produced 1.3 million tons of gunpowder, 76,000 rifles, 30,000 cavalry guns, and more than 5,400 artillery pieces of various types.

However, such a speed of production represents the consumption of money and food.

More than 30,000 craftsmen, plus the consumption of iron, the entire ordnance station invested a total of more than 700,000 taels of silver.

Of course, such an investment is worth it, and at present, among the 870,000 soldiers and horses of the Ming Dynasty, 290,000 people have been equipped with cavalry and rifles.

Among them, the Western Army Governor's Mansion and the Southern Army Governor's Mansion are equipped with most of them, and the Northern Army Governor's Mansion is equipped with one-third, while the Eastern Army Governor's Mansion has reached the standard of upright equipment.

The firearms armament rate of the Eastern Military Governor's Mansion has reached 70 percent, and this is already the limit of what firearms can be equipped with at present.

In the era of alternating hot and cold weapons, unless Zhu Youzhen can sacrifice Makqin, the soldiers of cold weapons still have the meaning of existence.

Thinking of this, Zhu Youzhen put down the report of the Ordnance Institute and did not choose to expand or reduce production.

This production quantity is just right, any more is wasted, and less is too slow.

Putting down the report, Zhu Youzhen picked up the last report, which was also the report he cared about the most.

"Yanshan University Report"

In six simple words, it contains the number of students enrolled this year, as well as the number of graduates.

did not disappoint Zhu Youzhen, when the report was opened, the number of 370,000 students made him hold his breath, and the four-line list circled in red made him unconsciously clench the report.

"Those who can become political and army scribes: 37,425 people"

"Those who may be sent abroad as officials: four thousand two hundred and thirty-five."

"Those who can enter the fourth school of Yanshan for further study, three thousand two hundred and thirty-one."

"Those who marched into the Military Readiness Research Institute: one hundred and eighty-four."

The simple four-line list made Zhu Youzhen probably mentally prepared.

First of all, these four data, from top to bottom, represent scribes, officials, students who have advanced special courses, and scientific seedlings who have scientific talents and go to the armaments research institute to conduct armaments research.

Everything was difficult at the beginning, but Zhu Youzhen waited for five years, and finally waited for a team of more than 40,000 people.

Their appearance will solve some tricky things for Zhu Youzhen and some tricky things for Daming.

Thinking of this, Zhu Youzhen closed the book, looked up at the seven people in the hall and said:

"These more than 40,000 people, except for the scholars of the Fourth Academy, and the students of the Armaments Research Institute, the rest of the students, Man Gui, you will first select some talented seedlings to enter the military academy in Yanshan."

"The military academy has been vacant for so many years, and now it can be used, and as for the textbooks, I am already compiling them."

"The two of you will learn about the teaching materials first, and by the way, you will take Cao Meng, Sun Shoufa, and Saihan to study with the commanders of each guard and the generals of each battalion."

"When you learn thoroughly, immediately take everyone to the academy to give a lecture."

Speaking of this, Zhu Youzhen said with a calm look: "Don't die reading, read dead books, take them to practice." ”

"At the beginning of October, I will start to give lectures, and after the beginning of spring next year, I will take them to the battlefield for actual combat!"

Zhu Youzhen doesn't have much time, not to mention that these students have already received a year of military study in the academy, and what they have to do now is to thoroughly understand the knowledge little by little and use it on the battlefield.

As for why Zhu Youzhen still asked them to learn the art of war for another half year before going to the battlefield, it was because those art of war were military textbooks compiled by Zhu Youzhen in the past few months on the basis of the cavalry, infantry, and artillery associations.

What was taught in the school before, although there was learning in this area, it was mainly the formation of cold weapons and the basic orders.

Daming had to take the lead in transitioning from hot and cold weapons to hot weapons, so the change of military textbooks was definitely the fastest and most numerous among many textbooks.

Only the battlefield can sharpen people, blindly put this group of young people in the academy to study, and in the end can only cultivate theorists like Ma Yan.

"Your Highness, is it too early to take them to the battlefield?"

"Yes, many of them are only thirteen or fourteen years old, and the older ones are only seventeen or eighteen."

When Zhu Youzhen's order was issued, Man Gui and Sun Yingyuan hesitated to make suggestions, but Zhu Youzhen said:

"No matter how old you are, there is always a need for scribes in the army, right?"

"Let them start as scribes first, adapt to the battlefield, and then become ordinary soldiers."

"The last general ...... orders" Sun Yingyuan and Man Gui heard the voice, and they could only respond helplessly.

However, they didn't think that Zhu Youzhen was cruel to this group of people, after all, Zhu Youzhen himself started on the battlefield at the age of twelve.

He has led by example, and the people below probably have nothing to complain about.

After all, when they were in the academy, everyone looked forward to going to the battlefield, imagining that after they had made meritorious deeds, they would personally see the scene of the legendary King Qi His Royal Highness.

What Man Gui and they are worried about is that this group of young people can't accept the cruel battlefield.

"Lu Wenzhao!"

"Your Highness......"

Zhu Youzhen suddenly shouted Lu Wenzhao's name, and Lu Wenzhao also subconsciously stood up.

Facing Lu Wenzhao, Zhu Youzhen explained to him: "From these 40,000 people, 400 people will be selected to join the Supervision Department of Jinyiwei. ”

After that, Zhu Youzhen looked at Cao Huachun again:

"Tomorrow I will hold a sect meeting, and my brother will hold a permanent court."

"It is not surprising that from tomorrow, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Punishment, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and the Dali Temple will be renovated and reorganized, and the Tea Division and the Salt Division will also be renovated."

"Tell Gu Bingqian to hand over a list of middle-level officials who can run the Tea Division and the Salt Division."

"In addition to the list of officials, people who can become scribes go to the two divisions to do things."

"As for the more than 4,000 ...... who can be sent as officials," Zhu Youzhen looked at Man Gui and Sun Yingyuan:

"Summoning all the disabled and retired soldiers, as well as announcing the governor's office of the five armies, some of the wounded and sick generals among the generals have been screened out."

"Then tell the students who can be released as officials, and other students, if they want to be officials, they should prepare for Enke normally, and the selected people will go to the Terracotta Division, Dali Temple, Criminal Department, and Metropolitan Procuratorate as officials, and those who can't be selected will continue to serve as scribes in the two divisions."

"Remember to reassure them, don't be discouraged even if Enke fails, the official system will change in the next year, and the officials can still be officials."

"The slave takes the command." Cao Huachun listened to this news one by one, and his heart set off turbulent waves.

Not only him, but everyone else also feels that I am afraid that tomorrow will be a stroke of color in the history books.

I just don't know how His Royal Highness will deter the counterattack of hundreds of officials.

Attacking the official system, I am afraid that this counterattack will be even larger than all previous counterattacks......

It's still the same as before, four o'clock

(End of chapter)