Once Seoul is broken, the task before the beginning of spring next year will be to clean up Chungcheong-do and Jeolla-do provinces west of the Xiaobaek Mountains and southwest of Gyeonggi Province.

With its unrivaled military superiority, North Korea, which has spent decades in internal strife, has no room to fight back.

The people's hearts were absent, and the main forces ended in a great chaos in the process of shrinking and defending Seoul for several months, and the generals led by them were executed.

That was the "elite" who accounted for more than half of the entire North Korean army at this time, and it was blasted from the inside by the offensive war.

A large number of middle-level generals were temporarily screened by the guards. Some of the soldiers who had been in turmoil at that time dispersed into the people, resumed their civilian status, and rushed back to their homes.

Some are looking forward to new opportunities, or entering the security force system under the control of the Ming army, or volunteering to become officials.

There is a group of soldiers who cannot be forgiven, and that is the Praetorian Guard and Guard, the most confidant of the original Yin sisters and brothers.

These low-level soldiers, who had become officials, were especially happy to supervise the high-ranking guards in the past as coolies: since the Joseon Dynasty had taken it, the construction of the Gyeonghan Straight Road was about to begin.

Even if the north is bitterly cold, often snowy, and the permafrost thaws after the beginning of spring is a problem, at least the roadbed must be repaired first, which is a necessary part of the long-term strategy.

And to complete this project of the Jinghan Straight Road on the banks of the Yalu River from Seoul to Yalu is the punishment that those criminal soldiers will receive.

"Don't worry about food!"

In the Xuanzheng Hall in Gyeongbokgung Palace, there is now a different person.

Zhu Xianzhuo, the king of Liao, had not yet sat on the throne, but only listened to the side first.

"Ping'an and Huanghai are okay, before entering the summer, the Wang Division quickly attacked Gyeonggi Province, and the lower officials and others worked hard to delay this season's summer grain. Combined with new grains, iron farming tools, and shiploads of guano manure, it was indeed a great harvest. However, Gyeonggi Province, Chungcheong Province, and Jeolla Province are full of wars and disasters, and the fields are barren. Rebellious ministers and thieves are rampant, and the hungry people are more than millions. ”

Gong Yongqing, who rushed over from Pyongyang, first explained the objective situation, and then asked Zhang Jing: "Governor, I'm afraid that the food is still not enough, and there are still soldiers who are about to march into the DPRK, and their military rations cannot be used." If we want to survive this winter, we still have to find a way to get food. Now that it is winter, the capacity of Jiliao grain road has dropped significantly, and the shipping is ...... Is there an arrangement in the imperial court? ”

"There is no need to worry about food." Zhang Jing once again emphasized, "The Korean people have been in trouble for a long time, and being the master for them is the supreme good governance." At this extraordinary time, grain and grain varieties naturally need to be centrally deployed. Ping'an and the Yellow Sea Grain Road have been busy with farming, so hire some helpers as soon as possible, and the poor people in the city can also work for relief. ”

The words were not said thoroughly, but Gong Yongqing knew that the big appeal and big judgment that had been staged once in Pyongan Province and Hwanghae Province would be repeated in Gyeonggi Province.

It cannot be punished as a crime. However, the unscrupulousness of the Korean officials and gentry is much more powerful than that of the Ming Dynasty, as long as they start from the law and make decisions for the poor people, then the confiscation will still be a source of money and food.

It's nothing more than a matter of distribution.

Chungcheong-do and Jeolla-do provinces are not necessarily out of food, but it is certain that they are being hoarded by the gentry at the moment.

The army is advancing rapidly, and the Ming officials and the local Korean people have been bribed with the help of the people, and the officials and gentry of the other five provinces of North Korea are indeed about to face a catastrophe as Yin Yuanheng preached.

But Da Ming didn't care.

The vast majority are always ordinary people.

North Korea's original middle and upper echelons were strong, and that was in the absence of stronger external forces.

Those who can adapt to the new situation now may still be able to leave a possibility for the future; What can't adapt to the new situation is nothing more than to face the powerful Ming Jun and the new local forces that are ready to completely submit to the feet of the Ming Dynasty.

"Anton Gong!" Zhang Jing saluted, "Eradicating the plague has always been an established strategy. This year, Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces will be pacified, and Gyeongsang-do will be leveled at the beginning of spring next year, and the remaining Gangwon-do and Hamgyong-do will have to work hard to recruit Andong Gong. ”

It is obvious that the complete pacification of the whole of Korea will not be a matter of just one or two years.

There will always be unwilling people who will fight back and make trouble.

The overall strategy of the Ming Dynasty was to first take the good land with fewer mountains in the west of Korea, and then take Gyeongsang-do, which is the easiest to unify on its own, and at the same time open up the closest place to Tsushima Island.

The remaining Gangwon Province and Hamgyong Province might as well still open an opening for those rebel forces to gather there.

It doesn't matter whether Li can succeed in recruiting or not, it is even more important for him to take people from the pro-Ming faction to do dirty things.

If those North Korean rebels really hooked up with the Jianzhou Jurchens, then the Xuanning border army, which had not moved before, just took advantage of the situation and gave the Jianzhou Jurchens a big slap to enjoy it.

In this way, when the Ming expedition to Japan is successful and it is about to start to completely eliminate the threat of Mengyuan, there is no fear of what moths will appear in the northeast where the new order is not stable.

Li naturally also understood, and now he just replied seriously: "How dare you not do your best to save the people of Gangwon and Hamgyong from fire and water?" ”

"There are many affairs inside and outside the city, the prince, the ministers will go out of the city first, and then encourage the soldiers to go south and take a look at the sea and land grain road in the direction of Incheon Kaesong. It is advisable for the prince to go to various porridge factories, grain stores and government offices in the city to urge the officials to do their errands. ”

"Xiao Wang is taught, Mr. rest assured."

Gong Yongqing had mixed feelings in his heart.

He is not stupid, Zhang Jing was later transferred to the DPRK, obviously to take him as the main body to straighten out the internal affairs of the DPRK.

And the King of Liao has also regarded Zhang Jing as a master, and he obeys his words.

"Naruji, Enko, it's up to you to do it." Zhang Jing did not ignore him, "This matter is extremely important, North Korean Shilin has been repeatedly injured, and there is a new situation." Now that everything is in ruins, North Korea is thirsty for talent. This Enke examination is to make North Korean Shilin feel inspired! ”

"Xia Guan understands." Gong Yongqing bent over.

This naturally gives an extremely clear signal, and also gives hope to many depressed low-level scholars in North Korea.

North Korea is not big, Seoul is in the middle, and it will not take much time for the north and south to take the exam here.

The most important thing is that this year's special situation will definitely be easier to test. There are many places, and the exam questions must not be difficult.

It is clear that there must be a new set of rules in the future, and I am afraid that there is great hope just by being able to read and hyphenation.

It is also quite convenient to say, after all, although North Korea already has some "training the people and creating a "proverb", Shilin is very disgusted.

The reason why it is called "Hangul" is also because it is looked down upon by readers, thinking that it is a thing used by ordinary people, how can Chinese characters be elegant and accurate?

Therefore, as an official in North Korea, the official language is still in Chinese, even hundreds of years later.

Now that the Ming Dynasty is in charge, to select a new group of local officials, it is natural to be able to communicate proficiently in Chinese.

If you can't pass the test, I'm afraid the most important thing is loyalty or disloyalty.

As long as you are willing to go to the Ming Dynasty to be this official, then the threshold is only to be proficient in Chinese, well-behaved and obedient.

This is true in North Korea, but the method on the Ryukyu side is different.

There were too many people who had been killed before, and most of them were Ryukyu elites living on the other side of the island.

On the remaining side of Yaeyama and Miyako Islands, it was not enough for all those who knew Chinese to be given official positions, so Hu Zongxian naturally selected some more people from the Han people who had passed with the maritime merchants to take up official positions.

At the same time, the first elementary and junior high schools have been established in Shurijo Castle, which is still under reconstruction.

Just rebuilding, Hu Zongxian faced far fewer problems, and he still had time to be a teacher himself.

Those who do not die in great calamities do have a blessing in the future.

The people who survived this Ryukyu catastrophe now see all the blessings that the Ming Dynasty brought to them.

King Su brought it over, but Emperor Ming lent him a large amount of start-up capital.

The rebuilding of the port and the reconstruction of the new city have led to the movement of materials and labor in the Ryukyus, and the vitality continues to sprout.

Seeing the great determination of the Imperial Court, and the fact that it did not take the Eastern Empire into account at all, many people on the southeast coast were becoming more and more convinced of the opportunity in the Ryukyus.

In any case, the Ryukyus, which have a large population and a large amount of land, will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, and then there will definitely be a chance for the Ming army to go on an expedition and eradicate the plagues, and there will be a chance for the Ryukyus to become a national Jinliang and a central maritime trade.

Unlike North Korea, here in the Ryukyus, the Ming Dynasty was not prepared to directly accept it as solid land.

It also means that it will be much freer to go here than to North Korea.

It's the middle of winter, but it's not cold here, but it's steaming and vibrant.

The Beijing city of the Ming Dynasty has already been published in the "Ming Pao", and in the eyes of the people of the Ming Dynasty, this year it is a neat subjugation of the two countries.

Needless to say, the Ryukyu thieves lost their conscience, and the Ryukyu royal family and the government and people suffered a catastrophe, but it was not their fault, and the Ming Dynasty went not only to help the feudal state, but also to prepare for the eradication of the Japanese plague in the future.

On the Korean side, it is really appalling that the relatives and brothers should punish the lord and princes of North Korea with such a femme fatale.

"Such a mediocre and fornicating royal family, and it is only natural that the people's hearts will be lost!"

"Heh......"

"What are you laughing at?"

The person being asked just shook his head, but he couldn't say anything.

Just listen to what "Ming Pao" said, naturally this is the case. But who killed the sons of the former Korean lord Li Yi, how can this be carefully pondered?

He thinks that he sees more deeply, but he is not despising the Ming officers and soldiers or even His Majesty the Emperor, he just thinks that this is a bit difficult to do.

In the eyes of the other feudal domains, the reputation of the Ming Dynasty is only a little stinky, and his actions are too ruthless.

It doesn't matter how the truth is, what matters is the fact that these two generations of the North Korean royal family have been almost wiped out.

Does this make people not afraid?

Even within the Ming Dynasty, there are many people who speculate like this, let alone the outer domain.

In the Xinuan Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Houxi watched a few notes, and then let them go aside.

"Let's stay."

These are all suggestions addressed to the emperor, not ordinary civil affairs. If the emperor does not have a new idea, then he will not approve it and transfer it to the State Council and the relevant government offices to study how to handle it.

That's exactly what I'm talking about.

After gaining two feudal states in one year, how should the other feudal domains be appeased?

Zhu Houxi knows that many people's habitual thinking cannot be forced, and in the final analysis, the moral bottom line of Ming officials is probably the highest in itself.

The change in the policy of the Ming Dynasty was not enough for most officials to agree with it from the bottom of their hearts.

The history of living behind closed doors is too long, and the perception that those remote and small countries do not have more to gain than they lose is also very marketable because of the need for a strong blood transfusion from the Ming Dynasty at this stage.

For example, in order to eradicate the Japanese plague in the coming year, and to stabilize the newly taken Korea and the Ryukyus, larger-scale military food transfer and logistics arrangements have been initiated.

The 20,000 elite soldiers selected by the Beijing camp have been mobilized, and the one in command is Yu Dayou.

The emperor's determination to eradicate the plague can be seen.

Yang Shen was under great pressure, but at this time he could only joke to himself: Although the ten-year treasury bonds that were redeemed this year have returned, and there are more than 5 million taels, the total scale of this treasury bond of more than 17 million taels is also a lot of pressure on Daming. I have to pay it back, but at that time, it won't be his turn Yang Shen to worry about it.

In front of Zhu Houxi, Cui Yuan only heard the emperor say: "Where is this?" Daming now has a year's output, not to mention, just the tax income, all converted into silver taels, more than 30 million taels. Besides, take Japan, where the output of gold and silver will be enough to repay this batch of national bonds in a few years. ”

Cui Yuanyu reported: "Gaodu Hu is presenting over there, and there is more and more gold and silver in the hands of Westerners. Nanao Bo asked for the purchase of Ming naval guns again, and his ambition was not small. This matter ......"

Zhu Houxi shook his head: "This matter is not allowed!" Militaristic heavy weapons, I will not sell them before I am assured. But nowadays, because we attach great importance to the shipbuilding industry, large merchant ships can be sold. The more caravans there are at sea, the better, after all, when I have to do something to me, I am afraid that the trade routes on the road will have to change their appearance for the time being. If North Korea and Ryukyu want to be self-sufficient and feed back the interests of the Ming Dynasty, they also need maritime exchanges and exchanges. ”

"Then there is the need for the Daming Tongbao and the silver dollar." Cui Yuan continued to report, "The convention was signed last year, and this year, with the new standard, the border trade only recognizes the Ming silver coin, and the silver dollar is already in short supply. On the one hand, there is still a shortage of silver, and on the other hand, I am afraid that after the clan and the feudal clan become bad in the future, there will be too many silver dollars in circulation in the country, and the price will be unstable. ”

For more than 20 years, Cui Yuan has become more and more professional.

Zhu Houxi looked at him: "What about your opinion?" ”

"Treasure ticket." Cui Yuan said, "Border trade is often a huge amount, so it is mainly silver dollars. Although the treasure ticket has been passed in the provinces, it is not real silver and real gold after all, and the feudal merchants have scruples. The printing of treasure tickets mainly depends on whether the feudal merchants accept them. Although the border trade is now generally Daming earns more, but Daming buys it, and they buy things from Daming, after all, there is still turnover in the middle. Now, the vassals are a little afraid that the Ming Dynasty will not establish diplomatic relations and trade with it in the future, so the treasure ticket will be useless. ”

"Is it because you are afraid that Daming will also do to them like North Korea?" Zhu Houxi chuckled.

However, what Cui Yuan said is indeed a problem.

Over the years, through maritime trade, a lot of silver has indeed flowed into overseas, and domestic mining has not stopped.

However, compared with the explosive growth of the output of the Ming Dynasty, the overall circulation of currency in the market is still insufficient. After all, the time is still short, and it has not yet reached the state where the Ming Dynasty occupies the world's silver.

After changing to new money, treasure tickets, which are purely printed "paper money", still need enough time to build credit.

There had also been a situation where some people tried to concentrate on the treasure ticket to dissuade the emperor from using swords, forcing Cui Yuan and Sun Yuan to come forward to deal with it in person.

The people who use the treasure ticket are undoubtedly the powerful, high-ranking officials, and big businessmen.

In the border trade, this kind of "paper money" was still not recognized by the officials and merchants of the feudal state like the silver dollar.

Now that this situation is encountered, Zhu Houxi also has to think about it.

After thinking about it for a while, he spoke: "Let's look at the questions separately. After Korea, Ryukyu, and Dongying were all taken down, it was no problem for the treasure ticket to pass through the eastern border trade. Over there, copper coins must also be in great demand. On the contrary, I have been dedicated to serving the people for many years, and the new money has already had a foundation in the provinces, so it is time to consider printing bronze and silver tickets in Daming. ”

“…… What does Your Majesty mean? Cui Yuan was a little unsure.

"Try it." Zhu Houxi said, "If the copper ticket can be paid stably and the value is stable, then a lot of copper coins can be saved in daily circulation and exchanged for North Korea, Ryukyu, and Dongying." If the silver ticket can be passed, it can also replace a batch of silver dollars in the country. In this case, in terms of border trade, Korea, Ryukyu, and Dongying will mainly use treasure stamps and silver stamps, and if they also help them establish an exchange system, and if the country can gradually pass silver stamps, the silver dollars needed for border trade in other directions will increase. ”

Cui Yuan nodded thoughtfully, and then said: "In this case, I'm afraid that the minister's side will need to distribute the branches to every county or even town, and hire nearly five times more people." ”

"The national fortune is one." Zhu Houxi said solemnly, "At this point, since it is a matter of interest to the big businessmen in border trade, we can start to consider the implementation of commercial banks." In this matter, I will discuss it with the State Hall first, and then find some people to ventilate and see the intention. Remember, even if it is implemented, it must first be controlled by Daming Bank and supervised in place. As soon as it should be managed, there must be strict regulations! ”

Cui Yuan's heart shook violently: "The minister must be cautious!" ”

If you want to set up a joint venture to run a bank, pay interest on deposits, and make a profit on loans, I don't know how many nobles, big businessmen, and big officials and gentry have been looking forward to it for many years.

Is this step going to be taken after all?

Of course, taking advantage of the opportunity of issuing copper and silver bills, if we can get the support of some parties who have a huge demand for silver in circulation, everyone will have a common position to maintain the stability of their currency value.

The rest is nothing more than to put the burden on his Cui Yuan: the huge banking system, how to regulate it in the future.

Cui Yuan is no stranger to the practices and regulations. After staying in the core position of the emperor's side for so many years, he has already "left the school".

However, if there is a theory, it does not mean that there will be no problems in the actual implementation process later.

And it concerns everyone, and as soon as the problem of currency comes out, it is a big problem.

It is another time when the old and the new are old, and this time is indeed suitable for private ventilation and preparation in advance.

Cui Yuan knew that a great power had been lost to him, and this first batch of people who could be recognized and become shareholders of commercial banks could not go through his preliminary screening?

But Zhu Houxi obviously trusts him very much.

It was nearly two months late, and the treasure ship supervisor officially invited him: the Xuanlong steam ironclad ship could be launched.

Zhu Houxi left Beijing and went to watch the ceremony.

Next year, can this ship be used as a flagship and become the black ship that arrives earlier in Dongying?

(End of chapter)