Left Beijing five times, this time Zhu Houxi was more silent after leaving De'an Station.

At the junction of De'an Mansion and Anlu Prefecture, which was upgraded to Chengtian Mansion, the two prefects saluted each other and looked at each other.

The prefect of De'an breathed a sigh of relief, but the prefect of Chengtian saw the reminder and concern in the eyes of his colleagues.

It was not until the staff and officials of the two sides who handed over the greeting and escorting details came back that the Chengtian prefect heard about the situation.

"But the road is uneven, and there are more bumps than the railway?"

"Didn't say anything, Fuzun, didn't say anything."

"That's ...... Cause of grief? ”

“…… Perhaps, in short, Your Majesty has a bad heart. ”

The emperor's mood was not high, and the local officials were worried.

After thinking about it, in the end, he felt that Zhang Juzheng, who was called to accompany him, was suitable to listen to one or two.

After all, it is for the reception of the emperor's homecoming!

In the face of Zhang Juzheng, although the other party does not have an official position, the prefect of Chengtian is respectful and worried.

Zhang Juzheng was not arrogant, but after returning the salute, he said: "How dare the kid speak presumptuously? Lord Fuzun is only afraid that he is too worried. ”

"The New Year is coming, the Sacred Heart is worried, I am good, the virtuous nephew is good, how can I bear it?" The prefect of Chengtian looked loyal, and then looked at Zhang Juzheng earnestly, "I'm not asking for secrets, I just hope that everything will go smoothly in the future!" The virtuous nephew Huguang is a leader, with extraordinary encounters and a bright future, and he is willing to show loyalty and filial piety for the people of Huguang, right? ”

“…… I thought about it. ”

Zhang Juzheng was a little helpless, but after pondering for a while, he felt that it was not a bad thing to say it.

"Actually, Your Majesty, I'm just afraid that Guanhuguang has not changed much over the years, and I'm just sad that the new law still doesn't benefit the people enough."

The prefect of Chengtian was stunned for a moment, and could only: "Ah? ”

Zhang Juzheng sighed: "That's probably the case." Your Majesty's worries about the country and the people are rare in the world. Over the years, the capital and border towns have changed a lot, and they can be called changing with each passing day. Jiajing's three-year southern tour was mainly to see the canal and Huanghuai. However, His Majesty was born in Huguang and grew up in Huguang, and nearly 30 years have passed, although Huguang has undergone some changes, how can it be compared with the wealth and prosperity of Liangjing and Caohe? Your Excellency, don't worry about other reasons. ”

The prefect of Chengtian looked at him with a somewhat complicated mood.

In fact, he and the dignitaries of the De'an prefect and even Huguang Province all guessed that the emperor wanted to find out the local situation in Huguang from this move.

Naturally, they were afraid that there was something inappropriate in their daily governance that would make the emperor unhappy.

However, at this moment, Zhang Juzheng said: The emperor probably just blames himself, and the new law has not been effective enough at the local level for so many years.

What else?

In front of his subordinates, as soon as Zhang Juzheng's meaning was relayed, everyone looked at each other.

Following the royal car slowly towards the former palace and the current Chengtian Academy, the officials accompanying the Chengtian Mansion were entangled in their hearts.

"Water conservancy, agriculture, culture and education...... The province is more focused on Chengtianfu. Your Majesty, after all, Your Majesty is still not satisfied with the achievements of this Chengtian Mansion for many years. How is it good? ”

“…… Neither can that Dean. ”

“…… How can there be a reason not to compete for the top? ”

The prefect of Chengtian sighed: "Chengtian Mansion is not a place for transportation, and the land of Longxing cannot be built in vain, so what can I do about it?" ”

They were embarrassed by the emperor's emotions, and after Zhang Juzheng said those words to the Chengtian prefect, he reported to Zhu Houxi.

"That's what you guessed?" Zhu Houxi looked at Zhang Juzheng in surprise.

"The student is vain in his divine will, and His Majesty forgives the sin. It's just that the students were panicked when they saw the prefect of Jin, and they thought to themselves that there was no harm in letting them remember that good governance and enriching the people were always good. ”

Zhu Houxi looked at him carefully, and finally admitted calmly: "You didn't guess wrong this time, but it's not that serious." Twenty years is not a short time, but it is by no means a long time. Local conditions are different, foundations are different, and some places are doing better and developing faster, and there are special reasons for that. I know that. ”

"Your Majesty Shengming ......"

Zhu Houxi shook his head and stopped talking.

The mood is not high, it is indeed as Zhang Juzheng guessed.

It has long been decided to go back to the hometown to pay respects, and all the way from De'an, the road has naturally been rebuilt.

Although he didn't go around to take a look, but after leaving the railway, the style of this hinterland Fuzhou has not changed much from Zhu Houxi's childhood memories.

There must have been some changes in the lives of ordinary people, and they are good changes, which Zhu Houxi is confident in.

But seeing the power of time precipitation with his own eyes made him understand more and more that the new law was only beginning to deflect the direction of Da Ming slightly. Under the huge inertia, if you really want to let the Ming Dynasty enjoy the good changes from the center to the locality, from the hundred officials to the common people, everything has just begun.

On the one hand, I have been thinking about it for more than 20 years, and on the other hand, it seems to be condensed at least the countryside. It seems that so many years of hard work are only equivalent to throwing a small pebble into a deep lake, and the ripples are not obvious.

"Your Majesty, wherever you go, the forbidden army clears the way, and the officials and the people welcome you together. Students think that they should not be prepared for what they see and hear, so they mistakenly think that they have not achieved much results for the people for many years. Zhang Juzheng said, "The student was poor when he was young, and then he accompanied His Royal Highness the Crown Prince because of the grace of God, and when he returned to his hometown, he lived in the township for several years. What students see and hear is more real. ”

"Oh? Let's talk about it. ”

Zhang Juzheng bent over: "The biggest change in the township is nothing more than two points. In the past 20 years, officials have behaved with less bullying and lighter burdens, which is one of them. The second is that the children are more promising, whether they want to study, or go to work or business, there are more ways out, and the road guide is not so difficult......"

He began to talk about the insights from his experience.

I have to say that Zhang Juzheng's experience is indeed different from ordinary people. He did have the poorest childhood, and he was a teenager who stepped into the sky. Later, he was released to his hometown "for sin", and he was ridiculed and even suppressed by others who mistakenly thought that he had been beaten to the dust.

This allows him to have more content to compare.

Not only the changes in his hometown of Jingzhou, but also the fact that when he traveled with the prince, he did go to a lot of other places.

“…… Students think that this kind of seed is already sprouting. A place like Chengtianfu, because it is a land of dragons, is actually quite a big change in ordinary prefectures. But it will take another generation or two for His Majesty to see that it is no longer what it used to be. Not to mention anything else, this new road with earth and stone, if there are no more merchants and scholars, there is really no need to build a cement road next to the capital. ”

Zhu Houxi smiled.

It is also true that if there are changes as far as you can see, the most effective thing is the major renewal of infrastructure.

Is there no need to fall second, don't really make some impractical image projects for him.

Zhang Juzheng laughed when he saw the emperor, and continued with a smile: "More people are still farming with peace of mind. Now that the enslavement is lighter, there are more and more Mengxue, and the simplified characters are easy to learn shallowly, and ordinary people are more frugal, hoping that there are children and grandchildren who can become successful. There are fewer bullies, and the future is more hopeful, and such days are indeed better days. Your Majesty has been diligent in governing for more than 20 years, and millions of people in the Ming Dynasty have praised the saints, which is not fake. ”

"Okay, I went back to my hometown for the New Year and paid homage to my parents, not specifically to make them afraid." Zhu Houxi looked at him, and then looked at Wu Chengen, "It's no wonder that you always think that what I said is unbelievable, after all, it's just like this." However, the accumulation is really just a foundation at the moment. ”

Development is certainly unbalanced, and fast local resources and foundations are very good, and it will appear to be very fast.

It is still a matter of grasping the main problem first, and then how to popularize and benefit from it.

What he has to do is, after all, a process from zero to one.

But the change in mood also reminded him that for more than two decades, although he thought he was taking domestic affairs seriously, things with obvious goals such as eliminating problems and establishing certain new institutions made it easier for him to pay attention.

Hetao Daning came back, the Khan Court was gone, Dongying was extinguished, science built the foundation, and the steam engine came out...... The positive feedback from these things is obvious.

From this time on, after going back, Da Ming needs to really integrate many of the tricks he has practiced and achieve great internal strength.

Industrialization is a road that must be taken, and the increase in productivity can make it possible to truly make the people of Daming richer than in the past and have a different standard of living.

……

The emperor returned to his hometown, and Zhu Zaiqi presided over many major events in the capital for the first time as the crown prince and the supervisor.

The new team of important ministers, Yan Song, the general assistant, Tang Shunzhi, the general staff, and other state affairs and counselors, also have to prepare for the general examination and the palace examination.

There is a war outside, but it is no longer the content that the Ming Dynasty is worried about.

All internal affairs are also in order.

Zhu Zaiqian was entertaining important ministers, including the former chief assistant and general staff who had made great contributions.

Yang Shen was less than sixty, and Mao Bowen grew old very quickly after unloading the burden of the Northern Expedition.

Both of them were crowned princes, but their meanings were different.

Mao Bowen was about to be a scholar, but Zhu Zaiqian said to Yang Shen sincerely: "Master Yang, Jiaozhi was originally the homeland of the Ming Dynasty, and this time it is time to set up a province, and it is time to be a good student." ”

“…… The minister is really exhausted, Your Highness ......"

"You don't have to be fast, but you need to be safe and go in the right direction." Zhu Zaiqian hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Although the imperial brother is the king of Yue, this time he is conquering Burma, and that side is more long-term in the eyes of his father......

Yang Shen looked at him, then at Tang Shunzhi, and could only wave his hand first: "When Your Majesty returns to Beijing, let's make a decision." ”

He rises fast and retreats early.

is less than sixty years old, and he has already been a general assistant, and staying in the capital is jealous. If it weren't for Zhishi going home to run a school, then he would have to go to the vassal kingdom like Xia Yan to continue to shine.

But the prince's current idea is to let the Jiaozhi side be in place in one step.

Anyway, during the Yongle period, he had already done the Ming Dynasty, but then he was unable to do anything and finally gave up.

Jiaozhi is in place in one step, so the king of Yue does not need to be sealed in Jiaozhi.

In the prince's mind, it would be better for King Yue to go to Burma. Even, in his mind, it is better for King Yue to stay in the 800 Dadian or the car.

In any case, Jiaozhi has both fertile fields and important maritime trade from Guangdong to Nanyang, so let the eldest brother seal there, how can he move the domain into solid land when the time comes?

Now that the emperor went to Huguang first, Zhu Zaiqian hoped to take advantage of this time to reach an agreement with the ministers and turn Jiaozhi directly into solid soil.

Yan Song didn't express an opinion on this, he listened to the emperor anyway.

It can only be said that there are pros and cons.

The advantage is that there are many more local official positions and local taxes directly arranged by the Ming Dynasty, and the disadvantage is that it will intensify the jealousy of other vassal states in Nanyang.

After the Ming Dynasty had eradicated the northern troubles, it was ready to adopt a strategy of gradual planning against the other small vassal states on the Indochina Peninsula and the Nanyang Islands.

There is only one, and that is to use the Nanyang Maritime Division, with merchants and the Great Wall Company on the sea, to really go to the giant island of Nanao that His Majesty said to establish a vassal country. In that way, the Nanyang countries were also sandwiched between the Great Ming Sect.

If Jiaozhi is directly set as a province, I am afraid that many small countries there will be even more fearful. I can't talk about rebellion or anything, but the rainy season and dry season are distinct there, and it is not easy to attack, but it is simple to make trouble.

Each has its own way of living. The most advantageous thing for the Ming Dynasty to do is to occupy the most fertile and controllable places.

Gao Gong has returned from the Nanyang Metropolitan Protectorate, and now he is only the chief of the imperial study.

The last time he stayed in the imperial study, he was the chief Xu Jie, and this time he finally returned to Beijing to serve as the secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture.

And the high arch is only in his thirties, and this transitional position like the chief of the imperial study will only have to be done for a long time.

"The minister has been protecting the government in Nanyang for several years, and the minister thinks that it is enough to set up a province in North Cochin, and a vassal state can still be set up in South Cochin......"

Gao Gong expressed his opinion, in his concept, for the places that Da Ming could not effectively control in the past, the more trivial the division in this opportunity, the better.

"The same is true of North Korea's Hamgyong Province and Gangwon Province." After expressing his opinions, Gao Gong concluded, "Divide and rule, there is a difference between the real land and the feudal land, and the people's will is more important to see the merits of the people." ”

Zhu Houxi is not there, and the discussion between his son and the ministers is destined to be inconclusive.

The cake that Da Ming knocked down this time was enough to be divided for many years, and Gao Gong's opinion was very supportive.

There are many more than three grades that can be diverted out, and although the vassal countries and frontiers are bitter, their authority and status are not small. There are so many more than three grades to move in the center, and there are naturally more people at the bottom who can climb up.

"When Jiaozhi is recovered, the minister is willing to go." Huang Zuo suddenly spoke, "The minister is from Guangdong, and he is used to staying in Jiaozhi. If you use the cultivation of the same thing, the ministers and the other two will spend the rest of their lives, at least Beijiaozhi should be able to be willing to be the people of China. ”

Several people were shocked and looked at Huang Zuo.

Yan Song is almost seventy years old, and among the possible candidates for the next general assistant, Huang Zuo is one who cannot be ignored.

He is only in his fifties now, two years younger than Yang Shen, and he is ready to give up this possibility so early?

Zhu Zaiqian was overjoyed: "There are Xizhai Gong and Master Yang, and Jiaozhi is naturally obedient!" ”

Now Yang Shen doesn't have to be there alone, right?

Yan Song looked at Xu Jie, and then smiled: "That couldn't be safer." ”

Because of Huang Zuo's sudden statement, it seems that this matter can really be agreed.

Only Tang Shunzhi looked at the prince and sighed in his heart.

Have you started to work on the situation before and after the future succession? I don't know how it feels for His Majesty to know that his sister-in-law is afraid that his eldest son will be in the future and the vassal country will be greatly torn apart.

If there is a first example, it is natural that Myanmar will be directly turned into solid soil later.

In that case, where will King Yue go?

Tang Shunzhi actually knows that the situation has been clear, and then it is time to use soft strength to digest it.

But they still seem to be trying to keep making trouble, and there is a bit of a sense of not stopping this war machine.

Those small vassal states are poor and weak, but they can also stumble.

(End of chapter)