In addition, I also found other problems during my southern tour. ”

Ran Min sat on the throne, looked at the ministers below condescendingly, and said loudly: "The straight roads and galloping roads in the north are basically repaired, extending in all directions, which is conducive to military and civilian use. However, the transportation conditions in the south are really poor, and both official roads and waterways are in disrepair. ”

"If the official roads and waterways in the south were as developed as those in the north, my trip would not last for a year. The construction of official roads and waterways is conducive to commerce and mutual trade of goods between the north and the south, which is a great benefit of the country. Therefore, I am going to send 500,000 laborers, together with the prisoners in various prisons, to gradually repair the official roads in various parts of the south, and some rugged mountain roads will also build bridges, pave roads, or build plank roads, and the Grand Canal will also be dug to the south to connect the tributaries of various water systems in the south. ”

"Your Majesty Shengming!"

This is one huge project after another, but with the current national strength of the Great Wei Empire, it can still afford it. After all, Ran Min did not abuse the people's power much, if he was like Qin Shi Huang, he built the Great Wall of China, built the Afang Palace, and sent troops to conquer Baiyue, and built straight roads and galloping roads, and millions of laborers at every turn, it is estimated that this empire will not last long.

Ran Min said: "In addition, irrigation projects such as Dujiangyan, Ling Canal, Zhengguo Canal, and Gap must also be repaired. All projects are to be funded by the Ministry of Households, and are gradually implemented, and the wages of fixed labor must not be less, and the food must be improved, and there is no need for meat for a meal, but every day every labor must eat half a catty of meat. ”

"This ......"

Cui Hao said quite embarrassedly: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid this is a little difficult. Your Majesty, the food standard you gave is really too high, and it is enough to pay the wages, and let the laborers eat half a catty of meat every day, which is almost the food standard of an ordinary soldier. Where are we going to find so much meat? ”

Ran Min raised his eyebrows and said: "No pork, no goose meat, no dog meat, no chicken, duck and fish meat, just eat mutton!" Aren't there a lot of cattle and sheep outside the plug? In the past, we often introduced cattle from outside the Saiwai and tame them to farmers for farming cattle use, and in the same way, this sheep can also be imported from outside the Saiwai! ”

"What Your Majesty said is very true!"

That's a good idea.

The Hu people outside the Saiwai are good at grazing, there are herds of cattle and sheep, there are many horses, and almost all of the Hu people grow up eating beef and mutton, so it is not a problem to buy their cattle and sheep.

What's more, at present, with the establishment of the Andong Protectorate, it is actually already the land of the Great Wei Empire, and the purchase of their cattle and sheep is not an outflow of funds.

Ran Min said again: "There is also that in the future, the imperial court will have a fixed labor. In the past, the prisoners of war had already been released from prison and were all released back to their villages, so if they were to be paid for labor again, wages and food must be in place, and labor should be collected from the people, and they could not be forced. Favorable treatment and patriotic propaganda can attract the common people to join the ranks of laborers. In order to ensure that the projects in various parts of the south were carried out, it was ordered that every local people and every household must send young people to help and serve as laborers in every place where they were built. Such labor is only required for three meals, and there is no pay. ”

"Your Majesty Shengming!"

This method can speed up the progress of the project and reduce some unnecessary expenses of the state treasury, so why not?

Cui Hao drew inferences again: "Your Majesty, since Your Majesty wants to improve the food for laborers. The minister had a suggestion that it was not necessary to transport food to these laborers all the way. Jiangnan is the land of fish and rice, except for the southwest, which is more remote and barren, other places are still okay. The state treasury can pay for the fish and rice of the local people or merchants to feed hundreds of thousands of laborers! ”

"Good! Just do it the way you do. ”

What Ran Min hates the most is that the ministers are arguing on major matters, and Rory can't get a real chapter for a long time. These projects and policies that benefit the people, he can rely on his prestige to make decisions and force the ministers to agree, but I am afraid that the kings of later generations will not be able to.

If the king of the future wants to do anything like this, it will definitely not work without spending three years and five years.

But Ran Min pays attention to efficiency!

Of course, it is not possible to be in a hurry, and the Qin Empire is a lesson from the past.

"In addition to these things, I also plan to establish treaty ports in Panyu, Bao'an, Haifeng and other coastal areas of Guangzhou, trade with various foreign states in the southeast sea, and sell local goods such as tea, porcelain and silk."

This is nothing, so the ministers all agree with it.

But Ran Min said the next thing, which made the ministers disagree.

"In addition, I will send two fleets, one to cross the sea to the east and the other to the west. While promoting the national prestige of our Great Wei, we established diplomatic relations with countries along the way, and at the same time communicated with each other to sell all the local luxury goods. ”

Cui Hao was stunned for a moment, and then asked, "Your Majesty, I don't know what the size of these two fleets is?" ”

"In my plan, the fleets of ships crossing to the east and going to the West will have more than 20,000 crews, and the craftsmen, pulpers, navigators, and sergeants will be equipped with all the necessary craftsmen. I have calculated that such a large fleet would require nearly three hundred ships at sea, and the rest of the ships are too large and small to count. ”

"Your Majesty! Never! ”

Wei Jian jumped out again and objected: "This fleet of 40,000 people is divided into the east and the west, I don't know how much money and food will be consumed by the country, and how many crew members will be killed and injured during the period, and this is just to promote the prestige of the Great Wei State, I'm afraid it is unreasonable!" ”

"What's wrong?"

Ran Min frowned and said: "Going to the West and crossing the sea to the east is a great thing for the benefit of the country and the people!" First, it can promote the prestige of the country. Second, it can strengthen ties with overseas countries. Third, we can open up the Maritime Silk Road! Why not allow more foreign merchants to enter the empire for business, and at the same time create a sea route to attract merchants from various countries in Southeast Asia to trade with the empire, just like the Silk Road? ”

Ran Min's formation of a fleet to go to the West is really similar to Zheng He's trip to the West in the later Ming Dynasty.

Zheng He's voyage to the West was a sea voyage during the Yongle and Xuande years of the Ming Dynasty, the first voyage began in the third year of Yongle, and the last voyage ended in the eighth year of Xuande, a total of seven times.

During the seven voyages, Zheng He, the eunuch of the Three Treasures, led a fleet from Nanjing, assembled at Liujiagang in Taicang, Jiangsu, and anchored at Taiping Port in Changle, Fujian, and sailed to the western Pacific and Indian Oceans to visit more than 30 countries and regions, including Java, Sumatra, Sulu, Pahang, Chenla, Guli, Siam, Punggara, Adan, Tianfang, Zhofar, Kurumus, Mugudushu and other places, and the farthest known reaches East Africa and the Red Sea.

However, because Zheng He's political purpose was greater than the economic purpose, he did not launch private commercial trade, and all the expenditures relied on the strong national strength of the Ming Dynasty to support, and did not bring any economic benefits to the Ming Dynasty.

And the reason why Ran Min wanted to send a fleet to the Western Ocean, and the promotion of the prestige of the Great Wei was not the main purpose, or it was just incidental, his real purpose was to build a maritime Silk Road.

Let's just put it this way, wherever the fleet sailing to the West goes, this maritime Silk Road can lead to wherever it goes, and then the Great Wei Empire will be able to carry out overseas trade, dumping a large number of silk, porcelain, tea and other commodities to overseas countries, and strengthening ties with countries in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa and other places to earn back their gold, silver and jade.

As we all know, Ran Min is a materialist and will not do things that mislead the country and the people for the sake of face engineering.

In view of Ran Min's good reputation, coupled with the fact that he had already built all the ships he needed, the ministers could not say anything more, so they could only let it go.

But going to the West to benefit the country and the people, what the hell is this eastward crossing the sea?

Wei Hu said again: "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that it is profitable to send a fleet to the Western Ocean, but what is it to cross the sea to the east? To the east of the sea, there is nothing left except Wajima and Yizhou Island! Send a fleet to drift at sea? There is not even the most primitive route, and the fleet going to sea is prone to accidents! ”

"Who said that there are no other islands in the east of the sea except for Wadao and Yizhou Island, and there are no other continents?" Ran Min was extremely dissatisfied with Wei Yan's statement.

Wei Yan smiled bitterly: "Your Majesty, at least the ancients did not find any islands on the east side of the sea except for Wa Island and Yizhou Island. Even if there are islands on it, they are deserted islands, and no one has settled them. ”

"Wei Hu, you are just sitting in a well and watching the sky. The ancients are the ancients, we are us, this time and that time, not the same day! The ancients did not have the conditions or the heart to send a fleet to sail far, nor did they dare to sail farther on the sea! We can't just stand on the shoulders of giants to see the world, we have to use our own eyes to explore this world! ”

"But...... Your Majesty, this sending fleet to the Western Ocean can open up the Maritime Silk Road, strengthen the ties between the empire and overseas countries, and promote national prestige, but what benefits can crossing the sea to our Great Wei bring? ”