Chapter 144 Zhu Di: You want me to be your knife? ! (Third update)
Yao Guangxiao said in a deep voice: "What are you going to do?"
Xia Zhibai said: "Of course we have to do it step by step. Your Majesty has approved it, allowing me to manage the entire north. The salt market. "
"The tool I use to mine salt is a steam engine. The manufacture of steam engines requires a lot of iron, so I must start the iron factory in Shuntianfu, and the sooner the better."< br>
"Also."
"Your Majesty also approved one thing."
"That is, I can directly use the post station to transport salt in the future."
"This will significantly reduce road expenses and also increase the utilization rate of the post station. "
"However, the salt production in the north is not as good as that in the south or along the coast. The cost of transporting salt, even if there is a post station, is still very high, so I want to keep the price of salt as high as Tianfu. It is not that simple to defeat it completely, and the burden on the people in the north is not that big."
"But salt is just the beginning."
"Since I want to take over the entire business."
"Naturally I won't just focus on the direction of salt."
"I am currently planning to build a textile factory in Yingtianfu to purchase The excess cotton in the hands of the people is mainly used to make clothes. The population in the north is sparse and a lot of land is still in the waste stage. Therefore, if conditions permit, I will go to the court and set aside some areas in the north specifically for growing cotton. "
"In addition."
"Cotton has other effects."
"It's medical treatment."
"This is also preparation for the Northern Expedition."
Hearing this.
Zhu Di's eyelids twitched.
Listening to Xia Zhibai’s so-called business plan, he had no interest at all, but when he heard that it was related to the Northern Expedition, Zhu Di couldn’t help but his eyes lit up and asked: “Why is this cotton still related to the Northern Expedition? Isn’t this just cloth?”
Xia Zhibai showed a mysterious smile.
Cotton has not been really popularized in the world for a long time.
Because cotton seeds are difficult to process, and the price is not as high as that of ‘mulberry’, and the efficiency of current textile machines is also low, it is not taken seriously by people.
Xia Zhibai said: "Cotton has high yield and strong thermal insulation."
"The weather in the north is relatively cold, and cotton products are of great help in keeping out the cold."
“In addition, cotton cloth has relatively good breathability. When used in medical treatment, it is of great benefit to the treatment and recovery of soldiers’ injuries. It can greatly reduce the number of soldiers dying from injuries.”
“ The population in the north is low, and every man is precious."
"Population will always be the basis for the development of the north."
"Only those who survive the war will be more valuable. People, the north will recover faster after the war."
Zhu Di frowned.
There is some doubt about the efficacy of cotton.
Xia Zhibai said: "If your highness has any doubts, you can write a letter and ask the King of Zhou. The King of Zhou is good at herbal medicine and has some research on the use of cotton cloth in healing. It may be able to answer your doubts."
"Lao Wu?" Zhu Di was stunned for a moment.
Immediately, it was not surprising to think that Xia Zhibai came from Kaifeng.
My younger brother really likes medicine. Some time ago, he was said to have compiled a book called "Herbal for Famine Relief". He was secretly blaming his father, saying that the Ming Dynasty did not have peace and prosperity, and many people could not afford to eat. , he needed to eat bark and grass roots, which naturally made his father furious. He sent someone to give him a full fifty lashes, and he lay in bed for more than half a month.
Xia Zhibai said meaningfully: "Your Highness can actually ask King Zhou more."
"King Zhou has a lot of good things in his hands."
Zhu Di looked at Xia suddenly Zhibai also became interested and asked: "Oh, what good things does my brother have in his hands?"
Xia Zhibai chuckled and said: "What I dedicated to your majesty, King Zhou has , potatoes with a yield of 1,000 kilograms per mu, and rice with a yield that is one to two percent higher than usual."
"In addition, King Zhou is also deliberately cultivating some high-yielding vegetables and fruits, but I When I left, King Zhou didn’t seem to have much effect, but over time, it should still have some effect.”
"Of course His Highness should prefer another thing."
"What thing." Zhu Di asked curiously.
"Telescope!"
"Telescope?" Zhu Di looked confused.
Xia Zhibai said: "Your Highness can also think of it as a telescope."
"Thousand-mile mirror: It can see thousands of miles away, as if it were at present. When you look at the stars in the sky, they are all huge; when you look at the moon, they are unmeasurably large; when you look at the Milky Way, the stars are clustered together, and they are no longer what you usually see. He can also read hundreds of steps and recite the calligraphy aloud. "
"If His Highness has a thousand-mile mirror, he can still see the changes in the battlefield clearly even if he is several miles away."
"Is there really such a divine thing in the world?" Zhu Di was a little excited.
Xia Zhibai said with a smile: "Since grain that can produce a thousand gold per mu can exist, naturally this telescope that can see thousands of miles can also exist. However, this kind of telescope is very difficult to make. I'm afraid it will take so long. In the past, King Zhou didn't produce many of them."
Zhu Di looked unconcerned and sneered: "I am his fourth brother, how dare he not give it to me if I want it?"
"If he dares not to give it, I will take people to beat him."
"With such a good thing, this old man still wants to hide his secrets, his wings are hard."
Zhu Diyi The face is arrogant.
If it were other vassal kings, he might have to consider it, but for King Zhou, he didn't care at all.
He was the one who beat Lao Wu since he was little.
Xia Zhibai was not very concerned about the incident between King Yan and King Zhou.
He continued: "My idea is to boost the economy of the north by specializing in salt and building textile factories. At the same time, by unifying the commercial market in the north, let the more commercially developed areas in the north Profit is used to maintain basic living security in less developed areas.”
“In short, the profits from more developed areas are used to compensate for the less developed areas.” >
“At the same time, through the development of handicraft industry, the utilization rate of land in the north will be increased, while the population in the south will continue to be absorbed.”
"Realize the migration of the population to the north."
"After iron ore meets the demand for steam engines, it will be more used in the production of agricultural tools. However, these new agricultural tools will listen more to the suggestions of the people and make certain The degree of improvement has made the production efficiency of these agricultural tools higher, and through this series of methods, it has boosted production and production efficiency in the north. "
"The above"
"My own experience. It can all be done.”
“It just takes more time and energy.”
"The reason why I want His Highness and other feudal princes to participate is that I want to use the soldiers in His Highness's hands to suppress the merchants who may cause trouble."
"There are also officials, landlords and generals who may be involved. "
"The north cannot afford to delay"
"What I want is to use the power of many vassals to forcibly integrate the business in the north."
"Use power. Clear the way.”
"And then lay the foundation for the development of the north."
Xia Zhibai's eyes suddenly changed, becoming more ruthless and fierce.
The palace was silent.
The hall was quiet, without any sound.
Yao Guangxiao and Yuan Gong both lowered their heads and remained silent, while Qiu Fu and Zhang Yu looked at each other, their scalps numb.
Only Zhu Di was thinking secretly.
What Xia Zhibai said is very good, but there is one thing that is very bad.
Let him make Xia Zhibai's knife. He is the prince.
Going to make a knife for a scholar, can Xia Zhibai figure it out?
If he agrees, doesn't it mean that he, the prince, is not as good as Xia Zhibai?
How can this be done?
Xia Zhibai's eyes swept across the people in the hall and finally fell on Zhu Di. Zhu Di had a gloomy face and never had the idea of speaking.
Xia Zhibai sighed softly in his heart.
He guessed it.
These princes of Ming Dynasty all have their own arrogance.
Since the fiefdom is lawless, how can we be willing to listen to others' orders?
They can't afford to lose this guy.
And what he said did not really happen after all.
Is it possible to bypass these feudal kings?
Can.
But the vassal king and the chief secretary are the largest local forces. The chief secretary and the vassal king supervise each other, but the chief secretary is not as good as the vassal king to a certain extent, especially during the Zhu Yuanzhang period, and local officials Corruption must be a hidden case. Without the lord to control it, if many things are really implemented, there will be great resistance and great obstruction.
Because there are too many interests involved.
Because the vassal king was only in charge of the military, he was not deeply involved in official corruption.
Therefore, it is the best leverage at the moment.
Moreover, these vassal kings really dare to kill people, and they really dare to carry out such cruelty, and they will not be punished too much if they kill.
Xia Zhibai took a deep breath.
Since he dared to open this seaport, he naturally had his own way.
Xia Zhibai said in a deep voice: "This is cooperation."
"Your Highness helps me clear the obstacles to doing business. In return, I will help Your Highness create a new batch of Equipment, mainly firearms.”
"In the manufacture of firearms, there is no one in the world who can surpass me."
"When I first met with Your Majesty, I presented a 'cluster rocket', which can achieve dozens of consecutive rounds and is extremely powerful. It's amazing, but it's not the limit of firearms."
"I didn't have 'Hundred Steel' in my hands at that time. If I was given enough Hundred Steel, the firearms I could make would be. The current firearms are several times more powerful, more accurate, easier to operate, and more lethal."
"At the same time."
"I will give priority to laying railroad tracks in the north."
"It will be used to promote steam locomotives in the north in the future. Steam locomotives are derivatives of steam engines and are a kind of man-made 'iron horse'."
"The Ming Dynasty was short of horses, and the emergence of steam locomotives will completely reverse this situation. , these steam locomotives can transport dozens of people at a time. With improvements, they can even transport hundreds of people at a time, or even more, and the speed can reach dozens of miles or hundreds of miles in half an hour."
"In addition."
"With the control of northern trade."
"I will also try to infiltrate the north, obtain the secrets related to the Northern Yuan, and at the same time draw a map of the north. .”
"When these secrets are sent back to the imperial court, they will also be shared with His Highness simultaneously."
"Of course."
"I can't even honor them now."
"But If Your Highness really wants to see it, I will try to build a new type of firearm when the iron factory is built in the future. Your Highness will know after trying it."
"As for the 'iron horse' and so on, it is indeed short-term. It cannot be completed at the moment, but when the salt factory in the north is opened, your highness can go to the salt factory and take a look at the operation of the steam engine, and then you will know whether what I, Xia Zhibai, said today is true or false. "
"Your Highness is in charge of the military, and the Chief Secretary is in charge of civil affairs."
"And I am in charge of commerce."
"The three should be clearly distinguished, but the existence of Beiyuan is always a threat to the court. , the imperial court will definitely eradicate them, but eradication means fighting. I, Xia Zhibai, do not hope that the Ming Dynasty will suffer too many casualties, nor do I hope that this time during the Northern Expedition, the Mongols will not be completely wiped out, but will follow them. The hatred of the Ming Dynasty continued to accumulate, and it even became a feud, with generations of enemies attacking each other."
"The Ming Dynasty cannot stand such a torment." >
"My idea, Xia Zhibai's, is very simple and pure."
"It's all in one battle."
"It's just that what I want to accomplish is crazier than what Your Majesty and His Highness think. , what I want is to completely annex Beiyuan and bring Beiyuan into the rule of Ming Dynasty, so that the nomadic people in the north, under the threat of iron horses and muskets, will never dare to raise troops or have the idea of resistance. They can only fight in the army. Under the authority, they sang and danced. "
" Completely resolved the thousands of years of turmoil in Northern Xinjiang. More enjoyable? ”
"Isn't this more powerful than all previous dynasties?"
Zhu Di was moved.
He looked deeply at Xia Zhibai a few times, with a trace of struggle and hesitation on his face.
Instinctively, he was disgusted.
Especially let yourself listen to a civil servant.
But Xia Zhibai's words gave him infinite temptation.
Self-conferring the wolf to Xu, and Yan Ran taking advantage of him, is this the pursuit of many generals?
He is no exception.
But these honors seemed a bit insignificant when the war in the north was eliminated in World War I.
And this is still expanding territory.
Zhu Di licked his lips, unable to make a decision.
A long time.
Zhu Di just recovered his mind, his face showed a bit of solemnity, and with a bit of compassion, he said: "Xia Zhibai, you are really powerful, even I was moved by you, I don't blame you. You have angered my father many times, but you still managed to get away with it. This skill of talking is really impressive."
"You are indeed very talented."
"Your ideas are very good. Crazy and bold.”
"But I like it."
"As an army leader, if you don't even have this ambition, then what kind of army do you have? Just go home and have your children."
"I can agree. ."
"But I also have requirements."
"I can't hand over such a large north to you."
"Beiping must be under my control."
"And some situations in Peiping must be shown to me first."
"This is the bottom line."
Xia Zhibai nodded and said with a smile: "Your Highness, don't worry. I am a business official, mainly engaged in business. Politics is not in my plan. I have no intention of getting involved in political affairs so early, not to mention Your Highness. You think highly of me.”
“If I try to build a complete trade market on my own without the help of His Highness, I may not be able to do it in three to five years.”
"His Royal Highness must be involved."
"I only care about the business in the north. As for other things, I will not care about, nor will I ask, nor will I talk too much."
"But I also hope that His Highness will not interfere in business affairs easily."
Zhu Di stared at Xia Zhibai closely, and after hesitating for a while, he nodded and agreed.
"Thank you, Your Highness." Xia Zhibai cupped his hands in thanks.
"I promise you, I don't know if it's good or bad." Zhu Di said softly.
Xia Zhibai smiled and said: "It should be a good thing."
"At least for the world, it won't be a bad thing."
(End of this chapter)< br>