Livestock must be purchased from various places, and cattle cannot be slaughtered. In this era, cattle are more precious than people. Those TV dramas that always talk about cutting dozens of kilograms of beef for drinking are simply unrealistic.
Cows can be slaughtered only after reporting to the government and obtaining formal procedures, and generally only cattle that are old, weak, sick, and unable to plow the fields can be slaughtered. If you dare to cut a young and strong cow, you will be immediately arrested and imprisoned.
Moreover, the current situation in the Ming Dynasty is such that pigs and sheep can only be used. If cattle are slaughtered on a large scale, wouldn't Zhu Youxiao be digging a hole for himself? Cows are the foundation of the people.
The preparations had to start now. Making dried meat and water bags took time. Zhu Youzhan was about to go to the military camp, and the young eunuch came in to report that Song Yingxing had arrived.
"Let him come to Nuange to see me quickly!"
Zhu You had been waiting for proofreading him for a long time. He was the best person in the late Ming Dynasty. His coverage was extensive, his knowledge was profound, and his thinking was advanced. There were too many people ahead of this era, especially his book "Tiangong Kaiwu".
It is no exaggeration to say that it has enlightened the entire world.
"Song Yingxing, a grassroots citizen, pays homage to His Majesty!"
Song Yingxing is only in his thirties now. From the perspective of future generations, he is still young. However, in this era when the average life expectancy is forty or fifty years, he is already considered an "old man".
"Sir, please rise and give me a seat!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"I have admired Mr. Sir for a long time, and I have sent Jin Yiwei to search for him for several months!"
"I have also heard that, but how can ordinary people be as virtuous as your Majesty! I am just a mediocre person who can't even get into the Jinshi!"
"Sir, don't be modest. Although you are just a scholar, in my opinion, you are much better than those so-called Jinshi. What I need is a great talent like you!"
Song Yingxing was very excited after hearing this. He didn't expect His Majesty to value him so much. He quickly stood up from his seat and wanted to salute again.
Zhu Youxiao winked, and Wang Chaofu quickly helped the half-kneeling Song Yingxing up.
"Sir, there is no need to be restrained. I have ordered you to come to Beijing because I want you to be appointed as the Minister of the Ministry of Industry. What do you want, sir?"
"Your Majesty, a common man is just one person, how can he be appointed as a heavenly official of the Ministry of Works? The qualifications and status of a common man will definitely be opposed by the civil and military officials of the court. Please take back your Majesty's appointment. Even if the common man is in vain, he is willing to smear his life and brains for Your Majesty!"
Zhu Youxiao knows what he is worried about. People in this era attach great importance to people's status. Although they can be regarded as scholar-bureaucrats when they are promoted, they are inherently inferior in the eyes of those Jinshi, and if they don't win the Jinshi, even if Zhu Youxiao is granted special privileges, they will not be able to win at most.
They can only serve as minor officials below the seventh rank.
This situation is unsolvable. It is the same no matter what era it is in, including later generations, and later generations will pay more attention to this aspect. If you want to serve in the imperial city and no one in your family has left their name on the book, don't even think about it. You will die.
It's not your turn anymore.
"Others don't know you, sir, but I know that you are a great talent, so there is no need for you to refuse, sir. I will support you!"
"Thank you Your Majesty, the common people will do their best!"
"Wang Banban, drafted a decree to promote Mr. Song to the position of Minister of the Ministry of Industry, add him as the Crown Prince's Young Master, and grant him a palace on the fourth floor of the inner city. He also sent an order to Xu Xianchun to send a royal guard to bring Mr. Song's family to the capital!"
Song Yingxing's eyes were filled with tears. Unexpectedly, he was able to jump over the dragon gate and directly serve as the sixth minister. This situation was unprecedented.
For a person like Song Yingxing, the people in his circle must not be much different. If there are such talents, Zhu Youxiao will naturally make good use of them.
Zhu Youxiao must reuse the ceiling talents of this era. Song Yingxing is proficient in handicraft manufacturing, machinery, textiles, coal, sulfur, farming, etc. It feels like there is nothing he can't do. He is simply an all-around genius.
Changes after the Ming Dynasty are inseparable from Song Yingxing. It is a pity for Song Yingxing in history, but showing the tip of the iceberg has already eclipsed everyone. Zhu Youxiao must make up for this regret.
Zhu Youxiao and Song Yingxing chatted for a whole afternoon, and it didn't end until the evening. The reason why they stopped was because Zhu Youxiao was too hungry and couldn't bear it anymore. Anyway, the day was long, so Zhu Youxiao left Song Yingxing to eat in the palace.
Then he personally took Song Yingxing back to the four-entry house given to him by dragon chariot.
Wang Chaofu, who was standing by, was dumbfounded. His Majesty has never treated anyone like this since he came to the throne, let alone his ministers. Even Xu Guangqi, whom the emperor often talks about, has not been treated like this.
"Find some smarter palace maids to take care of Mr. Song's daily life in the past two days. Be sure to be considerate!"
Zhu Youxiao then returned to the palace. It seemed that he could only go to the military camp tomorrow.
…
next day
Zhu Youxiao left the palace early in the morning. He had not been to the military camp for nearly a month, and this time he had to make arrangements for the expedition.
The Yulin Army currently has 30,000 regular soldiers and 50,000 auxiliary soldiers. It is composed of Zhu Youxiao who gathered most of the country's elites. There are no old or weak, no Kong Xiang, and no servants.
The training of the auxiliary military battalions is no less than that of the regular soldiers, and their combat effectiveness is also very strong. Most of them were carefully selected from the original Beijing battalion.
With rigorous training every day, rain or shine, Zhu Youxiao must create a strong army that dominates the world.
"Old Duke, please order all generals above guerrilla level to come to the main camp!"
After the generals entered, they all knelt down and said:
"See Your Majesty!"
"Pingshen!"
"I intend to go out to fight in one to two months. I called you here today to make all the preparations for the expedition!"
The reason why Zhu Youxiao did not set a date was because Sun Yunhe had not returned yet, and the information he needed had not been sent back.
When the generals heard that they were about to leave seclusion, they were very excited and beamed with joy.
Zhu Youxiao looked at the British Duke Zhang Weixian and asked:
"Old Duke, how was the last time I asked you to buy a horse?"
"Your Majesty, everything has been done. A total of 3,000 war horses and 4,700 mules and horses have been purchased. Half of the war horses are Mongolian horses. They are all of the highest quality!"
"How is the training of the cavalry in the auxiliary barracks?"
"Three thousand cavalry are all elite and can be used!"
"Okay, organize them into the Valiant Cavalry Camp, equip them with the 3,000 war horses purchased, and equip them with the 4,000 mules and horses used for training in the Taishan Camp!"
"Another 3,000 mules and horses will be deployed at Shenji Camp. All heavy ordnance and supplies will be carried by mules and horses!"
"yes!"
Zhou Xingwu, the general of Huben Camp, stepped forward and said:
"Your Majesty, although the morale of the whole army is very high, the armor and weapons of the soldiers are so useless!"
"We are already stepping up the production of armor and weapons. The whole army can be redressed before going out for the expedition. What you have to do now is to strengthen training!"
"The British company and the logistics department will stay, and the others will inform the sergeants of each battalion to be ready for expedition at any time!"
All the generals raised their hands respectfully and said: