Logistics tests financial resources, and war means making money. Zhu Yijun understands this very well. Although the East and West armies were not at war with anyone at this time, when the army moved, food, grass, and silver flowed like rivers.
Starting from the salt policy reform, after nearly ten years of sorting out, the food shortage in the nine borders has been fundamentally alleviated. Under the combined effect of the heavy blows of the imperial court and the redemption of various policies, land annexation was carried out within the border wall from Liaodong to Jiayuguan.
The situation has been fundamentally reversed, with homesteaders accounting for the majority of grain field owners.
In this way, although the method of opening up China was not restored, the imperial court no longer had to deal with the burden of transshipment of grain and grass. The border officials only needed to collect taxes as normal, and then buy real grain warehouses at the price guided by the imperial court, so that each army could be self-sufficient.
In the two years after the Saihanba Meeting, border trade between Han and Mongolia exploded. Mongolian traders actively participated in border trade with the furs and meat they collected, which led to a rapid improvement in the quality of life of the herdsmen.
After the salt policy reform, the annual output of salt has reached more than four times that of the first year of Wanli, which has made it possible to preserve and long-distance transport of meat on the grassland. Because the supply far exceeds demand, salt has reached the original intention of Zhu Yijun's salt policy reform.
——Cheap as dirt.
Of course, being so cheap will cause problems: the profit from contracting salt fields has been so low that it is almost the same as the grain output of the same area, which in turn affects the enthusiasm of the entire industrial chain and circulation links.
Since the ninth year of Wanli, the Royal Salt Factory has begun to produce refined salts in different packages and sell them under brand names. It also produces medicated salts for different purposes, known as the palace's secret recipes: for example, there are bath salts specially used for body scrubbing when bathing; there are also ones for foot soaking.
Enough salt - high-end people will never mix the two.
Once the imagination is opened, the major salt-related trading companies across the country burst out with unlimited creativity. For example, the best bamboo salt for brushing teeth is the "Yipinsong" from Jiangnan, and the light rosin and sulfur aroma are the most praised. There are also other bamboo salts.
The refined salt produced in southern Sichuan has a color like peach blossoms and is called peach blossom salt. Experts and newspapers from the Gewu Institute said that it is rich in minerals, best for health, and is the favorite among women. There is a kind of caramel salt in Fujian and Guangdong, which is brown-black in color and salty.
It's medium-sweet. If you don't use this salt for seasoning when grilling, the grade will naturally be lower.
In just a few years, there are more than a hundred varieties of salt on the Ming Dynasty market, which is jaw-dropping. However, the use of these products is limited by the class who can consume them. The biggest market for the salt produced in large quantities is the industry and food processing industry.
Soap, glass, and steel smelting, the three major salt consumers, consume one-third of the current salt production in the Ming Dynasty, and another third flows into the food processing industry. With a large number of ships going to the sea, the demand for fish has increased sharply.
Pickling is carried out directly on the ship; at the same time, a large amount of salt is transported to the grassland for meat processing.
When a certain product is extremely abundant, a new industrial chain will be born: for example, when there is more food, the wine industry develops, and the price of wine is cheap and more people buy wine, which further promotes the development of the hotel and entertainment industry and the transportation and circulation of the wine industry.
Increased benefits - this is the multiplier effect of the industrial chain. Zhu Yijun was trained in the party school.
The birth of each basic product will breed a new and constantly expanding new industrial chain. In the Ming Dynasty at the end of the 16th century, they still followed basic economic laws: in the dimensions of value, business, supply and demand, and space.
Growth absorbs populations, creates wealth, strengthens connections, and gives birth to new ideas and ideologies.
At this stage, Zhu Yijun's main focus is to promote basic products through the Gewuyuan, protect the industrial chain seedlings they have transformed and grown, cut off the black hands of power that extend to them, and continuously enrich the soil for their growth.
But there are things that the emperor cannot control - such as the climate. From March to April in the thirteenth year of Wanli, there were only two rains in Beizhili and Shanxi provinces, and a severe drought enveloped the north of the empire. Memorials from various places applying for relief
Snowflakes were coming, and the political leaders led by Zhang Siwei entered emergency mode as soon as they took action.
As of April 30th, the accumulated snow water on the ground had completely evaporated, the seedlings had withered, the fields were dry and cracked, the canals leading to the state had been cut off, and the merchants and people were suffering unspeakably.
Fortunately, there is no shortage of food in the Ming Dynasty, and after the prosperity of industry and commerce, the people of Beizhili have a surplus of wealth, and there has not yet been a large-scale hungry people crying for food. But looking at the declining water levels in the inner rivers and Xiyuan of the Forbidden City, Zhu Yijun is still worried: Xiaobinghe
The climate anomaly caused by it has already begun to test its power. After thirteen years of hard work, can Zhang Juzheng and himself withstand the test of God's will?
From then on, he not only had to fight with people, but also with heaven, and the power of God was much more powerful than that of humans. The Ming Dynasty under the leadership of Zhu Yijun will soon enter the mode of transcending tribulations - passing through and ascending to the immortal world, but cannot survive.
Then the world will be in chaos and enter the dynasty cycle!
On the third day of May, the sky was still scorching hot. However, the weather monitoring team jointly established by the Gewuyuan and Qintianjian had reported that the air humidity had increased significantly, and a steep upward green line had appeared on the humidity chart on the memorial.
On the fourth day of May, the green line continued to rise steeply. Zhang Siwei reported to the emperor, saying that although the destiny of heaven is not worthy of fear, he should respect the ancestors of heaven and the emperor should do so. There is a severe drought in the capital and the will of heaven is unknown. There is no need to ask, but your majesty should fast and pray.
The rain is to comfort the people. The emperor accepts it.
On the sixth day of May, the capital city was still in hot weather. Although there were some thin clouds over the Forbidden City, the sun shone through, making people feel like they were covered with a moist shell. At eight o'clock in the morning, the court was suspended due to the big festival.
The palace door opened wide. Zhu Yijun, wearing green clothes and holding a wooden staff, walked out of Fengxian Hall to Daming Gate.
There were no eunuchs around the emperor, and there were no ceremonial canopies. There was nothing but a wooden stick in his hand and a water bottle at his waist. He had a serious face. When he walked out from the middle of the royal road, soldiers in golden clothes stood on both sides of the road to protect him.
Safety.
Outside the Daming Gate, there was already a crowd of spectators. People in the capital who heard that the emperor had started fasting the day before yesterday were mostly waiting for the emperor's arrival on the street. When they saw the emperor coming in the distance with his wooden staff in green clothes, some knelt down, some turned sideways and lowered their heads, not daring to
Look directly.
The Holy Emperor walked to the gate of the Ming Dynasty. According to the etiquette established by the Ministry of Rites, the officials of Taichang Temple came out and knelt down to invite the emperor to Yuanqiu.
After the emperor exchanged a few simple words with them, he issued an order and set out. Immediately, the civil servants were in the east, the military officers were in the west, the humble ones were in front, and the lofty ones were in the back. They all lined up in single rows and walked symmetrically to the Temple of Heaven - this
The famous hall was called Que Chaan, which showed the emperor's sincerity.
The straight-line distance from Daming Gate to the Temple of Heaven is about ten miles. The concrete road was as hot as smoke under the scorching sun, and the emperor and ministers were sweating profusely. Zhang Siwei hung two gourds on his waist, one filled with cold boiled water and the other with salt water.
, walked more than a hundred steps and took a sip, still feeling dizzy.
The emperor who has been exercising all year round has a wheat-colored face and walks briskly. At a distance of 10,000 meters, Zhu Yijun would be out of breath for a long time when he ran there, but he felt no pressure at all when walking there. Even though the weather was extremely hot and his clothes were soaked, he did not show any signs of fatigue.
state.
Gradually, the sound of "Long Live" appeared around me. The sound seemed abrupt at first, and each sound seemed chaotic. Then it gradually became uniform, and the shouts were full of emotion.
"Long live!" "Long live!" The voice got louder and louder, making Zhu Yijun, who was a little panicked after Zhang Juzheng's death, moisten at the corners of his eyes for no reason. He looked to both sides of the road, and saw the red-clad soldiers with their waists straight and their backs facing each other.
Standing in the center of the street. In the gaps between the pro-army troops, expectant faces were revealed.
Some people's faces are carved with ravines by the weight of life, while some people's cheeks are round and shiny; some people raise their heads and look directly at themselves because of their excitement; some people are in this fanatical atmosphere.
Tears streaming down my face.
The shouting didn't stop, it was deafening and reached the sky.
Dear and respectable people, I will not let you endure the suffering of China's land sinking, calling for migration, and remembering the dead.
The people in the distance also shouted, maybe they still need a savior and a fairy emperor at this time.
Well, I will let you know the etiquette in a practical way, get rid of ignorance and become knowledgeable and polite.
Tears fell from Zhu Yijun's face, and his lips trembled.
I will expand my territory so that you can thrive in a wider land and you will rarely be left alone.
I will bring this nation to the top of the world so that the people will never suffer from bullying!
...
With excitement, Zhu Yijun finally led the ministers to the Zhaoheng Gate of the Temple of Heaven. The censor in charge of the ceremony and the officials of Honglu Temple maintained order and strictly prohibited making noise. The emperor was guided by the usher to the Zuolingxing Gate.
He rested in the tent outside. Later, the Ministry of Rites and the chief official of Taichang Temple invited the emperor to come to the altar.
At this time, the Nei Zan Dui led the emperor forward, and the ceremonial singers and deacons performed their duties. The Nei Zan Guan played in place, the emperor came to pay homage, and the Ceremony Officer sang to send off the gods. After offering incense three times, he kowtowed to heaven.
Four times, all the officials knelt down after delivering the praises. Afterwards, the ceremonial officer sang a libation silk and made the first offering. The emperor went to the gods to offer silks and titles, and read blessings. The emperor knelt down, and all the officials knelt down after delivering the praises.
After blessing, he prostrates himself flat.
Then the ceremonial officer sang Xingya to present the gift, and the emperor went to the gods to present his knighthood. The ceremonial officer sang the final tribute, and the ceremony was accompanied by Ya to present the gift. The ceremonial officer sang to send off the gods, and the emperor kowtowed to heaven four times, and all the officials passed on their praises.
After kneeling down, the ceremonial officer sang and read the blessings, the blessing officer held out the blessings, the entering silk officer held up the silk, each took his place, and the inner praise officer finished the ceremony. The guiding officer led the emperor to the tent to rest.
In the tent, the emperor told Zhang Siwei and other cabinet ministers: "There is a severe drought. Although I am not virtuous, it is also because there are officials in the world who are corrupt, corrupt the law, exploit the common people, and are unwilling to love and support the people. As a result, the heaven will be harmonious. From now on,
I also asked this department to make careful selections." Zhang Siwei and others said they obeyed the order.
After the ceremony was over and he was driving back to the palace, Zhu Yijun said, "I wonder if the people have dispersed yet?"
Duke Dingguo replied: "Not yet."
Zhu Yijun ignored the dirty looks on the faces of the ministers and ordered: "If you don't take the chariot, you will go back with me on foot."