Many things had happened in the 15 years of Daming Wanli, but most of them were concentrated in the first half of the year. In the second half of the year, things had calmed down, and there were not as many things.
In fact, Zhu Yijun had done this on purpose. He had done enough in the first half of the year, so he stopped doing so in the second half of the year.
In September, Zhang Weixian returned to the capital from Shanxi, and he came back with many ships of goods.
All of them had been brought back from Shanxi, and they were all imitations.
From woolen cloth to wool, there were all kinds of carpets. There were a lot of them.
Datong had been accumulating goods for more than a year, and now they had officially started shipping them. All the big families were rubbing their hands, ready to go all out and earn all the money.
After handing over his work, Zhang Weixian rested at home for three days before going to the palace to meet the emperor.
Seeing the travel-worn Zhang Weixian, Zhu Yijun gestured for him to dispense with the formalities. Then, he said with a smile, "You look like you've gone through a lot of vicissitudes of life and have become a lot stronger. Not bad, not bad.
"It's all thanks to Your Majesty!" Zhang Weixian quickly said.
Zhu Yijun smiled and waved his hand. "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Tell me about Shanxi and Shanxi!"
Zhang Weixian quickly told Zhu Yijun about his matters in Shanxi and Shanxi. In fact, there were no major problems in Shanxi and Shanxi, and everything was progressing smoothly.
However, when Zhang Weixian mentioned the three sides, he was more or less worried.
The situation in the three sides was complicated, and there were many Mongolian generals who had surrendered. Military reform there was much more difficult.
In addition, they were facing the barbarian Qinghai Tribe, and the situation was very serious. Zhang Weixian was more or less worried.
Zhu Yijun was not worried, because the barbarian Qinghai Tribe was not only facing Daming.
Behind them was the newly rising Mughal Empire. It was a feudal autocratic dynasty established by Babur, a descendant of the Turkic Mongol Timur.
During the empire's heyday, its territory included almost the entire South Asian subcontinent and Afghanistan.
The superstructure of the Mughal Empire was Islam, and the foundation was Hinduism.
After the collapse of the Timur Empire, the descendant of the imperial family, Babur, led an army to invade the South Asian Subcontinent and established the Mughal Empire. The empire had declined during the reign of his son, Humayun, but now it was time for the Mughal Empire to rise.
In any case, Zhu Yijun did not want to confront the Mughal Empire at this time.
The losses were great, the supply line was long, and there weren't many benefits to be gained. As for saying that there were mineral deposits underground, they couldn't be mined right now, so what was the point?
After a few decades, it would not be too late for him to head west after he had dealt with the north and east.
Of course, Zhu Yijun wouldn't tell this to Zhang Weixian.
Why were the Mongolians in Qinghai so obedient? Firstly, it was because the Ming Army could still fight at this time. Secondly, it was because of the rise of the Mughal Empire. Compared to the Daming Empire, the Mughal Empire made them more restless.
However, after Zhang Weixian's reminder, Zhu Yijun thought of something. If they couldn't fight, they could do some business!
The Mughal Empire's territory wasn't small. It covered half of India and a part of Central Asia. They had a lot of good things, and it seemed like it would be good to trade with them. They could open up the Silk Road.
After thinking about it, Zhu Yijun dispelled this problem. Because the investment was too big, the income was too small. He would let the people do it themselves!
Compared to sea trade and colonization, the profits from heading west were too small. However, they could fight their way there in the future.
After talking about the northwest, Zhu Yijun told Zhang Weixian about the restructuring of Jiliao.
Compared to other places, Li Liao was a very hard bone to chew. There were barbarians, Li Rusong who nurtured bandits, and Nurhaci who was full of ambition.
According to the information from the Imperial Horse Supervisor, Nurhaci was about to unify the Jurchens in Jianzhou. It would happen next year at the latest.
All the officials in Liaodong turned a blind eye to this. It was unknown if they liked Nurhaci too much or if Nurhaci was too good at acting.
The situation in Liaodong was becoming complicated. It was time to extend his hand there.
"Rest at home for a month, then go to Jiliao to take office!"
"Start from Jizhou. Stabilize the base, then plot for Baoding, and finally Liaodong.
I want to establish the Jizhou Military District in Jizhou. You will be the first general. Do a good job. "
"It's not the first time I've told you about the separation of the military and the government."
"This time in Jizhou, you will do this and set an example for the world. Do a good job and don't let me down." At this point, Zhu Yijun reached out and patted Zhang Weixian's shoulder.
Zhang Weixian quickly knelt on the ground. "I will do my best and not let you down!"
"Alright, get up!"
Zhu Yijun reached out and helped Zhang Weixian up. Then, he said with a smile, "The cement road from the capital to Tongzhou has been built. Accompany me to take a look tomorrow!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Zhang Weixian quickly bowed and replied.
The next day, Zhu Yijun went to inspect the newly built cement road. Sitting in the carriage, he did not feel the slightest bumpiness, which made Zhu Yijun very satisfied.
The carriage with wooden wheels, even with shock absorption, was still very bumpy.
Now, it was different. The carriage was very stable. Zhu Yijun lifted the curtain and looked at both sides of the road.
Although there were no trees planted, Zhu Yijun had already asked people to do it.
Of course, it would not be ornamental trees like in the future. It would be poplar and willow trees, which could grow with a branch.
He believed that in a few years, there would be a green road, which would definitely be beautiful.
After inspecting the road, Zhu Yijun returned to the palace and announced the construction of the road from Beijing to Tianjin. At the same time, the road from Beijing to Jizhou would be built, and preparations would be made for the road from Beijing to Jinzhou.
The road was contracted in sections. It was built by the Road and Bridge Department under the Ministry of Internal Affairs and subcontracted to merchants in various places.
All of a sudden, all the prefectures and counties along the way became lively. All the rich families began to ask people around, wanting to contract the road.
However, they were too slow, and this piece of fat meat had long been targeted by others.
Honours and relatives from the capital pounced on it in a crazy manner.
They had missed the opportunity to make a fortune in the northwest, but they did not want to miss this opportunity. Therefore, these roads were all contracted by them, and then they started to work in full swing.
In the autumn of the 15th year of Wanli, the autumn harvest in Daming was completed very smoothly.
All the taxes were collected, and the government and the gentry completely stabilized the distribution of grain. After two or three years, there would basically be no more setbacks.
The road construction was also carried out very smoothly, and the trade developed very quickly.
The location of Daming's first large-scale steel factory had been selected and was in the midst of construction. It would basically start after the new year.
After entering winter, the imperial court was still very busy, but Zhu Yijun basically did not care about them. Instead, he accompanied his Empress and concubines in the palace. Empress Wang's second child was a boy, and Zhu Yijun did not go to court for more than a month.
However, a memorial at the end of the year surprised Zhu Yijun.
This memorial was submitted by a member of the royal family, a vassal king, and this person was the King of Zheng.
Speaking of which, the King of Zheng's lineage was also quite unlucky. The first King of Zheng, Zhu Zhanlin, was the second son of Minren Zong's Zhu Gaochi. The first King of Zheng of the Ming Dynasty was the son of Concubine Li Xian.
Originally, he was just a peaceful vassal king, but in the Jiajing era, something happened.
In the 29th year of the Jiajing era, Zhu Houan, who was then the King of Zheng, submitted a memorial to advise Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty, hoping that he would not take the elixir to seek immortality, and that he would not worship the Dao Sect too much. In the end, he was demoted to a commoner, sent to the royal residence, and imprisoned within the high walls.
This lasted until the first year of Longqing, when Emperor Muzong succeeded the throne and was restored, and his salary was increased by 400 stones.
This memorial was submitted by the current King of Zheng, Zhu Houan, and the content was also very simple.
The imperial court was lifting the ban on vassal kings, and the King of Zheng was willing to set an example for the vassal kings, and moved the King of Zheng's residence to Beijing. As for the feudal lands, all of them would be handed over to the country.
They only hoped that the Emperor would give them a place to settle down in the capital. His words were very sincere.
Forbidden City, Wenhua Palace.
Zhu Yijun looked at the memorial of the King of Zheng, Zhu Houan, and his heart was filled with emotions. In Daming, the King of Zheng's lineage could be said to be a model vassal king, and at the same time, a very representative vassal king.
They were not greedy, and did not accumulate wealth. Their family was very interested in learning.
This was not only reflected in Zhu Houan, but also in his son.
Zhu Houan's son was called Zhu Zaiyi, courtesy name Boqin, and was also known as Guqu Mountain Man, Jiufeng Mountain Man. When he was young, he called himself 'Mad Scholar', 'Drunken Immortal of Shanyang', and was also known as' Crown Prince Duanjing '.
In history, there were many evaluations of him, but it had nothing to do with his identity as the Crown Prince of a vassal king. He was a famous lawyer (known as' Sage of Law '), calendar scholar, and musician in the Ming Dynasty.
He had a deep understanding of music, and was a very talented person.
Of course, this was not the most special thing. The most special thing was that he scoffed at the throne, and only hated being born in an imperial family. This should be the best description for Zhu Zaiyi.
When the King of Zheng, Zhu Houan, passed away, as the eldest son, Zhu Zaiyi should have inherited the throne, but he ceded the country seven times, resigned his title, and returned home to concentrate on writing books.
During the long 19 years when his father was imprisoned in Desoluo, Zhu Zaiyi became the disciple of a sage, and entered the secular world. With the spirit of pursuing the sun and moon, he concentrated on studying music, calendar, and opened up a wide field of frontier science.
Zhu Zaiyi went beyond the ancestral rules, broke old habits, and paid attention to practice and experiments. He worked hard to seek truth all his life, and completed the 'Complete Book of Music', 'Lu Zheng Lun', 'Lu Questioning and Discerning Confusion', 'Jia Liang Suanjing', 'Essence of Law and Lu Lu', 'Integration of Law and Calendar', 'New Theory of Mathematics', and 'Se Pu'.
Zhu Zaiyi's achievements shocked the world, and scholars both at home and abroad respected him as' the saint of the Eastern Renaissance '.
Therefore, Zhu Zaiyi and Guo Moruo were listed as' World Historical and Cultural Celebrities'.
If not for this memorial, Zhu Yijun would have almost forgotten about the King of Zheng. There were simply too many things to do.
Now that the King of Zheng, Zhu Houan, submitted this memorial, Zhu Yijun suddenly remembered that there was such a talent hidden among the vassal kings of the Daming.
Zhu Houan was old and useless, but his son was in the prime of his life!
This was an example of the Daming vassal kings. If he didn't support such a person, Zhu Yijun would feel sorry for himself.