In the next two months, Chongzhen stayed in Jiangnan and walked around. He found that the changes in the eight prefectures and prefectures in Jiangnan were really great. Almost all large-scale factories or workshops had used steam power.
The free trial plan initially implemented greatly accelerated the cultivation of the steam engine market.
Although Daming Machinery Factory is still losing money so far, almost all investors, including the Weng family, are full of confidence in the prospects of Daming Machinery Factory.
[A novel app that has been running stably for many years, comparable to the old version of the source-changing app, huanyuanapp, that is used by all chasing bugs.]
This can be seen from the stock price of Daming Machinery Factory.
Among the dozens of stocks listed on the stock exchange, except for the Railway Freight Corporation, Daming Machinery Factory has the highest stock price. However, in the past half month, the stock price of Longjiang Shipyard has been rising sharply.
The reason is very simple. The Ming Navy placed a large order for 50 ironclad ships with Longjiang Shipyard.
At the same time, Longjiang Shipyard is also developing a 10,000-ton ironclad ship.
There is also the humanistic field in Jiangnan, which is still undergoing profound fission. Deeds such as bound feet, chastity arches, and liver resection to save the mother, which were talked about by the world in the past, are gradually being cast aside. Even Confucian ethics such as the three cardinal principles and the five constant principles are beginning to be challenged.
, the innovation of Confucian ethics began to enter the deep water zone.
Now even Chongzhen can’t say what will happen in the future?
One day in the future, there may be a revolution.
It's just that these are not what Chongzhen cares about. He is Chongzhen, but he is not Chongzhen, so he doesn't care whether the old Zhu family can stay in power forever. What he cares about is the clothes of the Han family and the Confucian ancestral temple.
As long as the Chinese nation is not enslaved by foreigners, it doesn't matter whether there is an emperor or not.
Therefore, Chongzhen was happy to see such ideological fission, and even hoped to be more violent.
In two months, Chongzhen visited Nanjing, Hangzhou, Huzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou and Yangzhou, inspecting Nanjing's heavy industry, Hangzhou's tea and beer industry, Huzhou's silk industry, Songjiang's light textile industry, and Changzhou's grain processing.
industry and Yangzhou's groceries processing industry, that is, the cigarette industry.
At the end of May, just as Chongzhen was preparing to leave for Hanyang to inspect the iron smelting industry, a piece of good news from the capital changed Chongzhen's itinerary.
The first locomotive of the Daming Railway Factory has been successfully trial-produced.
Moreover, the Beijing-Beijing Railway has also been built from Beijing to Xuzhou.
In other words, it can be tested now, just because this is the first train in the history of the Ming Dynasty and has special significance, so I hope Chongzhen can rush back to preside over it.
Although Chongzhen hated formalism, he was still happy to see the success of political propaganda of great significance like this, and anything too much was never enough. If anti-formalism ultimately degenerated into anti-formalism for the sake of anti-formalism, then this behavior itself would be
Become formalistic.
So after receiving the good news, Chongzhen immediately set off to return north.
And it only took less than half a month for Chongzhen to return to Beijing with the Imperial Guard Brigade.
After returning to Beijing, Chongzhen did not go back to Wanshou Palace, but went directly to the train factory outside Chaoyang Gate.
The crown prince Zhu Cixiang who stayed in the capital to supervise the country, the four ministers of the cabinet, the ministers of the six ministries and other officials of third rank and above, as well as Ma Mingluan of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and various departments have all arrived.
But there was no welcome ceremony, just a greeting at the gate of the train factory.
"My son, please bow to your father Jin'an." Zhu Cihong and Zhu Cizheng stood at the front of the line.
Behind the two brothers, there were civil and military officials headed by Zhang Shenyan, all bowing to each other.
"Hong'er, you did a good job setting up a town in Mongolia." Chongzhen patted Zhu Cihong on the shoulder.
Although Chongzhen felt it was a bit redundant, as far as the matter itself was concerned, the two brothers Zhu Cihong and Zhu Cijiong did a really good job, because this method of large-scale intermarriage was much more reliable than building the Great Wall, and the key was that it did not cost too much money.
, no longer need to station heavy troops on the nine sides, it will still work even if there are no firearms.
It's a pity that Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di's father and son did not think of this method.
Zhu Cihong was a little worried at first, but when he heard what Chongzhen said, he felt relieved.
However, Zhu Cixiang still felt a little guilty: "The establishment of a Mongolian town may be able to solve the threat from the northern Huqi in the long term, but there is also a huge difficulty. The transportation of supplies for the garrison is too expensive."
Garrisoning troops on the Mongolian Plateau has been a huge problem since ancient times. No dynasty can garrison troops.
The reason is also very simple. Military supplies travel thousands of miles, and often only one bucket of rice is left when transported to the ground. No dynasty can afford such losses.
After all, these are not hundreds or thousands of people, but tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands.
"Supplies?" Chongzhen said in astonishment, "After Horqin, Chahar, and the future Tumut, Khalkha, and Oirat established towns, they naturally became the Ming Dynasty's soldiers. How can the soldiers be provided with supplies?"
Zhu Cixiang said in astonishment: "But Father, there is no food on the grassland."
"But there are cattle and sheep." Chongzhen said, "Cattle and sheep can be exchanged for food."
"That's the problem." Ma Mingluan said, "Transporting grain from Huguang or Jiangnan to Mobei Grassland consumes too much. One stone of grain costs only one and a half yuan in Jiangnan, but it costs twenty to transport it to Mobei Grassland. The price is set low.
No grain merchants are willing to transship the goods, but if the price is set high, the pressure on the Ministry of Internal Affairs will be too great."
"Ma Qing, your thinking is backward." Chongzhen shook his head and said, "You have to look beyond the grain itself and expand your vision to the entire prairie. Why don't you learn the Kaizhong method?"
"Open the middle method?" Ma Mingluan frowned and said, "The Holy Spirit said, let the grain merchants transfer the grain to Monan or Mobei in exchange for salt and bring it to the salt field to support the salt supply? This method may be tried, but it will not last long."
"Since Yanyin has been abolished, how can it be picked up again? Isn't that a way back?" Chongzhen shook his head.
"Is that the iron smelting or Danbagu monopoly?" Ma Mingluo said, "But this will also sacrifice the interests of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which may not be cheaper than directly asking grain merchants to transport grain to Monan and Mobei."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "No, no, no, it doesn't have to be that troublesome at all."
Chongzhen said: "Why not set up a specialized business in Horqin, Chahar, and in the future Khalkha, Tumut, Oirat, etc., to be responsible for selling grain from Jiangnan or Huguang to the Mongolian Plateau, and at the same time responsible for bringing cattle from the Mongolian Plateau?
Mutton and wool are trafficked to the capital or even south of the Yangtze River?"
"In this case, trafficking in food may be a loss."
"But if you add in the trafficking of beef, mutton and wool, you can still make money."
"Oh, by the way, not only beef, mutton and wool, but also leather, which is also in bulk."
After a pause, Chongzhen continued: "When the railway between Beijing and Beijing is opened to traffic in the future, or even the railway is built directly to the Mongolian Plateau, the profit margin will be even greater, so there is no need for the Ministry of Internal Affairs to spend a penny."
"Ah? This!" Zhu Cihong, Ma Mingluan and others felt as if a first-class hut had opened up.
This is actually inertial thinking, like a layer of window paper. Once it is pierced, it is nothing more than that. But before it is pierced, even if you want to break it, you will never think that Zhu Cihong and Ma Mingluo still have less contact with Hongshang. If they can have more contact,
As soon as you get to know Hongshang, you will know that most of the orders run by Hongshang are at a loss. What really makes money is actually bringing goods on the return trip.
Zhang Shenxing and other civil and military officials also admired Chongzhen. After all, he had understood the Tao.
The huge problem that has troubled His Highness the Crown Prince and all the ministers in the court for such a long time, no, it is the huge problem that has troubled so many dynasties throughout the ages, was actually solved by His Majesty with just one sentence. I cannot help but admire it.
Chongzhen's eyes turned to Zhu Cizheng again: "Zhen'er, you are already 15 this year, right?"
"Back to my father, my son is indeed 15 years old." Zhu Cizhen was actually a little afraid of seeing Chongzhen now.
Chongzhen asked: "I'm 15 years old. It's time to go to the Imperial College to study. After three years of studying, I will be 18 years old when I get out. It's time to join the army and get some training."
"Ah?" Zhu Cizheng couldn't help being surprised, "You still want to join the army for training?"
"Nonsense." Chongzhen said angrily, "If you don't get some experience in the army and learn some real skills, how will you be able to deal with the local indigenous people outside the vassal domain in the future? But don't even deal with the indigenous people with spears after the vassal period.
No, if the time comes, I and Ming Dynasty will be completely embarrassed, so don’t let my father cut down the vassalage at that time."
Hearing that there was going to be a war with the indigenous people, Zhu Cixiang suddenly felt that the vassal domain was not that popular.
At that moment, Zhu Cizheng said in a low voice: "Father, can I become a vassal without going overseas?"
"Hey, you have no ambition, how can the old Zhu family have descendants like you?" Chongzhen was very happy.
Then he said with a dark face: "No, the prince must study in the Imperial College, and must enter the military training. After completing the training, he can join the vassal overseas. If you really don't want to join the vassal, you can do it. The condition is that you give up the title of prince and be demoted to a commoner."
After talking about this for a while, Chongzhen said again: "When the next imperial meeting is held, this will be added to the ancestral precepts of the Emperor Ming."
Hearing that the prince's title was to be removed and demoted to a commoner, Zhu Cizhi immediately gave up. He was now fifteen years old and already knew the difference between the prince's title and a commoner.
At that moment, Zhu Cizheng said weakly: "I'd better go to the Imperial College."
"That's it, let's take a class." Chongzhen nodded and asked, "Do you want to study at the Army Academy or the Naval Academy?"
Zhu Cizheng's instinct suddenly flared up again: "Father, which school has lighter academic workload between the Army Academy and the Naval Academy? I want to go to the school with the lightest academic load... Oh, father, what are you doing with your boots off? No!
"
Seeing Chongzhen take off his boots, Zhu Cizheng ran away and disappeared.
Chongzhen still wanted to pursue him, but was stopped by Zhu Cixiang: "Father, forget it, fifth brother is actually just joking."
Next to them, Zhang Shenxing and other ministers, as well as Ma Mingluan and other ministers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, also pretended not to notice.
"Forget it, forget about this traitor." Chongzhen was actually not angry at all. He raised his legs and put on his boots and said, "Where's the locomotive? Look at the first locomotive built by our Ming Dynasty!"
"Your Majesty, please come this way." Weng Zhili quickly stepped forward to lead the way for Chongzhen.
After a while, Weng Zhili led Chongzhen and his party into a work shed.
