Chapter 792 The Crusades (7) The Iron-Blooded Prime Minister
The time comes on New Year's Day in the 27th year of Chongzhen (1654).
Since Chongzhen was away, Prince Zhu Cihong was responsible for the New Year's Day sacrifices.
Zhu Cihong is already twenty-six years old this year, and starting from the 17th year of Chongzhen, Chongzhen rarely interfered with specific government affairs, and the affairs of the court were basically handled by the prince Zhu Cihong.
So Zhu Cixiang handled these affairs with ease.
After the New Year's sacrifices were completed, Zhu Cihong held the first imperial meeting in the 27th year of Chongzhen's reign in the Huangji Hall.
At this great meeting, there will be a major matter that needs to be discussed by the civil servants and military ministers participating in the meeting. This major matter is a total war with the Western world.
Since the Battle of Baliqiao ended five years ago in the 22nd year of Chongzhen, the war machine of the Ming Dynasty has been shut down, and the entire country has also shifted from military priority to industrial economic development priority. After that, large-scale railway construction began in the Ming Dynasty.
She also began to make drastic advances in the northern and southern capitals, as well as major cities such as Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Yangzhou, and also invested most of her financial resources in the development of industry.
What followed was five years of rapid economic development.
By this year, four main railway lines including the Beijing-Beijing Railway, Yunxi Railway, Liaodong Railway, and Beijing-Guangzhou Railway have been built in Daming, and more than a dozen railways including the Chengdu-Kunming Railway are also on the agenda.
In addition, big cities such as the northern and southern Beijing have also changed their appearance.
When Zhu Cihong walked on the streets of Beijing, he would inevitably feel in a trance sometimes.
In just five years, the city of Beijing has completely changed. If he could go back five years, Zhu Cixi would never have imagined that Beijing would be like this five years later.
Not to mention anything else, the dozen or so high-rise buildings near Chaoyangmen Railway Station make all people who come to Beijing for the first time marvel. They are more than 20 feet high, with a total of more than 20 floors.
Looking down from the top of the building, the pedestrians on the street below are like ants, and the trains on the tracks are like small insects.
"Your Highness? Your Highness the Crown Prince?" Kunlun slave's call brought Zhu Cixiang's thoughts back to reality.
Zhu Cixiang couldn't help but glance at the Kunlun slave standing beside the throne with a dark complexion. He was a slave worker trafficked by the Nanyang Company from the distant African continent.
Nowadays, there are many such Kunlun slaves in the Forbidden City in Beijing.
Since the 17th year of Chongzhen's reign, Chongzhen has strictly prohibited Han people from entering the palace as errands.
However, we turned a blind eye to the natives from Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia and even black Africa who came to the palace as servants. After all, the Forbidden City is so big and there is so much hard work, and the palace maids alone are really too busy.
Therefore, there were some things that Chongzhen, as the emperor, had no control over.
If Chongzhen's original intention was to follow, he really planned to eliminate creatures like eunuchs.
But the reality is that in the past few years, eunuchs have not been eliminated, but they have begun to proliferate again.
Zhu Cixiang's thoughts returned to reality, and he said to Wenwu: "Today there will be a major event in the court, which requires collective discussion among all the ministers. The thing is like this. Yesterday, my father sent an urgent telegram back, saying that the Pope of the Western Holy See has sent a message
Issued an edict calling on the entire Western world to launch the Second Crusade, and this time the goal of the West is no longer Jerusalem or a certain religion, but our Ming Dynasty and the Yaye religion supported by the Ming Dynasty."
His Highness's civil servants and military officials immediately exploded. Is such a thing happening?
"Your Highness, what else is there to say about this matter? Kill these ghosts."
"Your Highness, the dignity of the Ming Dynasty cannot be blasphemed, and they must be killed."
"Your Highness, just vote directly. Anyway, our military ministers will definitely support it fully."
"It sounds like our civil servants don't support this, but we fully support it."
There is no suspense. The civil servants and military officials who attended the meeting unanimously supported the war. The reason is very simple. Every foreign war launched by the Ming Dynasty can bring tangible benefits.
Not only military officials benefited from foreign wars, but civil servants also made a fortune.
What do you think civil servants rely on to make a fortune? Nonsense, of course war bonds.
Chongzhen had a good habit of never eating alone.
Therefore, before launching a foreign war, even if there is no shortage of money and food, war bonds will be issued to raise funds, and then the benefits will be distributed to officials in the DPRK and China through these war bonds, including civil and military officials.
Relying on the income from war bonds, the civil and military forces of North Korea and China have really benefited.
Therefore, no official had any objection to launching this war.
Even Wang Jiayan, the first assistant, unconditionally supported the launch of this war.
As early as two years ago, after the first assistant Lu Zhenfei took office, Wang Jiayan and Jin Xuan were promoted to the cabinet at the same time.
Not long after that, the first assistant Zhang Shenyan died of illness while in office. Wang Jiayan was directly promoted to the first assistant by Chongzhen, Jin Xuan was directly designated as the second assistant, and Meng Zhaoxiang and Wu Linzheng were still the third assistant and fourth assistant.
By the way, the first batch of students from the Imperial College in Beijing had graduated the year before last and were sent to serve as grassroots officials in more than a thousand counties in the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty.
Since the number of students is large enough, except for a few outstanding students who can directly serve as seventh-rank county magistrates, most of the remaining students can only serve as eighth-rank county magistrates or chief ministers.
This greatly changed the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty, because the original official positions such as county magistrates, governors, and historians were almost all held by local gentry, and county magistrates were frequently replaced, but county magistrates and other petty officials often had dozens of officials.
He did not move for years, so he became a local snake, which greatly hindered local government affairs.
But now this ecology is facing great challenges.
Then last year, as the second batch of students from the Imperial College in Beijing graduated and entered the local officialdom again, they even removed the taxation department ambassador, the canangchang ambassador, the six house directors and other minor officials, and the original officialdom ecology was completely destroyed.
Destroyed, the situation in which imperial power did not go to the countryside since Qin Shihuang established prefectures and counties was finally completely reversed.
Of course, these subordinate officials who have controlled the place for many years are not so honest and obedient.
Therefore, starting from the second half of last year, accidents occurred frequently in the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty. Either a warehouse in this county caught fire, or a warehouse in that county was burned down, or a local official who had just taken office suddenly suffered an accident.
Regarding this situation, Chief Assistant Wang Jiayan did not compromise at all and ordered a thorough investigation.
In less than half a year, more than 10,000 troublemaking officials were killed in more than 1,000 counties. It was so popular that Wang Jiayan earned the nickname "Iron-Blooded Prime Minister".
Seeing that all the civil and military ministers in the palace were very enthusiastic, Zhu Cihong smiled and said: "Then let's vote. Those who support it, please come forward."
As soon as he finished speaking, the civil servants and military officials in the palace came out to stand in the middle. Kunlun Nu, who was standing at the entrance of the palace, reported to Zhu Cihong the situation of the civil servants and military officers standing on the cloud platform outside the palace.
Then he said to Wang Jiayan and Ma Mingluan: "Wang Qing and Ma Qing, please go back and prepare."
"I accept the decree." Wang Jiayan and Zhu Cihong accepted the decree and each returned to the Wenhua Palace and the Wuying Palace.
That afternoon, political and military orders were issued from Beijing to all parts of the country.
The Ming Dynasty's war machine quickly started, and groups of soldiers quickly gathered in Xuzhou, Wuchang, Kunming, Chengdu, Xi'an and other places. Carloads of weapons, equipment and ammunition were sent from the railway to Yili, as well as newspapers, magazines and newspapers from the two capitals.
Local newspapers in all provinces were typesetting overnight to prepare for public opinion and momentum.
The most tragic among them is none other than the Duke of Fujian, Zheng Zhilong.
Seeing that the Ming Dynasty's navy has already reached the Indian Ocean and is about to engage in strategic decisive battles with Western countries, Zheng Zhilong's gout still shows no signs of relief. It often relapses as soon as it is relieved. He spends most of the year in
The pain was so painful that I couldn't get out of bed, and even had to be supported by the maid to urinate.
Fu Shan diagnosed Zheng Zhilong again and prescribed medicine.
Before leaving, Zheng Zhilong couldn't help but hold Fu Shan's hand and asked: "Dean Fu, can my gout be cured? Why can other people's gout be cured, but mine can't be cured?"
"
Fu Shanxin said, isn't it because the Holy Spirit doesn't allow your gout to heal?
However, Fu Shan did not dare to say this clearly, and could only say tactfully: "Master, this depends on each person. Everyone's physique is different, so the treatment plan will be different, and the effect will be different."
"Oh, okay." Seeing that Fu Shan still said the same thing, Zheng Zhilong was helpless.
After all these years of going around and around, Zheng Zhilong has somewhat come back to his senses.
So Zheng Zhilong then asked: "Is there anything I should avoid in my diet?"
After all, Fu Shan couldn't bear it anymore and said in a low voice: "Master, from now on I'd better eat less seafood, and there's beer. If you can't help it, don't drink it. You can drink some shochu and rice wine in moderation."
"If you are not allowed to eat seafood and drink beer? Then what fun is there in living?" Zheng Zhilong was a little unhappy when he heard this. He can no longer go to the battlefield because of gout, and women can't do it either. If he is no longer allowed to eat seafood and drink beer,
Then what kind of fun would he have in living? He might as well just die and settle down.
Fu Shan sighed: "It's better to control it as much as possible."
Fu Shan has already seen that Zheng Zhilong's condition is very serious and he is about to enter the end stage of renal failure. Even with all-out treatment, he only has a few years left to live.
When he came out of the Duke's Mansion of Fujian, a student hurriedly greeted him.
"Dean, I just received a call from Duke Xia's mansion, saying that the young lady is about to give birth and it will be difficult to give birth. Duke Xia doesn't believe other doctors and insists on asking you for a caesarean section."
"I understand, let's go over there." Fu Shan immediately ordered the carriage to divert to Duke Xia's mansion.
Although he has passed away, Fu Shan still has some complaints in his heart, because after many years of medical practice, the level of surgical medicine in Ming Dynasty has been greatly improved. All doctors in various hospitals are capable of performing caesarean sections, and medical malpractice
The probability is very low, and if he were to perform the surgery himself, the result would be similar.
But these dignitaries of the Ming Dynasty insisted that he personally perform the surgery.
Fu Shan had no choice but to take time out of his busy schedule to deal with it.
