In the twenty-sixth year of Hongwu, the sixteenth day of the first lunar month.
Thousands of boats were bustling along the river, and there were no usual people coming and going on the pier. Only a large number of soldiers continued to gather.
Because the main operation is to transport troops, the ships are mainly cargo ships, supplemented by a small number of warships for escort.
"How long until we start our journey?"
Lan Yu asked Cao Zhen next to him.
This time he commanded ten guards, plus the logistics, there were more than 60,000 people.
It seems that there are not many people, but those who can participate in the redress this time are all elites.
According to the current intelligence, even if the rebels are powerful, they will not exceed 30,000 people at best. After the redress army arrives, surrounding guards can be recruited.
Cao Zhen naturally followed him this time.
"Reporting to the general, we can set off in about half an hour. This time we have brought a lot of firearms from the Gunpowder Department, so the transportation will be slower." Cao Zhen replied.
Lan Yu nodded, looked at Zhengyang City Gate, and said: "Tell the brothers to move quickly. Your Majesty and His Highness the Grand Sun will be coming soon. At this time, don't cause any trouble."
Cao Zhen nodded and immediately went to convey it.
After Lan Yu finished explaining, she walked towards Zhu Quan.
At this moment, Zhu Quan was at the edge of the dock, watching various warships, surrounded by more than a dozen personal guards.
"His Royal Highness Prince Ning, we are about to go on an expedition, but I'm not used to it." After Lan Yu came over, he cupped his fists and bowed, and asked with a smile.
Lan Yu's attitude towards Prince Ning was very polite. Now that Prince Ning is also a member of Taisun's lineage, he naturally wants to get closer to him.
Zhu Quan cupped his fists and returned the greeting: "I feel a little uneasy."
Lan Yu laughed and said, "You'll get used to this stuff after a lot of times. I've long heard that Prince Ning is good at strategy. I need to communicate more this time."
Zhu Quan also smiled and said: "Natural, natural."
Although Zhu Quan is Prince Ning, he is still slightly inferior to Lan Yu, Duke of Liang.
After all, Zhu Quan is only fifteen years old this year. It is his first time to take charge of the army. He is far from mature. If it were not for his good relationship with his grandson, Lan Yu would not pay much attention to him.
There was no special instructions from Taisun, but Lan Yu knew that not only should he protect King Ning well, but he should also take care of him and become familiar with the battlefield.
Especially in the area of military merit.
There is no room for improvement for Lan Yu herself. His Majesty has so many sons, and the idea of a king of the opposite sex is a taboo thing.
Stabilizing the current power and preserving the inheritance of the title is the best situation for Lan Yu at this time of inheritance of monarchy.
After a stick of incense.
On the Zhengyang Gate Tower, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Ying appeared.
"Long live your Majesty! Long live your Majesty!!!"
"His Royal Highness Taisun is a thousand years old, a thousand years old, a thousand years old!!!"
Hearing the shouts below, Zhu Ying twitched the corner of her mouth.
This call of a thousand years old is not popular. For later generations, the most famous one is the one who is nine thousand years old.
But who is that 9,000-year-old man? He is a eunuch, just a servant of the royal family.
Only Zhu Ying knows the key to this embarrassment.
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled all over his face and was very satisfied with the title of Da Sun, a thousand years old.
Long live me, may my grandson live a thousand years, and I will be well-matched.
Zhu Ying easily understood the meaning in the old man's eyes, and the corners of her mouth continued to twitch.
At Zhu Yuanzhang's signal, the shouts soon stopped.
But that's all.
Now that there are no loudspeakers, at such a long distance, I can't hear clearly even if my voice is hoarse.
Relying on eunuchs to convey messages would only be one sentence at a time, which would be embarrassing.
"Your Majesty is watching us. This expedition must defeat the rebels in one fell swoop!!!"
Lan Yu roared and shouted.
As expected of a famous general, the whole dock was echoing.
The soldiers also roared together.
"The Ming Dynasty will be victorious!!!"
The momentum shook the sky, as if the clouds in the sky had collapsed due to this, revealing a clear blue sky.
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled with satisfaction and said: "It seems that our Ming soldiers are still very good."
Zhu Ying nodded in agreement.
Looking from a distance towards Zhu Quan Sapphire at the edge of the pier.
To a large extent, this rehabilitation was about gilding Zhu Quan and making him familiar with the battlefield.
Zhu Ying once discussed military affairs with Zhu Quan. During this period, Zhu Quan also studied under Xuanjiawei.
In terms of personal bravery, it cannot be said that he is very strong. He may not even be able to defeat a small soldier of the Xuanjia Guard.
However, some of the advanced military theories provided by Zhu Ying can be understood and absorbed very quickly. It is not possible to draw inferences from one example, but they can also be quickly applied in military deductions.
For Zhu Quan, what he lacks most now is real experience on the battlefield.
As for Zhu Ying, despite traveling all over the country for so many years, he actually had no experience in large-scale battles. On the grasslands of the Western Regions, even if there were battles, they were mainly small-scale battles involving dozens of people, and few involved more than a hundred people.
In the process of contacting Zhu Quan, Zhu Ying understood that this was a real handsome talent.
After returning to the palace, the old man went to deal with government affairs.
And a piece of news was quickly conveyed to Zhu Ying by Ye Yueqing.
"Are you saying that the cement formula has been tested and is ready for use?" Zhu Ying asked with some surprise.
He also knew in his heart that it was almost impossible to meet the cement standards of later generations.
Because the development of society requires a lot of productivity as the foundation, a breakthrough at a single point is extremely unrealistic.
The most important factor at present is the application of coal.
The production of quicklime requires high-temperature calcination, and wood cannot meet the demand. Only the use of a large amount of coal makes the production of quicklime possible.
Naturally, there are many more matching ratios to follow. Ever since the craftsmen from Opalo came here, they have been constantly trying.
Because it is winter, the trying process is relatively longer.
Now there is finally a formula that can achieve better results.
"Your Highness, this cement has been used to lay a ten-foot-long path where the Obaro craftsmen live. It has been in shape for twelve days. The carriages and horses will be tested tomorrow. There is no sign of damage so far."
Ye Yueqing replied.
She would first investigate such matters and confirm that they were correct before coming to the palace to report them to Zhu Ying.
Zhu Ying nodded and said: "Inform the carriage and leave for the outskirts of the city immediately. I want to check it myself."
"Follow orders."
An hour later, Zhu Ying arrived at the residence of the Obaro craftsmen.
"His Royal Highness Taisun is a thousand years old, a thousand years old, a thousand years old!!!"
As soon as the attack arrived, the soldiers on duty knelt down on one knee and shouted excitedly.
The chill of the cold wind that had caused them to stand guard was instantly dispelled, and everyone was in high spirits.
This shows that Zhu Ying's current reputation in the military is very high.
Zhu Ying raised her hand and followed to the backyard.
There, there are more than a dozen stretches of paths, all laid by the laboratory.
Among them, a clean road is very eye-catching compared with other shabby roads.
Seeing this road, Zhu Ying felt a little dazed, as if she had returned to the road in her previous life.
"Yes, that's it."
After coming back to her senses, Zhu Ying said definitely.
Naturally, most of the responsible officials had already gathered around him.
Everyone's faces were filled with joy when they heard His Highness Taisun's approval. After many days of continuous efforts, they finally achieved results.
You must know that because the plan for the construction of Zhengyang Avenue was previously decided, the craftsmen and officials here were under great pressure. They were studying the proportions almost every day and night to figure out the best cement.
"Everyone who has made meritorious service will be rewarded with a hundred gold coins, and the first person will be rewarded with a thousand gold coins. If the Oubaluo craftsmen participate in the work and have meritorious service, the treasure coins will be reduced by half, and they will be granted Ming Dynasty household registration."
Zhu Ying directly set the reward.
For the Oubaluo craftsmen, the Ming Dynasty household registration is the foundation for them to settle down and live here.
And a hundred coins is also a great reward for these officials who work day and night on research.
"Thank you, His Highness Taisun, for the gift!"
Before the Obaro craftsmen could understand, the officials and craftsmen were already kneeling in a row, chanting fervently.
However, Oubaluo craftsmen naturally have their own intelligence. Regardless of whether they can understand it or not, since the Ming officials in front of them knelt down, they just followed suit.
Zhu Ying waved her hand, and then ordered: "Call a few strong men and bring sledgehammers, and let me test how hard this cement road is."
After hearing His Highness Taisun's order, six strong men holding sledgehammers came over a moment later.
Under Zhu Ying's guidance, he smashed hard against the concrete floor.
The gravel splashed everywhere, and several smart eunuchs immediately stood in front of His Highness Taisun, forming a human wall to prevent them from being splashed by the gravel.
After a random smashing, the originally intact road surface was smashed into potholes.
Zhu Ying signaled to stop, then stepped forward to check.
I am extremely satisfied with the current cement effect. This feeling is comparable to the rural roads of later generations.
"Instruct the Chamber of Commerce to immediately stockpile cement-related raw materials, no matter how much, and buy them at the lowest price."
"In addition, the treasure banknotes placed in the shops and houses on both sides of Zhengyang Avenue will be packed in wooden boxes for later use, waiting for instructions from this palace."
After reading it, Zhu Ying thought about it in her mind and gave her instructions.
"Follow the order." Ye Yueqing replied.
At noon the next day, outside Wulong Square.
The appearance of hundreds of uniformed guards attracted a lot of attention, and the Department of Public Security maintained order.
A large number of people gathered and were not dispersed. The more than ten wooden boxes of the Jinyiwei in the front row made people look at them involuntarily.
"Unboxing!"
With a loud shout, more than ten boxes were opened immediately.
People looked closely and saw that each box was filled with treasure banknotes.
"So many treasures, God, this is the first time I have seen so many treasures."
"What is Jin Yiwei doing? Did he just ransack his house from somewhere?"
"If I could have so much, no, even half of it, I would be rich."
"What half? I've made a fortune with half a box. I don't know what Jin Yiwei is going to do with so many treasures all of a sudden."
Treasure notes were very common in the Ming Dynasty.
There are also many denominations, such as one hundred coins, five hundred coins, and so on.
In the early Ming Dynasty, when the economy was not so prosperous, a lot of treasure banknotes were issued. Even some big families could take out millions of banknotes. But to the common people, millions of banknotes stacked together were simply too much.
It is a visual impact that I have never experienced before.
This feeling is like the impact of millions of cash in Zhu Ying's previous life.
When you put it in a bank, it's just a number, but when it's turned into cash, everyone is shocked by it.
Yesterday, Zhu Ying was preparing to use a large amount of treasure money to shock the senses of the people in the capital.
In the crowd of more than 100,000 people, Jin Yiwei was seen slowly moving forward holding a wooden box of treasures in his hands.
In front of this, there were several officials, holding brochures in hand, and walked to the first store on Zhengyang Avenue.
"Wenxuan Pavilion, according to the decree of Emperor Taisun, the first floor is filled with two banknotes per square, and the second floor upwards is filled with one banknote per square, for a total of one hundred and seventy-six banknotes. There may be any doubts."
The official from the Ministry of Revenue said seriously.
The shopkeeper bowed respectfully and replied: "I have no doubts."
The Ministry of Revenue official nodded, handed out his pen and said, "Just sign and seal it here."
Under the watchful eyes of hundreds of royal guards and several officials, the shopkeeper dared not be negligent. Under the guidance of the officials, he quickly wrote Wenxuan Pavilion and his own name with trembling hands.
At the same time, the house deed was also handed over.
After taking the house deed, the household official nodded, and then another official counted one hundred and seventy-six guan notes from Jin Yiwei and handed it to the shopkeeper.
"Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir." The shopkeeper tightly grasped the banknote in his hand and bowed with excitement.
"There is no need to thank me. If you want to thank me, just thank His Highness Taisun." The official from the Ministry of Revenue waved his hand and left directly.
We still have a lot of work to do to complete all these shops today.
Of course, he was not the only one, there were more than a dozen officials acting together, and behind each official would be a guard carrying a wooden box of treasures.
There were also two teams of Jin Yiwei guards.
boom!
The crowd immediately exploded.
After a simple explanation, the people realized that the treasure notes in these wooden boxes were actually prepared for the shops on both sides of Zhengyang Avenue.
One hundred and seventy-six guan banknotes, I’m so cute.
How many years does it take to earn this?
Wenxuan Pavilion is not a big shop. It mainly sells pens, ink, paper and inkstones. The business is not bad, but when it comes to how much money it makes, that's about it.
After all, there are only so many scholars.
According to the current market price, a store like Wenxuan Pavilion in Yahang costs about 120 guan.
Now the premium is so much.
In everyone's opinion, this is a waste of money.
The most important thing is that this is a royal collection.
In this world, everyone belongs to the royal family. Even if you don't give money, you are considering yourself unlucky.
Not to mention the royal family, local governments, nobles, and even landlords and gentry basically have no subsidies at all when the government collects taxes.
Many people have long been accustomed to this.
But today's scene almost broke their understanding.
"His Royal Highness Taisun is benevolent and righteous!!!"
A loud shout suddenly came from the crowd.
After a moment's pause, a large number of people were mobilized and started shouting.
People have the mentality of blind obedience, both in ancient and modern times. Suddenly His Highness the Grand Sun's shouts continued like a wave.
Just when the crowd was cheering for this, in a corner.
"Damn it, why did something like this suddenly happen at this time? It has obviously given him a reputation as a tyrant."
"Arresting and killing Shanxi merchants, involving innocent people, and wantonly ransacking homes to plunder money will soon spread outside the capital. If this matter is spread, the previous business will be destroyed in one day. It's hateful!!!"