Chapter 606: The Ming Dynasty expands its army and prepares for war in the world
Nowadays, the population of Ming Dynasty is approaching the period of big explosion.
All this is naturally because the Ming Dynasty's economy began to take off, and most people were able to raise more children with enough food and clothing.
In this world, the realization that people are more powerful is the consensus of all people.
According to the household registration statistics of the 28th year of Hongwu, the population of Ming Dynasty has approached the 70 million mark, which means that in just three years, there have been millions more people.
These millions of people are not all newborns, there are also a large number of imported immigrants.
Not only the Western Regions, but also the population influx from Tubo, including the grasslands, Korea, Japan, and Nanyang also had a large population inflow.
Zhu Ying has been giving conscious guidance, naturally in order to strengthen the internal infrastructure of Ming Dynasty.
The most practical thing is nothing more than building bridges and roads.
The North-South Expressway, which is thousands of miles long, can be built in just one year, but this does not mean that other roads are easy to build.
The reason why the North-South Avenue was so fast was first of all because there were enough people participating, and the imperial court also attached great importance to it and invested a lot of money and food in it.
Strictly speaking, this cannot be considered construction, because the foundation of the road itself has already been laid. It is a process of widening and cement paving. There is no such thing as digging mountains and building bridges.
But for most counties and even villages, it's completely different.
Some villages on Shangougou Road have to climb several mountains to reach the official roads, and most of the official roads are still the same as before.
It is impossible to say that all the official roads can be built in just a few years. The cost incurred here is a big problem.
Basically all the money and food for building official roads came from the national treasury, and local governments could not afford it. It was just when they had enough to eat, and it was even less likely that ordinary people would say they had money and food to spend.
There is money in the treasury and there is money in internal funds, but all of this money cannot be thrown away at once on building official roads.
Prioritizing supply for military construction is the foundation of national defense.
If the military cannot keep up, and the country is in turmoil, how can we talk about people's lives?
Only Cathay Pacific can bring peace to the people.
Speaking of which, the current people do not think there is a problem with the roads. They have been accustomed to this kind of life for generations.
In the canopy hall.
Zhu Ying was checking the numbers related to population statistics and this year's harvest, making some comparisons.
The Huagai Hall is basically equivalent to the emperor's office, where many memorials and memorials are usually placed.
"Dasun, this year's harvest should be considered relatively high." Zhu Yuanzhang said with a leisurely smile.
Now I can be considered to be living a good life.
The people are on one side, and the palace is on the other side.
The expenses in the palace are basically covered by internal funds. After the Qunying Chamber of Commerce was merged into the internal funds, the internal funds will never be short of money.
Zhu Yuanzhang sighed deeply when he remembered when he had robbed money from the Ministry of Revenue.
"The situation is not very good." Zhu Ying shook her head slightly and said.
Zhu Yuanzhang's expression paused and he said: "What's going on? We've also seen it. This harvest is much higher than in previous years. Is there any official tampering in it?"
"It seems that there are always some people who think their lives are too good and don't want to live anymore."
There was obvious anger in Zhu Yuanzhang's tone. Anyone who dared to influence the Ming Dynasty, no matter who they were, must be executed.
He will take the head of anyone who dares to raise a hand in taxation.
Zhu Ying replied: "It's not that someone is greedy. What Suner means is that the food of Ming Dynasty can no longer keep up with the consumption of the population."
Zhu Yuanzhang frowned slightly: "You mean, the population of our Ming Dynasty has grown too fast, and the food in the fields cannot keep up."
Zhu Ying nodded: "Yes, although there is an increase in the production of high-yield crops, in fact, in the past, most people could not have enough to eat, and the large-scale planting of high-yield crops only made it difficult for the people to live.
I can barely have enough food and clothing."
"In fact, there are still some areas where it is difficult to even meet the standard of food and clothing."
"Today, the population of the Ming Dynasty should actually exceed 70 million, and many of them have not yet been added to the household registration of the Ming Dynasty."
"According to the current trend, maybe in less than ten years, three to five years, our Ming Dynasty may have a population of tens of millions."
"It is normal for a household to have three to five children. For some large households, it is normal to have more than seventy or eighty children. If the number reaches tens of millions, then the growth rate of the Ming Dynasty's population will be even more astonishing."
"That is to say, in the next ten years, without the influence of war, our Ming Dynasty may have more than two million more newborns a year, and the number will continue to increase in the future."
Zhu Yuanzhang had been committed to restoring the population, but he did not expect that the population had grown so rapidly in the few years since his eldest son entered the palace.
A large population requires a large amount of food, and economic improvement does not mean an increase in food.
The prices of grains on the market now, whether wheat, rice or others, are already slowly rising. This is an irreversible trend that cannot be changed.
The reason why Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to restrain the people from staying in place and not to go out, and the government controlled the roads was to allow the people to grow food well.
No matter how much money you have, it cannot be turned into food. Once a food crisis occurs, the price of food will skyrocket.
This is very detrimental to the stability of Ming Dynasty.
After Zhu Yuanzhang thought for a while, he said: "It seems that it is time to migrate the people to the black soil of Liaodong."
Zhu Ying nodded in agreement.
If we vigorously develop the black soil, the entire Northeast region will become the largest granary of the Ming Dynasty, stabilizing the price and security of food for the entire Ming Dynasty.
After Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, he was silent for a moment and said again: "Expand the army. Some disobedient small countries should be taught a lesson."
When the population grows too fast and puts pressure on the country, in addition to increasing revenue from food cultivation, there is also the need to reduce expenditure through war.
No matter what time it is, war is always the biggest means of population destruction.
With the current strength of the Ming Dynasty, it is completely capable of conducting large-scale war operations.
Firstly, it can enhance the influence of Ming Dynasty, and secondly, it can also gain more territory.
At present, the grandfather and grandson have set their sights on the entire Nanyang region.
The Japanese kings were vying for hegemony, and the Japanese royal family seemed to have a larger territory, but it was actually vulnerable.
On the other side of Goryeo, Yao Guangxiao controlled the government affairs.
Li Chenggui has already sent envoys to the Ming Dynasty, hoping to gain the Ming Dynasty's recognition and become king. Now this plan is completely bankrupt.
Yao Guangxiao had already controlled most of the civil and military affairs of Goryeo. Li Chenggui was now forced to survive by Yao Guangxiao, and it was difficult for him to fight back.
Or the only expectation is that Yao Guangxiao is getting older and he is still middle-aged, so he can survive him to death.
Not to mention the Beiyuan side.
After the establishment of the Beiyuan Mercenary Association, the Ming Dynasty and the Beiyuan Dynasty began to establish diplomatic relations, and a large number of grassland cavalry were hired by the Ming Dynasty caravans to gain wealth in the Western Regions and Tubo.
Now can be considered a relatively peaceful era.
Emperor Elbek of the Northern Yuan Dynasty was also a master who couldn't take any time off. Without the constraints of the Ming Dynasty, his troops began to march towards the Oara tribe and the Eastern Chagatai Khanate.
Forced one-on-two fight.
Needless to say, even under such circumstances, Beiyuan also won consecutive victories, which made Oara, who had been taking advantage of the situation in the past, and the Eastern Chagatai Khanate complain endlessly.
For the Ming Dynasty, only the Nanyang region was left.
The Nanyang region is not limited to Annam and Champa.
Counting forward, there are still twenty or thirty countries.
Although the tropical jungle area is full of miasma, it also means rich products, especially the cultivation of rice, which can be harvested three or even four times a year, which is a large amount of food.
...
"Fifty thousand soldiers? Brother, is this true?"
Zhu Yunwen looked at his elder brother Zhu Ying in disbelief, his mouth opened subconsciously, and his tone was full of surprise.
After the news of Annan's pacification reached the capital, it was also the time when Zhu Yunwen took over the city.
According to the original practice, a vassal king like Zhu Yunwen who had an overseas vassal could bring 30,000 troops to protect him.
I came to Kunning Palace today to pay my respects to my eldest brother. I also wanted to ask about leading the troops. I didn’t expect that the eldest brother would ask for 50,000 soldiers as soon as he asked me.
Zhu Ying smiled and said: "Of course it is 50,000 soldiers. Considering that your economic situation may not be very good, the military expenditure of these 50,000 soldiers will be included in the military expenditure of the Ming Dynasty Navy when the time comes. Your side will also
It can save a lot of burden."
"If it's not enough for daily food, you can't deprive the soldiers. You have to give more rewards or something. Only in this way can you control the army better, but I understand."
In fact, Zhu Ying didn't have much resentment towards Zhu Yunwen, and she never thought about doing anything to embarrass him.
After becoming the grandson, most of the ideas were actually made by Zhu Yunwen himself, and Zhu Ying did not regard him as a strong rival.
During the time when he entered the palace, Zhu Yunwen was also honest and did not make any messy noises. This alone was enough for Zhu Ying to treat him like this, no matter what he thought in his heart.
At this moment, Zhu Yunwen was really moved.
From the surprise at the beginning, to the worry in my heart, and now even more surprise, the mood changes rapidly.
Raising 50,000 soldiers is no small matter, especially for Zhu Yunwen who only has one city.
Lu had discussed this issue with Zhu Yunwen before, and felt that it would be no problem to bring 20,000 troops over to Champa City. If there were too many, we might not be able to support them.
Now this problem has been solved directly by the eldest brother. The 50,000 soldiers do not need to pay a cent of military expenditures. This is a treatment that other vassal kings have never received.
Even when Zhu Yuanzhang divided the vassal territories previously, the vassal king's own soldiers needed to be supported by the vassal king himself, rather than relying on the imperial court.
This is also the reason why some powerful vassal kings, such as Zhu Xi, Zhu Fan, and Zhu Di, can have a full quota of 30,000, while the following vassal kings may only have a few thousand guards.
In the final analysis, military expenditures were still too large. Except for a few people who had some financial resources, the vast majority of the feudal lords simply did not have the ability to raise so many soldiers.
"Thank you, brother, thank you, brother."
Zhu Yunwen quickly bowed, and this time he was truly convinced.
Zhu Ying stood up and took two steps forward to help Zhu Yunwen's hands: "There will be less days to see each other in the future. Let's talk about some things earlier."
"In the eyes of others, there seems to be a gap between you and me. Brother Wei, I don't know what you think, but in Brother Wei's heart, you and Yunxi are both the same. They are Brother Wei's biological brothers."
"The changes in some things are not due to you. There are too many twists and turns. If someone else were in your shoes, they might do things completely differently, so I cherish the feelings between us brothers even more."
"Over there in Champa, the weather is a little hot, but it's safe enough. Not only is our Ming Navy currently stationed in Champa, there are also many merchants from the Ming Dynasty. It is also the starting point of the Ming Dynasty sea trade, and it will definitely be the starting point in the future.
It’s getting more prosperous and it’s a good place to be.”
"If you encounter any difficult problems in the future, don't worry that you can't solve them yourself. Send a message to Brother Wei, and Brother Wei will naturally help you solve them."
Zhu Ying really did not regard any overseas vassal kings as a threat to the Ming Dynasty. If there was no such pattern, how could he talk about opening up borders and expanding territory.
Especially Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Ying could imagine what would happen after he and Lu went to Champa.
Its military and political power is probably controlled by the Lu family.
This is also a good thing. Compared with Zhu Yunwen, Lu's character and mentality are actually more suitable for him.
I'm afraid it's inevitable to listen to politics behind a curtain.
After Zhu Yunwen returned to the East Palace, he immediately told Mrs. Lu the good news.
Lu was a little worried when she first heard this. After all, the soldiers were paid by the Ming Dynasty, so it was difficult to say that they completely obeyed her.
When I turned around and thought about it, I realized that I had been worrying too much.
Let alone 50,000 soldiers, even 100,000 or 200,000, can they fight against the Ming Dynasty? Let alone occupying a place like the city, even if there are several small countries around it combined, it is not enough to defeat the Ming Dynasty.
This is because Taisun is really thinking about Yunwen.
The expenditure of 50,000 soldiers was not a problem for the Ming Dynasty, but for Zhu Yunwen of the Lu family, it was simply unaffordable.
"After ordering the troops in a few days, we will set off. During these few days, you can spend more time with your elder brother and His Majesty."
Having said this, Madam Lu paused slightly and said, "Your Majesty is getting older. We don't know when we will come back from Champa next time."
When Zhu Yunwen heard this, his heart was shocked.
He understood what his mother meant.
Maybe when I return to the capital next time, Grandpa Huang may not be here anymore.
Zhu Yunwen nodded heavily: "Mom, I understand."
Zhu Yunwen had some complaints about Grandpa Huang in his heart. He complained that he loved him so much before, but after his eldest brother came back, he seemed to be a completely different person.
All the love was given to the eldest brother, and not even a penny was left for myself.
Normally I don't say anything, but in my heart, there is always a gap.
When I heard my mother's words today, all the gaps disappeared in an instant.