"Your Majesty, the temporary residence permit is in vain. The population of the capital is increasing day by day, which will be extremely detrimental to the court in the long run."
Yang Tingjian stood with his hands folded.
The emperor quickly asked him to sit down, with a trace of sadness on his face: "How many people are there in Beijing?"
"I don't know the details, but it's probably in the millions!"
Yang Tingjian said bitterly: "Food is still supplied from Hebei, Northeast and other places, but the fruits and vegetables are huge, and the houses are closely connected. Once a fire breaks out, the consequences will be disastrous!"
"Millions!"
Zhu Yixi sighed.
When they first took over Beijing, there were only about 100,000 people. Now it has expanded to ten times, and it has only been 20 years.
In this era of underdeveloped productivity, such a huge population requires massive resources.
At the same time, the urban problems created are also extremely huge.
The most obvious one is the sewers. The excretion of millions of people can be blocked every now and then. The scale of the street cleaning department that specializes in cleaning has expanded to 3,000 people.
The number of people is still expanding.
As for the drinking water problem that was a problem back then, as groundwater pollution intensified, nobles could still drink spring water from Xishan Mountains, while ordinary people could only drink groundwater.
If we continue, I'm afraid it will be difficult to drink the groundwater.
"How do the Qing family think they should control it?"
Yang Tingjian thought about it and said cautiously: "I think we can expand the outer city."
"In addition, the Beijing camp is located in various provinces to recruit elite soldiers, and they bring their families to Beijing. As time goes on, the population of the capital will naturally continue to grow, and I am afraid it will become even more in the future..."
"Drink poison to quench thirst!"
Zhu Yixi rejected the proposal without hesitation.
Beijing first became an inner city, then expanded to the outer city, and then expanded again. It is still impossible to change Beijing's population dilemma.
Unless there is a big river like the Yangtze River passing by, such as the Thames River in London, that will do!
The Haihe River Basin is full of small ditches, which often flood due to insufficient water supply.
As for the Beijing camp going to various provinces to recruit elite soldiers, it is naturally to avoid inbreeding like the Shence Army of the Tang Dynasty and the Forbidden Army of the Song Dynasty, which would reduce their combat effectiveness.
Moreover, this can also effectively reduce the number of Beijing-based generals collaborating with the party for selfish purposes.
Yang Tingjian immediately shut up and stopped talking.
Zhu Yixi fell into thinking.
Other problems are not big. With the construction of railway tracks, various materials can be continuously supplied to Beijing from distant places, but water is a problem.
There were no pipelines at this time. Once the Miyun Reservoir was built, water could only be transported to Beijing.
And once water is transported, even if it is only one mile, the cost will suddenly skyrocket, which will make people grit their teeth.
"That's all. Looking at it now, we can only put more effort into transporting water!"
Zhu Yixi had to admit that expanding the city was indeed a good and bad method.
But how to expand and where to expand has become a problem.
"To the east, Beijing City is close to Tongzhou to the east, and that is where the Yongding River is. There is no shortage of water..."
Yang Tingjian suggested.
"I understand!" Zhu Yixi nodded.
This is indeed a good direction.
As the saying goes, the east is rich, the west is noble, the north is poor, and the south is poor.
The reason why the east side is rich is that many national warehouses are gathered in the East City. The Ministry of Revenue has set up ten warehouses here. Secondly, when some people come to Beijing, they all enter through the East City, so they naturally become rich.
After all, it is impossible for a poor person to travel far away and settle down in Beijing.
Where the warehouse is located, there is no mention of corruption. Just say that the old grain sold every year is enough to support a large market and provide employment for thousands of people.
In this way, city expansion will be simple. As long as the warehouse is moved, some people can be taken away immediately.
Having made up his mind, Zhu Yixi did not make any announcement.
"Who else is next?" Zhu Yixi asked after yawning.
At this time, the eunuch Men Dongzi (Liu Afu resigned) smiled and said: "Sir, this is Cui Bingchun, Cui Shangshu, the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs!"
"A cup of tea!" Zhu Yixi nodded: "Let him come in!"
After a while, Cui Bingchun knelt down to say hello and was then given a seat.
"What's wrong with Cui Qing?"
Drinking warm tea and looking at Cui Bingchun's face that was red from the cold, he couldn't bear it and asked someone to serve him a cup of hot tea.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Cui Bingchun took a long sip before he breathed a sigh of relief: "Your Majesty, what I am thinking of is the palace of the kings."
"If it were built in Xicheng, I'm afraid it would be a bit expensive..."
Zhu Yixi also knew a thing or two about his thoughts.
On the surface, they are talking about the price, but actually they are saying that it is very difficult for the Ministry of Household Affairs, and they want the Ministry of Internal Affairs to spend money as soon as possible to avoid delays. It is best for the Ministry of Internal Affairs to pay the bulk.
It can only be said that for the twelve kings, twelve royal palaces must be built.
The imperial court had considered this situation before, and the palace's 100 acres was reduced to five acres, but twelve is still a huge number, especially in the capital.
The Forbidden City is only a thousand acres!
"Don't worry, I have my own ideas!"
Zhu Yixi suddenly remembered the expansion of East City.
It is entirely possible to place these twelve palaces and the following palaces in the East City.
The price is low, the land is neat and easy to paint, and it can also attract traffic.
"If it's not in the capital, how much does a palace cost?"
Cui Bingchun was stunned by this nonsensical question, and he said casually: "It takes about 100,000 yuan to build one."
"I know!"
Zhu Yixi nodded and suddenly asked: "Does the Qing family know how many people there are in the Ming Dynasty now?"
Although the household department is divided into three, the household department and the people's department are related after all. Cui Bingchun thought for a while and then said:
"About twenty million!"
"Get down!"
Cui Bingchun retreated with doubts on his face.
This number is certainly correct.
After twenty-two years of development, the population of Ming Dynasty continued to increase. The north recovered well and the population increased significantly.
After the small payment was waived, most people were still happy to report the real amount.
Two hundred million, this was the peak figure before the Ming Dynasty, and it was also a figure that had not gone through the repeated massacres and uprisings in the south in history.
This prosperous age is indeed a prosperous age.
But if it is dealt with, the remaining population problems will be even greater.
Beijing is just the tip of the iceberg.
"The soldiers in the Beijing camp are forty and have retreated. The imperial court can organize them to go to Jilin. Anxi can use the remaining heat and give away wasteland. The mountains and forests are nothing!"
"They are quality immigrants."
"This can effectively alleviate the pressure on the capital and promote the development of Northeast China."
"As for the Ming Dynasty, just like before, moving to the major vassal states is the best choice..."
Zhu Yixi took a sip of warm tea and made a decision.
Previously, in order to limit the outflow of the population and considering the instability of the vassal state, only the vassal state's official contacts with the imperial court were allowed.
If a disaster occurs in a certain place, the vassal state must seek instructions from the court and only after receiving approval can it recruit refugees.
It is not allowed to seduce people to immigrate privately.
But now, Zhu Yixi decided to let go.
The people were allowed to move freely to the vassal state, and the vassal state recruited immigrants accordingly.
Although this is due to population expansion, it has a great relationship with the economic development and political stability of the vassals.
When a family of immigrants settles down, not to mention political asylum arrangements, they need financial assistance in the early stage, tax exemptions, land, houses, livestock, farm tools and other production materials, which must be arranged together.
They even had to support them with food for several months to tide them over.
Rather than just picking people up, throwing them into the ground and ignoring them, taxes can be collected after a few months.
This is pure daydreaming.
Immigrants can only wait to die.
"Who's on duty?"
"Sir, it's Mr. Liu Ge!"
Zhu Yixi suddenly said: "Tell him that I want to know about the affairs of the vassal state!"
"Yes!" Mendong agreed immediately.
Two quarters of an hour later, Liu Xiangke came in unhurriedly.
Liu Xiangke, courtesy name Ruixing, was a native of Fuping, Shaanxi. He was a scholar and once served in the Shi Kefa army, thus gaining great fame.
After the King of Yu entered the capital, he was promoted because of his qualifications and his Shaanxi origin, so he was promoted quickly. Now he is a cabinet minister, which is a good story.
In history, in the early years of Yongli, he formed a party with Jin Bao, Ding Shikui, Meng Zhengfa, and Yuan Pengnian, known as the "Five Tigers", and Liu Xiangke was called the "Tiger Skin" and acted as a think tank.
After Yongli died, he entered a temple and became a monk, and died alone.
Liu Xiangke, who was in his fifties, was in high spirits at this time, which was in sharp contrast to Yang Tingjian just now.
When Zhu Yixi saw it, he suddenly thought: Yang Tingjian is getting old and it is time for him to retire and return to his hometown, otherwise he will not be able to control the Gyeonggi area.
"I pay homage to Your Majesty!"
"Pingshen!" "Give me a seat!"
Zhu Yixi asked calmly: "I wonder what the current situation of the vassal state is like? Is it possible that it is self-sufficient?"
The Domain Affairs Department is under the direct control of the Cabinet and is responsible for contacting each feudal state. All assistance can be said to be directly managed by the cabinet minister, which is convenient and fast.
So instead of going to the Ministry of Rites, it would be more convenient to go to the Cabinet.
Liu Xiangke had already received the clear message and immediately replied: "Among all the vassals nowadays, Qin is the best."
"Its population is six million, its annual income is millions of stone grain, and its annual surplus is hundreds of thousands of stone. This year, it also destroyed the Lao country, and made several sons kings, in order to treat the small princes..."
"Next is Qi State, with a population of about 300,000. Because of mining, the tax this year is 500,000, so it is naturally self-sufficient!"
Speaking of this, Liu Xiangke couldn't help laughing and said: "The State of Qi sent someone to request that 300,000 people be recruited in ten years."
"These two countries have a stable foothold and still have some strength left. The imperial court has long since cut off its support!"
"The third ranked vassal is the Liao King's vassal of the Liao Kingdom. In just over two years, it has already stabilized the country. It has more than two million people and tens of thousands of forbidden troops stationed in Yujing. It is barely self-sufficient."
"The remaining Yue Kingdom is located in the Ezo Territory, which is remote and relatively cold. Although they can contact Korea and Japan for trade and even immigration, there are only about a hundred thousand of them now."
"However, it seems that in the past two years, I have been doing business in exchanging gold and silver, and I also want to relocate the people. I have proposed to immigrate 100,000 people in five years..."
"The little rich man of Zhao will be at peace!"
"These five countries can already defend themselves!"
Liu Xiangke suddenly said seriously: "The remaining countries, Wei State, was first established, and lost 200,000 people per year; Fu State was small, so it lost 50,000 people per year; Xiang State was just broken, and it lost 300,000 people this year."
"Liang Kingdom has only been planning to build it this year. It has already lost 100,000 people and is building the capital of Liang Kingdom."
This year, the vassal affairs department has sent 650,000 yuan to the vassals to help them prepare for the establishment of the country. It will be difficult to wean them off in less than two or three years.
It’s impossible to let a broken or desolate country develop directly, right?
Without the cow Daming, it would be difficult to gain a foothold.
Zhu Yixi listened, and he felt balanced in his heart. How could he gain anything without giving up?
According to established rules, the Ministry of Internal Affairs actually subsidizes the vassal state at the same proportion every year, and its expenditure is no less than that of the imperial court.
This is also the reason why although the court complained, there was no trouble. The emperor was also spending money!
This amount of money doesn't seem like much at first, but Zhu Yixi thinks about her thirty-seven sons, and the more time goes by, the more pressure she gets.
"According to feudal laws, except for the Tang Dynasty, in other dynasties, the emperor has fewer heirs as the years go by, so the pressure will be much less at that time!"
"The Great Wave during my Shaowu period was a blessing in misfortune!"
He consoled himself.
According to the plan, the imperial court's expenditure on the vassal state is about 500,000 per capita, which is only 10 to 20 million...
"I have made a decision with the Dutch before. The Kingdom of Johor will be in our hands. It is expected that it will be destroyed next year and the Kingdom of Ji will be established!"
Liu Xiangke turned around in his mind and realized that King Ji was the thirteenth son of the emperor, but where was the Kingdom of Johor?
Seeing his confusion, Zhu Yixi asked someone to bring out the map and pointed to the Malay Peninsula, above Singapore:
"Although this place is a little barren, there are still hundreds of thousands of people who can establish a vassal state."
"If the Dutch do not intervene, the imperial court can send 5,000 troops from the capital, and then dispatch 5,000 elite troops from the Qin State. If the total is 10,000, the country can be destroyed."
Liu Xiangke's eyes were focused and he blurted out.
It is naturally an established rule to recruit soldiers and horses from the vassal state.
In the early days of the Ming Dynasty, the Jurchens and Jurchen slaves were attacked, but Korean soldiers and horses were often dispatched to attack together. Even if the soldiers and horses of the vassal state were strong, they could be used as heavy supplies!
"Very good!"
Zhu Yixi laughed: "In addition, there is Brunei in Borneo, which is a little lonely, so I conquered West Borneo, the Kingdom of Sanfa, to become the Kingdom of Qi; and captured the Kingdom of Machen in South Borneo to become the Kingdom of Fujian."
"These two countries are small and have few people. Each of them can send a thousand people, so they don't need too much manpower."
Liu Xiangke nodded in agreement.
But he was making rough calculations in his mind.
For seven thousand people to go on an expedition to the South Seas, even if it is limited to three months, the transfer of supplies from Luzon would cost millions. The longer it takes, the more expensive it will be.
Okay, a million people defeated the Three Kingdoms, which is less than a quarter of Qin's.
"There is absolutely no problem with the cabinet!"
Liu Xiangke could agree on behalf of the cabinet.
As long as there is no Qin State again, that will be fine.
Seeing this, Zhu Yixi showed a satisfied smile and immediately talked about opening up immigration:
"The territory of the Ming Dynasty was overcrowded. It was more convenient for the vassal states to recruit themselves and save the court trouble."
"This..." Liu Xiangke hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, what about some criminals who escaped to the vassal country for some reason?"
"I'm afraid that a lot of talent will be lost."
"Talents? Hahahahaha!" Zhu Yixi raised his head and laughed: "The Ming Dynasty has a territory of tens of thousands of miles and a population of 20 million. Why worry about the lack of talents? What we should worry about is that there are too many talents, which breeds complaints."
"In this way, the five countries of Qin, Qi, Liao, Zhao, and Yue are allowed to move their own people in the country. Let the cabinet issue a document!"
"Yes!" Liu Xiangke still wanted to speak, but he swallowed the words as soon as they reached his lips, so he could only agree.
As the country grew longer, Emperor Shaowu's majesty became stronger and stronger day by day. How could he dare to confront him?
Returning to the cabinet, several secretaries of the cabinet were quietly sorting out memorials, and bright yellow whale candles were lit, making Wenyuan Pavilion even brighter.
In Liu Xiangke's eyes, the candle light danced, breaking the false light.