On May 11, the twenty-fifth year of Chongzhen, Zhu Youjian met Cui Changwu in Qianqing Palace.
Cui Changwu bowed respectfully to the emperor and stood up when he heard the sound of bowing.
"Give me a seat!"
Cui Changwu cupped his hands and said, "I don't dare!"
Zhu Youjian was very satisfied when he saw that Cui Changwu was very reserved and did not rely on Li Zhi's power to be domineering. He stroked his beard and said, "Who is Mr. Cui?"
Cui Changwu replied: "The people from Tianjin Aicheng grew up in the same neighborhood as King Qi."
Zhu Youjian nodded and looked Cui Changwu up and down.
"Xiangong Cui has an extraordinary appearance and is so heroic. As my assistant minister of the Ming Dynasty, he can hold up the scene. It's just that he looks a little younger and lacks the majesty of a superior."
Cui Changwu smiled and said: "It is a clear lesson from the Holy One. Those who serve as ministers are chosen based on their talents and do not dare to express their authority. The King of Qi often taught us that we should do our own things well, let the people benefit, and make the country rich and strong. This is An official is a good official. As long as he is a good official, he can win people's hearts even if he has no authority."
This was the first time Zhu Youjian heard such words. He thought about it for a while and laughed.
"So, the officials in Tianjin are not seeking personal gain? They are all working for the people?"
Cui Changwu held up his hands and said: "In Tianjin, there used to be some selfish officials. But since I became the chief of the disciplinary inspection team, I have arrested dozens of people and have shaken off even the most selfish officials. Now the officials in Tianjin Not to mention that all of them are selfless, but none of them dare to line their own pockets."
Prosecutor Zhu You looked at Cui Changwu, seeming to be pondering Cui Changwu's words.
After a long time, he said: "Although my auxiliary minister in the Ming Dynasty does not have the power of the previous prime minister, he has the responsibilities of the prime minister! If I take Cui Xianggong as my auxiliary minister, how should the Ming Dynasty be governed?"
Cui Changwu heard that the emperor said auxiliary ministers instead of chief auxiliaries, and thought about it for a while. Then he raised his hands and said: "If the emperor regards me as an auxiliary minister, the first thing I should do is to divide the land in the south of the Yangtze River."
"The so-called people are rich and the country is strong, but the gentry do not pay land taxes and exploit the people, which is the moth in our Ming Dynasty. Only by cutting off the channels for the gentry to exploit the people's blood and sweat can the people become rich. When the people are rich, they will not follow the bandits to rebel, and the court can also collect taxes , in order to raise troops."
"So if I serve as an auxiliary minister, the first thing I should do is to urge the King of Qi to send troops to Nanjing and implement the matter of garrisoning 20,000 troops in Nanjing. Moreover, the soldiers and horses in Nanjing must be cavalry. They must be able to travel hundreds of miles a day and be the fastest. Go to any place in the south of the Yangtze River and capture the traitors who disobey the imperial edict."
Zhu Youjian and Wang Chengen looked at each other and nodded happily.
Apparently, Cui Changwu had agreed to garrison troops in Nanjing on behalf of Li Zhi. Cui Changwu had obviously accepted the arrangement of not being the first assistant but the second assistant, and was ready to urge Li Zhi to send troops.
With Cui Changwu's words, the matter is half done.
Zhu Youjian laughed and said: "How can Xianggong Cui stand and talk? Sit down! Come and serve tea!"
Cui Changwu thought for a moment and sat down calmly. After a while, a young eunuch served him oolong tea.
Cui Changwu said: "I have been following the King of Qi for many years, and I have learned some strategies for governing the country. Please give me your guidance!"
Cui Changwu said: "The King of Qi often said that food is the most important thing for the people. In the Ming Dynasty, there have been many years of famine, and the most lacking thing is food. In some disaster-stricken places, the price of food has more than doubled, and the people exchange their sons for each other, and compete to be the first to surrender to thieves. Therefore, I believe that the first step in governing a country is to have enough food."
"After the equalization of taxes, courts must be established and rules established in the countryside. The rules are very simple, whoever contributes will benefit! Our Ming Dynasty has a vast land, and there are hundreds of millions of land that can be cultivated locally. As long as there are rules in the countryside, the people will cultivate it
If wasteland can be cultivated by itself without being exploited, countless wastelands will become fertile farmland."
"Farm tools and water trucks needed to cultivate new fields can be purchased from Tianjin. Tianjin produces these things in large quantities and the prices are very cheap. When people from ten households unite, they can often produce hundreds of dollars by investing only a few dozen taels of silver.
acres of land."
"With new fields, the people will be able to have enough food, and the court will have more land. This will be the first step towards making the people rich and the country strong."
"The key to this first step is that the courts must be impartial and selfless and establish local rules. According to King Qi, as long as property rights are clear, social efficiency will naturally be maximized."
"I have been in charge of law and order for many years, and I am best at suppressing traitors and eradicating scoundrels. Therefore, if the emperor uses me as an assistant minister, I can guarantee that the courts in the north and south of the Yangtze River will be able to play their role in clarifying all kinds of local ugliness."
Hearing Cui Changwu's words, Zhu Youjian was a little moved, but he stroked his beard and said nothing.
If the first step mentioned by Cui Changwu can be realized, Zhu Youjian will be a wise king who will be remembered for generations.
"If the first step is successful, then the people will no longer suffer from famine, the court will no longer have to worry about bandits, and the world will be at peace. But peace alone is not enough, there must be a second step. I think that all parts of the Ming Dynasty will have to go to Tianjin
By aligning ourselves, the people will not only have enough food and clothing, but also become richer."
Zhu Youjian had been to Tianjin and knew how rich the people in Tianjin were. When he heard Cui Changwu said that he wanted the people of the Ming Dynasty to be on par with Tianjin, he couldn't help but ask: "How to enrich the people? Cui Xianggong, please tell me."
Cui Changwu stood up, raised his hands and said: "The key to enriching the people is to increase the output level of the people. The number of people on the market remains unchanged and there are more goods. Eventually, the goods that the people can enjoy will naturally increase, and the people will naturally become rich.
"
"For farmers, prosperity means expanding the area of cultivated land and introducing agricultural machinery from the King of Qi. At the same time, increasing agricultural yields per mu and purchasing guano soil from Tianjin for fertilizer."
"In a few years, as farmers' grain production increases, they will consume a large amount of industrial products produced in cities."
"For handicraftsmen in the city, it is necessary to introduce advanced machines from Tianjin to open assembly line factories. What used to take a month to make can be turned into products that can be completed in a few hours. You can buy a steam engine from the King of Qi and use it
Steam engines drive machinery, which greatly saves manpower."
"With factories, the prices of clothes, furniture, ceramics, farm tools and various daily necessities will drop significantly, making it affordable for the people."
"For the idle labor force in the countryside, it is to detect and dig mines. Our Ming Dynasty is rich in products and has all kinds of mineral deposits. Nowadays, various industries in Tianjin are developing rapidly, and there is a shortage of iron ore, copper ore, lead ore, saltpeter, and sulfur.
, tin ore and tungsten ore, we can dig mines everywhere and sell the ore, and one mine can make us ten miles rich."
"For businessmen, we should encourage them to develop maritime transportation. At the same time, we can follow the example of Tianjin in building railways and build two vertical and two horizontal railway lines in Daming to allow products from various parts of Daming to flow."
Cui Changwu talked for a while, stopped, and finally said: "I have witnessed with my own eyes that the King of Qi developed in Tianjin in this way, and was able to build such a prosperous town and nine provinces in more than ten years."
Hearing Cui Changwu's words about long-term planning, Zhu Youjian couldn't help but feel a little excited in his eyes.
He suddenly laughed a few times, stroked his beard and said: "King Qi really got someone! King Qi got someone!"
