Emperor Ming Dynasty

"Your Majesty, the temporary residence permit is in vain. The population of the capital is increasing day by day. This 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 20 people. Now it has expanded to ten times, only [-] years ago.

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 3000 people.

The number of people is still expanding.

As for the drinking water problem that plagued the country back then, as groundwater pollution intensified, nobles could still drink spring water from the Western Mountains, while ordinary people could only drink groundwater.

If we continue, I'm afraid the groundwater will become difficult to drink.

"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 the 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!
The Haihe River Basin is full of small ditches, which often flood due to insufficient water.

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 reduced the combat effectiveness.

Moreover, this can also effectively reduce the number of Beijing-based generals working together with the Party for personal gain.

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 soar, which makes people grit their teeth.

"That's all. Looking at it now, we can only work more on 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 know!" 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 there are many national warehouses gathered in Dongcheng. The Ministry of Revenue has set up ten warehouses here. Secondly, when some people come to Beijing, they all enter through Dongcheng, so they naturally become rich.

After all, it is impossible for a poor person to travel far and settle 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.

Zhu Yixi made a plan in her mind but 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 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 in fact 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 reduced the palace's hundred acres 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 Dongcheng.

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?"

This nonsense question stopped Cui Bingchun, and he said casually: "It takes about [-] 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!"

"Go down!"

Cui Bingchun retreated with doubts on his face.

This number is certainly correct.

After 22 years of development, the population of Ming Dynasty has continued to increase. The north has recovered well and the population has increased significantly.

After being exempted from the small amount of money, most people are 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 and mountains. It doesn't matter!"

"They are quality immigrants."

"This can effectively alleviate the pressure on the capital and promote the development of the Northeast." "As for the Ming Dynasty, just like before, moving to the major vassals is the best choice..."

Zhu Yixi took a sip of warm tea and made a decision.

In the past, in order to limit the outflow of the population and considering the instability of the vassal state, only the officials of the vassal state were allowed to contact the imperial court.

If a disaster occurs in a certain place, the vassal state must seek instructions from the court and obtain approval before recruiting 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.

Although this is due to population expansion, it has a great relationship with the economic development and political stability of the vassals.

When an immigrant family settles down, not to mention political asylum arrangements, they need financial assistance in the early stage, tax exemption, land, houses, livestock, farm tools and other production materials, which must be arranged together.

They even had to provide 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 in a few months.

This is pure daydreaming.

Immigrants can only wait to die.

"Who's on duty?"

"Master, 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 born in 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 native place in Shaanxi. 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, and they were called the "Five Tigers". 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, so it's time to retire and return to his hometown, otherwise he won't be able to control the Gyeonggi area.

"I see your Majesty!"

"Pingsheng!" "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 Department is under the direct jurisdiction 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 600 million, with an annual income of millions of stone grain, and a surplus of hundreds of thousands of stone every year. 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 30. Because of mining, the tax this year is 50, so it is naturally self-sufficient!"

Speaking of this, Liu Xiangke couldn't help laughing and said: "Qi State sent people to request that 30 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 North 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 done business in exchanging gold and silver, and I also want to relocate the people. I have proposed to immigrate [-] 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 20 people every year; Fu State was small, so it lost 30 people every year; Xiang State was just broken, and it lost [-] people this year."

"Liang Kingdom has only been planning to build it this year. It has already lost [-] people and is building the capital of Liang Kingdom."

This year alone, the vassal affairs department has sent 65 yuan to the vassals to help them prepare for the establishment of the country. It will be difficult to wean them off without 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 imperial court complained, there was no trouble. The emperor was also spending money!
This amount of money may not seem like much at the moment, but Zhu Yixi thinks about her 37 sons, and the more time goes by, the greater the pressure.

"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 tide was a blessing in misfortune during my Shaowu period!"

He consoled himself.

According to the plan, the imperial court's expenditure on the vassal state is about 50 per capita, which is only 2000 to [-] 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 don't intervene, the imperial court can send [-] troops from the capital, and then [-] elite troops from Qin. If we make up [-], we can destroy the country."

Liu Xiangke focused his eyes and 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, that is, the Sanfa Kingdom, to become the Qi Kingdom; South Borneo, the Machen Kingdom, became the Min Kingdom."

"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 7000 people, the expedition to Southeast Asia, even if it is limited to three months, requires millions of supplies to be transferred from Luzon. 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, it will be fine.

Seeing this, Zhu Yixi showed a satisfied smile and immediately talked about opening up immigration:
"The territory of the Ming Dynasty is overcrowded. It is 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 [-] 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 within 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 and 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 the memorials, and the bright yellow whale candles were lit, making Wenyuan Pavilion even brighter.

In Liu Xiangke's eyes, the candle light danced, breaking the false light.