Emperor Ming Dynasty

In the midst of everyone's attention, Jiang Liu'er appeared.

The 16-year-old boy has bright eyes and bright teeth, wearing a decent robe and walking lightly: "You still call me now?"

"The Go tournament will be held soon!"

Facing Jiang Liuer's complaint, Xiaoyun felt ashamed, while Fang Baihua complained:

"I haven't seen you for half a month. I thought you were missing!"

"Sorry!" Jiang Liu'er said helplessly: "The chess academy is studying how to compete!"

"Speaking of which, is it really possible to become a chess player?" Xiaoyun couldn't hide her excitement: "Can women also participate?"

"It should be possible!" Jiang Liu'er nodded and glanced at Fang Baihua: "It's just difficult!"

Fang Baihua also smiled bitterly and said: "There is a huge difference in the chess skills between men and women. I guess it would be good to be in the top [-]!"

Jiang Liuer came to the chess hall and saw the arrogant chess ghost king. He couldn't help but said: "What's your surname, brother?"

"Chess Ghost King!"

Jiang Liu'er couldn't help but shake his head. This name might be taboo, and he could easily be beaten.

"Please!"

The two guessed first, and the ghost king held white and played first.

In China in 2000, the white chess played first and the seat system was adopted, but Japan changed this 100 years ago.

The so-called seat means that at the beginning, both sides place two chess pieces on each of the four star positions to determine that the black and white sides each occupy two corners.

Half an hour later, the Ghost King of Chess lowered his head and said silently: "I lost!"

"The way of Go is full of ups and downs. No one is always victorious." Jiang Liu'er comforted him: "Your talent is very good, so you have to work harder!"

"Don't be proud and dissatisfied, and look down on the people of the world!"

Suddenly, the Go Ghost King covered his face and started crying: "I want to participate in the Go Conference!"

Jiang Liuer was speechless.

Not everyone can participate in the Go tournament. It’s hard to tell whether your chess skills are high or low, so just rely on money!

Anyone who wants to participate must pay a registration fee of one yuan.

Go is not like chess. Those who are proficient in this kind of game are basically scholars. The money is not more than a dollar, so it is just right to make a choice.

Seeing this, Jiang Liu'er was about to speak when Xiaoyun on the side shouted:
"Why don't you become a guest in my chess hall and be responsible for instructing others to play chess? I'll provide you with food and accommodation, and I'll give you three yuan a month!"

The guests on the side became lively: "Xiaoyun, you are recruiting a son-in-law!"

"It is certain that I have taken a liking to this young man!"

"If you keep talking nonsense, the chessboard fee will be doubled!" Xiaoyun became angry.

At this moment, everyone stopped talking.

Because of the Go Conference, the capital welcomed tens of thousands of people in just a few months.

Chess players from all the major vassal states, outstanding chess players from all over the world, are ready to go.

Hideya Kuroki, his senior brother Eio Fujisawa, and his junior sister Yuri Nakagawa represented Nakagawa Ki Institute in the Go competition.

The Edo shogunate strongly supported the four Go masters, the Honinbo family, the Inoue family, the Yasui family, and the Hayashi family, especially the Honinbo family IV and Honinbo Dosaku, who were the seed players.

“There are so many people in Beijing!”

Lily Nakagawa couldn't help but exclaimed.

Compared with Edo, which had criss-crossing rivers and low eaves, Beijing's street-facing houses are basically two-story buildings with numerous facades, various guises, and numerous signboards.

The shouts of hawkers along the street are even more continuous.

The various snacks, specialties, and merchandise are dazzling.

A rich and prosperous Beijing is deeply engraved in the hearts of everyone.

"This place is better than Edo, there are not so many fires!" Fujie Sawao breathed a sigh of relief.

Hideya Kuroki said solemnly: "The train that was emitting black smoke was the most shocking. It arrived in Beijing from Tianjin in just over four hours."

"The Kingdom of Heaven is really powerful!"

The three of them and a few entourages walked through the spacious streets. After shopping around, they stayed at the Yuelai Inn.

In order to welcome the Longevity Festival in May, the Go Tournament was held in mid-April, and the winner was decided in 20 days to present a gift to the emperor.

According to the Ministry of Rites, 8000 chess players from home and abroad have signed up this time.

Therefore, one move determines the outcome, and two players compete against each other.

Within ten days, only 18 people were left.

Surprisingly, among the 18 people, the Ming Dynasty only occupied eight seats, while Japan occupied six seats, Korea two seats, and Qin two seats.

Qi, Liao, etc. just joined in the fun, and not many powerful chess players participated in the battle.

Likewise, the battle was particularly fierce.

For both the government and the opposition, Japan's sudden rise really surprised them.

"Is Japan only slightly inferior to Ming Dynasty?"

Zhu Yixi looked at the essence through the phenomenon and understood the key:
"Japan has abolished the seat system."

Zhang Tongchang, the Minister of Rites, seldom played chess with the emperor.He was full of energy, fearing that he would make the wrong move and lose the emperor.

"Your Majesty, the seat system sets the star position first, which limits the advantage of being the first mover, but it also makes the situation more balanced. There are many long-term tests, and it is not very entertaining!"

"The chess game is not as intense as the Japanese, it seems very dull!"

To put it bluntly, using a fixed format for the start limits the performance of Go and increases the difficulty, which is disadvantageous for newcomers.

This is just like fishing where you must use earthworms, you cannot make nests, you cannot use rice grains, loaches, etc. There are too many restrictions and you are tied up.

Even because the format has remained unchanged for thousands of years, the importance of chess records has greatly increased, overshadowing ability to a certain extent.

For example, point three and three will not work.

Is it still called Go if you can't play [-]?

Zhu Yixi thought that abolishing the seat system for Go is no less than breaking the chains and letting it dance freely.

For the future of Go in Ming Dynasty, it is quite good.

However, this matter does not require an official order, but allows the Go community to revolutionize itself!

And how to break up those with vested interests?

It’s nothing more than what goes up and works down.

As chess pieces, it is up to the imperial edicts!
After all, the emperor can't even sit down, so why are you doing it?

However, Go is just a side game, and what Zhu Yixi values ​​most is the influence he can exert on the vassal states through the Go conference.

"How many literati from the vassal state came to Beijing this time?"

"Your Majesty, there are about a thousand people. There are 300 people in Japan alone and more than [-] people in North Korea..."

Zhu Yixi nodded.

Politically, the vassal state was subordinate to the Ming Dynasty, and its reign name, political system, clothing, and even writing were almost identical to those of the Ming Dynasty.

At the same time, the imperial examinations were conducted all over the vassal state, firstly to select talents, and secondly to cultivate the goodwill of officials in the vassal state.

The upper level alone is not enough. Chess clubs are more civil and can further enhance cultural centripetal force.

After chatting for a while, Zhang Tongchang finally dared to speak: "Your Majesty, the prince left Beijing for Guangdong and Guangxi last year. I'm afraid it will not be good for the country..."

Zhu Yixi frowned: "If you don't look around the place, how can you know the major civil affairs?" "I have my own opinions on the prince's affairs, so don't say more!"

"Yes!" Zhang Tongchang hurriedly lowered his head.

After staying in Xizang for nearly three years, Prince Zhu Cunqu profoundly changed the situation on the plateau, thus changing the plateau from serfdom to feudal landlordism.

A large number of homesteaders and small and medium-sized landowners became the mainstream and poured into the officialdom of Xizang, thus laying the foundation for the rule of the Ming Dynasty.

Subsequently, in order to stabilize the situation, Yu Chenglong, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, was dismissed on the spot and went to Xizang to continue to oversee the plateau and served as the governor of Kangzang.

The prince also completed his merits and returned from the plateau and stayed in Beijing for more than half a year.

Later, he was appointed as the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, taking on the important task of reforming the native land and returning it to the local people, focusing on solving the problem of returning the native land to the local government in Qiongzhou Prefecture.

It can be said that this 28-year-old prince is trusted by the emperor and is enough to assume the position of a feudal official.

But this kind of training is enough for civil servants. The most stable strategy is for the prince to sit in the capital.

Zhu Yixi understood the concerns of civil servants, but he could not figure out his sudden death.

Although the Ming Emperor's death at the age of 50 or [-] is considered average, I am a time traveler, so even being [-] or [-] years old is considered an insult.

However, Zhu Yixi kept the prince out not only for the purpose of nurturing him, but also to avoid the two dragons meeting each other.

As a prince, the prince is naturally attractive to people's hearts.

He was not afraid that the prince would rebel and act like a loving father and a filial son. The key was that he was afraid that the prince would be coerced and used, and he would unknowingly stand against the emperor.

For example, the prince of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty became a representative of the conservatives. He refused to be sinicized and had to be deposed.

Once the prince or prince is involved in politics, he will inevitably become an interest group, and the emperor cannot ignore it.

This is also the reason why the Song and Ming dynasties promoted the crown prince in vain to directly avoid this situation.

In the Yuan Dynasty, princes were allowed to participate in politics, fathers and sons fought, and coups occurred frequently.

Zhu Yixi would naturally not flatter the prince, nor would he give him great power.

Simply neutralize it and let the prince stay where he is.

It is the best choice to cultivate abilities while avoiding getting too big.

Due to the long separation and occasional meeting, the relationship between father and son is quite harmonious, much stronger than that of the royal families in history.

As for the queen, with the emperor and grandson accompanying her, the prince is nothing.

The next person to meet was Zhao Langxing, Minister of Industry, and he and Zhang Tongchang had switched positions with each other.

At 50 years old, he is already full of energy.

"Your Majesty, the railway track from Beijing to Jilin has been successfully constructed. It will be put into use on the Wanshou Festival after a few days of trial operation. As a gift to you!"

"Don't set a time limit, as long as it's safe to pass!"

The smooth flow of the Jingji railway tracks made Zhu Yixi feel much better.

This railway is extended from the Beijing-Shenyang Railway. Taking into account the time, it took a full eight years to build, and the length reached [-] miles.

Money was spent, reaching nearly 2000 million silver dollars.

It’s almost 1 yuan per mile.

And you need to know that in the inland plains, the average cost of one mile is only 4000 yuan.

Once the Beijing-Jilin Railway is completed, the imperial court's control over the Northeast will reach an unimaginable level.

It used to take three or four months to travel from Beijing to Heilongjiang, but now it takes just one month.

Of course, with the railway, grain, timber and other materials from the Northeast will be transported to Beijing faster, which will increase the imperial court's exploitation of the Northeast.

After all, the imperial court has decided to immigrate on a large scale over the years, especially in recent years. Without convenient transportation, it is difficult for immigrants to relocate.

"In addition to the Beijing-Jilin railway track, the Beijing-Kaifeng railway will also be opened to traffic at the end of the year, which is really gratifying and congratulatory..."

Zhao Langxing said excitedly.

The construction of the railway from Beijing to Kaifeng is different from the Beijing-Jilin Railway. It is purely a matter of drawing materials.

Henan's water transportation is underdeveloped, so grain can only be transported north through railways, saving a lot of transportation costs.

For Beijing, canal and sea transportation are certainly desirable, but the cost of rail transportation is not high, and walking on three legs is more secure.

Zhu Yixi nodded slightly.

In the past few years, in addition to the usual water conservancy projects, the biggest project of the imperial court was railway construction.

The annual financial expenditure is stable at around [-] million.

In addition to the Jingji and Jingkai railways, the smooth operation of the third railway, the Xi'an to Suzhou railway, has made the situation in the northwest more stable.

Gansu has become the anchor of stability in the northwest.

There are not many railways to be built next, including the Jiuku Railway from Suiyuan Jiuyuan to Kulun; and the extension of the Xisu Railway, the railway from Suzhou to Urumqi.

When you have money, you will naturally want to carry out large-scale construction.

As for the terrain in the south that requires drilling holes, the imperial court had no plans to build roads.

Because the rivers throughout the south are enough to replace the role of railways.

However, Zhu Yixi thinks that a Beijing-Nanjing railway can be built along the Grand Canal.

Completely relieving the pressure on the canal, making the Grand Canal truly the mainstream for cargo transportation.

The rest can be repaired in the north. Construction in the south is too difficult, so we should leave it to future generations!

“How much profit does rail transportation make?”

The emperor asked the key question.

"Your Majesty, the steam locomotive is becoming more and more powerful. Even if it is loaded with ten carriages, it can travel forty or fifty miles in an hour. It is convenient to transport coal and grain, and of course it is not a problem to transport people."

Zhao Langxing thought about it and said: "Now the Beijing-Suiyuan Line has an annual profit of over 30 yuan, the Beijing-Tianjin Line has an annual profit of one million yuan, and the Beijing-Baoding (Baoding) Line has an annual profit of over [-] yuan!"

"On the Xisu Line, there are only about [-]..."

Among the three lines, the distance between Beijing and Tianjin is only [-] miles, but it is the most developed city in the north, so it is highly profitable.

Although Beijing and Suizhou passed through Datong, there were too many desolate places along the way, the population was small, and the military was greater than the economy.

Having said that, in this era, rail transportation costs are extremely low, second only to water transportation.

Generally speaking, the cost can be recovered in 30 to [-] years, and the rest is pure profit.

This is also the reason why the cabinet is extremely supportive of railway construction. It is really a loss for a while but a benefit for a century.

Every time a railway is built, it is equivalent to an increase in financial resources, which is much better than simply saving money.

In recent years, Zhu Yixi has also looked away. The national inventory of 8000 to [-] million is enough, and the rest might as well be spread out to promote the circulation of silver coins.

As long as his internal funds are not short of money.

After a while, seeing that the emperor lost interest, Zhao Langxing left.

"The location of Mr. Ge is so sweet!"

Zhu Yixi shook his head.

The first assistant is Zhu Mou, the second assistant is Yan Yingyuan, the group assistants are Liu Xiangke, and Yan Qiheng. Now one more person has to be added to form a five-person model.

Now, aren't the eight ministers anxious?

Back in the harem, Kunning Palace was bustling with activity.

It turned out to be the emperor's 48th birthday. The nearby kings of Liang, Fu, Qi, Yue, and Qin also arrived in Beijing one after another to pay their respects to the emperor.

The prince also returned home in a hurry to fulfill his filial duty.