Chapter 132: Moving the capital to Xi'an and Luoyang is not advisable, because the journey is to the stars and the sea.

“They are not cooking the books!”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao's eyes suddenly showed a look of astonishment.

But what followed was the uncontrollable anger in my heart.

If even the accounts can be falsified, how can there not be favoritism, fraud, and corruption involved?

“Maybe some officials are honest, but they are definitely a very small minority.”

"After all, the prefecture is too far away from the capital. Not to mention the time it takes to go back and forth, the government affairs that would be delayed alone would be hundreds of times."

"So most of them will go along with it because it is the most convenient and effective way."

"But it also encouraged corrupt officials to commit crimes."

"The Jinyiwei is now investigating all over the country, but among the officials they have found, less than one-tenth are honest and incorruptible."

"But there is also a reason for this, that is, the salary is too little to support the family, so they will deduct from it."

"But the laws are strict, and the amount of money deducted from them will become larger and larger, and the local people will suffer more and more."

"Because of the layers of exploitation and the oppression of the gentry and the powerful, the people have always been in dire straits."

"This phenomenon is widespread in almost all four directions, including the capital."

"This is what we did during the last census of officials in Yingtian Prefecture, and we were able to extract some information from it."

"You can't even imagine that under the emperor's feet, officials protect each other and check accounts at will. The corrupt politics of the Ministry of Revenue is even more shocking."

"Moreover, our Minister of Finance, Qie Si, is too focused on important matters and doesn't see what the left and right assistant ministers are doing at all."

"But we can't say that he was lazy and negligent in his administration, because he did nothing wrong. The Ministry of Revenue needs to spend money on various national policies, so Qie Si can only control the general direction."

"But this ignores the fact that if the officials of the Ministry of Revenue are corrupt and accept bribes, then how despicable and disgusting the officials of the prefectures and cities in the world will be."

Zhu Chong also raised his head and told Zhu Biao the whole story from beginning to end.

The lack of political clarity may be due to flaws in the system from its inception.

However, these officials did not report the time and government affairs issues to the court.

Instead, he acted privately, trying to cover up the crime, which made it even more obvious. He wanted to get away with the matter and even more so to fool the court.

This is not about pursuing time efficiency or avoiding long journeys to neglect government affairs.

Instead, they want to use this to seek personal gain, thereby stealing the country's foundations and subverting the country's foundation.

This is what Zhu Gang and Zhu Chong could not tolerate.

"So Hu Weiyong, the right prime minister of the Secretariat, is their biggest protector."

Zhu Biao's mood at the moment was like the heavy snow flying in the sky outside, extremely cold as ice, so he spoke coldly.

"The power of the Secretariat is overwhelming, so apart from our Right Prime Minister, there is also the Left Prime Minister."

"But since Wang Guangyang opened up the country, his style of doing things has become submissive, so the Secretariat has almost become a one-man show for Hu Weiyong."

"If it's not Hu Weiyong, who else could it be?"

"I'm afraid that most of the leaders of the major provinces and cities across the country are still in the capital."

"After all, whether it's the Ministry of Revenue or the Secretariat, a little favor is not enough to feed them."

A hint of sarcasm flashed across Zhu Gang's eyes, and he spoke softly.

"check."

"Strict investigation."

"Don't let anyone go."

“No matter who is involved in the case, as long as there is any clue, they will be held accountable.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a hint of ruthlessness appeared in Zhu Biao's eyes.

As the crown prince of the current dynasty, he would never tolerate court officials digging up the foundation of the court.

Even if Hu Weiyong still had some value, he would never tolerate him.

"Didn't you teach us to always put the overall situation first? Why are you so anxious now?"

"We must investigate, but we don't have direct evidence right now, let alone verbal testimony."

"It's just a rootless duckweed, how can it have a foothold?"

"So as long as these officials deny it, you can still have the final say and directly convict them, right?"

"This will arouse resentment among officials and the people. After all, there are more than tens of thousands of officials and gentry in various states involved."

"So we must not rush, but we can't just ignore it either."

"Next March will be the annual reporting day. As long as we don't alert the criminals, we can catch them all red-handed."

"By that time, Hu Weiyong's trip to eastern Zhejiang should also be coming to an end. As for the finishing work, it will be handed over to my eldest cousin."

"Then we can conduct a thorough investigation and make sure these corrupt officials have nowhere to hide."

"Of course, the revision of the law must also be put on the agenda. I will do that."

"At the same time, order the Royal Guards to inspect all the prefectures, but do not do it in secret. Instead, make it known to the public."

"So that the people will suffer less injustice. After all, the name of the Jinyiwei is well-known and is enough to deter any corrupt officials."

"Even if they want to exploit and humiliate them, they have to consider whether they can hide it from the eyes and ears of the Jinyiwei."

"If they were smarter, they would have figured out that the Imperial Guards did not act in secret because of the court's intention."

"Everyone should muddle through so that the people can live a good life before March next year."

"In the future, the politics of the Ming Dynasty will get better and better."

Faced with Zhu Biao's decisiveness, Zhu Gang still shook his head.

"it is good."

Zhu Biao thought about it and nodded.

Don't be too hasty in anything. After all, this is about governing the country and pacifying the world.

Therefore, there must be solid evidence to catch all these officials in one fell swoop, and no news can be leaked.

"But I have to leave the capital and go to U-Tsang to quell the rebellion. Who should I entrust this important task to?"

Zhu Chong raised his head again and asked, "It can't be the fourth one again, right?"

"Now only the fourth one is suitable. After all, he is our younger brother. If he takes charge of the Jinyiwei, there will be no internal conflicts."

"And the fourth brother is also ruthless at heart. He will never be weak."

"Besides, the fourth brother is still very smart, and I am here to check for him, so it is not impossible for him to take over the Jinyiwei."

Zhu Gang looked at Zhu Chong and nodded.

Are there no factions within the Jinyiwei?
some.

Jiang Lin belongs to Zhu Chong, and Lu Feng belongs to Zhu Gang.

There is also Mao Xiang who has been marginalized.

Why are we pushed to the margins?

In fact, to put it bluntly, Mao Xiang had no power to mobilize top secrets at all.

Because these matters were kept secret and there were no files within the Jinyiwei, there was no place to check.

As for the senior Jinyiwei officials who knew about it, they were Lu Feng and Jiang Li.

But no matter which of these three people is in charge of the Jinyiwei, he will cause dissatisfaction to the other one.

Especially Mao Xiang, who was an old member of the Jinyiwei and had followed Zhu Yuanzhang very early on.

Therefore, if an outsider took charge of the Jinyiwei, Mao Xiang would definitely be the leader. But Mao Xiang was involved in many things with Hu Weiyong, and he thought that the Jinyiwei could not find out. Little did he know that Mao Xiang's every move was under his control.

As for why no action has been taken until today, it is because he is preparing to commit a heinous crime that will bring him to the level of guilt that cannot be accorded any more.

Only in this way can the Secretariat be uprooted and made to disappear in the long river of history.

"It's time to let the fourth brother gain some experience and share some of our worries."

Zhu Biao also nodded.

The carriage had already arrived at the imperial study.

"Then I will go to Lao Si more often in the next few days and try to get him to control the Jinyiwei as soon as possible."

Walking into the imperial study, the brazier had already been prepared and the room was warm. Zhu Chong sat down and spoke softly.

"That's right, Third Brother, the emperor guards the country's gates, and the king dies for the country."

"The old man's understanding of this sentence is the integrity of the Ming Dynasty."

"But why do I feel that you want to move the capital?"

After chatting for a while, Zhu Biao raised his head, looked at Zhu Gang and asked.

"You are quite clever."

Zhu Gang naturally knew that he couldn't hide it from Zhu Biao, so he nodded and said, "I do have plans to move the capital, but the timing is not yet ripe, so it can only be considered as a plan."

"That's right. It's precisely because the time is not yet ripe that the old man only talked to me about this matter in private."

"Because the capital of the Ming Dynasty must be moved."

Zhu Biao's eyes flashed with understanding, and he said, "And we must go to the north. Do you know why?"

“Promote cultural exchanges between the north and the south.”

"You know, the North has been separated from the Central Plains for many years since the Song Dynasty."

“So we must promote cultural exchanges between the North and the South.”

"After all, if you look at the current court, most of them are officials from eastern Zhejiang and Jiangnan."

"And if this continues, our Ming Dynasty may seem to rule the world, but in fact it only controls half of it."

"Besides, I have been in the north for three years, and the imperial court's decrees have had almost no effect on me."

"It is enough to show how weak the imperial court's control over the north is."

"Because the headquarters is in the south, the center of gravity will also be biased towards the south. If we want to improve this situation, the only way is to move the capital."

Zhu Gang spoke without even thinking.

"But do you know what the biggest disadvantage is?"

Zhu Biao also nodded with satisfaction, but still said.

“The financial burden is huge.”

"If we want to move the capital, we will have to transport a lot of food from the south, which is a huge project."

"Because of the long distance, it not only takes a long time, but also causes great losses along the way. In addition, the transportation cost is high, which undoubtedly puts great pressure on the finances."

"In order to support the operation of the new capital, it is necessary to build or expand infrastructure on a large scale, including palaces, city walls, government offices, roads and canals. These projects require huge capital investment."

"The other thing is population migration. Moving people to the north to enrich Kyoto's population and labor force involves many expenses such as resettlement costs, land allocation, and living security."

"As for the opposition from the civil and military officials, there is no need to worry about that. After all, I don't think any of them would dare to object."

Zhu Gang spoke without even thinking.

"Yes, it is indeed a huge financial burden, and money is needed everywhere to pay for expenditures."

"But this is not the important point. What is important is where to move to?"

Zhu Biao first nodded, then shook his head.

"It's actually not difficult to guess what the old man is thinking."

"It's nothing more than Xi'an and Luoyang."

"Because moving the capital to Xi'an and Luoyang is indeed beneficial to the Ming Dynasty."

"But it also comes with certain drawbacks, so the old man can't make up his mind."

"Also, not long after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, almost all the officials in Chaozhou came from Jiangnan and eastern Zhejiang."

“So once the capital is moved, it will definitely have an impact on politics.”

“The other thing is the differences between the north and the south, which will cause dissatisfaction and thus lead to unrest.”

"Then the old man must naturally treat it with caution. At least there must be a smooth transition period."

"But in my opinion, neither Xi'an nor Luoyang has the qualifications to be a capital."

"So my intention is to move to the fourth brother's vassal town, Beiping Prefecture."

Zhu Gang guessed Zhu Yuanzhang's little thoughts very thoroughly, so he spoke with a smile.

At the same time, the idea of ​​moving the capital to Beiping came out of his mouth.

"why?"

Zhu Biao asked.

"Some problems can never be avoided. The South is a center of wealth, and the North is a center of military power."

"So there are gains and losses, and drastic reforms are imperative."

"Why am I not inclined to move to Xi'an and Luoyang?"

"That's because once we move to Xi'an and Luoyang, we will lose control of the sea."

"So moving the capital to Beiping Prefecture is the most correct option."

"Because once the sea is opened, if it is transported by sea, it can also reduce the country's financial burden."

"After all, under current conditions, if we want to transfer resources from the south to the north, we can only use the canal to transport them, but this will result in a considerable loss of resources."

"Unless the sea is opened, the canal is the only lifeline."

Zhu Gang spoke slowly again.

The future journey of the Ming Dynasty will surely be to the sea of ​​stars.

Therefore, moving the capital to Beiping would be more conducive to the development of the Ming Dynasty.

The biggest drawback is that it is too close to the border, but with Zhu Gang here, there is no so-called border.

You can also take this opportunity to publicize the domineering declaration that the emperor guards the country's borders and the king dies for the country.

This would strengthen the people's sense of identification with the daimyo. After all, no one could resist this kind of integrity since ancient times.

And take later generations for example, the so-called Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, why is there only one in the north and the rest are in the south, because it is the capital.

Otherwise, it would be impossible for a city in the North to be selected.

Therefore, moving the capital to Beijing would naturally promote maritime transportation, and by promoting maritime transportation and establishing connections with the south through the sea, the south would naturally become part of the control.

It is important to understand that the Age of Discovery did not begin after the Industrial Revolution.

The most urgent task of moving the capital was to destroy the Northern Yuan Dynasty and incorporate the grassland into the territory.

There is also the Goryeo Dynasty, formerly known as Goguryeo, which also wants to be included in the territory.

As for the Goryeo Dynasty, in the 25th year of Hongwu, which was the late Goryeo Dynasty, Lee Seong-gye seized power and was recognized by the Ming Dynasty the following year.

Thus, the country's name was changed from Goryeo to Joseon, and the Joseon Dynasty, namely the Lee Dynasty of Joseon, was established.

So in this way, Kyoto's sea defense line is indestructible and no one can shake it.

(End of this chapter)