Chapter 292: Jun's prelude shows his talent, Wang Jinghong almost dies

Although he was unwilling, Zhu Yuanzhang still suppressed his dissatisfaction.

He tried to make his tone sound calmer.

"We have always been proud of being open-minded and accepting good advice. As long as what the third brother says is reasonable, we will naturally not treat him unfairly."

After saying this, Zhu Yuanzhang's sharp eyes stared at Zhu Gang who was sitting not far away.

He seemed to want to see through the other person's expression and see his hidden true intentions.

However, Zhu Gang did not seem to cherish the opportunity that his elder brother Zhu Biao had fought for him.

He said slowly, "Before I tell you this story, I want to ask you a question."

Before Zhu Yuanzhang could speak, Zhu Biao, the eldest brother, said with a smile: "Third brother, as the saying goes, too much is as bad as too little. If you continue to keep us in suspense,

Once our father gets angry, I won't be able to protect you any longer."

Zhu Gang took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and blew his nose.

"The question I want to ask you is very simple: suppose you are a tea merchant from another place, and you have contracted a barren mountain in a remote area in the south of the Yangtze River.

As we all know, if you want to grow tea, you must first open up wasteland.

However, the local people were not only unwilling to reclaim the land, but even if there were a few people working, they were extremely lazy.

As the day of tea planting is getting closer, how should you respond?

Big Brother and Manager Wang can also answer, everyone is welcome to speak freely. "

After thinking for a while, Zhu Biao answered: "If I were that tea merchant, I would first understand the reasons why the local people are unwilling to open up wasteland.

If it is because the pay is too low, then I will increase their wages appropriately to motivate them.

If it is due to unfamiliarity with the land reclamation work or lack of tools, then I will provide the necessary training and tools.

At the same time, I will also set up some reward mechanisms, such as workers who complete a certain amount of work can get extra rewards or prizes, in order to stimulate their enthusiasm.

In addition, I will cooperate with local authorities and seek their support and help to jointly resolve this issue.”

Wang Jinghong continued, “Your Highness is right, but I think we should also pay attention to local customs and habits.

If laziness is already a popular trend in that area, then in addition to the above measures, we must also find ways to change this trend.

For example, we can organize some cultural activities to promote the concept of getting rich through hard work and make local people realize the importance of hard work.

In addition, you can also find some hard-working role models, commend and reward them to motivate others.

Of course, all of this takes time and patience and cannot be achieved overnight.”

After listening to this, Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, indicating that he agreed with their views.

He looked at Zhu Gang and asked, "Old Third, do you have any advice?"

Zhu Gang smiled and said, "I think what Big Brother and Chief Steward Wang said is very good, but I have another idea.

Since the people here are unwilling to reclaim the land, we will recruit people who are willing to work from other places.

This can not only solve the problem of labor shortage, but also bring new ideas and technologies to promote local development.

At the same time, those local workers who are lazy and slack should be punished strictly in accordance with the contract provisions, and even dismissed.

This will set the tone and let everyone know that hard work will pay off.”

Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a moment, then slammed the table and praised loudly: "Good!

Third brother, this is a great idea of ​​yours!
It can not only solve the current problems, but also lay the foundation for future development.

It seems that you have made a lot of progress during this period of time!"

Zhu Gang said modestly: "Father, I am just thinking about this. Please give me more advice."

Unexpectedly, at this moment, Wang Jinghong suddenly said: "I have thought of another way. If no one responds to the offer of double the wages, then I will offer double the wages to recruit workers. If it doesn't work, I can even offer triple the price.

With such a huge reward, I don’t believe that no one will respond to the call to open up wasteland.”

After hearing this, Zhu Gang frowned, shook his head and said, "Manager Wang is wrong, merchants should always value profit.

People will naturally respond to triple the wages, but won’t the cost of employment increase significantly?

Besides, I have said before that most of the people here are lazy.

In addition, this tea merchant has no roots in Jiangnan and is difficult to control. How should we deal with this?"

Zhu Biao said thoughtfully: "Although the method mentioned by Manager Wang at the end may attract some people, it cannot solve the fundamental problem.

Moreover, if the cost is too high, it will also be a burden for tea merchants.

At the same time, for those lazy people, even if they are paid three times the salary, there is no guarantee that they will work hard.

In addition, tea merchants lacked roots and influence in the Jiangnan region, making it difficult for them to effectively manage and supervise these workers.

This may lead to problems such as reduced project quality or construction delays, so a more effective solution needs to be found.”

Wang Jinghong turned to look at Zhu Yuanzhang and said in a panic, "It's my fault for not thinking it through!

This place is poor and backward, with scarce resources, and the people here are lazy by nature.

If the wages are not increased, it will be difficult to attract them to come and work.

Moreover, these people have always been lazy, and even if workers are recruited, there is no guarantee that they will work actively.

The tea merchants are powerless to do anything about it. It seems that there is no solution to this problem!"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked gloomy and said in a serious tone: "The Ming Dynasty is facing many more problems than this. Are we just going to let it go?"

Wang Jinghong knew that he was in the wrong, so he immediately knelt down and kowtowed to apologize.

"I am just a humble eunuch. I try my best to serve Your Majesty every day, but I feel that I am unable to do so.

This kind of national affairs should naturally be taken care of by Your Majesty and the princes, and I dare not speak rashly."

Zhu Biao seemed to have thought of something and he sighed.

“Dad, the reason why my third brother set up the Inner Library was mainly because the emperor needed some trustworthy servants to help him process those private documents.

After all, other officials, no matter how loyal, can hardly guarantee absolute confidentiality.

Eunuchs are different. Their loyalty and confidentiality are irreplaceable.

Therefore, when you find it difficult to easily accept the decisions made by the Grand Secretaries, the key role of the eunuchs becomes particularly important. "

After hearing this, Zhu Gang suddenly realized.

That's it!

Zhu Yuanzhang has always been unwilling to allow eunuchs to interfere in political affairs.

Although Wang Jinghong's performance just now demonstrated his talent, it was actually equivalent to walking around the gates of hell.

Although Wang Jinghong tried hard to make amends later, it was obviously too late.

According to historical records: In the fifth year of Xuande, Wang Jinghong served as the chief envoy with Zheng He and was known as Wang Sanbao.

In June of the same year, he led the Ming fleet to participate in the sixth voyage to the West.

In the eighth year of Xuande, Wang Jinghong and Zheng He led a fleet and began their seventh voyage to the West.

Although the voyage was full of challenges, they successfully completed the mission with their excellent sailing skills and courage.

(End of this chapter)