First Minister of Ming Dynasty

"General Tang, I am a person who likes to talk about ancient times. I always bring out the deeds of the predecessors. I even ran to the Yueyang Tower to give the final class to the generals. We also like to talk about the protection of the ancestors, but I want to ask you, the ancestors What can bless us? Also, why are we keen to record history, and write those heroes in the annals of history?"

Tang Heji, "I, I don't know..."

Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "When a person dies like a lamp goes out, how can there be any heroic spirits to protect him? What the ancestors can leave to future generations is nothing more than two things. One is a huge inheritance. In the case of a country, it is the territory...... ethnic group, with a population of hundreds of millions, and a territory of thousands of miles. No country can last forever. Once it comes to decline, these territories, these people, are the capital of future generations. The wider the territory, the more hope can be preserved. The larger the population, The more a group of heroes can emerge, they can turn the tide and help the building to collapse."

"If the country is too small and the population is too small, it can certainly prosper for a while, but after the decline, it will plummet and cannot be recovered. Khitan, Jinren, Xixia, Dali... are all like this."

"In addition to this legacy, what the ancestors can leave to future generations is the way to solve the problem when we encounter problems! We have thousands of years of history. We have never seen any storms, and we have never experienced any bad situations... …As long as you open the history books and concentrate on research, you will be able to gain inspiration from the gains and losses of the predecessors and find solutions to solve problems, so as to solve problems and preserve the country. Take our Juntian as an example. This is also inherited from the Han Dynasty and the Southern and Northern Dynasties. As a result, the mature experience of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, through the innovation of the past, has led to today's strategy."

"We, the descendants of our predecessors, are also constantly enriching the annals of history and filling in our solutions. We created the order of equalizing land and establishing schools, we sacrificed to the sages, elucidated history, we practiced ourselves, expanded the territory, and recruited seedlings. The people, changing the land and returning to the people... All of these things will become the words in the annals of history after a hundred years. If our descendants are unworthy, the country is in decline, the world is in turmoil, and even barbarians invade again, Mountains and rivers have fallen. At that time, what we will leave to our children and grandchildren will not be elegiac songs, civil and military struggles, and endless infighting. What we will give them will be solidarity, solidarity, solidarity, standing with the people, and learning from the people. , to obtain the most powerful force."

"Perhaps they can continue our path, once again shout the slogan of expelling the barbarians and restoring China, and fight bravely. At that time, in the temples, people will not only talk about Yue Fei, Wen Tianxiang, but also the Lord, There is Xu Da, there is Feng Guoyong, there is Zhang Ximeng, and there is Tang He! They will absorb nutrition from our practice, bring forth the old and bring forth the new, and re-prosper China... And this is the best we can leave to future generations wealth!"

Chapter 448 Knitting a Sweater

Zhang Ximeng pressed his hands on the history book, and spoke eloquently, word by word, directly hitting his heart... Tang He, a big bastard who didn't read much, was trembling all over his body at this moment, and his blood was surging, which was uncontrollable.

What can the predecessors leave for their descendants?

This question is really too big, is it gold, silver and jewellery, land, or a hereditary title?

Maybe there is nothing wrong with it, but it is not long enough after all.

Three to five hundred years later, even if they are blood relatives, how close are they?

Liu Bang looked at Liu Bei, could he really be regarded as a close relative?

Conversely, what did Liu Bang leave for Liu Bei?

About only the former glory, and an immortal heart to restore the Han Dynasty and regain its glory.Running east and west, unswervingly determined, the martyrs are full of ambition in their old age.

In the same way, what did future generations get when they looked at Liu Bei?

Perseverance, never giving up, righteousness to brothers, benevolence to the people, trust in courtiers... Weaving mats and selling shoes can also dominate one side.He left behind a heroic figure of a man who was a young man until his death, waiting for future generations to chase after him.

We have 5000 years of history and not a single page is superfluous.

If in your history books, what is recorded is not 5000 years of endless life, not countless heroes, bravely moving forward, overcoming thorns and thorns... If you change to a style of painting, a new dynasty appears in the Central Plains, hurry up to recognize your father, take Get some souvenirs, exchange for some rewards and come back, and then happily, scrambling for next year's quota, trying to find a way to get more things from Dad.

Or, your history books record that when a certain force came in, your ancestors knelt down, knelt down again and again, and knelt down for thousands of years.

Then, as a descendant of the "Kneeling Clan", what will you do when faced with a crisis?

If you think this is miserable, there are actually worse ones, that is, you don’t even have history books, and you don’t even know what your ancestors did, what happened to your ancestors...Once you fail, you will be submerged in the long river of history, and you can only rely on With a few words from other people's history books, weave a broken story...

"General Tang, we are writing history!"

With one sentence, Zhang Ximeng made the last point.

Tang He stood up suddenly, with an excited expression, and clenched his fists, "Zhang Xiang, I understand, whether it is the Northern Expedition, or the Southwest Expedition, reforming the land and returning to the country... These things will all be recorded in the annals of history. The difference between high and low is only the difference between doing well and not doing well... Although I don’t read much, I don’t know much about the truth. But I know one thing, and if I don’t do it, there is no hope. Since the heavens have a great responsibility, I have no shirkable responsibility!”

Zhang Ximeng nodded vigorously, his face full of gratitude, he was just the one who thought about it, whether it was Zhu Yuanzhang, Feng Guoyong, or Tang He, he was the one who acted.

It is rare for Zhang Ximeng to meet these people who are willing to work hard. This is his luck.

"Facing the southwestern chieftain, you must be flexible and principled... Also, a very important mission is to run schools." Zhang Ximeng said: "General Tang, you must remember one thing, not for the sake of quantity, but for the sake of face. , Just open the door casually, this is fooling things, it won't work. We can send the best teachers and increase investment, but we can't discount the quality of students. Excellent character and learning, this must be respected Yes. If the degree is slightly lower, it is acceptable. The attitude must be correct, and the person must be reliable. I hope you can personally check, select the right person, and enter Jimin School and other schools. I will personally teach, One talent is better than a hundred mediocrities!"

Tang He Linran wrote down Zhang Ximeng's words one by one.

This involves a very important issue... Those who are willing to cooperate with the reform of the Southwest must give their way, study, imperial examination, and become an official are also a matter of course.

But the question is, can a chieftain have so many children, can they all go to school, can the eldest son, or a favored child, become an official, and the standards can be relaxed?

Zhang Ximeng was firmly opposed to this point.

Enrollment is a hurdle that must be grasped well. He wants to be smart and diligent, he wants to be honest and loyal, and he wants to be honest and reliable... In addition, he wants to enjoy himself, has no self-motivated, domineering, and thinks highly of himself. ...I'm sorry, even if you send it up, he won't be polite.

And there is another point, the children of the chieftains can go to school, and the children of ordinary people must also go to school, and they must be given enough opportunities...

In fact, the truth Zhang Ximeng said was also aimed at the students of all the vassal states.

In the future, if someone wants to come to Daming to study, it will be the same. The first priority is character, and the second is talent.Moreover, these students had to be put together with Daming's students to compete on the same stage and compete fairly.

"Zhang Xiang taught Tang He and remembered them all, but when they encountered difficulties next, I asked Zhang Xiangneng to give me advice."

Zhang Ximeng said with a smile, "I am obliged!"

After talking with Tang He, he didn't care about any magnates. He said goodbye to Lao Zhu directly, and went to Jingzhou to preside over the matter of reforming the land and returning to the bloc.

Thousands of Miao soldiers also set off with Tang He. They finally put an end to Chen Han and ushered in Ming Dynasty... In this new country, they gained land, dignity, and the opportunity to make progress. hope.

They now want to share these results with their loved ones.

If Da Ming needed them, these soldiers would not hesitate to pick up their weapons again and embark on a journey. From now on, they are all Da Ming's people!

After sending Tanghe away, a corner of a huge chessboard has been unfolded, and we can get a glimpse of the strategy after the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

A new country, even if it is the unbearable Western Jin Dynasty, still knows how to unify the south of the Yangtze River!

When it comes to Daming, not to mention the scale... The generals headed by Feng Guoyong have a clear goal and head straight for Guanzhong and the Western Regions.

Zhu Wenzheng is based in Huguang and looks at Bashu as a tiger.

Tang He traveled to the southwest, plus Zhu Ying who had already arrived in the south of the Lingnan earlier... From north to south, a battle line of thousands of miles has begun to take shape.

Of course, these are only temporary settlements, and they have not really fully unfolded yet.

And the real enemy of Ming Dynasty is the Emperor Yuan of Dadu.

So the real essence, Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Hu Dahai, Hua Yun... These more powerful generals have not been dispatched yet, they are waiting for the opportunity.

In fact, Lao Zhu had already awarded Xu Da a king's order gold medal, which was the same size as the one used by Feng Guo, and asked him to go to Yangzhou to start preparations for the Northern Expedition.

Almost at the same time, Zhu Yuanzhang was also preparing to leave and return to Yingtian to coordinate the overall situation.

It is obviously impossible for an emperor to leave the capital for too long.

Zhang Ximeng planned to follow him back to Beijing.

At the same time, Jiang Nan's Du branch also almost left.

After working tirelessly, the rough data of Jiangxi and Huguang were finally collected. The next step is to wait for the local government to report and the branch office to verify the credibility of the data.

Zhang Ximeng also came to check on his subordinates before leaving to see if he was being lazy.

Sure enough, as expected, Zhang Ximeng caught him, and Jiang Nan was really lazy.

With a bamboo needle in her hand, she is knitting a sweater... That's right, that's it!

Zhang Ximeng couldn't help coughing and said, "Jiang Tiju, what are you doing?"

Jiang Nan didn't raise her head, but said calmly: "This is the Queen's order. If Mr. Zhang is not willing, you can go to the Queen!"

After finishing speaking, Jiang Nan raised her head and said with a smile: "Zhang Xiang, didn't you say you want to do wool spinning! I'm sorry, there is no wool spinning, do you want a sweater?"

Zhang Ximeng frowned, obviously out of sorts.

Jiang Nan smiled and introduced the situation to him...

Wool textiles is a technology tree that has been ordered by countless predecessors. If this thing is used well, it can enrich the country and the people, disintegrate the nomadic cavalry, and start the process of industrialization. It has an incomparably powerful magic skill!

But it's a pity that Zhang Ximeng hasn't had time to show it yet, so I just let the people below explore how to make wool...

What is even more unfortunate is that this plan fell through as soon as it was proposed.

Southerners don't like to wear this at all, and the wool needs a large amount of high-quality wool, which is also a condition that the south cannot have.

Zhang Ximeng didn't click on the wrong technology tree, but didn't click on it at all.

But no one expected that things would turn around.

In order to support the Central Route Army of the Northern Expedition, Daming needed to provide warm clothes, and they were extremely thick.

There is not much cotton planted in Daming, and the thin cotton clothes in the south and the cotton bales worn in the north are two-dimensional products.

In desperation, Daming began to search for dogs all over the world... Although dogs are cute, the safety of the soldiers of the Northern Expedition is more important.

Therefore, a batch of dog fur coats was hurriedly made and sent away.

It's just that killing dogs is not a long-term solution. At this time, some people think of wool... After the equalization of fields, the number of sheep raised in various places has increased rapidly.

Sheepskin jackets are good, but the cost is too high... So some people shave the wool, and then mix, comb, and spin it to make wool.

Then came knitting.

Knitting is not uncommon. Later generations even unearthed knitwear relics from the Warring States Period. If you ask when knitting technology was invented, it probably dates back to the Stone Age.

It's just that with the development of textile technology, comfortable cotton, linen and silk are more popular, while knitting has been marginalized.

But there are still many people who can master knitting skills proficiently, and it is not difficult to learn knitting sweaters.

Jiang Nan just learned it recently, and she said happily: "Zhang Xiang, you know that when you look at the accounts, your head gets dizzy several times... I feel dizzy every day and I am in a bad mood, but since I picked up the knitting needle, I have calmed down. After coming down, I can quickly play with my fingers and knit sweaters after reading the accounts every day, which can not only support the soldiers of the Northern Expedition, but also relieve the body and mind, which is really good!"

Zhang Ximeng's eyes widened, is there still this effect?

"How much have you knitted now?"

Jiang Nan said: "The queen ordered, who dares to neglect, there are probably tens of thousands of pieces!"

Zhang Ximeng was startled, but shook his head and said, "Not enough! The next Northern Expedition will cost hundreds of thousands of pieces! Is this... easy to learn?"

Jiang Nan smiled and said, "It's easy, I'll just teach you."

Then Zhang Xianggong had a few more bamboo knitting needles...

Chapter 449 Zhang Xiang's Lifetime Event

According to Jiang Nan's instructions, Zhang Ximeng became more and more proficient, and he was already familiar with it without a cup of tea.

Then Zhang Xianggong realized the decompression of this activity. As long as you keep repeating mechanical movements with your hands, your brain can be completely empty and get rid of the distractions of messy affairs.

And when you put down the knitting needle, you can quickly enter the state.

In other words, this miraculous activity can completely separate the brain and hands and let them rest separately.You must know that people like Zhang Ximeng have a lot of government affairs to do every day, and their heads are spinning almost all the time, and they are very easy to get tired, confused, inattentive, and inefficient.

But if you intersperse it and knit a sweater, you can greatly relieve it and quickly recover... It's really decompressing.

He simply knits a sweater while asking Jiang Nan about the development of wool spinning to see how far it has reached... Jiang Nan told Zhang Ximeng what he knew.

In fact, the beginning of this matter is thanks to Zhang Ximeng, the Han people reeled silk and weaved cloth, and were more accustomed to using silk, cotton and linen, which was blank for wool weaving.

But Zhang Ximeng suggested that the Mongolian captives be reformed.

The Mongols who successfully graduated were integrated into the rule of the Ming Dynasty. Some of them were veterinarians like Timur, and naturally some became butchers, porters, and farmers.

All in all, the Five Elements and Eight Works, the Three Teachings and the Nine Streams all have their presence.

Some of the Mongols made felt, used it as a cushion, or made felt hats and things like that.Later, some people also washed the collected wool, cow hair, and horse hair, made wool, and then wove them into felt curtains, which could be hung on the door to prevent wind and cold.

In the beginning, things like wool could be obtained for free in slaughterhouses.

The raw cowhide used in the military workshop will also scrape off the cow hair... Anyway, the raw materials are almost free, and the felt and felt curtains produced are very cheap. At this moment, the materials are scarce, and the people who are not so rich like it. of.

But that's all. Rough and low-quality woolen fabrics can't be seen at all and can't be put on the table.

You can see that there are silk and satin shops and cotton shops on the street. Even the Gebu woven by housewives is collected, but these woolen fabrics can only be placed on the street stalls and hawked, not as good as those who sell cloth.

Therefore, it is impossible to make woolen cloth all at once, to be loved by the common people, and to become rich quickly. People's consumption concept is extremely difficult to change, especially in ancient times, it takes decades, Over the past hundred years, it has been subtle and subtle, and it can only moisten things silently.

However, wool spinning has all kinds of disadvantages, but it has one advantage, that is, it is cheap!

At least in the eyes of Daming right now, it is still very cheap.

Cotton needs to be grown in the fields, as is mulberry, but wool spinning uses animal fur as raw material.After the fields were divided, every household had a bit of chaff.

Chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, dogs, and sheep, more or less, can be raised... These animals don't have much other uses other than killing and eating meat.

Among them, cowhide and horns are very expensive, and they are needed in the military. The remaining sheepskin and wool are worthless. Donkey skin can also be used as donkey-hide gelatin, and pig skin can only be used as jelly.

So for a little money, you can buy a lot of wool mixed with bristles.

This is the same in future generations. If you go to the rural market and meet a beef seller, a complete cowhide only costs 100 yuan...Of course, this kind of cowhide and those high-quality cowhide that specialize in making leather clothes, leather bags, and leather goods , is not the same thing at all.

Anyway, based on the principle of making the best use of everything and making the best use of sheep, the current development of wool spinning is indeed clean and hygienic, with high quality and low price.

Zhang Ximeng chatted with Jiang Nan a lot, and the sweater in his hand gradually took shape, half of the sleeves were almost out.Zhang Xianggong was overjoyed, he rolled up his sleeves, put the sweater on his arms, and then Zhang Ximeng's face changed.

Thousands of bugs were lying on the arms at the same time, their bodies were constantly moving, trying to drill into the flesh... It's so itchy!

Zhang Ximeng quickly tore it off, luckily it was just a sleeve, if it was made into underwear, it would probably be able to fly up in place!

Seeing his disgust, Jiang Nan smiled and said, "It's mixed with pig hair, horse hair, camel hair...it hurts!"

Zhang Ximeng frowned, and said helplessly, "This is too bad, who can ask for it?"