First Minister of Ming Dynasty

"Bah!" Zhang Ximeng quickly chased after him, "Stinky boy, I can tell you that I will give up this set of house maids sooner or later. You can honestly marry a wife and have children, and you are not allowed to mess around. .Otherwise I'll spank your ass!"

Zhu Ying is not afraid, "If you have the ability, you can find my godfather and mother! As long as they agree, I can say anything!"

"You still dare to scare me with the lord? I will smash your ass!"

The two brothers ran around the yard, full of vigor and vitality, and the scene of all things competing to grow, really is a good example of brothers and sisters...

News of Zhang Ximeng and Jiang Nan's engagement spread like wildfire.

From Kaifeng to Jinling, from Lingnan to Liaodong, everyone knows about your marriage, everyone knows about it!

Even Hu merchants in Hangzhou and other places knew that the prime minister of Ming Dynasty was getting married.

When the prime minister got married, how could it be more noisy than the emperor?

What's so rare about this?

Haven't you heard?

In the Yuan Dynasty, the emperor did not have much power, and was held hostage by the prime minister. There were many powerful ministers, and every person was Prime Minister Dong.

It's just that he didn't expect that Da Ming Chao Qing came out of Lan and was better than Lan.

In this way, every day there are a lot of news about Ming Dynasty, specious, and sent overseas... The Yuan Dynasty brought unprecedented influence to the world.

The four Khanates have a vast territory, and it is the first time that the East and the West are truly connected together.

A large number of barbarian merchants traveled thousands of miles and came to the east... The new sea route opened up, and the world became one. It seems that this is a matter of course that many people are deeply rooted in.

But what is the old route before the new route?

That is, from the Mediterranean Sea, to the Indian Ocean, and then through the South China Sea, to the East.

This Maritime Silk Road has existed for a long time.

Although it cannot be called globalization, "hemisphericization" is definitely more than enough.

And the leading force of hemispherization is silk, porcelain and other products from the East.

Now the Great Yuan has declined and fallen into chaos, and the Great Ming has followed.

The entire business structure is facing a huge impact and reshuffle. How can overseas barbarian merchants, including the countries of these barbarian merchants, turn a blind eye?

It is worth mentioning that, under the leadership of Zhang Ximeng, Daming did not adopt strict maritime ban measures, but maintained foreign trade.

It's just that strict control has been made on quantity and price.

Interestingly, in the pursuit of Daming's products, countries frantically want to know about the situation of Daming... As a result, a group of people who specialize in delivering news overseas have been born.

Their main task was to spend all day in the teahouse, translating Ming newspapers, news from the ruling and opposition parties, and various books into the other party's language, and then sending them overseas along with the merchant ships.

It stands to reason that this is a good thing to promote communication, but the problem is that the first communication, the understanding is not deep, and the language is not standardized... Daming said that there are a few bronze monkeys in the palace, which translates to the monkeys used by Daming to refine copper.

Then a monkey in a certain place was robbed, caught by an alchemist, and thrown into a crucible. If Daming can smelt copper, they can make gold!

Guys, this can all be rolled up.

But you have to read Marco Polo's travel notes, the level of absurdity is not much better.

No matter how bad the translation is, the people here at Daming will always stand out and be satisfied with the large amount. Anyway, we charge by the number of words. When you find something wrong and come to settle accounts with us, it will be many years later.

I have already earned enough money to go to Yingtian to buy a house.

For such a big event as Zhang Ximeng's wedding, it was even more embellished, and dozens of books were compiled... As these news continued to spread from west to west, twisted and deformed, and combined with the customs of various places, it was so abrupt. There are 180 etiquettes out.

Here it is said that Zhang Xianggong’s aspirations are noble, but when he arrived there, he dressed in white clothes. Here he said that he would pray for blessings in the temple, and the other side said that he would ask the priest to witness the marriage in the church...

With the growing influence of Ming Dynasty, these messy things actually changed the world.

Probably because you are strong enough, even if the air is full of sweetness.

These follow-up effects, aftermath ripples, still need time... But Li Shanchang, who was in Yingtian, was dizzy from busyness, rubbed his sore eyes, and looked at the news from Kaifeng. He was so happy that he couldn't sleep in the middle of the night Sleep.

Zhang Ximeng married Jiang Nan. Although other influences were not significant, no one would suspect anything, but the husband and wife are both high-ranking officials, and if the husband wants to be the left minister, it is probably impossible.

In other words, his position is still stable, so there is nothing to worry about.

But in the middle of the night, Li Shanchang was so angry that he got up from the bed again, sighing, wanting to cry without tears.

How many ministers were unlucky to their family members, and their wives and children were implicated... As a result, Zhang Ximeng found a wife who was harder to buy than him.

Dude, completely flawless.

Chapter 494 Your Majesty Gives You Courage

"The Overlord of Chu is such a hero, and he can't let go of a poppy! Before Li Longji got Concubine Yang, he was also a generation of Ming emperors. As the saying goes, a hero is sad when a beauty passes... I, I was waiting! The result also failed , is it possible to focus on Zhang Ximeng's son? Well, then I guess I'm a bone of a bone."

Li Shanchang was full of desolation. He hadn't stopped wanting to wrestle with Zhang Ximeng, but he knew very well that there was no chance of winning in a frontal conflict, and he had to start with the people around him.

And the only person around Zhang Ximeng he cares about is Zhu Ying, and this kid really escapes, but it's a pity that if you want to touch Zhu Ying, Zhu Yuanzhang and Queen Ma can teach you how to behave without Zhang Ximeng's help.

So he had no choice but to take a step back, hoping to get his hands on the future Mrs. Zhang.

No matter whether you are looking for it from Huaixi Xungui, or from the civil servants, even if it is a commoner woman, anyway, as long as you show your face and nod, our means will come, and we are guaranteed to drag you into the water.

Make you not a saint!

However, no one expected that these two people really got together, it was almost fatal!

Li Shanchang didn't sleep all night, and the next day with blood-red eyes, he hurried to the Ministry of Education, ordered the Bureau of Banknotes to go to Kaifeng immediately, and sent several officials there to dump the entire currency and national debts to Zhang Ximeng. , you have the final say.

Don't worry, the Ministry of Education does not have any opinions, and everything is up to you.

Zhang Ximeng would never have thought that marrying Jiang Nan would increase his deterrent power so much?

They weren't married, but that didn't prevent them from working together, after all, it was like this before.

That day Zhang Ximeng called Jiang Nan, and the two of them rode a donkey out of Kaifeng and headed towards Chenliu.

Jiang Nan rode on the back of a donkey, looking around, and asked: "When I read Tokyo Menghualu, I remembered that it said that the Bianshui Water Transport divides water from Luokou in Xijing to the capital, goes east to Sizhou and enters the Huaihe River, and transports it to the southeast. The grain, all things in the southeast, have entered the capital since then, and have been given to the public and private. In Bianliang these days, the prosperity of the year is gone, why even the Bianshui disappeared?"

Zhang Ximeng snorted softly, "Isn't it thanks to Wanyan Gou! His ministers dug up the Yellow River, flooded, silted up, and destroyed many river courses. Later, this man was even more afraid that the Jin soldiers would go southward, and used the Bianyan The water transfer of grain and grass destroyed the Hejin Waterway. After the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, the Bian River has long since ceased to exist.”

After Jiang Nan finished listening, he looked around again, seeing desolation and desolation as far as he could see, and couldn't help but ask, "Then is there a way to restore Bianshui?"

"It's difficult. After all, the purpose of maintaining the Bianshui Water Transport was to supply the capital's needs. Now that the capital of Daming is in Yingtian, they want to restore the water transport, not to mention how much it will cost. Even if it is restored, who will deliver the grain and cloth?"

Jiang Nan didn't continue to ask, why not move the capital to Kaifeng... In fact, after seeing the desolation of this road, she also felt that Kaifeng had lost the possibility of being a capital.

At least not in the short term.

Otherwise, the Central Plains is so desolate, and a bunch of people who eat nothing are brought in, isn't that just looking for excitement for yourself!

Accompanied by the guards, the two of them walked forward again.

Suddenly, a huge monster appeared in the distance, obviously higher than the surface of the ground, like a dragon, lying on the ground.The dragon body goes deep into a pool of water, the dragon head is high-spirited, very energetic!

The two couldn't help beating the donkey at the same time. When they got closer, they finally saw clearly that it was a running keel waterwheel.

There are dozens of young and strong people here, stepping on the water wheel in shifts, bringing the water up.

After coming up, the water flows out along the pre-dug ditches. The outlet is very high and the water flow is very fast. However, after flowing for a while, the terrain gradually flattens and the flow rate slows down. On the ground, the ground covered with white particles was covered with a black appearance.

Zhang Ximeng did not disturb the working people, but silently observed from the side... Gradually, Zhang Ximeng saw the way, and he took the initiative to chat with Jiang Nan.

"Did you see that they pumped water with water trucks, and the pumped water, mixed with sediment, flowed over the saline-alkali ground, and the flowing water could take away the salt-alkali on the surface, and then the sediment in the water covered the ground. This A piece of land can be used to grow food soon, this method is very good!"

Jiang Nan listened with great interest, "Master Zhang, is this trick enough? Is there any other way?"

"Yes." Zhang Ximeng said: "Actually, in some places that are not suitable for farming, it is not bad to plant pasture grass. As long as there is pasture cover, it can reduce evaporation and keep water... By the way, you understand the reason for soil salinity. ?”

Jiang Nan shook his head.

"You know salt, you usually eat it, it can dissolve in water, and there is also alkali, which is also soluble in water. The white particles we see on the surface are these things. In the final analysis, it is still due to the flooding of the Yellow River... the Yellow River The water burst the embankment and flooded the plain for thousands of miles, leaving a deep pool of water. If these floods cannot be drained, the height of the groundwater will be raised and the groundwater table will be higher."

"After the flood recedes and the weather is hot, the underground water keeps running up. After the sun evaporates, the saline and alkali in the water stays on the surface, forming a saline-alkali land, which makes it impossible to grow food."

Zhang Ximeng tried his best to explain, Jiang Nan tried his best to listen, but he was still a little confused.

"Well, when we go back, let's get a wooden basin, fill it with sand, then pour some more salt water on the sand, and then put the wooden basin in the sun to expose it to the sun. You can see if there will be an extra layer of sand on the surface of the sand. Salt."

This time Jiang Nan understood a little, "Then, how to solve the problem?"

Zhang Ximeng said: "Know what's going on, know why. Since it's a water level problem, draining the water out will solve most of the problem. As for the remaining salinity on the surface, just water it and dissolve it away. There is a problem, that is, to prevent the underground salinity from resurfacing, it is necessary to prevent exposure to the sun. Plant salt-resistant pastures and avoid direct sunlight. After a year or two of recovery, rice can be planted."

Jiang Nan laughed and said, "Mr. Zhang, I didn't expect you to be so proficient in water control. You really have an insight into the world!"

Zhang Ximeng chuckled, "I have to know! But speaking of it, all I know is superficial, and it's even more impossible for me to actually work. Let's ask the Lord of the Land!"

Sure enough, while the people were resting, an old man was invited. He is the president of the company just elected by the local area. Under him, there are more than 300 people, of which only less than [-] are young and strong, and the rest are old and weak. There are no women, children, or livestock.

The day has come to this point, it is really difficult.

But as the discussion deepened, the old man's eyes lit up, and he seemed very excited.

He told Zhang Ximeng that not long ago, a group of people came to survey the terrain and formulated a water control strategy for them.

The first is to dig three-foot-deep drainage ditches around the land, dividing the land into neat squares.

Then came this huge keel waterwheel.

With the keel waterwheel, water can be pumped from the pond to irrigate the fields.

The water flow took away the salinity on the surface, flowed into the pre-dug ditches, then continued to flow, merged into the river, and finally drained out completely.

After this action, the salinity on the surface was indeed reduced.

The old farmer grabbed a handful of soil, threw it into his mouth in front of Zhang Ximeng, and then said with a smile: "It's not salty or bitter, and I can grow crops!"

The old farmers didn't know what saline-alkali was, but they understood one thing. As long as the land was neither salty nor bitter, and without those white things, they could grow food, and as long as there was a harvest, they would live.

"This imperial court is really extraordinary! What a good emperor, what a good emperor!" The old farmer praised Zhu Yuanzhang without saying a word, with two thumbs up.

"The one who came back to help us is also a good official! His name is... Du Guang'an. He is a handsome young man with thick arms and spirit. He is really a good official. This keel waterwheel was sent by him. I heard people say that he can do everything with his ingenuity, which is really amazing!"

Zhang Ximeng was not surprised. The good student Jia Lu had his eye on was not unusual!

"Old man, this land can be farmed now, but you don't even have the cattle to farm. Can you do it with just human power?"

The old man was stunned, and said: "I have to be busy even if I am too busy, and I have to plant these fields even if I die. I am an old bone, I am exhausted, I can make the children eat well, and if I can survive, I will close the door." eyes."

Zhang Ximeng thought for a while, and then said: "Old man, I would like to ask, if I ask you to borrow money to buy cattle, farm tools, seeds, and plow the fields well, what do you think?"

"That can't be done!"

The old man's face changed with fright, and he waved his hands in a hurry, "You young man, you are young and ignorant. If you borrow money, you will not be able to pay it back in this life. The donkey is rolling, it will never end. As long as you borrow it, your field will be yours. His house, wife, daughter... will be taken away sooner or later. The old man has seen too much, and he can't borrow it even if he dies!"

Jiang Nan suddenly said: "If you don't borrow it, how do you plan to cultivate it?"

"Bring someone!"

The old man clenched his fist, raised his shriveled arm, waved it vigorously, and said through gritted teeth: "The old man discussed with the big guys, trying to find a way to raise some money, first get some seeds... and then we, one of us will count as one." , don’t treat yourself as a human being, but as an animal!”

"Risk your life and plant this season's crops... If anyone, who is exhausted, the living person, he must take care of his family. Even if he is half exhausted, he can still live half of it. But if you borrow money , owed others, all of us are finished!"

I would rather die in half than borrow money!

Jiang Nan's heartbroken, what a tragic and helpless words!

It is conceivable that not only the ten years of war, but counting forward, even in the peaceful years, he has had enough of being exploited by wealthy and powerful families, and everyone has become frightened.

"Old man, you don't want to borrow money, so why are you still willing to ask for this keel waterwheel?" Zhang Ximeng asked suddenly.

The old man was stunned for a long time before he said sullenly: "This, this is different! This, this is given by His Majesty the Emperor. Your Majesty is, he is a good person, the officials below, it is difficult to say."

Zhang Ximeng smiled slightly, "Then if His Majesty asked you to borrow money, would you be willing?"

The old man frowned, "Young man, you, who are you? How could the emperor listen to you?"

Zhang Ximeng smiled and said nothing.

At this moment, a tall guy ran over. From a long distance, he saw Zhang Ximeng and his party. He quickly dusted off the dust on his clothes, put down his rolled up trouser legs, and ran up to him, bowing. He said: "Du Guang'an, a grassroots man, meet Zhang Xiang!"

Zhang Ximeng glanced and found that he was covered in mud and water, his trouser legs were down, and his feet were still bare, so he couldn't help laughing and said, "Why, are you still working?"

Du Guang'an said with a simple and honest smile: "I am in good health, and I can support three people by myself. If I don't work, it will be wasted."

Zhang Ximeng laughed loudly, "Mr. Jia really found a good student!"

Then Zhang Ximeng turned his head to the old man and said, "Old man, you see that there are all officials like this who ask you to borrow money and pay it back after harvesting, are you willing?"

Chapter 495 Letting Go of the Prohibition

The old man looked at Du Guang'an suspiciously, swallowed for a long while, and said helplessly, "I'd rather be willing, but who knows if he has the final say? No high-ranking official would talk to us!"