Chapter 167 Ma Zheng’s Chronic Illness

Zhu Qizhen said with a serious face: "Liu Qing, please speak."

In fact, Zhu Qizhen had already expected that he would not be able to supply the entire army with war horses in the northwest.

After all, under the training of Zhu Qizhen, it is hard to say what kind of external intelligence the Jinyiwei will have, but in terms of internal intelligence, there are few things that the court can hide from Zhu Qizhen.

But it is a fact that it is rarely concealed. But it does not mean that Jin Yiwei can understand the various entanglements of interests involved.

The educational level among Jinyiwei is also quite limited.

All that can be done is to understand the current situation.

Liu Dingzhi said: "Emperor Taizong was wise and wise. During the Yongle period, he asked his ministers whether it was better to use the method of pastoral care in Mobei or the method of raising livestock among the people. However, the officials mistook His Majesty and used the method of raising animals among the people."

"So much so that even though there are hundreds of thousands of horses today, they cannot be used as war horses."

Zhu Qizhen asked: "What's the reason?"

Liu Dingzhi said, "Your Majesty, horses are docile by nature, but they are also aggressive. If horses gather in a group, and the group of horses fight, there must be a champion horse. The champion horse occupies the female horse, and the young horses born are far better than ordinary horses.

, even under the top horse, there are some horses that are pretty good.”

"Therefore, these horses can be used as war horses and used to charge into battle."

"However, nowadays horses are well kept in people's homes. Let's not talk about the burden on the people. Let's just say that these horses are used for animal power in the courtyards. Even if they are in heat, they are matched by the people."

"Over time, if the wild nature is removed, it can only be used as animal power. If it is used as a war horse, I am afraid that thousands of troops and horses will fight against each other. Before they can exert their strength, they will become timid."

"Therefore, if you raise horses in this way, even if you have millions of horses, they will not be enough to use them all."

Zhu Qizhen's heart moved, and he finally understood.

In later generations, horses have long been a rarity.

Therefore, Zhu Qizhen had never had any contact with it. Even if he had a little contact, he would never go into the details of horse breeding. He never expected that there is so much knowledge in horse breeding alone.

Zhu Qizhen also knew that Liu Dingzhi was somewhat taboo among the venerable people. Emperor Taizong did not know the benefits of stocking, and there was really no place for them.

At least for those near Beijing, this is indeed the case.

And in fact, what Liu Dingzhi said may not be entirely correct.

It’s not that war horses cannot be kept in captivity, but that people simply don’t know how to raise war horses. The reason is that the cost is too high. Apart from anything else, there is no one among the distinguished families who doesn’t have dozens or hundreds of horses.

War horses are all used in battle.

When they go into battle, these war horses are weak.

Liu Dingzhi saw that Zhu Qizhen was listening attentively and said: "Your Majesty, asking the people to raise war horses separately is also a huge burden for the people. There is a proverb among the people that if a family has a lot of wealth, it does not count the hair."

"Now the people are forced to raise horses. If there is any mistake, they will have to pay compensation. I don't know how many people will be ruined. I think it is not good governance."

Zhu Qizhen said: "I know this. Now that it is not possible to raise war horses separately, how should we raise them? Liu Qing has been in the northwest for a long time. Can you teach me?"

Zhu Qizhen had long heard of the bad government of splitting up the political power.

There is no need for Liu Dingzhi to say it.

Moreover, after Zhu Qizhen heard what Liu Dingzhi just said about the disadvantages of separate breeding, he decided to abolish the method of separate breeding and concentrate on establishing several large horse farms across the country. Because only if there are enough horses, can there be enough maneuverability.

Only with sufficient mobility can one go out to conquer Wac.

Now, generally speaking, although the imperial court is short of horses, it still has hundreds of thousands of horses, but it is far from enough.

Now that he has decided to abolish this policy, Zhu Qizhen does not need to know more about its other shortcomings.

Liu Dingzhi said: "I have traveled all over the northwest. Shandanwei, Qinghai, and Hehuang are all good places to raise horses. Moreover, they are guarded by Helan Mountain, and the tiles cannot be easily crossed."

"It's much better than outside the Great Wall."

Zhu Qizhen chewed these words slowly, shaking his head secretly in his heart, knowing that this was not an easy thing to do. Because of the disadvantages of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the population in the northwest was not large.

How small is the population in the northwest?

During the Northern Expedition during the Hongwu period, Fu Youde led the way out of the northwest, while Xu Da led the way out of Datong. Wang Baobao fought with Xu Da on his way.

Wang Baobao had a large number of cavalry and had the advantage, but Xu Da was defeated and not defeated. He was as solid as a rock. He retreated all the way from the grassland to Datong. Wang Baobao did not find a chance to annihilate Xu Da.

However, Xu Da withdrew his troops, leaving Fu Youde to go deep alone. Fu Youde had no choice but to withdraw his troops and move back all the people captured along the way.

But the total population is only tens of thousands.

Therefore, it would be wrong to say that the northwest is a no-man's land, but it is not a good idea to think about how many Han people there are in the northwest.

Why the Ming Dynasty was not interested in conquering the Western Regions, the scarcity of the northwest region was probably one of the reasons. At least it was only more than seventy years since the founding of the country.

It’s enough to count three generations.

Although this situation has improved a little bit, the improvement is not too much.

So in the northwest, there were actually many chieftains and Mongolians who were canonized by the imperial court.

In other words, these pastures actually have owners.

It is impossible to seize these places without using weapons.

But Zhu Qizhen now deeply hates the war, the war in four directions. How could Zhu Qizhen have the idea to open another front? Does he really not know how he wants to die?

Zhu Qizhen said: "Do you know what happened when I asked you to come to Beijing?"

Zhu Qizhen took this matter to his heart and changed the topic to other places.

"I know that I will be appointed magistrate of Daxing County," Liu Dingzhi said.

Zhu Qizhen said: "You, the magistrate of Daxing County, are different from ordinary magistrates. It can be said that now, I am afraid that you will be responsible for all the affairs in Beijing."

Liu Dingzhi was shocked when he heard this and said: "I am just a county magistrate. How can I act beyond my authority?"

Zhu Qizhen said: "How can my champion be just a county magistrate? Tomorrow there will be a meeting in front of the emperor to discuss the management of Lugou River. After that, Mr. Yu will focus on this project."

"As for the matters in Beijing, I need you to take more care of them. As long as they are handled well, it may not be impossible to replace Shuntian Mansion in the future."

"I thank your Majesty for your trust." Liu Dingzhi said: "I must be very heartbroken to repay your Majesty for your kindness."

Zhu Qizhen said: "It doesn't have to be like this, it's just that your county magistrate is different from ordinary county magistrates." Then Zhu Qizhen told everything he was doing in Beijing.

After hearing this, Liu Dingzhi was filled with excitement and fear.

Liu Dingzhi worked hard in the northwest for several years, and his understanding of the Ming Dynasty deepened several levels. Anyone who can win the first prize in the exam is not a fool.

How could Liu Dingzhi not know that this matter was very involved.

Once it fails, the emperor is definitely not at fault, and the only ones who are at fault are the ministers, that is, Yu Qian and him. They will definitely be the scapegoats for the emperor. There will be no future at all.

But the same thing.

If this reform is successfully implemented across the country, Liu Dingzhi's political capital will be extremely strong, and he will definitely have a place in the cabinet chairs, but sooner or later.

Moreover, the emperor confided in him to such an extent. Liu Dingzhi was a smart man, so did he still have a choice? He had no right to choose at all.

Compared to Yu Qian, Liu Dingzhi, who was ten years younger than Qian, was more interested in fame than Yu Qian. What he saw was basically huge political benefits. As for whether this reform was good or bad for the Ming Dynasty.

Liu Dingzhi actually didn't think deeply about it.

Liu Dingzhi said: "Your Majesty, please rest assured that I will definitely implement all your Majesty's policies."

Zhu Qizhen breathed a sigh of relief.

Ministers like Liu Dingzhi are easier to use than Yu Qian, because they are politicians and do not have many political ideas to speak of. But Yu Qian is different.

Zhu Qizhen spent a lot of time convincing Yu Qian.

But when it comes to practical use, Yu Qian is still reassuring. Yu Qian will never change what he has decided, and he is a true man. But Liu Dingzhi is different.

The political interests are so great that it is difficult to guarantee that Liu Dingzhi will not defect.
Chapter completed!