Daning is just outside Xifengkou, the land of ancient Huizhou, connected to Liaozuo in the east and Xuanfu in the west. It is an important fortress town.

With Daning's presence, Beijing's border defenses were pushed hundreds of miles north. As long as Daning was not lost, Beijing would not be in a position to be alarmed if it moved.

When Zhu Qizhen saw Ming Dynasty's border defense map, he never felt safe.

Of course, on the map, Daning is still owned by the Ming Dynasty. But in fact, the imperial court has no troops stationed in Daning for a long time.

If we talk about this, we should start with Jingnan.

The most important step for Emperor Taizong to turn the tide of the war was to go out to Daning, take King Ning hostage, and gather the powerful troops at the fortress. Only then did Emperor Taizong have the capital to compete with Jianwen.

At that time, Emperor Taizong even ignored Beijing for the sake of the Ning army.

At that time, Emperor Renzong was surrounded several times by the Southern Army and fought hard. Emperor Taizong even abandoned it.

However, by recruiting the Daning soldiers into the customs and contacting the three guards of Wuliangha, Emperor Taizong had the capital to compete with the Nanbing soldiers. But it also left a problem.

It's Daning.

Daning did not exist from the beginning.

It was built during the Hongwu period to attack Liaodong.

During the Hongwu period, Daning was one of the places where troops were dispatched during the Fishing War.

However, Emperor Taizong withdrew all his troops from such an important place. How could Daning City be defended? As a result, Daning was completely empty.

To this day, it has never recovered and seems to have acted as a buffer zone between the imperial court and the Tatars.

But Zhu Qizhen understood very well.

It is delusional to hope that others will not occupy a place without occupying it yourself.

Zhu Qizhen really didn't understand how Daning could be left vacant because it was so important and directly related to the safety of the imperial court.

This issue is of great relevance and concerns the three emperors Taizu, Taizong, Xuanzong, Jin Ying, Wang Zhen, and Yi Shiha. Their hearts suddenly sank and they didn’t know what to say.

It not only avoids the taboos of the venerable master, but also tells Zhu Qizhen the meaning behind it.

As for Wang Zhen, he didn't care, as if he didn't hear anything.

Yi Shiha said: "Emperors Taizong and Xuanzong both reset the idea of ​​Daning, but it was too expensive. During the Hongwu period, Daning City was built, which exempted several northern provinces from taxes and allowed the people to transport grain to Daning for several years.

, when Daning had the most food stored, it had 620,000 dan, and used more than 1.2 million ingots of treasure."

"It can be said that all the power of the Northern Kingdom has been devoted to this city."

"Daning itself is easy to attack and defend in the south. What it produces is not enough for the army, and it needs to transport grain from the pass every year. But since Yongle, great construction projects have been carried out in the north, and there have been several northern expeditions."

"The savings in the north have been wiped out, and there is no way this amount of money can be spent to rebuild Daning City."

Zhu Qizhen also knew that from the Yongle period to the present, even if the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager stopped all non-urgent tasks, there were still many major projects to be built.

Hebei was the main battlefield during the Jingnan War. It was originally in dilapidated condition, but later the city of Beijing and the Great Wall were built to support the army's northern expeditions several times.

Emperor Taizong's northern expedition mobilized 500,000 troops. Providing such a large amount of food and grass could not be said to mobilize the troops without labor.

At this point, how can the north support the big project of Daning? After all, Daning City has been abandoned for so many years, and the original Daning City has long since become a ruin.

If you want to garrison troops in Daning, you may have to rebuild Daning City.

When he thought of the huge cost, even Zhu Qizhen shook his head secretly.

The food supply in the north is in short supply, and it is no longer a day or two.

Nowadays, major projects that need to be completed include the finishing projects of Beijing City. From the Yongle period to the present, Beijing City is not yet complete.

In addition, Emperor Xuanzong’s tomb, the construction of the Great Wall, etc.

This has already made the cabinet a little breathless. Plus Daning City?

Even if the imperial court was able to build Daning City and the Empress Dowager supported it, the strategic environment had changed. Wasi defeated Arutai and unified the grasslands.

Under such circumstances, the construction of Daning City had to encounter Wac.

Although he does not know the strength of the military households below him, in terms of generals alone, Zhu Qizhen does not have much confidence in the current generals of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Qizhen sighed slightly in his heart. Money and food, money and food, money and food. The financial crisis of the Ming Dynasty seemed to have come too early.

Zhu Qizhen ignored this matter and asked: "I heard that Emperor Taizong ceded Daning to the three guards of Wuliangha?"

This statement has always been widely circulated.

After hearing this, Jin Ying immediately said: "Your Majesty, there is a hidden secret." He said: "During the crisis and the extraordinary period, Emperor Taizong had tacit approval. After Taizong ascended the throne, this matter was overturned long ago."

"The three guards of Wuliangha have never been grazing in Daning. Although they often cross the border, they are determined not to stay in Daning for any longer."

Zhu Qizhen nodded slightly after hearing this.

The implication is that Emperor Taizong had probably done this before, but after Taizong ascended the throne, the story had already been turned over. It’s hard to ask too much about Emperor Taizong’s dark history.

However, if the current situation in Daning continues, with the rise of side digging, the void in Daning may not be sustainable.

Zhu Qizhen brought the topic back and said, "Eunuch Yi, can Liaodong be self-sufficient in food? Is it enough to provide disaster relief to the Jurchens?"

Yi Shiha quickly said: "There are no prefectures in Liaodong, only guard posts. The total farmland of all guard posts is 20,000 hectares. They can only plant one season every year, and the income is only self-sufficient. If you want to do business with the Jurchens, you may have to start from

Food preparation in the south."

Zhu Qizhen said: "It is not a long-term strategy for the country to do things in the north and rely on food from the south. If you are in Liaodong, you should pay more attention to the garrison. An extra stone of food in the north is worth three stones of food in the south."

"As for this food shortage, we can attract businessmen to Liaodong. The inner court can also make some efforts." As he said this, Zhu Qizhen looked at Wang Zhen.

Wang Zhen understood and said: "I will make arrangements right away."

After all, the Ming Dynasty at this time had not yet fallen to the level of Chongzhen. Although the state's expenses were somewhat tight, both the palace and the prefectures and counties were wealthy.

There are just too many things to do.

Moreover, in Wang Zhen's opinion, Jurchen furs, Dongzhu and the like were still in short supply, and there were many needs in the palace. Even if they were not needed in the palace, it would still be a fortune to change hands.

Zhu Qizhen didn't know much about the inner court's finances, and he was relieved when he saw that there was no embarrassment on Wang Zhen's face. He knew himself and still had the authority to use the inner court's property, but if he wanted to do so without going through the cabinet,

As long as the user department's food is used, I'm afraid Yang Shiqi will definitely refute it.

So if you can’t move the user department, then you can’t move the user department.

Zhu Qizhen continued to say to Yi Shiha: "Whether Liaodong can become the granary of the Ming Dynasty depends on how well you manage it."

Yishiha never expected that Zhu Qizhen had such great expectations for Liaodong, and said with some fear: "I will definitely work to the death, but Liaodong is bitterly cold and can only grow one season of grain a year, and there are many kinds of chestnuts. Although the open land

There are many, but the population is sparse, and most of the Jurchens, Koreans, and Han people were exiled from the pass. There is no population, and now there are foreign invasions, and there is extra money and food to repair the city and set up checkpoints. The servants can only say that they will do their best."

Although Zhu Qizhen was a little disappointed, he said: "Okay, it would be best if you tell me the truth."

Zhu Qizhen always thought that it was the military management system in Liaodong that prevented agricultural development in Liaodong. And it seems that on the contrary, it was because the population in Liaodong, especially the Han people, was too small.

It cannot support a civil administration system.

Without enough population, what is the use of setting up prefectures and counties?

But large-scale immigration to Liaodong like the early Republic of China is not something he can do now. No matter how many ideas he has, he can only press it.

And I also lost a lot of rewards.

Let Yishiha go down and have a good rest, discuss with Wang Zhen, and then return to Liaodong to deal with the Jurchen affairs.

However, Zhu Qizhen still had to explain this matter to the Empress Dowager.

Therefore, on the second day, after lunch, I explained this matter to the Queen Mother.

The Empress Dowager asked the maid to make a pot of tea, as if she had been waiting here for a long time, and asked Zhu Qizhen to sit aside. There was a curl of green smoke between the grandfather and grandson, and the Empress Dowager's eyes were filled with a hint of solemnity.
Chapter completed!