Zhu Youxiao did not summon Bi Ziyan to the court immediately, not because he was busy celebrating the festival or having fun, but because he was busy with work. At the same time, Bi Ziyan arrived in Beijing sooner than he expected, so he simply let him rest for two more days.
In order to adjust and consolidate the defense and public order of the capital, as well as the security of the imperial palace, Zhu Youxiao not only recalled the powerful Lu Xiangsheng, but also added some generals from the military and the Beijing camp to the Wucheng Bingmasi.
The teaching teams dispatched by the Beijing Camp included not only Liaozhen, Dongjiang, Dengzhen and Jinzhen, but also all the northern border towns and the southwest.
Together with the reallocated martial arts students, the entire Ming army is gradually changing its equipment and its combat effectiveness is improving, but the magnitude is different.
Moreover, Bi Ziyan was not the only one who went to Beijing to report on his work. There was also Dong Yingju, the Minister of the Imperial Household Department who was in charge of the military farming affairs from Tianjin to Shanhaiguan, and Zhang Tao of the Tangshan Coal and Steel Plant.
Because of his contributions to military farming, Dong Yingju was promoted to the position of Right Censor-in-Chief, and was still in charge of military farming affairs. He was also given the title of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and concurrently in charge of the Changlu Salt Administration.
This appointment did not attract much attention, but few people knew that this was the first step the emperor took to reform the salt administration.
Dong Yingju, who received instructions from the emperor, will select several new students as his assistants to start the reorganization of Changlu Salt Field, one of the three largest salt fields in the country.
Zhang Tao of the Tangshan Coal and Steel Plant reported the good news to the emperor, which made the emperor very happy.
Following the rough blueprint drawn by Zhu Youxiao and the general process written by him, Zhang Tao led his team to conduct experiments and finally separated coal tar through condensation while producing coke.
Although crude and rudimentary, this was the beginning of coal chemical industry. Limited by current technological capabilities, further fractionation was somewhat difficult, but it met Zhu Youxiao's standards.
Yes, coal tar is quite viscous and its composition is quite complex. But whether it's diesel, kerosene, gasoline, or some other hydrocarbon or alkane, the fact that it burns is enough.
Zhu Youxiao believed that if the substance was diluted by mixing it with strong liquor, the effect would be not much different from that of petroleum.
Explosive incendiary bombs performed well in the Battle of Ningyuan. The splashing flames not only burned siege equipment, but also had a very good burning effect on people.
By breaking through the bottleneck of raw materials, not only explosive incendiary bombs, but also flamethrowers became the weapons that Zhu Youxiao wanted to create to kill the enemy.
Moreover, coke must be produced for iron and steel making, and coal tar is just a surplus waste that can be utilized, which is very cost-effective.
Zhang Tao left the palace happily with the emperor's praise, promotion and rewards.
After the success in practice, he had ideas for improving coke production, and he would put them into practice when he returned.
As a technical official in the officialdom, Zhang Tao experienced many hardships. He had never received such attention from the emperor. The promotion and rewards made him more motivated.
If you want the horse to run faster, you need to feed it more grass.
Zhu Youxiao never hesitated to offer official ranks and rewards to officials who truly worked hard, because he held this idea.
The emperor seemed to be in a very good mood. It was Bi Ziyan's turn to meet him, and Zhu Youxiao was still very happy!
Bi Ziyan was flattered when he was offered a seat and tea.
In fact, he was summoned to Beijing in the first year of Taichang from the position of Right Governor of Yulin West Road. He first served as the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, and later as the Right Censor-in-Chief and Governor of Tianjin. He only met Zhu Youxiao, who had just ascended the throne, once.
Zhu Youxiao was still Zhu Youxiao at that time. After not seeing him for over two years, Bi Ziyan noticed that the emperor had changed a lot. His appearance and body were secondary to the emperor's temperament, which was already quite mature, or even sophisticated.
It's not that having a blank expression and being serious makes one appear mature and steadfast, but the information revealed in the conversation led Bi Ziyan to draw this conclusion.
Although the emperor smiled warmly and seemed very casual, when you heard the rules he outlined, even Bi Ziyan, who prided himself on his economic talent, was shocked and impressed.
"...The Imperial Bank is just a pilot project. As various businesses are developed and data is accumulated, we need to study and analyze it to provide a reference for the establishment of more banks."
"As a central bank, the Reichsbank's future responsibilities will primarily include issuing currency, exercising financial supervision, intervening in and regulating the nation's economic development, and formulating and implementing the nation's monetary and credit policies..."
What are financial supervision, intervention and regulation, and monetary and credit policy? I don’t quite understand!
Bi Ziyan thought that he had gained a detailed understanding of the operation of the Imperial Bank through the secret reports he had exchanged with the emperor, but after hearing the emperor's story, he could not help but swallow his saliva.
Fifty-four-year-old Bi Ziyan was a rare economic talent of the era and was quite confident in his financial management ability, but he was a little confused by what the young emperor said.
Was it a surprise? Was it a surprise? Zhu Youxiao had no such thoughts, nor was he deliberately showing off. What he said was something that many people in later generations understood.
The key point is that Zhu Youxiao and Bi Ziyan had very different ideas, which can be clearly seen in the history when Bi Ziyan served as the Minister of Revenue and was in charge of the national finances.
Meticulous coordination and careful budgeting are just two of the key measures that demonstrate Bi Ziyan's significant efforts in saving money. The twenty-four cost-cutting proposals he submitted to Chongzhen further illustrate the point.
Zhu Youxiao, on the other hand, still prioritized increasing revenue as the core of his financial work, while reducing expenditures was of course essential, but with a different emphasis. He often sent people to supervise and audit various expenditures as a means of combating corruption and rectifying the administration of officials.
For example, the operation of the Imperial Bank, what Bi Ziyan thought of was just a small goal of Zhu Youxiao. His ultimate goal was to turn paper into money and release the monster of finance and capital.
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