For ordinary people, as long as they can have food to eat and live in peace, they will be very satisfied and will praise "Long live the wise king".
Many emperors throughout the dynasties were satisfied with this and were very proud of being able to leave their names in history and become wise and benevolent rulers.
But Zhu Youxiao had higher aspirations and believed that the people should have a better life. The standards of later generations could not be achieved, but at the level of being full, eating better was not impossible.
It can be done, of course it can be done. It depends on the level of the emperor, the ability of the government, and the intelligence, talent, and hard work of all the people.
Even if the emperor did nothing from now on, his achievements would be enough to be proud of.
He defeated the Jianlu, allowing the Chinese heritage to continue;
He built a navy, defeated the Dutch, and will dominate the South China Sea;
He armed the most powerful army and occupied vast tracts of land never before seen in Chinese history;
He formulated and implemented effective disaster relief plans, and the disasters of the Little Ice Age could no longer shake the rule of the Ming Dynasty...
But this did not satisfy him, and it stopped him from moving forward. The reason was simple: he knew the most humiliating era of China, the heart-wrenching pain of losing sovereignty, humiliating the country, and being displaced by war.
Regardless of whether his descendants were prodigals or not, Zhu Youxiao had to do his best to save more wealth for the Ming Dynasty. Of course, more importantly, he had to rebuild the spirit of the Ming people.
Only the pioneering, enterprising and fearless spirit is the foundation of the Ming Dynasty's enduring prosperity. And only by solidifying national policies as much as possible and allowing all classes of the Ming Dynasty to reap the benefits can it be maintained in the long run.
For example, invasion and expansion, immigration and reclamation, advocacy of science, and emphasis on industry and commerce...
At present, there is almost no opposition in the court, and the real benefits are there!
If you dare to say "compete with the people for profit" and want to reduce commercial taxes, then go find a way to raise an army and provide disaster relief. Increasing agricultural taxes, in a year of great disaster, you dare to make such a suggestion. Are you trying to force the people to revolt?
What's more, merchants nowadays are basically separated from officials. They don't need to run around and just do business to make money, nor do they need to spend money to find spokespersons.
As for the cliché of "warmongering", it is not worth refuting in the face of the figures of war gains.
No matter how much you may have criticized the emperor's policies in the past, now, not only do you admire them, you also have no reason to oppose them. Facts have proven that the emperor's foresight is beyond the comprehension of you.
Therefore, the emperor's prestige comes not only from his supreme imperial power, but also from practices and results that have been constantly proven to be correct.
Because of this, the emperor now has a lot to do, but he does not need to work too hard. His ministers will carry out his wishes and push the Ming Dynasty to its peak step by step.
In fact, for his subjects, the emperor certainly had a ruthless side, but overall, he was not a tyrant. In such a political environment, if you work hard and avoid corruption, your future is still bright.
The emperor also knew his limits and did not make any major moves in the ideological field.
How could a thousand-year-old traditional culture and ideology be so easily changed? To change it would be far more difficult than the current political and military reforms; it would not be an exaggeration to describe it as an earthquake.
The emperor preferred to use this method of influence, starting from basic education and guiding cultural and public opinion, and using it for twenty or thirty years to create a new ideological system that adapts to this world.
Pragmatism is what the emperor advocated, not only internally but also externally.
What is the peace and prosperity of the country? It is far less pleasing to the emperor than the people having enough food and clothing.
What's the use of the Celestial Empire or the tribute from all nations? It would be more pleasing to the emperor if the army could march freely, occupy the land and incorporate it into the territory of the Ming Dynasty.
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The water of the Songhua River rolled, and a hazy mist rose up, condensing into small ice crystals and hanging on the trees on the shore, forming a spectacle called hoarfrost.
"Sir, in the dead of winter, the lower reaches usually don't freeze over," a Manchu guide humbly explained to Zhang Pan, "but further north, the river freezes over."
Zhang Pan nodded slightly, turned his horse's head, and continued to observe and patrol along the bank of the Songhua River.
This is Songyuan in later generations, located on the south bank of the main stream of the Songhua River. It has no name now and can only be called the place of the ancient Fuyu Kingdom (capital Changchun).
We will build a city here next year and advance to Shangjing the year after. Zhang Pan looked at the amazing sight of hoarfrost on the shore and thought about the plan to advance northward.
"This area is crisscrossed with rivers and has numerous marshes, suitable for both farming and animal husbandry." Zhang Pan pointed with his whip and said, "Despite the cold climate, it is still suitable for cultivation and development."
The Manchu guide nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Excellency is right. If we continued to farm as we did in the past, the rice and wheat harvests would most likely fail or even fail completely. But we have cold-resistant crops; rye and potatoes are enough."
After a pause, he added, "If we add in the livestock and grazing of cattle and sheep, it's about the same."
"There are many lakes and swamps, so we can develop fisheries." Zhang Pan smiled and said, "If you work hard over there and move here to settle down, the imperial court's policies are quite favorable."
The guide assured with a smile, "Master Leng Sengji has already mobilized five hundred households as the first batch of immigrants for the beginning of next spring."
Zhang Pan smiled and nodded, saying, "In the spring of next year, the army will also come up to help them settle and cultivate land, establish villages and build houses."
Leng Sengji had become a Manchu minister on par with Nara Zhongming. Due to his cunning and flattery, the emperor was very optimistic about him.
Jilin Prefecture continued to expand, and in another year or two, it would most likely be upgraded to a province. By then, Leng Sengji would be at least below the rank of governor, and even more likely to be appointed as an official in Beijing, on par with Zaisang Buhe as a Manchu.
Nara Zhongming developed well in the army and was promoted to deputy general, leading a mixed Manchu and Han cavalry unit stationed in Dunhua, Yanji and Hunchun.
Almost three years had passed since the war, and the Manchus had gone from being in fear to living in peace, from being stared at with hateful eyes, to the situation gradually calming down.
The emperor's strategy of using Manchus to rule Manchus was relatively successful, with Leng Sengji, Nara Zhongming and others making significant contributions. He appeased the people, suppressed misconduct, and maintained peace in Liaodong by appeasing those who should be appeased and intimidating those who should be intimidated.
Just as he treated the princes and nobles of the Mongolian tribes, the emperor was generous in bestowing official titles and rewards on these loyal and dedicated Manchus.
Even the Koreans who fled to Liaodong were treated with leniency by the emperor, who made them citizens of the Ming Dynasty and part of the development of the Northeast.
To govern a multi-ethnic country, one should have such a broad mind and courage.
Although the emperor established many rules, such as learning Chinese characters and speaking Chinese, living in separate settlements, naturalization examinations, oaths, etc., for these people, being accepted was already a great favor from the emperor.
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