Zhu Ying explained the track in great detail, including the difficulty and requirements of production.

How much benefit will it bring to Ming Dynasty in the later stage.

There is no doubt that if the Ming Dynasty now has rail lines throughout its territory, the overall combat capability of the entire Ming Dynasty will be qualitatively improved.

Zhu Yuanzhang listened very carefully, but his brows furrowed deeper and deeper as Zhu Ying gave his passionate explanation.

"Grandson, have you ever thought about how much manpower and material resources of the Ming people would be needed to achieve this level?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked in a deep voice after Zhu Ying finished his explanation.

Zhu Ying didn't think much about it and said directly: "If all the paving is completed, the scale will be very large. I estimate that millions of people will be mobilized."

Zhu Ying obviously didn't realize the point of the old man's words and went straight to talking about the population needed to plan all the tracks.

A project as large as the railway cannot be completed with just a little money, and corvée labor is inevitable.

For the state, corvée labor is free labor.

However, given Zhu Ying's character, he would certainly not let these laborers work for nothing. In places where the tracks pass, the people who participated in the construction of the tracks would be given tax concessions.

The breeding of horses at the railway station and the maintenance of the wooden tracks can serve as a long-term source of income for nearby residents.

It can also be considered as boosting the local economy, which is similar to the road engineering contracting in later generations.

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said, "Since my great grandson knows clearly, it will take millions of people, and it will take a long time without delaying the busy farming season. We estimate that the number of people who may be involved is about 20 million."

"There are only a few registered households in the Ming Dynasty today."

"There are 1,652,789 households and 6,545,812 people."

"This means that the production of such tracks will involve 30% of the population of the Ming Dynasty, and among them, how many people will be subject to corvée labor?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ying explained, "Of course, there can't be so many people. Grandpa must have misunderstood. What I meant is that this is a long-term matter and it doesn't need to be completed in a few years with all the strength of the whole country."

"Of course, we don't need too many tracks to lay. We only need a few main tracks."

Wooden tracks were just a transition. In the later period, when the industrial capacity of the entire Ming Dynasty increased and iron tracks and even steel tracks appeared, it was the time to truly manufacture tracks throughout the Ming Dynasty.

In Zhu Ying's vision, the current wooden tracks are mainly used for war purposes, transporting supplies and even soldiers.

Even after saying this, Zhu Yuanzhang did not relax his brows.

Although the eldest grandson had proposed many ideas before and wanted to expand the territory, even Zhu Yuanzhang was somewhat tempted.

However, when it came to building tracks purely for the purpose of war, Zhu Yuanzhang still felt a little resistant to it in his heart.

Conquer Japan and take control of Annan.

It is on these two points that Zhu Yuanzhang made the greatest concession to his eldest grandson.

This is also because it concerns the food and money of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang at the moment was not really interested in places like the grasslands.

The main problem with the grassland is that it is difficult to build city defenses. Once you conquer it, you have to send a large number of soldiers to guard it. The grassland also has no natural barriers to defend and is just a vast expanse.

Who knows, it might be captured this year and be captured again next year.

"This idea of ​​yours, grandson, is indeed a good one. If it is really implemented, it will be extremely beneficial to our Ming Dynasty. We can also think of it."

"Although the Ming Dynasty seems peaceful now, it is actually plagued by internal and external troubles, and there are constant natural disasters. The people are not living a good life, and most people can hardly get enough food."

"In my opinion, let's put this matter aside for now. After a few years, when crops like sweet potatoes are popularized, it won't be too late to discuss the track."

Zhu Yuanzhang's tone was already a little impatient, but facing his eldest grandson, he still forced himself to suppress his emotions.

The eunuch Liu He from the Imperial Household Department standing next to him had his hands trembling slightly. Even the Imperial Guard Jiang Li had cold sweat on his back.

As Zhu Yuanzhang's close associates, they were of course very familiar with His Majesty's character. It was completely unprecedented for His Majesty to say such things.

Even the former Crown Prince or Queen Mother, after hearing His Majesty say this, understood that the matter should come to an end.

The reason why they behaved like this was because His Royal Highness Chang Sun had no intention of stopping at all.

Sure enough, Zhu Ying seemed to be completely unaware of Zhu Yuanzhang's state, and said to himself: "Grandpa, the impact of the track on the Ming Dynasty is far beyond grandpa's imagination."

"The mobilization of troops is only one aspect. More importantly, it is the rapid transportation of goods from various places. Although we cannot start doing it all at once, my grandson feels that we can start preparing in advance."

"The route of the track and the timber needed are not something that can be completed in a few days. Maybe it won't be all done by next year."

"I understand your worries, grandpa. However, the promotion of crops like sweet potatoes will allow them to be sold all over the Ming Dynasty next year. It will be a good opportunity for us to conquer Japan next year. The Japanese criminals will also be useful in the conquest of Japan next year."

In fact, what Zhu Ying wanted was not to mobilize a large number of civilians to start casting tracks immediately, but to check the accuracy of the tracks.

Zhu Ying was well aware of the difficulty of rail construction. Even a high-speed railway within a province in the future would take three to five years with sufficient equipment and machinery.

Although the track that Zhu Ying envisions now is different from the high-speed rail, it will certainly take longer due to manpower reasons.

For a survey alone, all you can do is measure on foot, and even after one or two years, you may not be able to get a result.

Zhu Ying wouldn't find it strange even if it took three to five years to prepare.

But in Zhu Ying's plan, the danger to the border from the grassland must be eliminated on a large scale within five years.

Near the grassland border, with the assistance of rail carriages, the efficiency of mobilizing supplies is enough to crush the threat from the grassland area on the border.

After hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's breathing became heavier, which was a sign that he was about to get angry.

Liu He and Jiang Li standing next to them were so frightened that they didn't dare to look up. They were preparing for the coming storm.

However, Zhu Ying faced the old man's oppressive gaze and looked at him calmly.

This expresses Zhu Ying's persistence and stubbornness.

Just when everyone thought that Zhu Yuanzhang was about to lose his temper, he took a deep breath and forced himself to suppress it.

After a long while, he said, "Grandson, you know that the First Emperor built the Great Wall and the Afang Palace, which made the people of the pre-Qin Dynasty miserable, and that's why the Second Emperor died."

"The Sui Dynasty was so powerful that it forced the opening of the Grand Canal, which cost so much money and manpower. However, it was destroyed by the second emperor of the Sui Dynasty, just like the Qin Dynasty."

"The Ming Dynasty was founded 25 years ago. Over the years, we have reduced corvée labor and taxes, allowing the people to rest and recuperate. But now, it has only been more than 20 years since the chaos at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, and the people have not yet recovered. The Ming Dynasty is in a tight spot everywhere."

"Under such circumstances, why is Grandson so anxious? Of course, we also know that both the Great Wall of the First Emperor and the Grand Canal of the Sui Dynasty are extremely important to China."

"But they are dead. Why can't my eldest grandson learn from their mistakes?"

Zhu Yuanzhang quoted from classics and spoke earnestly. This was the first time he had persuaded others in this way since the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

Liu He and Jiang Li secretly breathed a sigh of relief when they heard this. At least His Majesty was not furious, so His Royal Highness Chang Sun should stop talking.

However, Zhu Ying's gaze remained unchanged.

He knew very well in his heart that this clash of ideas with the old man would never stop, whether now or in the future.

Zhu Ying was very clear about what the old man wanted to express. In the old man's heart, Ming Dynasty was his own home.

What he hopes for more is not any achievements that will go down in history. He just hopes that his descendants can protect this family well and maintain it so that no major problems will arise.

This is the truest thought in Zhu Yuanzhang's mind.

One is defense, the other is attack.

Naturally, Zhu Ying and Zhu Yuanzhang had some difficulties in talking about this issue.

Zhu Ying was well aware of how powerful a blow the rail carriage would have on the grassland.

In fact, Zhu Ying did not take Japan too seriously. Although he had hatred for Japan deep in his bones, as far as Japan was concerned, there was only the sea as a barrier.

Compared with the Ming Dynasty, it is truly the younger brother among younger brothers.

As long as they have a guide and avoid sea storms, given the current situation in Japan, 200,000 Ming soldiers can land and completely defeat the entire country.

The force levels are not on the same level.

After all, the biggest threat facing the Ming Dynasty at present still comes from the grassland.

Many people may not understand the situation on the grassland, but Zhu Ying has been living there for a long time, so how could he not know?

It was a scene that no one in the court or even most inland officials had ever seen.

Perhaps during the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, the situation in the grassland border areas was much better. After all, they were all nomadic peoples and were under the rule of the Yuan Dynasty.

After the Yuan Dynasty, since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the situation in the northern border has never been good.

Every year, villages on the northern border are looted by raiders from the grasslands.

There were constant disasters in the Ming Dynasty, so there was peace on the grassland?

In fact, the survival of nomadic peoples on the grassland is much more difficult than that of the common people of the Ming Dynasty.

The nomadic mode of production is inherently inefficient, and with such a foundation, it cannot support a large population.

In the Ming Dynasty, one acre of land produced about 300 kilograms of grain each year. The average annual ration required for an infantryman was about 1,000 kilograms, and three acres of land was enough to feed him.

But for herders, to raise one sheep on the grassland, they need twenty acres of grassland. A family of five needs three or four hundred sheep to survive, which means they need at least six or seven thousand acres of land.

Historically, nomadic peoples have always been dependent on agricultural civilizations, and they could only obtain metal products, daily necessities, and even salt, which was necessary for survival, from the Central Plains dynasties through trade and looting.

In many people's impressions, it seems that nomadic people are very good at fighting and have very strong combat effectiveness.

In fact, this is an illusion.

For most of the time, it was impossible for nomadic people wearing rough clothing made of animal skins to evolve into agricultural civilization.

Whether in terms of armaments, mobilization scale, or organizational form, it is far from comparable to the Central Plains civilization.

Most soldiers on the grassland used weapons made of wood or even animal bones. Iron pots were rare on the grassland and only the nobles had them.

The gap is so huge that it can be said to be an all-round crushing victory.

Border robbery is the result of people being unable to survive, so they gather a half-military, half-civilian team and march south to the Central Plains border to extort money.

No one dared to go to the big cities that were heavily guarded, and they only plundered small villages or towns.

The small villages that can stay in the border areas are not good at dealing with troubles and will fight back.

Some small grassland tribes with small populations might be completely wiped out in these villages and towns.

The Central Plains people are a truly fighting nation.

The three large-scale nomadic invasions in history were also based on the internal strife of the Central Plains dynasties and they took advantage of the situation.

The Jin Dynasty first experienced the Rebellion of the Eight Kings, and after the Central Plains had suffered from years of war and population decline, the "Five Barbarians Invasion of China" occurred.

In fact, the Five Barbarians in that incident were no longer a purely nomadic people.

They are a semi-agricultural and semi-nomadic people, and the degree of sinicization is very high.

Then came the Mongols.

Genghis Khan's Mongol Empire was very powerful, it conquered half of the Eurasian continent.

Western Xia, this small semi-nomadic and semi-agricultural country, was just a separatist regime in the Central Plains civilization. The Duke of Xia in the Tang Dynasty was granted the title of Dingnan Jiedushi.

It was such a small separatist country that Genghis Khan had to fight three times before he was able to conquer it. If the neighboring Jin Kingdom had not refused to send troops to aid Western Xia, Genghis Khan would not have been able to conquer it.

It was because of the Jin Dynasty's then semi-illiterate Wanyan Yongji who had little education that the Western Xia was forced to beg for peace from Mongolia and station troops in Mongolia to fight against the Jin Dynasty.

The later Mongol-Jin War lasted for twenty-four years. It was seven years after Genghis Khan's death that the Mongols finally defeated the Jin Dynasty in one fell swoop, not to mention attacking the Southern Song Dynasty and unifying the Central Plains.

Even when Kublai Khan took control of the Central Plains, it was only because the Southern Song Dynasty lost the Yanshan barrier and the agriculturally developed Beijing-Tianjin area, and the Liao, Jin, and Mongolia successively inherited control of the north, that it was able to become stronger and stronger.

From the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty to the establishment of the Ming Dynasty.

For 240 years, the north was under the rule of ethnic minorities.

A full two hundred and forty years, with twenty years being one generation, means twelve generations have been reproduced.

The difference is already huge.

This was also the origin of the conflict between the Han people in the north and south at that time. In the eyes of the Han people in the south at that time, the Han people in the north could no longer be called Han people.

It was Zhu Yuanzhang who united the Han people in the north and south again after 240 years.

However, the grasslands today are very different from before.

After occupying such a large territory, the Mongol Empire was no longer lagging behind in weapons and armaments. For the Ming Dynasty, the threat was completely different from before.

Moreover, the grassland did not have much significance for the Ming Dynasty, which was an agricultural civilization. It could not grow crops, and the flat land was difficult to defend. If a large army entered the grassland, it would easily be dragged to death.

Even when the Qing Dynasty entered the Central Plains for the third time, the Ming Dynasty was not destroyed by the Manchus. It was Li Zicheng who destroyed the Ming Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty took advantage of the chaos in the Central Plains to take advantage of the opportunity.

Throughout history, more often than not, nomadic peoples paid tribute to agricultural peoples, and if they showed any sign of raising their voices, the peoples would send troops to attack them.

Like the Han Dynasty against the Huns, the Tang Dynasty against the Turks, Uighurs, Rouran, and Goguryeo.

The Ming Dynasty is now taking the same approach towards the grasslands.

It’s just that the literati who recorded the history books made a big fuss and wrote about the fact that we were beaten.

When we attack others, we often just brush it off by saying that someone is not obedient to our rule and so-and-so will conquer them.

The reason for this is that, except for the founding period, most dynasties valued civil affairs more than military affairs.

There is a natural contradiction between literati and military men, so it is impossible for literati to sing praises to military men.

From this point of view, it seems that there is no need for Zhu Ying to build tracks across the grassland.

It depends on the goal.

First of all, there were a large number of war horses on the grassland.

In ancient times, the speed of information dissemination was a measure of the degree of control the imperial court had over local areas.

The faster the information spreads, the stronger the court's control over the local areas.

Maritime trade will certainly make the Ming Dynasty as a whole richer, but in reality the power of control will be reduced.

Because sea voyages often take half a year or even several years.

A general is not always subject to military orders when he is away from home.

This means that the imperial court’s ability to restrict maritime trade will become very small.

It is easy to create a situation where local areas are rich and the central government is weak.

In the past, the grasslands were not included in the territory of the Central Plains because there was no benefit.

It is different now. A large number of horses can maintain the tracks, and the plain on the grassland makes it much easier to lay the tracks.

The cultivation of high-yield crops such as sweet potatoes can also provide the Central Plains with abundant food to feed the people on the grassland.

The increase in population and territory meant that the Ming Dynasty was becoming stronger. Starting from the grassland, it would once again conquer the Eurasian continent.

With the support of agricultural civilization, grassland cavalry and firearms.

Incorporating all of Mongolia's former territories during its heyday into the Ming Dynasty will not just be a thought, but a practical possibility.

So, after an unknown amount of time of silence, Zhu Ying slowly raised his head, which had been slightly lowered.

Just like before, he looked at the old man with calm eyes and said in a firm voice: "Grandpa, I want to do the track work."

Bang!

Zhu Yuanzhang slapped the table hard, the whole table shook, and the food splattered everywhere.