Nowadays, the population of Ming Dynasty is approaching a period of explosive growth.

All this was naturally because the Ming Dynasty's economy began to take off, and most people could afford to raise more children.

The awareness that there is strength in numbers is a consensus among everyone in this world.

According to the household registration statistics of the 28th year of Hongwu, the population of the Ming Dynasty was approaching 70 million, which means that the population increased by several million in just three years.

These millions of people are not all newborns, but also include a large number of imported population.

It's not just the Western Regions. There was also a large influx of population from Tibet, the grasslands, Goryeo, Japan, and Southeast Asia.

Zhu Ying has been consciously guiding the situation, naturally for the purpose of strengthening the internal infrastructure of the Ming Dynasty.

The most practical thing is to build bridges and roads.

The North-South Highway is thousands of miles long and was built in just one year, but this does not mean that other roads are easy to build.

The reason why the North-South Highway was able to be built so quickly was that, first of all, there were enough people involved, and the imperial court also attached great importance to it and invested a large amount of money and grain into it.

Strictly speaking, this cannot be considered as construction, because the foundation of the road itself has already been laid. It is a process of widening and paving with cement, and there is no such thing as cutting through mountains or building bridges.

But for most county towns and even villages, it is completely different.

For some villages located in the mountain valleys, people have to cross several mountains to reach the official roads, and most of the official roads remain the same as before.

It is impossible to complete the construction of all official roads in just a few years. The cost incurred here is a huge problem.

Basically all the money and grain for building official roads came from the national treasury. Local governments simply could not afford it. When ordinary people could barely afford to eat, it was impossible for them to have money and grain.

There is money in the national treasury and the imperial treasury, but all of this money cannot be spent on building official roads at once.

Giving priority to military construction is the foundation of national defense.

If the army can't keep up, and the country is in turmoil, what's the point of talking about people's lives?

Only when the country is peaceful can the people be at peace.

Speaking of which, people nowadays don’t think there is any problem with the roads. They have been accustomed to this kind of life for generations.

In the Huagai Palace.

Zhu Ying was checking the numbers related to population statistics and this year's harvest and making a comparison.

The Huagai Hall is basically equivalent to the emperor's office, and many memorials are usually placed here.

"Grandson, this year's harvest should be considered relatively high." Zhu Yuanzhang said with a leisurely smile.

Now I can finally live a good life.

The people are one aspect, and the court is another.

The expenses of the palace were basically covered by the imperial treasury. After the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce was incorporated into the imperial treasury, the imperial treasury has never been short of money.

When Zhu Yuanzhang thought about the time when he was fighting with the Ministry of Revenue for money, he felt very sad.

"The situation is not very good." Zhu Ying said, shaking his head slightly.

Zhu Yuanzhang paused and said, "What's going on? We've seen that the harvest is much higher than in previous years. Did some official do something wrong?"

"It seems that there are always some people who think that life is too good and don't want to live anymore."

There was obvious anger in Zhu Yuanzhang's tone. Anyone who dared to affect the Ming Dynasty must be executed, no matter who they were.

Whoever dares to interfere with taxation will be killed.

Zhu Ying replied: "It's not that someone is greedy. What my grandson meant is that the food supply of the Ming Dynasty cannot keep up with the population's consumption."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned slightly: "You mean, the population of our Ming Dynasty is growing too fast, and the food in the fields can't keep up."

Zhu Ying nodded: "That's right. Although there is an increase in the production of high-yield crops, in fact, before, most people could not eat enough, and the large-scale planting of high-yield crops only allowed the people to barely get enough food and clothing."

"In fact, there are still some areas where it is difficult to even meet the standard of food and clothing."

"The current population of our Daming should actually have exceeded 70 million, and a large number of people have not yet been included in the Daming household registration."

"According to the current trend, perhaps within three to five years, the population of our Ming Dynasty may reach tens of millions."

"In a household, it is normal to have three to five children. For some large households, it is normal to have 70 to 80 children. If the number reaches tens of millions, then the growth rate of the population of the Ming Dynasty will be even more astonishing."

"That is to say, in the next ten years, without the impact of war, our Ming Dynasty may have more than two million newborns a year, and the number will continue to increase in the future."

Zhu Yuanzhang had always been committed to restoring the population, but he did not expect that the population would grow so rapidly in the few years since his eldest grandson entered the palace.

A large population requires a large amount of food, but economic improvement does not mean an increase in food.

The prices of food on the market now, whether it is wheat, rice or other, have been on a slow upward trend. This is an irreversible trend that cannot be changed.

The reason why Zhu Yuanzhang previously restricted the people from staying where they were and not going out, and even had the government control travel permits, was to allow the people to grow crops well.

No matter how much money you have, it cannot be converted into food. Once a food crisis occurs, the price of food will soar.

This is extremely detrimental to the stability of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a while and said, "It seems that it is time to relocate the people to the black soil of Liaodong."

Zhu Ying nodded in agreement.

If we vigorously develop the black soil, the entire Northeast region will become the largest granary of the Ming Dynasty, stabilizing the grain prices and security of the entire Ming Dynasty.

After Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, he was silent for a moment, and then he said again, "Expand the army. It's time to teach some disobedient small countries a lesson."

When the population grew too fast and brought pressure to the country, in addition to increasing revenue through grain planting, another way was to save money through war.

No matter when, war is always the biggest means of population extinction.

With the current strength of the Ming Dynasty, it is entirely possible to carry out large-scale military operations.

On the one hand, it can enhance the influence of the Ming Dynasty, and on the other hand, it can also gain more territory.

Right now, the grandfather and grandson have set their sights on the entire Nanyang region.

In Japan, the kings were fighting for supremacy, and the Japanese royal family, which seemed to have a larger territory, was actually vulnerable.

On the Goryeo side, Yao Guangxiao was able to manipulate the government at will.

Lee Seong-gye had already sent envoys to the Ming Dynasty, hoping to gain recognition from the Ming Dynasty and become king, but now this plan has completely failed.

Yao Guangxiao has already controlled most of the Goryeo civil and military officials. Lee Seong-gye is now struggling to survive under the coercion of Yao Guangxiao and has little ability to fight back.

Or maybe the only hope is that Yao Guangxiao is old, while he is still middle-aged, and he can outlast him.

Not to mention the Northern Yuan Dynasty.

After the establishment of the Northern Yuan Mercenary Association, the Ming Dynasty and the Northern Yuan Dynasty began to establish diplomatic relations. In addition, a large number of grassland cavalry were hired by the Ming Dynasty caravans to make fortunes in the Western Regions and Tubo.

Now is a relatively peaceful time.

The Northern Yuan Emperor Elbek was also a man who could not sit still. Without the constraints of the Ming Dynasty, he prepared his troops and began to march towards the Oirat tribe and the Eastern Chagatai Khanate.

Force a one-on-two fight.

Not to mention, even in such a situation, the Northern Yuan Dynasty won victory after victory, which made the Oirat and the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, which had been reaping the benefits from behind, complain bitterly.

For the Ming Dynasty, the only region left was the Nanyang region.

The Nanyang region is not just about Annan and Champa.

If we count further back, there are still twenty or thirty countries.

Although the tropical jungle area is full of miasma, it also means abundant resources, especially in rice cultivation, which can be harvested three or even four times a year, which is a huge amount of food.

…

"Fifty thousand soldiers? Is this true, brother?"

Zhu Yunwen looked at his elder brother Zhu Ying in disbelief, his mouth opened subconsciously, and his tone was filled with deep surprise.

After the news of the pacification of Annan reached the capital, it was also time for Zhu Yunwen to become a vassal in Champa.

According to the original practice, a vassal king like Zhu Yunwen who was enfeoffed overseas could bring 30,000 soldiers for protection.

Today I came to Kunning Palace to pay my respects to my eldest brother, and also wanted to ask him about leading troops. I didn’t expect that my eldest brother would ask for 50,000 troops right away.

Zhu Ying smiled and said, "Of course it will be 50,000 soldiers. Considering that your economy may not be very good, I will include the military expenses of these 50,000 soldiers in the military expenses of the Ming Navy, and you will also be able to reduce a lot of burden."

"It's not enough for daily food. You can't deduct the soldiers' food. You have to give them more rewards. Only in this way can you better control the army. Do you understand?"

In fact, Zhu Ying did not have any great resentment towards Zhu Yunwen, nor did he intend to do anything to embarrass him.

After becoming the crown prince, Zhu Yunwen actually added most of the ideas himself, and Zhu Ying did not regard him as a strong rival.

During the time he entered the palace, Zhu Yunwen behaved himself and did not cause any trouble. Just this point alone was enough for Zhu Ying to treat him this way, no matter what he thought in his heart.

At this moment, Zhu Yunwen was really moved.

From the initial surprise, to the worry in my heart, and then to the even greater surprise now, the mood changed rapidly.

Maintaining 50,000 soldiers is no small matter, especially for Zhu Yunwen who only has one city.

Lu had discussed this issue with Zhu Yunwen before. They felt that it should be no problem to take 20,000 soldiers with him to Champa. If there were too many, they might not be able to support them.

Now this problem has been solved directly by the eldest brother. Zhu Yunwen does not have to pay a penny for the military expenses of 50,000 soldiers. This is a treatment that no other vassal kings have ever had.

Even when Zhu Yuanzhang was dividing the fiefdoms, the princes had to provide their own soldiers with money and food, rather than relying on the imperial court.

This is also the reason why some powerful princes, such as Zhu Chong, Zhu Gang, and Zhu Di, were able to have the full quota of 30,000 guards, while later princes might only have a few thousand guards.

Ultimately, it was because of excessive military expenditures. Except for a few who had some financial resources, most of the princes simply did not have the ability to support so many soldiers.

"Thank you, brother. Thank you, brother."

Zhu Yunwen bowed quickly, and this time he was truly convinced.

Zhu Ying stood up and took two steps forward to hold up Zhu Yunwen's hands: "We will meet less often in the future, so please talk to me sooner."

"In the eyes of others, there seems to be a gap between you and me. I don't know what you think, but in my heart, you and Yunxun are the same. You are my brothers."

"Some changes in things are not due to you. There are too many twists and turns here. If someone else stood in your position, they might have done something completely different. So I cherish the relationship between us brothers even more."

"The weather in Champa is a bit hot, but it is safe enough. Not only is our Ming navy currently stationed in Champa, but there are also many Ming merchants coming and going. It is also the starting point of Ming maritime trade. It will surely become more prosperous in the future. It is a good place to go."

"If you encounter any difficulties in the future, don't worry about not being able to solve them yourself. Send me a message and I will naturally help you solve them."

Zhu Ying really did not regard any of the overseas vassal kings as a threat to the Ming Dynasty. If he did not even have this kind of vision, how could he talk about expanding the territory?

Especially Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Ying could imagine what would happen after he and Lu went to Champa.

It is estimated that the military and political power will be controlled by the Lu family.

This is also a good thing. Compared with Zhu Yunwen, Lu's personality and mind are actually more suitable.

It is probably inevitable that someone will rule the country from behind the scenes.

After Zhu Yunwen returned to the Eastern Palace, he immediately told Lu the good news.

When Lu first heard this, he was a little worried. After all, the soldiers were paid by the Ming Dynasty, so it was hard to say whether they would completely obey him.

When I thought about it, I realized that I was worrying too much.

Let alone 50,000 soldiers, even if there were 100,000 or 200,000 soldiers, could they fight against the Ming Dynasty? Not to mention a place like Champa, even if the surrounding small countries were added together, they would not be enough for the Ming Dynasty to defeat.

This shows that the Crown Prince is really considering Yunwen.

The expense of 50,000 soldiers was not a problem for the Ming Dynasty, but for Zhu Yunwen of the Lu family, it was simply unaffordable.

"We will set out after a few days of military inspection. During these few days, you should spend more time with your elder brother and His Majesty."

At this point, Lady Lu paused for a moment and said, "Your Majesty is getting old, and we don't know when we will be back next time we go to Champa."

When Zhu Yunwen heard this, he was shocked.

He understood what his mother meant.

Maybe when I return to the capital next time, the emperor may no longer be here.

Zhu Yunwen nodded heavily: "Mom, I understand."

Zhu Yunwen once had some resentment towards his grandfather, the Emperor, in his heart, complaining that he loved him so much in the past, but after his eldest brother came back, he seemed like a completely different person.

All the love was given to the eldest brother, leaving not a single cent for himself.

We didn’t say anything on weekdays, but there has always been a gap in my heart.

When I heard what my mother said today, the gap disappeared in an instant.