Zhu Xiong Ying felt that life was quite pleasant, and he believed that many things were progressing quite smoothly.
Firstly, after a long illness, Crown Prince Zhu Biao has recovered and is now back to his busy official duties. Secondly, the wars in Goryeo and Japan are progressing smoothly. While the issue of Goryeo ginseng is minor, the increasing influx of silver into the Ming Dynasty is far more important.
Lan Yu's campaign in the Western Regions was also successful, driving the bandits to the land of Handong. This area later became Dunhuang and Jiuquan, serving as a better springboard. Naturally, the Western Regions were also a place that Zhu Xiong Ying had to consider recovering.
Zhu Xiong Ying was studying the map carefully; the Kansai region needed to be considered.
Zhu Xiong Ying believed that the establishment of the seven guards of Anding, Aduan, Quxian, Handong, Chijin, and Shazhou in Guanzhong protected the western border and ensured the safety of envoys and merchants traveling to and from the Western Regions and entering Tibet.
These were, in some people's eyes, the outer guard posts, whose purpose was to consolidate the northwest border defense, strengthen control over the Western Regions, and maintain the smooth flow of tribute routes between the Ming Dynasty and Arab and Central Asian countries.
Equally important is the preparation for attacking certain Mongol tribes. Regardless of whether the Mongols were divided into tribes like the Oirats and Tatars, these tribes still need to be guarded against. Once the Ming Dynasty realizes what's happening, they will take action.
Zhu Xiong Ying was in a good mood. Ultimately, the southwest was relatively stable. As for the Jiangnan region and Jingxiang, even if there were occasional minor rebellions, they were laughable and could be quelled by a few constables.
Overall, the territory of the Ming Dynasty is relatively safe now. The only areas that are still occasionally plagued by rebellions or conflicts are the southwest and the Western Regions, where various forces are constantly vying for power.
The Ming Dynasty is currently on the offensive and has the upper hand, which is very important to Zhu Xiong Ying.
Zhu Xiong Ying was very satisfied with the military victory, and there were no major problems with local administration. Overall, the weather was favorable, the Ming Dynasty's policy of recuperation and development was working well, and national prosperity and strength were no longer a distant dream.
In the season of abundant autumn harvest, Zhu Xiong Ying watched the coal briquettes being delivered continuously, and the ever-increasing supply of cloth and cotton, feeling quite satisfied. It seemed that the artisans of the Ming Dynasty and the people of Beiping Prefecture no longer needed to worry about enduring the winter.
There's no need to worry about the border troops either. Zhu Xiong Ying forced many people to grow cotton, which has had some effect. Some princes also grew cotton in their territories, and Zhu Xiong Ying bought most of it back at a relatively low price.
The remaining small portion was naturally kept by the princes for their own use, and with an imperial edict from Zhu Yuanzhang, the princes eagerly had the cotton made into quilts and transported to Tianjin, Goryeo, or Japan. They wanted to treat their soldiers like their own children, and these quilts were intended for their guards, even if their guards were fighting for the court.
Military affairs, people's livelihood, and many aspects of government affairs and governance are all doing very well, with everything going smoothly and the country enjoying peace and prosperity.
Zhu Xiong Ying's construction of Beiping was quite good, both the city walls and the Forbidden City. Although many prisoners of war and death row inmates died from exhaustion, the highway leading to Tianjin is now in relatively good condition. Tianjin, which guards the capital, must be taken seriously.
Zhu Xiong Ying seemed completely at ease, showing no remorse whatsoever. Some things simply had to be done this way, and he would certainly continue doing so, perhaps even expanding the scale further.
The development of Beiping (Beijing) is not enough; the development of Liaodong is a bottomless pit. Frankly, with current production conditions, developing Liaodong and turning the black soil into a granary for the north will be an extremely challenging task.
However, Zhu Xiong Ying felt that small-scale development was necessary. While the northern military food production didn't need to be completely self-sufficient, it was necessary to consider contributing the majority. It wasn't about turning the area into a massive granary, but clearly it couldn't be left to some savages, as some people perceived it to be.
We still need to take it one step at a time. Now that things are more organized internally, it's natural to develop some areas that weren't previously considered territory or that weren't valued.
Many people now view Liaodong as a wild and undeveloped land, and believe that developing it is simply not worthwhile. However, Ma Wen is well aware that developing this area is not just about creating a fertile land to supply the border troops.
This also had a certain strategic intent, which was to squeeze the living space of some tribes. More importantly, once these wild lands became fertile lands in the eyes of the Ming people, agricultural civilization could take root, which was even more important.
The Ming Dynasty is currently sparsely populated and has no need to worry about a lack of arable land. The real concern now is insufficient population, not so-called land annexation. Zhu Xiong Ying's current plans to develop the Northeast region are certainly not large-scale development; they are merely a preliminary step.
Zhu Xiong Ying continued planning, "Jiangnan and Jingxiang are the financial center and main grain base of the entire country. But Liaodong needs to provide some output, and Vietnam and other places will also need some output in the future."
"We still can't put fiscal and food security in one area. The Ming Dynasty needs several grain bases, some of which are the main bases and others will have secondary bases."
“In the Western Regions, we can plant more cotton. It seems that our cotton is Asian cotton, and its yield is not as good as some European or other cotton varieties. But it’s okay, at least those places should be suitable for growing cotton. We have to work harder.”
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