Mining, road construction, building the Great Wall, palace construction, land reclamation, and land reclamation... Zhu Xiong Ying is now short of people. Although he brought 100,000 craftsmen, craftsmen alone are not enough, and he also lacks some laborers.
Zhu Xiong Ying could be more lenient with the craftsmen; a skilled craftsman isn't easy to train. Such craftsmen are quite valuable, and Zhu Xiong Ying still has much to do and is quite short of craftsmen.
However, some prisoners, as long as they don't starve to death, are fine; they should work as required. Zhu Xiong Ying will ensure that these people don't starve to death. After all, capturing a prisoner isn't easy, so it's best to use them sparingly and avoid them all dying at once.
In fact, Zhu Xiong Ying was well aware that throughout history, many dynasties did not actually take foreign tribes seriously. Benevolent governance and the like had no impact on those people, nor did they need to care.
It is impossible to expect Zhu Xiong Ying to "use the resources of China to win the favor of foreign countries".
Zhu Xiong Ying basically intended to destroy or occupy some of the surrounding countries, even if he couldn't accomplish these tasks in his lifetime. However, Zhu Xiong Ying also felt it was necessary to lay a foundation, which could be considered as leaving some capital for future generations.
Especially some strategic locations, which we must take no matter what.
With the current national strength of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Xiong Ying naturally had the confidence to conquer the world and expand its territory. With the national strength of the Ming Dynasty, although it cannot be said that it could sweep through the country all the way or that it would be so smooth, it basically held absolute initiative.
Japan needed to be conquered, not only because of the silver mines, but also because it served as a decent springboard. Moreover, if Japan wasn't properly governed, the Wokou (Japanese pirates) would have a significant impact on the southeastern coast, hindering Zhu Xiong Ying's plans to expand into Southeast Asia.
Speaking of springboards, Goryeo came into Zhu Xiong Ying's sights. Moreover, Goryeo was currently in a state of dynastic strife, which naturally piqued Zhu Xiong Ying's interest. Taking over Goryeo would not only serve as a springboard to attack Japan, but would also stabilize the Liaodong region.
Even if we were to launch an attack on the Northern Yuan later, this would be a good point of deployment. Moreover, after conquering Goryeo and managing Liaodong, the Jurchens would probably not have much room to maneuver, and figures like Huang Taiji might not even have a place for their ancestors to survive.
Whether or not to wage war excessively was not a matter of personal choice for Zhu Xiong Ying; he simply acted within his capabilities. However, some places would inevitably need to be captured, and many things needed to be prepared in advance.
After finishing these tasks, Zhu Xiong Ying asked, "How are the preparations for the Prince of Kaiping's residence going?"
Wang Chengen immediately replied, "Sir, the location has been chosen, close to the capital. The Prince's Mansion, the County Prince's Mansion, and the Princess's Mansion are all in the same area. The materials are also ready, and we can start construction at any time."
Zhu Xiong Ying nodded, quite satisfied with the arrangement. "Go and keep an eye on things. The Prince's residence must be built to the specifications of a Prince's residence. The Princess's residence must also be built to the specifications of a Grand Princess. Don't worry about exceeding the proper etiquette, understand?"
Wang Chengen understood this perfectly well. The Kaiping Prince's Mansion was already in question, especially since Chang Lanshi was still alive; it was essentially the Kaiping Prince's Mansion. Moreover, with Zhu Xiong Ying's presence, the Kaiping Prince's Mansion's status would certainly not be lowered in the future, even if Chang Mao inherited the title of Duke.
As for Zhu Xiong Ying's younger brother, his own brother will definitely become a prince in the future, as long as Zhu the Great ascends the throne. The princess's residence is also easy to understand. The current rule in the Ming Dynasty is that when a princess marries, she lives in her own residence, which is her private property, and she can drive her husband away.
The imperial city was not built overnight, but the princes' and princesses' residences were built a little faster.
Others might have only heard rumors, only heard that Zhu Xiong Ying valued his younger siblings. But Wang Chengen knew very well that this matter was of paramount importance to him. Whether there were locust trees on Coal Hill or not was not as important as the Prince's Mansion or the Princess's Mansion. If there were locust trees on Coal Hill, he would at most be scolded, but if the Princess's Mansion was not built properly, he would lose favor.
Wang Chengen knew perfectly well which was more important. He also knew his master's character even better.
Just as Zhu Xiong Ying was looking at some reports, a young eunuch tiptoed into the hall and whispered to Wang Chengen, "The Duke of Wei is outside the hall."
Wang Chengen dared not delay and quickly whispered to Zhu Xiong Ying, "Your Highness, the Duke of Wei is waiting outside the palace."
“From now on, when the Duke of Wei comes, there’s no need to announce your arrival.” Zhu Xiong Ying glanced at Wang Cheng En and said, “Be smart. You should know who I trust and who will be of great use to me.”
Wang Chengen smiled ingratiatingly and said to Zhu Xiong Ying, "My lord, this servant is foolish and dares not presume to guess your thoughts."
It would be strange if Wang Chengen hadn't considered Zhu Xiong Ying's thoughts at all. However, Wang Chengen was always very cautious in Zhu Xiong Ying's presence. He knew that the Crown Prince wouldn't mistreat his servants over trivial matters, but once trust was lost, it would be difficult to regain favor.
Xu Yungong arrived, and Xu Da's eldest son truly inherited some of his father's traits. Even though he seemed to care for and be close to Zhu Xiong Ying, Xu Yungong never relaxed his manners and etiquette, and would never act recklessly or become arrogant in front of the emperor, the crown prince, or the grandson of the crown prince.
"Your Highness, the Three Guards of the Prince of Yan have been integrated," Xu Yungong said solemnly. "Although some officers are loyal to the Prince of Yan, many more soldiers are loyal to the court."
Zhu Xiong Ying nodded. All the princes of the Ming Dynasty had military power. Zhu Di's military power was neither too much nor too little, totaling less than 20,000 men, which was not bad, neither too many nor too few among the princes.
As for loyalty, Zhu Di had been enfeoffed for less than ten years, and while there were indeed quite a few people under his command who were relatively loyal to him, most of them were still loyal to the court. Zhu Xiong Ying did not need to worry too much about this.
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