Yangzhou Mansion in the Ming Dynasty was much larger than Yangzhou City in later generations, bordering the sea in the east, Fengyang Mansion in the west, Huai'an Mansion in the north, and the Yangtze River in the south, occupying one-third of Jiangsu Province.

The route of Zhu Cihong's northern tour was not to cross the Yangtze River and go directly to Yangzhou, but to start from Nanjing, go down the river to Haimen County, and then go from Haimen County to Tongzhou and Taixing, and finally to Yangzhou Prefecture to govern Jiangdu County, which is equivalent to a big circle.

Facing the questions of the accompanying officials around him, Zhu Cihong said: "The palace inspects the place in order to observe the people's feelings, if you go directly to Jiangdu, what is it for?" Do you go to a banquet to eat? ”

At this time, it was spring ploughing, and Yangzhou Prefecture should be a piece of farmland, but all Zhu Cihong saw was a mulberry field, and the crops in the field were replaced by raw silk, raw cotton and other things.

Zhu Cihong frowned and said: "Zhu Yu, you take someone to investigate the surroundings and see how many of the fields in Taixing County have grown grain, and how many of these mulberry fields are there!" ”

Zhu Yu is the eldest grandson of Zhu Dadian, seventeen years old this year, dignified, quite talented, originally studied in Nanjing Guozijian, this northern tour was specially brought out by Zhu Cihong, and experienced it.

Zhu Yu went with a team of guards with his car, this was his first time running an errand with a car, and he was sure to do the errand beautifully.

Zhu Cihong ordered people to find a few surrounding landlords and asked them why they changed rice to mulberry and what was the attitude of the local government?

After some inquiry, Zhu Cihong realized that Jiangnan had developed commerce, and under the temptation of commerce, officials had asked the local landowners to change their cash crops, mainly raw silk, and sell them to foreigners for huge profits.

Zhu Yu returned to report: "Your Highness, according to the students, there were still few people who went to the end of the past, and now there are three times as many people who go to agriculture and change their careers to industry and commerce. ”

"Sixty or seventy percent of the farmland has been converted into mulberry fields?"

As early as five years ago, he implemented the comprehensive cultivation of crops on cultivated land in Fengyang Prefecture, and required that all those engaged in industry and commerce should have the approval of the local government, and the proportion should not exceed 30% of the regulations.

Last year, Zhu Cihong re-promulgated the decree that the provinces south of the Yangtze River should focus on agricultural affairs, and the Beijing inspection and assessment should focus on road construction and grain production.

However, the proportion of mulberry fields in Taixing County, Yangzhou Prefecture, actually accounts for six or seven percent of the cultivated land. It is no wonder that when the Ming Dynasty suffered a food shortage due to natural disasters in history, the wealthy Jiangnan region also suffered a very serious blow, not only unable to supply grain to the outside world, but also had to transport grain from Huguang to provide disaster relief.

Zhu Cihong said coldly: "Li Hu, you take the people and horses to arrest the Yangzhou prefect, the Taixing County Order, and those officials who approve the land, kill their heads and abandon the city, and confiscate all the landlords' fields that did not grow grain as required!" ”

Chen Zhenhui, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, who accompanied him, persuaded and explained: "Your Highness, now that the imperial court has opened seven ports, there are more and more raw silk and other things needed for trade with foreigners, and Yangzhou Mansion is close to the river and the sea, and the people who change rice to mulberry can also rely on selling raw silk, cotton yarn, cotton cloth, etc. to buy grain, which can increase the tax revenue of the imperial court and improve the standard of living, why does Your Highness ......?"

Zhu Cihong frowned and said, "Chen Zhenhui, you are also one of the four great talents of Jinling, how can you see the problem so shallowly?" ”

Chen Zhenhui's body was shocked, and she bowed down and said, "The minister listens to His Highness's instructions." ”

Zhu Cihong said: "At present, my Ming Dynasty is still a famine everywhere this year, that is, Suzhou and Hangzhou have the reputation of "Suzhou and Hangzhou are ripe, the world is full" and other places, the same locust plague is great, and the problem of food and clothing has not been completely solved, Henan, Shandong and other places, the situation is even worse, a large number of victims cut bark and sawdust mixed chaff to eat, or dig the white mud in the mountains for food, called Guanyin powder. ”

"The country has a series of disasters, food shortages, and crises, and your so-called people who change rice to mulberry buy food across regions, which is more likely to cause a food crisis, and after these mulberry households eat up the grain, there will be no food, causing panic, and if the mulberry households can't survive, it is easy to cause civil unrest!"

Chen Zhenhui said: "It's the minister who is superficial and only cares about the affairs of Jiangnan......"

Zhu Cihong said secretly, you, the remnants of the Donglin Restoration Society, only have the affairs of Jiangnan in your heart, where will you think about the people in the north.

Zhu Cihong emphasized again to the important officials who accompanied him, and said: "Agriculture is the foundation of the world, gold and jade, hunger and inedible, cold and clothing, are not as good as grain and silk and linen, the people are poor, then evil is born, poverty is born from insufficiency, insufficient is born from non-farming, if you do not farm, you will leave your hometown and ignore your home, you will be hungry and cold, regardless of shame, the world will be in chaos!" ”

"Prosperous commerce can't save the Ming Dynasty, if the agriculture in the north collapses, even if the commerce in the south of the Yangtze River is developed, it still can't avoid the fate of changing the dynasty!"

Everyone was in a cold sweat when they heard this, the crown prince's remarks were too bold, and if others dared to say it, he would have been put on death row long ago.

Zhu Cihong ordered again: "Order the Ministry of Households to send people to strictly investigate the cultivation of cultivated land across the country, according to the commercial ratio of each province set last year, but anyone who exceeds it will be questioned!" ”

With the war in the north, more and more people crossed the river to the south, and the grain output was not much due to natural disasters year after year.

In the current form, for Zhu Cihong, there is no threat south of the Yangtze River, or there are few threats, and the Tusi of the three provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan are also honest, and Zhu Cihong is too lazy to make rules with them, causing unnecessary trouble.

Zhu Cihong's plan was to attract military households and displaced people from Henan, Shaanxi, or Shandong to Liangguang and Yunnan and Guizhou to reclaim and build cities.

The land of those provinces has not yet been developed, there is a lot of arable land, grassland and woodland, and there are abundant minerals such as coal, lead, iron, etc., and the maneuverable space is very huge.

Within a few years, it will be possible to attract millions of displaced people, build forts in these dense tuntians, extensively grow wheat, rice, cotton, and other crops, and then open livestock farms to form a series of handicrafts and industries using grain and meat as raw materials.

According to the rules set by Zhu Yuanzhang, Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, as long as you reclaim the wasteland, this land is yours, even if the original owner finds it, you don't have to be afraid, the court will support you.

Zhu Cihong felt that this model was very praised, and on this basis, he changed it slightly, and issued an order, except for those who wanted to be killed, the sinners in prisons everywhere were all assigned to reclaim the wasteland and cultivate the land.

It is worth mentioning that in Guangdong alone, thousands of convicts and their families planted rice in the fields and lived an idyllic life.

These officials, who were assigned for various crimes such as negligence, corruption and bribery, forming parties for personal gain, and resisting the new policy, praised His Royal Highness the crown prince for his benevolence from time to time in their spare time.

was not killed by the murderous prince, but God has already influenced the prince and made him merciful.