jdhmnovel Chapter 519 Zhu Chongba's Literati Stress Syndrome
Chapter 519 Zhu Chongba's Literati Stress Syndrome
There is a shortage of officials.
Assuming there are three officials per government office, then more than 5,000 government offices would require at least 15,000 officials.
There is a shortage of officials.
If we calculate based on six clerks per government office, then more than 5,000 government offices would require more than 30,000 clerks.
The total shortage is as high as 45,000.
These are just the surface-level problems.
The real problem is that, after the Plowshare Case and the Blank Seal Case, Emperor Zhu developed a post-traumatic stress disorder regarding the term "scholar."
As Yang Shaofeng said, adding a small yamen between the county and the commune would effectively strengthen the imperial court's control over the local area and make it easier for the prefectural and county-level governments to manage the local area.
But what if these extra 40,000-plus officials are loyal to Hu Yuan...?
The Emperor Zhu dared not even imagine the extent of the damage these people could inflict on the Ming Dynasty.
Yang Shaofeng was naturally aware of Emperor Zhu's concerns.
Just as the Mongols were the most active in the campaign against Hu Yuan, the scholars from the Central Plains were the most active in the campaign against Zhu Yuanzhang.
Add to that a whole host of messy and messy matters like the Plowshare Case and the Blank Seal Case, and it's no wonder that Emperor Zhu developed post-traumatic stress disorder.
but.
Every problem has a "but".
Yang Shaofeng's original intention was to cause trouble for Zhu Chongba, that old man.
As for the solution?
I'm sorry, I'm only responsible for proposing solutions. As for whether there are any loopholes in the solutions and how to plug them?
Those are matters for you, Zhu Chongba and Zhu Biao, to consider. What do they have to do with me?
Yang Shaofeng chuckled awkwardly and said, "Father-in-law is right. I was being rash."
After a slight pause, Yang Shaofeng tentatively continued, "His Highness the Crown Prince, the Duke of Han, the Earl of Chengyi, and the others..."
Emperor Zhu's eyes lit up immediately.
Yes, now our Biao'er is in charge of overseeing the country, with Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen assisting him.
The current difficulties are simply part of their job.
What does this have to do with an emperor who is leaving the palace for an inspection tour?
"Write a memorial."
Emperor Zhu glanced at Yang Shaofeng and said, "We'll have Biao'er, the Duke of Han, and the Earl of Chengyi think of a solution later."
"We need to add another small government office between the county and the village/community, but we also need to ensure that no messy problems arise."
"And you, you can write down any ideas you have."
Why are you always hiding things?
The thought of hiding things made Emperor Zhu feel somewhat uncomfortable.
How capable is this bastard?
neither knows.
In any case, whenever people are amazed by his new tricks, he always manages to come up with something even newer.
Just how bold is this bastard?
Nobody knows either.
Anyway, this scoundrel dared to stir up trouble in secret when he was a county magistrate.
They distributed land to the people under the guise of letting them claim the land that had been seized by Hu Yuan.
With drought looming, he organized the people to dig an artificial lake to store water.
Now that he's become the emperor's son-in-law, this scoundrel has become even bolder, but things like canneries, glass workshops, and harvesters have become less frequent.
This doesn't work.
If you have these skills, you should use them.
How can we know how capable you are if you don't show us your skills?
The more Emperor Zhu thought about it, the angrier he became. He couldn't help but say sarcastically, "Back when you were a county magistrate, you could at least get a harvester. Now that you're a prefect, what have you managed to get?"
“You are Zhu Chongba’s son-in-law and Biao’er’s brother-in-law. The more capable you are, the happier we are. What’s the point of hiding your abilities?”
"Go ahead and do it without worry!"
Yang Shaofeng stared blankly at Emperor Zhu, his mind brimming with complaints but unsure where to begin.
So, does this old man even understand the difference between a county magistrate and a prefect?
A county magistrate is only responsible for one county, and has plenty of free time to think about all sorts of random things.
However, the prefect is responsible for several counties. Every day, he not only has to handle the work of his own prefecture, but also the official business submitted by the county magistrates.
Thinking about this, Yang Shaofeng also began to feel annoyed.
Do you know that I have ten counties under my jurisdiction plus a border market?
You old rascal, clinging to Dengzhou Prefecture, forcing me to have no time to lie down and be a lazy bum, let alone think about all that nonsense, do you know that?
Now look what's happened! You old geezer actually think I'm slacking off and hiding all my skills?
I'll hide you... hide my ass!
Yang Shaofeng was also getting angrier the more he thought about it, and he couldn't help but say sarcastically, "Father-in-law, you have really wronged your son-in-law."
"My son-in-law has never hidden his abilities."
"For example, when it comes to training troops, if I wanted to keep it a secret, why would I compete with Duke Cao?"
Speaking of his match against Li Wenzhong, Yang Shaofeng suddenly thought of fixed ammunition and flintlock muskets.
A flintlock musket isn't difficult to make.
Apart from the quality of the barrel, the most important flintlock device was actually no different from the flint lighter that Yang Shaofeng had made before.
The real challenge, however, was the fixed-load ammunition, which Yang Shaofeng hadn't initially paid much attention to.
There are differences between OEM and aftermarket installations.
There are also differences between fully paper-wrapped fixed cartridges and semi-metallic cork Minié cartridges.
There are a lot of technical difficulties involved, and even the slightest difference can greatly affect the performance of the musket.
Unfortunately, Yang Shaofeng didn't understand any of this nonsense. At best, he only had a vague understanding of some concepts. The rest had to be learned through trial and error by the craftsmen.
The cost of continuous trial and error is soaring research and development costs, with the consumption of steel materials and gunpowder alone being extremely staggering.
Fortunately, he controlled the Dengzhou border market, from which he could obtain huge profits every day. Otherwise, the income of the Prince Consort's mansion alone would not have been enough to support the research and development costs of flintlock muskets and fixed ammunition.
No, we absolutely cannot take responsibility for such a huge R&D black hole just because of the competition with Li Wenzhong. We must find a way to reimburse Lao Deng.
Yang Shaofeng's eyes darted around, and he said in a low voice, "The reason I haven't been messing around with anything else lately is because I'm working on something good."
"If we succeed, Hu Yuan is nothing to worry about."
Upon hearing Yang Shaofeng's words, Emperor Zhu immediately became interested.
Suppressing his inner excitement, Emperor Zhu forced a nonchalant expression onto his face and said, "How many times have you told us that the mere Hu Yuan is nothing to worry about? This time it won't be the same as before, will it?"
Yang Shaofeng snorted inwardly, then said seriously, "Father-in-law, rest assured, I am absolutely confident this time."
After a slight pause, Yang Shaofeng added, "However, the good stuff that I had someone go to such lengths to prepare this time wasn't just for Hu Yuan."
Emperor Zhu gave an "oh" and asked, "Not just for Hu Yuan? Then it's for Japan?"