OBS Chapter 400 This brother-in-law is savvy!
Chapter 400 This brother-in-law is savvy!
After a long silence, Zhu Biao looked at Yang Shaofeng and asked, "What are your plans, brother-in-law?"
Yang Shaofeng sighed slightly and said, "Let's interrogate Kong Xida first and see how many books these bastards have leaked out."
Then, Yang Shaofeng received a number that he could never believe.
From the first year of the Zhizheng era to the third year of the Hongwu era last year, the south and the north worked together to export more than 10,000 books, of which more than 100 were agricultural and engineering books such as "Agricultural Book", "Essential Techniques for the Common People" and "Building Standards".
In other words, long before Hu Yuan was completely finished, these bastards had already begun to circulate books on a large scale.
The most amusing reason why agricultural and industrial books such as "The Book of Agriculture" and "Essential Techniques for the Common People" have circulated relatively little is that woodblock printing and translation are too troublesome, resulting in a small overseas audience.
The most frequently leaked items were literary works such as operas, vernacular stories, and novels.
After the interrogation of Kong Xida was over, Zhu Biao looked directly at Yang Shaofeng and asked, "Brother-in-law, what should we do?"
Yang Shaofeng sighed helplessly and said, "Who knows if what he said is true or false? Even if it is true, there are still more than a hundred books on agriculture and industry circulating."
"If possible, I suggest that Xia Jianxiao's men continue to investigate those books, even those that have been smuggled overseas. If they are found, we should find a way to destroy them."
"If all else fails, then we can only try to strictly guard against and prohibit agricultural and industrial books from going overseas."
The longer the barbarians waited to access these books, the more wild fruits they would have to eat.
This would naturally give the Ming Dynasty an extra day to develop.
Otherwise, we could try to print a larger batch of exquisite indulgences.
This thing should have a good market in Europe.
They exchanged paper for silver coins, which were then used to purchase necessary supplies from Europe.
Without supplies, even if they had books on agriculture and industry, it would be of little use.
After pondering for a while, Yang Shaofeng simply looked at Zhu Biao and suggested, "Your Highness, could you find a few missionaries?"
Zhu Biao didn't know why Yang Shaofeng suddenly mentioned missionaries, but he still nodded honestly and said, "It should be possible. I can send someone to search along the coast."
After a slight pause, Zhu Biao added, "Brother-in-law, the blank seal case is almost closed."
Yang Shaofeng was somewhat surprised.
Case closed?
Did you, Zhu Biao, really say that?
You're a ruthless man who handled three of the four major cases of the Hongwu era, and now you're actually saying to stop here?
Just as Yang Shaofeng was complaining in his heart, Zhu Biao added, "This case is too complicated. Why don't we send all the files to the capital and let my father, the Duke of Han, and the Earl of Chengyi deal with the headache?"
I'm in a big trough!
Brothers, you've really done a great service!
Zhu Biao truly deserves to be called the most perfect crown prince in history; he was simply too perfect!
Where can you find such a wonderful brother-in-law!
Yang Shaofeng beamed and said, "Your Highness is right. I will have someone seal the files immediately."
But after saying that, Yang Shaofeng continued, "What about these corrupt officials and gentry involved in the case...?"
Zhu Biao was immediately filled with admiration.
What time is it? You're still thinking about the laborers from Dengzhou Prefecture?
No, didn't the Koreans send a lot of laborers over?
It is said that more laborers will be transported here in the future, and they will bring their own food. Aren't they better than these convicted officials, gentry and their relatives?
Left with no other choice, Zhu Biao could only sigh and say, "Their relatives will all remain in Dengzhou Prefecture to do hard labor. As for these few hundred convicted officials and the two or three thousand gentry, let's send them to the capital for the time being."
Yang Shaofeng felt that Zhu Biao was being particularly inhumane at this moment.
Think about it, this is the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty has neither airplanes nor high-speed rail, not even green-skinned trains.
Moreover, your Ming Dynasty doesn't respect human rights, so it's impossible for these convicted officials and gentry to ride in carriages.
It's thousands of miles from Dengzhou Prefecture to the capital. Isn't going back and forth such a hassle?
Just as Yang Shaofeng was secretly grumbling to himself, Zhu Biao continued, "And those Yi Ci Le Ye people that Zhao Siyi just confessed, as well as the descendants of Pu Shougeng from Quanzhou, will also be sent to the capital. Their families will be sent to Dengzhou first."
Yang Shaofeng replied without hesitation, "Your Highness is wise."
Zhu Biao added, "The families of these musicians will probably number in the thousands. I'll ask my father to issue an edict sentencing them to a hundred years of hard labor with no possibility of pardon."
Wow, this brother-in-law is really something!
Suddenly, several thousand more laborers appeared, and Yang Shaofeng was immediately in high spirits.
After leaving the court and returning to the backyard of the county government office, Yang Shaofeng smiled and said to Zhu Biao, "Didn't Your Highness ask me earlier if there was anything that the grasslands lacked but the Central Plains had?"
"Salt, iron, tea, wine, grain."
Yang Shaofeng gave the answer directly: "Aside from cattle, sheep and pasture, the grassland lacks everything. As long as we can control salt, iron, tea and grain, the grassland will not cause any trouble."
"Of course, simply controlling salt, iron, tea and grain will not completely solve the problem of the grasslands. After all, grassland herders need money to buy these things. If there is no way to make money, the grassland herders will eventually be unable to afford them and will inevitably go back to the old ways."
"Therefore, we need to find an industry that allows the herders to make money, but also prevents them from taking the opportunity to develop cavalry."
"For example, cashmere."
“Organize the master weavers in Jiangnan to see if they can spin cashmere into yarn and then find a way to make it into clothing.”
"In this way, there is another way to make money on the grassland."
"In order to make money, herders will try to raise more sheep. Since sheep eat grass quickly, it will force herders to reduce the raising of cattle and horses."
"If the number of cattle and horses is too small, the cavalry cannot develop."
"With the addition of mining, city building, and schools, the grasslands can be completely stabilized."
"..."
Zhu Biao thought to himself that he was indeed his brother-in-law. No matter how he asked, he was unwilling to say anything and insisted on passing these questions to the Earl of Chengyi.
Now that there are a few more laborers, he has been talking about so many solutions like pouring beans from a bamboo bucket. He really won't release his eagle until he sees a few more laborers!
Just as Zhu Biao was silently complaining to himself, Yang Shaofeng continued, "And the same goes for Korea, Korea, Siam, and other places."
"They don't need to think about how to make harvesters, let alone how to print the Four Books and Five Classics."
"These things can be provided to them gradually in the future."
"The premise is that they honestly farm the land and sell grain to our Great Ming."
"Our Great Ming Dynasty is a celestial empire, and we have the responsibility and obligation to lead our surrounding vassal states to develop and prosper together."
"..."
Zhu Biao felt that the eight characters "common development and common prosperity" were truly apt.
With my brother-in-law's abilities, it's a real waste of his talent to keep him as a prefect in Dengzhou!