After being given free rein by the secret support of Zheng Chenggong, Alna's progress could be described as rapid.
Japan, which had just experienced over forty years of peace, has once again ignited the flames of war.
At that time, Zhu Ci was standing in the rice field, inspecting the rice that had already turned yellow.
It was another autumn harvest, new rice had already been planted around the capital; Zhu Ci had come to inspect the results.
Each of these grains of rice was very plump. Although the yield was not as high as the hybrid rice of later generations, it was much better than the previous rice varieties.
By today, Zhu Ci could no longer offer any useful suggestions regarding the improvement of rice seeds; he simply loved the sight of a bountiful harvest.
No one could dislike such a sight, the Grand Secretariat ministers who had accompanied him were all wearing bright smiles.
After Zhu Ci inquired in detail about the yield, the smiles on everyone's faces became even more genuine.
Huang Daozhou grabbed a handful of slightly yellowed rice and lamented, "No emperor from any dynasty could have doubled grain production in such a short period after a great war."
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: An endless plain, stretches and stretches of golden rice fields—who wouldn't love them? A kitten jumps into the rice field and rolls around, getting covered in rice husks. jpg
Next update at 6:00 PM~
Chapter 302
Zhu Ci laughed and pointed at the farmers working in the distance, saying, "This is not my credit; it is they who have achieved all of this."
"If Your Majesty had not established the Academy of Sciences, today would not be possible either," He Tengjiao said with heartfelt sincerity.
In the past, they did not understand why the Emperor placed so much emphasis on studies such as the investigation of things and the study of classics, feeling that he was somewhat "neglecting his proper duties."
With the establishment of the Academy of Sciences, grain varieties were gradually updated and replaced, only then did they realize why the Emperor had done this.
However, even though they knew it rationally, they still worried about whether they would be replaced by these people after the civil service examinations? Would they themselves be pushed out?
Zhu Ci knew exactly what the ministers were thinking, but he pretended not to know. Otherwise, would he really have to tell these people that it would indeed be difficult for those in the liberal arts to make a name for themselves in the future?
When the country is vigorously developing and building itself, science students will certainly be more popular.
Of course, administrative talent is also needed, but most scholars cannot be considered administrative talent.
The news of Japan's plea for help arrived at this very moment.
The one seeking help was the young lord of the Tokugawa clan, Tokugawa Ienari.
Not long after the Japanese envoys returned to Japan, the Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu passed away, his son, Tokugawa Iesugu, succeeded him.
At that time, Tokugawa Ienobu was only nine years old. A young ruler would inevitably be unable to suppress the veteran officials; Alna conspired with Zheng Chenggong to secretly eliminate Tokugawa Mitsutomo, making the other daimyo suspect that the Shogun had ordered the deed out of fear of the veteran officials.
What Tokugawa Ieyasu did next was very similar to what Emperor Jianwen had done back then.
Needless to say, these were all tactics devised by Zheng Chenggong and passed on to Tokugawa Ieyasu through Alna.
At this time, Tokugawa Ieyasu was truly too young, since Alna had indeed once gained the upper hand against him, he grew to trust Alna more and more.
The result of this trust was increasing chaos, as daimyo from all over the land rose in rebellion.
Tokugawa Ieyasu's support was gradually failing, at this time, Alna gave him a suggestion to seek aid from the Ming Kingdom.
In any case, the Great General of Pacification was appointed by the Ming Kingdom in the past, so recognizing the suzerain state once again now shouldn't be an issue.
Tokugawa Ieyasu was naturally unwilling at first, not because he was unwilling to recognize a suzerain state, but because he did not want the Great Ming navy to interfere in Japan's affairs.
Although he was young, he still had concerns and worries that the Ming Army would arrive and never leave.
After all, the current Emperor of the Great Ming is quite domineering.
However, as time passed, he neither wanted to nor could anymore, because at this time, Korea had also inserted its hand into the matter!
When Toyotomi Hideyoshi planned his expansion back then, he fought against Korea; although he ultimately failed, Korea was not one to hold a grudge.
It was just that Japan gradually stabilized later, which left them with no opportunity to strike.
It was just unexpected that after only forty years of stable rule, the Edo Shogunate was plunged into war once again; at this time, if Joseon did not take advantage of the chaos, they would be doing a disservice to Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
While facing the threat of other daimyos replacing them, the Tokugawa Shogunate also faced the threat from Joseon; at this time, they had no other choice but to invite the Celestial Empire to preside over justice.
After receiving the news, Zhu Ci looked around and asked, "What do you all think?"
Subconsciously, all the Grand Secretariat ministers looked toward the Grand Secretary.
The Grand Secretary, now over thirty years old, appeared much more composed; although he was still young, he was gradually gaining the ability to keep his subordinates in check.
He cupped his hands and said, "I believe we can send envoys to mediate the disputes in Japan, while simultaneously sending envoys to Korea to issue a reprimand."
Simply put, it means not sending troops for the time being.
Zhu Ci nodded. "Alright."
He looked around and realized that Zhu Ci had not followed him, then he remembered that Zhu Ci was currently receiving the Russian envoys.
In recent years, Tsarist Russia has been constantly trying to communicate with the Great Ming, but Zhu Ci has not yet established formal channels of dialogue with them.
Because things had not yet completely stabilized in Mongolia and Tibet.
Only after sending troops to occupy Mongolia and Tibet, completely crushing the various local religious powers and driving out all the Russians, did he agree to negotiate with Tsarist Russia.
Without even thinking, one could know that Tsarist Russia was certainly eager to talk to them because of the matters in Mongolia.
Back then, although Galdan did not completely submit to Tsarist Russia, he did bow his head, Tsarist Russia had certainly planned to use Galdan to expand its influence in Mongolia and Tibet.
As a result, before he could even implement his plans, Galdan was swiftly conquered by the Ming Kingdom; not only that, but even Tibet fell into the hands of the Ming Kingdom.
Nowadays, Tsarist Russia and the Ming Kingdom are considered bordering nations.
Tsarist Russia had always wanted to act on behalf of Galdan, but after learning about the advanced firearms of the Ming Kingdom, they did not act rashly by sending troops. Instead, they intended to test the waters first, never expecting that the Ming Kingdom would refuse to engage entirely.
At this point, Zhu Ci's agreement to receive the Russian envoys was primarily an attempt to use the opportunity to assert sovereignty, warning Russia not to harbor any improper ambitions toward the regions of Mongolia and Tibet.
However, Zhu Ci felt that this matter might not be easy.
According to the intelligence Fu handed to him, the current ruler of Tsarist Russia is Alexei Mikhailovich, a man who had little presence in history, but his son, the world-renowned Peter the Great, was very famous.
Zhu Ci did not even know his own country's history well enough to recount it like a collection of treasures, so he naturally did not know much about the history of Tsarist Russia either.
Therefore, he could only attempt to analyze the current Tsar through that intelligence.
Alexei Mikhailovich, twenty-five years old this year, is two years older than Zhu Ci.
Coincidentally, he ascended the throne in July nine years ago, which was July of the second year of the Hongguang Era, at that same time, Zhu Ci was also supported to ascend the throne by Fu.
It could be said that the timing of their ascensions to the throne was nearly identical.
However, the difference was that when Zhu Ci ascended the throne, he was already an emperor with actual power; he held military authority, Fu, the head of all officials, was completely submissive to him.
It wasn't until three years later, after the Salt Merchant Riot in Moscow and the subsequent assault on the Kremlin by the masses, that Aleksey Mikhailovich found the opportunity to exile the Morozovs, abolish the salt tax, formally take personal control of the government.
Of course, this does not mean that Alexei Mikhailovich was not an outstanding monarch; on the contrary, in his second year, he promulgated the *Council Code*, strengthening the Tsar's power while simultaneously establishing the legality of serfdom.
By the year before last, which was the seventh year of the Guanglie Era, he reformed religion and simultaneously split it, ensuring that the Tsar's power stood above the Church.
Actually, a major event occurred this year as well: Tsarist Russia annexed Ukraine, it was even the Ukrainian Cossack leader Khmelnytsky who proactively requested to be incorporated into Tsarist Russia.
In addition to this, he also established a secret affairs office that reported directly to the Tsar, bypassing the noble Duma and seizing absolute power for himself.
No matter how you look at it, Peter the Great's father was no pushover, he was clearly very keen on expansion.
Zhu Ci placed the intelligence on the table and said, "He truly is an extraordinary Tsar."
Fu said without even blinking, "He is far inferior to Your Majesty."
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: No, no, I'm using cheats; I'm relying entirely on myself. A cat prudently raising its tail. jpg
Next update tomorrow morning at six o'clock~
Chapter 303
After hearing this, Zhu Ci glanced at Fu and said, "My situation is different from his."
Zhu Ci said it was an accession, but in reality, it was no different from conquering the world anew; his ministers were all personally promoted by him, so there was no such thing as veteran officials using hegemony to suppress the Emperor.
Even so, the scholar-officials had once banded together in an attempt to suppress imperial power.
If he had it this difficult, let alone the young Alexei Mikhailovich who ascended the throne.
Fu, however, felt that Zhu Ci's situation back then was even more difficult; he had to face a broken land and countless people filled with malice toward him.
However, there was no need to dwell on this issue; he actually hoped that Aleksei was a foolish ruler, as that would naturally make it easier for them to deal with him.
Zhu Ci asked, "Alexei.. never mind, what are the Tsar's demands?"
He had originally intended to call him by the Tsar's full name, but the names of the Russians were simply too long; it was like when taking an exam, the other students had already finished the multiple-choice section while the Russians were still there writing out their names.
Can't remember, I really can't remember.
Fu's eyes grew cold as he said, "They want Lake Balkhash and the Ili River."
Actually, he was omitting a lot when he said that; for instance, what Tsarist Russia currently wants is the area east and south of Lake Balkhash.
But whether he omits it or not, the result is the same.
Zhu Ci said very calmly, "Tell them to get lost."
Are you mad?" The Russian envoy was driven out of the post station in a somewhat disheveled state, his eyes wide as he said in broken Chinese, "Two countries.. two countries.. two countries at war, do not execute the envoys!
The Vice Minister of Rites, who had kicked him out, slowly rolled up his sleeves and said, "Are you not still alive? However, if you don't get lost immediately, I can no longer guarantee whether you will survive."
“Madman.. Madman..” The Russian envoy's face was filled with disbelief.
They had certainly been envoys to many countries, in every single one, people were extremely respectful toward Tsarist Russia, yet the people of the Ming Kingdom were all like savages.
When driving away the Russian envoys, Zhu Ci had already ordered the garrisons near the Ili River and Lake Balkhash to begin preparing for war.
Fu did not participate in the staff meeting. After all, he was the head of the scholar-officials; since the Emperor wanted the separation of civil and military administration, all he could do was lead by example and offer unconditional support.
However, he received a special privilege that other scholar-officials did not: he could enter and leave the Imperial Study at will.
He looked at the maps laid out in the Imperial Study; these maps were much more exquisite than the ones they had in their hands before, in addition, the regions of Mongolia and Tibet had also been included in the territory.