Bi Ziyan said "yes" and said to Zhu Youxiao: "It's a loss that this is the case. Only by passing on the huge losses caused by the drought in Shaanxi and the locust plague that has ravaged the north for five consecutive years to foreign barbarians. Otherwise, even if the national treasury is sufficient, it will not be able to support such a big disaster while maintaining so many troops in the north."

"It is true that according to the ministers stationed in North Korea and Japan, Annan reported that North Korea and Japan are all hungry all over the country. Every day, foreigners are in trouble due to hunger. Originally, their country was in good weather and was not as frequent as the Ming Dynasty. However, because its food flowed into our Ming Dynasty, it often lacked enough food. In addition, to enjoy a more luxurious life to buy luxury goods exported by our Ming Dynasty, the meat eaters in China are more severely imposed, so people's livelihood is even more difficult. But if we do not do this, the people who are hungry will be the people who are the Ming Dynasty, and the uprising will happen in our Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Xieyuan followed and said something.

Liu Hongxun also said, "This is also the will of heaven. If God wants to do so, he can only suffer the foreigners."

"We must not only suffer the people of foreign countries, but also the vassal lords. We should also let them bear some pressure to govern the country, and don't just think about getting benefits from the Celestial Empire."

Zhu Youxiao said at this time and said, "But as long as they are loyal enough to the Celestial Empire, the Celestial Empire still has to guarantee their power. The only one who can overthrow them is me, and the rest have no right to decide!"

"I understand!"

Bi Ziyan and other ministers of the regent said at this time.

"At present, some of the Japanese are divided into shogunate factions and anti-south sects. The current emperor stands on the side of the shogunate factions, and is Tokugawa Iemitsu's niece. Emperor Taishang stands on the side of the anti-south sect. He angrily gave the position of the emperor to his daughter because he was dissatisfied with the abuse of power of the Tokugawa shogunate. Next, whoever these two parties would rather seek benefits in the Japanese country for the Ming Dynasty, they would support whoever they would not have to force the other party into a desperate situation."

Zhu Youxiao continued to talk about his arrangements with Japan, and then said: "For North Korea, according to the Jinyiwei, the literati and officials in the country were very dissatisfied with the current foreign domineering strategy of our Ming Dynasty. Some even advocated that we no longer recognize our Ming Dynasty as the sect leader. We must crack down on this and find ways to incite a force to provoke an instigation on our own initiative. At that time, it will also be in a state of division. Only if they split will it benefit our Ming Dynasty!"

"Abide by His Majesty's instructions."

Bi Ziyan replied.

Zhu Youxiao continued: "Let's talk about internal affairs. Both foreign countries and overseas immigrants need to provide a large amount of manpower. Moreover, as the territory of our Ming Dynasty becomes more and more vast and the controllable areas become wider, a larger population is needed, especially the number of Han people, because we need the number of Han people to occupy the main part of a certain area."

As he said that, Zhu Youxiao stood up and said to Bi Ziyan and other ministers of the regent: "So, you preside over the court discussion and discuss how to increase the population of the empire in the future. Some old etiquette and laws must be changed. For example, encouraging widows to keep their rituals, they must be overturned!"

"What Your Majesty said is that the court does need more Han people now. The Ministry of Rites must have new annotations on etiquette and law. It cannot overemphasize the widow's chastity. In addition, it must encourage childbirth. Now the court has made a lot of external benefits, disaster relief, military support, education, etc., and there are still surpluses. It is better to provide subsidies to reward and subsidies for families with a certain number of children, from encouraging chastity to encouraging children."

Bi Ziyan replied.

"This is true. Anyone who has many children, regardless of whether they are more than five, will be funded by the government to build a "glorious archway" for them. Those who serve the people will have more children, which means they will contribute to the country! Those who drown babies will be punished more and will intentionally kill people. Once verified, they will be sentenced to death!"

Zhu Youxiao ordered.

"Abide by the order!"

"In addition, aren't refugees in Japan, North Korea and other places now? I believe there are many women who sell their first bids. There are some people who choose clean girls to buy them, and they are raised by the court. Then the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Rites organizes a blind date and arranges an official wife to those who apply for marriage, which is equivalent to the country's women."

Zhu Youxiao continued.

"Abide by the order!"

...

In fact, in the current Ming Dynasty, the number of Han people has been increasing.

First, after the promotion of potato and sweet potato grain, and the court's method of transferring disasters abroad and being borne by foreigners, the chance of starvation was greatly reduced.

Second, the number of women giving birth to children is prohibited from opening brothels and abandoning babies is prohibited.

Third, the living standards of the people in the Ming Dynasty improved, which was also the main reason. The poor and unmarried military households now have increased their incomes because of the abolishment of the ward system and becoming workers, so they can marry their wives, which makes more and more people willing to have children.

However, the Ming Dynasty is now constantly opening its borders, and investment in various large-scale projects is also increasing. Therefore, even if the population increases in large numbers, it still needs a population.

What's more, the increasing population is basically still children and adolescents, and it is not enough to be able to use young people.

This has led to a problem in the Ming Dynasty today. The problem is that the population gap of all ages is relatively serious, and the young and strong seem to be insufficient for use, while the teenagers and children who need education have increased significantly. Therefore, the cost of education is very high, but the speed of external development has to be limited due to the lack of young and strong.

"Stop commending the chaste women? Say this is not in line with the theory of heaven and man? It is not conducive to the prosperity of children?!"

When the Ministry of Rites published such a report in the Dibao and made corresponding analysis in the Huangming Pao, the report on the refusal of widows being encouraged to keep their qualities still caused a stir inside and outside the court and the country.

For the faithful believers of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, this is something they cannot accept.

At this time, after seeing the content of this kind of Junan Ju, Sun Qifeng, a Neo-Confucian scholar, sat up from the official hat chair in surprise, and said to his friend Li Yu, "This is simply outrageous! When did the widow's chastity become a matter of not advocating? This is simply contrary to the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues!"

"The princes in the court were really crazy to increase the Han family's population. They did this undoubtedly cut off the opportunity for some gentry to rely on chastity women to maintain their status as family members and their hometown!"

Li Yu also said.

"It's not a big deal. Can you still rely on the prosperity of your children to shine on your family?"

At this time, Liu Yuan, who is also a believer in Neo-Confucianism, left and said, "Now it seems that I, Liu, have to add another archway to the clan to take a concubine to make my children prosperous!"

Like Liu Yuanqiu, the reason for getting married and taking concubines in the Ming Dynasty was nothing special. They were all for the purpose of making the family prosperous and gaining a "glorious archway".

The Ming Dynasty undoubtedly entered a period of more explosive population, which undoubtedly added greater costs to the civilian education currently being promoted by the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Youxiao asked Bi Ziyan and others to find ways to increase revenue and reduce expenditure, so that the court can more national treasury can cope with the sharply increased education costs in the future.

After the court discussion, Bi Ziyan said to Zhu Youxiao: "Your Majesty, the ministers have no other way. It is inappropriate to say that the domestic commercial tax is already very high, and it is inappropriate to increase the commercial tax. Although the land tax is low, even if it is added to the highest in history, it is just a drop in the bucket and it is easy to suffer ordinary self-cultivation farmers. Therefore, in order not to suffer the children of the Ming Dynasty, they have to come up with one solution, and they can only suffer the foreigners again! In Manraka, Haojing, and Goa, the three cash gates in the three places!"
Chapter completed!