Chapter 541 The Great Court Meeting 2

Yang Tinghe raised his hand and waved, and the rays of light intertwined into a huge map, which was hung in the center of the hall, and he talked eloquently:

"Your Majesty, please see, this is the territory that our dynasty now fully controls, and the surrounding areas are barren mountains and wastelands that our dynasty has not yet touched."

"My suggestion is to divide the mainland into five parts based on our country's existing territory to facilitate development and management."

As Yang Tinghe spoke, he used his true energy to draw on the map. The territories he fully controlled and the undeveloped land were all clearly marked.

Zhu Houzhao stared at the map with his eyes furrowed and frowned. The division of territory was simple, but the implications were far-reaching and required careful consideration.

He looked at the ministers, solicited their opinions, synthesized everyone's opinions, and then made a decision.

"What do you think, sir?"

"I agree with Master Yang's opinion."

The cabinet and the six ministries had already discussed the matter of re-dividing the territory during Zhu Houzhao's retreat. Otherwise, the map displayed by Yang Tinghe would not be so complete, and the officials naturally had no other opinions.

But agreeing with it does not mean that there are no other problems. Liang Chu, the official minister, said:

"Your Majesty, if we want to re-divide the territory, we must build a large-scale official system for the city, and the management officials must also keep up. Although our official reserve is sufficient, it is also extremely limited, and it may be difficult to supply the four directions."

No, the re-division of the territory has not yet been decided, and new issues have been raised.

Developing new land is not only a matter of official reserves, but also a matter of sending troops to garrison, as well as the supply and demand of finance, food, etc. It can be said that a single move affects the whole body.

"His Majesty."

"His Majesty."

As soon as Liang Chu opened his mouth, the other six ministers were not willing to be left alone, and they all talked about the problems that needed to be faced in developing new territories.

Especially Zhang Juzheng, the newly appointed Minister of Household Affairs, has a bitter look on his old face.

You don’t know that firewood and rice are expensive when you are not a family. The Taiwu family has a big business and needs money everywhere. If a large amount of fiscal revenue is used to support the development of new land, the national treasury will be empty for a long time in the future.

The first minister, second minister, and six ministers of the cabinet all spoke, and other ministers also expressed their opinions.

For a moment, the entire court was noisy, like a vegetable market.

Zhu Houzhao looked unhappy and winked at Liu Jin. Liu Jin understood instantly and shouted loudly: "Quiet, quiet."

Only then did the ministers calm down, and Zhu Houzhao reprimanded him casually: "They are all important ministers of my court, so how can they be so noisy in the court hall?"

He just expressed his dissatisfaction, and there was no substantial punishment. It was normal to discuss government affairs and express one's own opinions, so there was no need to take it too seriously.

Looking back at the map, he already had an idea in his mind and said loudly:

"Yang Aiqing's proposal is very feasible in my opinion. In order to expand our territory, we must carry out management and development."

"In order to facilitate the development of new land, it is imperative to redefine the territory."

When Yang Tinghe heard this, his face remained calm, but a trace of pride flashed in his eyes. If he could win the great achievement of re-dividing the territory, his position as the chief minister of the cabinet would be secure.

When Yang Yiqing retires, who else will take the position of chief minister of the cabinet besides Yang Tinghe?

As for when Yang Yiqing will step down as chief assistant, I believe that day will not be too far away.

He boasted that he knew Zhu Houzhao very well and that Yang Yiqing was both civil and military. However, as the chief minister of the cabinet and having a good relationship with the military, how could the emperor reuse him?

During the war, Yang Yiqing was able to mobilize the cabinet and the military very well, but during peacetime, Yang Yiqing's position was very awkward.

Zhu Houzhao is not a mind reader and obviously does not know about Yang Tinghe's rich inner drama. Even if he knew, he would not care because he never wanted Yang Tinghe to replace Yang Yiqing.

Yang Yiqing had a good relationship with the military. Although there were some taboos, Zhu Houzhao undoubtedly valued Yang Yiqing more than Yang Tinghe, who had a strong desire for power and was a powerful minister.

He raised his hand and landed a line of true energy on the map. Yang Tinghe made some detailed adjustments to the areas divided by Yang Tinghe, and announced in a high-profile voice:

"The new territory is divided into five major areas."

"The original two capitals and thirteen provinces, plus Mobei Grassland, Xinjiang and other places, are the central region."

"To the east of the Central Territory, most of it is sea area and is classified as the East China Sea."

"The west of the Central Territory is densely covered with mountains, rivers and hills, and is classified as the Western Frontier."

"To the south of the Central Territory, where the sky is high and the road is far, it is designated as Nanli."

"To the north of the Central Territory, there is a vast grassland, which is classified as the Northern Plains."

Central Territory, East China Sea, Western Territory, Nanli, Northern Plains

Except for the central region, the five divided regions are still undeveloped barren mountains and ridges, inaccessible to people.

"The ministers think there is something wrong with this division."

"Your Majesty, Holy Ming!"

The ministers bowed their heads, and there was no voice of opposition.

"The territory of our dynasty is divided into five major regions, but except for the central region, the other four regions are in urgent need of development and management. In view of the limited reserve of officials, the imperial examination will be held in advance on a certain date to select talents as a backup."

Zhu Houzhao's eyes fell on Liang Chu, the Minister of Personnel, and Liu Yu, the Minister of Rites. A glimmer of light flashed in his eyes and he said:

"This matter was sponsored by the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites, and Prince Jing Zhu Qiyuan was the chief examiner."

An understatement contains many calculations.

Zhu Qiyuan is the main examiner. This is to prepare a team for Zhu Qiyuan.

"My lord, I will obey the Holy Order!"

Liu Yu, the Minister of Rites, secretly smiled bitterly. Since the reform of the Six-Ministry Department, the power of his Ministry of Rites has become smaller and smaller. He has almost developed into a professional diplomat. He is responsible for quarreling with envoys from various dynasties all day long.

The imperial examinations were always presided over by the Ministry of Rites, but Zhu Houzhao insisted on letting the six ministries take turns. His intention is self-evident.

In order to prevent the emergence of another civil service group, teachers and candidates have become a community of interests over time.

Let the six departments take turns to hold the imperial examination. If any candidate has a problem, he or she will bring trouble to the examiner at that time.

Unlike in the past, when the Ministry of Etiquette presided over all the power, and a few bachelors were appointed as chief examiners, if something went wrong, you could not even ask for the crime, and you could get away with just saying "the law does not blame everyone".

"Zhang Aiqing, can our government's finances support the development of new land?"

Zhu Houzhao asked Zhang Juzheng about the financial situation. It was absolutely impossible to develop new territories without sufficient financial support.

The manpower and material resources required to build a city all require financial allocation.

As in the old system, ordinary people were called together and made to work for free. Zhu Houzhao could not do that kind of thing where his conscience would be eaten by dogs.

He is indeed not a good person, but he is not exploiting his own people. It would not matter if he were replaced by overseas barbarians.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured that there are no problems with financial expenditure."

Zhang Juzheng said sonorously and forcefully, his words full of confidence.

In other dynasties, he probably wouldn't have dared to say such big words, but Zhu Houzhao's Taiwu Dynasty was different. The tax system was fully formed and the finances were extremely abundant. It was possible to make the best use of all the resources used to develop new territories.

It was because of those merchants, martial arts sects, and local families who worked so hard to earn money and had to pay taxes honestly. They wanted to run away to other dynasties, but they didn't have the courage.
Chapter completed!