In May, Zhao Hao bid farewell to his father-in-law, took a boat down the river, and headed to Wuchang for the appointment of the governor of Huguang Chen Rui.

The two sides met when Zhang Wenming was buried. At that time, Chen Rui invited Zhao Hao to meet in Wuchang.

Mr. Zhao still has to give face to the governor of Huguang. What's more, Chen Rui is from Fuzhou, Fujian. His second and third sons are also Zhao Hao's students, and he is a true self-center.

On the Dragon Boat Festival in May, Zhao Hao and his party arrived in Wuchang. In accordance with his strong request, Chen Rui did not go out to greet him in person, and "only" Wuchang prefect was sent as a representative to welcome him at the official wharf outside Hanyang Gate.

Then Chen Zhongcheng led the Huguang Fan, Nie and the Chief of the Du Shi, to hold a banquet on the Yellow Crane Tower to welcome the young masters.

After the banquet, Chen Rui asked Zhao Hao to stay in his governor's yamen to show his family's favor.

~~

In the back garden of the governor's yamen, Mrs. Chen accompanied Ma Xianglan to enjoy the flowers and chat, while Zhao Hao and Chen Rui were having tea and talking in the pavilion in the middle of the lake.

"Mr. Lin is so polite." Zhao Hao smiled while gently stroked the teacup with a cup lid, "I can't afford such a big show."

"Hey, how many people in the Ming Dynasty are above the young master?" Chen Rui waved his hand and smiled, "If it weren't for your repeated advice and instructing me, I must go to Jiangling to pick you up."

"What, are you still afraid that I will run away?" Zhao Hao couldn't help laughing.

"I'm really afraid." Chen Rui smiled and said, "I heard from Yi Jie's letter that Henan Governor Zhou Jichuan wanted to meet you alone, but he didn't find a chance."

"At that time, the date of the old Fengjun's burial was set, and I really had no time to go along. I was so sorry for Zhou Zhongcheng." Zhao Hao smiled embarrassedly and said, "I have already written a letter to apologize to him."

"Haha, do we still use official words when talking between us brothers?" Chen Rui patted Zhao Hao's shoulder and laughed.

Yi Jie was Chen Rui's second son Chen Changzuo, the first batch of Jinshi trained by Phoenix Academy, and was awarded the title of Biyang Order of Henan.

Chen Rui's third son, Chen Changmian, even studied science for three years in Phoenix Academy. He became a second-class Jinshi last year and is now studying in the Hanlin Academy.

"Okay." Zhao Hao nodded with a wry smile, put down the teacup and said, "I know what Zhou Zhongcheng wants, but I can't give it to you."

The Ming Dynasty officials have always been very leisurely, especially at the level of governors and governors. Political achievements are no longer important. As long as they are safe and stable, they can be fine. Save energy and establish good relations with the officials in the court. In this way, people will think of you and recommend you when the court is recommended.

On the contrary, the so-called capable officials and officials are not a compliment in the context of the Ming Dynasty officialdom, because they are often associated with being harsh and harsh, and are incompatible with this harmonious officialdom.

However, all of this changed after Zhang Xianggong took power. After the examination was completed, the officials could no longer be leisurely and decent and harmonious. Because they could not complete the task, they would be demoted and dismissed!

It’s okay to say other tasks, but the most damaging thing is tax revenue. At present, it will be considered qualified if you receive at least 90% of the time. It is estimated that it will increase to 10% in two years.

In addition, there is also the task of recovering taxes aged over a year, and if you fail to complete it, you are not qualified to be promoted.

Under the pressure of assessment, the superiors are naturally anxious to force their subordinates. At this time, academic qualifications are no longer important, and only those who can collect taxes are popular.

But a good wife can't cook without rice. If you spread a place like Henan, no matter how great your county officials have, you will not be able to complete the tax task. If the urge is too tight, the people will either abandon the desert and flee on a large scale, or sell themselves as slaves, and hire them in the vassal and powerful houses, and they will be even less taxable.

As many prefectures and counties cannot complete the tasks, the prefectures will naturally not complete the tasks; as many prefectures and prefectures cannot complete the tasks, the provinces will naturally not complete the tasks. However, the governor has to come to Beijing to report his duties every year, and being scolded by Xianggong Zhang, it is worse than death.

Henan Governor Zhou Jian will no longer be placed on Jiangnan Group and Zhao Hao. He hopes that Zhao Hao can include Henan in the Jiangnan integration area, or lend to local gentry, so that they can set up their own development companies and carry out farm operations.

It seems that as long as you enter integration or farming, all problems will be solved.

However, Zhao Hao avoided him, which made Governor Zhou feel lost.

~~

"Why can't you give it?" Chen Rui asked in a deep voice with a nervous expression.

"All other difficulties can be overcome, but there is one thing that cannot be solved. There are too many royal vassals in Henan." Zhao Hao said lightly: "The rule of the group is to respect the royal family and stay away from it. Never swing a spoon in the same pot with them."

"Uh..." Chen Rui was stunned when he heard this, and then laughed loudly: "Hahaha, the young master is scolding the bald man in front of the monk!"

When it comes to the many royal families, Henan is not as good as Huguang. Huguang has a total of ten vassal kings!

Zhao Hao didn't give him any room to speak.

"Hahaha, please forgive me. Why can't I become an official in my hometown? I can't speak!" Zhao Hao spread his hands and the two of them laughed again.

"Okay, I can't make things difficult for my brothers." After laughing, Chen Rui said: "One other thing, you have to help me."

"Please speak with Mr. Lin." Zhao Hao nodded.

"Since the 39th year of Jiajing and the Yangtze River flood, the Jingzhou area has suffered floods year by year, and the embankments are built every year and collapsed every year. The people are suffering from such great suffering." Chen Rui sighed:

"I have always wanted to solve this problem since I took office in Wanli in the third year. After on-site investigation, Pan Butang was invited to be a senior manager and came up with a way to build a dam in the Three Gorges to block water to slow down the flood flow rate and reduce the downstream flood discharge pressure - specifically, it is to select a location in the Three Gorges to build twenty stone dams."

As he said that, he looked at Zhao Hao and said, "Pan Butang said that if you do this project, it will only cost half of the time and time, but it will be able to achieve a hundred years of hard work."

"Is this old Pan helping us to do a project or cheat us?" Zhao Hao nodded with a wry smile and said, "Sure, this is a matter of relieving one's suffering. I'll take this job."

Do he dare not accept it? Jingzhou is Zhang Xianggong's hometown...

Of course, if not, Governor Chen would not have been so concerned.

In addition, although Zhao Hao did not agree to include Huguang into Jiangnan integration, he actively proposed that Huguang could be absorbed into Jiangnan Economic Conference.

If the factors of the royal family of the vassal kings are excluded, Huguang's economic endowment is actually excellent. Huguang is familiar with the world. Moreover, the water network is dense, and the Yangtze River leads directly to the south of the Yangtze River. In Zhao Hao's plan, the entire Yangtze River will sooner or later be connected.

Although the group dares not invest in Huguang due to objective reasons, the vassal issue must be solved one day. We must first strengthen trade exchanges, and lay a solid foundation for integration in the future.

After listening to Mr. Zhao's explanation, members of the mutual association can enjoy all the discounts given to the integrated area by the group, including the purchase of staple food protection prices that he was most concerned about. Governor Chen was overjoyed.

In fact, he wanted Huguang to join the integration of Jiangnan. There was a very important real pressure, that is, as the grain in Jiangnan achieved self-sufficiency, it could even be supplied to the coastal areas of Fujian, Guangdong and Shandong, making Huguang very passive.

The Huguang area, which has a vast land and sparse population, fertile, mild and humid land, has always been the world's granary. With convenient water transportation, 70% of the exported commercial grains supply the Jiangnan area, which is rich in the world but has long been short of grain.

It is precisely because Huguang guarantees rations and tax grains that landlords in Jiangnan can be assured to abandon grain fields and plant cotton mulberry trees. Only then can the people leave the land and specialize in cotton spinning and silk weaving. Therefore, Jiangnan and Huguang have always taken their needs and complemented each other to form a stable supply and demand structure.

Nowadays, the grain in Jiangnan Africa does not need to be imported, and can even compete for business with Huguang. The grain prices in Huguang are naturally slumping and then falling. We must actively implement the one-whip method, which will make the grain prices worse.

The officials and landlords in Huguang mainly rely on commodity grain, which is naturally bleak. They beg their grandfather to ask the governor to ask the governor to plead with Mr. Zhang or the elder of the court to see if they can let the Jiangnan Group continue to purchase their grain?

Now Zhao Hao has helped Governor Chen get a serious illness. He has also explained to all aspects of the province. The resistance to implementing the one-whip method will naturally be much smaller in the future.

Isn’t the officials who are bound to complete their term in a decent manner? Chen Rui was very grateful to Zhao Hao, and kindly asked him to stay in Huguang for a few more days, and then sent Zhao Hao to the provincial border, before he reluctantly said goodbye to him.

Zhao Hao's ship had just left Huguang, but was stopped by Jiangxi Governor Xu Fengzhu, who warmly invited him to visit Nanchang. Xu Zhongcheng is from Changshu and is an authentic Jiangnan gang. Zhao Hao can only serve him in one bowl and give him a chance to satisfy his wishes.

Xu Fengzhu's request is similar to Chen Rui, and she also hopes that Jiangxi can join Jiangnan integration.

In fact, Jiangxi was originally in the same situation as Jiangnan in this dynasty. It had a prosperous culture and education, a developed economy, and a large population and a small land area, which led to more people engaging in industry and commerce, especially the world's largest ceramic industry, and the silk, medicinal materials and other industries were very prosperous.

For a long time, Jiangxi was not much inferior to Jiangnan. However, since entering the Age of Discovery, everything has changed. Jiangnan and even the southeast coastal areas began to rise rapidly with the advantage of maritime trade. Jiangxi is deeply inland and heavy burdens of vassals, and the court's shackles on Jingdezhen made them unable to compete with Jiangnan and the gap is getting bigger and bigger.

Even the strongest Jingdezhen ceramics lost in competition with export porcelain fired in coastal prefectures and counties. Although the quality of the latter is not as good as Jingdezhen, it is really cheap.

Moreover, they were poaching people with high salaries, and the large number of porcelain workers in Jingdezhen were lost, which made the situation even worse.

Originally, the porcelain merchants in Jiangxi tried their best to fight them, but later they found that they were no match for them at all. If they could not beat them, they had to join them...

Unfortunately, there were many vassal kings in Jiangxi, and they occupied the entire Poyang Lake from Nanchang to Jiujiang. Southern Ganzhou is a mountainous area, so Jiangxi is just the essence of this little place, with all the royal family sucking blood.

Therefore, Zhao Hao could only refuse ten times, and only asked them to join the Economic and Communication Conference, strengthen economic and trade exchanges, try to unify the market, and incorporate Jiangxi into the industrial chain...

Alas, if the vassal states are not removed, Huguang and Jiangxi will never have a chance to make a comeback.

The same principle applies to Henan, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Shandong and Shanxi.

This place where the Ming Dynasty had no vassal kings, except for the integrated two digits, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangzhou, there are only Guangxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou, which are the southwestern border areas that even the vassal kings are unwilling to go to...

Therefore, the expansion of the three major groups in China has reached its limit. No matter how rich Zhao Hao is, he will not dare to invest in the bottomless pits of the seven provinces of the clan.

The harm of the royal family can be seen. If the royal family is not eliminated, there will be no hope for the Ming Dynasty!

ps. Thank you for your concern. After two days of rest, my eyes have improved a lot. But in order to be completely cured, I still have to save my eyes in these days. This chapter was modified after typing with voice. Practice has proved that this method is not good...
Chapter completed!